KOL T.O.L. The “Voice of the Tree of Life”

July 2019 / Sivan- Tammuz 5779

Shabbat Worship Services

Fri., July 5 7:30pm Shabbat Evening Service Parshat Korach Numbers 16:1-18:32

Fri., July 12 6:30pm Shabbat Evening Service

Sat., July 13 10:30am Shabbat Morning Service Parshat Chukat Numbers 19:1-22:1

Fri., July 19 7:30pm Shabbat Evening Service Parshat Balak Numbers 22:2-25:9

Fri., July 26 7:30pm Shabbat Evening Service Parshat Pinchas Numbers 25:10-30:1

From the President/Rabbi 2-3 Education Director/TOL in Action 4-5 Community Events 6-9 TOL Celebrates 10 Yahrzeits/Oneg 11 This Month’s Calendar 12 Contributions 13

Pg. 2 KOL T.O.L. From the Board President

Inside this Issue

Tree of Life Congregation, I am humbled to begin my service as your president just as TOL welcomes Rabbi Sabine Meyer. Working in sacred partnership with Rabbi Meyer, I am hopeful that our kehillah kedoshah – sacred community – will grow stronger in every way.

Bruce Miller leaves big shoes to fill and I am grateful to him for his leadership in so many areas, most especially fiscal responsibility and personal warmth and caring. Please join me in thanking him for his dedicated service to TOL over the past two years.

As I think you know, we are in the midst of TOL’s “New Way of Giving Campaign” to ensure the financial well-being of the congregation, including care of our “mature” physical plant. I, along with members of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors, thank you for your generosity as you pledge “from the heart” to support the home of Reform Judaism in the Midlands.

Stay safe and cool and enjoy the summer!

Shalom!

Jessica Elfenbein

KOL T.O.L. Pg. 3 From the Rabbi

Dear All, “I like your necklace,” said the young barista. “It’s a blessing in Hebrew, the Priestly Benediction,” I replied. “What does it say?” he asked. “May the Eternal bless you and protect you, may the Eternal deal kindly and graciously with you, may the Eternal bestow favor upon you and grant you peace!” He finished preparing my latte and, without missing a beat, responded, “How beautiful, Shabbat shalom!” It was my first Shabbat in Columbia, and coincidentally the week during which we read Torah portion Nasso – the reading that contains the Priestly Benediction.

Sometimes connections are made in the unlikeliest of places; and this chance encounter of the new rabbi in town and the Cottontown barista reminded me of God’s presence in our lives. It was a beautiful, yet unexpected, welcome to my new community. It also made me realize that here in Columbia, there is none of the relative anonymity afforded by a big metropolis like Los Angeles. Whether I buy my morning latte or make a hospital visit, enjoy an evening stroll along the river with my dogs or teach an afternoon class at the Tree of Life: I will bring my entire being to the sacred service of the community and God: erudition and shortcomings, wisdom and imperfections, leadership and defects – wholeness, both positive and negative. No piece will be left invisible. Just a couple of weeks ago I was getting ready for my road trip from Southern California to South Carolina. At the same time, on the Shabbat before Shavuot, we began our reading of the Book of Numbers. What an auspicious time to start my journey to a new life and a new community! In the Torah, the Israelites are preparing for their journey to the Promised Land with a census of the nation and the arrangement of the camp. Jewish tradition as established by our Rabbinic sages prefers to call the book Sefer Bemidbar, “Wilderness” instead of “Numbers.” It is a fitting term for a book that deals with liminal spaces, those in-between moments of ambiguity in which we find ourselves during major life transitions. The escape from slavery lands the Israelites in the desert, a wilderness of unfamiliar locations and utter disorientation. In this radically new environment, they encounter God and accept Torah. In our own lives, wilderness – real or metaphorical - is a place of solitude. Here we can pause, reflect, evaluate, find our bearings, and the strength to continue life’s journey. For the Israelites, the Exodus alone leads nowhere. It is not until they face the wilderness that they become the people chosen by God. Similarly, in our own life journeys, the destination is not our only goal. There are discoveries and connections we would not make if we did not set out on the road and opened ourselves up to new experiences and people. Hineni – here I am after my long journey! I am excited to join the Tree of Life community and the Jewish community of Columbia. Already I have been blessed by the kindness and support of so many congregants during my search for a home, my cross-country move, and now, helping me and the dogs getting settled in our new neighborhood. A heartfelt thank you – todah rabbah to all of you! I look forward to meeting y’all, getting to know you, listening to you, and being your rabbi and teacher. Look for me at the temple office, on the Riverfront Walk, or the local coffee shop. I’m sure Matthew, the young barista, will be happy to greet you, too! I hope to be able to light a spark in the community to encourage Jewish commitment and learning, inspire you with lessons of Torah, and strengthen the Tree of Life community. Please keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of our first adult education program: A mini-class, “ Haftarot of Destruction and Consolation” will explore the prophetic readings preceding our national day of mourning, Tisha b’Av, and continue with a study of the “consolation” readings from Isaiah as spiritual preparation for the High Holy Days. It will meet on Sunday afternoons starting in early August, exact time/dates TBA. I hope you will be able to join us! With love and shalom, Rabbi Sabine Meyer, Ph.D.

