Kislev/Tevet 5780 December 2019

HappyHappy ChanukahChanukah Playtime t o d a y. Strong skills to m or r ow.

At Holland Hall, students as young as 3 years old learn the importance of the arts. They paint, draw, sing and sculpt. And they have opportunities to meet and work with world-famous artists-in-residence every year for ARTworks.

The school is commited to offering a wide range of arts because each student has a creative niche to fill, and we want them to find it at Holland Hall. From a study of major artists in the primary school to playwriting, photography and dance in the upper school, we know the arts stimulate critical thinking skills and problem-solving capabilities. And we believe that by facilitating meaningful self-expression, we empower our students to express ideas more clearly and forcefully.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EARLY PREK–GRADE 3 PROGRAM? Our Primary School Director of Admission Amber Graybill can help. Contact her at [email protected] or (918)481-1111 or visit www.hollandhall.org/ps for information about Welcome Wednesdays.

Tulsa’s PreK through Grade 12 Independent Episcopal School December 2019 CONTENTS Kislev/Tevet 5780 volume 90 • number 12

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5 Seeking Upstanders by Drew Diamond Cinergy 918.864.9888 6 Throwback Article Circle Cinema 8 December Community Events 918.592.3456 20 Fitzgerald’s Funeral Home y Nancy Pettus 9 Giving Voice - Creating Empathy b 918.585.1151

10 Say Yes to the Jewish Wedding Dress by Mickel Yantz Holland Hall 918.481.1111

12 Zarrow Pointe News & Views Hyde Park 918.899.6512 15 Parents and Other Special Adults by Dr. Cathy Kass Jane’s Delicatessen 17 Mazels 918.872.0501

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20 Faith Must Always Win by Dr. Jim Myers Lexus of Tulsa 918.665.3987 22 L’Chaim 2019, the Museum Gala by Tracey Herst-Woods Marcy Cyter 609.432.7683 22 Solatube Daylighting 918.663.4242

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JEWISHTULSA.ORG 3 Letter from the Editor

Founded in 1930 by Tulsa Section, National Council of Jewish Women “He that gives should never remember, he that receives (ISSN# 2154-0209) Tulsa Jewish Review should never forget.” (USPS 016-928) is published monthly by -The Talmud jewish federation of tulsa

2021 E. 71st St., Tulsa, OK 74136. While chesed and tzedekah are year-round Jewish values and actions, Periodicals postage paid at Tulsa, OK. gifts to charity and our loved ones are often a special part of the month of December. Chanukah and other holiday lights shine brightly in the darkness of winter, and it’s a perfect time to share our own light with others. This STAFF month’s issue of the Tulsa Jewish Review offers many examples. We witness a family’s strength in the face of hate. Read on to learn of the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR local tie to a deadly anti-Semitic attack and see how the victims are being Drew Diamond honored by their loved ones. [email protected] | 918.495.1100 What does it take to be an upstander? See how we can learn from the past for Tulsa today, about stepping in when you see others being EDITOR mistreated. Heather Setton Discover a surprising connection in the untold story of Jews who saved [email protected] | 918.495.1100 lives—including those of Nazi party members—after the deadly Hindenburg disaster. ADVERTISING MANAGER And, finally, a reminder of the importance of passing on meaningful Mindy Prescott holiday traditions in a culture of consumerism and what it means to be truly [email protected] thankful. May your Chanukah lights shine brightly, inside and out! ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Lee Hubby –Heather

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4 JEWISHTULSA.ORG Seeking Upstanders by drew diamond, executive director

27,362 is a number worth taking into account. This number represents individuals honored by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, as Righteous Among the Nations: “Non-Jews who took great risks to save... their Jewish neighbors at a time when hostility and indifference prevailed.” Stories of the Righteous are inspirational, and particularly meaningful to me is the story of Police Chief Jean Phillipe. Phillipe held various positions in the French army and the police. In late 1942, he was named Chief of Police of Toulouse and soon began using his position to prevent the arrest of many resistance fighters and to provide false identification papers to Jews. A member of the Jewish underground network testified after the war that Chief Jean Phillipe had helped him obtain forged identity papers with authentic police seals for young Jews who were smuggled to Switzerland or provided hiding places in France. For his humanitarian efforts, Chief Phillipe was arrested by the Gestapo on January 28, 1943, interrogated, tortured, imprisoned in Karlsruhe in Germany, and executed on March 1, 1944. Forty-five years after Jean Phillipe was named Chief of Police of Toulouse, I was promoted to Chief of Police of Tulsa. Today, 28 years after my retirement, Tulsa is not wartime France, but we are a community facing many serious issues. One of particular concern to me is racially biased policing. While addressing this problem, I find myself reflecting on the ultimate sacrifice of Chief Phillipe. Chief Jean Phillipe As we work to change the behavior of our law enforcement, we hope for an upstander to emerge from the ranks of the police or prejudice, arbitrary decisions, treatment disparity, and disrespect. our elected officials. We need (expect) this person to speak, act, or By bringing fellow officers into full accord with their sworn oath, intervene on behalf of those being wronged or attacked. The men these upstanders will encourage their colleagues to respect the and women of the Tulsa Police Department have sworn an oath dignity and rights of every individual and to exercise wisdom to protect all in our community, and they know that the injury to and fairness in dealing with all people. Tulsans of color from racially biased policing practices is actual We as a Jewish community, along with those that travel with and ongoing. It is past time for police officers to move from the us, understand that failure to stand up with and for people who ranks of bystanders to become upstanders helping us to overcome are being wronged is to fail as a human being.

