Chabad Times newspaper, September 2000

Chabad Times Sept. 2000/Tishrei 5761 Published by Chabad of Southern Nevada Vol. IX No. 1 SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW? In honor of the Jewish New Year, let's try something new for a change! Actually, it's an old custom to wel-come the New Year with a new fruit on Rosh - 'o' Hashanah's sec-o n d n i g h t . This is when we recite the "Shehechiyanu" blessing, thanking "G-d who has kept us alive, sustained and enabled us to reach this day." NEW ON THE MENU Basically, this Rosh Hashanah cus-tom requires only one new fruit. But the newest thing is to offer a selection of several new fruits, and some Holiday tables are adorned with a full cornucopia of exotic fruits. So let us explore a new venue that will allow us to enjoy new insights without running up an expensive fruit bill. For even as we enjoy the array of papayas, caranuba and other fruit we hardly knew, our main High Holiday focus is not on new fruit, but on a new You. " . . . A ND N o w , THE NEWS!" Rosh Hashanah really expects us to turn over a new leaf. The Shofar calls for an inner renewal, and in this regard, no news is not good news. The quest for newness is as old as mankind, but people today are con- What's Inside? Chana Stayed Home 2 Beyond Words 3 Sukkah Shock in Israel 4 Chabad Happenings . , 5 Chabad News 6 Just One Moment 7 Outside the Synagogue 8 Gefilte Fish for Dummies 9 On the Threshold . . .10 Kosher Goes Public . . .12 Applications of Relativity! . . . . 15 The High Holiday Guide . . . . , 16 Winning Ways with Honey . . 18 Ebraismo Italiano 19 stantly snooping around for a new this and a new that, they don't realize that what's new now is old tomorrow. You don't have to be an inge-n i o u s Newton to know that 'New' is by its very definition, f l e e t i n g and tempo-rary. NEW IN NAME ONLY The term 'New' can be misleading, with places like Newport News, Nanuet, New York and Newark, New Jersey promoting themselves as "new" when they're really old as the hills. And can you believe that numis-matists specialize in ancient coins? Some humbly disguise themselves as 'old wine in new bottles' (Avot 4), while others resort to innuendo to hide their real age, like old ragged shmattes pretending to be next-to new! Actually, we have more news on this page than the New York Times with all its minutiae and up-to-the-minute reporting! OLD NEWS Unfortunately, people today suffer from a serious newrosis, dumping good old values for tenuous fads that don't continue. Newer isn't always better. Indeed, Coke once tried to be new, lost revenue, and had to revert back to the old classic. Indeed, most of today's newfangled gizmos come with built-in obsolescence, and entre-nous, even a brand-new car can become a major newsance. Let us therefore search for something that doesn't sparkle only in the showroom on the first day, and find a genuine new that enjoys long lasting tenure after the initial novelty wears off. THE NEW NEW What is truly perpetually new is our timeless Torah; 'always new as the day it was given.' Take for exam-ple this beautiful interpretation from an old manuscript by the great Chasidic masters, the Besht and Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Chabad. It is as new and relevant today as when they taught it over 200 years ago: "King David states: "Tik'u BaChodesh Shofar " (Psalms 81) Literally, this passage simply tells us to blow the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, the date of which coincides with the begin-ning of the New Moon. But the Hebrew word Chodesh also means 'new,' giving this verse a whole new meaning: "Let the Shofar sound blow out the old blase, rote and routine, and infuse us with a new dynamic spirit throughout the year." Nu?! An annual 'New Year' greeting that just keeps repeating itself year after year becomes an old cliche. 'New' alone isn't enough; let's try to be 'New and Improved!' Instead of just changing our cal-endars, let us change ourselves, our deeds and our attitudes. And rather than continue insinuating nuances like a nudnik, let us return to Avinu Malkenu' Our Father, Our King. May we soon merit to hear the great Shofar heralding the good news of the Final Redemption and Moshiach's long awaited arrival. This will usher in a new era of uni-versal peace, prosperity and spiritu-al harmony, when 'G-d will renew our days as once before' (Lam.5). by Rabbi Israel Rubin ?2000 "Jonah & the Big Fish" Courtesy of artist Amram Ebgi. Beyond Black Prayer Books Dear Readers, Pray tell! Isn't there more to