Congregation Beth El Bulletin

1010 Charleston Drive Tyler, TX 75703 Phone: 903-581-3764 Fax: 903-581-3987 JewishTyler.com

NovemberDecember 2020 2006 Volume Volume 50, 36, Issue Issue 2 3 Cheshvan/Kislev Kislev/Tevet 57675781 Neal Katz, Rabbi Rabbi’s Corner - TWENTY FIVE YEARS OF MOURNING Gene Levy, Rabbi Emeritus

Board Members wenty-five ago, on November 4, life, it is really the story of modern Israel Margie Victor, President 1995, I was driving through the He was born in British mandatory Palestine Gary Gross, Vice-President Shenandoah Valley in Virginia in 1922, served in the pre-State Palmach Tracy Lisner, Treasurer heading to a congregational re- T (defense force,) fought in the 1948 War of Alison Ables, WRJ Co-President treat where I had been hired to play mu- Pam Lisner, WRJ Co-President sic. I remember listening to the radio and Independence, headed the Northern Com- mand in the 1950s, was chief of staff of the Dennis Darryl, Temple Maintenance hearing the news of the assassination of Israel Defense Forces during the 1967 Six Betty Berndt Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. By the time Day War, served as Ambassador Gary Gross I reached the retreat center, to the US in the late 1960s and Nez Gross that's all we spoke about. There then began a career in Israeli Gina Jerkins was a lot of confusion in those politics starting in 1973. Pam Lisner days - before the advent of the ubiquitous internet we have to- Dana Philibert So how did this career military day. And so we relied on radio Wanda Rauscher figure come to decide that it reports for our most up-to-date Susan Sayre was in Israel's interest to work information. Michael Somer out a peaceable solution with Josh Stein What we learned was that a mili- the Palestinians - rather than Jae Jerkins, Past President tant young Israeli law student continuous war? Cemetery Chairs who sought to derail the peace Margo Adams, Rose Hill Books have been written on process mortally wounded Rabin. Keith Ables, Oakwood what led to those decisions, but What aroused the anger of the the world cheered. I remember assailant? Inside this issue: vividly sitting in my classroom

Schedule of Services 2 Two years prior, Prime Minister on a kibbutz watching the fa- Rabin shook hands with the lead- mous handshake between Ara- Adult Study 2 er of the then-named PLO, Yasser fat and Rabin in September of History of Modern Israel 2 Arafat. Moshe Dayan once said that you 1993 formalizing the Oslo ac- don't make peace with your friends, you cords - with President Clinton smiling in URJ Camps 2 make peace with your enemies. Rabin the middle. I may be forgiven for being a Contributions 3 had been a staple in Israeli military and sentimental peace-nik, but that moment cemented the reality and potentiality for Sisterhood 3 political life since the pre-State days. In fact, if you ever had the chance to visit actual peace. Life Cycle Events 3 the stunning Rabin Center in Tel Aviv, as Israeli writer David Horwitz has said that you wander through the museum of his Calendar 5 continued on page 4

Chanukah Klezmer Concert 6 Page 2 Congregation Beth El Bulletin November 2020 Schedule of Services

Friday, November 6 Erev Shabbat Service 7:00 P.M.

PARASHAT VAYERA: Genesis 18:1-22:24 HAFTARAH: II Kings 4:1-4:37 YAHRZEITS: October 31-Lillian Peso, Joseph Selman, November 1-Maurice Klotz, 3-Elizabeth Gugenheim, 4- Daniel C. Hirsch, Sr., Leah Rubenstein, 6-Marguerite Hirsch, Gail Berndt Linam. ______Friday, November 13 Erev Shabbat Service 7:00 P.M.

PARASHAT CHAYEI SARA: Genesis 23:1-25:18 HAFTARAH: I Kings 1:1-1:31 YAHRZEITS: November 8-Regina Mayer Berman, Richard Gottesman, 9-Edward Leroy Moore, 10-T. Tony Spitz- berg, 13-Hulda Seawright. ADULT STUDY ______We will have two Adult Study classes this Friday, November 20 month—on November 7th and November 21st. Erev Shabbat Service 7:00 P.M. This program is for members of the congrega-

tion and invited guests. For the most recent PARASHAT TOLDOT: Genesis 25:19-28:9 schedule of Adult Study dates, please visit the online cal- HAFTARAH: Malachi 1:1-2:7 endar at BethElTyler.com. YAHRZEITS: November 14-Samuel M. Rubin, 15-Soliman Nejad-Khalil, 16-Royal Johnson, Jean Robinson, 17- Judith Sugerman Davis, 18-Zelda Durban, Isidore Forst, Gerald Shaw, 19-Ida Goldsmith. ______Friday, November 27 Erev Shabbat Service 7:00 P.M.

