The Shofar October, 2019 Congregation House of 2 Tishri - 2 Cheshvan, 5780

Happy Sukkot 5780-2019 Complete schedule of High Holiday Services on Page 4 The Shofar Thank You Published monthly by: Congregation House of Israel PO Box 20802 We would like to thank the following donors (as of August 20, 2018) 300 Quapaw Hot Springs, AR 71903 General Fund In memory of Herman “Imy” Marcus (501) 623-5821 Mr. & Mrs. D. Cooley Website: http://hschi.org Wayne Ranson Audrey Zapletal Editor: Shelly Kleinman Stuart & Kay Fleischner Webmaster: Shelly Kleinman

Yossi & Kim Baron Editorial Assistance: Anita Williams Elaine Gartenberg Email to: [email protected] Michael & Sharon Waxler Submissions due the 15th of the prior month. Lynda Kass Distributed free to members, prospective members, local clergy and other interested parties. Betty Kleinman Mark & Patti Fleischner Kristen & Gretchen Kaufman Ron & Jan Wehmann In honor of the Bar Mitzvah of Mac Casteel, grand- son of Mary Klompus Jackson House Michael & Sharon Waxler Canned and Non-Perishable Food Drive Hal & Sue Koppel This year, as in years past, we are taking this Shelly & Carol Kleinman opportunity when we come together as a community to worship at High Holy Days to collect food for those less fortunate. We will be Sissterhood collecting food from Rosh Hashanah through Jerry & Fran Rephan Yom Kippur. Please bring those things you In loving memory of Edward I. Rephan - father wish to donate and leave them on the stage in of Jerry Burgauer Hall. Jackson House is able to use the food we bring to give to families who do not have food to eat. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to begin the new year with a Mitzvah.

Thank you in advance for your gifts of canned goods, dried goods, cereal and other non perishable foods.

Page 2 The Shofar A wonderful piece of Talmud provides us a Reb Shelly’s Desk glimpse into the hereafter and into ultimate Jewish values. In the tractate Shabbos, A peddler walking God asks the deceased in their first hour in through the countryside heaven the following four questions: came upon a little bird lying on its back with its • Did you conduct your business affairs honestly? feet in the air. • Did you set aside time to study Torah? • Did you work at having children? “And what do you think • Did you look forward to the world’s redemption? you are doing?” asked the peddler. The questions asked by God are not philosophically grand nor mysteriously cosmic in nature. The “Well, I heard that the questions asked at the Pearly Gates, that explore the sky was soon going to fall” replied the bird. deeds of a lifetime are directed at a person’s decency, at a person’s integrity, at his righteousness, at his “And you thought you could hold it back with your soul. feet?” cynically quipped the peddler. We are not asked – “Have you amassed a great “I do what I can,” said the little bird. fortune?” We are not asked – “Have you painted a The peddler’s sarcasm and doubt is shared by us all. masterpiece?” We are creatures not often driven by modest deeds, We are not asked – “Have you built great by humble achievements, by the anonymity of the skyscrapers?” shadows but rather by a complex of perfection, of We are asked – “Were you honorable?” “Were you drama, of trophies. We misunderstand our humanity, caring?” “Were you a mensch?” thinking every endeavor of life must be a flawless We are asked – “Were you the best you could be?” show-stopper. When we come to realize that we are not divine, only then will we become more human. A mother took her young child to a piano recital of Ignacy Paderewski at Carnegie Hall. From their How many of us in the privacy of our day lament seats near the stage the beginning piano student the cars we drive, the jobs we have, the routines we had a clear view of the jet black, grand Steinway. follow, the clothes we wear, the houses we own. How The mother became absorbed in conversation with many of us long for more, not because we really want another adult and didn’t notice that her son had it, but because we believe it validates us as being a better human being? Continued on page 9

can bring a sweet, please send a quick e-mail to Sisterhood [email protected]. L’ Shannah Tovah! All participation is needed AND appreciated! Our October meeting will be Monday October 7th, when Our New Year is just around the corner and during we will have a short business meeting and lunch. our August meeting, your Sisterhood membership Afterwards, for those who can stay longer, we will set completed most of the planning needed to embrace up Burgauer Hall for our Break-fast on Wednesday our High Holiday activities. evening.

