Kol Sholom - Beth Sholom Synagogue

Kol Sholom 

Beth Sholom Synagogue’s Voice of Peace 

www.bsholom.org 

Memphis, Tennessee—June/July 2009— 9 Sivan to 10 Av 5769 

Timeless Tunes and Memorable Moments 

June 12 will be the next monthly late Friday evening services— 

a one-hour Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv service beginning at 

7:30 pm followed by a lovely and elaborate Oneg Shabbat. 

Familiar tunes from the 80s will help us blend tradition with a 

new approach to welcoming Shabbat to Beth Sholom. 

Join us as we raise our voices and our spirits on June 12, when 

the theme will be “Shabbat Summer Surprise”! 

“50 is the new 30” - Let’s Start our Summer Vacation! 

Sunday, June 7, from 5 to 8pm 

Rhonda and Mark Saslawsky’s Home 

1295 Heron Oaks Cove—Memphis, TN 38120 

$10 per person 

Beth Sholom‘s ―50 is the new 30‖ is back to welcome summer! 

Whether you have just sent the kids off to camp, a senior class trip, 

a summer internship or new job, or grad school, now is the time for 

us to start our summer vacation. Rhonda and Mark Saslawsky are 

opening their home and pool for fish tacos, summer salads, beverages, and 

social time. This is an ―adults only‖ gathering for those between the ages of 40 and 59. 

Save the date: Old Enough to Know Better group has planned 

another Bingo night with fun gifts suitable for “Old Enoughs” 

on Sunday, June 14. Watch for more details! 

Beth Sholom Synagogue is committed to be the vibrant 

spiritual home of Conservative Judaism in the Mid-South, 

where we nurture, transmit, and celebrate our rich heritage and values.

From the Rabbi: The positive application of contagion 

First, a few quick definitions to consider… 

Noun: infection - the detrimental colonization of a host 

organism by a foreign species. 

Adjective: infectious - Easily or readily 

communicated: an infectious laugh. 

Noun 

As of this moment (May 7), the H1N1 virus, commonly 

known as the "swine flu," is one of the hot topics. Photos 

of faces partially hidden by blue masks, emails with 

medical advice, news stories with updated tallies and 

official pronouncements... We tremble at the notion of an 

unfolding plague, some unmatchable foe sweeping us 

away. Plagues - from the Black Plague of the Middle 

Ages, to the devastating Yellow Fever that struck 

Memphis in the 1870s, to the dramatic novel "The Plague" 

penned by Albert Camus - these stories resonate deeply 

with us, they stir our fears. Within one of our evening 

prayers, the Hashkiveynu, we implore God: v'haser 

mealeynu oyev, dever v'cherev v'ra'av v'yagon - remove 

from us enemies and pestilence, starvation, sword, and 

sorrow. 

Adjective 

While we usually hear the adjective infectious associated 

with disease, we occasionally read or hear a different 

usage. Someone's laugh or smile or upbeat disposition or 

mentschlachkeit could be described as infectious. Our 

sages coined a pair of phrases that speak to the notion of 

an action (good or bad) being readily communicated. 

mitzvah goreret mitzvah; aveira goreret aveira - one 

mitzvah pulls along another in its wake; one transgression 

pulls along another in its wake. 

Our teachers probably meant to teach us that when we 

perform mitzvot, we will probably get into the habit of 

performing more mitzvot, and when we transgress, we can 

easily find ourselves caught in the habit of further 

transgressions. I'd like to suggest another take on the 

ancient saying. One person's mitzvah can have the 

infectious potential of influencing others around him or 

her to create their own mitzvah opportunities. Conversely, 

someone's transgression may have the power of 

influencing others top follow suit. 

Two examples of infectious mitzvot 

1. During the davening this past Pesach, improbable as it 

seems, I encountered mistakes in two different Torahs 

within the space of a few days. Within a few days, both 

Torahs were driven down to Atlanta to Rabbi Danneman, 

a scribe I know from my years in Macon, Georgia. As it 

turns out, one 

Torah was fixable; 

the other, 

unfortunately, was not. 

The fixable Torah was in the 

hands of Jason and LeAnne 

Kaplan (Herb and Marlene Gerson's daughter and 

son-in-law). 

