CHABAD COMMUNITY CENTER For Jewish Life And Learning Dec. 2008 Issue 3 Kislev 5769 IN YOUR WORDS DOORS OPEN TO NEW HOME “I hope that () continues to ... challenge DURING MOMENTOUS AFFAIR the community to be Labels of Ortho- more spiritual and dox, Conservative more involved with its and Reform were left at the door on historical roots.” Sept. 7 when people RICK BLACK streamed in through the physical thresh- old of the new “(The event) was Chabad Community Center for Jewish one more chance to Life and Learning party and pray, and and through the really appreciate the spiritual threshold of an idea a decade significance of the Torah.” in the making. DR. PAUL SILVERSTEIN That day, there was Fr o m l eft , Att o r n e y Ge n era l Dre w Ed m o n d s o n , Ra b b i an incredible mixture Ye h u d a We g , Larr y Da v i s , Ra b b i Ye h u d a Kr i n s k y , Ra b b i of people from all dif- Ov a d i a Go l d m a n a n d Ri c h ar d Ta n e n b au m c ut t h e r i b b o n ferent backgrounds t o u n v e i l t h e Ch a b a d Co m m u n i t y Ce n ter . “Let’s not take for who were genuinely granted ... our Chabad happy to celebrate the for the future. And the hot very warm, almost like a Center here and our building’s grand opening, sun aside, there was a per- glowing shine on people’s Ovadia Goldman vading sense of warmth faces. … That stood out,” mikvah. They are a said. More than 350 people for another reason: The Goldman said. testament to an enduring fanned away the heat for a event marked the first new Glenna Tanenbaum was chance to take part in the Jewish building to go up in among those faces. “I was, tradition.” historic event and garner a Oklahoma City in 60 years. ORIT RABKIN glimpse of what’s in store “What I sensed was the » See OPENING, 4 FEATURES Just two weeks after enlivening the community a b b i s e m ar k s 3 with the first Jewish building to open in more than R ’ R OBSERVANCE, 60 years, and just two weeks before rejuvenating Pi c s & Qu i ps 3, 7 the community with the call of the shofar at High Holiday services, Chabad of Oklahoma City filled Pr o g ra m m i n g 5 the souls of Jews and the streets of the city with CELEBRATION i d s o r n er naches at the completion of a Torah. The scroll was K C 5 unique in that it was the first one ever written for OF HISTORIC a specific community in the state. Re c i pe Bo x 5 Eli Reshef had a hand in finishing it. His family, like many others at the Chabad Community Center Guest Co l u m n 6 on Sept. 21, fulfilled the last commandment of the On l i n e Fi n d s 8 TORAH SPILLS Torah to write a scroll by buying one of the 304,805 letters in the Sefer Torah. The Ma z e l To v ! 8 INTO STREETS letter the family of five filled » See TORAH, 2 he has lived, including heav- see what was going on — -2- Torah ily Jewish areas like Dallas they didn’t know what was and upstate New York. going on but they started “It was frankly very in also is the first letter of “There are vacant shuls in waving and they knew it all their names — an aleph. places like Muskogee and was a good occasion,” he moving because, you “It was kind of ironic — or Ardmore and Seminole and said. if not ironic, symbolic know, we all talk about maybe — that with- out choosing we got things from generation to do alef,” he said. Reshef said the to generation, and here experience was uplifting. “It’s an we have our little boy honor. … It’s a once- in-a-lifetime event,” who is named for an he said. The Torah was uncle he never met but completed by Rabbi Moshe Klein, a spe- who wanted a chance cially trained sofer, or scribe, from New York to honor a person of City. It was written in memory of Holo- the prior generation.” caust victims Moshe and Tzyrl Schechter ROBERT FLACK and Norbert Schech- ter, the parents and Dr. Pau l Si l v erste i n c arr i es t h e To ra h brother of Torah u n d er a c h uppa h t h r o u g h t h e streets o f sponsor Ed Kaswan. Th e Vi l l a g e . Klein guided the hands of each person over Enid, Okla., and others I’m Young the parchment paper with sure. Nobody ever scribed a Sam, the feather pen, including the Torah for them,” Flack said. mean- hands of Sam Karchmer, 11. But this Sefer Torah is an while, Sam asked to fill in the letter indication that Oklahoma had shin in honor of his uncle for City’s Jewish community is a few whom he is named. on a different track, he said. words of “It was frankly very moving “I believe in our heritage and his own because, you know, we all I believe in our faith and it to share talk about things from gen- is such a blessing to have after eration to generation, and Rabbi (Ovadia) Goldman doing here we have our little boy and Nechoma here to bring his part who is named for an uncle he Yiddishkeit to all of us.” filling in never met but who wanted After the Torah was com- a shin. a chance to honor a person pleted, police escorted a “I asked of the prior generation,” said parade of about 125 people him how Robert Flack, grandfather of through neighboring streets he felt Sam Karchmer and father of in The Village. Dr. Paul Silver- about the deceased Samuel Flack. stein was among those who that,” The event was memo- carried the Torah along the Flack rable for Flack in his own route.“It was one more chance said, right, too. “I’m 70, and I to party and pray, and really “and his have never seen or known appreciate the significance answer of a Torah that was literally of the Torah,” said Silverstein, w a s , scribed for a community of who had never seen a Torah ‘Papa, Ed Kas w a n , r i g h t , c arr i es t h e To ra h h e sp o n - which I was a part,” he said, dedicated. “Neighbors were it was a s o re d a l o n g s i d e h i s g ra n d s o n Matt Go l d - rattling off the many places coming out in the streets to wow.’ ” b er g .

