October 2018 Tishrei/ Cheshvan 5779

JCC FOCUS Jewish Community Center

of Corpus Christi

President - Iris Lehrman

Vice President - Renee Solomon

2nd Vice President - Gary Blum

Secretary - Kari Oshman Rhodes

Treasurer - Matt Adler

Parliamentarian - Carla De Pena

Pres. Appointee - Lois Blum

Pres. Appointee - Linda Snider

Pres. Appointee -Jaron Sela

Board Member - Marcus Lozano

Board Member - Heather Loeb

Board Member - Vincent Muscarello

Board Member - Brittany Sandbach

Board Member - Kristen Erdmann

JCC Director - Norma Levens

JCC Rabbi - Rabbi Roseman

JCC Preschool - Manuela Sela

CBI Rabbi - Rabbi Emanuel

CBI - Leslie Levy

Sisterhood - Jackie Franklin

CJA - Nedra Lockhart

2017-2018 Board of Directors

Board Meeting TBA

Congregation Beth Israel Rabbi Ilan Emanuel

4402 Saratoga Blvd. (361) 857-8181

bethisraelcc.com

President: Jim Gold

Jewish Organizations in Corpus Christi

Combined Jewish Appeal (361) 855-6239

President: Nedra Lockhart

Assistant: Norma Levens

Chabad Coastal Bend Rabbi Naftoli Schmukler

4855 S. Alameda St., Suite 108

(361) 500-2173

chabadcorpus.org

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Jewish Community Council of Corpus Christi

A BIG Thank you to Kathy and David Hirschman! They graciously donated this beautiful piece of artwork named “The City of Haifa” to the JCC! If you are in our

neighborhood, come by and see in it person, it looks amazing!

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Patrons Chris & Robert Adler

Vincent & Shirley Muscarello

Susser Family Foundation

Members Marcia Marks

Susan & Bill Martin

Mary K. Mauel

Amanda & Howard Mintz

Amy & Sean Mintz

Theresa & Abraham Moss

Louis Needleman (MD)

Deborah & Scot Oshman

Kari (Oshman) & Scott Rhodes

Phyllis & Rabbi Kenneth Roseman

Ruthie & Tzachi Samocha (PhD)

Hilda & Charles Schechter

Rebecca & Maurice Schmidt

Barb & Chip Schwamb

Manuela & Jaron Sela

Nina Shannon

Linda & Dean Snider

Renee Solomon

Carol Solovey

Marlene & Jack Super

Elizabeth & Jerry Susser

Pat & Sam J. Susser

Phillis Weissman

Helen Wilk

Sue Williams

Mille Zalim

Sustainers Jaki & Richard Hausman

Annette & Melvyn Klein

Laurie & Michael Mintz (MD)

Toby Shor

Angels Annette & Jim Cottingham (MD)

Ginger & Richard Harris

Beatrice Hinojosa

Carol & Sammy Kins

Rona & L. A. Train Members

Randall Berry

Lois & Gary Blum DDS

Jeanne & Mac Brenz

Carla De Pena

Elizabeth Falk

Carol & Don Feferman

Roz & Ron Ferrell (DDS)

Jacqueline Franklin

Susan & Myron Grossman

Patricia & Robert Harris

Marian (Sussman (MD)) & Michael Hiatt

Barbara (Samuels) & Sam Horner

Ruth Josephs

Karen & Harold Kane

Ruth Kane

Fifi Kieschnick

Jeri Kolpack

Amy & David Krams

Chris & Carl Kuehn

Iris & Andy Lehrman

Bobbie & Len Leshin

Norma Levens

Leslie & Carl Levy

Nedra Lockhart

Gail Gleimer Loeb

Heather & David Loeb

Kenneth Maltz

2018 Jewish Community Center Members

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In this second essay on what we might call “The Impact of History on Modern Judaism,” I want to emphasize the period between the arrival of the first Jews in New Amsterdam (1654) and the Civil War (1860). It was during these two centuries that American Jews took the intel-lectual trends that we learned about in last month’s essay and created a distinctively American movement, Reform Judaism. By the time of the American Revolution (1776), there were perhaps 2500 Jews living in six cities in British North America: Montreal, Newport RI, New York, Philadelphia, Charleston SC and Savannah GA. Occasional individual Jews and their families lived up to fifty miles away from these hubs, but synagogues and all other services were located only in the cities. A Jewish farmer might attempt to slaughter a chicken or a cow according to kosher practice, but if he

