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Number 618February 2011/ Sh’vat-Adar 5771

Making Shabbat at TempleThis month’s Torah portions, beginning in Exodus

25 and taking us through the end of the book, are

occupied almost entirely with the building of the

wilderness mishkan ( “Tabernacle”), a portable

home for God which the newly-born people of

Israel carried with them on their desert journeys.

Instructions are given (in great detail!) for itsconstruction and that of the various items which

rested inside it. Rabbi Shalom Noach Berezovsky,

who taught Torah in Jerusalem as the Rebbe of the

Slonimer Chasidim until his death in 2000, is not

the first to ask, “Why does the Torah go on at such

great length about the dimensions of a building?”

Among the many answers he offers in his work

Netivot Shalom (“Pathways of Peace”) is this: while

these chapters of Exodus may seem like mere“blueprints” for a once-upon-a-time building, they

are in fact instructions for how to build a

community around the eternal structures of

Person, Home, and Community. Each of us in our

own selves, and all of us together, are called upon

to offer up our Terumah, our gift, to God. In a

“loving misreading” of the biblical text, the

Hasidic tradition takes the words in Exodus 25,

“from every person whose heart so moves him, take up My offering” and transforms them into “from every

person, take that which his heart most desires, and

make it My offering.” To build up oneself, one’s

family, one’s community, one must be willing to

put others first. Precisely that which I most desire

to keep for myself, I must give to the greater

whole.

Contributing to the “eternal structure” of the

Sabbath is one of the ways that we can give our

terumah. We contribute our most precious

possession — our time — in service of our

community by making ourselves a part of the

community on Fridays evenings or Saturday

mornings.

This month’s services include a few special guests,

and a few special themes:

• on February 4 and 5, Ron Bernstein will be

with us to share a message from the Jewish

National Fund. Ron is a member of

Kibbutz Yahel and is spending the year

representing the JNF in the Southwest;

•

on Friday, February 11, we will welcomeour new members with a blessing;

• on Friday February 18, we will celebrate

the importance of Jewish summer

camping;

• and on Friday, February 25, our guest

teacher will be El Paso Times columnist

Ramnath Subramanian, speaking about

education.

I hope to see you this month as we make the gift

of our time and our energy to build a structure —

a community at prayer — fitting of the name

mikdash, “Holy Place.”

B’shalom,

Rabbi Bach

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Page 2 February 2011/Sh’vat-Adar 5771Messages from the Mountain

Worship Schedule February-March

February 4-5

Parashat Terumah/Rosh Chodesh AdarFriday, February 4

Candlelighting, 5:25 pmOneg Shabbat, 5:45 pm

Family Shabbat Service, 6:15 pmSpecial Guest, JNF Shaliach Ron Bernstein

Saturday, February 5Torah Study, 9:30 am

Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 amSpecial Guest, JNF Shaliach Ron Bernstein

Havdalah, 6:55 pm

February 11-12Parashat Tetzaveh

Friday, February 11Candlelighting, 5:31 pmOneg Shabbat, 5:45 pm

Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:15 pmNew Member Shabbat

Saturday, February 12 Torah Study, 9:30 am

Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 am Havdalah, 7:02 pm

February 18-19Parashat Ki Tisa

Friday, February 18Candlelighting, 5:37 pm Oneg Shabbat, 5:45 pm

Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:15 pmCamp Shabbat



February 25-26

Parashat VayakhelFriday, February 25


Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:15 pmSpecial Guest, Ramnath Subramanian



March 4-5Parashat PekudeiFriday, March 4


Family Shabbat Service, 6:15 pm

Saturday, March 5 Torah Study, 9:30 am


March 11-12Parashat VayikraFriday, March 11


Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:15 pm

Saturday, March 12 Torah Study, 9:30 amShabbat Morning Service, 10:30 am

Havdalah, 7:24 pm

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Page 3February 2011/Sh’vat-Adar 5771 Messages from the Mountain

February Birthdays

February AnniversariesFebruary 1Tony & Robin Furman

February 2

Ralph & Rosa Garcia*

February 4Lou & Marie Robbins

February 5Dan & Michelle Blumenfeld

February 17 John & Kristine Shecter

February 18Mark & Jackie Heins

February 19

Jeff & Wendy Siegel

February 22Gershon & Barbara Ettinger

February 24Bill & Jessica Carvajal

February 24David & Susie Novick

February 25 Jim & Marian Daross

February 26

Scott Stein & Margaret Negrete

February 27 Bill Belford & Vicki Smith

*Special 5 or 10 year Birthday or An-niversary

February 1Miriam Kotkowski

February 2

Nirit Belkin*Mitch PuschettCarl Ryan

Jacob Zenner

February 3Marcus Appel*Mollie Kern*Marcus AppelStanley Marcus*David Metrikin

February 4

Joyce Jaffee Jay Mendeloff*Gary Nadler

February 5Amanda Marcus

February 6Nicki Meehan

February 7 Susie Novick

February 8Liz Goodman-Levy*Dori Fenenbock

February 9Dara LeffmanChloe Perkins-Rosenberg*Mimi Pittle

February 10 Jacob ColvardSkip Litt

February 11 Jim DarossLiz de VosGershon EttingerShirley NussbaumAlan Pittle*

February 12

Aaron BodorBob Snow

February 13Christopher Burton

Jerry Kallman*Samuel SchwartzKristine Shecter

February 14Mimi Gladstein*Laurie KnippBernie LauterbachValentina Restrepo

February 15 Jacqui BabencoZachary Gopin

February 16Valerie BarnettClarissa Colvard*Hannah Gopin*

Harry Nagler

February 17 Renaye FeldtBetty Schydlower*Rise Yarber

February 19 Jan FramePaul GulbasKaren Ivey

February 20

Judy Amstater*William Carvajal*Marian DarossFrank Kamoroff*Suzanne NaglerOlga Rosen

