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Congregation Shaareth Israel September 2021

Temple Times 1

Dear Shaareth Israel Family “There are two types of people in this world: those who have a disability, and those will have a disability (if they live long enough)” ~Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

It’s an old trope to make myself sound like Tevye, but sometimes I can’t help it… On the one hand, we are Reform Jews. Being a Reform (or Reforming, but never “reformed” in the past tense) Jew means that each of us are invited to consider which rituals enrich our lives; we are simultaneously autonomous and communally oriented. As a community we follow the holidays and traditions the best as we can, while acknowledging that each family has their own take on their Jewish experience. And we also work to celebrate together, even if how we celebrate in our homes may be different.

On the other hand, we are not completely autonomous. We are part of a larger community. We all actively participate in keeping our small Lubbock Jewish community going, whether through volunteering, financial dues, or both.

Rather fascinating that being both autonomous and communally oriented hasn’t come at odds more often. It is very painful to sit on the sidelines as I watch some of our members struggle with this challenge.

Before I go any further, allow me to share something personal: one of the challenges of growing up with a disability (hearing loss) is not always knowing what kind of assistance is appropriate to request, and what is too much. When I was in high school, one of the accommodations I received was a microphone that a teacher needed to wear so that I could hear the teacher right into my hearing aids. Whenever a teacher wore those microphones, I could pretty much understand everything s/he said.

Announcments

High Holy Days. See schedule of services on page 8. Book Club JR meeting on Sunday, Sept 12 at 1pm

Adult Learning - Musar

Musar will return in December.

CSI First Thursday Monthly Lunch

The CSI First Thursday Monthly Lunch is back! The group will meet for lunch Thursday, Sept 3, 2021. This is no longer a mens-only lunch – all are welcome! If you would like more information, please email Paul at [email protected]

TEMPLE TIMES | Lubbock, Texas |

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September Yahrtzeits

3 Sylvia Evensky Marvin Feldman 4 27 Elul Ruthe Pechter 5 Dora Blinderman 6 Adisyn Lynn Calfin 7 Simon Wertheimer 8 Hyman Fair Ruth Sitzer David Nokken 9 Joe Harris 12 Darcy Reich Chana Rechel Buchalter 13 Rose Stettner 16 10 Tishrei Joshua Eliezer Goldstein 19 Jennie Wolfe Blumenthal 24 Rudolf Zarfas Jewelle Degge Wolfe 25 Sigmund S. Moise 26 Dorothy Kirschner 28 Morton Wolfenson

Donations

Thank you to all of our donors for your continued support!

To the General Fund:• Leon and Fela Shturman in memory of Aron Zychlinski. • Monty J. Strauss and Jane Winer in honor of Rabbi

Goldmann • Christo Chaney • Victoria Surliuga • Rabbi Goldmann in memory of Pablo Graetz • Rabbi Goldmann in honor of Meredith Bradley's Bat

Mitzvah, in honor of June and Mitch, and in honor of our Kahal, community, and the people who keep it going

• Sandy Lehman

To the Building Fund:• Venita Gross in honor of Jane Winer • Amie, Alex, Joshua and Willem in loving memory of

Josef Ephraim Duemer

To the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund:• The Cobbs in honor of Rabbi • Elissa Zellinger

To the Glassman Memorial Fund: • Amie, Alex, Joshua and Willem in loving memory of

Josef Ephraim Duemer


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September Shabbat Services

3rd Nitzavim - 7:00 pm

Deuteronomy 29:9 - 30:20

10th Vayelech - 7:00 pm

Deuteronomy 31:1 - 30

17th Ha’azinu- 7:00 pm

Deuteronomy 32:1 - 52

24th Sukkot - 7:00 pm

Leviticus 22:26 - 23:44

Refuah Shleimah

We offer Mi Sheberach, a prayer for healing, to those who are sick, and to all the people who love and care for those who are sick.

We are trying to keep this list as current as possible. Please email the rabbi any updates you have. Note: the Mi Sheberach list we read on Friday nights is different from the list published in our Temple Times.

• Fran Artstein • Harvey Kramer • Sandra and Cassandra Longoria • Tova and Jonathan Marks • Lillian Rachman • Esmeralda Sandoval • Neal Scott • Ron Shane • Elda Smith • Monty Strauss • Gail and Al Tutino • Michael Weitman • Jane Winer

~ Ruth Rubin

If any member would like to add a name to the monthly Yahrzeit list, please send the

name, date of celebration, and relationship to Leon Shturman ([email protected]).

Thank you.

Thank You!

