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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

continued

HAMIGDALOR

From The Rabbi’s Study— November 2018

Thanksgiving Day: Arousing Out of Need, Not Abundance

If we think about Thanksgiving and research its history, we find that it has been largely misunderstood. We usually paint an idyllic picture of Pilgrims inviting Native Americans to festive tables piled high with sumptuous dishes. In truth, the English settlers observed that first Thanksgiving after a year of pitiless adversity. Most historians, it seems, contend that the First Thanksgiving, the one to which our celebration hearkens, was celebrated not in the fall but on July 30, 1623, after a bitterly cold winter, sickness, attacks by Native Americans, and a spring drought that had decimated almost 250 of the 350 colonists. It occurred precisely one day before a ship arrived from England, bringing much needed supplies and additional colonists. It was on that day that the Pilgrims observed their Thanksgiving; not in a time of abundance, but in a time of want. And they did it by word and by deed, inviting the very Native Americans who had assaulted them so recently and by praising G!d.

It was not until 240 years later that Thanksgiving Day became a national holiday. Did it come in a period of plenty? No, it came in the darkest moments of our Civil War. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation appointing the last Thursday in November the day of observance. The proclamation, written by Secretary of State William H. Seward, states, “In the midst of a civil war of unequaled and severe magnitude…” It was only then that Thanksgiving Day became a national holiday, supplanting Evacuation Day, which commemorated the British withdrawal from the United States after the American Revolution.

The lesson of Thanksgiving is that in the midst of trouble--especially in the midst of diffi-culties and misfortunes--we need to find a reason to be thankful. The desire to offer thanksgiving will never cease. Even when things look dark, we can, and we should, find glimmerings of hope and light.

continued

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In this time,

• when incivility seems to pervade our culture,

• when people think it moral to laud crassness and cheer calls to attack others,

• when more white supremacists and their allies are running for public office in addition to wreaking havoc through marches and acts of violence,

• when a disdain for science, truth and honor leave many distraught,

• when wages seem not to keep up with inflation and the gap between the haves and have-nots keeps increasing

the need for Thanksgiving remains. Thanksgiving Day is a beacon, shining a light on those values for which our country has always stood; a beacon illu-minating our human warmth, a warmth that can yet begin to bring us back together; and of the hopes we bear, which might yet be realized. Kein y’hi ratzon. So may it be, this year. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Rabbi J.B. Sacks

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continued

We all mourn and live in solidarity with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, and we especially send our condolences and love to the families of the victims. Below we reprint Rabbi Sacks' message fol-lowing the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, as it remains timely.

We Grieve and Stand with Tree of Life Or L’Simcha--and We Resolve It is still with shock, anger, and grief that we are all struggling to find our way toward a response to the tragedy at our sister synagogue, Tree of Life Or L'Simcha Congre-gation, in Pittsburgh, a Conservative synagogue, in which three separate congrega-tions make their home. It is a synagogue with a long, storied history in the middle of Squirrel Hill, a diverse area that is also the heart of Jewish Pittsburgh. This tragedy is compounded not only because it took place on Shabbat, a day of peace, but when a bris, the bringing of a baby boy into the Covenant and, as such, a celebration of new life, was about to take place. Our hearts go out to our sisters and brothers in Pitts-burgh, which, for Steven and me, includes dear, close family members.

Hate murdered: Joyce Feinberg, 75 Richard Gottfried, 65 Rose Mallinger, 97 Jerry Rabinowitz, 66 brothers Cecil Rosenthal, 59 and David Rosenthal, 54 wife and husband Bernice Simon, 84 and Sylvan Simon, 86, who were married in the Tree of Life synagogue in 1956 Daniel Stein, 71 Melvin Wax, 88 Irving Younger, 69 Moments like this do remind us that kol Yisrael haverim va-haverot, that we Jews maintain deep, strong bonds with one another. We mourn with the Tree of Life Or L'Simcha congregation, and with the Jewish community of greater Pittsburgh, and pray that they--and all of us--experience strength and resilience, courage, and com-fort in the days and weeks ahead. We pray for those who are injured. We are grateful for the bravery of the first responders who risked their lives to save others and prevent even more loss of life.

