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CONGREGATION AM HAYAM

4839 Market Street, Unit C, Ventura, Ca. 93003 Phone (805) 644-2899 Fax (805) 644-2887

Website: www.AmHayam.com

From The Rabbi’s Study— June 2017

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HAMIGDALOR

From The Rabbi’s Study— November 2019

The Search for More Abundant Life

One of the distinctive, traditional synagogue practices is the public reading of a portion of the Torah. This is traditionally done no fewer than four times during the ordinary week. When a festival occurs during the week, the Torah is read then, as well.

Perhaps the most joyous festival of all is Simchat Torah, “Rejoicing in the Torah.” On that day (October 22 this year), we read the conclusion of Deuteronomy/ ,דבריםthe end of the Torah; immediately thereafter we begin again the reading of Genesis/ ,בראשיתthe first book of the Torah. Thus the reading of the Torah is never really finished. It continues uninterrupted. And so we have again this new year 5780.

And so does our obligation to study it. We are never relieved of this happy privilege. Perhaps the greatest tribute to continuous Torah study was spoken by a first-century Sage, “Turn it again and again, for everything is in it; contemplate it, grow gray and old over it, and swerve not from it, for there is no greater good.”

Judaism is vitally concerned that we serve G!d with heart, soul, and might. But it has been no less insistent that we serve G!d as well with our minds--with minds that stay open and keep growing.

Someone once quipped that some minds are like concrete: all mixed up and permanently set. As we grow older, it is very tempting to develop a permanent mind set. But minds, like parachutes, are valuable only when open.

To shut the windows of the mind is to court mental and spiritual suffocation. Leonardo da Vinci put it this way: “Learning keeps the soul young and decreases the bitterness of old age.” This calls for a growth mind set, rather than a permanent one, a mind set that thrills to lifelong learning. This calls upon us to never stop going to school, broadening our horizons, and expanding our knowledge.

This is the distinctive Jewish contribution to mental hygiene--the unparalleled emphasis upon study as a process that only death ought to terminate.

The second-century sage Judah bar Ilai deeply impressed a pagan in the marketplace by his radiant face. “This man,” remarked the pagan, “must either be intoxicated or he has just discovered a hidden treasure.” ______________________________________________________

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1. Mishnah, Pirket Avot 5:22. The Sage is Ben Bag Bag, a disciple of Hillel the Elder. He lived in the early Tannaitic period.

2. Often referred to simply as Rabbi Judah, he is the most widely mentioned sage in the Mishnah.

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Rabbi Judah overheard him and responded, “Friend, I do not drink except when I must for ritual purposes. Neither have I found any treasure. I am a poor man.”

“Then what makes your face shine so?”

“That is quite simple,” Rabbi Judah answered, “I study all the time, and the quest for knowledge makes the face of anyone to shine.”

As long as we keep our minds open and alert, as long as we are willing to try a new skill, entertain a new thought, develop a new friend, surrender an old prejudice--so long do we remain vital people, so long do we gain ground and move forward in the search for more abundant life.

Rabbi Sacks

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Message from Brenda Rich

Greetings:

For those of you who missed my appeal speech, it is printed below. For those who were there and have not sent in your pledge, it is printed below. Please, find the CHESED in you and give to CAH.

G’MAR TOV!

WELCOME TO THE YEAR 5780. IT IS GOOD TO SEE ALL YOUR FACES BE-FORE ME, AND MY WISH IS FOR ALL OF US TO BE BLESSED WITH YEARS FILLED WITH GOOD HEALTH AND HAPPY TIMES.

MOST OF YOU HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE. AND FOR OUR NEW FRIENDS, YOU, TOO, KNOW THAT A SYNAGOGUE CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT MONEY. DUES, UNFORTUNATELY, DO NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH FUNDS TO RUN THE SYNAGOGUE. SO I STAND HERE BEFORE YOU TODAY TO ASK FOR YOU TO DELVE DEEP INTO YOUR HEARTS AND POCKETBOOKS AND DONATE AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN TO KEEP CONGREGATION AM HAYAM HERE TO BE YOUR SPIRITUAL HOME--OUR SPIRITUAL HOME.

BUT I AM NOT GOING TO GO INTO MY USUAL APPEAL OF TELLING YOU ALL THE REASONS YOU SHOULD GIVE GENEROUSLY TO AM HAYAM. INSTEAD I AM GOING TO DWELL ON SOMETHING ELSE VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR LIVES AND KEEP TYING IT INTO THE NEED FOR A JEWISH HOME.