February 21 Lou AlpernHilda ReedmanSusan Schwartz*

Jacquelyn Spier

February 23Alicia Nadler

Jim Scherr

February 24Bill Carvajal*

February 25

Jerry AppelPaige ChapmanAnne (Billy) Spier

February 26 Cindy Graff-CohenMargaret Negrete

February 27 Jennifer EhrlichMelanie Shapiro

February 29

Chuck Kovan

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Mazel Tov! Congratulations…

B’ruchim Haba’im—Welcome New Members!

Hamakom Y’nachem—May God Bring Comfort......to Chris Ponsford on the death of her sister-in-law, Angel Woods Meyer.

...to Hy Silverstein on the death of his mother, Bluma Silverstein.

...to Jody Klein and Terren Klein on the death of her sister and his aunt, Jeri Klein.

...to Alan Kahn & Sandi Carpenter on the death of their aunt, Dorothy Levy Katz.

...to Eddie Knipp on the death of his mother, Jeanne Post.

...to Idell Rothstein on the death of her cousin, Jerry Bloom.

...to David Schecter on the death of his step-mother, Shirley Schecter

On Friday, February 11, we will be honoring new members of Temple and

their families at Shabbat services. This will be a wonderful opportunityfor our membership to meet those who have joined our congregation over

the past couple of years and to welcome them to our Temple.

Do you know someone who is new to town, new to Judaism, or interested in

getting involved with a synagogue? Please help them be in touch with Susan

Jaffee at 532-5959 or [email protected].

...to Brooke and David Tyroler, on the birth of their daughter, Sophie Willow Tyroler;

Grandparents are Bob & Jane Rosen.

...to Missy and Ed Just on the birth of their son, Travis James Just; Grandparents are Mikeand Sandi Kahn Carpenter.

Albertson’s Cash-Back FundraiserPlease remember to use your key tag each time you shop for groceries at Albert-

sons. All you need to do is have the card scanned when you check out. Temple

will earn 1% of your shopping total each time you scan the card, at no additional

cost to you. If you need additional key tags, they are available in the Temple of-

fice.

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Jewish War Veterans

We had our first meeting of the year at Fuddruckers. Good companionship was enjoyed by all!Our next meeting will be February 20 at 10 am at Fuddruckers on the Westside. If you'd like toreceive a reminder call or more information on the Jewish War Veterans, contact Scott Feldt at526-8478, or email [email protected] . The Jewish War Veterans have college scholar-ships available to high school seniors. If you are interested, please go to JWV.org for an appli-cation, or call Scott Feldt for more information.

Congregation Mount Sinai Cemetery

Just a reminder, our Cemetery hours are Sunday through Friday 8:00 am to 3:00 pm and closed on

Saturday.

Leaves and Stones on the Temple’s Tree of Life

Do you know that you can honor or remember a loved one with a leaf or a stone on the Tree of Life?

This beautiful work of art is displayed on the wall in the foyer at Temple just outside the Sanctuary.

For a minimum donation of $300 for a leaf or $3,000 for a stone, the brass will be engraved according

to your instructions and will remain on the Tree of Life forever. Your donation becomes part of the

Foundation Trust and benefits Temple Mount Sinai in perpetuity.

For more information, contact Sally Parke at the Temple office at 532-5959.

Assistive listening devices are available at the entrance to our chapel and

sanctuary. Please ask a greeter for assistance.

If you have inadvertently left Temple with one of these devices, please

return it as soon as possible. These headsets are programmed to be used onlyin our Sanctuary and Chapel, and many of them have disappeared, meaning

that they are not available for congregants who use them at services. If you

find you have one of these (perhaps in that drawer with all the yarmulkes!),

please return it to the Temple office so that it may be put back into service.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Adult Hebrew, Wednesdays at 6 pm

Adult Hebrew — 6 pm, Wednesdays. The Adult Hebrew class meets

in the Zork Library at Temple on Wednesday evenings from 6 pm to

7 pm. There are usually 12 to 17 people in attendance, several of

whom are members of St. Francis on the Hill, the church that convenes

in our chapel on Sunday mornings.

We usually divide the class into three parts: vocabulary and trivia,

sight reading and grammar, and a section of the weekly Torah portion.

On occasion, we discuss and read from our prayer book liturgy and the

specific brachot (“blessings”) for an occasion or holiday.If you are interested in learning with us, please join us on Wednesday

evenings. If you have any questions, feel free to call Ed Solomon at

525-4616.

“What Crucified Jesus?” — Two opportunities to learn

Last month’s ADL workshop on anti-Semitism (see page 10), attended bymany of our teens and their parents, prompted a question which was

beyond the scope of the workshop. How do we, as Jews, respond to

religiously rooted anti-Semitism? What can we say when someone accuses

us of “killing God”?