the High Holidays than solemn black prayer books? Shouldn't prayer be more than rote reciting of hymns, following page numbers, stilted translations and transliterations? Prayer should come from the heart, from an inner joy of Judaism and appreciation of the Mitzvah. Use this High Holiday paper as a Prayer Book supplement, to enrich and enhance your High Holiday experience. And there's more to the High Holidays than Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The High Holidays also include the Sukkot Festival, celebrating G-d's bounty and the rus-tic beauty of nature. To top it off, the Simchat Torah climax reverberates with circuitous danc-ing and joyous singing. So enjoy the High Holidays, and have a happy and healthy New Year! Sincerely, Rabbi Shea Hartig, Rabbi Yisroel Schanowitz, Rabbi Mendy Hartig Distribution: Direct mailed 5 times a year to over 3,000 homes in Las Vegas, NV Chabad of Southern Nevada NON-PROFIT ORG. 1261 South Arville St U.S. POSTAGE Las Vegas, NV 89102 PAID (702) 259-0770 PERMIT NO. 447 www.chabadlv.org LAS VEGAS, NV ?2000 Jewish Holiday Consumer. Contents may not be copied without written permission of publisher. Why She Stopped Going To Temple Adapted from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Rabbi Israel Rubin On the first day of Rosh Hashanah before blowing the Shofar, we read the moving Haftarah about Chana, the mother of Samuel the Prophet. The Book of Samuel opens with the pain of Chana's childlessness, and her prayers to give birth. "Each year, Chana visited the House of G-d... she wept and did not eat. Her husband Elkanah said to her: "Chana, why do you weep? Why don't you eat? Why do you grieve so? Am not I better to you than ten sons?" Chana arose... in Shiloh... she prayed to G-d and wept bitterly. She vowed: "O G-d, if You consider my affliction and give me a child, I will offer him to G-d all of his life." Eli the high priest observed Chana as she prayed fervently. Mistaking her emotional out-burst for a state of drunken-ness, Eli admonished Chana, but she replied: "No, my master; I have drunk no wine or intoxi-cating beverage, for I am a bitter woman, and I pour out my heart and soul before G-d...' It soon came to pass that Chana conceived and she gave birth to a son. She named / him Samuel, saying: 'I have asked him of G-d.'" Mazal Tov! Chana's prayers have finally been answered! At such an auspicious time we would expect an appreciative grateful Chana to pick herself up and rush to the House of G-d at the earliest opportunity to offer her thanksgiv-ing. The opposite, however, is true. Scripture finds it important to note that Chana declined her husband's offer to join him and visit the Temple, and preferred to stay behind. "Her husband Elkanah continued on his annual pilgrimage to the House of G-d, but Chana did not go along. She said to her husband: "I will not go until the child is weaned, and then I will bring him." Elkanah said to her: 'Do what seems good to you; tarry until you have weaned him'...So the woman tarried and nursed her son, until she weaned him." TEMPLE ATTENDANCE How anticlimactic! Didn't the opening verses introduce Chana as a woman who faithfully and consis-tently went to Shiloh, visiting the Temple regularly to pray there? Was Chana slacking off on her prayers now that her need was satisfied?! Chana surely went to Temple for all the right reasons. The lonely Chana stood there and cried, so she obviously didn't attend to socialize with friends. Reading her heartfelt prayers, we know that she didn't just sit passively through the service. So why did she now give up praying at the Temple? Was Chana so pampered after giv-ing birth that she took off several years for rest and relaxation? Her husband Elkanah is described as a wealthy man, who could easily afford nurses and babysitters to help relieve his wife. And if Chana's maternity leave was just for the baby's sake, why mention this minor detail, and record it for posterity? MOTHER OF ALL PRAYERS A most honored and respected woman, Chana is listed among the seven most prominent Prophetesses. Chana's sensitive choice of words and her spirited flow of sentences reflect her passion, fervor and ecstasy. Besides being a classic religious prayer, Chana's inspired words are a literary and poetic masterpiece. Jewish tradition recognizes Chana as the paradigm of prayer, as the Talmud (Brachos 30) derives impor-tant laws and customs on the proper manner of our daily prayers from Chana's example. Isn't it ironic that after h e r Mitzvah, and singing her baby a lul-laby