May 2014 • Iyar- Sivan 5774 Temple Beth-El24 Coveway DriveBrownsville, Texas 78521-3602(956) 542-5263 • temple.bethel@yahoo.com

Our services begin every Friday at 6:30 PM.

Board bimah assignment:02 Weisberg Emor09 Blinder Bechar 16 Furgatch Bechukatai 23 Goldsmith Bamidbar 30 Huerta NasoSaturday services begin at 9:30 AM with Torah study immediately following in the Temple Library.

featured artist - Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik“Tree of Knowledge”

about the cover: featured artist - Isaac Brynjegard-Bialikhttps://squareup.com/market/isaac-brynjegard-bialik

The “Tree of Knowledge” is inspired by a vision of Israel in its early years being planted with trees funded by Jews around the world. This tree is a representation of this bustling growth of the state, backed by cut-up diction-aries and representations of books and libraries from comics.

Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik is an artist living in Southern California. He cuts up comic books and other things and reassembles the pieces into work made of clean lines and patterns, sinuous shapes and sharp edges, large fields of color and small intimate spaces.

Contributions to the General Fund

In honor of:Sara Kenigstein for all she does for the Temple and in honor ofBetty Levin’s 80th. birthdayDenise Joseph

In honor of:Betty Levin’s and Eva Silverman’s 80th. birthdays:Rossana & Geoff Bogorad

In honor of:Betty Levin’s 80th. birthdays:Lynn Black

In memory of: Betty Sherman Rubinsky:Guerta Rubinsky

Luis Mendez Longoria & Miguel A. Mendez:Sylvia Holzma

Jackob FuhrerJudith Neumanne

Morris Edelstein and David EdelsteinRuben and Bernice EdelsteinIn Honor of Hanna Blinder’s Bat-Mitzvah and Nathan Blinder’s Bar-Mitzvah:Bill & Karen Rubinsky

Yahrzeit Fund:In memory of:Anne Holtzman:Larry & Susan Holtzman

In memory of:Morris EdelsteinMorris & Patricia Edelstein

In memory of:David EdelsteinMorris & Patricia Edelstein

Education Fund:In honor of Betty Levin’s 80th. birthdayMorris & Patricia Edelstein

In honor of Hannah Blinder for her Bat-MitzvahMorris & Patricia Edelstein

In honor of Nathan Blinder for his Bar-Mitzvah:Morris & Patricia Edelstein

In memory of:Paul AbramsonDenise Joseph

Donations to the Yahrzeit FundIn memory of Anne HoltzmanLarry & Susan Holtzman

RSVP DAY: LAST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTHDATES: MAY 27TH, JUN. 24THTIME: 12:15 - 1:15 PMLOCATION: 24 COVEWAY ST. BROWNSVILLE COST: $10.00

P: 956-467-4323 E: CHABADRGV@GMAIL.COM W: WWW.CHABADRGV.COM

Menu: Deli Sandwich, Pickle, Coleslaw, Hot Knish Soft Drink

Topic Of Discussion: Fate Vs. ChoicePlease RSVP By 9:30 AM On The Wednes-day Of The Scheduled Lunch & Learn @ Chabadrgv.com

Dear Friends,Its time once again for a monthly Deli Lunch & Learn. This Tuesday, May 27th 12:15 pm - 1:15 pmDuring your lunch break, why not feed your soul as well as your body? Take some time out of a busy workday to study a bit of Torah over a kosher deli lunch. Once a month, on a Tuesday, we will take one hour to explore relevant Jewish topics using ancient wisdom to guide us in a modern society.

It is guaranteed to be a peaceful break in the midst of a fast-paced work day. Great food. Great people. Great topics.

See you there!Rabbi Asher Hecht

Good Jewish Recipes... http://www.joyofkosher.com

I have seen really pretty mustard greens, tinged with purple and green with curled edges. More than just good looking, these greens are sturdy and hold up well when cooked, and have a nice, sharp flavor and crunch when raw. Paired with the rich, creamy flavors of the egg and salmon, they make a perfect combination.

Times Prep Time : 15 min Ready Time : 15 min

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients 1 large bunch mustard greens (remember to wash well as they can be very buggy) Small handful chopped fresh dill and/or parsley 3 hard-boiled eggs 1/4 red onion, soaked in red wine vinegar or lemon juice for 15 minutes or overnigt Freshly-cooked or canned wild salmon, crumbled (optional) Cucumber sliced into half-moons or cubes (optional)

Toasted Walnut Horseradish Mayo 1 egg Juice of a lemon 1 teaspoon of salt 1 cup of toasted walnut oil 1 tablespoon freshly grated horseradish

Directions1 Add the egg and lemon juice to the bowl of food processor or standing mixer, or even just a bowl. Begin mixing or beating, and then very slowly trickle the oil into the egg mixture. If you’re doing this by hand, have someone trickle and pour the oil for you so you don’t go mad. Other than having a lot of patience, making your own mayon-naise is super easy.Most recipes call for some sort of mustard, but combining this mayo with the mustard greens and the horseradish deems any extra mustard unnecessary. Once all the oil is combined add the horseradish.