Ruth Sedler and Betty Kleinman once again treated Many hands make light work, so we should have our us to a delicious free luncheon! For those unable temple ready for Yom Kippur in record time while to attend, there are still High Holiday volunteer also having fun! Thank you in advance for all of opportunities available. Desserts that can be easily your assistance! picked up for serving are needed for both the Rosh Hashanah Oneg Sunday evening and the following week’s Wednesday evening Break-fast. If you Patti

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Page PB The Whole Megillah High Holiday Service Schedule

Kver Avot * Sunday October 6 11:00 a.m. Kver Avot Service, Jewish Rest Cemetery

Yom Kippur Services Tuesday October 8 7:30 p.m. Kol Nidre Wednesday October 9 10:00 a.m. Yom Kippur Morning Service 3:30 p.m. Yom Kippur Afternoon Service 4:30 p.m. Yizkor Service 5:30 p.m. Neilah Service 6:00 p.m. Havdalah & Break-the-Fast

Sukkot Friday October 18 6:00 p.m. Oneg Shabbat and service in the sukkah

Simchat Torah Friday October 25 6:00 p.m. Simchat Torah celebration

* Kever Avot (literally “Grave of the Fathers”), the tradition of visiting the graves of our parents and loved ones between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, can evoke a wealth of emotions and memories. In these moments, many of us yearn to feel connected to a com- munity.

Whether your loved ones are buried with us or far away, we invite you to join with us as we pray together, support one another, and honor the memory of those who have passed at our annual Kever Avot Memorial Services.

Jewish Rest Cemetery is loacated at the intersection of Spring Street and Albert Pike Road, in Hot Springs. .

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Page PB definitely the best possible outcome, but let’s not hold our breath. ARZA - World Union This week the people of Israel got a second chance and have chosen their leadership. Sort of. “When you enter the land that Adonai your God is They rejected the radicals, exited the extremists, giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and reside pulled in the polarities, maintained the mainstream, in it.” (Deut 26:1) and solidified the center. If 80% of success in life is showing up, then Israelis came pretty close with a The 15th-century rabbi and commentator Don 1.5% higher voter turnout than in the last election, Yitzhak Abarbanel teaches that the weekly Parsha and a considerably higher turnout in the Arab sector. of Ki Tavo begins here in order to separate light from With the official results almost all tallied, many are darkness. It’s a clear break from the previous week wondering why we wasted time and money for anoth- in which we ended with our arch-enemy Amalek – er round of elections with annoyingly similar results. darkness – and we now come into the Land - light. Despite being similar, there are noticeable differences He’s offering us a clean start, a fresh look and a new that are important to point out and even celebrate. beginning upon entering the promised land. And too, this week, those who inherited the Land, got a second Winners and Not-Winners chance. A do-over repeat election to determine what society will look like for all those living in the Land The results of the election, while underwhelming, did that God gave us. In the book of Deuteronomy, we produce some key victors and losers. Let’s examine are told upon entering the Land to bring “every first some of the winners: fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that • Kahol Lavan, the large centrist party made Adonai your God is giving you, put it in a basket and up of three parties and a mishmash of political free- go to the place where your God will choose to estab- lancers without a clear ideology other than ousting lish God’s name.” We would recite a simple three- PM Netanyahu, won the highest number of man- word formula “My father was a fugitive Aramean”) dates with 33. One can consider them to be the win- followed by a shared narrative of going down to ners, but without a clear path to forming a coalition, Egypt, suffering, and eventual redemption in the their victory is somewhat mitigated. Land of Milk and Honey. It was the closest thing we • The Joint List of Arab parties came together had to true unity. Of course, we come from different with an impressive showing of 13 mandates, up from tribes but at the moment of entering the Land, we 10 in April. They are poised to be the 3rd largest were unified (or so we were told). party with the possibility of appointing the party head Ayman Odeh as a historic head of the Opposi- Could actual unity work today? tion. High voter turnout was key, and one could say that Netanyahu’s racist rhetoric threatening that After the results of Tuesday’s do-over elections, many Arabs will make up the coalition leading up to and are calling for a National Unity government. This especially on election day boosted their performance. means a coalition of 2-3 parties - combining the two • and Yisrael Beitenu largest parties and possibly with Avigdor Lieberman’s jumped to 8 seats positioning themself as the key- Yisrael Beiteinu, creating a centrist secular govern- stone party affording disproportional power and ment. This scenario brings with it many advantages kingmaker status. If he recommends to but, let’s not call it “unity”. Unity is the state of President Rivlin to form a coalition then he may be different areas or groups being joined together to the key catalyst in finally ousting Netanyahu. form a single country or organization. A three-party • The Haredim. With 8 and 9 sets to UTJ and coalition while true to pure democratic values would Shas, they maintained their base and even grew. They give power to the majority, but would not necessarily have one mission only: be in the coalition. Despite unify the diverse social, ethnic, religious, and politi- early rumors of potential talks with Kahol Lavan it cal identities of the country. It would be likely the is reported that they will support Netanyahu with best possible outcome despite the potential obstacles hopes for a right-wing/ultra-Orthodox coalition in of Netanyahu’s legal issues as he faces a potential exchange for his immunity. indictment, his refusal of a rotational arrangement Not-Winners and the slightest hint of abdication of power.

