Purim Has Something To Teach Allof UsRabbi Alan D. Londy

In many Reform congregations, the observance of theFestival of Purim is low-key. Usually, it is focuses onkids, and silliness. Since most people have not studiedits history and its traditional practices, the brilliance ofthis festival and its adult meaning are lost. Let me tryto explain Purim in a more sophisticated manner. InJudaism, knowledge is power.

Purim is celebrated with a public reading—usually inthe synagogue—of the Book of Esther (MegillahEsther), which tells the story of the holiday. Underthe rule of King Achashverosh, Haman, the king'sprime minister, plots to exterminate all the Jews ofPersia. His plan is foiled by Queen Esther and hercousin Mordechai, who ultimately save the Jews ofPersia from destruction. The reading of the megillahtypically is an unruly affair, interspersed by booingand noise-making when Haman's name is read aloud.

Purim is an unusual holiday in many respects. First,Esther is the only biblical book in which God is notmentioned. Second, Purim, like Hanukkah,traditionally is viewed as a minor festival, but iselevated to a major holiday because of the Jewishhistorical experience. Over the centuries, Hamanbecame the embodiment of every anti-Semite in everyland where Jews were oppressed. The significance ofPurim lies not so much in how it began, but in what ithas become: a thankful and joyous affirmation ofJewish survival against all odds.

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Sixth Annual Reel Judaism . . . Explorethe Modern Jewish Experience in Film

Join other members of the congregation in thiswonderful “night at the movies.” All movies areshown at the Sulgrave Condominium ScreeningRoom at 121 West 48th Street, KCMO and begin at7:00 p.m. The series is free. Non-members arewelcome. Reservations are required, please call theNRT office at 816-523-7809 to RSVP.

Thursday, February 8, 7pmWrong Side of the BusLength: 56 minutes

What's the price of being abystander? Sidney Bloch is aman with a troubledconscience. Sid returns toSouth Africa from Melbournefor his medical schoolreunion, determined to

resolve his guilt for colluding with Apartheid, that hastroubled him for forty years. In the Apartheid era, Sidhad benefitted as a 'White', contributed negligibly tothe struggle against racism and then left for Israel theday after his medical graduation. A sense of guilt andshame accompanied him throughout his later move toAustralia. So how does a man who lost fourteenrelatives in the Holocaust become complicit with aracist system? The film explores how easy it is toaccept injustice and compromise your morals.Though it's easy for any good person to become abystander, it's not so easy to live with theconsequences. WRONG SIDE OF THE BUS is oneman's journey to forgiveness.

February 2018 Vol. 52, No. 5

Our Mission Statement

The New Reform Temple is a dynamiccongregation that embraces a progressive andinclusive vision of Reform Judaism. Whileremaining deeply connected to our roots, wecreate opportunities for spiritual enrichment,continuing Jewish education and communityengagement. We thrive on thoughtful respectfor diversity of expression.

THE NEW REFORM TEMPLE7100 Main Street at GregoryKansas City, Missouri 64114

Phone: 816-523-7809 Fax: 816-523-2454E-Mail: nrt7100@aol.com

Rabbi Alan Londy, D. Min.

Board of Directors

Ann L. Darke Irwin E. BlondPresident Robert N. Epsten

Bradley Freilich, M.D.Tom Barnett Barb KovacsFirst Vice President Todd Lieberman

Barbara MacArthurAnn K. Baum Sue McCord-BelzerSecond Vice President Theodore Prince

John RubensteinLeslie Mark Sarah SoslandSecretary Steven R. Unterman, M.D.

Tom IsenbergTreasurer

Daniel FrommMichael Grossman

Past Presidents

Arthur L. SternLife Director

Worship Hours

February 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:00 p.m.

Shabbat Service

February 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m.

Torah Study

February 9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:00 p.m.

Shabbat Service

February 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m.

Torah Study

February 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:00 p.m.

Shabbat Service

February 17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m.

Torah Study

February 23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:00 p.m.

Shabbat Service

February 24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m.

Torah Study

NRT Book Club

The next NRT Book Club willbe held on Tuesday, March 6 at7:00 pm at the home of DonnaHolmes.

Our next book club selectionhas connections to the April2014 shooting deaths of threeKansas Citians gunned downoutside Jewish facilities.