was her holiest prayer. It's not that Chana gave up her own spiritual growth now that she was "saddled" with a baby. On the contrary, Chana's heightened spiritu-al experience with her newborn superseded any words of prayer she could say in the Temple. Indeed, a woman's overriding privilege and responsibility of raising a fami-ly exempts her from having t o l o n g - s t a n d i n g request is finally answered, Chana stops praying and delays her visit to the Temple? PRIORITIES The truth is that Chana's spiritual-ity suffered no lapse, as her 'miracle' baby was her Divine lifeline. To Chana, feeding her baby was more important than any Temple offering. Mothering was now Chana's full time digress for time related Mitzvot. DOING HOMEWORK Unfortunately, today's society looks down on motherhood, forcing a woman who creates a warm and nur-turing home environment to be on the defensive. Raising children is viewed as a menial occupation, as success is measured only in terms of public The Power of a Lullaby The Honorable Ronald Lauder, for-merly US Ambassador to Austria and currently President of the Conference of Major Jewish Organizations, is involved in establishing and funding Jewish nurseries and schools in East European countries. He recently relat-ed the following experience at a Chabad Convention held in Washington: "We found out that there are over 5,000 people in Poland aged 50-60 who are actually Jewish, but were raised all their lives as Polish Catholics. During the Holocaust, Jewish parents facing death gave their babies away to Polish couples who raised them as Catholics and never told them their real origin. As they grew up, these adopted children would often be teased and taunted by Polish kids cursing them as "Dirty Zhids" because of their unique Jewish appearance. Some learned their true ancestry at the deathbed of their adoptive parent. At the very end they told them the secret, that they were really born to Jewish parents who perished in the Holocaust. Trying to reach out to these Polish Jews was very difficult. They were both frightened and anxious not knowing how to deal with their con-fusing identities. We therefore orga-nized a dinner event geared to them, and advertised in the Polish media that anyone who knew that s/he was born Jewish was welcome to attend. About 100 people showed up that evening. Given their confusing back-ground and upbringing, the guests felt uncomfortable, and were very ner-vous and hesitant. The food was good, we had some entertainment, but the atmosphere was very tense and there was little conversation. The Rabbi who helped arrange the evening then thought of an idea. He began to sing aloud a popular old Yiddish Lullaby called "Rozhinkes mit Mandlen" that Jewish mothers used to sing as they rocked their chil-dren to sleep. Similar to 'rock-a -bye-baby,' the Yiddish song describes a lit-tle white goat, standing under the baby's cradle, going away to do busi-ness, to deal with raisins and almonds. But in contrast to the nega-tive 'down will come baby, and cradle and all,' the bottom line of the mean-ingful Yiddish song is: 'Torah is the best merchandise.'" Suddenly, the guests began to halt-ingly sing and hum along this old long forgotten Yiddish tune, many with tears welling up in their eyes. It was a very deep emotional experi-ence. From the hidden recesses of their minds they recalled the long for-gotten tune that their natural mothers, whom they hardly knew, sang to them fifty years earlier in the darkest hours of the Holocaust. c a r e e r and pro-f e s s i o n . T o o m u c h e m p h a - sis is p l a c e d on external achievement rather than on internal quality. By her personal example, Chana shows us otherwise. She teaches us that it is more important to create a nurturing environment in her own home, than to make public appear-ances at the Temple. A MOTHER'S PRAYER Mothering is an essential feminine bond that shouldn't be sup-pressed. It is a natural true and genuine service to G-d, for raising a child so it grows properly is the greatest blessing. If one can afford to hire housekeeping help, it is no Mitzvah to personally do every menial chore. But there is no substitute for the personal influence of mother-ly bonding. Even if rearing is entrusted to competent profes-sionals, a child may grow up deprived, as documented in studies of children raised on communes. Indeed, these studies forced the kib-butz movement to revise its ideolo-gies regarding home and family. PERSONAL MITZVOT It is interesting that the Hebrew name CHaNah is an acrostic of the