We are heartened by the outpouring of love and support that they are experiencing from near and far, from both the worldwide Jewish community and from loving people of all faiths. But, quite frankly, we must do more than pray--and we must demand that others do more than pray. Any prayer that does not lead to action or betterment remains an un-completed prayer. remains an uncompleted prayer. continued

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Eighty years ago (on November 9-10), synagogues in Germany, Austria and in parts of Czechoslovakia were attacked, along with Jewish-owned businesses. This is known as Kristallnacht. That action sent the world a message--one that hate will continue if not confronted. The world chose not to confront it. In 2017 anti-semitic incidents in this country were up 57%, and they are thought to have risen higher this year. These murders come as those who hate have felt increasingly emboldened in our country. Therefore, even as we mourn, and even as we pray, our prayers must be fol-lowed by our imploring our political representatives to address the spiraling violence that is turning formerly safe places--our synagogues, our schools--into scenes of unspeakable carnage. We must call on all Americans to cease the divisive rhetoric that has come to characterize our political discourse and which gives succor to those who hate. We must stop the dog whistles and oth-er coded forms of language which bypass average Americans but send covert comfort to hate groups. While we can and will tone it down in our personal lives, we must ask our leaders to replace that rhetoric with the language of shared values, respectful disagreement, and civil and kind discourse. Anything less is unacceptable. Everything more can contribute that much more robustly to re-directing us from this ill-begotten path.

We must come together--both before and after the upcoming midterm elec-tions--to find healing and common ground. If we do this, then we can prevent hatred from flourishing. That is why this is our Kristallnacht moment--the mo-ment when we decide whether to worry privately and hope that others will do something or to join in a movement that lifts up love over indifference and high above hate. We will commemorate Kristallnacht this Friday night and Saturday morning at our Shabbat services. But we now know that commemorating Kris-tallnacht is not only about our memory of that terrible time, but of our ability to mean, "Never Again," by harnessing our will to rise above hate in order to let love prevail, and by committing ourselves to making our country and our world a better, kinder, more peaceful place. We pray: Ose shalom bimromav hu ya'ase shalom aleinu v'al kol Yisrael v'al kol yosh-vei teivel. May the Maker of Peace in far above realms place peace over us, over the entire Jewish people and over all the inhabitants of the uni-verse.

When we recite this hallowed prayer, we realize that the prayer states "place peace over," and not “grant peace to,” because it is we ourselves who must bring peace down from the heavens, arrange it in our lives and in our world. We are G!d's partners in this most sacred task: we are G!d's ambassadors, we are G!d's hands, we are G!d's feet; we are the ones who most reign in hate, live love, and spread peace. Kein y'hi ratzon. So may it be. Rabbi Sacks

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Greetings:

I apologize for not having the donations made In Honor of or In Memory of ready to put in

this month’s Migdalor. They will be included in December’s Migdalor.

October brought much sadness to our Jewish community with the deadly killings that

occurred in Pittsburgh. Unbelievable we saw, heard and read about the loss of 11 lives.

People going about a normal day of living of attending a Shabbat morning service and

attending a Bris were brutally mowed down and their lives ceased. Unbelievable but true!!!

I am sorry if you missed the Interfaith Community Service held at TBT on Friday, November

2nd. Am HaYam members and guests joined us at CAH for a light Shabbat dinner of pizza

and salad and for our services which followed commemorating Kristallnacht and continued

to honor the lives of those slain in Pittsburgh.

Elsewhere in the Migdalor you will find beautiful and moving words from our Rabbi.

Please join us at our next Services on November 16th and 17th. Eva Lowe will speak of her

experiences on being one of the children who were part of the Kinder Transport program.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving on November 22nd, we must give thanks for the freedom that

we have. But we must not take our freedom for granted. We must never forget what hap-

pened on Kristallnacht, we must never forget what happened in Pittsburgh, and we must

never forget all the injustices that have been done to so many people. Every person is

important!!!

Please make sure you take advantage of the freedoms we have and cast your votes on

Tuesday, November 6th.

