The Bulletin from Temple Beth Sholom, September 2002

Temple Beth Sholom THE BULLETIN Executive Director 2 Rabbi's Message 3 President's Message Cantor's Message 4 Under the Dome 5 Women's League Men's Club 6 Jewish Literacy 7 Preschool News 8 Religious School Youth Groups 9 Donations 10 Calendar of Events Schedule of Services 20 Temple Beth Sholom is a Conservative Congregation affiliated with The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism SCHEDULE OF SERVICES ROSH HASHANAH Friday Evening September 6 8 p.m.' Saturday Morning September 7 9 a.m. Saturday Evening September 7 8 p.m. Sunday Morning September 8 9 a.m. Sunday Evening Monday Morning Yizkor Service Neilah Service YOM KIPPUR September 15 5:45 p.m.* September 16 9 a.m September 16 11a.m. September 16 5 p.m. *denotes approximate time 2 ? E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r "The Big Question" Executive Director Robert Mirisch ? O n my recent holiday I had the great Iflk good fortune to meet a gentleman who had just retired from almost two dec-ades as the administrator of a 5,000- member Baptist church in Texas. We found the juxtaposition of his fin- ? ? i s h m y his career and my beginning ^ ^ B ^ S r ^ H m j n e a s Executive Director here at TBS as an immediate bond between us. I was anxious to learn what I could from his experiences and he was generously willing to share his with me. It took much control (at least on my part) not to turn the trip into a seminar on the administration of religious institutes. But in deference to our wives, we avoided that. Still I was able to get enough information on enough of the nuts and bolts issues to realize that, to use a manufacturing vernacular, whatever label the product has, the process of satisfying the ultimate consumer is pretty much the same. Baptists and Jews are both con-cerned with security, insurance, budgets, congregant needs, building maintenance, budgets, care and feed-ing of clergy, schooling and, of course, budgets, to name just a few. Ultimately I felt close enough to Walter to ask him the "Big Question." "What," I said," do you consider the most important thing that an administrator of a religious institution needs to know in order to best serve his con-gregation?" Without a moment's hesitation Walter re-sponded, "Just love them and they will love you back. If you do, you can't help but do the best for them." Walter was expressing, in Christian terms, what Jews might express, in the theological sense, as rec-ognizing that each human being contains a spark of the Divine and that we are all God's children. Syna-gogue 2000, the program designed to aid synagogues in their effectiveness, emphasizes that if staff and members can keep this image in their minds and truly treat one another in the manner one would treat a holy being (which all of us are) that we can't help but be the kind of place that deserves to be a house of God. In doing so, we can't help but grow in membership, effec-tive programming and cohesiveness as fellow mem-bers of TBS. We will be patient toward one another, congregant and staff; we will learn from each other by respecting each others opinions and views, we will know that we are all working for the betterment of TBS as an institution and we will bond in enriching friend-ships. Walter is right. I pledge to do my best to recognize in all of you your spark of the Divine and endeavor to treat you accordingly. L'Shanah Tovah! wmmmm?mmmmmwmmmmmm^mmmmm^mmmmmmmmlM DO rnr ? DO arrive early. ? DON'T come in multiple cars when you can come together. ? DO bring your tickets and photo I.D. ? DON'T brinq machzors when thev are sup-plied, or large purses or bags that require in-spection. ? DO follow the direction of guards. ? DON'T park in handicapped spaces without a "handicapped" placard. ? DO follow the directions of ushers. ? DON'T block aisles or sit in other people's seats. ? DO be courteous to fellow worshippers. ? DON'T bring cell phones (unless you are a physician on call) or disturb your neighbors. ? DO respect the sanctity of the day. . DON'T disregard posted siqns that restrict en-try to services (e.g. during sermon, Kedusha or Hineini). ? DO dress appropriately for the occasion. . DON'T qo onto Bimah with head uncovered. Rabbi's Message?3 Don't Ignore the Clowns Rabbi Felipe Goodman Dear Friends; Soon we will find ourselves to-gether in the Synagogue for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kip-pur. Together we will be pray-ing, struggling, yearning and per-haps even dreaming. The pur-pose of my column in this bulle-tin before Rosh Hashanah is to share a small yet very profound message. I trust that you will find it thought provoking and above all, I hope that we all can find in this brief essay a catalyst for our own Teshuvah! Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish theologian, often used stories as a vehicle to convey his message. He told of a circus coming to town, and of the cir-cus people preparing for the show. One of the tents catches on fire. A clown, the only one of the circus people dressed, runs to the village asking the people to bring buckets of water to put out the fire. The townspeople, knowing that clowns are supposed to act that way, knowing that clowns are not serious, ignore the message until they see the smoke from the burning tent. Throughout the year we live with the attitude of the villagers. We ignore the "clowns" of our day... the messengers of change... those who speak of wrong and injustice and hurt.... We constantly ig-nore those who are different from us and very of-ten we seem to recognize true words of wisdom or brilliant ideas because we become entangled with the unique appearance of the messenger. More often than not, morality is divided in three parts: right, wrong and everyone does it.... As you might guess, throughout the year we find "every one does it" as the odds on favor to describe our life style. Just as we discard those who are differ-ent, so do we refuse to be different. We prefer the anonymity of a mass for better or for worse, than the true value of our soul in its more pure state. We live the words once spoken by Aldous Hux-ley, "the day will soon come when society will be controlled not by inflicting pain, but by inflicting pleasure." When the Berlin Wall came down, a bit of graffiti scrawled next to one of the holes in the wall stated, "I came, I saw, I did a little shopping." Only "clowns" would decry a life style of pleasure. Only a fool would protest our finding life's lode-stone "everyone is doing it," so I guess it's o.k. In the Slichot service the fire is seen. The clowns are heeded. We discover we all are clowns after all. We live with disguise and abandon. Now the fire is burning. When we say Slichot we take the buckets of a past, our Torah, our teachings. We carry thoughts of God and teshuvah and with us now are our best intentions to do good to others. A new year! A new beginning- Carpe diem, the poet cries. Yes, seize the day, don't lose your grip on what's essential in life. Selach lanu- forgive us, O God, for not listening to the cries of clowns! L'Shanah Tovah! I f you did not receive the e-mail sent concerning our S'lichot Service, to be held on August 31, it probably means we do not have either a current or a good e-mail address for you. Please e-mail us at info@bethsholomlv.org and let us know who you are and what your current e-mail address is. Thank you. Sept. 2002 4?President's Message/Cantor's Message Be True to Your Shul Temple President Jeff Zucker About the same time as you get this edition of the Bulletin you will also be getting your High Holy Day tickets. Indeed, you may al-ready have them. As hard as it is to believe when the temperature is still over 100, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are just days away. One thing that many Jews?and non- Jews-most admire about our religion is that this time of year we take time out from our day to day rou-tines to seriously consider what we have done wrong during the past year and what we can do better in the next. As you take stock, I hope you will consider one mitzvah that you can do right now?the Kol Nidre Appeal. At Temple Beth Sholom a successful appeal is crucial if we are to con-tinue to provide the programs we already have and the key to being able to do many of the additional things which our rnamammmmamammamammmmmmmmmmmmmmimmmmammmmm members would like us to do, and we want to do, if we can only afford to. If you have already made your pledge, we thank you, but we will not be upset if you increase it. If you have not, we urge you to do all you possibly can. When you give to Temple Beth Sholom you are giving the elderly a chance to spend some time out of their homes with our children and grandchildren. You are giving those chil-dren the chance to learn about their religion and traditions and continue in them. You are making it possible for those children to spend time with others who share those values. You are giving your friends and neighbors the opportunity to share their simchas, and seek comfort for their sorrows. In Judaism the word for giving is not charity. It is tzeda-kahh? righteousness. We give not only for others but also for ourselves, to bring