RABBI SACKS HAS SPOKEN ABOUT THIS MANY TIMES IN HIS DRASHES. THIS HAS BEEN A HORRIFIC YEAR; BIGOTS AND ANTI-SEMITES HAVE INFLICTED TERRIBLE WOUNDS ON OUR COUNTRY. WHITE SUPREMACISTS AND OTHER HATERS ATTACKED SYNAGOGUES, CHURCHES, MOSQUES, SHOPPING CENTERS, FESTIVALS, AND SCHOOLS IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, SHOWING NO FEAR OR REMORSE.

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I AM NOT HERE TO DISCUSS THE PROS AND CONS OF GUN CONTROL OR THE RIGHT AND LEFT OF POLITICS.

THE PENDANT THAT I AM WEARING TONIGHT HAS THE JEWISH LETTERS THAT SPELL CHESED. ONE OF THE MEANINGS OF CHESED IS KINDNESS, DONE WITHOUT THOUGHT OF REWARD.

BIBLICAL EXAMPLES of CHESED INCLUDE ABRAHAM AND SARAH’s WELCOMING of the THREE STRANGERS, REBECCA OFFERING WATER TO ABRAHAM’S SERVANT, and RUTH SHOWING LOYALTY AND KIND-NESS TO NAOMI. THE PIN SHOWS THE HEART OF KINDNESS, ENACT-ED IN EVER-WIDENING CIRCLES OF GENEROSITY, FROM FAMILY TO THE GREATER WORLD.

The BOOK of PSALMS teaches us: “MAY WE BUILD A WORLD OF KINDNESS.” (PSALM 89:3)

I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT HATE CANNOT ABOLISH HATE. THE TIME for AN EYE FOR AN EYE HAS TO END.

CHESED CAN HELP US ACCOMPLISH THIS, but CHESED NEEDS TO BEGIN WITH US. BUILDING A WORLD OF KINDNESS HAS TO START NOW. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote South Pacific precisely 70 years ago. In it was a groundbreaking song which states, “YOU’VE GOT TO BE CAREFULLY TAUGHT” to HATE.. WELL WHY DON’T WE CAREFULLY START TEACHING NOW TO ACCEPT PEOPLE NO MATTER WHAT THEIR GENDER IS, NO MATTER THEIR POLITICS. SHOW KIND-NESS AND RESPECT TO ALL. STOP HATE!!

Anne Frank WROTE that “in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” We are. We just need to get back to chesed, to kindness.

Anne Frank also offered us THIS when she wrote:

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“How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment, we can start now, start slowly changing the world! How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make their contribution toward introducing jus-tice straightaway... And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!”

I now ask you to do this act of kindness for yourself, for yiddishkeit, for Am HaYam, for the future of Jewish Life in our Ventura area, by opening your hearts wide, taking a card, and turning over a tab. Be-fore you do, please consider turning over a tab that is higher than the one you initially planned. The need is great; we will use your gift wisely.

PLEASE USE THE envelopes on your seats with pledge cards in them, please fold down one or more of the tabs and place your High Holy day ticket in it and hand it to one of our volunteers. If you need a pledge card our volunteers will give you one. If you need to take it home, please send it back to us. I thank you in advance for doing this act of CHESED, of kindness. May we continue to make this our year of kindness.

AFTER I PRINTED MY SPEECH AND HAD IT LOOKED AT BY OUR RABBI I FELT I NEEDED TO ADD THIS.

IT HAPPENED ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF ROSH HASHANAH - MONDAY NIGHT. IT IS A TRUE STORY. A GRANDMOTHER WAS GETTING HER GRANDDAUGHTER READY FOR BED WHEN THE GRANDDAUGHTER ASKED THE GRANDMOTHER HOW OLD ARE YOU. THE GRANDMOTH-ER ANSWERED HER. THEN THE GRANDDAUGHTER ASKED. HOW OLD IS YOUR SISTER?GRANDMOTHER ANSWERED AGAIN. SHE THEN ASKED HER 6 YEAR OLD GRANDDAUGHTER IF YOU CAN TELL ME HOW MUCH OLDER I AM THAN MY SISTER I WILL GIVE YOU $10. THE CHILD THOUGHT A MOMENT AND THEN SAID 3 YEARS. THE ASTONISHED