three home based Mitzvahs that are primarily the woman's responsibility: Challa (separation of challa dough and kosher laws), Nidah (family puri-ty), and "Hadlakas Haner," kindling the Shabbos and Holiday Candles. These special Women's Mitzvot relate more to the privacy of a person's home than to the communal arena. They sanctify and elevate the kitchen and the dining room, and the most intimate aspects of family life. EARLY CHILDHOOD As a mother and prophetess Chana had choices but she knew her priorities. Early childhood is a most impressionable age, as a child's edu-cation begins long before s/he enters a classroom. It is the mother's nurtur-ing that enhances the child self-esteem and Jewish development. Character and personality are molded from the moment the baby emerges into the world and interacts with the environment. Even before a baby learns to talk and express itself, s/he subconsciously absorbs the sights and sounds of the environ-ment. Practically speaking, it is high-ly recommended that a child's toys and baby room decorations should reflect Mitzvah motifs rather than silly non-kosher animal cartoons. Psychologist's findings agree with Chana's assertion that a child learns more during his/her very first years than in all of the rest of life. This is why a proper investment of love and caring at that crucial time is so impor-tant. "e Kehbt Can Rosh Hashanah be an enduring, memo-rable and empowering experience as we spin into the 21st century ? In today's busy world of IBM's, SUV's and World Wide Webs who has the time or the inclination to go sit in a synagogue and listen to an ancient ram's horn being blown? Judaism views time not as linear, but as a spiral. On Rosh Hashanah, we revisit that day when God creat-ed the Adam and Eve on a new friends, colleagues or defenseless children, and then turn it on them-selves, it is a cry for help, from a place that no longer expects help. It indicates erosion of the value of life, of oneself and of others. We can dismiss these events as aberrations, or we can respond to the cry for help, the cry of the soul that says "take time to connect, take time to look inward, take time to know that you matter in the deepest sense." These incidents represent the extreme, but it is a tragic BEYOND WORDS by Simon Jacobson higher level in the spiral. That orig-inal power and energy reverberates through time, creating a window of spiritual opportunity. Rosh Hashanah is the collective birthday of humanity. It allows us to recon-nect with our quintessential self. Who we are in essence? Sounds profound and impressive, but how do we get there? At the close of last year's school year the nation was shattered by the Columbine tragedy and more recently by shootings in Atlanta and in the Los Angeles Jewish Community Center. When people turn a gun on reminder that we should search to the core. Rosh Hashanah, mankind's col-lective birthday, offers a unique opportunity to revisit our own birth, rediscover our innocence, renew the wonder and enchantment of childhood, and reaffirm our cre-ation in the Divine image. These ideas may light a spark in our being or they may sound like an advert for a new-age getaway, utterly inac-cessible or meaningless. How do we begin to navigate the inner dimen-sions of our soul? Our utilitarian society does not equip us to travel inward and intro-s p e c t . Day-to-day survival immers-es us in balancing budgets, cooking, car-pooling and partying. Media insists that our values hinge on being younger, stronger, healthier and wealthier. Our identity is built on our physical appearance; our position as doctors, lawyers, par-ents; how much money we make; our talents; what our friends, fami-lies and associates think of us. These are all necessary and rele-vant ways to function in society, but if all we are is a s u m of our rela-tionships and the roles we play, then what are we really? There must be something that transcends and unifies our being. We find it easy to talk about the weather, sports and politics, but we are speechless when we wish to express our inner heartfelt emo-tions. The cry of the shofar connects us to that place inside us that tran-scends words. The shofar is the deepest cry of the soul piercing the heavens and calling to the Creator. The breath reverberating through the horn relives the breath that God blew into the first man. The Bible says "God breathed life into Adam." In Hebrew, the word for 'breath' neshimah resembles Neshamah meaning soul.' Our soul is God's breath pulsing inside of us. The shofar's sound can align the