into our lives a little of the noble and holy, to raise ourselves above those who do not care. Please care. Cantor's Corner Cantor Daniel Friedman The Holy Days of S'lichot, Rosh Hasha-nah, Yom Kippur and Sukkoth are upon ' us. This is the time of year when we renew our connection to God and identify our-selves as being Jewish. This is the time of M - y year when we reflect and think about what L. i ^ ' Z / w e have done with our lives up to now, where we are in our careers, where we are in our personal relationships, and especially how we have treated our fellow human beings. Have we been fair, kind, generous? This is the time of year we reflect on our personal goals, are we happy, was this a good year or was this a tough year filled with challenges. Did we buy that new house, get that promotion, buy that new car we wanted, take that vacation. This is the time of year when we look at the house, the car, the spouse, the kids, the job and we review our state of being. Now is the time of year we give ourselves the state-of- our-state-of-being personal address while fulfilling our obli-gation as Jewish people. It is also the time of year when we should review our spiritual progress; when we ask forgive-ness in the eyes of God, of ourselves and others whom we might have done wrong. But not only in front of God while at Temple praying, but, also, in full view of others as we gather together to observe the Holy Days of Awe. This is the time of year when we make a connection between the physical and the spiritual. When we put our prayers into action and walk up to those we may have harmed and apologize without any expectations. This is the time of year when we make a huge deposit into our spiritual bank account with God and partici-pate in the High Holy Days. I wonder if any of you ask yourself how far you grew on a spiritual level. I wonder if you even consider your "spiritual" growth throughout the year. I wonder if we have learned to compartmentalize our lives so much that we forget being Jewish isn't just a one-time-a-year thing. That it doesn't take too much effort to, every day, simply, do a few things differ-ently than we might have done when we remember and learn who we are as Jews. I wonder if we understand that our commitment to being Jewish goes beyond the High Holy Days and is part of who we are as Jews. I'm sure most of us do take on this constant personal dialogue with God. This is one of the special things about being Jewish; we are encour-aged to have a constant daily, even hourly, personal connec-tion with God. God is always there, but I can't help wonder how much we are present to allow God into our lives. I won-der if the financial commitments we make to ourselves every day in the form of our job, our home, our car, our spouse, our children, our parents etc, can even be considered equal to the financial obligation we have to nourish our Jewish souls by participating in being Jewish and supporting Jewish causes. How much money is our spiritual growth worth? Can we put a dollar sign on being Jewish and say, "This is what it cost to be Jewish; this is a reflection of my spirituality, my learning as a Jewish person?" I don't think we can codify a dollar amount. Nor do I think we should. I believe our Jewish-ness is priceless and goes beyond the cost of a car or house, or vacation. How do we place a monetary value on "spirituality?" How much is your spirituality worth? How much would you sacrifice because you love being Jewish and want to sing to God with all your heart? This is the time of year to open your heart. "All the parts of the body depend on the heart, and the heart depends on the purse (Talmud J.: Teru-moth, 8)." On these High Holy Days I hope you will open your heart and feed your body and soul. I look forward to singing with you at Temple. L'Shanah Tovah! Under the Dome?5 <^ %^ 3 m A Lunch <S Learn Break Downtown?On September 19, from noon to 1 p.m.. Rabbi Goodman will lead a Torah Study Session in the Crockett and Myers Law Building, 700 S. Third St., at Garces. Everyone is welcome to attend. Bring your own dairy lunch. Do a Mitzvah? For yourself and others. Join us at TBSs Evening Minyan. By doing so you will find comfort and quiet in the Mincha-Maariv Service and will be help-ing make it possible for those who have to say Kaddish to remember their loved ones. Services are held at 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel. Women's League Update?Join us for a light Break-the- Fast immediately following Yom Kippur Neilah ser-vices. On Wednesday, September 25, from 7 to 9 p.m., join us in the Temple sukkah as we celebrate