JEWISHTULSA.ORG 5 THROWBACK Earning Fund Luncheon Held Giving Voice – Creating The Tulsa Section of the National Council of Jewish Women held its Empathy opening meeting, the annual Earning Fund Luncheon, on September 21, 1983 CHE Book Discussion: Refugee, by Alan Gratz at Temple Israel. Section president Phyllis Fist conducted the meeting and by Nancy Pettus, Director of Holocaust Education the invocation was given by financial secretary Anita Mattis, Ann Landgarten was in charge of the food and Zola Brand provided and arranged the fresh izza, salad, cookies, trick-or-treat candy and flowers which decorated the tables. a good book….who could resist! Apparently this Seated at the head table and reporting tempting combination was the perfect storm that to the membership were Section officers brought forth 70 participants to the Council for Marcie Fenster, Nancy Polishuk, Barbara PHolocaust Education’s (CHE) book discussion on Thursday Geffen, Judy Alexander and Barbara evening, Oct. 24. Refugee by Alan Gratz, our featured novel, Curnutt. Becky Weinstein served tells the story of Josef, a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Ger- as Earning Fund gifts coordinator. many; Isabel, a Cuban girl in 1994; and Mahmoud, a Syrian For the eighth consecutive year the boy in 2015. All three characters give voice to the current Section’s Mae Trope Fund awarded refugee crisis as they seek asylum from the worst moments a nursing scholarship to a nursing student at the Tulsa Area Vocational of our recent history. Kristi Merchant, our discussion leader, is the head librarian at Booker T. Washington and a member Tulsa Jewish Review November 1983 Technical School. This year’s winner, who was present to receive her award, of the Holocaust Council. Our multi-generational crowd, was Linda Brock. Thirty-one years old ranging from pre-teen to adults, delighted in the exchange facilitated by Mrs. Merchant’s and the mother of four children aged 5 video, which was created specifically by the author for our event. The format included through 13, she is an excellent student questions posed to and answered by the audience, followed by the opportunity to hear and is in the upper part of her class. the author’s response to these same questions. Because of the generosity of Section Coincidentally, Naomi Poindexter’s Edison 6th graders were in the process of members and friends who make reading Refugee, so their inclusion was a no-brainer. My concern that these youngsters contributions “in gladness and sadness," might be intimidated by the adults in attendance quickly vanished after several hands Tulsa Section is able to continue work of shot up to answer the first question. And then they were off! Fearing that the adults this nature. might have felt a bit left out of the discussion, I checked with several. Fortunately, the overwhelming response was, “Oh no, I didn’t feel ignored. I loved hearing what the children had to say!” So thankful for adults who love kids. Mrs. Poindexter’s students’ participation added a dimension to the evening that we had never experienced. Their enthusiasm, passion, love of reading and obvious compassion for the main characters’ struggles to leave their dangerous homelands revealed an impressive level of empathy. A special thank you to Naomi Poindexter for encouraging this involvement and to the parents for making it possible for your children to participate! I would also like to thank Kristi Merchant for her expertise in recommending the book and offering a discussion that was relevant to all in attendance. I believe this is the first time the CHE has included students in their book discussions. I also believe it won’t be the last.

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DECEMBER COMMUNITY EVENTS Save the Date • PJ Library PJ Party @ Say Yes to the Jewish Wedding Dress the JCC Now – Jan. 5, 2020 Sat., Jan. 11 • 6 p.m. Weddings for many are the happiest days of their Ages 6 mths. – 3 years. Come dressed in your PJ’s lives. The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art and enjoy Snacks, Storytime & Music. RSVP to is excited about our exhibit, Say Yes to the Jewish Mindy @ 918.935.3662 or mprescott@jewishtulsa. Wedding Dress. This one-of-a-kind event will org by Wed., Jan. 8th feature some of the most beautiful gowns, textiles, documents, paintings, photographs, and other Jewish Federation of Tulsa memorabilia from the Tulsa Jewish community. These Institute of Adult Jewish Studies items will proffer a continues tour through decades of Mon., Dec. 2, 9 unique nuptial attire and Classes this semester will be held at the Charles décor. Schusterman JCC, 1st hr. 7-7:45 p.m., 2nd hr. 8-8:45 p.m. Contact Mindy Prescott at Exhibit: Auschwitz - A Place on Earth, 918.935.3662 or [email protected]. The Sherwin Miller The Album Now – Jan., 2020 Museum of Jewish Art Six million Jewish men, women, and children were systematically murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Over one million were murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest extermination camp during WWII. This exhibition depicts the only known visual documentation of the arrival of a transport of Jews to Auschwitz-Birkenau. The exhibit comes from Yad Vashem.

Men’s Club Wed., Dec. 11 • Noon A delicious lunch will be followed by our Synagogues360° by Louis Davidson; speaker, Rabbi Lillian Kowalski, Temple Exhibit is now open and a part of The Israel. If you know someone who would like Museum’s Permanent History and to join this group, bring them along! Cost of Culture Exhibit the luncheon is $8. Please RSVP to Mindy at The Synagogues360° photo archive includes 918.935.3662 or [email protected] no synagogues older than 2,000 years to those of later than Mon., Dec. 9. This will be the only the most modern architecture, as well as neo- meeting for Dec. classic, Byzantine, neo-Gothic, Art Nouveau, Art Temple Israel Deco, and many vernacular design styles. This growing resource includes 584 synagogues from Shabbat Morning Service 38 countries including the world’s northernmost Sat., Dec. 7 • 10:30 a.m. and southernmost purpose-built synagogues. All If you prefer Saturday morning Shabbat services may also be viewed in 360° virtual reality at www. or want another opportunity to worship with Synagogues.org. friends, our monthly Shabbat morning services are for you. Be there for this Shabbat morning Exhibit: Jews Rock participatory prayer and Torah study capped by Now–Dec. a potluck lunch. Be sure to bring your favorite Featuring photographs of recipes to share with your fellow worshipers if you music’s Jewish icons through are able. Ladies Who Lunch the lens of photojournalist Mon., Dec. 16 • 11:45 a.m. Janet Macoska. Musicians Sisterhood Hanukkah Shopping Sale Let’s celebrate the end of 2019 with a Tulsa favorite, include Gene Simmons, Sun., Dec. 8 • 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m Celebrity Club (3109 S. Yale). Each person Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Don’t miss this great opportunity to get everything pays her own check. Please RSVP to Mindy at Simon and Garfunkel, you need for Hanukkah from the Sisterhood 918.935.3662 or [email protected] no Bette Midler, and many Judaica Shop. Candles, dreidels, hanukkiot, gelt, later than Fri., Dec. 13. more. We are also debuting and more! a select group of Oklahoma artists with original pieces of artwork featuring Jewish rock artists painted on guitars including Lenny Kravitz, P!nk, Perry Farrell, Gene Simmons, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and NoFX.

