Messages from the Mountain, October 2010

Number 614 October 2010/ Tishrei—Heshvan 5771

Join family and friends on a journey up to

Sacramento, New Mexico, for Temple Mt.

Sinai’s annual Shabbat Retreat. Escape the

pressures of life in El Paso and enjoy a

peaceful Shabbat. We will stay at the beautiful

Sacramento Methodist Assembly Retreat &

Conference Center. This retreat is perfect for

single adults, teens, couples, and families with

children. We provide a variety of

programming appropriate for all types of

participants. The faculty for the retreat will be

Rabbi Larry Bach, Rabbi Jordana Chernow-

Reader, Stacy Berry, and Alanna Bach.

Retreat activities will include: family fun; adult

learning and social time; thematic

programming for children, teens, families, and

adults; Shabbat services; adventure activities;

Torah study; campfire and s’mores, and a

talent show.

Our theme for the weekend is “Leaving a

Positive Mark”. Our torah portion will be

Chayei Sarah, and through Sarah’s family we

will explore the idea of creating an ethical will.

Please contact Alanna Bach at

[email protected] or 328-6062

with any questions. You will find a

registration form inside this newsletter. The

registration is due by Friday, October 15. This

retreat is open to everyone. Come and enjoy.

Temple Mount Sinai Shabbat Retreat in the Mountains of New Mexico

Friday, October 29 - Sunday, October 31, 2010

“A Safe Place for Everyone”

I am writing this column in the last days of the

fall festival season. The prescribed emotion is

joy. Vesamachta bechagecha, vehayita ach sameach,

“You shall rejoice in your festival; be entirely

joyful!” I’m doing my best, but it’s hard when

the picture that stares at me from every screen

is that Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi,

zichrono livracha.

Clementi, of course, is the young man who

jumped to his death from the George

Washington Bridge after his roommate

surreptitiously recorded him kissing another

man, and posted the recordings on the internet

to his Twitter feed. This story makes me sad,

outraged, and ashamed.

I’m sad for a life cut short, and for all the other

people whose lives will be affected by what

happened. I’m outraged at the criminal act of

Clementi’s roommate and his friend, who

seem to have at a minimum invaded his

(Continued on page 17)

Page 2 October 2010/ Tishrei—Heshvan 5771 Messages from the Mountain

Worship Schedule October

October 8-9

Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan Parashat Noach Friday, October 8

Candlelighting, 6:25 pm Oneg Shabbat, 5:45 pm

Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:15 pm Saturday, October 9 Torah Study, 9:30 am

Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 am Havdalah, 7:53 pm

October 15-16

Parashat Lech-Lecha Friday, October 15


Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:15 pm

Saturday, October 16 Torah Study, 9:30 am


October 22-23

Parashat Vayera Friday, October 22



Saturday, October 23 Torah Study, 9:30 am

Shabbat Moring Service, 10:30 Havdalah, 7:38 pm

October 29-30

Parashat Chayei Sara Friday, October 29



Saturday, October 30 Torah Study , 9:30 am

Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 Havdalah, 7:31 pm

November 5-6

Parashat Toldot Friday, November 5 Candlelighting, 5:56 pm Oneg Shabbat, 5:45 pm


Saturday, November 6 Torah Study , 9:30 am

Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 Havdalah, 7:25 pm

November 12-13

Parashat Vayetzei Friday, November 12 Candlelighting, 4:51 pm Oneg Shabbat, 5:45 pm


Saturday, November 13 Torah Study , 9:30 am



October Birthdays

October Anniversaries

October 1 Marian Given Charley Tennen October 2 Madeline Bass* Lee Nadler October 3 Lee Rosenthal* October 4 Angela Feldt* October 5 Raquel Aldama Billy Burman* Joan Cherno* Nancy Heydemann Michelle Tennen October 6 Susan Jaffee October 7 Jon Sonnen David Velasco October 8 Katelyn Ivey* Mark Peyton* Andrew Rosen* October 10 Steve Feinberg Sheldon Gopin

October 11 Daniel Blumenfeld Joani Schonberg October 12 Al Bleiberg Chris Ponsford Lee Schwartz October 13 Karen Herman Anne Hollander* October 14 Tom Given Bob May Sue Weiss October 15 Marion Garmel Allison Given Howard Goldberg Dick Scherotter October 16 Fran Fleischer* Ellen Nazarian Lori Shapiro October 17 Lisa Nadler* David Schecter October 18 Channi Fernandez Megan Harris Steven Miner

October 19 Harriet Geller Shelly Mansfield October 20 Ben Bellman Vivian Blaugrund Mike Jaffee October 21 Meredith Heins Sandy Nadler* Hayley Nadler Elliot Rotwein October 22 Wendy Axelrod* Tommy Goldfarb Nanci Maddux October 23 Sydney Goldberg Andrew Goldberg Beverly Litt October 24 Jeanne Moye October 25 Halle Lauterbach* Sara Mansfield Ethan Reiter Susan Simon* Janna Wallen*

October 26 Mona Goldberg Gil Kimmelman Mildred Marcus* Lettie Velasco October 27 Hannah Blumenfeld Elisa Gluck * Sallie Gulbas Jacob Horn* Seth Krasne October 28 Cynthia Bass* Benjamin Levin Jenny Meyer Jim Schwartz* October 29 Ben Marcus October 30 Darilyn Blumenfeld Eric Colvard Ashley Eger David Wolfe* October 31 Joan Eftis Bruce Gopin

October 2 Roberto & Reyna Assael* October 3 Michael & Hilary Benjamin

October 5 David & Shelly Mansfield October 17 Dick & Jean Scherotter

October 18 Chet & Jan Frame Steve Rosenberg & Chloe Perkins-Rosenberg* Debbi & Miguel Trejo David & Tina Wolfe

October 24 Bob & Melanie Blumenfeld October 31 Scott & Mandy Blumenfeld


...to Debra & Michael Trejo, parents, and Tina & David Wolfe and Jan & Chet Frame, grandparents, on the

Bat Mitzvah of Katie Schmidt, which will be celebrated at our Shabbat Morning Service on October 2nd.