Ne w s l e t t e r d e s i g n e d , w r i t t e n a n d e d i t e d b y We n d y K. Kl e i n m a n Fe e d b a c k w e l c o m e : w k .k l e i n m a n @g m a i l .c o m -3- OVADIA GOLDMAN Mo re o n RABBI’S REMARKS Pa g e 7! PICS & QUIPS LEFT: Ra b b i MENORAHS AND Jere m y Cass i us , l eft , a n d Dr. Mi c h ae l Po l - MITZVOT ILLUMINE l a c k f i l l t h e i r p l ates w i t h TIMES OF DARKNESS k o s h er sus h i . Dear friends, I write to you RIGHT: Ste - during these fa n i Na c h at i l o auspicious days h o l d s a l u l a v at of Chanukkah as t h e Sus h i in t h e we increase in Su k k a h e v e n t . light every day. My taught me that when we focus and listen attentively to the flames on the menorah, they have a story to tell. The candles tonight remind me of two flames whose physical presences were extinguished by a group of terrorists in Mumbai, RIGHT: Dr. Fat i m a A b ra n tes - – those of the rabbi and reb- Pa i s s h o w s h er e n t h us i as m bitzen of the Chabad center in the f o r Su k k o t a n d t h e sus h i . . Although Nechoma and I did not know Rivkah and personally, we have a keen under- standing of what it took for them LEFT: Ra b b i Ov a d i a Go l d m a n to do the incredible things they did ta l k s w i t h c h i l d re n as t h e y start of bringing the flame of Yiddish- a pr o je c t d ur i n g Je w i s h En r i c h - keit – its joys and inspirations – to m e n t Cl asses . thousands of Jews in Mumbai in the short five years they were there. BELOW: Miriam Cass i us , 3, Living in a smaller Jewish commu- d e c o rates He b re w l etters d ur i n g nity, even with all of its amenities, we Je w i s h En r i c h m e n t Cl asses . know it can be challenging to come by what it takes to provide a kosher Friday night dinner. We know what it takes to remain inspired, to be able to inspire others with a Torah class a mitzvah deed, or just to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for anything and everything a fellow Yid may need. While the loss and pain is real, the light of the menorah tells us that with a steadfast resoluteness, good will always overcome evil; light will always dispel the dark- ness. Chanukkah calls upon each of us to recognize Jewish accomplish- ments past and to be ever seeking to increase and deepen our Jewish commitment Fr o m l eft , Dr. Do u g Kap l a n , Na n c y Cl ar k a n d to the future. » See RABBI, 6 Ch a n a So re n s o n e n g a g e in a JLI c l ass . tors donated their time and materials. -4- Opening For her part, Tanen- GOVERNOR baum led the interior like everybody else I’m sure, design effort. “I think PAYS TRIBUTE just beaming at the fact that that I really gave them we pulled it off,” she said. “It (Rabbi Ovadia and Gov. Brad Henry was such a moment of pride Nechoma Goldman) declared the week of for me as a Jew.” confidence that their Sept. 7 through 13, 2008, The grand opening pro- building would be as Jewish Awareness gram kicked off with a string beautiful,” she said. “I Week, coinciding with of speeches and the call of understood what their the grand opening of the the shofar outside and was vision was and I wanted new Chabad Community followed by tours through to make sure that it Center. The proclamation from the building and a dinner of came out the way they Gl e n n a a n d Ri c h ar d Ta n n e n - the state government’s recognition that kept the cel- wanted it,” she said. b au m a d m i re a g i ft f o r t h e i r executive department ebration going well into the c o n tr i b ut i o n s . evening. “I’m always saying Touching moment also recognizes the history we’re a welcoming place, The Jewish Federa- and future of Chabad. we’re a unifying place. To see tion of Greater Oklahoma Looking ahead It begins by saying, that in reality for the first time City did not let the work of Now that it’s open, the “Chabad is a worldwide under our roof was incred- Chabad go unappreciated Chabad Center is about a lot movement under the lead- ible,” the