• Thank you to Christo Chaney, Leon Shturman, and Stephanie Shine for leading services in August. Thank you to Leon Shturman, Christo Chaney, Guy Hirsch, and Christina McKinney for attending to our remote streaming. Thank you to Jonathan Meyer who produces the Temple Times. Thank you to Monty Strauss and Jane Winer who continue to provide historical knowledge about our practices and documents. Thank you to Jonathan Marks and Elissa Zellinger who lend their editing eyes to written texts. Thank you to Fela Shturman who sends cards to members on behalf of the Congregation. Thank you to Ruth Rubin who enlivens the Temple Times with her art.

~ Ruth Rubin


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Most teachers did not have any issues wearing the microphone. Some teachers worried that I was recording them or they had other seemingly-paranoid concerns. Some teachers simply didn’t like to do something that required a change in their personal routine (i.e. “I don’t like wearing anything on my neck”), and some felt that either I could survive in the classroom “as is” or I didn’t belong there.

These days I am observing that there is a similarity between making our needs known and personal freedom. I can recognize that requesting a change in routine (like wear a microphone so I can hear them), feels like a demand, as though I’m taking away some of their liberty. Yet, I still want the ability to hear. I can’t join in on the conversation about personal freedom if I can’t hear what you have to say about it. Especially this past year, when my already existing hearing loss has gone bonkers leaving me more isolated than I realized I could be.

If I was in a classroom today, and faced a teacher today unwilling to wear the microphone, I am not sure that I would be able to handle that situation with the same kind of peaceful-easy-going-naivete that I had as a teenager.

Recently while studying Torah I came across the verses Deuteronomy 22:6 and 7:

If, along the road, you chance upon a bird ’s nest, in any tree or on the ground, with fledglings or eggs and the mother sitting over the fledglings or on the eggs, do not take the mother together with

her young. Let the mother go, and take only the young, in order that you may fare well and have a long life.

And Deuteronomy 5:16:

Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may long endure, and that you may fare well, in the land that the LORD your God is assigning to you.

One rabbi tells the story that a father asked his son to climb a tree and shoo away the mother bird (Chullin 142a). If the son does as his father asks, the son will be fulfilling two mitzvot: honoring his father (Deut 5:16) and shooing away the mother bird (Deut 22:6). Given the reward that comes with these two mitzvot we would expect the child to live a long and blessed life. Yet, upon completing the two mitzvot the child falls from the tree and dies.

This story is very problematic for the rabbis because it asks the question of what is more important: for one person to have the freedom to fulfill two important mitzvot or for that person to live?

Mitzvot are commandments from God: the talmudic rabbis in this scenario don’t want to imagine a world where there is something more important than fulfilling mitzvot. Yet, throughout Torah and Talmud we know that there is always something more important than mitzvot: LIFE.

During Yom Kippur we will read, “God put before us blessings and curse, and we are commanded to choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Life comes with blessings and curses. Life comes with moments of comfort and less comfortable moments. Moments that are for us, and moments that are for the community (and might thus be personally an imposition or unpleasant). Halacha, Jewish Law, tells us that we can break almost any commandment in order to save a life, this is called pikuach nefesh.

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Halacha, Jewish Law, tells us that we can break almost any commandment in order to save a life, this is called pikuach nefesh.

I have always said that we can form our opinions on our own and then seek the source text to back it up. Someone who doesn’t agree with me can probably find texts to help them in their argument. Yet… wearing a microphone in a high school classroom meant I could learn and live among my peers. Judging how tall and safe a tree is before asking someone to risk their lives seems like a reasonable accommodation (even in contrast to two seemingly simple but high-return reward mitzvot). And yes, wearing a mask is not comfortable. Wearing a mask is seen as a political statement. As much as I don’t like masks, because they increase my anxiety and isolate me further from the world (because I can’t lip-read or understand the muffled sounds); when I look at a mask, I see pikuach nefesh, the saving of a life. When I see a mask, I see the rabbis recognizing that perhaps it’s more important to balance the safety of climbing a tree than fulfilling two important and seemingly simple commandments. When I see a mask, I see the blessings and curses before me, but ultimately, we are choosing to err on the side of caution and choose life. May the New Year spiritually fulfill us. May the New Year unite us and help us listen to each other.May the New Year bring a year of health and in-person joys. Shanah Tovah, Rabbi


What’s the Board Up To?

The Board met Wednesday, Aug 18. We continue to make plans for High Holy Days. Look for a letter in your actual physical mailbox from Rabbi Goldmann! Board members will also be in touch with members by telephone. We are gearing up for the annual meeting and pleased to be planning a weekly course offered by Dr. Joe Hodes, starting in September: A History of the Jewish People. Board members continue to sort out cemetery deeds and plots, lawn care, shed repairs, remote services, and our finances. Rabbi has been working indefatigably behind the scenes to ensure

religious services and High Holy Days; teach and organize religious school; and tend to the spiritual, ritual, pastoral, educational, literary, and organizational needs of our Congregation. Our next Board meeting is Tuesday, September 21.