Sukkot and choose our new Secret Sister for the year. Look for the exciting $100 raffle tickets for three cash prizes. All proceeds will directly benefit Temple Beth Sholom. Sign up for the Adult Bat Mitzvah class, starting soon. The Judaica Shop is now open regular hours. October 6 is the exciting Paid-Up Membership Brunch, and November 3 is the great Hanukkah Bou-tique. Z'hava?our younger member group?now meets the second Thursday of the month. Adult Education Opportunities?Registration has once again begun for TBS's exciting program of Adult Jewish Studies. Among the diverse classes that are offered for the 2002-2003 school year include Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Introduction to Judaism, Hebrew Reading and Conversational Hebrew. Please join us in our pursuit of Jewish learning. To receive more information about these or other courses that are available?or to regis-ter? please call the school office at 804-1333, ext. 115. TBS in Cyberspace! - Techies, teens, teen techies, journalists, photojournalists, graphics mavens, anyone interested in web-sites? TBS wants you. We are putting together a team with imagination, vision and a "today" slant on things to make the TBS website the most exciting place for Jew-ish Las Vegas in cyberspace. Be part of it! Let Bob Mirisch know if you would be willing to attend an initial meeting to discuss the launch of our new and active website. Call him at 804-1333, ext. 133, or e-mail him at rmirisch@bethsholomlv.org. I t ' s a Small Jewish World, After All?Gale and Mort Labovitz, new members of TBS, came to Shabbat ser-vices this past month. They recently moved here from Washington, D.C. At the Oneg Shabbat, Gale and Mort rediscovered an old friend, Janice Klein. Janice was a bridesmaid at the Labovitz wedding. They had not seen each other in over 30 years. I f you have other "small world" stories involving TBS, please let us know. Matching Gifts?If your company has a matching gifts program, don't forget TBS. Your dues and donations may qualify for a g i f t from your employer to TBS. You have nothing to lose by asking, and TBS has lots to win if you double your donations through this means. Thanks for thinking of us. Save The Date? Debbie Friedman, America pre-eminent creator of Jewish music, will be performing at the Orleans Hotel and Casino on Monday, October 14, 2002 at 7:00 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by the Southern Nevada Board of Rabbis and Hillel. "Under the Dome" is an ongoing column of general information. Read "Under the Dome" to find out the latest tidbits about people and events at Temple Beth Sholom. Sept. 2002 6?Women's League/Men's Club The Women's League of Temple Beth Sholom Blanche Meisel Time has brought us to the year 5763, and as we enter into a new year on the Hebrew calendar, we do so with both heavy hearts and with a bright look to our future. The turmoil that terrorism has brought into the lives of those in Israel?and into our lives?is heavy within us. Yet, all summer, and with great optimism, we have planned Women's League activities, meet-ings, events and cooperative efforts that can only shine on our parade. We want every female Temple member to join with us, for in numbers there is strength, and it is the addition of your involvement that will put us over the top. What's good for the Women's League is good for Temple Beth Sholom, and for your and your family. We have a win/win situation. We have planned afternoon, evening and Sunday meetings and events. We start with our September 25 evening meeting in the sukkah. Prepare for a fabulous Paid-Up Membership Brunch on Sunday, October 6, and another super Hanukkah Boutique on November 3. On Wednesday, October 13, we'll cele-brate Hanukkah at a luncheon meeting, and we'll close 2002 on Wednesday, December 18, with a luncheon meeting. And that is only a part of our year's plans. Meanwhile, the Vision, our exciting bulletin, will reach all paid members. The Judaica Shop will be open on a daily basis. Scrip will be available as will Entertainment Books. Watch for our great new $100 raffle for three cash prizes. We print only 250 tickets, so your chances of winning are greater. Invite your friends and groups to purchase with you. All profits will benefit our Temple. Women up to age 45 can join our Z'hava group, and we've added cooking classes and book reviews to our agenda. In March we'll present another Seminar Day on women's issues. We cooperate with the new L'Dor V'Dor group for seniors, and with our preschool and religious school. We send donations to several worthy projects of the Conservative