Rabbi Bach will explore this question in three venues during February: on

February 8 at 11:45 during our “Lunch and Learn” session; on February 13

at 10:30 am (jointly sponsored by the Jewish Federation’s “CLAL”Initiative); and finally on February 20 at 6:30 pm in our teens’ “Dessert and

Discuss” program. If you’ve wondered about this question, or been

confronted by it, we hope you’ll join us.

If you’re interested in attending either the February 8 Lunch and Learn or

the February 13 session, please speak with Elisa in the Temple office.

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Growing in Body, Heart, and Spirit

Meditation, Tuesdays at 6 pm. We have had a good turnout for our weekly medita-

tion “sits” in January. These sessions take place every Tuesday evening at 6 pm.

Rabbi Bach is joined by co-facilitators Mary McIntyre and Nancy Schwartz. All

three have some experience meditating. They share a commitment to a regular

meditation practice, and recognize that a group environment provides support for

that practice.

Our weekly sits are held in the Krupp Chapel, and consist, for the most part

of...sitting. We open with a chant to center, and one of the facilitators offers some

focus and instruction for practice. There is also time at the end for questions and

sharing. But come prepared to sit in silence, opening heart and mind to what arises.

For more information, call Mary at 915-490-7359.

Yoga Practice, Wednesdays at 11:30 am. Take a much needed break in your day forone hour of yoga on Wednesdays at 11:30 am. Inspired by the teachings of Anusara

yoga, Susan Jaffee will lead you through a life-affirming, heart-oriented practice.

This hour yoga session is suitable for yoga students of all levels. Please wear com-

fortable clothing and bring your own mat and yoga props (belt, block and yoga

blankets).

The Weekly Portion as a Vehicle for Spiritual Growth, Saturdays at 9:30 am. Every

Saturday at 9:30 am, a diverse and lively group of participants gathers to study theweekly Torah portion through the lens of Hasidic spirituality. Rabbi Bach typically

brings a text from one of the classics of Hasidic Torah commentary, in Hebrew and

in translation, which serves as the starting point for our conversation. We conclude

in time for the 10:30 am Shabbat morning service. Bagels and coffee are provided,

and all are welcome.

Each week, we offer opportunities for growth in body, mind and heart. Notso much “classes” as “opportunities for practice,” our yoga, meditation,and text study are at the core of our adult learning and growth. There’sgreat benefit from attending regularly, but drop-ins are always welcome!

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Gesher — Learning for Young Children

During January, the Gesher class met

twice: First, to learn about TuB’Shevat (The New Year of the Trees).

The Torah gives strict instruction with

regard to Bal Tascheet (the command-

ment of “do not destroy”) and trees.

When we go to war, we are instructed

not to destroy fruit trees, because they

provide food for people. We are also

told not to cut down trees, for a treecannot move or defend itself as a person can. Our class focused on celebrat-

ing the 5,771st birthday of the trees. We sang with Rabbi Bach, played

games, listened to stories and made party hats to honor this special occasion.

During our second January Gesher class, we learned “What’s Jewish about

Dinosaurs.” Although dinosaurs are not listed among the things created in

the Torah during the six days of creation, we can still look to God as the

creator of these incredible beings. There are some findings that dinosaurs

existed in Israel millions of years ago. In recent years, dinosaurs have ap-

peared on Israeli stamps and phone cards. We focused on the important

Jewish Values of Ma’aseh B’reishit (the miracle of creation) and Talmud To-

rah (the study and love of learning).

Our February classes will meet on

Sunday, February 6, to explore

“What’s Jewish about Teddy

Bears” and on Sunday, February27, to learn about Purim.

Please contact Marci Karch at marci-

[email protected] or 585-7833

with any questions.

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Eight of our MSTY students attended the NFTY Social Action Weekend January 20-23. They all hada wonderful experience participating in several different community service projects in the Phoenix

area and celebrating Shabbat with their NFTY friends from the Southwest region.Some of our 8th grade students will get an opportunity to experience NFTY for the first time on Feb-ruary 11-13 when they go to Phoenix for a mini-NFTY event. The weekend will provide them anopportunity to make new friends and get excited about being a part of NFTY in the next few years.The national NFTY convention is being held February 17-20 in Dallas and a couple of our MSTYteens will have the fortunate experience to attend this amazing conference. We look forward tohearing all about the many things they learn and the activities they participate in while they arethere.We are currently planning a lock-in with the BETY group from Temple Beth El in Las Cruces, aswell as a few other events for both MSTY and mini-MSTY.

MSTY/mini-MSTY News

Camp Shabbat

On Friday, February 18, we will have our annual “Camp Shabbat” during our Kabblat Shab-bat service. Some of our youth will speak about their adventures and experiences as Jewishsummer campers. Plan on attending to learn how summer camp can play an integral part inthe development of your child’s Jewish identity.

Temple Mount Sinai, WRJ and MRJ understand the importance of the Jewish summer camp

experience and are pleased to offer partial scholarships for camp. Don't delay--apply today

for a campership to attend our URJ Camp Newman or another Jewish camp this summer.

To apply, the camper needs to submit:

• a letter to the Campership Committee stating why he/she wishes to go to camp.

• a letter from a parent stating that the child will be able to attend camp, which camp

and the preferred session.

The amount of the stipend will vary, depending upon available funds. This year there are

scholarships available to give as many students as possible an opportunity to attend Jewish

camps. Please apply by sending the necessary paperwork to the Temple Campership Com-

mittee, 4408 N. Stanton, El Paso, TX 79902. The deadline for applications is February 13,

2011.