The Board invites your questions, comments, and suggestions. We also welcome your letters to the editor for publication in the Temple Times. If you are writing a letter for publication, please specify in your email. We will check with you before publishing any communications. You are welcome to contact us by emailing [email protected].

Art Notes: Read a good book? Seen a film or television series you want to recommend? Heard some great music? Enjoyed a podcast? Admire someone in the arts? Tried a recipe? Share your thoughts by emailing [email protected]

~ Ruth Rubin


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CSI VoicesA recurring feature to capture the voices of those associated with Congregation Shaareth Israel.

Would you like to share your voice? There are three questions:

1. What are your first memories of Congregation Shaareth Israel? 2. What role has the Congregation played in your life? 3. What role has the Congregation had in this community?

For more information, contact Stephanie Shine.

CSI Voices: Christo Chaney, Lubbock, member since July 30, 2017

1. What are your first memories of Congregation Shaareth Israel?

I was not raised Jewish originally. It wouldn’t be until Sunday July 30, 2017, before I would finally complete the conversion process to Judaism. I think it was sometime in 2015 when I first found CSI. I had been to a synagogue before which was Temple Beth El in Odessa TX. Upon my first visit to CSI, the rabbi of the time who was Vicki Hollander came up to me after service before I could leave and insisted that I stay for the oneg. “Young man, please come get something to eat. You look a bit thin!” Rabbi Hollander was always so kind to me, more than I feel I deserved sometimes. I attended services for about a full year before moving back to the Midland/Odessa area for a little over a full year. Finally back to Lubbock to stay for good. Fela Shturman was one of the very first people to literally hug me and welcome me back to CSI. Fela told me that I was missed and thought of often. Everyone else was happy to see me again. And I was excited to learn of our new rabbi. This continued kindness was an immense help to my existing mental health struggles. I previously started the conversion process back at TBE in Odessa but had to relocate to Lubbock due to financial struggles. I would later complete the conversion process under our current Rabbi Deborah Goldmann. Before I even knew I would be accepted, I decided to get as involved as I could to give back to the community for all it’s done for me.

2. What role has the Congregation played in your life?

In the library here at CSI is a book by Alan Morinis called Climbing Jacob’s Ladder. Numerous years ago I was strapped down to a hospital bed after a suicide attempt. The visiting chaplain was a rabbi (now long retired) who came to talk with me. No one knew at the time that I was trying to fool the hospital staff that I was mentally stable to be released. But I was already planning another attempt to end my life. This rabbi gave me a copy of Climbing Jacobs Ladder to keep. After he left, I literally read the entire book in one sitting. Once I finished, I cancelled my other suicide attempt. I still have this book at home. This congregation and Judaism itself has given me the tools to heal and repair so much trauma I had endured for most of my life. CSI enables me to be a beneficial asset to others. When I help this congregation, whether it’s repairs on the building, leading services, previously teaching the religious school, and now operating the Zoom Camera for those who are unable to join us in the sanctuary, my anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideations are kept at bay and under control. I don’t even need medication for it anymore. Whenever I travel out of town I make sure I stay in a city that has a synagogue to attend services for Friday night and preferably Saturday morning.

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3. What role has the Congregation had in this community?

In small towns like Lubbock it’s very common for people to have misconceptions about Jews and Judaism. One of our members, Dr. Anne Epstein, has been very instrumental in representing Judaism at the annual interfaith forum hosted by the Unitarian Universalist congregation. I have always wanted to understand people of different cultures, languages, and religions better. In Pirkei Avot 4.1 Ben Zoma tells us “Who is wise? One who learns from every person.” There have been numerous occasions where I have visited my Muslim friends in their mosque for Friday prayers. They are always glad to see me and even refer to me as their “distant cousin.” Another great event is our annual interfaith exchange with Second Baptist Church. Despite the immense amount of misunderstandings and fears of people who are different, I am relieved to know that people of various different religions can come together and work towards a common goal and make this world a better place.


Religious School Corner

Religious School resumes this month…. Helping get the temple ready for High Holy Days - Please stay tuned to your email and texts

Sept 5 - Help set up the temple and make Rosh Hashanah cards for all our members, at 10:30am. Sept 12 - TBD Sept 19 - with student rabbi CJ Mays on Zoom Sept 26 - TBD

Jr. Book Club

Jr. Book club Sept 12 - The Doughnut Fix and The Doughnut King by Jessie Janowitz at 1pm on Zoom


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5782 High Holy Days Schedule

Everyone is welcome to join our services via Zoom. Masked members in good standing are welcome to join us in person. We have mailed you personal stickers to wear, so that greeters at the door can readily recognize you as a member.