For the sake of the country, Israeli democracy and Continued on page 7 the hope of avoiding a tragic 3rd elections, this is

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Page PB Despite his success, Gantz was an unexpected Who Is Benny Gantz, choice to be named as the IDF’s chief of staff – he was a compromise figure who was picked by Prime Israel’s Potential Minister after two more fa- Next Prime Minister vored candidates became mired in scandal. He oversaw military operations during two wars By Aiden Pink in Gaza – Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012 and September 18, 2019 Operation Protective Edge in 2014. The IDF was criticized for the hundreds of civilian casualties With more than 90% during those two wars, but Gantz defended himself of the votes counted in by citing Hamas’s tactics of embedding in civilian the Israeli election, the areas and praised the IDF’s efforts to avoid deaths. party with the most of them appears to be Gantz also appointed Orna Barbivai to be the first the Blue and White female IDF major general. Barbivai is now a mem- alliance, led by former ber of Blue and White. Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz retired at the end of his term in 2015, with Gantz. much praise from Netanyahu, who called him “ex- cellent.” Although the party leader with the most votes doesn’t always win, Gantz very well could become *He’s an untested politician emphasizing his seri- Israel’s 13th prime minister in the next few weeks – ous security credentials. quite a development for someone who only became a politician less than a year ago. Israeli law states that chiefs of staff must wait three years after retiring before entering politics. Here’s what you need to know about Gantz: Almost as soon as that cooling-off period ended, Gantz got in. He was marked for greatness from a young age. Gantz’s policies on security aren’t that far away Gantz was born in 1959 and grew up on a small from Netanyahu – after the prime minister pledged moshav (cooperative farm) in central Israel called to annex the Jordan Valley, Blue and White said in Kfar Ahim. His parents, who helped found the a statement that the area “is part of Israel for- moshav, were Holocaust survivors. ever.”

Gantz enlisted in the IDF at age 18 in 1977. His But while Gantz has stressed his military bona fides first assignment was serving in the security detail in his campaign ads, he’s also shown some openness for Egyptian president Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to engaging in peace talks and consider giving up to Israel. Israeli territory – though he hasn’t endorsed a two- state solution. Gantz rapidly rose through the IDF’s ranks, advancing so fast that he was nicknamed “the On the domestic front, Gantz has proposed many Prince.” measures supported by secular Israelis and opposed by religious ones, such as recognizing civil unions Among his most notable duties was leading the for gay couples, allowing transportation on Shab- commando unit that ensured security for Opera- bat and revoking draft exemptions for Orthodox tion Solomon, the rescue airlift of 14,000 Ethio- Jews. pian Jews in 1991. He served as commander of the IDF’s Lebanon Liaison Unit, and was the last Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor of the Forward. Israeli soldier to leave that country after Israel’s Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter military occupation there ended in 2000. @aidenpink

He led Israel through two wars.