Movement, and we aid the Jewish Family Service. We support the Torah Fund Campaign, with our monies going to the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Ziegler School of Rab-binics. We are educational and fun-loving, we are of all ages, and we enjoy great camaraderie. We are a team effort, and we wish to make a difference in our world. May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life. May you and those dear to you enjoy a year of good health, strength of body and peace of mind, pursuit of justice and of peace. May we be blessed with the will and ability to create a better world for ourselves, our children, the generations to come and for the stranger at our gate. wS&i Men's Club?"And Your Reason Is?' Irwin Goldberg and Jerry Katz "I didn't like my former congregation's Men's Club so why should I be interested in being a Men's Club member at TBS?" How about, "I'm too busy with work and don't have the time to get involved." Or, "I don't want to miss Wednesday night TV." "I have a young family so I don't need to get involved." "The Men's Club doesn't provide programming that interests me." And even, "Men's Club members are just too religious for me." These are just some of the real excuses we've heard as to why men of our congregation haven't joined this rewarding arm of the synagogue. You will need to think of a more creative excuse, otherwise, there are very few reasons why you shouldn't partici-pate but many reasons why you should. If you've been on another planet, you might not be aware that your Men's Club just paid over $2,000 for door protectors for our school building so that little fin-gers will be protected. Did you know that your Men's Club is sponsoring the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial that is one of the biggest fundraising projects ever taken on by any Men's Club chapter in the U.S.? Still not sure about joining? That's OK. Be our guest at any of our regular meetings, normally the third Wednesday of each month, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. See what we're doing and let us know what kind of programming you would like for us to investigate that might be of interest to you and your friends. We want to hear your ideas about programs that actively sup-port the congregants of TBS, our local Jewish com-munity, and the State of Israel. And for only $36, you can buy 600 shares of WorldCom that's probably worthless or one year's membership in Men's Club. Once you've tried us and then you decide that you still don't want to join, let us know and we'll give you a gift of two new AA batteries for your remote control so that you won't miss any Wednesday night TV. We want you to be a part, not apart! Literary Notes/Book Review?7 Jewish Literary Light Goes Out To most he was known as the author of novels about the Orthodox community. "The Chosen" and "My Name Is Asher Lev" etched him forever in the public mind as a chronicler of the Jewish world floating be-tween Eastern Europe and New York's East River. Shreimels, peiyses, long black coats and young men struggling with their identities in a schizoid world split between traditional living and modernity. And certainly he was all of that. But he was ever so much more. In fact, Chaim Potok may have made his greatest im-pact as a Conservative rabbi. In that capacity and as a scholar of the history of the Jewish people (he wrote "Wanderings"), he edited the P'shat Commentary in the new chumash used by the Conservative Move-ment, Etz Hayim. His literary talents and style played a major role in making this version of the Torah and its Commentaries a major accomplishment in Modern Jewish literature, both religious and secular. Each Shabbat we are graced with his talent and wisdom. wtk "Yiddish: A Nation of Words," By Miriam Weinstein. SHOLOM ALEICHEM! WELCOME! Long before it became the pseudo-nym of the great Jewish writer it stands as a warm Yiddish greeting for anyone everywhere in the world. You don't have to be Jewish and to know the taste of Yiddish?a word, a phrase, an id-iom, an expression, even a feeling! Author Miriam Weinstein's YIDDISH, A NATION OF WORDS, takes you on a lively tour of the ubiquitous "Nation of Words." The irrefutable bonding of this lan-guage spans the millennium. Prepare to find not the remains, but a living and sorely needed history of Yid-dishkeit encapsulated in the soul-filled words which one day finds the Nobel Prize among its recognitions. For the curious among us, the involved, the dedi-cated and even those who opt to be bleacherites to Yiddish, the words leap from the pages to reaffirm the sensitive