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GRANDMOTHER GAVE $10 SINGLES TO THE CHILD. THE GRAND-DAUGHTER WAS WIDE-EYED AND GIGGLING AND CLUTCHING HER MONEY. THAN THIS 6 YEAR OLD CHILD, TURNED TO HER GRAND-MOTHER AND GAVE HER BACK $5 SINGLES AND SAID TO HER PLEASE GIVE THIS TO THE TEMPLE SO THEY CAN USE IT GIVE TO THOSE WHO ARE HUNGRY. 6 YEARS OLD!! THE GRANDMOTHER IS MY SISTER, ROZ RESNICK. THE GRANDDAUGHTER IS MY GRAND NIECE, ELLA RESNICK. 6 YEARS OLD AND SHE IS FULL OF CHESED.

G’mar Chatimah Tovah.

CAH THANKS YOU

On behalf of CAH, I want to thank all of you who voluntarily contributed to CAH by giving extra money above their dues and not part of their donation for our Yom Kippur appeal:

Betty & Neal Abramson

Bob Berman

Sydell & Bernie Bubman

Neill Fingerhut

Stephen Goch

Eva Lowe

Judy Margolis

Ruth Resnick

Arnold & Brenda Rich

Miriam Rubinstein

Martha Zoloth

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During the month of November there will be sessions of Mondays

With Mort at the home of Eva Lowe at 10:30 AM every Monday .

Everyone is invited to join us as we continue the Book of Beraishit

(Genesis). Please email me and Eva Lowe if you are planning to

attend any session and if you need her address.

Question of the Month:

Who was born circumcised?

The answer can be found at http://www.mondayswithmort.com/

doyouknow.htm, Also be sure to check out the entire Mondays with

Mort web site at http://www.mondayswithmort.com and the CAH

web site at www.amhayam.com .

Mort

Mondays with Mort

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In Honor Of

Ruth Resnick IMO Fran Lande's cat, Will

In Memory Of

Ruth Resnick IMO Cousin of Steven Karash & Shadow

Roz & Mort Resnick IHO Fil Barton

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Apples and Honey Thanks

This is the sixth year we have started Rosh Hashanah with our Apples & Honey bags. It now seems like a real part of the holiday to me. I hope it seems like a part of your holiday experience as well. Brenda, Fran and I hope everyone enjoyed your Apples & Honey bags and wish you all a sweet year.

We extend a special thanks to Michael Boyko of the Reardon Funeral Home for supplying us with calendars and to Eva Lowe for funding our supply of apples.

We appreciate so much our members and friends of CAH who participate and make this a success..

Betty & Neal Abramson Rico Mandel

Fil Barton Andrea Massion

Bob Berman Linda Nelson

Alma Boronkay Judye & Rick Newberger

Sydell & Bernie Bubman Roz & Mort Resnick

Toba Burg Ruth Resnick

Sue Cohen Brenda & Arnie Rich

Arlene & Jerry Davis Yulma Rodarte

Stephen Goch Bev Rosen

Marc Goldman Rabbi JB & Steven Karash

Donna Gustafson Freya & Allan Teplinsky

Lois Lebman Norma Van Riper

Eva Lowe Karen & Josh Willis

Miriam & Darryl Mack

Ruthy Resnick

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CONGREGATION AM HAYAM

SIGNIFICANT JEWISH BOOK CLUB

5780/2019-2020

NOVEMBER 16: On The Landing: Short Stories by Yenta Mash

Yenta Mash (1922-2013) traces social and personal changes across the phases of a woman’s life. Her characters are often “on the landing”--on their way to or from somewhere else. On the Landing invites us to join a woman making her way through her ruined hometown in south-eastern Europe; women prisoners inside the fearsome Soviet gulag in Siberia; the Jewish community rebuilding itself in postwar Soviet Moldova; and refugees struggling to find their place in Israel. Available for the first time in English, her work is urgently relevant today as displaced people seek refuge across the globe.

JANUARY 18: Modern Conservative Judaism: Evolving Thought and Practice by Elliot N. Dorff A beloved Conservative Jewish leader, Elliot N. Dorff provides a personal, behind-the-scenes guide to the evolution of Conservative Jewish thought and practice. His candid observations shed light on the sometimes unified, sometimes diverse, and occasionally contentious reason-ing behind our modern movement’s most important laws and policies. Here he has assembled the key documents of modern Conservative Judaism in one place, enabling readers to consid-er and compare them all in context.

