Kol Sholom - Beth Sholom Synagogue

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