...to Tom Given, father, and Marian Given, grandmother, on the Bat Mitzvah of Allison Given, which will

be celebrated at our Shabbat Morning Service on October 2nd.

...to Mark and Tara Schrier, on the marriage of their daughter Erin Schrier to Matthew Sanford. The new

couple reside in San Diego, CA.

...to Drs. Louis & Laura Alpern on the marriage of their daughter Alana Alpern to Adam Brown on

October 9th. Grandfather is Phil Alpern.

...to Robin and Dick Krasne, parents, and Elaine and Bob Krasne and Marlene and Alan Levine,

grandparents, on the Bar Mitzvah of Seth Krasne, which will be celebrated in Austin on October 9th.

Mazel Tov! Congratulations...

Rick & Randi Cabrera

Michael & Melanie Alkov

Do you know someone who is new to town, new to Judaism, or interested in getting involved with a

synagogue? Please help them be in touch with Susan Jaffee at 532-5959 or

[email protected].

B’ruchim Haba’im—Welcome New Members!

Hamakom Y’nachem—May God Bring Comfort...

...to Blanche Brown on the death of her husband, Robert Brown.

...to Ruth Braun on the death of her cousin, Ruth Robinson.

Leaves and Stones on the Temple’s Tree of Life

Do you know that you can honor or remember a loved one with a leaf or a stone on the

Tree of Life? This beautiful work of art is displayed on the wall in the foyer at Temple

just outside the Sanctuary.

For a minimum donation of $300 for a leaf or $3,000 for a stone, the brass will be

engraved according to your instructions and will remain on the Tree of Life forever.

Your donation becomes part of the Foundation Trust and benefits Temple Mount Sinai

in perpetuity.

For more information, contact Sally Parke at the Temple office at 532-5959.


On August 31st, the Temple Mount Sinai

Care Team, in conjunction with Interfaith

Care Partners, held the annual Volunteer

Appreciation Luncheon. Volunteers gath-

ered at the home of Joyce Jaffee to celebrate

another year of volunteerism.

Our Care Team members take time each

week with families who need friendly vis-

its. From these visits, relationships grow

and develop into friendships. Both the vol-

unteers and those who receive the visitors

benefit.

Susan Hernandez and Gloria Lopez, from

Jewish Family and Children’s Service and

the Interfaith Care Partners Program,

thanked our volunteers for their dedication

and service. Rabbi Bach presented Joyce

Jaffee and Mimi Lait with the Crown of

Glorious Aging Award. Mimi and Joyce

served for many years as lay leadership in

our Care Team program. They have been

wonderful examples to all of us in carrying

out the commandment of Gemilut Chasadim,

deeds of loving kindness.

If you are interested in serving as a volun-

teer for our Care Team, please contact

Susan at 532-5959 or email her at sjaf-

[email protected].

Temple Mount Sinai Care Team


from Rabbi Ken and Sue — A Letter “Home”

Dear Temple Family,

It has been more than seven years since

we sold our El Paso home and moved –

first to San Diego and now to Salem, MA.

In the ensuing years, we’ve visited you

whenever special occasions and

celebrations permitted. We’ve stayed in

close telephone contact with a significant

number of you - calls from us to you at

times of family transition or crisis, calls

from you to us when our family

experienced births and deaths, greeting

cards exchanging words of fondness – a

fondness that has not diminished.

It remains a privilege to be able to speak

with you during the special moments of

your lives. Sue and I think of ourselves as

two additional sources of outreach for

Rabbi Larry and Alanna as they work so

diligently to enhance, enrich and deepen

Temple life for you and your family. This

was especially true last summer when the

Bachs were in Israel. We were able to

connect (though from a distance) with a

number of you who experienced some of

life’s difficult moments.

So, we continue to refer to you as our

“Temple Family”, with Rabbi Bach’s

blessing. May we retain that sense of

‘mishpocha’ for many years to come.

In the past year, our lives have continued

to unfold…Our month’s stay in Minsk,

Belarus last October enabled us to work

with and bond with the Belarussian

Jewish community. We hope to return and

help dedicate their new center, which

represents all the hard work they engage

in every day to re-build their Jewish

community.

Last December 6, our daughter Amy

married Scott Levingston. Amy and Scott

(one of his brothers is a Conservative

rabbi) live in the Boston area about 50

minutes from us; they are expecting their

first baby in late October. It is most

special to live near enough to see them

and know how happy they are (and share

it all with Scott’s parents who live here as

well).

We oversaw our first convention as Exec-

Veeps of NAORRR (National Assoc. of

Retired Reform Rabbis) last January in

Florida. We are enjoying this new

responsibility very much and have met

terrific colleagues, wives and surviving

spouses who come to the convention and

with whom we stay in touch during the

year. This January we will reconvene in

San Diego.

Last February and March we traveled

through California and other points West,

where we spent time with Daniel, along

with other family and friends, vacationed



in Hawaii, had two parties for the new

bride and groom (Amy and Scott), attended

the Rabbinic conference in San Francisco,

visited El Paso, and missed much of the

snow in Boston.

Grandchild number seven recently came

into our lives – yes, Jennifer and Jonathan

brought another beautiful baby into the

world: Jessica Miriam, born on July 13th,

which just happens to be Jennifer’s 40th

birthday. What a blessing and how

fortunate for us to live here and watch

these children grow. Joshua is 10, Juliana is

about to turn 9, Jillian is 7, Jeffrey is 5, Jared

is 3, Joel is 2 (so wonderful to share

grandparenting ‘naches’ with Jonathan’s

parents).