Summer is Coming — Apply Now for a Campership

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In Appreciation of Temple Religious School

Dear Grace and Students of Temple Mt. Sinai Religious School:

On behalf of the many patients who benefited from your kindness and generosity, I want to thank you so much

for the wonderful gift bags. Our Nurses and Social Workers delivered the bags to their patients for the holiday

season. I had the pleasure of bringing several bags to my patients, and the joy of watching them examine the

contents of each bag. Several commented on the colorful and inspirational drawings on the outside, and the

beautiful cards that were enclosed. Our patients were especially appreciative of all of the useful items that you

donated.

Hospice is about people reaching out to help those in need. In addition to trying to cope with the illness and

impending death of their loved one, many families are also struggling with financial problems. Some even lack

the funds to purchase basic necessities. Due to your kindness, compassion and generosity, our patient closet is

again stocked, and we will now be able to provide those items to them. Thank you all so very much.

Sincerely yours,

Becky S. Horowitz LCSW, ACHP-SW

ADL Confronting Anti-Semitism Workshop

The Anti-Defamation League presented a workshop in January about confronting anti-Semitism. There

were two sessions, one in the morning at Temple for the 6th-8th grade students and their parents, and one

in the afternoon at the JCC for the 9th-12th grade students and their parents.

Initially, the parents and students were separated into different groups. The facilitators from ADL then pre-

sented several different activities during which the parents communicated with each other about their own

experiences with anti-Semitism, while the students did the same. At the end of the session, the parents and

students came together and interacted as a family unit with the other families by responding to certain hy-

pothetical anti-Semitic situations.

The workshops were well attended and the ADL provided some interesting, thought-provoking informa-

tion.

Rabbi Bach will be presenting a follow-up clinic to this workshop. Please see page 6 for more information.

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Women of Reform JudaismOn January 4, we had a total of 20 women for the lunchtime book group at MonteVista -- 14 at lunch with

six additional MonteVista residents for the discussion. Alison Westermann facilitated a review of The La-

dies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis, reading key passages and sharing a summary of this story about a youngwidow from New York moving into an Orthodox community in Memphis.

That same evening, 12 women attended the dessert book group meeting at Laura Tate Goldman's home,

where we enjoyed Laura's bountiful and beautiful spread of nuts, cheeses, breads, fruits, and cakes. The

discussion was facilitated by Cindy Graff Cohen as participants shared their views about the themes and

characters of the same novel.

Coming up in February and March:

• On Tuesday, February 1, join floral designer Fifi Heller-Kaim for an evening of flowers and

fun! Learn some techniques to help create beautiful floral arrangements in your own home. We

will meet at 7pm at the home of Sofi Kaplan (4505 Honey Willow). RSVP to Amissa Burton at 915-

449-8877.

• Sunday, February 13 is our WRJ Members' Only Event: Bagels, Baubles, Books, & Bubbly from 1-4

pm in Zielonka Hall. Bring your gently used books and baubles (costume jewelry) and join us for

an afternoon of trading out your old for some new - reading material and fun new accessories, that

is! If you aren't a member yet, don’t worry, just sign up at the door. We will have bagels and lox,

some tasty brunch bites and bubbly to go with your orange juice! Let's meet our sisters over com-

mon interests and have a fun afternoon of socializing and shopping!

• On March 4, you can look forward to our Shabbat Dinner fundraiser. Save some time on this busy

weekend and buy a tasty prepared Shabbat meal from WRJ. You have the option to choose either

a roast chicken dinner or vegetarian meal that will feed a family of four. All meals include salad, aside, challah and dessert! Each meal costs $25. See the order form below for more information;

return to Buddy Schwartz at Temple by Friday, February 25.

Order Form for WRJ Shabbat Dinner Fundraiser 2011

Name ________________________ Email Address _____________________________________ Contact Number __________________

I will pick up my meal on Friday, March 4, between: ___ 10:00 am-12:00 pm

___ 2:00-4:00 pm

I would like (if ordering more than 1, please write in the number of meals): ___ Chicken meal for 4 ___ Vegetarian meal for 4

____ My payment is included (please make checks payable to WRJ) ____ I will pay when I pick up my food on March 4.

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Temple Mount Sinai Trip to Israel—January 1-12, 2012

Have you been to Israel and always wanted to return? Have you yet to visit Israel andlong to make a first trip? Would you like to “experience” Jewish history in many of the

places where it was made? Would you like to meet the modern-day people of Israel?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, Temple Mount Sinai invites you to joinus on our trip to Israel, January 1 – January 12, 2012.

We have designed a trip itinerary that focuses on Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the wonderousArava and Negev, and Eilat. The trip also includes an optional day-trip to the exquisiteNabatean city of Petra in Jordan.

If this opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Israel excites you, please contact Alanna Bach

for more details at 328-6062 or [email protected]

Jewish Women’s Retreat—May 20-22, 2011

Join Temple Mount Sinai for a Jewish Women’s Retreat in the beautiful Sacra-mento Mountains, Friday, May 20 through Sunday, May 22. Take this opportu-nity to remove yourself from the pressures of everyday life in El Paso and focuson friendship, Judaism, and personal growth. The weekend programming will

be a mixture of prayer, adventure, and relationship building. We will stay in ho-tel-style accommodations at the Sacramento Methodist Assembly Retreat Center.Cantor Robbi Sherwin from Austin will be our spiritual leader for the retreat.Cantor Robbi will lead us in Shabbat blessings, prayer services, and inspirationaldiscussions.This retreat is sponsored in part by the TMS Women of Reform Judaism. Registration formsfor the retreat will be available soon. For more information please contact Alanna Bach [email protected] or 328-6062.