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Page PB ARZA Jewish Trivia for October Oct 13, 1843 B’nai Brith founded in New York Continued from page 5 City • The Jewish Power party Otzmah Yehudit failed to make it in this time. Again. After key vic- Oct 6, 1927 Release of The Jazz Singer, first talk- tories from our Movement’s Israel Religious Action ing picture, starring Al Jolson Center, who successfully barred three members from running due to their racist, xenophobic, anti-LGBTQ Oct 1941 Birkenau Concentration Camp (also platform, they failed to cross the electoral threshold. known as Auschwitz-Birk-enau) This is good for Israel, the Jews, and all those who opened by the Nazis. hope to rid racism from society. • The Left. The fact that the Labor-Gesher Oct 1, 1946 Sentences announced as the Nurem- list refused to join the Democratic Union to create berg Trials end. Sev-enteen Nazi war a formidable left-wing power party is inexcusable criminals receive death sentences, and together their 11 seats (6+5) kept life into their seven are imprisoned and three ac- lungs but it appears that they are still on life sup- quitted. port. Many criticized their campaign as they failed to drum up wide support. Oct 27, 1967 Jerusalem is reunited under Israeli • Bibi. You gotta give him this, he fought control and fought hard up until the last moment. He tried everything, from threats to promises to empty offers, even divulging classified information just to hold Oct 6, 1973 Yom Kippur War begins with a sneak on to his seat. While 31 seats are nothing to sneeze attack on Israel by Egypt, Jordan at, his party (which swallowed up ’s and Syria. Kulanu party) actually lost 8 seats. Oct 14, 1994 Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and This is the major story of the day and could lead to Yasir Arafat are awarded the Nobel the end of the Netanyahu era. But I wouldn’t count Peace Prize him out yet. He may have more dirty tricks, will do somersaults in the air, and has more lives than a Oct 25, 2009 Jared Kushner marries Ivanka Jerusalem alley cat. Instead of bowing out grace- Trump, who had converted to Juda- fully, avoiding jail time and saving face like a normal ism. politician with even an olive’s worth of integrity, let’s just hope he doesn’t drag the entire country Deceased down with him. Oct 5, 1941 Louis Brandeis, Supreme Court Justice Some are touting that the real winner here is Israeli Oct 23, 1950 Al Jolson, singer democracy, as the system appears to work, and Is- Oct 29, 1957 Louis B. Mayer, Hollywood Mogul raelis showed up and voted in high numbers. In fact, some are already preparing for a disastrous 3rd elec- Oct 16, 1981 Moshe Dayan, soldier and politician tion. By calendrical calculations, they would likely Oct 26, 1990 Willism Paley, President of CBS be sometime around March 31, 2020, and we all hope Oct 21, 1994 Shlomo Carlebach, rabbi and musi- that those in power will act responsibly to avoid us cian descending into an over-exercised democracy. Oct 30, 2000 Steve Allen, television personality While we won’t see a coalition for a few weeks, we Oct 3, 2004 Janet Leigh, actress will continue watching closely. For Diaspora Jews, Oct 23, 2004 Robert Merrill, opera singer who choose not to “Come into the Land” (aka come Oct 9, 2005 Louis Nye, actor on Aliyah and become a citizen of Israel), not to worry, our time will come soon enough and we’ll have Oct 17, 2007 Joey Bishop, comedian our chance to vote and lend our support and imple- Oct 22, 2009 Soupy Sales, comedian ment our values in Israel. Oct 24, 2010 Joe Stein, playwright

