The Shofar newsletter of Temple Beth Am, June 2000

The House of the People' The Shofar Monthly Newsletter of Temple Beth Am 9001 Hillpointe Road Las Vegas, NV 89134 702-254-5110 Volume 10, Issue 6 June 2000 Special Point Of Interest. Brotherhood- Sisterhood Family Barbeque Sunday June 4 beginning at 11:30 am. Bunker Park Alexander & Tenaya Way Call office for details. Greeters for June June 2 Lelia Friedlander June 9 Mark Rich June 16 Larry Steckler June 23 Stuart Stein June 30 Amy Stein Apathy! ? President's Gavel byArleen Turok Mk pathy... .a disease that has gripped f l our society and most definitely our community. What hap-pened to the days where we were pas-sionate about what happened to the com-munity around us! Our own Temple is experiencir s dis-ease and i >t cer-tainly is afietuiig all of us. There are the few who turn up, and do what they can to show support in every way possible. There were two events in the month of May that were so poorly attended by our congregation that it was actually an embar-rassment. Yes I know that our Annual Dinner Dance is expensive at $150, but we offered it at $50 less per person for our congregants. A donation going to our Building Fund. A si-lent auction with items to fit every pocket book and if it was not your choice to bid, that was OK too! If that did not fit your pocket book, what happened to the support for Craig and Co.? There were hardly any Religious School families out to support an event that was a fund-raiser targeted purely for the advance-ment of the education of our own children. Yes, I understand that we have other things going on in our lives and we cannot live only for our Tem-ple, but in order to feel that you belong, you must give of yourself. An effort should be made on all of our parts. We all want a per-manent home for our spiritual side, but how many have come for-ward and asked what they can do to help? There is so much that can be done without a financial burden, all you need to do is ask! What an incredible feeling to know that you have been a part of something so much greater than yourself! Our children need to see us involved, if they don't what will happen to them when they grow up and have a family of their own! All our lives are busier than ever before, most of us work, take care of our children and run a home! Please take time to think about the con-tents of this article, search your heart as I have mine. Let us all join together and make things happen. Imagine what results could be accomplished if every single family in our congregation did something*. It would be quite overwhelming! Summer is here let's all take a well-deserved rest, and begin with a renewed spirit! 2 THE SHOFAR June 2000 Rabbi Mel Hecht, MHL.DD Spiritual Leader Temple Beth Am Board of Directors EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Arleen Turok Larry SteckJer Mort Friedlander Carin Bachant Julie Pearlman President First VP Second VP Treasurer Recording Secretary Linda York Corresponding Secretary TRUSTEES Steve Aizenberg William Arager Gary Bordman Craig Friedberg Lelia Friedlander Becky Grill Gerri Lynn Grossan Hazel Gold Dr. Steve Konowalow Mark Rich Allison Berman Education Director Amy Stein...Sisterhood Representative Stuart Stein Brotherhood President THE SHOFAR Larry and Lorraine Steckler, Editors Temple Beth Am 9001 Hillpointe Road Las Vegas, NV 89134 702-254-5110 Shabbat Services Tot Shabbat, Friday at 7:00pm Shabbat, Friday at 7:30pm Child Care Provided Saturday Services Torah Study, 9:30am Services, 10:30am sfe I w - w M r I t ! * i^IIb, IVi II Coping With Loss and Trauma Rabbinic Reflections by Rabbi Mel Hecht Recently, the Interfaith Council for Worker Justice held a Worker's Memorial Day Service. This was the second year such an event took place. Generally speaking, few of us are aware of how many people lose their lives in job-related accidents. The past year was a particularly horrendous one in this regard. There were some 60 deaths, 47 of which were a result of falls, being crushed to death or being murdered while at work. The remaining number died from heart attacks. Statistically, Nevada does not fare well when it comes to job-related deaths. There is a 30% higher chance of dying on the job here in our state than there is elsewhere. As a former Chairman of the Board of S.I.I.S. (Nevada's Worker's Compensation System), I am well aware of the grief and trauma these tragedies impose on tne families, co-workers and friends of these vic-tims. This is one of the reasons I currently serve as co-chair of the In-terfaith Council for Worker