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Get Moving with the Federation!

The Healthy Schools/Healthy Choices Program of the Jewish Federation is happy to an-nounce a new activity for the Jewish community this spring … a series of four Commu-

nity Playdates!

Join us in February, March, April, and May to “Get Moving”. On the third or fourthSunday of these months we will meet at local parks to walk, jog, ride bikes, andplay. Healthy Schools/Healthy Choices will provide a snack and offer a short presenta-tion on safe and successful ways to “get moving” at each playdate.

All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Mark your calendars for 2-4 pm on the following Sundays:

Sunday, February 20 – Ruby Coates Park (on Coates Drive, off Doniphan)Sunday, March 27 – Mission Hills Park (corner of Stanton and O’Keefe)Sunday, April 20 – Levee Bike/Walking Trail (meeting place TBA)Sunday, May 29 – Tom Mays Park (off Transmountain)

For more information or to volunteer, please contact Alanna Bach at 328-6062 [email protected].

El Paso Holocaust Museum Book ClubThe El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center will begin its 2011 Book Club with thebook "The Lioness of Judah: A Jewish Lion Tamer's Memoir of Resistance and Sur-vival" by El Paso Holocaust survivor Sara Hauptman. The discussion will be on Sunday,February 27 at 11 am at the museum, 715 N. Oregon. The book chronicles Hauptman's lifewith the Belgian underground and as a lion tamer in a circus. She is a survivor of bothAuschwitz and Dachau.

Randy Limbird, founder and publisher of El Paso Scene will be the moderator. Light re-freshments will be served. The book club discussions are free and open to the public. Do-nations are welcomed.

Copies of "The Lioness of Judah" can be purchased at the El Paso Holocaust MuseumStore.

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From the Healing Resource Center

Grief Digest is a publication purchased by the Jo AnnRothbardt Petersen Healing Resource Center. Thereare many wonderful articles to read and explore. If youwould like more information, contact Susan Jaffee at532-5959 or [email protected].

Searching, Yearning, Disorganization and Panic

Alan Wolfelt, Ph.D.

Reprinted with permission from Grief Digest , Center-

ing Corporation, Omaha, Nebraska, 402.553.1200.

Perhaps the most isolating and frightening part of anygrief journey is the sense of disorganization, confu-

sion, searching and yearning that often comes with the

loss. These feelings frequently arise when you begin

to be confronted with the reality of the death. As onemourner told me, “I felt as if I were a lonely traveler

with no companion and worse yet, no destination. I

couldn’t find myself or anybody else.”

This dimension of grief may give rise to the “goingcrazy syndrome.” Mourners often say, “I think I’m

going crazy.” That’s because in grief, thoughts and

behaviors are different from what you normally ex-perience. If you feel disorganized and confused, know

that you are not going crazy, you are grieving.

You may express disorganization and confusion in

your inability to complete tasks. You may start to do

something but never finish. You may feel forgetful

and ineffective, especially early in the morning and

late at night, when fatigue and lethargy are most

prominent. Everyday pleasures may not seem to mat-

ter anymore.

You also may experience a restless searching for theperson who has died. Yearning and preoccupation

with memories can leave you feeling drained. You

might even experience a shift in perception; other peo-

ple may begin to look like the person in your life who

died. You might be at a shopping mall, look down a

hallway and think you see the person you loved so

much. Or you might see a familiar car whiz past and

find yourself following the car in hopes that the per-

son who died is inside. Sometimes you might think

you hear the garage door open and the person entering

the house as he or she had done so many times before.

If these experiences are happening to you, remem-

ber—you’re not crazy!

Visual hallucinations occur so frequently that they

can’t be considered abnormal. Instead of hallucina-

tion, I personally prefer the term “memory picture.”As part of your searching and yearning when you’re in

grief, you many not only experience a sense of the

dead person’s presence, but you also may have fleet-

ing glimpses of the person across the room.

You may also dream about the person who died.

Dreams can be an unconscious means of searching for

this person. Be careful not to over-interpret yourdreams. Simply remain open to learning from them. If

the dreams are pleasant, embrace them; if they aredisturbing, find someone who’ll understand to talk to

about them.

Other common experiences during this time include

difficulties with eating and sleeping. You may experi-ence a loss of appetite, or find yourself overeating.

Even when you do eat, you may be unable to taste the

food. Having trouble falling asleep and early morning

awakening are also common experiences associated

with this dimension of grief.

And finally, keep in mind that disorganization follow-

ing loss always comes before any kind of re-

organization. While it may seem strange, feelings of

confusion, disorganization, searching and yearning are

actually steppingstones on your path toward healing.

Self-care Guidelines

The thoughts, feelings and behaviors of this dimension

do not come all at once. They are often experienced in

a wave-like fashion. You may need to talk and cry forlong periods of time. At other times, you may just

need to be alone. Don’t try to interpret what you think

and feel. Just think and feel it. Sometimes when you

talk you may not think you make much sense. And

you may not. But talking it out can still be self-

clarifying, even if at an unconscious level.