breath of our soul, reconnecting us to the deepest part of ourselves, to our Divine source. At the convergence of breath, sound, soul and Creator we can appreciate that we matter beyond all externals. We are significant and irreplaceable simply because we were created. Birth is God saying that you matter. Each one of us was chosen, is unique and has a specific mission that no one else can fulfill. Once you know that you matter, everything you do matters in a new way. Tying your shoelace, eating an apple, signing a document becomes as significant as any spiritual event. By extension everybody else's life becomes sacred as we recognize that we all have the same source, that ultimately, everything is unified. The Lubavitcher Rebbe would blow the shofar during the initial part of the Rosh Hashanah service. When he blew it, it was barely audi-ble. Later in the service, someone else blew the same shofar loud and clear. It is easy to sound the shofar like a trumpet and make a lot of noise, but it is not so simple to pierce the heavens, to reach the depth where soul meets Divine, to know the secret of the sound. "From my depths I call You, and You respond to me in a most expan-sive way." These words, read before blow-ing the shofar, reflect the pure, wordless cry of the soul calling on G-d's deepest essence. r THE SHOFAR FACTORY is coming to Las Vegas A pre-Rosh Hashana Hands-On Experience for the whole family! Participate in the ancient art of making a shofar. Sunday, September 24,2000 2 P.M. At Cha bad of Summerlin 2620 Regatta Drive, Suite 117 Bridgeport Shopping Center Create A Shofar Holiday Arts & Crafts Slide Presentation Admission $2.00 per person $10.00 to make your own Shofar For More Information, please call Chabad at 259-0770 ^ This project was co-sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Las Vegas May Your New Year Be Filled With Peace & Blessings Palm proudly serves Jewish families. We invite you to visit our cemeteries and mortuaries. Dedicated and consecrated Jewish Gardens are within our Northwest & Green Valley cemeteries. PALM Life u l'recwus.. MOK? UAJUP.S ? C f j r t i i I I ' J U U UTTMALOKLT* 1325 North Main Street, Las Vegas 89101 (702) 464-8320 Shock m f s ^ a e S fry Matthew Granovetter Preparing for the High Holidays used to be easier. In August the Temple would mail us a choice of High Holiday tickets, offering cate-gories of less and more expensive seats, like in the theatre. All I had to do on Rosh Hashanah was present my High Holiday ticket at the Temple. I was handed a brand new prayer book, and an usher showed me to my reserved seat. I fol-lowed the service and heard the ser-mon. Except for an occasional rustle of page turning, or congregational sit-ting and standing, it was all so solemn, formal and proper, clean and impeccable. Now that I moved to Israel, I was surprised to discover that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are just the beginning of the High Holidays, which build up to a climax on Succot and Simchat Torah! Back in the States, I never even heard of Succot. I noticed the Temple marquee listing the "Feast of the Tabernacles," but that sounded so biblically remote like a Southern Baptist thing, that I paid no attention. I would have never guessed that the High Holidays also involved nitty gritty, sweat and sawdust, rolling up sleeves, noise and clatter, banging and sawing, extension cords and, horror of horrors, even strings of x-mass lights! During our first year in Israel, we met Elon, a handyman who fixed sinks and appliances, and most rele-vant, built us a Succah. Elon is not religious, but he knew the right Succah size and specifications, and his little truck helped him bring wood, nails, curtains and "Schach" branches for our Succah roof. I will admit that I am tool chal-lenged. In one of Jackie Mason's rou-tines he mentions Jews who use but-ter knives for screwdrivers. How true. When I was growing up, I don't remember ever seeing a screwdriver. It wasn't until I was 35 that I got my own tool box ?and it almost felt unkosher. We lived on a fifth floor apartment overlooking the Mediterranean. It was very windy in our parking lot near the ocean, where our succah was to be built, so Elon made it extra strong and secure. He numbered the comers of each piece of wood (like those jigsaw puzzles we did as kids, where each piece is numbered under-neath). "I made it so you can put it together yourself next year, Matthew." I looked at him in wonder-ment. "What, me build a Succah? C'mon, I use a butter knife!" "Light bulb?! You mean