Our ‘highlights’, along with the every day

routines of life keep us busy and fulfilled.

We exercise, visit the kids, attend two

synagogues (Ken teaches and conducts

services on several Shabbat mornings each

month), support various activities in the

community, take short driving trips, and

are finding our way toward feeling

comfortable in our new community.

As we write this, we are looking forward to

a cruise from the very end of Yom Kippur

and over Sukkot. We will be sailing from

Boston to Bar Harbor, Nova Scotia, Sydney,

Prince Edward Island, Quebec City and

Montreal. Sounds beautiful and we look

forward to this new adventure.

This letter should reach you just as the

Torah reading ends and begins on Simchat

Torah at the beginning of October. As the

reading cycle is renewed, we reaffirm that,

though Torah doesn’t change, each of us

does. Since last fall, we’re all a year older,

hopefully a year wiser: more patient, more

peaceful, more challenged (and able) to

make our world a better place, more

hopeful about the future (because we ARE

Jews, we MUST BE optimists).

May the Jewish year 5771 be for all of us a

time of Shalom and Love,

Rabbi Ken and Sue

(Continued from page 6)

A Big Thank You . . . Have you noticed how beautiful the rose gardens are? Bill Dahlberg and Cindy (Louis) Cohen have been working hard all year so that we might enjoy the beauty from all the roses. Thank you, Bill and Cindy.


Allison Given Bat Mitzvah

Katie Schmidt Bat Mitzvah

Allison R. Given, a 7th grade student at Lincoln Middle School,

was called to the Torah on October 2nd at Temple Mount Sinai.

Asked what this meant to her, Allison stated, “It meant

reaching a goal I set for myself a long time ago. It is an

opportunity to become more active at the Temple.”

Allison is the daughter of Tom Given and the late Geri Given,

and sister to Lindsey Given Moran. Her Grandmother is

Marian Given of El Paso.

For Allison’s Mitzvah project she is assisting the children at the

Sara McKnight Transitional Living Center.

She enjoys writing and listening to music on her iPod. She also

enjoys riding horses and hanging out with her friends. Allison

has two dogs, including a Labrador retriever name Jessie and a

poodle named Cece. After college, Allison hopes to travel

throughout England prior to starting her career. Mazel Tov!

Katie Schmidt, a 7th grade student at Hut Brown Mid-

dle School, was called to the Torah on October 2nd at

Temple Mount Sinai. Katie said that her Bat Mitzvah

means “taking a step further in my religious duties as a

Jew.”

Katie is the daughter of Debbi Trejo and Scott Schmidt,

and sister to Jacob Schmidt and Isabella Trejo. Her

Grandparents are Jan Wolfe and Chet Frame of El

Paso, Tina and David Wolfe of El Paso, and Dick and

Delores Schmidt of Lincoln, Nebraska.

For Katie’s Mitzvah project she is donating her time at

the Sara McKnight Transitional Living Center.

She enjoys photography, drawing and listening to mu-

sic. She also enjoys listening to opinions. Katie has

two Jack Russell terriers named Lola and Pecas.

Katie hopes to go to the University of Michigan and

become a psychiatrist. Mazel Tov!


Consecration, September 24

Nine new students were formally wel-

comed into our Religious School during

the Consecration Ceremony on

Friday, September 24th.

Our new students prepared on September

12th and 19th for this very special mile-

stone in their Jewish education by meeting

with their teachers Monica Escobar and

Shana Levin to create “I like Being Jewish

Because….” Torah cutouts, which they

wore during the ceremony. They met with

their music teacher, Cheyanne Micken-

berg, to learn the opening songs Bim Bam

and Shabbat Shalom, and they rehearsed

walking into the Sanctuary, sitting and

walking up to the Bima.

At 6:10 pm, these nine bright and beautiful

children lined up in the foyer by the Sanc-

tuary, very nicely dressed, kippot on, car-

nations in hand and Torah cutout on their

chest. Rabbi led the students into the Sanc-

tuary, singing Bim Bam and Shabbat Sha-

lom. The students took their seats in the

front row. Rabbi began the Service, then

Alanna, Marci, Monica and Grace led the

Shabbat candle blessing. Rabbi spoke

about the importance of a Jewish education

and parental involvement in that educa-

tion. Grace called up each student to the

Bima and handed them their Consecration

Certificate and David Kern handed each

student a miniature torah scroll and the

“Jewish Family Home Companion” book

for each child to share with their family.

The students stayed on the Bima and Rabbi

called on the parents to join their children

to bless them and give them special

wishes. Rabbi proceeded with a special

children’s blessing and then continued the

Shabbat Service.


Religious School begins...

On Sunday, August 29, we gathered in Krupp

Chapel as Rabbi Bach led us in song and prayer,

immediately followed by a back-to-school wel-

coming assembly, introduction of our faculty

and an overview of the morning. Students ac-

companied their new Morim and Madrichim to

their classrooms. While in the classroom, teach-

ers gave the students an overview of the upcom-

ing curriculum, and together they created class-

room guidelines.

At 11:15 am, parents, grandparents and Board

Members joined us for our First Day of School

"Kick Off" Cookout. Everyone enjoyed eating

burgers, hotdogs, vegan burgers, and all the fix-

ings. The cookout was generously sponsored

and deliciously prepared by MRJ.

We have a great Religious School program

planned, which includes the CHAI curriculum

(Torah, Avodah, and G’milut Chasadim les-

sons), Jewish Cooking, Art & Crafts, learning

activities in our Computer Lab and lots more

interactive learning activities, for the 2010-2011

school year.


Religious School News


We are excited about the upcoming year and

look forward to sharing our excitement with

our students through our curriculum and pro-

grams. Parents and grandparents are welcome

to visit, participate, volunteer or teach.