When you feel disoriented, talk to someone who will

understand. To heal, grief must be shared outside of

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yourself. I hope you have at least one person whom

you feel understands and will not judge you. That per-

son must be patient and attentive because you may tell

your story over and over again as you work to em-

brace your grief. He or she must be genuinely inter-

ested in understanding you. If you are trying to talk about your disorganization and confusion—and the

person with whom you are speaking doesn’t want to

listen, find someone who will better meet your needs.

During this time, discourage yourself from making

any critical decisions like selling the house and mov-

ing to another community. With the judgment-making

difficulties that naturally come with this part of the

grief journey, ill-timed decisions might result in more

losses. Go slow and be patient with yourself.

Anxiety, Panic, Fear

Feelings of anxiety, panic, and fear also may be a part

of your grief experience. You may ask yourself, “Am

I going to be OK? Will I survive this? Will my life

have any purpose without this person?” These ques-

tions are natural. Your sense of security has been

threatened, so you are naturally anxious. As your head

and heart miss the person who was a part of your life,

panic may set in. Feelings of anxiety and fear often

elicit thoughts about “going crazy.” If you begin to

think you are “abnormal”, your level of fear may also

increase.

A variety of thoughts and situations can increase your

anxiety, panic and fear. For example, you may be

afraid of what the future holds or that other people in

your life will die soon. You may be more aware of

your own mortality, which can be scary. You may feelvulnerable, even unable to survive, without the person

who died. You may feel panicky about your inability

to concentrate. Financial problems can compound

feelings of anxiety.

Your sleep might be affected by fear at this time.Fears of overwhelming, painful thoughts and feelings

that can come up in dreams may cause you difficulty

with sleeping. Or you may be afraid of being alone

again in bed when you are not used to sleeping byyourself. Again, these are natural, but usually tempo-

rary, ways that fear can be part of your grief.

While unpleasant, anxiety, panic and fear are often

normal components of the grief experience. The good

news is that expressing them can help make them feel

more tolerable. And knowing that they are temporary

may help you during this trying time.

Self-care Guidelines

If anxiety, panic and fear are a part of your grief jour-

ney, you will need to talk about them to someone who

will be understanding and supportive. Not talking

about these feelings makes them so much more pow-

erful and destructive. Under no circumstances should

you allow your fears and anxieties to go unexpressed.

If you don’t talk about them, you may find yourself

retreating from other people and from the world in

general. Many grieving people become prisoners in

their own homes. The repress their anxiety, panic and

fear, only to discover that these feelings are now re-

pressing them. Don’t let that happen to you.

Resources for Comfort and Support:

You may feel a deep need for comfort, support, heart-

ening, and solace.

Some of these resources may respond to what you are

needing. Some may not. Sometimes nothing fits. But

having these in your toolkit may aid as you walk in

this time.

Poetry Collections: Gendler, J. Ruth. Changing Light. Scranton, PA:

Harper Perennial, 1991 Oliver, Mary. Dream Work. NY: The Atlantic

Monthly Press, 1986 Sewell, Marilyn. editor, Cries of the Spirit. Boston:

Beacon Press, 1991 Wood, Nancy. Many Winters. NY: Doubleday, 1974Daily Brief Meditations-readings about grief: Hickman, Martha Whitmore. Healing After Loss. NY:Avon Books,1994.The arts: music, art work, crafting: Many find moving into sound, color, contact withmediums of clay, wood, paint, wool, herbs, journal-ing, or writing poetry, offers respite and another route

towards expression.Time in nature: For some, nature soothes, comforts. A daily walkoutside, moving, feeling the air stir, may give yousomething. Observing the skies, the changing seasonsmay infuse the day with beauty, touching heart andsoul.

From www.vickihollander.com

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Tributes from December 12 to January 10

A & S Stolaroff Fund

in memory of Beulah Schnadig byWilliam Loventhal III & Rita

Loventhal

Alfred Blumenthal Video History

Fund

in appreciation of Sister Blumenthal

by Jason & Eva Rapp

Amelia G. Krohn Basic Judaism

Collection

Happy Hanukah by Douglas &

Monique Krohn

in honor of Matt Krohn's Special

Birthday by Eleanor Goodman

Campership Fund

in memory of Sander Starr by Larry

& Joyce Anenberg

speedy recovery to Bob Shiloff byLarry & Joyce Anenberg

Caring Community Fund

in honor of Becky & Keith Myers'