Justice. There are, indeed, many issues of work-place safety, wages, health care, employment inequities, etc..., that should be addressed not just economically and politically, but also from a religious, moral and ethical perspective as well. However, this is not the direction in which I want to take my reflec-tions this month. Rather, it has to do with the ongoing problem of deal-ing with our grief when some great trauma comes to plague our hu-manity Certainly, like all clergy, I am challenged by this dilemma '?rry t. I am called because of a death, emergency or some great tiagedy. There are those inevitable questions: fVhy did this hapten? How could G-d allow such a thing? The violent deaths of so many workers through no fault of their own; the illness or death of our own loved ones; the problems, traumas, and sorrows that have befallen us... how do we cope? How do we make sense out of that which defies sense? There is, of course, no all in one encompassing answer for such things. Each answer is usually a combination of many factors. It has to do with Faith, with Personality, with Perseverance. It requires accep-tance of things that cannot be changed and a determination to change what can be changed. It is a combination of self-awareness and those ideals and values that you hold dear; or, what it is you admired, re-spected or loved in the life of some Significant Other. It is found in the experiences, that form the anecdotes, the stories of our lives?some of which are already completed while others are still a work in progress? very much like chapters in a book that ends only with our death. Each chapter is unique, yet is linked an influences the next. As a Rabbi, I know not only the stories that have shaped my own life and that of my family; I have also been privileged to hear the stories of people whose lives have touched my own. Sometimes, the answers to my own questions come through hearing these stories of others. Lis-tening to the narrative of their struggles, victories, their affirmations of faith and life, their disappointments and accomplishments?have helped me to put my own life into better perspective. You tend to no longer feel alone; your confidence is increased by their victories, your resolve not to make the same mistakes is heightened by their defeats. Stories have always been the Glory of our Tradi-tion. The heroes of Judaism are all fallible people who have experienced both the valleys and the peaks of life. We identify with them and we learn from them the lessons of life. Generally, the answers to our questions about Life lie more in how our loved ones lived rather than in how they died. Although our Tradition allows (if not encourages) us to ques-tion G-d's Justice, it also reminds us that there are questions for which no adequate answers are possi-ble. At some point it becomes a matter of a Leap of Faith?a belief that a world without a Higher Power would be less bearable than one in which the hope of a better tomorrow keeps us struggling not to give up, that encourages us to use the G-D given Gifts of Intellect and Choice to find the cures needed to wipe out disease; that spurs us to muster the strength and to provide the resolve needed to repair a broken world. The pain of loss or trauma can either bring us more fully into the world; or it can eat away at us as a disease of the spirit, making us fearful of life and turning us into cynics. If we ask our questions as victims of forces beyond our control, we will never find adequate answers. Victims always rely on reso-lution coming from sources outside themselves; never from within. Others cannot resolve your problems, nor can G-d: only you can resolve them. You can, however, draw strength from the example, love and concern of others. You can draw courage through a faith that there is a G-d who cries with us and walks with us even though long ago he stopped doing those things for us that we should be doing for ourselves. I return to my original questions: How do we cope? How do we make sense out of that which defies sense? My answers are not new ones. They are the answers provided by our Tradition and the guide-lines given to us by G-d. Equally as significant, the answers are also in the lives of those we continue to love and call upon, even after they are no longer physically present. And finally, the answers flow through self-awareness, through Love and Accep-tance of Self. There can be no all-pervasive answer. Answers are a confluence of many streams of life, thought, relationship, and action. They need to be drawn together and made Shalom, made