Zoom links will be sent out over email on Sunday, Sept 5 and Tuesday, Sept 14

Preparing the Temple Sept 5, Come help set up the temple for Rosh Hashanah. And come pick up a prayer book, if you’ll be joining us for the Holy Days via Zoom. 10:30am to 12noon.

Rosh HashanahMonday, September 6, 2021 at 8 PMTuesday, September 7, 2021 at 10 AM

In-sanctuary Shofar service (may or may not be live-streamed on Zoom. Shofar sounds don’t come through on Zoom)Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 11:30 AM

Parking Lot MINI Shofar Service - if you have been joining us on Zoom, come hear the shofar live. All are welcome. Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 12:15 PM

Tashlich Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 3 PM atCharles A. Park, 88th Place and Nashville Avenue

Shabbat Shuvah Friday, September 10, 2021 at 7 PM

Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 15, 2021 at 8 PMThursday, September 16, 2021 at 10 AMAfternoon service, September 16, 2021 at 3:30 PMNo communal Break-the-Fast

Who wants to help build a sukkah?

Join us on Sunday, Sept 19 to set up the sukkah prior to the holiday (which begins on Monday night, Sept 20). All are welcome to come enjoy time in the sukkah during the week. Lunch in the SukkahSept 26 at noonBring your own lunch


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CSI Book Club 5781 For this coming year, we will have THREE different tracks for our book club.

Track 1 - fiction books Track 2 - non-fiction books Track 3 - books that are interesting to some, not others.

Track 1 - FICTION NOVEMBER 20, 2021- Dara Horn, The World to Come JANUARY 22, 2022 - Max Gross, The Lost Shtetl MARCH 26, 2022 - Cynthia Ozick, The Pagan Rabbi and Other Stories MAY 28, 2022 - Geraldine Brooks, People of the Book (Memorial Day weekend)

JULY 30, 2022 - Chaim Potok, The Gift of Asher Lev (sequel to My Name is Asher Lev, which we read this past year)

Track 2 - NON-FICTION DECEMBER 18, 2021 - Lois Mark Stalvery, The Education of a WASP APRIL 30, 2022 - Laura Arnold Leibman, The Art of the Jewish Family: A History of Women in Early New York in Five Objects

Track 3 - BOOKS THAT ARE INTERESTING TO SOME, NOT OTHERS. OCTOBER 23, 2021 - Ayad Akhtar, Homeland Elegies FEBRUARY 19, 2022 - Andre’ Schwarz-Bart, The Last of the Just JUNE 18, 2022 - Joshua Ferris, To Rise Again at a Decent Hour JULY 16, 2022- Naomi Alderman, Disobedience: A Novel

Good websites to order (new or used) books from: Local, independent book sellersbetterworldbooks.combarnesandnoble.com powells.comthriftbooks.com


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September 2021

1 2 3 Kabbalat Shabbat

via Zoom 7:00pm

4

5 RS: 10:30am

Help set up temple for Rosh Hashanah, make

cards

6 7 8 9 10 Kabbalat Shabbat

via Zoom 7:00pm

11

12 RS: TBD

Jr Book Club 1:00pm via Zoom

13 14 15 16 17 Kabbalat Shabbat

in person and via Zoom

7:00pm

18

19 RS: Via Zoom with

CJ Mays

20 21 Board Meeting

7:30 pm

22 23 24 Kabbalat Shabbat

via Zoom 7:00pm

25

26 RS: TBD

27

28 29 30 Oct 1 Kabbalat Shabbat

in person and via Zoom

7:00pm

Oct 2

Contact info for members:Rabbi Goldmann - Call her or text her at (310) 402-7425 or email her at [email protected] please.

Urgent Matters - Please contact Stephanie Shine at (806) 470-1340 or email [email protected] or contact Rabbi Goldmann

Bulletin Submissions - News, reports, information, etc. can be submitted to the bulletin editor at [email protected]

Deadline for submissions is the 20th of the month!

Bulletin Design: Jonathan Meyer

Congregation Shaareth Israel P.O. Box 93594 Lubbock, TX 79493 (806) 794-7517

csitemple.org

Clergy Deborah Goldmann, RabbiVicki Hollander, Rabbi Emeritus

Board Members Stephanie Shine, PresidentCharles Skibell, Vice PresidentLeon Shturman, Secretary June Wagner, Treasurer Jonathan Marks, Immediate Past President Elissa Zellinger, Religious School Delegate Andrew Friedman, MemberEileen Nathan, Member Steve Balch, Member

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

For High Holy Day schedule, please refer to page 8

tt sept 2021 - csitemple.org

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