Special Anniversary by Bill & Anne

Spier

Cemetery Fund

in memory of Shirlee Z. Amstater by

Rick & Judy Amstater

Ethel Oppenheimer Flower Fund

in memory of Audrey Given by

Marty & Bonnie Colton

in memory of Dina Davidoff by

Joyce Davidoff

in memory of Dorothy Solomon &

David Dichter by Edward & HeleneSolomon

in memory of Effie Parker by Jim &

Carol Parker

in memory of Loved Ones by Jerry

& Haidi Appel

in memory of Maury Karp by Alan

& Cheryl Karp

in memory of Robert Louis

Rosenthal by Jorge Ibarra & Lee

Rosenthalin memory of Ruth & Luis Zork by

Paquita Litt

in memory of Sara Krasne & Harold

Novak by Bob & Elaine Krasne

Floyd Fierman Religious School

Fund

in memory of Edy Fierman by the

Vexler Family and Naomi Caspe

Friedman/Bloom/Rothstein

Outdoor Chapel

in honor of Jane & Bob Rosen's new

granddaughter, Sophie W. Tyroler

by Phil & Ann Rothstein

in memory of Bluma Silverstein by

Phil & Ann Rothstein

speedy recovery to Bill Dahlberg by

Phil & Ann Rothstein

General Donations Fund

in appreciation of Temple Mount

Sinai by Raquel Aldama, Douglas

Waters, Stuart & Nancy Shiloff

in honor of Frances Blumenthal by

Mrs. Susan Rollein honor of Irma Oppenheim by

Rick Oppenheim

in honor of Judy Lauterbach's

Special Birthday by Edward &

Evelyn Schwartz

in honor of Judy Leonard's new

great grandchild by Mildred Marcus

in honor of Margie Landau's Special

Birthday by Edward & Evelyn

Schwartzin honor of Miriam Goldfarb's

Special Birthday by Dick & Toni

Harris

in honor of the baby naming of

Mateo Briseno by Sara Mansfield

in memory of Bob Washer by

Donna Munch

in memory of Bruce Keidan by Sara

Mansfield

in memory of Dorothy Katz byMildred Marcus

in memory of Herbert Schwartz by

Sister Blumenthal

in memory of Jeri Klein by Mel &

Arlene Levenson

in memory of Ken Given by Robert

& Marilyn Corn

in memory of Laura Sommer by

Mrs. Jon Sonnen

in memory of Marla Stein by Scott

Stein & Margaret Negrete & Family

Isadore Kahn Memorial Fund

in honor of Stuart Kahn's Special

Birthday by Bill & Anne Spier, Ron

Blumenfeld

8/7/2019 MFM 02 2011 final



Krasne Discretionary Fund

in honor of Arlene & Jon Sonnen's

Special Anniversary by Marty &

Bonnie Colton

in honor of Jay Mendeloff’s SpecialBirthday by Marty & Bonnie Colton


Anniversary by Marty & Bonnie

Colton


granddaughter Sophie Willow

Tyroler by Bill & Anne Spier


Bill & Anne Spier, Bob & Elaine

Krasnespeedy recovery to Bill Dahlberg by

Bob & Elaine Krasne

speedy recovery to Billy Spier by

Marty & Bonnie Colton

speedy recovery to Bob Shiloff by

Bill & Anne Spier, Marty & Bonnie

Colton

Landscape Special Projects Fund

in appreciation of Dick & JeanScherotter by Larry & Joyce

Anenberg

in honor of Arlene Levenson's

Special Birthday by Marty & Bonnie

Colton


Special Anniversary by Louis &

Cindy Cohen


granddaughter, Sophie W. Tyrolerby Larry & Joyce Anenberg


Bernard & Selma Chasens, Dick &

Jean Scherotter

speedy recovery to Bill Spier by

Dick & Jean Scherotter

speedy recovery to Bob Shiloff by

Dick & Jean Scherotter

Lauterbach Youth & Campership

Fund

in honor of Judy Lauterbach's

Special Birthday by Louis & CindyCohen, Marty & Bonnie Colton

Men's Club Donations

in appreciation of MRJ by Jon &

Arlene Sonnen

Nathan Goldman Zadie Fund

in honor of Mateo Goldman's

Special Birthday by Estelle

Goldman

Prayer Book Fund


Sinai by Andrew & Erin Schonfeld

in honor of Arlene & Jon Sonnen's

Special Anniversary by Bill & Anne

Spier

in honor of Miriam Goldfarb's

Special Birthday by Hilda Reedman,Etta Mae Scherr

in honor of Sara & Bob Shiloff's

Anniversary by Marty & Bonnie

Colton

in memory of David Stolaroff by

Sharon Cotter

in memory of Henry Gerofsky by

Fran Fleischer

in memory of Sander Starr by Ron

Blumenfeldin memory of Kenneth Given by

Barbara Given

speedy recovery to Mary Heins by

Bill & Miriam Goldfarb

in honor of Jon & Arlene Sonnen's

Special Anniversary by Stuart &

Shari Schwartz

in memory of Adolph & Regina

Eisner by David Eisner

in memory of Frances Eisner

Barjansky by David Eisner

in memory of Manuel H. Eisner by

David Eisnerin memory of Judy Blumenfeld by

Robin & Barry Kobren

Religious School Arts & Crafts

Fundraiser

in appreciation of Simon Bir by

Danielle Scher

Rabbi Bach's Discretionary Fund

in appreciation of Rabbi Larry Bach

by Marc & Pam Bernat, Shirley

Washer


Sinai by Bill & Anne Spier

in honor of Mateo Luca Briseno by

John Briseno & Samantha Pittle-

Briseno, Alan & Mimi Pittle

in honor of Sue Feldblum's Birthday

by Marty & Bonnie Colton

in memory of Aaron Novick by

David & Susie Novick

in memory of Bea Weisz by Jewish

Community Foundation

in memory of Regina F. Eisner by

David Eisner

Ruth Kahn/Andrew Kahn Rose

Garden

in honor of Stuart Kahn’s SpecialBirthday by Buddy Schwartz, Marty

& Bonnie Colton, Larry & Joyce

Anenberg

(Continued on page 18)