understanding that Yiddish brings to life's pal-ette of communication. The author has steeped herself in a research that vies with the history of the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, yet unlike their twilight death, Yiddish re-mains a living monument of history, emotion, joys and Sept. 2002 Rabbi Potok died on July 23 at the age of 73, in Philadelphia (too late to have his accomplishments noted in last month's Bulletin). He was very prolific and wrote more than 15 works, including children's book. "The Chosen" was made into a feature motion picture and a stage play. It explored the conflict between tradi-tional values and a young man's ambition to be a writer. Among his many awards, he won the Athe-naeum Prize for "The Promise" and the National Jew-ish Book Award for "The Gift of Asher Lev." "Wanderings" sold more than 100,000 copies. He was on the faculty of the University of Judaism from 1957 to 1959 and editor in chief of the Jewish Publication Society from 1966 to 1974. He served as a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the 80s and the 90s. He lived in Israel for several years and was a passionate lover of Israel. Truly his memory will be a blessing for all time. m horrors. So vital as a heartbeat. The language of the Diaspora, a miracle of communication. As the Torah represents the "Loshn Kodesh," the Holy Word, the annals of our faith; Yiddish is the "Mama Loshn," the mother tongue of the masses who have given pulse to our presence in the Twenty-First Century. You may read this book to reacquaint with the great sages, the great writers, the important Yiddish newspa-pers, in part a history of your own lifetime. And along the way you may pick up a "wortel," a word, that gives a new meaning and feeling that your favorite language may lack. It was the self-styled "Mark Twain of Yiddish," Sholom Aleichem, who popularized the language and helped elevate it from its oft disparaged jargon defini-tion; catching the culture and its nuances. Yitzak Peretz, Isaac Beshavis Singer, the recently deceased Chaim Potok, among others, brought the academia, respect and dignity Yiddish had long sought. Miriam Weinstein is both historian and story teller. She does remarkably well to touch your neshuma, soul. Pick it up; it may not reflect your characteristics, but it's bound to provoke your respect for Yiddish. And who knows, you may just want to "warf arein ein Yiddish worte," toss in a Jewish word, to illustrate a point. It's been done in the best societies! Book Review: Yiddish?A Nation of Words By In/ Herman 8?Preschool News The Early Childhood Department Goes to CAJE The 27th annual Conference on Alter- I natives in Jewish Education was held in San Antonio, Texas. We were honored to have the opportunity to go to Texas to share ideas and learn teaching methods | in both formal and informal settings. The enthusiasm catalyzed by these workshops left us charged and ready to begin the aca-demic year, and to convey our excitement about Jew-ish education to our colleagues who were unable to at-tend the conference. Early Childhood Jewish Educa-tion was highlighted as an important focus at CAJE, and the conference made many opportunities for growth in all areas of our program at TBS. We attended the CAJE Expo where we visited 108 booths, which featured Judaic books, trade book pub-lishers, software, educational institutions, Jewish or-ganizations and programs, and ritual and fine art craftspeople and displays. We found many new cur-riculums, supplies, books, music, and most impor-tantly, ideas we can use in our classrooms at TBS. There were more than 1,500 Jewish educators, di-rectors, rabbis, communal professionals and lay lead-ers. We met so many people from all over the United States who now have become our resources for mate-rials, guidance and support. Kavod (respect) for Jew-ish educators was certainly a priority. We have many feelings of pride, satisfaction and ful-fillment upon our arrival back to Las Vegas. We have grown educationally, spiritually, and we look forward to returning to CAJE at The Ohio State University in , Columbus, next year. Getting to Know You: Preschool Assistant Director Jennifer Zukowski The senior staff of I the TBS Early Child-hood Center was rounded out with the hiring of Jennifer Zu-kowski as its Assis-tant Director. Jenni-fer brings over nine years of experience in the field of Child Develop-ment. "We are very pleased to have someone of Jen's skill and experience join our Pre-School pro-gram," said Danielle Friefeld, Director of the ECE. "She brings a sensitivity and ability to connect with both