one that works?" I went to the local appli-ance store. "Succah needs bulb," I tried to say in my best Hebrew. "No problem," the man responded in his best English. "Here's bulb, here's wire, here's extension, here's switch, how many meters?" Meter, feet, feet, meters, yards. In less time than it takes to say "Shalom" he cuts the wires, winds them together, tests a new bulb on his voltage machine and prices it: 18 shekels. A real bargain! We strung the wire from our apartment on the fifth floor all the way down to the parking lot. The bottom line of the whole rigged contrap-tion is that it really worked! I told my Rabbi about my triumph. He said, "Nice, but did you get your four But before we could finish con-necting the Succah walls, Elon sud-denly got a phone call and had to leave. He quickly sold me his electric drill at a cut-rate price and left the S u c c a h p a n e l s f o r me to assemble. W h a t should I do? I ran upstairs and phoned my Rabbi in panic. "Don't worry," said the Rabbi. "Connecting the walls isn't difficult." He came right over with some rope, wire, and a tool to cut the wire. "We must do everything to repair the world," said the Rabbi. "Even cut wire. Just put each piece through a hole in the curtain and wrap it around the wood frame." "But Rabbi, this will take forever!" "Don't worry. It's a mitzvah." By the end of the day, my hands were sore, red and swollen. But the smiles on my children's faces were worth it all. We now had our very own little Succah! "What about the decorations?" I asked the Rabbi. "Well," he said, "this depends on custom. Some decorate a little, some bring in their finest furni-ture and china, some just hang a couple of Rebbe pictures. But for basics you need a table, chairs and a light bulb." species already?" "My what?" "The mitzvah to hold the Lulav, Etrog, Myrtle and Willow branches. You have to go shopping!" "Shopping? Can't you just buy it for me, Rabbi?" "Getting there is half the fun. Part of the mitzvah is to shop around and find yourself the right stuff." So we visited the "shuk," several streets lined with makeshift booths and tables selling the four species and other Succah paraphanalia. The Rabbi helped me find a good etrog. He took the citron fruit out of its protective wrapping and carefully examined it. He put it back. He took another fruit, turned it up, down and sideways and then someone with a long black coat came over, and exam-ined it with a magnifying glass. No, no, not good enough. We went on to the next table. At each table people quoted prices for their wares. This etrog was 30 shekels, that one was 90 shekels, and so forth. To me all etrogs look the same. We finally secured a lovely yellowish-green one for a bargain: only 110 shekels. Now for The Lulav! My Rabbi must be a billiards expert. The thin palm branches look like long cue sticks. My Rabbi picked up each lulav and examined it by pointing it out-ward from his left eye to the sky, while his right eye stayed closed, try-ing to see if it was straight enough. After a number of tries, we secured one of these as well. As for the myrtle and willows, they could wait until the morning before the holiday, so they would be fresh. Looking around, I did a double take at a little shop of the local Sanzer Chassidim. A very religious group, the Sanzer look like they popped right out of an 18th century Polish shetl. But I couldn't believe my eyes. These super religious Jews were selling.... x-mass lights! Yes, with pictures of Santa and sRudolf on the box, imported from Pennsylvania. I was shocked. "Excuse me, Rabbi, but what do you do with these?" "These? People decorate the Succah with the colored lights." / "But Rabbi," I stammered," j How can it be? Isn't this the goyish holiday we're not supposed to cel-ebrate?!" In Israel they have no idea about the origins of these col-ored lights and their use elsewhere. As far as they are concerned, these lights were designed specifically for Succot! Not knowing Santa, they must think the picture rep-resents a heavyset Rebbe with a flowing white beard who cuts evergreens for "Schach"! By the time Succot rolled around, our Succah walls were secure, the col-ored lights were flashing, the card tables were covered with table-cloth, the candles were placed in the least windy corner, and my kid-dush cup was standing and waiting for the wine and a blessing. My wife, the children and I brought in the food (five floors down, five floors up, lots of exercise) and off we went to shul for the evening services. Walking home, we noticed Succahs