PARASHAT VAYETZEI: Genesis 28:10-32:3 HAFTARAH: Hosea 12:13-14:10 YAHRZEITS: November 22-Rebecca F. Davis, 23-Sam Drayer, Morris Goldfeder, 24-Erma Imbach Lachs, 25- Lottie Williams Sugar, 26-Rosa Lee Schiff, 27-Amalie Goldstucker. ______Friday, December 4 Erev Shabbat Service 7:00 P.M.

PARASHAT VAYISHLACH: Genesis 32:4-36:43

Greene.URJCamps.org HAFTARAH: Obadiah 1:1-1:21 e-mail: [email protected]

YAHRZEITS: November 28-Ben Shapiro, Norman Shtof- Address: 1192 Smith Lane PO Box 1468 man, 29-David Lane Brown, Robert Horsley, David Idell, Bruceville, TX 76630 254-859-5411 30-Nate Davis, Susan Franks Train, December 1-Sharon Auslander, Stella Gans, Mimi Lieberman, Joseph Lipp- mann, 2-Claire Bernard Sigal, 4-Marvin J. Hirsch. November 2020 Congregation Beth El Bulletin Page 3 CONTRIBUTIONS We thank our Congregation Beth El contributors for their kindness and generosity. Their gifts strengthen our congregation. dax dcez GENERAL FUND RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND

By Rabbi Neal & Jen Katz IN APPRECIATION OF THE By Miriam Crane HIGH HOLY DAYS By Rebecca Owen By The Dallas Lisners

David, Presley, Molly & Zel Lisner IN APPRECIATION OF THE

HIGH HOLY DAYS IN MEMORY OF By Sarah LaRue ROBIN KATZ

By Adele Regan & Family IN MEMORY OF By Janet Horsley & Family ROBIN KATZ By Jan & Larry Rosenfield By Margo Adams

IN HONOR OF MUSIC FUND THE SPECIAL BIRTHDAY OF

NEZ GROSS IN MEMORY OF By Jan & Larry Rosenfield ROBIN KATZ

By Shirley Watterston IN APPRECIATION OF RABBI KATZ & MICAH KATZ FOR ZOOM SERVICES By Shirley Watterston

SISTERHOOD LIFE CYCLE EVENTS

Fall is in the air (FINALLY) and we are off to a won- BIRTHDAYS: derful New Year! NAMES READ ON NOVEMBER 6: November 2-Linda Sharp, 6-Micah Katz. Thank you again to our incredible Rabbi Katz who made our High Holidays so wonderful! NAMES READ ON NOVEMBER 13: November 8-Miriam As we continue to muddle through 2020, Sue Crane, Pam Lisner, 9-Larry Rosenfield. the Board is trying to decide when and how to open the Temple for services. The uppermost issue is the safety of all NAMES READ ON NOVEMBER 20: November 20- of us, and the board is getting excellent Randall Keener, Cole Stein. feedback from the several doctors of our congregation. We all know that many of NAMES READ ON NOVEMBER 27: November 21-Margo you are anxious to go back to person-to- Pouliasis. person services, but with the continued increase of Covid in our community, we just want to make sure we are doing everything we can to protect our- NAMES READ ON DECEMBER 4: November 28—Margo selves. The plan now is that Rabbi will continue to Adams. do Zoom services, no matter when we open our doors. ANNIVERSARIES: NAMES READ ON NOVEMBER 6: November 4-Cheryl & Please remember to send in your recipes to Wanda Rauscher for the Sisterhood Cookbook. wwrausch- Richard Green, 5-Terrie & Karl Mutchnik. [email protected] NAMES READ ON NOVEMBER 27: November 23- We look forward to the day we can all be together Tracee & Nicholas Pouliasis. again in our beloved Temple.