"It's A Guy Thing"

"7th and 8th Grade boys are in the kitchen with

Simon. 7th and 8th grade boys are in the kitchen, I

know, I know. 7th and 8th grade boys are in the

kitchen with Simon, learning how to make Kreplach.

Singing Fe Fi FeDi I O, Fe Fi FeDi I O I O. . . . "

September 19 was the first of four "Jews With

Cool Views" series of programs for our 7th &

8th grade boys. During these sessions, the boys

have an opportunity to build and strengthen

friendships with peers and at the same time

learn from "Cool Jews" (adult role models).

Rosh Hodesh - "It's A Girl Thing"

This is a national program for Jewish teenage

girls. This program is offered at TMS to 7th

and 8th grade girls. This is an experiential

group that is based on the Jewish tradition of

Rosh Hodesh, the celebration of the new moon.

These sessions are monthly, where teen girls

can expect to chat, think, discover, munch, cre-

ate and hang out with other Jewish girls of the

same age. Four of the sessions are held in our

newly dedicated "Sandi Kern - It's A Girl

Thing" room and four sessions are hosted by

some of the girls’ parents. This is a time where

7th & 8th grade girls can sit back, kick off their

shoes and have fun being a Jewish girl in this

fast paced world.

Ink Toner and Cartridges Religious School

Fundraiser

A special “thank you” to all of you who do-

nated your empty ink toners and cartridges

during the summer break. We collected 80 car-

tridges.

We are continuing this fundraiser to purchase

supplies for the Religious School. Office Depot

has a program where we can earn awards

worth $3.00 per cartridge, we are allowed to

bring in 20 cartridges per month and redeem

the awards quarterly, equal to the amount of

purchases made at Office Depot by TMS.

Thank you for supporting our Religious School

fundraiser.



Sukkot, also known as the “Feast of Booths or Tabernacles” or “Feast of In-gathering”, is one of three pilgrimage fes-tivals mentioned in the Bible. Jews are commanded to “Dwell” in booths during the holiday. On Sunday, September 26, our Religious School students had the op-portunity to fulfill this commandment by wandering (led by Morim and Mad-richim) from their classroom to our beauti-ful court yard Sukkah, where they sat on the floor, joined Rabbi in saying the bless-ings, and ate their fill of a variety of nuts, raisins, cranberries, dried bananas, pome-granates, a variety of fruit juices and much more.

Torah directs us to use four species of plants to celebrate the holiday; the lulav (palm branch), the etrog (lemon-like cit-ron), myrtle, and willow. Our students participated in this Mitzvah by holding the etrog in on hand and the other three species in the other hand and bringing them together to echo the blessing being recited by Rabbi and waving them in all

six directions: right, left, forward, up, down and to the rear.

Sukkot is also called “The Time Of Joy”

and indeed our students enjoyed their les-

son in the Sukkah. Now, you enjoy the

pictures.

Religious School Sukkot Celebration


After two highly successful experiences with

Panim, the Jewish Federation is once again

providing subsidies for six teens to attend a

Panim seminar. For teens in grades 10-12, this

opportunity is being funded by a special Fed-

eration grant that was made possible through

the annual campaign gifts of many caring

people.

Since Panim was founded in 1988, more than

30,000 Jewish teens have experienced the

privilege of learning the inside workings of

government through participation in inten-

sive leadership seminars.

During Panim el Panim, students learn about

government, advocacy, and the connection

between community service and activism

through a Jewish lens. This Washington, DC-

based program is nationally recognized for

inspiring and educating Jewish youth to cre-

ate a lifetime of leadership and service. It’s

not all work, however. There’s lots of time for

fun, exploring and meeting teens from other

parts of the U. S. If you’d like to hear about

the conference from one of the kids who pre-

viously attended, just ask. This year Rabbi

Chaya Oliver, the new Educational

Director at Congregation B’nai Zion, will ac-

company the group. The $400 per student

family share of the trip will be the approxi-

mate cost of airfare and ground transport be-

tween El Paso and Panim in D.C. The Fed-

eration will subsidize room, board, tuition

and chaperone expenses. We are grateful to

Rabbi Chaya for donating her time.

The trip will take place January 16-18, 2011

and registration is taking place right now.

Departure will be about 6 am on Sunday, re-

turning at approximately 10:30 pm on Tues-

day. Each participant will receive a letter of

attendance from the officials at Panim.

For more information check out www. pa-

nim.org or call the Jewish Federation at 584

4437.

Panim el Panim — Teens in Washington, DC

Dessert and Discuss

Our B’nai Torah teens attended their first

Dessert and Discuss session of the year on

September 26. Thirteen students in grades 9-

11 attended the session. We checked in about

our summers and the beginning of our school

year, celebrated the fact that so many students

would be attending NFTY-SW Fall Kallah the

coming weekend (watch this space next

month for a wrap-up of the Kallah), and then

studied together. Our study focused on the

way in which spiritual discipline — as sym-

bolized by the Sukkah — can bring joy and

balance to our lives. One student com-

mented, “I’ve never thought about Sukkot

that way before...it’s really helpful!”

The next Dessert and Discuss will be on Sun-

day, October 10 from 6:30—8:00 pm. There

will be another session on Sunday, October

24 as well. If you have any questions, please

contact Elisa Gluck at Temple.


Lunch and Learn, October 12 at 11:45 am

Our next Lunch and Learn will be Tuesday, October 12 in Zielonka Hall at Temple. The session

will begin with lunch at 11:45 am, followed by study and conversation.

Rabbi Bach’s topic this month flows from a film, Out in the Silence, that will be shown in El Paso

on Monday, October 11 and Tuesday, October 12 (The Monday screening is at Trinity-First

United Methodist Church at 7 pm; the Tuesday Screening is at UTEP’s Union Cinema at 6 pm.