Exhibit: Prairie Landsmen- The Jews of Oklahoma Now – Dec. Chinese on Christmas This exhibition consists of photographs taken in Wed., Dec. 25 • 1 p.m. 1996 of Jewish people and places in Oklahoma; Shabbat Evening Service w/Torah It’s tradition! Yutaka Grill & Sushi Buffet (Farm photographs that tell the story of the state’s Jewish Fri., Dec. 13 • 7:30 p.m. Shopping Center, 6560 E. 51 St.) Bring your community. The artist, acclaimed American Come to participate in our service as we welcome friends and family to enjoy an all-you-can-eat photographer, David Halpern, concentrated on Shabbat. Then stay and enjoy a tasty, sweet Oneg buffet. Each person pays their own check. Adults: capturing the Jewish presence, in some cases and schmooze with friends old and new. All are $16.99 / Kids: $3.69-$5.29. RSVP to Mindy, the remains of a Jewish presence, in small-town invited to the service and Oneg. [email protected] or 918.935.3662, no Oklahoma. later than Dec. 19.

8 JEWISHTULSA.ORG Jammin’ for Judah Hanukkah Service & Dinner Fri., Dec. 20 • 6 p.m. Join Temple Israel as we celebrate Hanukkah with a joyous and festive service, lead by Cantor Weinstein and Elijah and the Minor Prophets. Our service will be followed by a delicious catered dinner. RSVP for dinner required to rsvp@ templetulsa.com or call 918.747.1309.

ShalomFest Community 1st Night For emergency medical care, Hanukkah Lighting Sun., Dec. 22 • 4:45 p.m. who do Israelis depend on? Join Temple Israel for donuts, hot chocolate, and festive holiday songs, as we light a large hanukkiah on the Temple lawn and share the story of Hanukkah. Includes a special Hanukkah gift for the kids! They depend on you.

Shabbat Evening Service w/Torah Magen David Adom (MDA) is Israel’s official ambulance, Fri., Dec. 27 • 7:30 p.m. blood-services, and disaster-relief agency, serving the nation’s Come to participate in our service as we welcome 9 million people. But like every other Red Cross agency around Shabbat. A tasty Oneg will follow the service. All the world, MDA doesn’t receive regular government support. are invited to stay and enjoy. That’s why it relies on people like you.

Serving Dinner at the Day Center Since the 1930s, generous Americans like you have provided Wed., Dec. 25 the vehicles, training, and equipment that’s kept Israelis Join Temple Israel’s Social Justice Committee in healthy and strong. providing and serving dinner at the Day Center. To volunteer, call the Temple office at 918.747.1309. There are many ways to support Israel, but none that has a greater effect on its people and its future than a gift to Magen David Adom. Your support isn’t just changing lives — it’s literally saving them.

Make an end-of-year donation to Magen David Adom at afmda.org/chanukah today.

And our best wishes for a joyous Chanukah and New Year.

Zarrow Pointe Shabbat Evening Service Fri., Dec. 27 • 6:15 p.m. For our Temple friends and family at Zarrow Pointe, we hope you will join us for this meaningful Friday night service on the Zarrow campus. We are excited to see you there!

JEWISHTULSA.ORG 9 Say Yes to the Jewish Wedding Dress by mickel yantz, director of Collections & Exhibitions

When looking at the 2019 exhibit schedule, the museum Our goal when designing this exhibit was to have the same wanted to create something unique. We not only needed feeling and energy as an actual wedding; but even with our something to engage our community, but also to share fond experienced staff, none of us are wedding planners. So, we memories of Temple Israel and Congregation B’nai Emunah, hired Malyn Saunders from Malyn Made to come in and help us whom we honored at this year’s museum gala. approach this exhibit as if it were a wedding. She helped us decide There have been so many fond memories everyone has had on the colors, fabrics, and the flower choices. She created by hand within these walls. But to pick one event shared by so many of the beautiful arrangements to decorate the custom chuppah in our families, we instantly thought of weddings. Weddings are the center of the exhibit and the main entrance floral piece. moments when we bring our families together to share our love, Thanks to an overwhelming amount of support from our our faith, and our future. community, it quickly became clear that we had an amazing opportunity to showcase dresses and ketubahs from an entire century. Starting with a 1920’s flapper dress, the smooth silk of the 1940’s dress, to the big lace shoulders of the 1980’s, our exhibit not only would share these wonderful moments but truly display the grand history of fashion design. Thirteen beautiful dresses are on display from every decade, from 1924 to 2018. With so many dresses spanning such a long time in history with all different fabrics, we brought in Tonia Hogner Weavel, award-winning

Sharna Newman Frank in 1949

Whether you’re the bride, the groom, or a witness to the dedication they give to each other, the moments of a wedding are stamped in time. Jewish tradition teaches that a wedding celebrates the creation of a new world; a new beginning, that may change the meaning of everything which has come before. We loved the endless possibilities inspired by and built upon ancient Jewish wedding rituals. The museum asked the Tulsa Jewish community for objects from their own weddings to help us share the moments and traditions of a Jewish wedding. We started with nothing but an empty gallery and waited to see the community’s reaction. The response was quick and overwhelmingly positive. Each week, we were contacted by people with dresses, ketubahs, invitations, photo albums, and more. The spreadsheet started to grow with the amount of the items and the history was staggering. A dress from the 1920’s, a Russian marriage contract from 1890’s, love letters from World War II and more.