MARCH 21: Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler

The Spanish Inquisition forced many Jews to flee the country. The most adventurous among them took to the high seas as freewheeling outlaws. In ships bearing names such as Prophet Samuel, Queen Esther, and Shield of Abraham, they attacked and plundered the Spanish fleet while forming alliances with other European powers to ensure the safety of Jews living in hid-ing. Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean is the entertaining saga of a hidden chapter in Jewish his-tory, and of the cruelty, terror, and greed that flourished during the Age of Discovery.

MAY 16: The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather

***listed on The Sunday Times best books of 2019 so far*** In the summer of 1940, after the Nazi occupation of Poland, an underground operative called Witold Pilecki accepted a mission to uncover the fate of thousands of people being interred at a new concentration camp on the border of the Reich. His mission was to report on Nazi crimes and raise a secret army to stage an uprising. The name of the detention centre--Auschwitz. This is the first major account to draw on unpublished family papers, newly re-leased archival documents and exclusive interviews with surviving resistance fighters. Learn about this unsung hero of WWII.

These books can be purchased at Amazon.com , of course, using CAH’s Amazon Smile, or at other bookstores. For more information please contact Fran Lande at fblande@gmail.com, and watch for news in our monthly Migdalor!

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ORDERING MEMORIAL WALL PLAQUES

Jewish tradition sees memory as a sacred act, allowing us to be inspired by the good

in a loved one’s life and live more fully in our own days. A yahrzeit plaque allows for

a permanent remembrance of a loved one, ensuring that his or her name will be

recalled in perpetuity in our congregation. It is very meaningful to see the memorial

plaque of your loved one on the High Holy Days, especially at the Yom Kippur Yizkor

(Remembrance) service, on the Shabbat close to the yahrzeit, and at other special

moments (including Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot Yizkor services).

Our current main board is now filled with the names of loved ones. However, now

thanks to the generous donation of Lois Lebman, we have two side panels. One of

the panels is dedicated to the memory of Sandy Lebman, Lois’ beloved husband,

while the other panel is dedicated to Sherry Horwitz, Lois’ beloved daughter.

Ordering a plaque is a wonderful way to pay tribute to that special person or persons

of blessed memory.

The current cost of ordering a bronze plaque for the memorial wall is $360.00 per

name. If you would like to order two plaques now, the cost will be $330.00 per name.

For 3 or more plaques the cost is $300.00 per name.

Thank you for considering doing this for your loved ones. Their lives will be

remembered and will be an inspiration to many.

Sincerely,

Brenda Rich

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November Birthdays

November Anniversaries

NO ANNIVERSARIES

Jerry Davis 11

Janice Aharon-Ezer 15

Fil Barton 25

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SIGNIFICANT BOOK CLUB BEGINS A NEW YEAR!

The first book we will read is On The Landing: Stories by Yenta Mash, translated by Ellen Cassedy. Yiddish literary history is still growing and what we know about it has been shaped by the 1950’s translation project of American Jewish male writers, like Irving Howe and Eliezer Green-berg. They focused on prose fiction mainly written by men, which is only a portion of Yiddish output. Ellen Cassedy has changed the focus by translating Yiddish prose authored by women writers.

In On the Landing, she has translated the works of Yenta Mash, an Israeli-Yiddish writer with her origins in Moldavia. This work has largely been unknown in the U. S. until now. This region was decimated by Soviet, Romanian and German troops in World War II.Her stories describe life under the Soviet occupation and then the experiences of the Bessarabian Jewish community displaced in various countries, including the Soviet Union, North America and Israel. The main character is said to be based on Mash’s own life experiences. She describes the disruptive effects of the deportation of Moldavian Jewry and the lasting effects on the generations to follow.

The stories can also stand alone. Fran will be copying two stories that you can pick up at Shabbat services on November 1 or November 2 or ask to be emailed to you. If you can, you are also encouraged to read the entire book, which can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or your favorite place to buy books.

We will be discussing the book on Saturday, November 16, 2019 after services. Once again, we will get food from the Kiddush and then discuss this important time in history. You can participate in the discussion, even if you are not able to attend services.

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Fran Lande,

Adult Education Vice-President, at fblande@gmail.com.