Both screenings are free, and the filmmakers will facilitate a discussion after each screening).

Out in the Silence captures the

remarkable chain of events that unfold

when the announcement of filmmaker

Joe Wilson’s wedding to another man

ignites a firestorm of controversy in his

small Pennsylvania hometown.

Drawn back by a plea for help from the

mother of a gay teen being tormented

at school, Wilson’s journey

dramatically illustrates the universal

challenges of being an outsider in a

conservative environment and the

transformation that is possible when

those who have long been constrained

by a traditional code of silence

summon the courage to break it.

Inspired by the screening, Rabbi Bach

will teach on the topic, “How Might a

Reform Jew Approach the Question

of Gay Marriage?” Apart from the

question of civil rights (on which, see

Rabbi Bach’s column in this issue of

“Messages”) for gays and lesbians is

the question of the possibility of a

religious marriage between two men or

two women. Through the lens of a

responsum of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, we’ll explore a complex and

emotionally-charged question.

Lunch is $10, and reservations may be made by calling the Temple office, or online. Your RSVP

helps us purchase food wisely — please let us know if you’ll be attending.


Rabbi Bach: A “Rabbi Without Borders”

CLAL’S RABBIS WITHOUT BORDERS

SELECTS CLASS FOR ITS GROUND-

BREAKING FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

New Initiative to Help Rabbis Make Jewish

Wisdom a Resource for All

Rabbis Without Borders (RWB), the Center for

Learning and Leadership’s (CLAL) new

initiative to help rabbis make Jewish wisdom

accessible to the wider American public, selected

its second cohort of fellows for its competitive

rabbinic fellowship program. More than 80

applications were received for the 22 spots. Of

those selected, Rabbi Bach was picked for this

prestigious program.

“We are very excited by the amount of interest

generated by this program,” said Rabbi Rebecca

W. Sirbu, RWB Director. “Clearly rabbis

recognize the need to apply their skills in new

ways to reach a wider audience, and make the

teachings and tools from Jewish wisdom more

accessible. This unique program offers that kind

of support, helping rabbis to better communicate

in both familiar and new venues, and to make

Jewish thought and practice a real resource for

the American public.”

The program, in its second year, is designed to

encourage rabbis to “think out of the box”, and

create a network of interdenominational

religious leaders from across North America

who can make Jewish wisdom more available to

people to enrich their lives. As the key

conveyers of Jewish wisdom, rabbis, who can

disseminate the insights more easily, will not

only nurture better teachers and community

builders, but will create religious leaders with

unique tools to offer to the broader culture.

The Rabbinic Fellows will gather four times over

the course of the year in New York City. The first

session, scheduled for October 18-19, 2010, will

host Professor Barry Kosmin, the principal

investigator of the 2001 American Religious

Identification survey. The survey revealed that

while many Jews do not feel connected to

traditional religious institutions, they still

identify with being Jewish. Other sessions will

feature a variety of leading thinkers, authors,

and influential people from many different

fields. These experts will work with the Fellows

to help them spot the trends and identify the

ways in which Americans find meaning in their

lives.

The program is also developing several

resources to help rabbis enhance their skills for

addressing a variety of audiences. From online

learning to one-on-one conversations,

participants will work with CLAL faculty to

develop methodologies that draw on the texts

and traditions in new ways. The goal is for these

“spiritual innovators” to see their congregations

as more than just members of their school,

community or institution.

Since CLAL began in 1974, its mission has been

to help prepare the Jewish people for the

unprecedented freedom and openness of

America. Started by Rabbi Irving “Yitz”

Greenberg and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel,

CLAL formed a network of rabbis capable of

translating Jewish wisdom and practice into

useful idioms for contemporary life. RWB is the

next phase of this work.


Gesher (bridge in Hebrew) is a hands-on

Jewish learning program run by Temple

Mount Sinai for children from birth through

four years and their parents. Throughout

the year, children and parents explore Jew-

ish holidays and Jewish ethics through the

vehicle of play.

Our rich curriculum, designed by Marci

Karch, includes singing, movement, stories,

craft projects, snacks, and more. Gesher

meets at Temple in Schwartz Hall from 10 to

11 am approximately twice a month. There

is an $80 per family registration fee for this

program.

During August and September the Gesher

class met to learn about Rosh Hashanah,

Yom Kippur, and Simchat Torah. The par-

ents and children blew shofarot, practiced

tashlich, listened to stories about forgive-

ness, danced with Torahs, and created

meaningful craft projects.

Our October classes will meet on Sunday,

October 10th to explore “What’s Jewish

about Peanut Butter and Jelly” and Sunday,

October 24th to learn “What’s Jewish about

Vegetables”.

We hope your family will join us for a year

of Jewish fun and learning. Please contact

Marci Karch at [email protected] or

585-7833 for complete registration informa-

tion.

Gesher Starts Strong


privacy, and at worst, committed a hate crime.

And I’m ashamed for the responsibility I bear

for Tyler’s death. “In a free society, some are

guilty; all are responsible.”

Gay teens are four times more likely than their

straight peers to commit suicide. Adolescence,

tough enough to navigate under any

circumstances, is particularly brutal for young

men and women coming to terms with their

sexuality in a society that bombards them

with messages proclaiming that they don’t

belong. The United States Senate’s failure to

repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and the kids in

the lunchroom telling hurtful jokes seem to be

different enough, but to a gay kid, both

phenomena share one message: “You are

worthless.”

I want our Temple to be a safe place for

everyone. I want it to be a place where all

people, and certainly all children, know that

they possess infinite worth. That is, after all,

what it means to be created b’tzelem elohim, in

the Image of God.