[Note: as shlichim - messengers, 

both Jason and LeAnne and Jason 

and Melissa Bloomfield (Rose Ross's son and daughterin-law) 

were part of the mitzvah of fixing a Torah.] 

I explained to Jason that the necessary correction looked 

to be easy. Jason was a step ahead of me. He had already 

spoken with Rabbi Danneman about the possibility of 

Rabbi Danneman helping Jason make the correction 

himself! (Which he did.) Mitzvah goreret mitzvah - a 

mitzvah pulls another mitzvah along in its wake. 

2. Adam Siegler was working on a mitzvah project in 

conjunction with his recently celebrated (parashat Behar 

-Bechukotai) Bar Mitzvah. His creative linking together 

of a few stores enabled many other people - store 

managers, fellow students, members of our kehilla, and 

fellow local Memphians - to participate in the mitzvah 

of battling hunger and expressing our compassion for 

people in need. Sure, he raised a fair bit of money as 

well as several boxes of canned goods. But, more 

important, his mitzvah work was infectious. 

Perhaps H1N1 will prove to be a relatively mild flu, 

or it could return in a more dangerous form. Beyond the 

plagues that describe the transmission of viruses, there 

are other plagues which are no less pernicious— 

plagues such as bigotry and indifference. Doctors 

cannot inoculate us against those kinds of plagues. 

The wisdom of our tradition is as vital to our spiritual 

well being as vaccines are to our physical 

health. Mitzvot are opportunities open to all of us. Once 

we decide that we want to connect to others, to beautify 

a small corner of our world, to be loving - we can then 

be blessed by the infectious nature of mitzvot, and we 

can pass that goodness along. 

Rabbi Aaron 

2 June/July 2009 Kol Sholom

Notes from 

Rose 

In May of 2007, a small 

Beth Sholom committee 

began to work on what 

became the Blueprint for 

Progress. One of the 

major issues raised was 

the viability of Beth 

Sholom remaining a member of USCJ – United 

Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. We were having a 

problem justifying the expense of belonging in light of the 

fact that we had not received the kind of help we would 

have liked from the organization. 

Ultimately, Harry Silverman and crew came to Memphis 

to address the Board of Directors and the congregation. 

Thus started a renewed relationship which, for the most 

part, has been very positive. 

Beth Sholom was not alone in questioning the 

effectiveness of USCJ, their own relationship with the 

organization, and the financial issues connected with being 

a member. A group of affiliated USCJ lay leaders from 

around the country got together to form a group, now 

known as Bonim, meaning builders, and they have had 

their first meeting with the USCJ leadership. The meeting 

Have a simcha, anniversary, or birthday 

coming up 

Beth Sholom honors our members’ birthdays 

and anniversaries on the third Shabbat of 

the month. 

Our next Anniversary and Birthday Shabbat 

celebrations are June 20 and July 18. 

Share the celebration and co-sponsor the 

Kiddush luncheon on your special third 

Shabbat! 

Call the office at 

683-3591 to reserve a 

space on the sponsor 

list for $36. 

It’s your day! 

Let’s party! 

itself was very positive and focused on four concrete 

areas: Transparency, Responsibility, Responsiveness, 

and Focus. 

Bonim requested that USCJ complete three follow up 

tasks within the next 30 days: 

1. Provide an interim report of how they could support 

their affiliates. 

2. Provide a 90 day plan, at the same time as the interim 

report, and a second report outlining a subsequent 90 

day action plan with milestones and timelines. 

3. Provide an outline for a long range plan to address the 

concerns of their affiliates. 

Ray Goldstein, USCJ President expressed hope that 

Bonim and USCJ would work together collegially, and 

while he understood the importance and intent of 

deadlines he would prefer soft or flexible timeframes. 

Others voiced support for firm deadlines and prompt 

action to demonstrate USCJ‘s seriousness in responding 

to the concerns expressed. The meeting was very 

positive, and a very strong first step. Progress will now 

depend upon actions taken by USCJ to address the 

concerns of their affiliates. I hope to have more to 

report in the near future. 