everywhere! Through the plastic walls we could see shadows of people making kiddush, eating and singing. Later we saw people staying up late, studying in the Succah, shmoozing in the Succah, even sleeping in the Succah. Friends came over close to mid-night to toast a L'Chayim in the Succah. "What are you doing up at this hour?" I asked. "Why, we're Succah hopping!" they said. Seven years later now, we still have Elon's Succah frame. I still get sore red hands every year, and Succot continues to gives us a real run around with its ups and downs. We build the Succah ourselves, matching the numbers in the corners, although sometimes we build the Succah upside-down. But it doesn't matter. Succot is the best time of the year to be in Israel, when we all join as one family. Matthew Granovetter is editor of Bridge Today Magazine and can be reached at Matt@bridgetoday.com. Cliabad's Desert Torah Academy Day Hchoo Torah Tots Pre-School and iian Israel Day Camp ina the Hebrew alphabet at Orel Gilboa Academy Gin, o u r firs, gn7~,r M o r a h C h a y a w o r k , n | o n e o n one with OscarCha ^ 0 , o u r nursery M s ^ a "Best Buddies" L-R, Adam Stockman & Netanel Oberman on the bus at Camp Gan Israel u R l x i r a S c h i S , Y a s m i n e S h a h a r H a n n a h Bricker at Camp Gan Israel Campers Ot the Santa Fe bowling g - m at ^ r c t CHABAD NEWS ? CHABAD NEWS ? CHABAD NEWS Chabad To Mark Its I Oth Anniversary W i t h Gala Banquet A t The Venetian Hotel Chabad of Southern Nevada, the local branch of the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch movement (the world's largest Jewish outreach orga-nization), will be celebrating its tenth anniversary on December 10, 2000 with a gala banquet honoring Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson. The banquet will be held at The Venetian Hotel, The Palazzo Room, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. They will be receiving the Founders Award for their support of and their contributions to Chabad. Dr. Miriam & Sheldon G. Adelson are committed members of the Las Vegas Jewish community. Their unparalleled support of Chabad has enabled it to expand and grow beyond its wildest dreams. Mr. Adelson, who was raised in Boston, grew up learning from his father the traditional senti-ments of Judaism especially the act of tzedakah for no matter how little have, you still have to help those in need. Dr. Miriam Adelson, who was born in Tel Aviv, Israel has devoted her life to helping the needy and has developed a unique specialty in the area of chem-ical dependency and drug addiction. She has recently opened in Las Vegas The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse and Treatment. Chabad of Southern Nevada began operations in December of 1990 when Rabbi Shea Harlig and his wife Dina arrived in the glittering city to estab-lish yet another point of light in the ever-growing galaxy of global Chabad centers. They started working out of their rented home and immediately began reaching out to the growing Jewish community. Ten years later, Chabad of Southern Nevada has become a driving force behind the swift expansion of the Las Vegas area Jewish community, offering a wide variety of community pro-grams, services and events from its newly-built regional headquarters. Its five full-time Rabbis serve outlying areas including Summerlin/Desert Shores and the Green Valley area. Among Chabad's offerings: daily prayer services; The Desert Torah Academy Day School K - 6th Grade and Torah Tots Preschool; ongoing adult education lectures, classes; hos-pital, retirement home and prison chaplainry services; youth groups and summer camps; kosher certification to the local supermarkets and numerous establishments, life cycle events and Jewish holiday programs including public Menorah lighting ceremonies Model Matzah Bakery and Shofar fac-tories. "We've made a career of building things," says Sheldon Adelson, whom with his wife Dr. Miriam Adelson has recently dedicated the new Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Chabad Center on Arville Street. "We're hon-ored that we're able to help build the Jewish community through an organi-zation that doesn't turn people away because of lack of funds." "We're a very dynamic and caring organization," says Rabbi Shea Harlig, Director of Chabad of Southern Nevada. "All Jews regardless of affili-ation, level of knowledge or obser-vance are welcome to participate. We've made the desert bloom. With the generosity and benevolence of this great philanthropic family, the best is yet to come." The banque