The book is "SOMETHING BEAUTIFULHAPPENED: A Story of Survival and Courage in theFace of Evil," by Yvette Manessis Corporon - cousinof Mindy Corporon, whose son and father were twoof the victims murdered by a white supremacist inOverland Park.

Seventy years after Yvette Corporon's grandmotherhelped hide a Jewish family on a Greek island duringWorld War II, she sets out to track down theirdescendants and discovers a new way to understandtragedy, forgiveness, and the power of kindness. Shefound her connections just days before ReatUnderwood and Dr. William Corporon were killed.

Meet with other congregants for an evening ofthought-provoking conversation, friendship and funto discuss the book.

Space is limited. Please RSVP to the Temple office byMarch 1. If you have any questions, you may contactthe office at 816-523-7809.

Save The Date: Mitzvah Day is March4th!

On Sunday, March 4th,you, your friends and yourfamily are invited to joinus for our bi-annualMitzvah Day!

The New ReformTemple’s Mitzvah Dayis a day of giving back to ourcommunity by volunteering with animal shelters, foodpantries, community gardens, and other places wherewe can lend our helping hands. In doing so, we followwith the Jewish tradition of performing mitzvot—whichliterally means “commandments,” and which we enactas good deeds or acts of kindness. In the spirit of this,we encourage our friends and family to share in our joyof performing mitzvot.

The diligent New Reform Temple Social JusticeCommittee are finalizing the details, so please be sure tocheck our website, www.nrtkc.org in early February forthe most up-to-date details on how you can participate.And don’t forget to mark your calendars and get readyfor another fun and meaningful Mitzvah Day!

The Temple Belongs to Its Members . . . Help NRT to Gain New Members The New Reform Temple is only as strong as itsmembers. Please share your enthusiasm with yourfriends who are currently unaffiliated with acongregation. Ask them to come with you to Fridaynight services. Bring them for High Holy Dayworship. Encourage them to come to our Saturdaymorning Torah Study at 9:00 am. Tell them about ourfabulous Religious School. Suggest they make anappointment with Rabbi Londy to discussmembership. Invite them to social events that theNRT hosts. If you know any person who might beinterested, contact the rabbi so he and theMembership Committee can reach out to them. TheNRT is a small congregation and we become strongerwith each new member who affiliates with us. Let uswork together to assure the future of our temple. Rabbi Alan LondyAnn Darke, President Barbara MacArthur, Membership Chair

February Birthdays

01 Janet Dubrava01 Diane Levin01 Leslie Mark01 Cliff Trenton02 Katie Gerson03 Jack Mayer03 Leland Shurin

03 Jimmy Uhlmann03 Ken Weiner04 Harrison Swartzman05 Betty Jo Marder07 Henry Epstein08 Clarice Epstein08 Karen Porter

11 Barbara Kovacs13 Anita Bailey15 Katy Platt16 Fran Brozman17 Betsy Jacob20 Cheryl Masisak20 Benton Smith

20 Frank Tankard24 Rachel Stamey25 Landon Luke25 Arthur Stern27 Paul Erdner27 Irving Fudemberg28 Charles Sosland

February Anniversaries

09 Tom & Carol Barnett10 Stephen & Suzanne Block

11 Joe Haydu & Barbara Marmor16 Justin Zack & Sarah Potter19 Harold & Marilyn Melcher

23 Irv Belzer & Sue McCord-Belzer26 Mike & Linda Lyon

Purim Has Something To Teach Allof Uscontinued from page 1

The story of Purim is found in the Book of Esther,one of the books in the Ketuvim (Writings) section ofthe Bible. It is set in the land of Persia (current dayIran) at the time when Achashverosh was king. KingAchashverosh held a banquet in the capital city ofShushan and ordered his queen, Vashti, to come anddance before his guests. She refused to appear andlost her royal position.

Acting on advice from his counselors, Achashveroshheld a pageant to choose a new queen. Mordechai, aJewish man living in Shushan, encouraged his cousin,Esther, to enter the competition. Esther won but,following the advice of her cousin, did not reveal herJewish origin to the king.

Mordechai often sat near the gate of the king's palace.One day he overheard two men, Bigthan and Teresh,plotting to kill the king. Mordechai reported what hehad heard to Esther. She then reported theinformation to the king. The matter was investigatedand found to be true, and Bigthan and Teresh cameto an unfortunate end. Mordechai's deed wasrecorded in the king’s diary.