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Get Well

Norma Van Riper

Mort Resnick

Dianne Ruthman

Ann Sperber

Herb Stein

Lee Rothschild

Beth Morales

Betty Abramson

Lois Lebman

Fil Barton

Andrea Massion

Bob Packer

Sheila Myles

Gail Packer

Irv Jacobs

Arnie Rich

Nancy Stein

Donna Gustafson

Isaac Javier Masnicoff

Judye Newberger

Steven Karash

Eva Lowe

Norma Van Riper

Mort Resnick

Dianne Ruthman

Ann Sperber

Herb Stein

Lee Rothschild

Beth Morales

Betty Abramson

Lois Lebman

Fil Barton

Margaret Martinez

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*Inscribed on Memorial Wall

Friday, November 1

Rose Sabath, Mother of Gail Packer

*Hyman Paper, Father of Marcia Perlmutter

Harry Krepon, Uncle of Mort Resnick

Matilda Klein, Mother of Lee Rothschild

Donald Newman, Brother-In-Law of Lois Lebman

Chaim Ruchelsman, Cousin-In-Law of Lois Lebman

Friday, November 15

*William Hornick, Father of Tina Gustavson & Deanna Marenstein

*Rose Kupperman, Mother of Mark Kupperman

*Philip Leventhal, Father of Moe Leventhal z'l

Sylvia Fogel, Grandmother of Myra Matlin

*Sally Resnick, Mother of Mort & Roz Resnick and

Mother-In-Law of Ruth Resnick

*Irene Rich, Mother of Arnold Rich

Rachel Wiener, Mother of Norma Van Riper

This month’s Yahrzeit list is not complete as the old Yahrzeit program that was being used

crashed and our new program which will take care of all the discrepancies is not updated.

Brenda Rich

YAHRZEIT

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November 2019

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 5:46p

Candle lighting

Services

8 p m

2 SERVICES

10AM

Shabbat Ends

6:41PM

3

4

MONDAYS WITH MORT

WILL BE HELD AT THE

HOME OF EVA LOWE 10:30am

5 6 7 8 4:40p

Candle

lighting

9 Shabbat Ends

5:36PM

10 11 Veterans Day

Happy

Birthday

Jerry Davis

MONDAYS WITH MORT

WILL BE HELD AT THE HOME OF EVA LOWE

10:30am

12 13 14 15 4:35p

Candle lighting

Services

8 p m

Happy

Birthday

Janice

Aharon-Ezer

16 SERVICES

10AM

Book Club

Discussion

Shabbat Ends

5:32PM

17 Ritual

Meeting 10AM Board

Meeting 11 AM home of Brenda & Arnie Rich

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MONDAYS WITH MORT

WILL BE HELD AT THE HOME OF EVA LOWE

10:30am

19 20 21 22 4:31p

Candle

lighting

23 Shabbat Ends

5:29PM

24 25 Happy

Birthday

Fil Barton

MONDAYS WITH MORT

WILL BE HELD AT THE HOME OF EVA LOWE

10:30am

26 27 28 Thanksgiving

Day

29 4:29p

Candle

lighting

30 Shabbat Ends

5:28PM

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Rabbi J. B. Sacks

jsacks@dths.org———phone#323-387-0096

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT Brenda Rich

brenda.bashful16@gmail.com

phone#-805-469-0268

VICE-PRESIDENT—

TREASURER- Lois Lebman

SECRETARY - Donna Gustafson

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY-Ruth Resnick

WAYS & MEANS VP - Marc Goldman

MEMBERSHIP VP - Miriam Mack

RITUAL VP - Roz Resnick

HOUSING VP - Neal Abramson

IMMEDIATE PAST PRES - Brenda Rich

ADULT EDUCATION VP - Fran Lande

DIRECTORS—Betty Abramson,

Andrea Massion

PAST PRESIDENTS

Mort Resnick

Arnie Fingerhut z’l

Jerry Ruthman z'l

Peter Shack z'l

Brenda Rich

OUR VOLUNTEERS

Kiddushim - Brenda Rich

Oneg Shabbat -Fil Barton

Librarian -- Donna Gustafson

Programming

Tributes — Lois Lebman

Telephone

Purchasing — Ruth Resnick

Yahrzeits — Bev Rosen

Migdalor— Bev Rosen

Sunshine

Webmaster—Mort Resnick

Publicity