children and their parents with her. She will be a great help in developing our programs and training our staff in new and exciting ways." Jennifer is a member of the National Association of Young Children, she is CPR certified and has earned the classification of Childhood Develop-ment Associate. She has directed centers in Las Vegas and Henderson, and said it was the high quality of our program that motivated her to come to work at TBS. She has two daughters, Tori, age 10, and Makenzie, age 7. "I have a genuine love for chil-dren," Jennifer told the Bulletin, "and I am de-lighted to be able to care for the children in the TBS Pre-School program. I am here to contribute to a quality program, to help in staff training and to contribute to the loving, safe and fun environment that TBS offers." We look forward to a wonderful year with Dan-ielle and Jennifer leading the ECE program. Three cheers for TBS Summer Camp! Temple Beth Sholom's Early Childhood Center had a terrific summer camp! We were so busy our children were 'knocked out'. We had many special activities including daily water play, cheerleading, bounce houses, field trips, fire trucks, and cooking...And so much more. Our teachers and their staff worked so hard creating a warm, loving, safe and fun envi-ronment for the TBS children. We are busy creating, planning, and cleaning for the new school year. We are anxious to meet all of the new students and look forward to a successful school year. There are only a few spots left for enrollment so please visit the preschool front desk or call Danielle at 804-1333. Religious School/Youth Groups?9 TBS Youth Groups Get New Leader David Frydman (pronounced Friedman) has assumed the position of TBS Youth Director. David is a youthful 30 years of age, and just completing his first year as a hus-band to Lauren. David comes to us with a Master's Degree in Educational Technology from Lesley Uni-versity. When he isn't planning activities for TBS teens he indulges in his "other" career - he is an Education Computer Strategist for the Clark County School District - he teaches computers to the K through 5 students at Ronzone Elementary School and Tobler Elementary School. We can expect our teens to be the most computer savvy kids in LV. David was born in Rockland County, N.Y., and came to Las Vegas in 1996. He is part of the Kin-dertransport Second Generation. His father was on a Kindertransport train from Germany to England. David attended a Solomon Schecter Day School and participated in USY in Monsey, N.Y. Rabbi Good-man performed David and Lauren's wedding, and they feel very much a part of our TBS family. "I want our teens to have a strong Jewish identity. I want to build programs that allow teens to hang out at TBS and create and strengthen their friendships and their commitment to Judaism," David declared. We encourage you to have your Kadima and USY age children meet David, help him develop the kinds of programs they will respond to, and become a part of the growth of the TBS youth programming we ex-pect David will get going. In this spirit, USY and Kadima held their first joint event on August 25. More such programs are planned. Call David at 804-1333, ext. 122, for info. For a Shanah Tovah of Education and Learning Ayelet Blit "Two Talmudic sages, Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Akiva, discussed whether studying the Torah or liv-ing by Torah laws was more impor-tant. Rabbi Tarfon was convinced that following the laws of the Torah was more important. Rabbi Akiva, on the other hand, thought the only way to know those laws was to study the Torah. They determined that the study of Torah is greater than all other Mitz-vot because it leads to them all." The beauty of this Midrash (Talmudic story) is that they were able to reach an agreement. The impor-tance of this is that it emphasizes the great value and influence education and learning have on our lives. Our congregation is a community of learners. It is blessed with many members and their families who are involved in education and learning one way or another. This strong sense of an ongoing Beit Midrash (house of learning) is a wonderful asset of our Temple. My personal appeal to you during these days of Awe, is to take the time to reflect on your life as learners and as part of our community of learners. My wish for the New Year is to see our entire com-munity become a life long learners' community, one that takes the fascinating journey for wisdom as its beacon. Sign Up Now for Adult Education Programs Registration is actively in progress for TBS's exciting program of Adult Jewish St