needed a shochet, he had to go into town – and even then the quality of the service could not always be guaranteed. Feist Bachman was the only mohel in the Philadelphia region, so a new-born son might have to wait for a bris until he could be located. During the High Holydays and Pesach, Jews who lived in the outskirts usually closed their business-es and moved into town for the duration. It was not easy being a traditional Jew in the colonies or during the early decades of American independence. And the farther west one migrated, the harder it became. By the 1820s, New York finally saw the creation of the first Ashkenazi synagogue, to complement Sephardic Shearith Israel. It was the only city with two shuls. The more significant development, however, was the emergence of Jewish communities west of the Appalachians. Due to its strategic location at the juncture of the Ohio River and two trails that crossed the mountains, Cincinnati grew as “The Queen City of the West.” Smaller Jewish settlements emerged along the southern shores of the Great Lakes and across the Gulf Coast from the panhandle of Florida to Galveston. None of these cities had any Jewish professionals; their often-makeshift synagogue worship was led by the most knowledgeable layman; and all other services (with the exception of a cemetery) were either unavailable or very sporadic. Under such circumstances, Jews were forced to make choices. If they wanted to strike out into the American West, clearly it would be impossible to remain Orthodox. Economic and social opportunity would need to be traded-off against traditional Jewish life-style. Of course, even leaving Europe during these early years was a statement of flexibility. If someone wanted to remain strictly Orthodox, he/she would likely remain in Europe and sacrifice the benefits that others found in the New World. The Jews who found themselves on these shores were as faithful as they could be to their identity, but they were already a self-selected sample of migrants who understood what com-ing here might entail. The form of Judaism they created and which became during these years “American Judaism” addressed two basic questions. First, they asked how they could preserve the basic values, ethics and morality of their heritage while yet ac-commodating the realities of their new-found circumstances. If you recall our earlier discussion of experimentation and the search for individualized solutions, you can easily understand that Reform Judaism in America took a wide variety of forms. What worked in Boise Idaho was not necessarily going to make sense in south Texas, and what might be effective in Vicksburg would not likely be suitable for Denver or San Francisco. What emerged, then, was more a process for finding a new and sometimes-changing liberal Jewish synthesis rather than a single style that suit-ed everyone. Their second quest was to be Jewish in a way that their non-Jewish neighbors could understand and respect. Their solution was to define what they adopted as a religion, rather than the encompassing culture or civilization that they had left in Europe. They strived to convince themselves and their neighbors that being Jewish was the same as being Baptist or Episcopalian or Methodist, a participant in a religious denomination, but without nationalism. With the exception of unusual characters, like Mordecai Manuel Noah, the idea of Zionism was for these immigrants an ephemeral dream. For them, “American is our Zion,” but this was hardly a sacrifice, since the Ottomans controlled Palestine and there was virtually no hope of establishing even a thriving Jewish community. With the adoption of the twin ideologies of experimentation and individualism that they had learned in Eu-rope, Jews in pre-Civil War America were able to remain proudly Jewish. By 1860, there were roughly 150,000 of us in this country, spread very widely across the land.

Rabbi Roseman’s Corner

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William Bill Baum William "Bill" Baum passed away peacefully on September 16, 2018 at the age of 83. He was born in Houston, Texas on December 18, 1934 to Michael and Evelyn Baum. He was the oldest of five children. Bill was a veteran of the United States Army. He was the owner of Bill Baum Furniture in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was a longtime member of Bnai Brith and Houston Westbury Lions Club. Bill had a great love for his family, friends, good food and great company. Bill was never without a story or a joke to make you laugh. He will always be remembered for his sense of humor, his art and his poems. Bill was a loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. He was fortunate to have two loving wives in his lifetime, Penny Tolman Baum and Libby Lieberman. He was the brother of Carolyn (Danny) Klaff,

Gary Baum (Michelle), Harvey Baum, Ellen (Barry) Croft. The father of Holly (Greg) Emery, Wendy Hefley and Pamela Simon. His niece Angela (Ivor) Segal was like another daughter to him. Bill was blessed to have many grandchildren, great-children, nieces and nephews. He will be dearly missed by all who loved him.

Happy Birthday To Our Friends!

1st Toby Shor 14th Beatrice Hinojosa

2nd Kenneth Maltz 16th Chris Molite

3rd Marilyn Bein 16th Judith Prewitt

5th Greg Silverman 18th Marian Sussman

5th Rachel Lebowitz 19th Evelyn Greenberg

6th Randall Zane 29th Josh Hopkins

13th Matt Adler 29th Ron Ferrell

13th Pamela Zane 31st Edith Rubin

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By: MJL Reference: myjewishlearning.com

Shemini Atzeret / Simchat

Torah 101 The two holidays at the conclusion of Sukkot.