…

Among the things I plan to do to try to make

my community a bit more welcoming and

affirming is to cast my vote in the November

election against the “Traditional Family

Values” ballot initiative which intends to take

away health insurance from domestic partners

who are not legally married. Since the El Paso

City Council voted 7-1 to extend that benefit, a

vocal group of conservative evangelicals, both

Protestant and Catholic, has spent a great deal

of time advocating for its repeal. While it

remains to be seen if their ballot initiative has

any legal standing at all (and whether the

poorly-written initiative would actually take

away benefits from all retired city

employees!), there is no question in my mind

that its passage would be yet another hurtful

moment for gay and lesbian El Pasoans who

have already had to endure a steady stream of

angry judgments in nearly daily doses

through our local newspaper. I pray that my

hunch about this movement is true: that it is

noisy, and well-amplified by a sympathetic

press, but ultimately not representative of the

views of most El Pasoans.

I write about this with an awareness that not

everyone who will read this agrees with me,

and I hasten to say that I am not telling

anyone else how to vote in an election, God

forbid! My sense is that my beliefs are fairly

widely shared among our membership, but

they are by no means universal. So, my request

to each of you is that you vote your own

conscience, on this and on every race on the

ballot. My prayer is that you will be moved to

see the “Traditional Family Values” ballot

initiative as an opportunity to send a much-

needed message to some very vulnerable

people: “you are not worthless.” As always, I

welcome your comments. I plan to speak to

this issue on Saturday morning, October 23.

B’shalom,

Rabbi Bach


The question of whether or not gay and lesbian relationships may be sanctified as “religious marriage” in Judaism is related, though not identical, with that of recognizing the civil rights of gays and lesbians. Rabbi Bach will explore that question at “Lunch and Learn” on October 12; see page 14 of this bulletin to learn more about the session.


Women of Reform Judaism The Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) at Tem-

ple Mount Sinai have been busy!

Last month (August), we enjoyed each other’s

company and prepared some delicious casse-

roles, soups and desserts for expectant mothers

in our congregation as part of our New Baby

Meals service. These meals are provided to

new mothers for the first 4 Shabbaton to give

them tender, loving care just when they need it

most. This author knows from personal ex-

perience exactly how wonderful those meals

are – they come at the perfect time!

In September, we got together at the El Paso

Museum of History for a tour of their new ex-

hibit, 50 Years of Fashion, led by docent-for-the

-day (and exhibit co-sponsor) Cindy Graff

Cohen. After learning about the rich history of

textiles and fashion in our city and marveling

at the gorgeous gowns, outfits and accessories

in the exhibit, we walked across the street to

the Doubletree Hotel for a delicious lunch in

their restaurant. During lunch, we heard more

from Susie Novick, whose family founded The

Popular, about her own memories of the fam-

ily’s dry goods store. Jan Wolfe recalled, “I got

my first credit card at The Popular!” as many

other attendees echoed, “So did I!”

In October, we look forward to a Girls’ Night

Out on Tuesday, October 5 at 7:00 pm. To get

more information on this event, please contact

Alanna Bach at 328-6062 or [email protected].

We would like to recognize our members that joined at the Miriam and Ruth levels this year. Thank you for your extra support. It is greatly appreciated. Miriam Members ($90 membership level) Alanna Bach, Dori Fenenbock, Laura Goldman, Doris Goodman, Susan Jaffee, Maria Klein, Elaine Krasne, Donna Leffman, Judy Leonard, Mimi Pittle, Erin Schoenfeld, Tania Schwartz, Kristine Shecter, and Sara Shiloff Ruth Members ($54 membership level) Valerie Barnett, Leslie Beckoff, Barbara Berliner, Bon-nie Colton, Marcia Dahlberg, Linda Fruithandler, Lori Gaman, Leba Hirsch, Jody Klein, Rebecca Krasne, Kyta Valdez-Levitt, Randee Mansfield, Shelly Mansfield, Susan May, Becky Myers, Quyen Nguyen, Susie No-vick, Leslie Otis, Charlotte Ramenofsky, Jane Rosen, Ann Rothstein, Shari Schwartz, Anne F. Spier, Sue Weiss, Janet Wechter, and Tina Wolfe


JWV had their first meeting of the year on Sunday September 19th. Our support of the Holocaust Museum continues, and we are researching ways to assist our fellow Veterans through the V.A. We've lost some respected members, as well as gained some new ones in the past year. We all stop to take the time to thank a Veteran for our freedom, and are proud

to have been able to defend our rights and our Country. Our next meeting will be October 17th. Contact Scott Feldt at 526-8478, or Alan Goodman at 478-0718 for more information!

Men of Reform Judaism

Jewish War Veterans News

Happy New Year! This is what is going on

with MRJ/Brotherhood at Temple. Our

World Series of Baseball Fundraiser is in

full swing! Get in the game and help sup-

port our Summer Campership Program,

and Religious School! Tickets are 5 for $20,

and ticket sellers receive 5 tickets free for

every 100 tickets they sell! The winning

ticket pays $1000. Contact Scott Feldt at

526-8478, or [email protected], for

tickets and information. All tickets must be

turned in before the start of the World Se-

ries. MRJ hopes everyone had an easy fast,

and a great start to the New Year. Join us

at Temple as we make it a special year for

our youth and our community!!

Please remember to use your key tag each time you shop for groceries at Albertsons.

All you need to do is have the card scanned when you check out. Temple will earn 1%

of your shopping total each time you scan the card, at no additional cost to you.

If you need additional key tags, they are available in the Temple office.