more than ership of one of the most rabbi its exterior. revered spiritual leaders, said. “This center the Lubavitcher Rebbe will not be of blessed memory,” and Thanks a building goes on to recognize Cha- given highlighting bad’s role in promoting T h e the bricks education and morality, building and mortar and providing program- went up but a place ming and social services. thanks that sings And Henry was in the to con- and tells of company of other offi- tribu- the joys of cials in bestowing good tions Judaism,” wishes upon Chabad for large Goldman the event. U.S. Rep. Mary and said. Fallin, Oklahoma Sen. small. Tanen- Glenn Coffee, Attorney Gold- Mo re t h a n 350 pe o p l e atte n d e d t h e c ere m o n y l ea d i n g up baum said General Drew Edmond- man t o t h e r i b b o n -c utt i n g f o r t h e n e w Ch a b a d Ce n ter . she hopes it son, Oklahoma City Mayor said he also strength- Mick Cornett and The Vil- found it incredible how at the event. Federation ens the presence of the lage Mayor Chris Bernardy many people “really President Linda Gardner Jewish community at large offered formal letters of stretched” to give beyond presented the Goldmans and attracts more young congratulations. their means, whether it was with an ornate hamsa for the couples to secure its future Coffee, Edmondson and $100 or $10,000, and help building. Affixed to it was a here. Another major donor, Bernardy also attended propel the larger gifts from placard permanently mark- Rick Black, said he hopes the opening. a vision to a reality. And ing a comparison she made the building helps Chabad’s money aside, the time and in her speech: the work of force endure. “I hope that expertise put into the build- Chabad to the tent of Abra- it continues to do what it’s ing were “worth a lot more ham, which was open on all doing, which is to challenge than the dollar price tag on sides to welcome and unify the community to be more it,” Goldman said. anyone who came through. spiritual and more involved One couple was a key- “It was a very, very touching with its historical roots.” stone of the project: Richard moment,” Goldman said. The center’s impact will and Glenna Tanenbaum. Also poignant was the only continue to spread. Richard Tanenbaum’s real attendance of Rabbi Yehuda Said Goldman, “The new estate development com- Krinsky, secretary of the center will allow us to reach pany, the Gardner Tanen- Lubavitcher Rebbe who further, to bring Judaism to baum Group, spearheaded travels on behalf of Chabad’s and bring Judaism out in construction. The company headquarters. Krinsky’s pres- those who are unaffiliated, Ad a m Judk iewicz, 11, staff did work at no charge, ence was both meaningful and to enhance the offer- b l e w a s h o far w i t h and many of their contrac- and spiritually uplifting. ings for everyone.” h i s fat h er . PROGRAMMING, ETC. -5- YOU BE THE JUDGE II MOMMY AND ME Wednesdays Feb. 11 - March Thursdays Jan. 22 - March 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Dive into 12, 10:30 am - 12 pm. Create Keep it o n the sea of Talmud as you lasting relationships with t h e fr i d g e ! immerse yourself in study other mothers while help- about Judaic scholars’ views ing your child learn new on advances in technology skills and have fun Ages 3 and society. months to 4 years. WOMEN’S PARSHA CLASS KOSHER CULINARY CLUB Tuesdays Jan. 13 - Feb. 18, 7-8 pm. Study the Selected Sundays December - May, 3-4pm. Children will eat this stories in the book of Shmos, and learn why up as they make Bubbie’s best, lotso matzah, and nosh a hamantash. redemption comes “in the Ages 3 to 12 years. merit of righteous women.” PURIM WORLDWIDE March 10, 5 pm. We’ve been to Mexico, Africa and K C already ... you won’t believe what stop we make this year! PESACH SEDER April 8 & 9, 8 pm. RSVP to the community Pass- over Seders by March 31 to reserve your spot I O at the table and relive our journey out of Egypt and into freedom. And don’t miss ... D R