Coming at the conclusion of Sukkot are the two holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. In Israeland among liberal Jews they are combined into one holiday on the day after the conclusion of Sukkot. Among more traditional Jews outside of Israel, they are observed separately from one another on two consecutive days. Shemini Atzeret means the “Eighth Day of Assembly,” while Simchat Torah means “Rejoicing in Torah.”

Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah History

Shemini Atzeret is mentioned in the Bible, but its exact function is unclear. In Second Temple times, it appears to have been a day devoted to the ritual cleansing of the altar in the Temple. With the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, this function of the day became obsolete. Although it marks the beginning of the rainy season in Israel and, therefore includes the year’s first prayer for rain, its lack of clear definition may have provided the impetus to celebrate it in conjunction with Simchat Torah, a celebration of the conclusion of one and the beginning of another annual cycle of readings from the Torah. This latter holiday probably originated during the medieval period.

Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah At Home

Unlike many other holidays, the observance of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are centered in the synagogue and community. On Shemini Atzeret, some still eat in the sukkah (the traditional hut associated with the festival of Sukkot), but in contrast to Sukkot no blessings are associated with that activity.

Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah in the Community

Beginning on Shemini Atzeret and lasting until Pesach (Passover), a short prayer for rain is inserted into the second blessing of the Amidah Prayer. It is traditional to include the Yizkor, or memorial service, as part of the liturgy for this day. Simchat Torah is characterized by joyful dancing with the Torah. The final portion of the Book of Deuteronomy is read in the synagogue followed by the beginning of the Book of Genesis. In this manner, the annual cycle of Torah readings continues un-broken.

Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah Theology and Themes

While Shemini Atzeret’s significance is somewhat unclear, Simchat Torah conveys a clear message about the centrality of Torah in Jewish life. It is both a source of Jewish identity and a precious gift from G-d. Simchat Torah is the day on which the whole community gathers to come into direct contact with the Torah and to express our joy in having received it.

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Reading The Story of Creation on Simchat Torah The second Torah reading for Simchat Torah

Upon concluding the reading of the Torah on Simchat Torah, the process is immediately begun again. As the first reading physically concluded the Torah, the second reading starts in the beginning- both physically and literally.

1:1. When G-d began to create the heaven and the earth-

1:2. the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from G-d sweeping over the water-

1:3. G-d said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

1:4. G-d saw that the light was good, and G-d separated the light from the darkness.

1:5. G-d called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.

1:6. G-d said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, that it may separate water from water.”

1:7. G-d made the expanse, and it separated the water which was below the expanse from the water which was above the expanse. And it was so.

1:8. G-d called the expanse Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

1:9. G-d said, “Let the water below the sky be gathered into one area, that the dry land may appear.” And it was so.

1:10. G-d called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of waters He called Seas. And G-d saw that this was good.

1:11. And G-d said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so.

1:12. The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And G-d saw that this was good.

1:13. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

1:14. G-d said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night; they shall serve as signs for the set times- the days and the years;

1:15. and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so.

1:16. G-d made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night, and the stars.

1:17. And G-d set them in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth,

1:18. to dominate the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And G-d saw that this was good.

1:19. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

1:20. G-d said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and birds that fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”

1:21. G-d created the great sea monsters, and all the living creatures of every kind that creep, which the waters brought forth in swarms; and all the winged birds of every kind. And G-d saw that this was good.

1:22. G-d blessed them, saying, “Be fertile and increase, fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

1:23. And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

1:24. G-d said, “Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: cattle, creeping things, and wild beasts of every kind.” And it was so.

1:25. G-d made wild beasts of every kind and cattle of every kind, and all kinds of creeping things of the earth. And G-d saw that this was good.

1:26. And G-d said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.”

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1:27. And G-d created man in His image, in the image of G-d He created him; male and female He created them.

1:28. G-d blessed them and G-d said to them, “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth.”

1:29. G-d said, “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food.

1:30. And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creeps on earth, in which there is the breath of life, [I give] all the green plants for food.” And it was so.

1:31. And G-d saw all that He had made, and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

2:1. The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array.

2:2. On the seventh day G-d finished the work which He had been doing, and He ceased on the seventh day from all the work which He had done.

2:3. And G-d blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it G-d ceased from all the work of creation which He had done.

By: MJL Reference: myjewishlearning.com

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17

18 19 20

21 22 23 24

25 26 27

28 29 30 31

CBI Services @ 9 a.m. Torah Study @ 11 a.m.

18 Cheshvan

4 Cheshvan

27 Tishrei

CBI Services @9 a.m.

Torah Study @ 11 a.m.