Albertson’s Cash-Back Fundraiser


Tributes from August 21 to September 20, 2010

Amelia G. Krohn Basic

Judaism Collection

in honor of Amelia Krohn's

Special Birthday by David &

Susie Novick, Matt & Elizabeth

Krohn

Campership Fund

speedy recovery to Barbara

Ettinger by Bud & Charlotte

Ramenofsky

speedy recovery to Marian

Given by Bud & Charlotte

Ramenofsky

Caring Community Fund

in appreciation of Temple

Mount Sinai by Ellen Goodman

Cemetery Fund

in memory of Sidney Simon,

Freida Simon & Harriet Simon

by Marion Garmel

Oppenheimer Flower Fund

in memory of Archie Goodman

by Evelyn Goodman

in memory of Bluma Hoffman

by Larry & Joyce Anenberg

in memory of Constance

Simmons by Jim McCarthy

in memory of Edgar L.

Schnadig & Ruth Jean Schnadig

by Isabel Schnadig

in memory of Eduardo Assael

by Michelle Assael

in memory of Geri Given by

Debbi & Miguel Trejo

in memory of Jean Schecter &

Etta Solnick by David & Susan

Schecter

in memory of Marilyn Leeser

by Arthur & Rhoberta Leeser

in memory of Miriam Talpis by

Ed & Lory Oppenheimer

in memory of Pauline Goldman

by John & Gloria Lavis

in memory of Vernon Carvajal

by Bill & Jessica Carvajal

Friedman/Bloom/Rothstein

Outdoor Chapel

speedy recovery to Sid

Kligman by Phil & Ann

Rothstein

General Donations Fund


Mount Sinai by Douglas

Waters

appreciation of Temple Mount

Sinai by Gordon Mahon Jr.

in honor of Curtis Spier's

Special Birthday by Jim &

Anne Spier

in honor of Frances

Blumenthal's Birthday by Mark

Blumenthal

in honor of Jennifer & Jason

Schwartz's marriage by Dick &

Marlene Fass

in honor of Mary Heins' Special

Birthday by Bob & Sara Shiloff

in memory of Anna Main by

Anne Hollander

in memory of Carole Feldberg

by Joe Feldberg

in memory of Rae Stein by Sara

Mansfield

in memory of Vivienne Corn

by Paul Raudenbush

speedy recovery to Barbara

Ettinger by Eleanor Goodman

Gus & Rosalie Zimmerman

Rose Garden

in memory of Rosalie & Gus

Zimmerman by Dorothy

Borschow

Isadore Kahn Memorial Fund

in honor of Uncle Buddy

Dorfman's Special Birthday by

Scott & Susan Spier

Jon Heller High Holiday Fund

in memory of Jon Heller by

Janna Wallen


Krasne Discretionary Fund

in honor of Marlene & Allen

Levine's Special Anniversary

by Marty & Bonnie Colton

in honor of Simon & Grace

Bir's Special Anniversary by

Marty & Bonnie Colton

in honor of Stewart Forbes'

Special Birthday by Marty &

Bonnie Colton

in honor of Susie May's

Special Birthday by Marty &

Bonnie Colton

in memory of Robert Brown

by Bob & Elaine Krasne

in memory of Edith Krantz by

Bob & Elaine Krasne

Landscape Special Projects

Fund


by Ruth Braun

MAZON Donation


by Charlie & Sue Zaltz

in memory of Jeanette Riter by

Charlie & Sue Zaltz

Prayer Book Fund

In memory of Sanford

Norman Belkin by Bernadine

Belkin

Rabbi Bach's Discretionary

Fund

in appreciation of Rabbi Larry

Bach by Bob & Edi Brannon


Bach by Miriam Ries & Pat

Pedersen


Bach by Wayne Resler, Jr. &

Clara Resler


Bach by Sylvia Mirrop &

Family

in honor of Mary Heins'

Special Birthday by Judy

Leonard

in memory of Jeanette Riter by

Peter Shugart

in memory of Lynne Persing

by David Novick

in memory of our Parents by

D. F. Tavana

in memory of Vernon &

Richard Carvajal by Bill &

Jessica Carvajal

Special Oneg or Kiddush


Mount Sinai by Vladik

Kreinovich & Olga Kosheleva

in honor of Consecration Class

of 2010 by Terren & Maria

Klein

in honor of Helene Solomon's

Special Birthday by Edward &

Helene Solomon

in honor of Katie Schmidt &

Allison Given becoming B’not

Mitzvah by Debbi & Miguel

Trejo

in honor of Katie Schmidt's

Bat Mitzvah by David & Tina

Wolfe

in honor of Katie Schmidt's

Bat Mitzvah by Chet & Jan

Frame

in memory of Edmund H.

Krohn by Amelia Krohn

in memory of Eduardo Assael

by Michelle Assael

in memory of Jesus Aldama

by Raquel Aldama

in memory of Sara Johanna

Kaim by Fifi Heller-Kaim &

Boris Kaim

in memory of Steven Edward

Stein by Charles & Betty Stein

in memory of Vernon Carvajal

by Bill & Jessica Carvajal

Tree Of Life Donation

in memory of Rebecca Clayton

by Naomi Meehan

Youth Fund

in honor of Mary Heins'

Special Birthday by Abe &

Annette Goldberg

in memory of Lindsay

Gronich's mother by Abe &

Annette Goldberg


Yahrzeits for October 2010

October 1-2

Joseph Davidson

Mollie Feldt

Harry Feurberg

Jerry Harris

Ben Itzkovitz

Sylvia Kozak

Mamie Feldt Krull

Alfred Levin

Salomon Pollak

Sophie Press

Bill Rodenhaber

Celia Schecter

Samuel I. Schwartz

Clara Stone

Charlotte Weiss

October 8-9

Sam Borschow

Morris Calisher

Clara Frame

Mary Deborah

Ghazzarosian

Robert W.