JEWISH ENRICHMENT Sundays 1-3 p.m. Fun merges with learning each week as students explore their heritage in S N a joyful, nurturing environment. Ages 3 and up.

b y L i o r E Visit us online for El b e r g , a full calendar 10 and to register. R RECIPE BOX Root Vegetable Latkes This is my family’s favorite latke recipe. It takes a little more time to prepare but it’s a great, nutritious version of the potato latke. -Nechoma Goldman

Get it together: 1 medium carrot 1 medium parsnip 1 medium leek 1 large beet 2 cups potatoes 2 large eggs 1/2 cup matzah meal 2 tsp Kosher salt 1/2 tsp black pepper Vegetable oil

Get cooking: Shred the carrot, parsnip, leek and beet, and pulse potatoes in a food processor for 30 seconds. Combine vegetables with eggs, matzah meal, salt and pepper. Mix well. Heat oil in a large fying pan over medium-high heat. Fry latkes 6-8 minutes per side, or until golden. (Makes 18 pancakes.) Drain on paper towels or paper shopping bags. Serve hot and enjoy! -6- ORIT RABKIN GUEST COLUMNIST ANCIENT MIKVAH EVOKES TRADITION

One of the most enduring, seemingly piles around exposed rocks. Most of the rocks, though small and yet miraculous moments in my white and beautiful (shaped like very large bricks), lay life occurred over ten years ago when I strewn about haphazardly. The “house,” in other words, lay witnessed the fresh unveiling of a 2000- in complete ruins. What we could see were a few places year-old mikvah in the Lower Galilee in where the white stones still outlined rather small looking Israel. I am sharing this experience here square rooms. with you now in order to remind myself He led us waving around excitedly and completely and you of the momentous event we are losing me. Suddenly, right beneath another small hill we witnessing here in Oklahoma City, one rounded, I saw something that I immediately recognized: that I predict will also stay a mikvah. I’m not sure I had ever seen with us for years to come. We are witness- a mikvah before (secular Israeli, what ing a Chabad Center opening here along can I do) but I knew immediately what with a chic, beautiful mikvah equipped I was seeing. After two thousand years, with the best modern conveniences. a group of Israeli archeologists found a After serving in the Israeli Air Force, mikvah. I do remember him telling us I worked at the Hecht Museum for the how rare it would have been for a family art and archeology of Eretz Israel. The to have its own mikvah. For him and museum resides inside of the University his crew, it was further proof that this of Haifa, from which I was to graduate with must have been quite a wealthy family. my undergraduate degree. They needed It was the same size as our mikvah here guides at the museum who could speak in the Chabad Center. It was dug deep English and I needed a job to help pay for in the ground, straight out of the white college. I knew nothing about archeology. stone of the mountain with white stone I learned plenty during my years there, stairs carved alongside. In all the mud, yet I was not prepared for our trip to the dirt, vegetation, ruined walls, broken Lower Galilee in the north of Israel. The clay vessels, the mikvah stood pris- whole museum staff was to visit a newly tine, beautiful and completely white. It unearthed site, that of a wealthy, Second looked as if all it needed was water to Temple-period Jewish family. get back to work. Our party, the museum director and my Since then I had the opportunity to fellow archeology majors/staff, stopped use a mikvah. Every time I did, I thought along a side road in the middle of the hilly landscape after of that day. Closing my eyes inside a modern day mikvah driving about two hours north from Haifa. We walked transports me back, connects me to that day, the day our straight off the road into what seemed like empty, open thousands-year-old heritage became tangible. Seeing our countryside for another 20 minutes. After trekking through Chabad mikvah reminds me of that warm spring day, as the thick green bushes and low grass, still fragrantly fresh well. Come see it, girls (and boys), our modern version of a before the full heat of the day, we arrived at the site. There, tradition stretching back at least 2000 years to that house, the residing archeologist waited for us. Though I don’t to that Jewish family during the latter days of the Second remember his name, I remember what he looked like. He Temple. Oh, how they would have loved to see our warm, stood tall, tanned, wearing a University of Haifa Archeology posh version! Department T-shirt and cargo pants with lots of pockets and hiking boots. He smiled and waved us to the dig site. So, let’s not take for granted, please, both our Chabad My colleagues “oooohhhed” and “ahhhhhed” while I Center here and ourmikvah. They are a testament to an stood stunned with boredom. The site consisted of mud enduring tradition.

The Chabad Community Center for Jewish Life and Learning recommits itself to turn tears and pain into joy and ever-growing activities. But Oklahoma City needs something even more then Rabbi that. Our beautiful community needs you and every Jew to bring your unique light forward by committing to increase in your own personal repertoire of mitzvah deeds done, Torah studied and Jewish pride increased. Together we will continue to heighten Jewish joy, activity and knowledge until we hear the shofar blasts signaling the coming of Moshiach and the ultimate light revealed, vanquishing all evil and darkness at a time when all tears will be wiped away and only goodness and kindness will shine.