28 Tishrei 30 Tishrei 1 Cheshvan 2 Cheshvan 3 Cheshvan

5 Cheshvan 6 Cheshvan 7 Cheshvan 8 Cheshvan 9 Cheshvan 10 Cheshvan

12 Cheshvan 13 Cheshvan 14 Cheshvan 15 Cheshvan 16 Cheshvan 17 Cheshvan

29 Tishrei

CBI Shabbat Services @ 6:30 p.m.

CBI Services @ 9 a.m. Torah Study @ 11 a.m.

CBI Services @ 9 a.m. Torah Study @ 11 a.m.

CBI Shabbat Services @ 6:30 p.m.

19 Cheshvan 20 Cheshvan

Shabbat ends

7:45 p.m.

Shabbat begins

6:45 p.m.

Shabbat begins

6:38 p.m.

Shabbat ends

7:31 p.m. 11 Cheshvan

Shabbat begins

6:32 p.m.

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CBI Shabbat Services @ 6:30 p.m.

Shabbat ends

7:25 p.m.

Shabbat ends

7:37 p.m.

JCC Community Calendar October 2018 Tishrei/Cheshvan 5779

21 Cheshvan

CBI Shabbat Services @ 6:30 p.m.

Shabbat begins

6:53 p.m.

22 Cheshvan

26 Tishrei 25 Tishrei 24 Tishrei

Simchat Torah JCC Office/

Preschool Closed

Shemini Atzeret JCC Office/

Preschool Closed

23 Tishrei 22 Tishrei

Candle lighting

7:50 p.m.

Holiday ends

7:49 p.m.

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For more information on the JCC Preschool or The JCC Summer Program Please contact: Manuela Sela, JCC Director at (361) 855-6239 or

Email: jewishcommunitypreschool@yahoo.com

Dear parents,

Now the Jewish High Holiday are over we are spending more time on school activities. We have an agenda full fun thing this month. Please mark your calendar for Our annual JCC open house where we show your child’s work and progress, for our first PTO Dance party and we have picture day coming up! We are still in the need of sponsors for our PTO Dance party. If you would like to sponsor this fundraiser event, please let us know. All the money we make will go directly back into our preschool. I hope to see you all during the PTO dance party and JCC’s Open House.

Warm regards, Manuela Sela JCC Preschool Director

Important Dates:

Thurs., October 11: JCC Open House 5.00 - 6.00 pm Thurs., October 18: JCC Dance Party Hosted by the PTO Tues. & Wed., October 30 & 31: Individual & Sibling Pictures.

AGES 15 MONTHS TO KINDERGARTEN

A Note From...

JCC The Place To Be!

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Shabbat and Mitzvahs

Happy Birthday!

October 2nd Christine Rodriguez (Spanish/Computer Teacher)

October 10th Grace Marez (Pre K 2 Teacher)

October 12th Rebecca Tijerina (ECH 1 Assistant Teacher)

October 15th Cristi Poole (Kinder Teacher)

October 25th Nora Gutierrez Perez (Jr. K 2 Teacher)

October 26th Diana Ruiz (Pre K 2 Assistant Teacher)

Important Dates to Remember!

Monday, October 1st Shemini Atzeret (JCC School/JCC Office Closed/Holiday Care Open)

Tuesday, October 2nd Simchat Torah (JCC School/JCC Office Closed/Holiday Care Open)

Thursday, October 11th JCC Open House 5:00pm-6:00pm

Thursday, October 18th JCC PTO Dance Party (time to be announced)

Thursday, Sept. 27th PTO Meeting at 6:00pm in boardroom

Tues., Oct. 30th/ Wed., Oct. 31st Fall individual picture & sibling pictures

Oct. 1st - Shemini Atzeret - JCC School & JCC Office will be closed/ Holiday care will be open Oct. 2nd - Simchat Torah - JCC School & JCC Office will be closed/ Holiday care will be open

Oct. 11th - JCC Open House. Oct. 18th - JCC Dance Party hosted by PTO.

Oct. 27th - PTO Meeting Oct. 30th - Fall pictures

October 5th ……….. …..Shabbat 9:00am/ Mitzvah Ms. Barbara “Safety” October 12th ……….. …Shabbat 9:00am/ Mitzvah Ms. Barbara “Safety” October 19th ……….. ….Shabbat 9:00am/ Mitzvah Ms. Dezarai “Tolerance” October 26th …………...Shabbat 9:00am/ Mitzvah Ms. Dezarai “Tolerance”

750 Everhart Rd.

Corpus Christi, TX 78411

(361) 855-6239

jcccorpuschristi.org

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2018 Membership January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018