Help Beth Sholom 

clean up… 

Rose 

We have teamed up with 

Bensinger‘s Fine Cleaners on 

a new fund raising program 

to help us clean up on 

donations for Beth Sholom. 

Bensinger’s Fine Cleaners will give our 

synagogue 10% of every dollar you spend on 

their laundry services at any of their 12 area 

locations or through their home delivery service. 

Bensinger‘s will apply a code to each participant‘s 

record in their computer. Our members will simply 

pay for their cleaning and Beth Sholom will receive 

a check for 10% of every dollar of cleaning 

purchased. 

We encourage your support and invite you to go into 

any Bensinger store or call 937-4800 to set up your 

account for home delivery. You may also email any 

questions to ann@bensingerscleaners.com. 

This is a clean and simple way to help our 

synagogue raise money! 

Kol Sholom June/July 2009 3

Beth Sholom Parties 

Sunday, March 15, and Sunday, April 19, found 

members and non members having fun and 

getting money for jewelry rarely worn, broken, 

or missing parts of a set. 

For these two days, people flocked to the 

synagogue to exchange their old pieces of gold 

for cold hard cash and in turn also contributed to 

the synagogue. With the price of gold at all 

time highs, everyone found it quite beneficial to 

turn in their unusable pieces, things that had not 

been worn in years or that were broken into cash 

they could use now. 

Many companies have been advertising on 

television and in the newspapers that they will 

buy gold for cash. But at Beth Sholom our 

buyer, Arthur Back, bought our gold and also 

made a contribution to the synagogue in the 

seller‘s name. Everyone agreed that these 

parties were some of the best we have ever had. 

We are planning another one soon and will 

invite everyone in the community to attend. 

It can‘t be beat! 

FLASH: Be on the look-out for more gold sales, 

and thanks to Evelyn Goler who also helped make 

our last sale so successful! 

A hearty Beth Sholom 

welcome to new members 

Sharon and Barry 

Finkelstein! 

June 6 is Starbucks Shabbat! 

Start the morning off with some thought-provoking Torah 

study, a cup of hot coffee, and a little something to go with it. 

Hot chocolate and tea will be served for those who do not 

drink coffee. 

9:15am in the Social Hall, followed by Shacharit at 10am in 

the Sanctuary. Rachel Shankman is this month’s guest 

teacher. June Starbucks Shabbat is sponsored by the 

Friendship Chaverah: 

Janice and Ira Berlin, Beverly and Gil Halpern, Jeri and Allen Israel, 

Carol Lipman, Barbara and Bruce Newman, Marcia and Alvin 

Notowich, Marilyn and Herb Notowich, Kay and Sheldon Saslawsky, 

and Rachel and Steve Shankman. 

Starbucks Coffee provided by Royal Cup Coffee, a Starbucks licensee and distributor. 


Legacy Gifts: Consider Beth Sholom Like One More Child In Your Family 

As members of Beth Sholom, we think about 

the future of our synagogue, our community 

and our children. Congregants often express a 

desire to make a meaningful commitment to 

Beth Sholom but are unsure of how they can 

take that first step. 

It may be wise to consider making a deferred 

gift to Beth Sholom We would all like to do 

our part to ensure Beth Sholom‘s continued 

strength and viability, yet we are also 

continually called upon to meet a variety of 

personal financial demands that may inhibit 

our ability to make a significant current commitment. 

When you make a deferred gift, you are ensuring that 

your values live on through your children. Why not 

consider Beth Sholom as one of your children, too 

By remembering Beth Sholom in your estate plan you are 

promising to secure the future of our Jewish community. 

You have the satisfaction of knowing today what a 

difference your gift will make to the future of the 

congregation. Yet your gift does not take effect until after 

your lifetime. 

Keep swiping those gift cards! 

A will bequest is the simplest way to make a 

gift to ensure Beth Sholom‘s continuity after 

your lifetime. In a similar manner to how you 

would remember your children in your will, 

you may name the synagogue as a beneficiary 

in your will for a specific amount, or you 

may state the bequest in terms of a percentage 

of your estate or in terms of the unused 

portion, of your estate. Your taxable estate is 

reduced by the amount of the charitable 

bequest. 