10 JEWISHTULSA.ORG dressmaker and Education Director for the Cherokee Heritage Center, who has decades of experience displaying dresses properly on mannequins. She spent two days carefully steaming, ironing, and mending what needed to be done to make sure each dress looked its very best for the exhibit. Along with fashion, the evolution of ketubah designs is also on display. Prior to the 1950’s, most ketubahs were standard minimal documents with spaces that were filled in by the Rabbi that included the names of the families and witnesses and the wedding location. Starting in the 1960’s, ketubahs started becoming individual works of art created by artists. These were made to express the love a couple had and the promise to each other that would last a lifetime and could proudly be displayed in their home.

Photos by Tracey Herst-Woods

JEWISHTULSA.ORG 11 ZARROW POINTE NEWS & VIEWS More Reasons to Be Thankful by Randy Cogburn, WEllness Director

ife can be tough sometimes, but in spite of our problems, at the end of the day we all have something to be thankful for. We all know how much better we feel when we take the time to give thanks. In fact, not doing so can seriously affect our outlook on aging, our peace of mind, and our personal happiness. Not to mention the way that we treat others around us. So, if being thankful can really make us feel better, imagine the benefits of finding more things to add to our list of Lreasons to do so every day. Do you realize that if you have a roof over your head, indoor plumbing, as much water as you need, and enough food to eat every single day you are living in the top 5% of the world’s population, economically speaking? You see, it doesn’t really matter if someone doesn’t cook your steak the way you like it if you have to worry about how you will get clean drinking water for your family later that day. Keep in mind that there will always be more people who do not have enough than those who do. Realize that you could easily have been one of the “have-nots.” Offering your time or resources to help someone in need will help put things in perspective. “Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” –Buddha There is every reason to become a more thankful person. A 2006 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that thinking about happy life events for eight minutes each day for three days was enough to increase overall satisfaction. Several studies have found that people who are more able to appreciate the good in life are less likely to be depressed. Try making a list of all the things you are thankful for. No matter how small it seems, as ideas pop into your mind, write them down. At the end of the day, you may be surprised how much better you feel. In fact, researchers at the University of California- Davis and the University of Miami discovered that people who kept journals about what they were thankful for had more energy than those who didn’t.

Examples of what you can be thankful for: • Simply walking, or having any of your five senses (smell, sight...). • Friends, relatives, a spouse, a partner, someone that appreciates your company, even a pet. • Your health. On any given day you may have more or less problems with your body; but you are here, you are breathing, and you are alive. • Having enough to eat. Do you starve daily or have problems obtaining food? Many people do. • Being loved. It costs nothing, but it can be the most valuable thing we have. • The opportunity to live in a country where we have the freedoms we enjoy, and for the veterans who have sacrificed to keep it that way.

“The more you thank life, the more life gives you to be thankful for.” - Unknown

No matter how positive or appreciative you are, life will have its share of ups and downs. But if daily we find more and more things to add to our list of reasons to be thankful, it becomes much easier to get through the tough times. So…how many things are on your list?

12 JEWISHTULSA.ORG Maxine Zarrow – Living Her Legacy by Randy Cogburn, WEllness Director Butterflies Honoring Donors to the Zarrow Pointe and Supply. The iconic Tulsa firm enabled tough sometimes, but in spite of our problems, at the end of the day we all have something to be thankful for. Maxine Zarrow a great deal of the family’s philanthropy in the Tulsa and Tulsa Jewish Community. As a mother of three children, Maxine, like her husband Jack, was an active volunteer with a number of Tulsa area FROM organizations. She has served on the Alex Acunzo & boards of the Margaret Hudson School, The Acara Team The Center for the Physically Limited, the Mental Health Association of Tulsa, Francis & Colleen Acunzo Gilcrease Museum, and the advisory Mary Armstrong board of her alma mater, the University Bob & Laurie Berman of Texas School of Education. She and her family are recognized for their active Mary & George Bourland and generous commitment to the Jewish Perry & Shirley Brickman community, mental health, homelessness, Iris Chandler and social services. Maxine recalls it was during one David & Janis Finer of their earlier trips to Israel that she Teresa & Paul Finer and Jack visited a retirement facility. Philanthropic Fund What impressed her was in addition hough many people think to providing supportive services to the Joan Green of legacy as how the world aging community, they also emphasized Norman & Shirley Levin will view them after they are encouraging social engagement and Terry & Andy Marcum gone, there are others who view maintaining their residents’ purpose Tlegacy as life and living. They realize the in life. She told Jack that she felt our Malcolm & Paula Milsten importance of learning from the past, Tulsa community could benefit from Brent & Julie Morse living in the present, and building for a similar facility. Her vision was the Steven & Karen Mueller the future. Maxine Zarrow is that kind impetus for the formation of the Tulsa of person. She believes regardless of age Jewish Retirement and Health Care Sylvia Rosenthal you should stay connected and maintain Center, now known as Zarrow Pointe. Isabel, Janie & Michael a purposeful life. Jack Zarrow died at age 86 in February Sanditen Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1925, of 2012. Their son, Scott, died later Maxine Foreman Zarrow was a year that same year, in December, at age 54. Stan & Anne Shapiro old when her family relocated to the According to Maxine, that was the most Dave & Barbara Sylvan small town of Vernon, Texas, where her difficult year in her life. She went on to Dr. & Mrs. Ron Winder father owned and operated Foreman’s say, “Sometimes you think you just can’t Department Store. Maxine is proud of go on. But then you realize, what choice The Maxine & Jack Zarrow being raised in a small town enjoying the do you have?” She feels that if you remain Family Foundation special friendships she made there. After committed to making a difference in the graduating from high school in Vernon, lives of others, it helps you get through Maxine attended her first year of college difficult life events. RECOVERY at the University of Oklahoma. She then Maxine feels that the highlight of Norman Levin moved to Austin, Texas, along with her her life was meeting Jack. When I Isrella Taxon cousin to attend the University of Texas, asked her what she felt was her greatest where she graduated with a degree in accomplishment, she said, “Marrying my Maxine Zarrow education. husband.” It was during her sophomore year that Her advice to today’s youth is, “Be BIRTHDAYS she met Jack Zarrow. Maxine recalls that flexible, and be willing to change with while it wasn’t necessarily love at first sight, the times.” Lauren Grossbard he was so handsome and kind. The couple When I asked Maxine if she has any Bruce Magoon married in 1947 in Wichita Falls, Texas regrets, she simply said, “No. My only and moved to Tulsa. regret would be if I didn’t still do what Jack joined his father and brother I can.”  HONORING Henry in the family business, Sooner Pipe Dr. & Mrs. Myron Katz 14 JEWISHTULSA.ORG Parents and Other Special Adults, It Is About Meaning and Values...