Meanwhile, the king's evil adviser, Haman, paradedthrough the streets, demanding that all bow down tohim. Because Jews do not bow to anyone but God,Mordechai refused to bow down to Haman. Uponlearning that Mordechai was Jewish, Haman decidedto kill all the Jews in the Persian empire. He plotted tokill them—convincing King Achashverosh to goalong with the plan—and cast purim ("lots," plural ofpur), a kind of lottery, to determine the day on whichhe would carry out his evil deed: the 13th of Adar.

However, Mordechai alerted Esther to Haman's evilplot, and Esther, in turn, revealed her Jewishness tothe King, convincing him to save the Jews and foilingHaman's plot. Haman was hanged, Mordechaireceived his estates and the position of royal vizier,and the Jews of Persia celebrated their narrow escapeon the 14th of Adar, the day after they were supposedto be annihilated.

Thus, the fate Haman had planned for the Jewsbecame his own. The holiday of Purim celebrates the bravery of Esther and Mordechai and the deliveranceof the Jewish people from the cruelty of oppression.

But, there is a dimension to the story that needs to bepointed out. At first, Esther is reluctant to respond tothe threat that the Jews of Shushan face. “Mordecaihad this message delivered to Esther: Do not imagethat you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life bybeing in the king’s palace. On the contrary, if youkeep silent in the crisis, relief and deliverance willcome to the Jews from another quarter, whole youand you father’s house will perish. And who knows,perhaps, you have attained to royal position for justsuch a crisis’.” (Esther 4: 12-14)

For me, that moment in the story summarizes somuch about Jewish identity. We are a people of onehistory, and one destiny. What happens to one Jewimpacts all Jews. Jewish unity is an essential part ofJewish existence. Fragmentation and sectarianismwithin Judaism is not only self-defeating but alsosubverts the essence of Judaism.

Purim will come soon. Let us eat some hamantachen,and spin our groggers to make some noise. But mostof all, let us remember that Purim has somethingimportant to teach us. I am convinced that everyaspect of Judaism including Purim has a message forus. As Reform Jews, let us embrace the entire wisdomof our tradition.

Principal’s CornerUpdates from the Marion and HenryBloch Religious School

Greetings and Happy New Year! It’s hard to believewe’re already half-way through the 2017-2018 schoolyear. I guess it’s true – time flies when you’re havingfun (and learning a lot). We had a wonderful fallsemester full of learning, celebrating, volunteering,singing, dancing, and more. Some of the highlightsfrom the fall semester include:

Sukkot Fall Festival: From edible sukkahs tobeautiful wind socks, our students helped decoratethe Sukkah in preparation for Sukkot. Torah Totsenjoyed making their own sukkahs and then everyonecelebrated together in and around the sukkah withsnacks and songs.

ResTorah: We had a special visit from Rabbi KevinHale, sofer, who taught us about the Torah and ishelping to restore the NRT Torah. Each age groupspent time with Rabbi Hale and some families stayedafter school to help write a letter in the Torah.

Mitzvah Day: Students and their families spread outaround the city, volunteering at Village Shalom,Wayside Waifs, Manheim Garden, and Jewish FamilyServices. Meanwhile, the Torah Tots learned all about“filling the bucket,” being kind and doing good deeds.

Consecration: Kindergarten students were officially“consecrated” at the joint Hanukkah service with KolAmi. The kindergarten and first grade students sangsongs and blessings (and did some dancing too)during the service. Big thanks to musical talents ofBrendan Howard and choreography/enthusiasm oftheir teacher Patti Greenbaum.

Hanukkah Celebration: Students learned the realHanukkah story, made their own menorahs, rolledHanukkah candles, fried, frosted, and ate doughnuts,and took way too many pictures in the photo booth.Our middle school students hosted a bake sale andraised over $100 for Jewish Family Services. TorahTots made their own menorahs too!

We’ve already had a great start to our spring semesterand we look forward to some of the special events onthe horizon:

February 25th, Purim Carnival March 4th, Mitzvah DayMarch 25th, Matzah Ball Madness

Be sure to follow along with our adventures thissemester on www.instagram.com/nrtsundayschool!