Shalom, Brenda

Message from Brenda Rich

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Mondays with Mort

Remember!!!!!!

SCRIP = GIFT CARDS

Purchasing “scrip” means

buying gift cards!!

CAH can meet all your needs:

Markets; Restaurants; Dept. Stores;

Entertainment; Gas Cards; Brent’s Deli;

Ventura Kosher Market and more

Contact Brenda Rich @ Brenda.bashful16@gmail.com

During the month of November the only session of Mondays With Mort

at CAH at 10:30 AM will be on Monday, November 26th.

Question of the Month:

What status must someone declare his desire for twice before he attains it?

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 .

mailto:Brenda.bashful16@gmail.comhttp://www.mondayswithmort.com/doyouknow.htmhttp://www.mondayswithmort.com/http://www.amhayam.com/

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YAHRZEIT DATABASE PROJECT

In the next few months, CAH will be updating the records for Yahrzeit notifications. We are aware that over time, the yahrzeit database of CAH has had some problems,

with incorrect and missing dates and names. We would like to remedy this.

Please look for a letter in the next month with a form attached for you to fill in all of your

yahrzeit information. We will send out an email when the letters have been sent out.

We appreciate your patience in this very important task.

For additional information or questions,

please contact Fran Lande at fblande@gmail.com .

November Birthdays

If your birthday or anniversary is not acknowledged please email me at bfrosen@gmail.com

November Anniversaries

GERALD DAVIS 11

JANICE AHORON-EZER 15

FIL BARTON 25

ESTHER TAXON 30

NO ANNIVERSARIES

Tree Planted In Israel October 2018

No Trees Planted

mailto:fblande@gmail.com

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Get Well

Bob Packer

Sheila Myles

Fran Lande

Gail Packer

Irv Jacobs

Arnie Rich

Nancy Stein

Donna Gustafson

Jerry Cordova

Judith Jacobson

Judye Newberger

Steven Karash

Norma Van Riper

Mort Resnick

Dianne Ruthman

Ann Sperber

Herb Stein

Roz Resnick

Lee Rothschild

Beth Morales

Betty Abramson

Bruce Irvine

Lois Lebman

Fil Barton

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SIGNIFICANT BOOK CLUB 2018-2019/5779

1 My Own Words

by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Saturday, October 20, 2018

2. My Glorious Brothers,

by Howard Fast

Saturday, December 8, 2018 (just before Chanukah!)

3. The Betrayers,

by David Bezmogis

Saturday, February 16, 2019

4. Letter to my Palestinian Neighbors

by Yossi Klein Halevi

Saturday, April 20, 2019 (as we celebrate Yom HaAtzma’ut)

Come and join us. After Shabbat morning services, we will have food at the Kiddush and par-ticipate in a meaningful discussion of each book. If you are not able to read the book, you are

still invited to join in. Come learn from fellow congregants.

The books can be purchased at a variety of places. If you use Amazon, be sure to use Ama-zon smile for CAH

For more information and to RSVP, please email Fran Lande, Adult Education Chair at

fblande@gmail.com

www.amhayam.com

mailto:fblande@gmail.comhttp://www.amhayam.comhttps://pixabay.com/en/book-isolated-pitched-books-paper-2341848/

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SIGNIFICANT BOOK CLUB

On October 20, participants met to discuss the book “My Own Words “ by Ruth Bader

Ginsburg. All agreed that this was a very timely subject. Some participants really

enjoyed gaining more knowledge and perspective on the background and processes

of the Supreme Court. Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s journey from childhood through the

early days of her career to the present experiences on the Supreme Court were

examined through the lens of her Jewish roots as well as the growth of women's

rights.

One of the thoughts shared was her emphasis on listening to others even if we may

disagree with their opinions and views. Another important insight was the support of

and partnership with her husband.

The movie RBG was also discussed. Participants felt the movie gave more insight

into the journey by putting faces to the important landmark cases she has fought for

and changed the experiences for all. It was also important to see her physical workout

that is part of her very disciplined day.

The next book will be My Glorious Brothers by Howard Fast. My Glorious Brothers is

a historical novel depicting the 167 BC Maccabeean revolt against the Greek-Seleucid

Empire. The novel, which deals with Jewish independence and self-determination,

was published in 1948, during the Israeli War of Independence.