by Dr. Cathy Kass, Director of Education, MJCDS

s this is written, we are preparing for our annual Through the years of growing up, raising a child, and working Thanksgiving lunch, prepared by a team of teachers with parents, it is obvious that many have bittersweet feelings and volunteers. They tell me it has all the traditional about the winter holidays. First, there are ways to simplify the dishes….but whose traditions and what makes it season. One way, is to limit screen time, especially television, Ameaningful? Working with Native Americans for the last nine which just encourages children to want more and more. The years, I know many struggle with this “American” holiday. Their commercials are louder and busier and excite and incite children meaning and values are different and they doubt the version of into “gimme bugs”....my name for children under the influence the first Thanksgiving. of advertisements and the ‘too much everything’ in the stores. So, too, our families have many customs, traditions, Online, you can find lists of meaningful gifts for children that celebrations, and holidays during December. Everyone calls it are not toys (www.self-sufficientkids.com) and the same website the “holiday season,” because all of us have been manipulated has a list of gifts to encourage reading and writing (teachers by the advertisements coming from the business community like this idea). Second, have conversations with children about trying to improve their sales. For me, going into stores there’s too other parts of the season besides gifts. Discuss the meaning of much—too much music, too many decorations, too many lights, the holiday and reinforce the values you want your children to too many events, too much pressure to buy—it is just too much! demonstrate by having actions and experiences that illustrate the Thinking about the “December dilemmas,” I asked the value. For example, you want your children to be generous and questions: How do we make the month a meaningful experience learn to give. Designate one night for Tzedakah (charity) work. for ourselves and our children? How do we convey our values in In our home, one night of Chanukah, we did not give gifts but our celebrations? How do we shift children’s roles from “receivers” we went to the mall and purchased gifts for a child from the to “givers”? Salvation Army Angel Tree. My daughter and son-in-law still do it today. We also gave simple, practical gifts for many nights. And, we kept it low-key by not keeping most gifts out of sight CALL FOR A TOUR until the big moment. PRE-SCHOOL Beginning at about age three, get another special adult to TO 5TH GRADE help children shop or create gifts for their parents, siblings, and other special people in their lives. It is well worth the time taken to arrange this experience so that children learn the value of giving. It is wonderful to watch the genuine joy they have giving to you! As they get older, let them have ways to earn money or an allowance, so they have the money to purchase gifts. As far as money goes, teach them there are three things we do with money. We spend it, we save it, and we give it away. At gift-giving time, if you have done this, they can give to their favorite charity and have money to buy themselves something they have saved for and to buy gifts for others. Start some of these “traditions” and they begin to create memories of their own and you have begun to have generous, responsible children. One more suggestion, board games are the “in” thing these days. They create experiences and fun in a social, face-to-face event. From board games, children can learn how to take turns, how to be winners and losers, how to just enjoy playing and being with each other. As games go, some are actually major strategizing and learning experiences. Finally, take the time to determine the type of holiday experiences you want your children to have. Set limits, create memories, focus on experiences, give to others. After all, Chanukah is the holiday celebrating religious freedom, therefore, all of us are free to make our own traditions and create our own meaningful experiences.