For more information on how you can 

establish a deferred gift to Beth Sholom Synagogue 

or to benefit a particular program at the synagogue, 

please contact Barbara Newman at 683-3591, Sandy 

Lipman, vice president of endowments at 754-3705 

or the Jewish Foundation of Memphis at 374-0400. 

Join in this great opportunity to raise money for Beth Sholom! Schnucks and Kroger give Beth Sholom 5% of everything 

you spend on groceries and gas at no cost to you. You‘ll also save money at the gas pump at both Kroger 

and Schnucks. 

Make shopping really easy this year and get your gift cards for a wide variety of shops and 

restaurants at Kroger. You can buy them with your Kroger card and the manager‘s approval. 

Don‘t have your Kroger and Schnucks cards yet Get them now in the synagogue office! Pick 

up your gift cards at the synagogue or have them mailed directly to you! Please call the 

Beth Sholom office (683-3591) or Sandy Lipman (754-3705) for more information. 

Come check out the Beth Sholom 

Judaica Shop 

for all your shopping needs! 

Gifts, ritual items, B’nai Mitzvah registry, and gift certificates! 

Open during Synagogue business hours. 

All proceeds support Beth Sholom Religious 

School and youth programming. 


YOUTH 

CORNER 

Beth Sholom‘s Celebration of Jewish Learning was a huge 

success! Our USY teens led the service with the help of many 

Beth Sholom Religious School and Solomon Schechter students. 

Amanda Rainey, our ISJL fellow, also shared in the celebration. 

We acknowledged the dedication of our new Thursday/Sunday students beginning their Religious School 

studies: Clay Binkowitz, Cameron MacPhee, Jaden McDaniel, and Brian Vela. We also inducted six 

students into the Arie Becker Honor Society. These students completed the necessary requirements in 

community service, tzedakah, independent study, torah study and prayer. Congratulations to Aaron 

Binkowitz, Aaron Canales, Sam Canales, Andrew Dodson, Jack Dodson and Zohar Rubinstein! 

Congratulations to our other award winners: 

Edward and June Blumeno Award - Cameron MacPhee 

Hebrew Excellence Award - Benjamin Greenberg 

Richie Roberts Mensch Award - Jack Dodson and Adam Greenberg 

Jane Ross Leadership Award - Matt Schwimmer 

There are so many people to acknowledge for making this a great year for our youth, whether it is religious 

school, young family programs, youth groups or Shabbat mornings. Please be sure and thank them in person 

next time you see them: 

Religious School teachers: 

Student Teachers: 

Shabbat Mornings: 

USY/Kadima Advisors: 

Youth Activities Committee: 

Young Families Committee: 

Judaica Shop: 

VP of Education: 

Beth Okeon, Deanna McAlexander, Ben Roberts and Rabbi Aaron Rubinstein 

Andrew Dodson, Jack Dodson and Nathan Light 

Galit Golan, Sharona Rubinstein and Susan Alexander 

Jessica Roberts and Zachary Sandberg 

Connie Binkowitz, Chair 

Keri Unowsky, Chair 

Margie and Harold Steinberg 

Bob Cohen, with special thanks to Myra Alperin 

USY elections were held on May 3, followed by a pool party at Morgan Wank‘s home. Many thanks to Marc 

and Maya Wank for their hospitality. Everyone had a great time! Congratulation to our new USY Board: 

President: 

VP Programming: 

VP Religious Education/Israel Affairs: 

VP Social Action/Tikkun Olam: 

VP Membership/Kadima: 

VP Communications: 

Jack Dodson 

Erica Lansky 

Nathan Light 

Morgan Wank 

Jason Vela 

Andrew Dodson 

It‘s been a pleasure and an honor to work with your children this past year. I‘m looking forward to an even 

better year to come and hope NOW is the time you become involved with Beth Sholom youth! 

B‘Shalom, Sharon 

And now, a word from our sponsors… 

Many thanks to those who have sponsored recent events at Beth Sholom Synagogue! 