Until next time, stay well…Alison and Pam Page 4 Congregation Beth El Bulletin November 2020

Rabbi’s Corner—continued from page 1 even if Rabin had lived, the peace process would not have per with the song lyrics and put it in his coat’s breast survived - in part because of the duplicitous nature of pocket. Arafat and internal Palestinian struggles. But that's anoth- er sermon. The potential for peace and resolution through As he got close to his car, he was confronted and assassi- handshake and diplomacy is always the preferred option. nated on the sidewalk. The blood from the bullet wound And so Yitzhak Rabin became a hero to some - while an- seeped onto the lyric sheet into his pocket. gering others. That handshake was a step forward for How much more poetic do we need to get? A blood- those who understood that the long-term security for Isra- soaked copy of the “Song of Peace” - the assassination of el lay in a negotiated two-state solution. hope and potential. However, ultra-nationalist Israelis felt that the land was In every way imaginable, the assailant (whose name I given to them by God and even if it was won through war, choose not to mention) won. He still sits in an Israeli jail, it was non-negotiable. They preferred sacred land over with a fan club that lauds him for his actions. He has peace. And Rabin preferred peace over sacred land. That been allowed to marry and has a child. While he lives in is a gross oversimplification, but land for peace was an Israeli prison, the champion for peace, Yitzhak Rabin, anathema to a segment of the Israeli population. is buried on Mt.Herzl. And acting on that ultra nationalist anger, a 25 year-old The potential for peace was always bigger than Rabin. It Israeli law student assassinated Prime Minister Rabin on is never the story or actions of one person alone. It takes November 4, 1995. Here we are 25 years later this month a community of brave people to make the hard decisions still trying to piece together what could have been. There that create a better future for their children. is plenty of blame to go around, plenty of missteps, plenty of missed opportunities, and more than a fair share of I applaud the recent efforts by Israel and Arab countries setbacks on both sides. And yet I remain hopeful. Not be- in choosing to normalize relations, as Egypt and Jordan cause I am naive, but because I can't bear the alternative did many years ago. We know that the United Arab Emir- - a constant future of conflict. ates, Bahrain, Sudan, and more are waiting in the wings. And I applaud the administration officials who helped co- One of the enduring stories of Rabin's assassination was ordinate these efforts from the American side. what was happening right before that moment. Rabin was at a large peace rally in downtown Tel Aviv. It was a rally And while this changes the narrative on Arab-Palestinian- in support of the ongoing Oslo Accords. Along with other Israeli relations (we all have to go back to school to learn Israeli national leaders, such as Shimon Peres, Rabin the new dynamics,) it does not address the question that made some remarks about coming together and moving Rabin was trying to answer - the fate of Palestinians and forward to do the hard work of peace. As the rally came potential statehood. That question remains unresolved. to a close, the crowd was led in song to sing the unofficial But it remains part of Israel's existential crisis. They can't .Shir LaShalom - ignore their way out of it nor fight their way out of it - שיר לשלום ”,Israeli “peace anthem literally - A Song of Peace. They must handshake their way out of it, just like Rabin did 27 years ago. The lyrics are beautiful (a sampling): Judaism teaches me to remain optimistic and hopeful. I Don't say the day will come. / Bring on that day צדק צדק תרדף - - am called by the text from Deuteronomy Because it is not a dream. tzedek, tzedek tirdof - Justice Justice shall you pursue. And in all the city squares / cheer only for peace! Recognizing that peace and justice is not a simple goal to So just sing a song for peace / don't whisper a prayer. attain - is something for which we must work hard. Just sing a song for peace / in a loud shout. Twenty-five years later, I am still uplifted by the memory Don't whisper it, don't give lip service, scream it out, by the bravery of Yitzhak Rabin. May his memory be for a shout it out, and be a forceful voice for peace. blessing.

As the song finished, and Rabin was whisked away by se- L’shalom - melyl -to peace, curity toward his convoy, he folded up that piece of pa- Rabbi Neal Katz November 2020

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 10:30am 2 7pm 3 4 5 6 7pm Erev 7 SHABBAT Religious Hebrew Class Shabbat Ser- School & He- Online vice 11am Adult brew High Study a

8 10:30am 9 7pm 10 11 12 13 7pm Erev 14 SHABBAT Religious Hebrew Class Shabbat Ser- School & He- Online vice brew High b 2pm History of Modern Israel

Veterans Day

15 10:30am 16 7pm 17 18 7pm 19 20 7pm Erev 21 SHABBAT Religious Hebrew Class Board of Trus- Shabbat Ser- School & He- Online tees Meeting vice 11am Adult brew High Study c 2pm History of Modern Israel

22 2pm 23 7pm 24 25 26 27 7pm Erev 28 SHABBAT History of Hebrew Class Shabbat Ser- Modern Israel Online vice

Thanksgiving

29 30 7pm Dec. 1 Dec. 2 Dec. 3 Dec. 4 Dec. 5 Hebrew Class 7pm Erev SHABBAT Online Shabbat Ser- vice 11am Adult e Study Congregation Beth El 1010 Charleston Drive Tyler, TX 75703