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12/4-THE WINTER’S TALE w/ Kenneth Branagh & Judi Dench 12/6-DARK WATERS & THE LODGE open 12/13-CUNNINGHAM & THE TWO POPES open 12/13-12/25-WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954) w/ sing-a-longs 12/14-SECOND SATURDAY SILENT SERIES: THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1922) Please note that the 918.585.1151telephone number listed in the 2014 Tulsa Jewish 75th Anniversary FREE lm Community Directory is incorrect. We apologize for any inconvenience. 12/16-BATTLE OF THE BULGE The correct number for Fitzgerald Funeral Service is 918-585-1151. 12/20-PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE opens 12/25-UNCUT GEMS opens 12/27&12/28-ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975)

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16 JEWISHTULSA.ORG MAZELS Oliver Solomon Jeffy & Emma Rebecca Jeffy

Oliver Solomon Jeffy, son of Kate and Elon Jeffy; and Emma Rebecca Jeffy, daughter of Elena and Brandon Jeffy, became B’nai Mitzvah at Congregation B’nai Emunah on Saturday, November 23, corresponding to the twenty-fifth of Heshvan, 5780. Emma, from San Diego, CA, and Oliver, are first cousins and only three months apart. Instead of two separate events, the two families decided to join the celebrations together and have a B’nai Mitzvah service in Tulsa. Oliver is a seventh-grade student at Monte Cassino Middle School, where he is an honors student. He enjoys building computers, learning about electronics, and cruising with his family. Oliver is the grandson of Ed and Anita Ulrich of Tulsa, Allan and Elaine Jeffy of Tulsa, and Shari Burks of Phoenix, AZ. He is the older brother of Simon. Preparations for his Bar Mitzvah were led by Greg Raskin. Emma is a seventh grader at Pacific Trails Middle School in San Diego, CA. Emma enjoys skateboarding and other outdoor activities, hanging out with friends, and listening to music. She was extremely excited to share her Bat Mitzvah with her cousin, Oliver, and to have her ceremony in the same sanctuary at B’nai Emunah where her father and uncles celebrated their bar mitzvahs many years ago. Emma is an active participant in many activities at Beth Am Synagogue in San Diego, and prepared for her Bat Mitzvah with her tutor, Barbara Pardo, and Rabbis Earne and Kornberg. Emma is the granddaughter of Allan and Elaine Jeffy, Shari Burks, and Nina and Nikolai Kozin of Yaroslavl, Russia.

JEWISHTULSA.ORG 17 Saving Lives on the Hindenburg… The Untold Jewish Story

by Phil Goldfarb

he pride of Nazi Germany, the Hindenburg — Hindenburg departed from Frankfurt, Germany, on the evening officially designated LZ-129 Hindenburg — was the of May 3. It was the first of 10 round trips between Europe biggest commercial airship ever built, and, at the time, and the United States that were scheduled for its second year the most technologically advanced. It was 803.8 feet in of commercial service. American Airlines had contracted with Tlength and 135.1 feet in diameter. It was more than three times the operators of the Hindenburg to shuttle the passengers from larger than a Boeing 747, and four times the size of the Goodyear Lakehurst, NJ, to Newark, NJ, for connections to airplane flights. Blimp. Four engines powered the Hindenburg and it could reach Except for strong headwinds that slowed its progress, the Atlantic cruising speeds of 76 mph with a maximum speed of 84 mph. crossing of the Hindenburg was otherwise uneventful, until the The Hindenburg featured 72 passenger beds in heated cabins, airship attempted an early-evening landing at Lakehurst three a silk-wallpapered dining room, lounge, writing room, bar, days later on May 6. Although carrying only half its full capacity smoking room, and promenades with windows that could be of passengers for the accident flight, the Hindenburg was fully opened in-flight. Special precautions were taken to ensure that booked for its return flight. Many of the passengers with tickets the smoking room was safe, including a double-door airlock to to Germany were planning to attend the coronation of King keep hydrogen from entering. George VI and Queen Elizabeth in London the following week. The Hindenburg was named for former German Weimar The airship was hours behind schedule when it passed over Republic President Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934). It took Boston on the morning of May 6, and its landing at Lakehurst its first flight in March 1936, and flew 63 times, primarily from was expected to be further delayed because of afternoon Germany to North and South America. thunderstorms. Advised of the poor weather conditions at The Hindenburg was already under construction when the Lakehurst, Captain Max Pruss charted a course over Manhattan Nazis came into power in Germany in 1933. The Third Reich saw Island, causing a public spectacle as people rushed out into the the Zeppelin as a symbol of German strength, as the Hindenburg street to catch sight of the airship. After passing over the field was partly owned by the government and partly owned by the at 4:00 p.m., Captain Pruss took passengers on a tour over the Zeppelin Company, its creators. Giant swastikas were painted seaside of New Jersey while waiting for the weather to clear. After on its tail fins. The German minister of propaganda, Joseph finally being notified at 6:22 p.m. that the storms had passed, Goebbels, ordered the Hindenburg to embark on a propaganda Pruss directed the airship back to Lakehurst to make its landing mission early on, before the ship’s endurance tests had even almost half a day late. been completed. For four days, it flew around Germany, blasting At 7:25 p.m., the Hindenburg caught fire and exploded during patriotic songs and dropping pro-Hitler leaflets. its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Naval Air Station After opening its 1937 season, by completing a single Lakehurst, filling the sky with smoke and fire. On board were 97 round-trip passage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in late March, the people (36 passengers and 61 crewmen). There were 36 fatalities