2 Transfer it to a container; it lasts one week in the fridge. Aromatic and tasty, it’s not even comparable in flavor to the store-bought version.

The SaladAdd the mustard greens to a large mixing bowl. Squeeze another lemon right over the greens and add a few tablespoons of the mayo and the dill. Massage the dressing into the greens using your hands or toss with salad servers. Transfer the greens to a nice, large serving bowl and top with everything else.

Hearty Salad with Gorgeous Mustard Greens

Calendar of Events

02 *Morris Edelstein**Helen Zimel Jacob Fuhrer Tom Huddleston *Cesia Horn Paul Abramson

09*Henry Fruhling Berard Bramson Joseph Marion MetzBennet RosenbergEstelle Jaross

Ada Milstein*David EdelsteinAnita BernsteinAlex Gershowitz*Pauline Weisfeld

16Florence Huddleston **Lee Monowitz *Sidney Sommer*Sayas NovigrodGert Zimel Morris Rodbart

23Rose Anne BloomNat Witz

30 **Avram GavronskyIra KnasterFanny Bijman

May Birthdays:02 Betty Levin 04 Abraham Moszkowicz 05 Ruth Ann Hayter 08 Eva Silberman 13 Sarah Riezenman 20 Karen Rubinsky 26 Leon Horn 26 Judith Neumann 28 Dave Gelfetr

May Anniversaries:16 Claude & LaVerne Harari30 Bill & Laurel Berg

toNathan Pierce

son of Mike & Robin Piercefor passing his Bar Exam

Monthly Oneg May 16Our monthly Shabbat Oneg will be hosted on May 16th by Rossana & Geoff Bogorad, Alex & Olga Blinder, Michele & Barry Goldsmith and Irwin & Pam Riezenman.

Oneg ReminderPlease make sure to check the Oneg list when you are in charge of the Oneg. The list is as follows:Challah, decaf coffee, cream, sugar, cold drinks, cups for coffee and drinks, plastic ware, napkins, plates, cookies, cakes, nuts, fruit, cheese and crackers. Those in charge of the Oneg need to set up and clean after the Oneg is finished. Please launder and return tablecloths to the Temple as soon as possible. Board Meeting:The Board of Directors meets every second Wednesday of the month. This month will be on the 14th . Everybody is welcome to attend the meetings.

Our May Congregational meeting is scheduled for Sunday May 25th. at 10:30 am. Please come to this important meeting.

Weekly Parsha StudiesCantor Greenspan is conducting a weekly Torah study group held in the Library immediately following morning Shabbat services. Come enjoy some sweets and coffee along with some inspiring thoughts.

May Yahrzeits

Hadassah

Hadassah Book Club Hi Book Readers:The Hadassah ladies will not be meeting in May. For June we will discuss “Innocents” by Francesca Segal. See you June 8th at 10:00 am in the Temple Library.

Please bring any book you have found interesting so we can discuss it for fall.

Come to the Temple and help us with our discussion.

Please come join us.Harriet Light

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Ongoing FundraisersTemple Beth-El sells HEB cards. Please pick up one or a few here at the office. A percentage of the sales go to Temple and Hadassah

Donation to HadassahA donation in Honor of Mr. Ruben Edelstein 96th birthday was givenby Ms. Judith Newman.

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Sunday School News

It been a fast, fun, and wild year! Wow, we did it together!! Thank you teachers, volunteers, parents, Cantor, and ISJL. We could not have done it without you. Your help made this year a grand suc-cess. The year was fun for the adults and the children. It was amazing to see how each person in this community provided something unique and special to our Sunday School. Words are not enough to express my joy, gratitude, and humility in knowing that we as a community have done a fabulous job in passing on our values, knowledge of tradition, and fundamentals in educat-ing our next generation. Our children are walking away having a strong sense of pride in being Jewish, practicing their faith, and knowing that it takes work and actions to demon-strate our goodness. This has been demonstrated to the children not only in