Hollingshead

Lazar Kopilowitz

Lillian Kopilowitz

Jeannette Lavis

Abraham J. Migdal

Alexander Pollak

Marcel Raileanu

Rose Saltzman

Gary Scherotter

Ruth Jean Schnadig

October 15-16

Evelyn Abrams

Samuel Shabatai Bir

Olga Bowman

Joseph Bromberg

Richard Carvajal

Jerry Cohn

Tena Davidson

Sydney Dictor

Isabel Freeman

Jane Friedman

Louis E. Given

Carol Irvin

Holderman

Moses Holland

Tom Johnson

Phyllis Kugler

Steve London

Sadie Mendeloff

Julius Nagler

Jules Novick

Georgie K. Schwartz

Leah Shapiro

Herbert A. Shecter

Lillian Weiss

October 22-23

Ingeborg Arndt

Silvana Assael

Samuel Balk

Gussie Vooles Berkun

Nathan Borschow

William Bromberg

Nettie Charles

Gertrude Colton

Bernard V. Dargan

Irvin Duviner

Eva Feinberg

Alice M Finger

Bertha Heins

Jose Kachanovich

Sonia Katz

Leslie Levy

Doshie Martin

John McGraw

Joseph L. Prensky

Emil Reisel

Max Riter

Bernard Rodsky

Hyman Rothstein

Cornelius Ryan

Nell J. Schnadig

Bernard Schwartz

Phyllis Shecter

June Snow

Lena Strelitz

Lee Thomason

October 29-30

Allegra Belbel

Harriet Berry

Birdie Blaugrund

Tama Bloom

Gail Corbat

Albert Bela Eger

Joe Fink

Max Freeman

Ray Friedman

Norton Furman

Fred Goldman

Hyman Gopin

Harry Gottlieb

William Katz

Cherry Levitt

Percy Litowitz

Joseph Mansfield

Jacob Rader Marcus

Jenny Marden

Alfred Ratner

Hymer Rosen

Harry Rubin

Gertrude Rubinstein

Sam Schill

November 5-6

Freida Albin

Eddie Alperson

Leo Anderson

John Crohn

Esther Goldberg

Davidow

Haim Ettinger

Nathan Feldt

Katherine Frank

Esther Freifeld

Manuel Garciagodoy

Henry Gerofsky

Tarow Ty Hayashi

Irma Katz

Donald Stanley Klein

Jill Kreitman

Fredenick McPhail

Herman Meyeroff

Adalaide M. Ratner

Nathan Rybak

Mary Streim

Luis Zork

Temple Mount Sinai Shabbat Retreat at the Sacramento Methodist Assembly Retreat Center located 30 miles SE of Cloudcroft (3 hour drive from El Paso) Friday, October 29 (4:00 pm arrival) through Sunday, October 31 (departure after brunch). Optional early arrival – 1 pm Friday for a hike and challah baking Join us for Shabbat worship, study, adventure, and meals in a beautiful mountain set-ting. The programming includes: family fun, adult learning and social time, and special kids-only and preteen/teen-only activities. Great camp facilities for hiking, campfires, sports, and more. (check out the website: www.sacramentoassembly.org) Two nights lodging in hotel-style rooms, five meals and snacks, and all programming materials

• Single adult: $185 (TMS member)/ $220 (non-member of TMS) • One adult and one child (12 and under), sharing a room: $205/ $240 • Two participants, sharing a room: $140 per person/ $165 per person • Family of three or more, sharing a room: $350/$400 • MSTY participant (9th-12th grade), same-sex shared rooms and bathrooms: $98 • Children under 5 are free Please send your registration to the Temple office (4408 North Stanton, 79902) along with your check made payable to TMS. Space is limited, so sign up now. Adult Name(s): ______________________________________________________________________ Children's Names and Ages: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Home Phone: ____________________ Cell Phone:___________________________ Email: ______________________________________________________________________ Cost: _________ This registration is due by October 15, 2010. For further information about the retreat, please contact Alanna Bach 328-6062 or [email protected]. Please contact Rabbi Bach for information regarding financial assistance.

Retreat Registration Form

Staff

Rabbi ............................................................... Larry Bach Rabbi Emeritus ............................................... Ken Weiss Administrator ................................................ Sally Parke Administrative Assistant .................... Buddy Schwartz Religious School Director................................ Grace Bir Outreach Director ........................................Susan Jaffee Family Educator ......................................... Alanna Bach Bulletin Editor ............................................ Mark Schrier Building Manager .............................. Frank Hernandez House Keeping ......................................Ramona Pinales Accompanist ........................................... Linda McClain

Officers

David Kern ................................................................. President

Shari Schwartz ................................................. President-Elect

Marian Daross .................................................... Vice President

Greta Duran ........................................................ Vice President

Ellen Goodman .................................................. Vice President

David Leffman ................................................... Vice President

Jon Sonnen .......................................................... Vice President

Stephanie Calvo .......................................................... Secretary

Marcia Dahlberg ............................ Immediate Past President

Trustees

Rick Amstater, Joyce Davidoff,

Scott Feldt, Lori Gaman, Susie Goldman,

Jack Heydemann, Maria Klein, Hal Marcus,

Susan May, David Novick, Debby Robalin,

Phil Rothstein, Mark Schrier, Jane Snow

Temple Mount Sinai 4408 North Stanton Street El Paso, TX 79902 Phone: 915-532-5959 Fax: 915-533-0092 www.templemountsinai.com

Temple Mount Sinai is the

Reform Jewish congregation

serving El Paso, Texas.

We are a congregation of

supportive, caring and

diverse people with a rich

history.

Temple is a place for prayer,

ritual, spirituality, education,

wholeness and healing, social

action and celebration.

Join us as we explore,

through these elements of

sacred living, the richness of

Jewish faith and tradition.

Mailing Address

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. Postage

PAID

EL Paso TX

Permit No. 1386

Documents

Messages from the Mountain, October 2010