Sleelem? made Whole. That is the promise G-d holds out for us: to have Shalom, to experience a sense of well be-ing and wholeness through our struggle to discover the meaning of life and human relationship. B'Shalom Rabbi Mel Hecht "House of the People" TEMPLE BETH AM 3 An Anonymous Donation Many thanks for the donation of a $25 gift certifi-cate for each of our Sunday Religious School Teachers. This gift is greatly appreciated. Advertising in The Shofar When you have something special to kvellabout, or just want to say Happy Birthday or express your thanks or good wishes, call Roz Ring at 656-7003 to order a Sistergram. If you sell real estate, cosmetics, wash windows, steam-clean carpets, build walls, maintain land-scaping or offer any other business service, con-sider a business card ad in the next issue of The Shofar. Advertising here is effective and inexpensive. If you have a question about rates, advertising mate-rials or any other advertising information; please call Lorraine or Larry Steckler at 240-0183. If you would like to help solicit advertising for our monthly newsletter, let us know so we can give you the tools you need. Don't forget the stores you shop in every week are all potential advertisers. If you need some extra copies to drop off along with an advertising rate sheet, let us know and we will get them to you. Sisterhood & Brotherhood Want You! Your participation makes our Temple work. As a part of that involvement we would like to see all Temple Beth Am members join either Brotherhood or Sisterhood. There are a host of things that need be done, and our members do them. But we do need help. For information or an application form for Sis-terhood, call Hazel Gold at 871-0069 or pick one up at the Temple. For Brotherhood, speak with Stuart Stein at 233-6230. Again, applications and more information are also available at the Temple Office. Join in the fun of these active organizations and help keep your Temple Beth Am operating smoothly. There's a lot to be done. Your assistance and membership support is needed. 4 THE SHOFAR June 2000 Happy Birthday Mr. George Wara June 3 Nathaniel Dawson (14th Birthday) June 3 Elan Ritter (8th Birthday) June 4 Dr. Gary Kantor June 6 Patricia Ann Kane June 7 Melissa Hecht (15th Birthday) June 8 Trudy Farrell June 8 Sarah Starr (14th Birthday) June 11 Mr. Lee A. Drizen June 14 Adria Coren June 14 Lori Bordman June 14 Mr. Robert Bachant June 15 Mrs. June German June 15 Kimberley Nordgren (16th Birthday) June 17 Cindy Mishlove June 17 Mr. Philip Holtzman June 17 Adam Tarr (5th Birthday) June 19 Renee L. Lund June 19 Skyler York (15th Birthday) June 20 Cindy Power June 21 Cameron Nevefls (14th Birthday) June 21 Ethan Krai (10th Birthday) Jun 21 Rachel Berman (17th Birthday) June 21 Mrs. Linda Gerstein Wadleigh June 24 Amy Grer span June 25 Ann Grabow June 25 Edward Buccieri June 25 Mark Miller June 26 Joshua Keating (9th Birthday) June 26 Becky Grill June 26 Jason Alan Greenbaum (12th Birthday) June 26 Tony Gerstein Wadleigh (10th Birthday) June 26 Kerri Pastraino June 26 Mrs. Micki Hecht June 27 Adam Coren (3rd Birthday) June 25 Mr. Stanley Weinberger June 28 Stuart Rubin June 29 Alex Keating (7th Birthday) June 30 Mr. Les Berman June 30 Happy Anniversary to: i 7 8 9 Mr. & Mrs. Steven Schwartz 3rd Anniv June Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Greenspan 42nd Anniv June Nancy & David Cohen 3rd Anniv June Liza & Henry Artman 9th Anniv June Mr. & Mrs. Keith Lewis 11 th Anniv June 11 Barbara & William Senner 19th Anniv June 17 Dr. & Mrs. David Krulewitz 23rd Anniv June 18 April & Morgan Besman 13 th Anniv June 21 Mr. & Mrs. Fredic Zwerg 14th Anniv June 22 Mr. & Mrs. Kamegai 15th Anniv June 22 Mr. & Mrs. Lee A. Drizin ??th Anniv June 23 Mr. & Mrs. Delgado 4th Anniv June 23 Kellie Mizel-Sanciangco & Rick Sanciangco 12 th Anniv June 26 Mr. & Mrs. Harold Geller 62nd Anniv June 30 Sistergrams by Roz Ring 656-7003 To: Gladys Dorsler From: Libby Spector Having a wonderful Passover my dear and most cherished friend. With love. Libby. To: Gladys Dorsler From: Sarah Blumenfeld Thank you Gladys for being such a thoughtful and kind fried. Love Sarah. To: Esther Levoff From: Roz & Al Ring We want to wish you the best of health on your upcoming birthday. To: Illene Zuckermandel From: Ann & Art Cohen We wish you a quick and speedy recovery from your surgery. To: Illene Zuckernandel From: Sisterhood A speedy recovery from your recent surgery is wished by your friends at Sisterhood. To: Lorraine Steckler From: Sisterhood We wish you a very happy and healthy birthday and many