their text books but also through seeing the actions of our community. The children are privileged to see first hand all the parents, volunteers, teachers, and Cantor participating every Sun-day at the Temple. I am pleased that even when people are not scheduled to teach, our Temple is hustling and bustling with movement and participa-tion on Sundays. Sometimes teachers, Cantor, and parents are just hanging out, being social, and inevitably helping our School and the Temple by being present on Sundays during School hours. I love it, and am so excited to see so much life and participation...thank you to all who have made this a wonderful year!! I am also pleased to announce that this year will produce three (3) B’nei Mitz-vah students who have shown much dedication, perseverance, and leader-

ship. Hannah Blinder, Nathan Blinder, and Hannah Edelstein will complete this year with a better understanding of commitment and leadership skills in preparing and completing their Bar/Bat Mitzvah Ceremonies. We are very proud of these students as they take this next step of responsibility in our community. In preparation, they have demonstrated their leadership by pro-viding morning services every Sunday since January for our children and by helping teach our newest members songs, prayers, and serving as service leaders. We look forward to each of you becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah and continuing your education with us at Temple Beth El Sunday School. Mazel Tov!!

Temple Beth-El Sunday School Director,Patricia Edelstein

End of the Year Note from theSunday School Director

Thank You!Thank you to Tally and Jonathon Caplan, and Morris and Patricia Edelstein for organizing the Model Seder and proving such wonderful food. Also a special thank you to Jonathan Caplan for leading our Model Seder and having everyone participate. It was a wonderful Seder and our children really enjoyed it.

Passover Model SederChildren of Temple Beth-el Sunday School participated in our annual Model Seder which teaches the children the order of the Seder, why we celebrate Passover every year, and our waiting for Elijah in bringing in the Messianic era. Teachers, grandparents, parents, and the children enjoyed the Seder and festivities. We also made dessert matzoh and played charades wherein the children guessed each of the 10 plagues. As always we all had a great time involving food and fun.

Sunday School NoticePleased be advised that Sunday, May 4, 2014 will be our last day of Sunday School for the year. Yes, the year has gone by quickly and our children and teachers have successfully com-pleted their Sunday School Curriculum (30 lessons) as set out by ISJL. We are proud of our teachers, parents, and students. Have a great summer. End of the Year Party!!Temple Beth El Sunday School will have their end of the year Sunday School Party on May 4, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. All volunteers, teachers (and guest), parents, and of course chil-dren are invited to join in the festivities. We will have an old fashion Texas Style Backyard Fajita Bar-B-Que with the fixings, and games for anyone who dares to participate. We hope to see you there!! Students will arrive to Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. (regular time) for our Morning Service and Sunday School Award Recognition Ceremony. Children will then attend their last class with their Sunday School Teacher in order to complete the last Hebrew lesson for this school year. Students will be dismissed at 11:00 a.m. for the party!!

“Hannah Huerta’sDestination Imagination Team” placed first in Texas tournament and will be competing in global finals on May 19th . They will be representing Texas in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Hannah and Nathan Blinder have their B’nai Mitzvah on May 17th

ATTENTION!!! Misprint on all RSVPs !!! All tickets were issued with the same ROW and SEAT number. If every one tries to sit on the same seat, the sanctuary will not be tall enough to support every one sitting on top of each other. There is plenty of other seats available. Thank you for your cooperation.

Letter from the President

Another successful raffle has past. For all of us in attendance, it was a fine and enjoyable event. I would like to thank Alex Blinder for his wonder-ful job on coordinating the raffle. His hours of dedication was integral in the success of the raffle. I would also like to thank Leon Weisberg for help-ing with the bar, Mike and Javier for working the table on stage, and Sarah and her entourage for the great food and sweets provided at the event. thanks to all the congregants who sold more than their share of tickets, it is your help that made this a finan-cial success.

Lastly, I would like to to thank our Master of Ceremony, Larry Holtzman, whose year in and year out dedication to the temple and the raffle makes it a

Our annual fundraiser...The 2014 Raffle

success. The humor and presence emulating from the stage makes it enjoyable for all who attend.

I am sure there are many other people are behind the scenes, I would like to thank them as well. I hope next year’s raffle will be as successful as this year, and for those who didn’t have the opportunity to help, next year can be your time.

Temple Beth-El President,Irwin Riezenman

I am sure there are many other people are behind the scenes, I would like to thank them as well. I hope next year’s raffle will be as successful as this year, and for those who didn’t have the opportu-nity to help, next year can be your time.

A special thank you goes out to our donors.

For without you and your generosity of giving so

willingly we would not have all the wonderful

items that allow us to be so successful.