Pg. 4 KOL T.O.L. From the Education Director

One of the few guarantees in life is that it is full of changes and transitions. Our school as well as our entire community is in the midst of such a period of change. We need only to look to our ancestors as they traveled through the desert after the Exodus from Egypt to understand how challenging such changes can be. We are now reading from the book of Numbers, full of stories of kvetching and complaining from people who had experienced the change of leaving Egypt but were still undergoing the transition of altering their mindset from slavery to freedom. Ultimately, time and the promise of good things to come provided the impetus for our ancestors to complete the transition, the internal companion to the change they had experienced.

When school opens and as it progresses, our students and families will be thrust into a somewhat less dramatic period of change. Much about our school will be the same, but there will be new faces and familiar faces in different roles along with some exciting changes, but changes nonetheless. I am delighted to share the news that we have received a generous allocation from the Columbia Jewish Federation that will allow us to offer family education programs for each class through the year. In addition, the allocation will allow us to upgrade some of our technology and make even more use of our iPads that a previous Federation allocation enabled us to purchase. Hopefully, these additional program assets will make transition more appealing. More details will be forthcoming so stay tuned.

I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer. Please stay safe and watch the variety of TOL communication for an announcement that school registration is open. -Dr. Laura Kagan

KOL T .O.L. TOL in Action Pg. 5 Brotherhood

WRJ/Sisterhood

House & Grounds Committee

We look forward to upcoming events in the new fiscal year.

Stay tuned for details!

Happy July!

We are planning for the new fiscal year,

stay tuned!

Caring Committee

The Caring Committee is here to provide meals and other support to our members when they need help. If you are in need of assistance or would like to join our “army of volunteers”, please contact either Annette Goldstein or the Rabbis. One volunteer need not do all! You can sign up to prepare all or part of a meal or to deliver. You can pick up food rather than cook! Your donations to support this endeavor are graciously welcomed.

Happy vacation season! Not much news this month. Our sister congregation in Sumter hosted a WRJ Area Day on June 23rd, inviting Sisterhoods from this region to exchange ideas, insights, and activities. It was a great opportunity to hear about the resources that the national WRJ organization has to offer, and to get to know our sisters outside of Tree of Life. Otherwise we are starting to plan out the new fiscal year, so stay tuned!

Pg. 6 KOL T.O.L. Community Events

Additional GOLD LEVEL

Anne and Alan Reyner First Community Bank

Coastal Carolina National Bank

KOL T.O.L. Pg. 7

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KOL T.O.L. Pg. 9 Save the Date