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Page PB Congregation House of Israel Thank you to Board of Directors the following for sponsoring an Oneg Rabbi Sheldon “Shelly” Kleinman during the month of 501-282-0055 September: [email protected] David D. Reagler, President 870-208-4495 Oct 4 Cynthia Rephan [email protected] Jerry and Fran Rephan Glenda Kirsch, Secretary Oct 11 Goltz/Siegel/Hudson/Bull families 281-458-2655 Oct 18 Patti and Mark Fleischner [email protected] Kim and Yossi Baron

Hal Koppel, Treasurer Oct 25 Clarissa and Steven Kirsch 501-525-3238 Betty Feir and Mike Richardson [email protected]

Patti Fleischner, Sisterhood Reminder: If you are scheduled for an upcoming 501-321-2441 Oneg and need to change dates, please find [email protected] someone to switch with and then let Carol Kleinman know so the information printed in the Ira Kleinman bulletin will be correct. 501-520-1323 [email protected]

Yossi Baron 501-655-1280 [email protected] Refuah Shelemah Sherrill Nicolosi The following people are in our thoughts and 501-984-1517 prayers: [email protected]

Jerry Rephan • Robert Burns 501-321-1551 • Jerry Tanenbaum [email protected] • Ken Baim • Annette Baim Jerry Tanenbaum, ARZA-World Union • Ira Brand 501-262-9770 • Kate Tobakos [email protected] • Bill Ginsburg • Diana Surfas Dennis Williams, Immediate Past President Please offer prayers that they all have a full and 870-230-3529 [email protected] speedy recovery. If you are aware of anyone needing spiritual or any sort of assistance, please let Carol Kleinman know. Our Caring Committee is here to help all of our members in any way we possibly can.

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Page PB October Yahrzeits Birthdays & Anniversaries

October Anniversaries Kaddish Recited October 4 Stuart and Kay Fleischner Oct 28 Helen Poncher Newman Grandmother of Brad Wolken October Birthdays Abraham Taub Betty Feir Oct 3 Grandfather of Betty Feir Karen Reagler Oct 3 Carrie Karnofsky Davis John Blumbeks Oct 4 Grandmother of Rachel Schulman Betty Forshberg Oct 8 Grandmother of David D. Reagler Jacob Kleinman Oct 8 Laura Fleischner Zev Kleinman Oct 8 Mother of Mark Fleischner Lenny Gartenberg Oct 9 Mother of Stuart Fleischner Brad Wolken Oct 12 Seymour Kleinman Terri Gartenberg Oct 13 Father of Sheldon Kleinman Steven Kirsch oct 16 Kaddish Recited October 11 Westley Kleinman Oct 29 Robert Fields Great Uncle of Mark Fleischner Great Uncle of Stuart Fleischner Reb Shelly’s Desk Continued from page 3 Kaddish Recited October 18 Rosalind Goltz Hudson slipped away. At eight o’clock the lights dimmed Sister of Diane Goltz and the stage spots came on. The audience Sister of Susan Siegel hushed in expectation. Only then did everyone Mother of Madeline Bull notice the young boy seated at the piano gently plunking away the notes to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Scott Douglas Bull Little Star… .” He was playing what he knew Uncle of Cooper Bull and what he could. His mother and the audience Nellie Kaufman gasped, but before anyone could move Paderewski Mother of Barbara Bushee appeared on stage and put his finger to his lips as a gesture for silence. He whispered to the little Alice Wolken boy “Don’t stop. Keep playing.” Grandmother of Brad Wolken Leaning over the child, the star pianist reached Dale Tollefson down with his left hand and began filling in Father of Sharon Waxler the base part of the song. Soon his right hand reached around the child, encircling him, to add

a running accompaniment. Together the master Kaddish Recited October 25 and the novice held the crowd mesmerized. Bernard Levi Father of Larry Levi And so it is with us – novices surrounded by the Master who whispers softly into our soul – “Don’t Rachel Zucker Reagler stop. Keep playing, so you may do the best that Grandmother of David D. Reagler you can.”

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Page PB Chol Hamoed Sukkot Weekly Parshah

Vayeilech

B’reishit

Haazinu

Page PB