The discussion will occur after services on Saturday, December 8, 2018 as part of our

celebration of Hanukkah. Participants will enjoy the kiddush while discussing the

book. One does not have had to read the book to learn and enjoy the learning.

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Fran Lande, Adult Education Chair,

at fblande@gmail.com .

mailto:fblande@gmail.com

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People in Ventura County are hungry year-round

According to Food Share, 1 in 6 people in Ventura County are food-insecure.

That's why we decided we need to keep a Food Share barrel in our lobby year-round. Please think about depositing non-perishables in the barrel. Bags are available in our lobby. When it's full, we'll call Food Share for pick-up. Look for the yellow barrel in our lobby.

Congregation Am HaYam of Ventura County

4839 Market Street, Unit C, Ventura, Ca. 93003 Phone (805) 644-2899 www.amhayam.com

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*Inscribed on Memorial Wall

Friday, November 2

Frank Spunt, Uncle of Fil Barton

Joseph Bergman, Father of Irv Bergman

*Natalie Gustafson, Sister-In-Law of Donna Gustafson

*William Hornick, Father of Tina Gustavson and Deanna Marenstein

*Nettie Fenick, Mother of Elaine Hanig

*Rose Kupperman, Mother of Mark Kupperman

Loretta Zeller, Mother of Sheila Myles

*Sally Resnick, Mother of Mort Resnick and Mother-In-Law of Ruth Resnick

*Irene Rich, Mother of Arnold Rich

Rachel Wiener, Mother of Norma Van Riper

Selma Winer, Mother of Myrna Winer

Friday, November 16

*Edith Rosenthal, Mother of Alma Golden

Lina Hirsch, Mother of Eva Lowe

Meyer Fogel, Grandfather of Myra Matlin

Martin Myles, Husband of Sheila Myles

Maurice Packer, Father of Bob Packer

*Baylis Resnick, Husband of Ruth Resnick and Brother of Mort Resnick

*Marion Wayne, Mother of Ann Sperber

Samuel Kurnick, First Husband of Norma Van Riper

Sam Wolfson, Father of Ilana Wolfson

Harry Perrick, Father of Martha Zoloth

Betty Perrick, Mother of Martha Zoloth

YAHRZEIT

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November 2018 Cheshvan/Kislev 5779

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 Commemorating

Kristallnacht

5:45p Candle lighting Services

8 p m

3

Services

10 am

Commemorating

Kristallnacht

Shabbat Ends

6:40pm

4

Daylight

Saving Time

Ends

5

No Mondays

with Mort

6 7

Sigd

8

Rosh Cho-

desh Kislev

9

4:39p

Candle

lighting

10

Shabbat

Ends Pa-

rashot5:35p

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Happy

Birthday

Gerald Davis

12

No Mondays

with Mort

13 14 15

Happy

Birthday

Janice

Ahoron-Ezer

16

4:34p

Candle

lighting

Services

8 p m

17

Services

10 am

Shabbat

Ends 5:31p

Eva Lowe

speaks

about

Kinder

Transport

18 19

No Mondays

with Mort

20 21 Thanksgiving

Day

23

4:31p

Candle

lighting

24

Shabbat

Ends

5:29p

25

Happy

Birthday

Fil Barton

26

Mondays

with Mort at

10:30am

27 28 29 30

Happy

Birthday

Esther Taxon

4:29p

Candle

lighting

https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/sigdhttps://www.hebcal.com/holidays/rosh-chodesh-kislevhttps://www.hebcal.com/holidays/rosh-chodesh-kislevhttps://www.hebcal.com/sedrot/toldothttps://www.hebcal.com/sedrot/toldot

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Rabbi J. B. Sacks rabbijb@aol.com———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

RITUAL VP Emeritus—Milt Rothschild z”l

HOUSING VP - Neal Abramson

IMMEDIATE PAST PRES - Brenda Rich

ADULT EDUCATION VP - Fran Lande

DIRECTORS—Betty Abramson,

Andrea Massion

Lee Rothschild

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