18 JEWISHTULSA.ORG (13 passengers and 22 crewmen), as well as one ground crewman, of Lakewood Pharmacy, to bring him all that he had in stock. a civilian linesman. The massive airship’s tail with its Nazi symbol Gitow, (whose original name was Moishe Gitovich), was another fell to the ground, while its nose, hundreds of feet long, rose into Jewish immigrant from Mogilev, Belarus, who had arrived in the the air like a breaching whale. It turned to ashes in less than a U.S. in 1904. He had graduated from the New York College of minute. Some passengers and crewmembers jumped dozens of Pharmacy in 1913 at the age of 18, and his father, who was also a feet to safety while others burned. Despite the sheer ferocity of pharmacist in Belarus then in Ukraine, had purchased Lakewood the colossal fire, 62 of the crew members and passengers survived, Pharmacy in April 1914. He personally brought over the needed but most of them were severely burned. The majority of the supplies to the hospital 1.5 miles away and stayed to see if he victims were burnt to death, while others died jumping from could be of assistance. It was these two Jewish professional men the airship at an excessive height, or as a consequence of either who helped save the lives of numerous German (several of whom smoke inhalation or falling debris. were Nazis) and non-German Hindenburg passengers by their Immediate survivors were taken with broken bones and quick actions. burns to the small, 40-bed, Paul Kimball Hospital in nearby At the time, the Hindenburg was supposed to be ushering in a Lakewood, New Jersey, eight miles away, which was overwhelmed new age of airship travel, but the crash instead brought the age to by the number of patients. Treating the Hindenburg patients, an abrupt end, making way for the era of passenger airplanes. The regardless of Nazi party affiliation or religion, was prominent crash was the first massive technological disaster caught on film, Lakewood physician, Adolph Towbin, M.D. (1888-1966), a Jewish and the scene became embedded in the public’s consciousness. immigrant from Kaments-Podolski, Ukraine. Dr. Towbin arrived The actual site of the Hindenburg crash is marked with a in the U.S. at the age of 15 in 1903, and had graduated from chain-outlined pad and bronze plaque where the airship’s gondola Fordham University Medical School in 1916. After an internship landed. It was dedicated on May 6, 1987, the 50th anniversary of at Flushing Hospital in New York, he was drafted into the army the disaster. Hangar No. 1, which still stands, is where the airship and assigned to Lakewood, New Jersey, in 1918 as WWI soldiers was to be housed after landing. It was designated a Registered were being treated at the Laurel in the Pines Hotel, following National Historic Landmark in 1968. poison gas injuries. He liked Lakewood so much, he decided to Special thanks to David Richmand, M.D., of Plainfield, NJ, the stay and open up his medical practice after the war. maternal grandson of Dr. Adolph Towbin, who provided input The treatment at the time for burns, malaria, herpes, and for this article. Max Gitow, R.Ph., was the maternal grandfather smallpox, was picric acid, as it was an astringent and antiseptic. of Phil Goldfarb. With the number of patients being treated, the hospital quickly Phil Goldfarb is President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of ran out of picric acid, gauze, bandages, and other medical supplies. Tulsa and can be e-mailed at: [email protected]. Dr. Towbin immediately called his best friend and relative by marriage, pharmacist Max Gitow, R.Ph. (1894-1973), the owner

JEWISHTULSA.ORG 19 Faith Must Always Win by Dr. Jim Myers, ORU Graduate School of Education Guest Contributor

n October 27, 2018, a devastating anti-Semitic Jilda says it is all about the choices we make in our daily life, attack occurred in the United States. On the last especially if we choose to be a light to others in dark times. She Sunday of October this year, Pittsburgh, PA, marked chooses to focus on the goodness of God to help her shine that one year since 11 worshipers were killed at the Tree light forward for others to see. That is what Mindy and Yvette Oof Life Synagogue. The anniversary of that senseless attack was choose to do as well. Following the murders of her father and used to celebrate the lives of those lost, and also to unite the her son, Mindy and her mother, Melinda (Jilda’s sister), knew community in a renewed sense of resiliency, strength, and col- they could not let hate win. With God’s help, they founded the laboration; a renewed sense, not of “moving on,” but rather “going “Faith Always Wins Foundation.” The goal of the Foundation is forward.” to educate, inform, and spread love in the world so that no more Going forward is what a good friend of mine and her family families have to experience the pain of losing their loved ones have tried to do ever since they experienced their own personal because of religious intolerance and hatred. loss from another senseless anti-Semitic attack at a Jewish Mindy’s story of loss and resilience is very aptly described by Community Center in Kansas over five years ago. All of us should her cousin, Yvette, in her book Something Beautiful Happened. find strength, and hopefully some solace, in the efforts of families, The book started out to only recount the stories Yvette grew friends, and communities to move past tragedy and accomplish up listening to as her grandmother shared how people on their something positive in honor of those we lost. As difficult as it tiny Greek Island banded together to hide a Jewish family from may be, we can`t just move on, we must also move forward. the Nazis in World War II. Yvette blends the backdrop of that Jilda Elk, a long-time librarian at Oral Roberts University, Nazi horror, years away and a world away, with the horror of whose daughter Meghan was killed in an automobile accident in the Neo-Nazi that gunned down her own family members in the summer of 1996, was once again subjected to the tragedy of Kansas just a few years ago. loss in the spring of 2014. Jilda, current access services supervisor Mindy and Yvette have both moved forward to try and insure for the ORU library, has served the University community for 15 that hate does not prevail. Their story is a story of survival and years. A continual encourager, Jilda leads with a steadfast belief courage in the face of evil. Yvette says, “We are all connected, that good will triumph over evil, love will trump hate, and faith there are lessons to be learned from each of us.” Part of that lesson must always win. for her is the importance of kindness and courage in standing Jilda and her family have worked hard to renew those beliefs up for what is right, no matter the cost. following the devastating loss of her brother-in-law, Dr. William For Mindy, it is standing in love against evil and joining with Corporon, and her great-nephew, Reat Underwood, in a senseless a group of likeminded and caring individuals, who decided as act of violence at the Jewish Community Center of Greater a community, they have the power to overcome senseless acts Kansas City Campus and Village Shalom, a retirement center, of hate. Their goals are to remember those we lost, and in those in Overland Park, Kansas. On Sunday, April 13, 2014, William, memories, create a resounding wave of positive change for the Reat, and Terri Lamano were murdered by a Neo-Nazi who future. A better and more promising future, as Jilda describes targeted the building as a place to kill Jewish people. it, based on a renewed belief in God and a renewed belief that Jilda can still recall the horror of learning that her 17-year-old “faith must always win.” daughter had died as the result of a car wreck. She says there are Dr. Jim Myers is a professor in the Graduate School of Education no words to adequately describe her feelings regarding that loss. at Oral Roberts University where he has taught for 22 years. He Similarly, she says she still has difficulty finding the words to was a former public school superintendent in central Oklahoma. describe her family’s loss as a result of the Kansas tragedy. “I will Jim and his wife Sharon have resided in Tulsa since 1997.  never know the reason for my daughter’s death and I will never understand why Bill, Reat, and Terri had to die like they did.” In regards to the murders that day in Overland Park, Jilda says she still does not understand that level of hate. As I look back on the many senseless acts of violence that have transpired in America’s synagogues, churches, and even concerts and Walmarts, I concur with Jilda; I can’t understand that level of hate myself. But history and its litany of such acts shows us all that there is still that level of hate in this country and in the world. Jilda and her family are firm believers that we can’t let hate win. Jilda says that she continually asks for God’s help “to honor Him, but also to honor my daughter’s memory and now to honor Bill, Reat, and Terri for the kind, loving, and caring people they were.” She is uplifted in her effort by the efforts of Mindy Corporon (Jilda’s niece, Bill’s daughter, and Reat’s mother) and Mindy’s cousin by marriage, Yvette Corporon. Jilda Elk, presenting Something Beautiful Happened to Drew Diamond