Shalom, Rabbi Goldman -7-

GRAND OPENING TORAH DEDICATION

MUMBAI MEMORIAL FIND MORE ONLINE mazel tov!-8- Recent and upcoming birthdays On w w w .Je w i s h OKC.co m Glenna Tanenbaum, Dec. 3 (4 Kislev) Ite m s o f l o c a l i n terest a n d i n f o r m at i o n d ra w n Aron Judkiewicz, Dec. 3 (6 Kislev) fr o m Ch a b a d .o r g c o m b i n e o n t h i s w e b s i te t o Dorothea Tanenbaum, Dec. 3 (11 Kislev) b r i n g y o u b o u n d l ess k n o w l e d g e a n d g r o w t h . Moti Pinson, Dec. 6 (8 Kislev) OUR EVENTS: No w y o u c a n f l i p t h r o u g h p h o t o Dovid Pinson, Dec. 7 (16 Kislev) a l b u m s a n d see w h at ’s c o m i n g up w i t h a n o n l i n e c a l e n d ar . So Chaim Bruk, Dec. 11 (15 Kislev) w h et h er y o u m i sse d e v e n ts o r w a n t t o re l i v e t h e m , o r w a n t t o Sherry Bennett, Dec. 11 (29 Kislev) b e sure y o u d o n ’t m i ss w h at ’s n e x t , t h e m e m o r i es are o n l y a Sherry Barton, Dec. 17 (24 Kislev) c l i c k a w a y . Pl us , c a n d l e lighting t i m es are a l w a y s a v a i l a b l e Lyba Pinson, Dec. 18 () o n t h e s i te . Chana Sorenson, Dec. 20 (28 Kislev) LISTEN TO THIS: Au d i o l ess o n s w i l l e n l i g h te n y o u Rochel Goldman, Dec. 21 (16 Teves) o n su b je c ts l i k e m e d i c a l et h i c s in Je w i s h l a w , a n d l o v e a n d Larry Trachtenberg, Jan. 18 (8 Shevat) intimac y in Ka b b a l a h . Cate g o r i es i n c l u d e spirituality, i d eas Daniel Goldstein, Jan. 19 (20 Teves) a n d b e l i efs , l i fe c y c l es , d a i l y stu d y , d a i l y l i fe a n d pra c t i c e , Dana Elberg, Jan. 19 (7 Shevat) h i st o r y , living, Pars h a h , h o l i d a y s , a n d m us i c a n d s o n g . Ailda Flack, Jan. 20 (8 Shevat) LIBRARY: Yo u w o n ’t n ee d a b o o k b a g t o t o te t h i s Ari Snow, Feb. 3 (8 Shevat) k n o w l e d g e ar o u n d . Stu d y c l ass i c Je w i s h te x ts , c o n te m p o rar y Wendy Kleinman, Feb. 13 (10 Adar I) w o r k s , Je w i s h h i st o r y a n d m o re t h r o u g h s c h o l ar l y art i c l es a n d David Seelig, Feb. 15 (12 Adar I) v i d e o s . Th ere ’s a c h i l d re n ’s b o o k s h e l f f o r y o u n g er Yi d s , t o o . Irina Aizenman, Feb. 16 (3 Adar I) VIRTUAL TOUR: Ca n ’t m a k e it t o Ok l a h o m a Ci t y ? Marijo Hennagin-Mazur, Feb. 17 (12 Adar I) Ta k e a v i rtua l t o ur o f t h e n e w Ch a b a d Ce n ter o n l i n e , a n d f i n d Murray Cohen, Feb. 22 (15 Adar I) i n f o r m at i o n f o r visitors. Evan Reshef, March 3 (2 Adar I) Yisroel Eizicovics, March 4 (30 Adar I) SHOP: Fi n d t h e Ju d a i c a y o u n ee d a n d t h at a l o v e d o n e Jerry Friedman, March 7 (16 Adar I) w i l l treasure h ere . David Schneider, March 9 (14 Adar I) Helen Friedman, March 11 (30 Adar I) www.JewishOKC.com Chaya Pinson, March 12 (28 Adar I) CONTACT US: [email protected] Robert Flack, March 13 (10 Adar II) (405) 286-0900 Joyce Friedman, March 16 (9 Adar II) 3000 W Hefner Road, OKC Diana Robinson, March 19 (20 Adar I) Yakov Goldman, March 31 (24 Adar II)

Chabad NONPROFIT ORG. Community U.S. POSTAGE Center PAID OKC, OK for Jewish Life and Learning Permit No. 1197 3000 West Hefner Road Oklahoma City, OK 73120