May Birthdays: 

Janet Light 

Skip Rossen 

Nathaniel Kastan 

Sandy Lipman 

Pesach in the Park: 

Dana and Sanford Shefsky 

Marlene and Herb Gerson 

Bene and Saul Kaplan 

Mimi and Ron Grossman 

March Birthdays: 

Rose Goldfarb 

Barbara Hellman 

Herb Slovis 

April Birthdays: 

Lindsey Olswanger 

Barry Shulkin 

Anonymous Donor 

Lag B'Omer: 

Sally and Brad Magdovitz 

Mimi and Ron Grossman 


Mazel Tov! 

Rachel Cohen, daughter of Hallie and Jay, won a 

special award from Phi Beta Kappa. She is a sophomore 

majoring in Bioscience at Washington University in St. 

Louis. She was honored as one of the two outstanding 

students by Phi Beta Kappa 

Leslie Mann, RN, of the Department of Nursing 

Administration at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 

was recently nominated by her peers and selected to the 

Celebrate Nursing 2009 Top 100 list for Shelby and 

Fayette counties. The Top 100 were chosen from several 

hundred nominations based on at least two of the 

following criteria: professionalism, interpersonal 

relations, community involvement, creativity and caring. 

Winners were honored during the Celebrate Nursing 

event on April 25 . 

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally 

recognized for its pioneering work in saving children 

with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by 

late entertainer Danny Thomas , St. Jude freely shares 

discoveries with scientific and medical communities 

around the world. No family ever pays for treatments 

not covered by insurance, and families without 

insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially 

supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. 

Debbie Israel, sister of Allen Israel and aunt of Amy 

Israel and Brian Israel became a Rabbi in May. 

Debbie Israel has spent her adult life in service to the 

Jewish community, as a professional and volunteer. For 

almost 20 years, she was co-publisher and managing 

editor of Noah’s Ark, a children‘s newspaper with a 

readership of nearly a million readers worldwide. She was 

president of Congregation Brith Shalom in Houston and 

served in many leadership positions in her community. 

Before entering the Academy of Jewish Religion- 

California, she was Western Regional Director of Jewish 

Women International. 

She received many honors and awards including 

―Outstanding Alumnus‖ (B‘nai B‘rith Girls National 

Award); ―Distinguished Service to Jewish 

Education‖ (Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater 

Houston); and ―Rising Star Award for Outstanding 

Volunteer Achievement‖ (B‘nai B‘rith Women 

International). 

During her first two years of rabbinic school, Debbie 

commuted weekly from Houston, Texas. In the beginning 

of her third year, she was hired as the student/interim 

Rabbi of Congregation Emeth in Morgan Hill-Gilroy, 

California. She moved to Northern California and for the 

past two years Debbie has served as the synagogue‘s 

Acting Rabbi. Upon ordination, Debbie will continue to 

serve as Congregation Emeth‘s Rabbi. 

Adam Seigler’s Bar Mitzvah project was a food drive for the Mid South Food Bank. He engaged the assistance of 

several merchants at the Poplar Court Shopping Center. Through their generosity, he was able to offer anyone that 

donated canned foods or money, discount coupons at the participating Merchants shown in his advertisement, run in 

m-teen Magazine. In addition, Kaufman's shoes donated a gift certificate and he sold raffle tickets for this. He 

collected 4 boxes of food and approximately $600 in cash - a very successful project. The project made a nice 

connection to his Parsha, which talks about not harvesting the fields every seven years. Adam‘s food drive is another 

way to help feed those who don't have as much. 


We gratefully acknowledge these generous contributions: 

RABBI BECKER 

IN MEMORY OF: 

RABBI ARIE BECKER 

Jody & Danny Becker 

ABRAHAM TODD 

Robert Todd 

MAURICE BROG 

Marcia & Seymour Sabesin 

BUILDING FUND 

IN MEMORY OF: 

MADELEINE BLUESTEIN 

Dr. & Mrs. Charles Plesofsky 

RIVA GERSON MANN 

Dot & Stanley Bilsky 

MICHAEL DAVIS 

Rose Morrison 


JEFFREY OLDERMAN 

Rose Morrison 


Mindy & Harry Diament 

Sandy & Clifton Lipman 

CINDY MORRISON 

SOTTO 

JOSEPH LEACH 

Rose Morrison 

CESIA FROMER 

Rachel & Steve Shankman 

IN HONOR OF: 

SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY 

OF MICHELE & MICHAEL 

LESS 

Sandy & Clifton Lipman 

Marsha & Mitchell Bender 

and Family 

BIRTH OF ANNA RUTH 

GREENBERG 


CEMETERY FUND 

IN MEMORY OF: 

CINDY MORRISON 

SOTTO 

Lyda Parker 

MICHAEL DAVIS 

Barbara & Jerome 

Magdovitz 

Elaine Alexander 

Rose & David Ross 

MADELEINE 

BLUESTEIN 

Barbara & Art Jacobs 

CELIA FRIEDMAN 

Elaine Alexander 

LOUIS BORODKIN 

ALLEN BORODKIN 

Barbara Borodkin 

MAURY MALKIN 

Reed Malkin 

BRUNO 

FLEISCHHACKER 

Walter fleischhacker 

KIDDUSH FUND 

IN MEMORY OF: 

MADELEINE ―BUBBE‖ 

BLUESTEIN 

Marsha & Mitchell Bender 

MELBA GOLDFARB 

Wesley Goldfarb 

ABRAHAM ZELLNER 

Myra & Murray Alperin 

WILLIAM 

HAMBURGER 

JOAN HAMBURGER 

Betty & Ed Green 


The Kastan Family 

IN HONOR OF: 

GLORIA KAHN‘S 

WOMEN OF 

ACHIEVEMENT 

AWARD 

Darlene & Oscar Shefsky 

FOR RECOVERY OF: 

STANLEY ZELLNER 

Betty & Ed Green 

The Beth Sholom Family expresses sincere condolences 

on the passing of Evelyn Goler‘s son Michael Davis. 

PRAYER BOOK FUND: 

IN MEMORY OF: 

ALBIE ZITRON 

Barbara & Stanley Zitron 

RABBI’S 

DISCRETIONARY 

IN MEMORY OF: 


Phyllis, Gary & Jay Jacobs 

Richard & Cathy Kessler 

Lindsey & Jon Olswanger 

Mariette & Joel Turetzky 

MICHAEL SCOT DAVIS 

Susan & Stephen Gross 

Tuny & Ben Alexander 

JACOB SCHOENFELD 

Edwin Schoenfeld 

IN APPRECIATION OF: 

RABBI AARON‘S 

PERFORMANCE AT 

MINDY COOPER‘S 

WEDDING 

Ron Cooper 

RABBI AARON & 

SHARONA RUBINSTEIN 

Aaron Lancaster 

IN HONOR OF: 

MICHAEL LESS BEING 

ELECTED TO BOARD OF 

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF 

CONSTRUCTION 

LAWYERS 

Mildred Kiel 

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL 

FUND 

IN MEMORY OF: 

MADELEINE BLUESTEIN 

Tuny & Ben Alexander 

SCHOLARSHIP FUND 

IN MEMORY OF: 

PHYLLIS WAHL 

Shirley Brown 

IN HONOR OF: 

40 TH WEDDING 

ANNIVERSARY OF 

MICHELE & MICHAEL 

LESS 

Mimi & Ron Grossman 


LEON HELLMAN 

Bene & Saul Kaplan 

TRIBUTE FUND 

IN MEMORY OF: 

MICHAEL SCOT DAVIS 

Emilie Ratner 

Ruth & Jery Chariton 

Jay Balken 

Irma Sacharin 

Fay May 

MAURICE BROG 

Irma Sacharin 


BARBARA & BRUCE 

NEWMAN 

Aaron Lancaster 


JOAN SOLOMON 

STANLEY ZELLNER 

Irma Sacharin 

HERB SCHAFFER 

Mark Kallick 

David Moore 

YOUTH ACTIVITIES 

FUND 

IN MEMORY OF: 

RIVA MANN 

DAVID SINGER 

Stacey & Jerry Siegler and 

Family 


KIMBERLY KASOW 

WICHLAN 

Susan & Skip Rossen 


Torah reading table goes to Arkansas Congregation Etz Chaim 

When Temple Israel in Blytheville, Arkansas, closed 

its doors nearly 10 years ago, many of their beautiful 

artifacts – including the stained glass windows that 

now grace the Arie Becker Chapel – were given to 

Beth Sholom Synagogue. Among those gifts was a 

beautiful shulchan, a Torah reading table, which sat 

unused in storage. 