ABC Family Dental Care

Board of directors of Temple Beth-El

Brownsville Museum of Fine Art

Brownsville Zoo

Childrens Museum

Clem Markley

Country Casuals

Don Johnson

Edelstein Family

Guta Rubinski

H.R. Lackner’s

Johnny Carino’s

Larry Holtzman

Madeira Restaurant

Matilde Blinder

Mi Pueblito

Michelle Goldsmith

Paul Moon

Peggy Paris

Sammy Ladabaum

Sarah Kenigstein

Sisterhood

Susan Holtzman

Yoga Studio

to you...all of you, I say Thank You

Alex Blinder

Hebrew Cemetery News

Hebrew Cemetery News by Larry Holtzman

Phil and Rosanne Bloom were part of the Brownsville Jewish community for many years. They are both buried in the Hebrew Cemetery. Phil was a pharmacist who worked at Jerry Jokl’s Palm Village Pharmacy. Phil and Rosanne raised two boys, Leonard and Edward. Leonard Bloom became an English professor at Pan American University and is retired.Phil was an avid ham radio operator. Before there was the internet, a Ham Radio used the free radio waves to call all over the world. When Susan Holtzman lived in Venezuela, she was called to the telephone in the lobby of her apartment by Phil Bloom calling on his ham radio with messages from her Grandmother.I asked Leonard to write an article about his parents. Here it is. Did I mention that Leonard is a retired English professor?

“Phil”

Evening. Mom dozes in front of the TV as a turbaned Johnny Carson, in black and white, raises an envelope to his forehead; Dad is smiling, cigar firmly clenched, as cloudy wisps float gently to the ceiling. That cigar. His “signature look.”

Dad, with cigar, low in the cockpit of our Studebaker, drops me off at Brownsville High. My friends say he looks like Edward G. Robinson. When I share this observation with him, he does his E.G.R. impression: “Lishen! You do what I shay! Shee?” Mom laughs.

The Raymond Loewy designed 1950 Studebaker Champion. A not too bright, but substantial, blue. This time, I’m behind the wheel. My first driving lesson. My Father, cigarless, (good thing, as you’ll see) beside me. I sense a barely perceptible anxiety. His? Mine? The six cylinder flathead is humming. 1st gear. Clutch. Gas pedal. We move. Very smooth. First corner. Take a right. Hand signal. I turn the wheel-not quite enough - I turn it more and a bit more. There are times in life when you have to let go. This time, I didn’t. Suddenly, my passenger is desperately, frantically unturning as the iconic bullet nose points irrevocably to-ward the ever widening Resaca. These actions are not entirely quiet. There are sounds, syllables, I think, all unintelligible.

Quietly, we change places. Quietly, we go home. In the driveway, Dad turns and asks, “shall we try again next weekend?” I nod and, although I fight hard to suppress it, I break into a fit of giggles. He smiles.

In the house, Mom asks how it went. We mumble an O.K. or two and she continues setting the dinner table. Dad heads back to the garage, home to the Studebaker and a long work bench covered with metal boxes, in black or silver, the faces of which are appointed with knobs, switches, dials and meters – all against a collage-like display of postcards printed with combinations of letters and numbers. These are the “call let-ters” of “ham” radio operators, foreign and domestic, he has talked over the years.

Mom, my brother Edward, and I live in a house in the center of the universe with a big antenna on top. And Dad, microphone in one hand and cigar in the other, is “calling CQ” to anyone in the universe who can hear him. Quite a few do hear him: Captain Kurt Carlsen, who was willing to go down with his ship but, thankfully, didn’t. Senator Barry Goldwater, who wanted to become President but, thankfully, didn’t. There was also a time when the Studebaker was sporting an impressive black whip antenna! That’s another story.

There are times in life that you never want to let go.

Committees & Chairs

Budget Committee: Chair, Mike Furgatch/Irwin RiezenmanBuilding/Ground Committee: Javier HuertaDues Committee & Membership Committee: Mike FurgatchFundraising Committee: Alex Blinder/Morris EdelsteinHouse Committee/Welcome Committee: Sara Kenigstein/Barry GoldsmithLibrary Committee: Harriet LightReligious School Committee: Patricia Edelstein/Leon WeisbergRitual Committee: Sara KenigsteinScholarship Committee: Larry Holtzman

Donations may be made to Temple Beth-El in memory, in honor, in appreciation, etc. for the following funds:General, Yahrzeit, Yizkor, Education, Building & Grounds, Flower, Torah, Cantor’s Discretionary Funds.You may use this form:

other stuff...

Temple Beth-El24 Coveway DriveBrownsville, Texas 78521-3602(956) 542-5263 • temple.bethel@yahoo.comwww.templebethelbrownsville.org

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Please note that any contribution submitted without adesignated fund will be placed in the General Fund.

Make checks payable to Temple Beth-El and mail to:24 CovewayBrownsville, TX 78521-5263Thank you!

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