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JEWISHTULSA.ORG 21 L’Chaim 2019-The Museum Gala by TRACEY HERST-WOODS, Director of MUSEUM OPERATIONS

useum patrons gathered on October 27, 2019, for an evening celebrating the Museum’s relationship with Con- gregation B’nai Emunah and Temple Israel. Patrons enjoyed dinner by Tuck Curren of Biga and a program honoring both institutions. The Museum’s archives are filled with so many amazing images of the Jewish Community in Tulsa. These images were on display during the dinner portion of the evening. Thank you to all that helped identify those Mpictured. Thank you to Omni lighting and to Ken Youngblood of Mrs. DeHaven’s, both of whom once again created an incredible ambiance and made beautiful centerpieces for this event. Many thanks to the event Chair, Brian E. Brouse, who guided the com- mittee every step of the way; Board Chair, Angela Taubman, for consistently doing what was needed; and the Gala Committee, without whom this event would not be possible. A special thanks to all event patrons for the many generous contributions. These gifts support educational, cultural, and historical programs, as well as Museum operations to further the mission of preserving and promoting Jewish heritage, culture, history, and community through art and education. The SMMJA community and supporters are the reason the Museum continues to thrive and succeed. THANK YOU!

Diamond T-F Foundation / Irene Fenster Silver continued Katharine Penson Miller Betty & Edward Sherman Stolper Asset Management Double Platinum Angela & Kevin Taubman Ruth K. Nelson Maxine & Jack Zarrow Family Foundation The Newman Family Bronze Platinum Estelle & Allan Avery Mervin Bovaird Foundation Molly & Sheldon Berger Sanford & Irene Burnstein Foundation Laurie & Bob Berman Carol Miller Zella Borg Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Brian E. Brouse Barbara & Dave Sylvan Clayman Family Fund / Leah & John Clayman Jan & David Finer Gold Alice Blue & Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman Coretz Family Foundation Mark Goldman & WC Goad Alan E. Feen Charitable Fund Barbara & Stephen J. Heyman Laura Fenster & Gerald Fenster (In loving memory of Susan Fenster) Ronnie & Allen Horn Joan Green Linda & Jonathan Kantor Jan Jankowsky Ree & Edward Kaplan Scott & Jolene Sanditen Philanthropic Fund / Jolene Sanditen Jane & Myron Katz Jean & Wilfred Sanditen Philanthropic Fund / Wilfred Sanditen Nancy & Mark Lobo The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation Sallye Mann Sandi Tilkin May & Mike May Silver Paula & Malcolm Milsten Herbert & Roseline Gussman Foundation / Ellen & Stephen Dian Peacock & Craig Jenkins Adelson and Barbara & Stephen Heyman Coleman Robison Myra Goodall Block Isabel Sanditen R&B Charitable Foundation / Rosetta & Avrom Brodsky Roslyn Schwartz Benita & Richard Diamond DeDe Siegfried Estelle Finer Dana & Norman Simon Katherine & Lynn Frame Temple Israel Frank Family Foundation Fund / Lori Frank & LaVonna Reed Cynthia & Jeff Thetge Julie Frank (In loving memory of Sharna & Irvin Frank, Betty & Jay Newman Michelle & Clark Wiens and Eunice & Charles Frank) Janice & Philip Wilner Sarah & John Graves Barbara & Ron Winder George Kaiser Family Foundation Phyllis & Stephen Zeligson Bruce Magoon *At Time of Printing Flora & Morris Mizel Foundation / Larry Mizel & Steve Mizel Mudd Family Properties, Inc. Carolyn & David Nierenberg

22 JEWISHTULSA.ORG Carol Miller and Wilfred Sanditen Snippy Ann Kobey and Isabel Sanditen

Mark Goldman and WC Goad Dave and Barbara Sylvan Stephen Galoob, Elana Newman and Angela Taubman

Brian Brouse, Katharine Penson Miller and Angela Taubman

Adria Sanditen, Leslie Sanditen Zigmond A.J. Finer, Carly Weinreb, Monte Caplan Brina Reinstein, Angie and Jon Stolper and Brad Sandtien and Laurie Berman

Gail and Russ Newman and Itzik Levin Ophir and Liat Gal & Nena and Michael Mudd

JEWISHTULSA.ORG 23 Jewish Federation of Tulsa 2021 East 71st Street Tulsa, OK 74136

24 JEWISHTULSA.ORG