more. "House of the People" TEMPLE BETH AM 5 REMEMBERING LOVED ONES WITH THIS MONTH'S YARTZEITS June 1 Richard Blaine.... June 12 Susan Robinson June 1 Castrenze DiGaetano... .Father of Rosa June 14 Rosa & David Kanarek June 1 Vivian Tucker... Wife of Albert June 15 Albert & Sandra Tucker JuneS Abe Lebowich... .Father of Anne June 15 Anne & Arthur Cohen June 4 Bruce New mark... .Nephew of Gladys June 16 Goodmanm Rinni & dorfler, Gladys June 4 Barbara Schweitzer... .Wife June 16 Eric Schweitzer June 4 Evelyn Weinberger... Mother of Stanley June 22 Stanley Weinberger June 5 David Allyn Carnow... .Son of Allan & Myrna June 23 Myrna & Allan Bird June 5 William Pitler... .Great Grandfather June 26 Trudy & John Farrell June 6 Sidney Steinfeld... .Father of Lorraine June 28 Lorraine & William Hancock June 11 Victor Vernick... .Grandfather June SO Laura & Kenneth Keating June 12 Rochelle Bialac... .Granddaughter of Stella June SO Stella Bialac Benjamin Colonomus... .Father of Estelle Estelle & Albert Auslander Helen Friedlander... .Mother ofMort Sal & Mort Friedlander Elizabeth Batykefer.... Marhorie & Joel Present Anna Levant... .Mother of Hazel Hazel & Raymond Gold Willy Mitchell.. .Father of Wesley Martha 6? Welsey Mitchell Ben Ring... .Brother of Albert Roselyn and Albert Ring Milton Soil.. .Brother of Helen Helen & Hymen Forkos Frank Chabrow... .Father of Jay Mel & Jay Chabrow William Fine... .Father of Mark & Fran Gloria & Mark Fine, Fran Fine Gizella Widder... .Mother of Gladys Goodman, Ronni & Dorfler, Gladys Stanley Drizm... .Father of Lee Donna A. & Lee A. Drizem Morris Torres.... Uncle of Este;;e Estelle & Albert Auslander NEVADA CARDIOLOGY ASSOCIATES SPECIALISTS IN COMPREHENSIVE CARDIOVASCULAR CARE MARTIN D. SCHAFFER, MD, FACC, FACP BERGE J. DADOURIAN, MD, FACC SEAN S. AMELI, MD. FACC FOAD MOAZEZ, MD, FACC |EFFREY B. GITLIN, MD SAMUEL E. GREEN. MD, FACC PATRICK C. HSU. MD 3121 S Maryland Tkwy Suite 512 Las Vegas. NV 89100 i702l 796-7150 3 1 50 N Tenaya Way Suite 460 Las Vegas NV 89128 (702) 233-1000 www.nevAdACtirdiology.com O Temple Beth Am 2000 June 5760 v Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Jerusalem Day Tot Shabbat 7pm Shabbat 7:30pm 3 Torah Study 9:30am Shabbat Service 10:30am 4 Brotherhood and Sisterhood Family Picnic Bunker Parfc 11:30am 5 6 7 Board Meeting open to all congregants 6:30pm Bereavement Group TBA 7:00pm 8 Brev Shavuot 9 1st Day Shavuot Tot Shabbat 7pm Shabbat 7:30pm 10 2nd Day Shavuot Torah Study 9:30am Shabbat Service 10:30am 11 12 13 14 15 16 Tot Shabbat 7pm Shabbat 7:30pm 17 Torah Study 9:30am Shabbat Service 10:30am 18 19 20 21 Bereavement Group TBA 7:00pm 22 23 Tot Shabbat 7p' Shabbat 7:30? 24 Torah Study 9:30am Shabbat Service 10:30am 25 26 27 28 29 30 Tot Shabbat 7pm Shabbat 7:30pm 1 Torah Study 9:30am Shabbat Service 10:30am 2 / 3 4 5 Bereavement Group TBA 7:00pm 6 7 Tot Shabbat 7pm Shabbat 7:30pm 8 Torah Study 9:30am Shabbat Service 10:30am Please tell our advertisers you saw their ad in "The Shofar" Pootronics. 4955 S. Durmi Las Vegas, Ne e-mail: edlwl J M SPANISH HILLS M The Magazine for the Electronics Activist Visit us on the Web w w w . g e r n s b a c k . c o m / p o p t r o n i c s R E A L T Y Ed Weisel. ABR Realtor ?KO. Suite 116 CELL: 703-321-6302 vada 89103 OFFICE: 70^939-8000 ?netvc-ape.net FAX: 702-838- 4634 Are you interested in leaping how to cook truly delicious food? Join rr>e for fun, relaxing cooking cLgi^s^^There's o basic and a gourmet class^*f|j|oy the dishes you create! Class sizej?ttife<?. Call to reserve yaBTs^of? Ar\ee*^Txjrok M8#,6769 | I | I ^ L M A R y K A y . GeriLynn Grossan Independent Beauty Consultant 7721 Leavorite Drive Las Vegas, NV 89128 (702) 242-5730 t^wzszced- - St^rm ATTORNEY AT LAW 619S.BYSTREET TELEPHONE (702)384-8900 LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89101 FACSIMILE (702) 384-6900 E-MAIL: FRANFINE0WORLDNETATT.NET M o r t F r i e d l a n d e r Mediation and Arbitration Services Tel (702) 645-1288 ? 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DATE SPONSOR OCCASION June 2 Rhoda and Fred Ender In celebration of their granddaughter Lisa Wiesel becoming a Bat Mitzvah June 9 Nancy and David Cohen In celebration of their 3rd anniversary June 16 Tobie and Edward Buccieri In celebration of their son Adam becoming a Bar Mitzvah June 23 Pearl and Manny Neiman In celebration of their Grandson Michael Hennick becoming a Bar Mitzvah The S h o f a r Temple Beth Am 9001 Hillpointe Road Las Vegas, NV 89134 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S.Postage PAID Las Vegas, NV Permit No. 395 702-254-5110