Until next month,Becky Poskin

K/1st graders at Consecration(Macy, June, Frank, Caty, Leo, and Rachel)

Kit Smith, aka Miss Smithy,reading Fill My Bucket to the Torah Tots

We Gratefully Acknowledge theFollowing Contributions toThe New Reform Temple

To Adult EducationJack & Fran Mayer

To the Marion & Henry Bloch Religious SchoolHenry Bloch

To the Music Fund

In Honor of Ann Baum’s BirthdayArthur & Barbara Stern

To the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund

In Appreciation of Rabbi LondyDanny & Patti Slosburg

In Honor of Ann Baum’s BirthdaySheila Wien

To the Shabbat Flowers

Kenneth & Ann BaumSteve & Suzy BlockMichael & Linda BraudePati ChasnoffBarton & Phyllis CohenDan & Janet DubravaSteve & Lisa GlassmanJoe Haydu & Barbara MarmorJim & Joyce HessEvan & Kate HorowitzRocky & Susan HorowitzTom & Ann IsenbergRick & Barbara MacArthurJohn & Geri NeubergerMargaret SchoenfeldArthur & Barbara SternSusan StraussKen Weiner & Pam FleischerSheila WienCraig & Carol Wilson

To the TempleThe Sosland Foundation

In Honor of Ann Baum’s BirthdayJon & Sarah BaumTerrance & Lynn ColemanAnn DarkeHarvey & SuEllen FriedBernie FrommTom & Ann IsenbergBarb KovacsJoan Mindlin

In Memory of Alvin H. BerlauCharles Berlau

In Memory of Richard RubensteinCliff & Carol TrentonChuck & Ester Udell

To the Tree of Life

In Honor of Joshua Leshnak’s Bar MitzvahMichael Leshnak

Spiritual Checkup

Make an appointment for a Spiritual Checkup withRabbi Londy. The rabbi invites each member of thecongregation to come to see him privately for a yearlyspiritual checkup. This checkup is a low-keyopportunity to reflect upon various dimensions ofyour life. Rabbi Londy wrote his doctoral thesis onthis subject and has carried out these checkups for avariety of people in the congregations that he hasserved. If you have any interest in finding out moreabout the checkup, contact Rabbi Londy at thetemple: 816-523-7809 or by email atalanlondy@gmail.com

2017 Year In Review at The New Reform Temple

In February, The New Reform Temple affirmed its mid-town areapartnership with a reception and tour of the newly opened JFSBrookside East facility. Learning of area food insecurities, neededelderly home services, and refugee resettlement challenges,members signed on to provide tikun olam when and where they can.

The Marion & Henry Bloch Religious School finished the 2016-17school year on a very high note!!! On May 13, our confirmation class(pictured here) presented inspiring speeches and led the servicesalong with Rabbi Alan Londy.

Congregants join Rabbi Alan Londy, along with Becky and NathanBliss, for an outdoor Shabbat of Sukkot Celebration.

Volunteers assist with shelter animals at Wayside Waifs as part ofNRT’s biannual Mitzvah Day in October.

Marion & Henry Bloch Religious School students practice theirdance moves with Religious School Director Becky Poskin.

ResTorah was our congregational project to restore the HolocaustTorah entrusted to us, and enable each of our member families,under the scribe’s supervision, to fix a letter in the Torah to fulfillthe 613th commandment.

YAHRZEITS

“The memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing.”

FEBRUARY 2George K. Baum, II Jack Berlau Dorothy L. Bordeau Carrie Copeland Brown Esther Goodman Mary Pataki Haydu Lewis Hoffman Ernest Horowitz Luzia Lewandowski Radine Lewis Violet R. Lyon Emilie B. Mnookin Theresa Montague Jacob B. NeimanFrieda Perlmutter Ronald Prince Mitchell Shapiro Suzanne G. Statland Walter Zimmerman

FEBRUARY 9Peggy-Ann Biel Benjamin E.B. Berkowitz Bernice A. DreyerHerman J. Galamba Bernard Gordon Harry Greene Irwin E. Hurwitt Esther Golad Kahn Ann Kahn Louis NimanAlfred P. RosenstockLinda Niman Schwartz Jack Sight R. Hugh UhlmannNettie Weneck Bernard H. Winston, M.D.

FEBRUARY 16Mildred Auer Sherri Lynn Brown, M.D. Donald Glabman Eugene Haydu Hyman W. Krasne Elaine R. Sackin Barbara L. Uhlmann Donna L. Weimer

FEBRUARY 23Bertha Abend Ruth Adler Hortense Bloch Laura Brendle Mindy Curely Hy Davidson Harold Kain Muriel K. Stern Glen V. Wilson