July 1 July 3 July 4 July 5 July 6 July 7

Benjamin Iskhakov

Nora Feinstein

Lois Gibson Barbara Rast

John D Baker Frank Baker

Pearl Glavey LA Miller

Laura Litwer Randi Numbers

July 8 July 10 July 11 July 12 July 13 July 14

Alan Carr Adam Firetag

Steven Grosby Philip Savitz

Ernest Magaro Laura Kagan

Melanie Baker Sandra Euster Naomi Farber Carol Reyner Barnett

July 15 July 16 July 18 July 19 July 23 July 24

Sam Grosby Eric Feuerstein Shoshana Polen Lisa Wheeler

Jeffrey Miller

Andrew Tucker Mitchell Litwer Sarra Rabinovich

July 25 July 26 July 27 July 28 July 29 July 30

Rebecca Coffman

Jennifer Williams Julie Strauss Rachel Woldorf Shayna Polen Terry Garber

Robin Chapman Jan Barkan Kimberley Bannister Richard Mellitz

July 31

David Reddy Sam Weiss

July Birthdays

July Anniversaries July 7 July 19

Randi & Scott Numbers

Lee & Jennifer Williams

July 8 July 22 Alan & Anne Reyner

Eleanor Stein-Glavey & Brian Glavey

July 13 July 24 Andrew & Mindy Tucker

David & Deborah Greenhouse

July 15 Lewis & Maryann Lapine

Pg. 10 KOL T.O.L.

July 5 July 19 Jack Bazerman* Rose Blumberg* Henry Bogatin Victoria David Khaya Dobrushkina Clara Goldsmith Mary Raphael Helman* Jerry King* Ida Korash

Betty Loeb* Irving Meltzer Bertha K. Nowitz* Isaac Quatinetz* Fannie Reyner* Jack Rosenberg Joseph Rubenstein Eva Sasiene

John W. Adams Hyman Cohen Ray Benator Fisch* Rebecca Friedman* Rose Alion Goldman Stewart Katzman Bernard Klein Irene Goldsmith Kohn* Sara Savitz Linett* Benjamin Rubin Albert A. Salomon* Nell Sharitz Samuel Monroe Wittenberg*

June 12 July 26 Alan Berry Edward Brenner Lawrence L. Burger* Bella Circus* Betty Conway* Marilyn Freed* Russell Hertz* Morris Kuntz Dr. Lewis E. Littmann

William Lowenstein Joyce Rosenwald Charlotte Rosin Isadore Schreiber* Jules Seideman* Eva Strasburger* Mitchell Jay Paul Troy Sophie Troyansky

Henry Bedinger Bessie L. Euster* Murray Irwin Linett* Rose Madoff Samuel Milecofsky Herbert Racoff M.M. Weinberg, Jr.

KOL T.O.L. Pg. 11

Yahrzeits

July 5 Jeff & Larraine Moses Terri Hornauer Jeffery & Peggy Miller Jonathan & Julie Zivony Alan & Anne Reyner

July 19 Bryan & Maggie Tucker David Sella & Meredith Weinberg- Sella Philip & Jan Savitz Shu-Mei Richman

July 12 Stephen & Jennifer Savitz Adam Schor & Leah Doberne-Schor Rob & Amy Scully Irina Plotkin David & Shayna Polen

July 26 Donald & Karen Portnoy Marc & Mia Rapport Cheri Shapiro Howard & Karyn Sheftman

July Oneg Shabbat

Pg. 12 KOL T.O.L.

July 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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Happy Independence

Day!

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7:30pm Shabbat Evening Service

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6:30pm Shabbat

Evening Service

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10:30am Shabbat

Morning Service

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7:30pm Shabbat

Evening Service

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25 26 6:30pm Potluck

Dinner 7:30pm Shabbat

Evening Service

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4:00pm Board of Directors Training

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June 7 June 21 Amy & Rob Scully & Harriet Posner in memory of Sam Posner Barbara & Laura Becker in memory of Ruth Becker Tom & Linda Rodgers in memory of Marcelle S. Rodgers Joan Tucker in memory of Gerald Tucker

Ann Gaton in memory of Jacob Silk Janice Park Rivers in memory of Blair Rivers Marcia & Alan Geers in memory of Henry Geers David & Ellen Potter in memory of George Potter Donna & Ernie Magaro in memory of Rachel Davidson Stephen Goldring in memory of Terry Goldring Carol Reyner Barnett in memory of Ruth Werblum Love

June 14 Dennis Cohen in memory of Joseph Frank Cohen Ira & Kay Radin June 28 in memory of Jacob Radin Bruce, LA & Faye Miller in memory of Ivan Miller Sara Schechter-Schoeman in memory of Ferdinand Schoeman Marc & Mia Rapport in memory of Miriam Rapport Alex Ogden & Judy Kalb in memory of Elizabeth Carlson Janice Park Rivers in memory of Arthur Rivers

Ned & Julie Strauss in memory of Joseph Welsh Strauss Alex Ogden & Judy Kalb in memory of Gustav Carlson Igor & Irina Volynets in memory of Valeriy Volynets David & Meredith Sella in memory of Edith Singleton Dana & William Cason in memory of Gail Riley Terry Garber in memory of Harold H Eschen

Bimah Flowers

KOL T.O.L. Contributions Pg. 13

TOL Fund Directory Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to your favorite TOL fund.