A few years back, former Beth Sholom President 

Maury Radin sought out someone who could use it, 

and he connected with Congregation Etz Chaim in 

Bentonville. As a new congregation with limited 

funds, they did not have a way to transport it to 

northwest Arkansas, and the shulchan remained in the 

closet. ―Early this year, I made it a mission of mine to 

‗close the deal‘ and resume the discussion with Etz 

Chaim,‖ explained Executive Director Barbara Newman. ―We decided that we would like to bring it to them and 

Rabbi Aaron and Sharona Rubinstein and Bruce and I would travel with the table to transport it and visit their little 

shul on April 26.‖ 

Bentonville had become a hub of activity because of WalMart's successes and a number of Jewish families moved to 

Northwest Arkansas, home of WalMart's headquarters. As the Jewish population grew, a new congregation was 

formed to serve their spiritual and educational needs. 

Congregation Etz Chaim was founded on August 4, 2004, by twelve families who met on July 13, 2004 in a home in 

Rogers, Arkansas, to discuss the feasibility of such a task. The group with common goals and diverse talents were 

able to quickly do their due diligence in areas such as meeting places, clergy, religious school, and overall financial 

obligations. Once formed, the group quickly grew within six months to 32 families. On March 24, 2005, 

Congregation Etz Chaim's 32 families purchased a small church on the corner of Moberly and Central in Bentonville 

and converted it into the first Synagogue in Benton County, Arkansas. It is believed to be the first newly established 

Synagogue in a rural southern community in more than 50 years and has a current membership of 60 families. 

They were thrilled to be getting this table and they planned a whole afternoon around its arrival, Minchah Services 

were led by Rabbi Rubinstein, and Etz Chaim President Tom Douglass and Rabbi Jack Zanerhaft also shared 

remarks on the occasion. Nearly 50 people greeted the Beth Sholom group and once the table was brought into the 

sanctuary and set in a prominent place, Etz Chaim member Marc Levine was so moved by what was going on that he 

donated a piece of Judaica from his father's woodcutting collection. The afternoon ended with dinner hosted by the 

congregation and a dessert gathering at the home of Ida and Steve Feinberg. They were a very warm group and we 

hope to stay connected and to plan joint activities together in the future. 

Kol Sholom June/July2009 9

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Beth Sholom Raffle a Huge Success 

Maury and Elaine Radin were the Beth Sholom raffle 

winners of round trip air fare tickets to Israel and six nights in 

the Dan Panorama in Jerusalem or The Trip of Their Dreams. 

When their name was drawn from the basket of the many 

tickets sold, the Radins were surprised and unsure about what 

destination they will choose. However members of Beth 

Sholom were sure that the raffle met expectations. They were 

all also thrilled about the tremendous support shown from both 

members of the congregation and many friends in the 

community. 

Kudos go to those who supported this raffle from developing 

flyers, to making phone calls and selling tickets. Marsha 

Bender, Kay Geller, Mimi Grossman, Bene and Saul Kaplan, 

Rose Morrison, and David Ross were all instrumental in helping to meet the goal. Most especially, however, Betty 

Green and Herb Notowich kept the project moving and were extremely instrumental in its success. Brad Magdovitz 

and Sandy Lipman chaired this special project. 

The drawing was held on Monday, May 11, at the Lag B‘Omer picnic. Tickets were available for a donation of $100 or 

3 for $250. The Deal or Another Deal approach was especially exciting because only a limited number of tickets were 

sold. Next year, everyone participating in the raffle will be eligible in a drawing for a beautiful Torah Fund pin produced 

by United Synagogue. The pin will be given in honor of Betty Green for the outstanding work she has accomplished for 

this project and many others at Beth Sholom. 