Donations make wonderful gifts! • General Funds ($10 minimum donation)

• Building Fund ($10 minimum donation)

• Choir Fund • Caring Committee • Foyer Leaf Fund ($72) • High Holy Day/Passover Fund

(to help cover holiday operating expenses) • Library Fund • Memorial Board & Plaque Fund ($500) • Prayer Book Fund • Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund • Rabbi Emeritus’ Discretionary Fund • Religious School Fund

◦ Religious School Neil Cartiff Memorial Fund ◦ Youth Activities Fund

WRJ/Sisterhood Funds ($10 minimum) • Reyner Convention Fund • Courtesy Fund • Evelyn & Dan Daniel Leadership Development Fund

Endowment Funds ($25 minimum)

• Jeanette Birch Endowment Fund • Diane Brown Sobel Endowment Fund • Marian D. Fleischman Endowment Fund • Ralph & Sarah Levine Endowment Fund • Sylvia & Sam Savitz Music Enrichment Fund • Jonathan Scott Train Youth Group Endowment Fund • General Endowment Fund

If you’re looking for a reason to donate, here are a couple of projects we’re working on:

• A new Torah cover (Goal: $500) • Replacing lighting with LEDs (Goal: $4,000) • Repainting the lobby (Goal: $1,000)

To make a donation in honor or in memory of a loved one, please notate the fund to which you wish to contribute in the memo portion of your check.

You may drop it at the Temple Office or mail it to: Tree of Life Congregation

6719 North Trenholm Road Columbia, South Carolina 29206

To pay by credit card, go to temple’s website www.tolsc.com/giving If you do not find the fund to which you wish to donate, you may donate your money under membership dues and fill in the special notes at check out, note where and to whom the donation should be accredited.

Religious School Fund Laura & Rick Kagan In honor of the high school graduation of Will Cason, Ellie Feuerstein, & Zack Helman In honor of the B’nai Mitzvot of Alice Kasakoff Adams, Terry Garber, Carolynne Slicer Jackson, Jordan Henry, & Dana Cason In honor of the marriage of Patty & Michael Tucker’s son Endowment Fund Amy & Rob Scully In honor of the B’nai Mitzvot of Alice Kasakoff Adams, Terry Garber, Carolynne Slicer Jackson, Jordan Henry, & Dana Cason General Fund Ericka & Vernon Johnson

Tree of Life Congregation 6719 North Trenholm Road Columbia, South Carolina 29206

Tree of Life Congregation Office: 803.787.2182 Fax: 803.787.0309

Website: www.tolsc.org Email: info@tolsc.org Office Hours

Tuesday—Thursday 9:00am-5:00pm Friday 9:00am-4:00pm

Rabbi Sabine Meyer, Senior Rabbi rabbisabinemeyer@tolsc.org

Dr. Laura Kagan, Education Director laura@tolsc.org

Sanford T. Marcus, D.D., Rabbi Emeritus sanfordmarcus@gmail.com

OFFICERS COMMITTEE CHAIRS BOARD MEMBERS President Jessica Elfenbein Endowment Robert Feinstein Jackie Dickman-Babcock First Vice President Alex Ogden Finance Patty Tucker Kim Bannister Second Vice President Steve Friedland House & Grounds Gregg Helman/Paul Westfall Alan Brill Secretary Mindy Tucker Membership Steve Friedland Annette Goldstein Treasurer Marc Posner Religious School Board Elisa Westfall Steven Grosby Immediate Past President Bruce Miller Ritual David Sella Josh Gupta-Kagan Gregg Helman AFFILIATES TEMPLE EMPLOYEES LIFETIME BOARD MEMBERS Donna Magaro Brotherhood President Eric Feuerstein Charlotte Gibson Bernard Fleischman, Jr. Randi Number WRJ/Sisterhood President Terry Garber Sharon Witherell Stephen Savitz David Polen CoFTY President Molly Westfall/Hayden Cohen Amy Scully Ira Radin Public Relations Heather Weiss Marc Rapport David Sella