Beth Sholom celebrates Lag B’Omer 

As the first guests began to arrive for the Beth Sholom Synagogue Lag 

B‘Omer Picnic, the sun started poking through the clouds, a perfect 

greeting for the two hundred adults and children who filed in thereafter. 

It was an especially nice respite from days of rain, just in time for a 

wonderful celebration of the holiday. 

The grills manned by Mitch Bender, Ron Cooper and Brad Magdovitz 

went full steam the entire 

evening. Other activities 

throughout the BSSS 

playground area provided a fun 

evening for young and old. In 

keeping with the traditions of 

Lag B‘Omer, Joey Rosenberg 

was on hand to give haircuts to 

the young children…and a few 

not so young as well! Professional archers offered their assistance to those who 

wanted to try the sport of the bow and arrow, and more than a few bull-eyes 

were made. Music filled the air thanks to the talents of Rabbi Rubinstein, 

Sharona Rubinstein, Rachel Cornette, and a band of musicians accompanying 

them. All evening the LifeBlood Mobile was available for those who wished to 

participate in the mitzvah of donating blood. 

The finale of the picnic came when the winner of the six day trip to Israel was 

announced by Co-chairs Sandra Lipman and Brad Magdovitz. Elaine and 

Maury Radin were the happy winners of the drawing, but all who attended the 

event went home winners that night. 


Beth Sholom Synagogue 

6675 Humphreys Boulevard 

Memphis, TN 38120 

901-683-3591 

Visit us on the web: www.bsholom.org 

Staff 

Aaron Rubinstein Rabbi 

Arie Becker Rabbi, 1959-1979* 

Barbara Newman Executive Director 

Sharon Prager 

Religious School Administrator 

Cheryl Strong 

Administrative Assistant 

Deanna Lubin 

Administrative Assistant 

U.S. POSTAGE 

Non-Profit Org. 

PAID 

Memphis, TN 

Permit #442 

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED 

Officers 

Rose Morrison 

Maury Radin 

Dot Bilsky 

Michele Less 

Sandy Lipman 

Skip Rossen 

Judy Bookman 

Bob Cohen 

Jeffrey Kay 

Alayne Shoenfeld 

Auxiliary Leadership 

Marsha Bender 

Dan Spector 

President 

Immediate Past President 

Vice President 






Treasurer 

Secretary 

Sisterhood President 

Men‘s Club President 

August Kol Sholom Deadline: July 7 

Beth Sholom is an affiliate of the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism 

Enjoy eating out 

Looking for some 

fun activities 

Sisterhood is selling the 

Memphis Citipass book 

featuring coupons for 

Memphis restaurants as well 

as interesting attractions and 

places to go. 

The books sell for $20 and are 

available at the Synagogue. 

Get yours today! 

The Beth Sholom Office is 

closed on Mondays, but the 

staff is happy to serve you 

Tuesdays through Fridays 

from 8:30am until 4pm. 

Join your June and July minyan captains: 

Saturday, June 6 - 7:45pm: Shoenfeld/Slovis 

Sunday, June 7 - 6:00pm: Spector/Steinberg 

Saturday, June 13- 7:45pm: Aronson/Binkowitz 

Sunday, June 14 - 6:00pm: Bookman/Cohen 

Saturday, June 20 - 7:45pm: Cornette/Diament 

Sunday, June 21 - 6:00pm: Halpern/Hellman 

Saturday, June 27 - 8:00pm: Hodus/Kastan 

Sunday, June 28 - 6:00pm: Kay/McAlexander 

Saturday, July 4 - 8:00pm: Less/Lipman 

Sunday, July 5 - 6:00pm: Morrison/Olswanger 

Saturday, July 11 - 7:45pm: Rossen/Scheinberg 

Sunday, July 12 - 6:00pm: Scilken/Shefsky 

Saturday, July 18 - 7:45pm: Shoenfeld/Slovis 

Sunday, July 19 - 6:00pm: Spector/Steinberg 

Saturday, July 25 - 7:45pm: Aronson/Binkowitz 

Sunday, July 26 - 6:00pm: Bookman/Cohen 

Visit us on the web at www.bsholom.org and check out 

news, special events, calendar listings, and photos!

Kol Sholom - Beth Sholom Synagogue

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