8/7/2019 MFM 02 2011 final



Sandra Kern Fund

in memory of Sandra Kern by Robin& Barry Kobren

Special Oneg or Kiddush

in honor of Mateo Briseno's naming

by John Briseno & Samantha Pittle-

Briseno, Alan & Mimi Pittle

in memory of David Michael,

David, Adrianne Crohn by Gloria

Crohn

in memory of Henry Silverman by John & Rita Silverman

in memory of Maury Karp by Alan

& Cheryl Karp

in memory of Rose Bilsky by Estelle

Goldman

Youth Fund

in memory of Sander Starr by Marty& Bonnie Colton, Bill & Anne Spier

Tributes from December 12 to January 10

...Giving arouses the heart to love. By obligating ourselves to give ac-cording to rules and formula, we expose our hearts to repetitive acts of

giving that leave their trace on our inner lives. The very act of giving

itself ultimately makes us more charitable, merciful and loving. The

Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar , Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis

“Love flows in the direction of giving.” Discourse on Lovingkind-

ness by Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler

“If you want to bond yourself to loving your friend, give to him forhis benefit.” Derech Eretz Zuta 2

8/7/2019 MFM 02 2011 final



Yahrzeits for February 2011February 4-5, 2011

Horst ArndtMelittia Axelrod

Anna Bailen

Bertha Berg

Janet Berkenfield

Gisela Bernat

Lucy Bleiberg

Barney Brickman

Sarah Brody

David Coleman

Roberto Duran

Raul Falcon

Raymond Garmel

Max Eli Goldberg

Leah Gordon

Aaron Heller

Hannah Horwitz

Florence Adler Jacob

Simon Kahn

Sandra Kern

Leon Krupp

Charles Lowenbert

Shannon McQueary

Harold Nussbaum

Michael (Mickey) Robalin

Mildred Rosenbloom

William Saltzman

Henry Scherr

Jeffrey Michael

Schweitzer

Mary Smith

Gertrude Spier

Anna Turetsky

Celmira Vaughn

Rose Weinberg

February 11-12, 2011

Lee Aronstein

Sidney Axelrod

Norman Belford

Irving Berry

Edward Broghammer

Paul David Bromberg

Ben Gitterman

Corinne GrosseFrancis Grosse

George Hawkinson

Lillian Lakehomer

Mina Lester

Rose Levine

Vivian Jacob Levinson

Lena Levitt

Dorothy Levy

Frank Mangan

Albert Mathias

Max Moye

Ruth Novick

Lillian Reigler

Esther Rosenberg

Albert Stark


J.M. Amstater

John Bonner

Barbara Borschow

Fannie Brettler

Reba Dictor

Albert Feinberg

Jane Feldberg

Beverley Furman

Morris Galatzan

Irving Gulbas

Richard Michael

Heymann

Ruth Kahn

Michael Knipp

Joe Krasne

Ray Bellman Krupp

Nathan Lapowski John Litt

Mary Bellman Long

Charlotte Mann

Jack Morgan

Lily Calisher Moye

Bert Papa

Max Potashkin

Hyman Ramenofsky

Lena Blaugrund

RosenbergElizabeth Rosenthal

Howard Sagor

Rebecca Sheffer

Simcha Shydlower

Kurt Spier

Irving Tucker

Sigmund Weiser

James Welshimer

Rudolph Wisburn


Dora Becker

Tena Feinberg Bernard

Marta Blumenthal

Aaron Cohen

Sadye Finer

Bette Finke

Rosemarie Friedman

Robert Lyle Furman

Leopold Garas

Deborah Given

Nathan Goldman

Evelyn Goodman

Leonard A. Goodman, Jr.

Rose Greenberg

Rose Kaufman

Ann Kimmel

Gussie Kligman

Hyman Kligman

Albert Mathias (Tito)

Krohn

Louis Marcus

Lee Mason

Herbert MickenbergAnna E. Rosenberg

Herman Lisle Schieman

Sharlene Ungar

George Weiss

Lee Wigodsky

Rose Wilenzik

March 4-5, 2011

Helen Berg Julius Berg

Sidney Blaugrund

Sarah Blumenfeld

Ginger Chapman

Hinda Cohn

Humberto Corral

Milton D. Feinberg

Jennie Friedman

Charles Fruithandler

Irene Galatzan

Claire Gillen

Roslyn Golden

Giza Gray

Helene Herman

Stella Herman

Hattie Belle Hoffman

Solomon Juda

Shirley Luger

Sara Mandel

David Medoff

Raul Nieto

Mollie Oliver

Ethel A. Oppenheimer

Maria Rodriguez

Adolph Schwartz

Bernice Schwartz

Lois Stampa

Benjamin Weinberg

Emanuel Zimmerman

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Staff

Rabbi ............................................................... Larry BachRabbi Emeritus ............................................... Ken WeissAdministrator ................................................ Sally ParkeAdministrative Assistant ................ .... Buddy SchwartzReligious School Director................................ Grace BirOutreach Director ........................................Susan JaffeeYouth Advisor ............................................... Stacy BerryRabbi’s Assistant ........................................... Elisa GluckBuilding Manager .............................. Frank HernandezHouse Keeping ......................................Ramona Pinales

Accompanist ........................................... Linda McClain

Officers

David Kern ................................................................. President

Shari Schwartz ................................................. President-Elect

Marian Daross .................................................... Vice President

Greta Duran ........................................................ Vice President

Ellen Goodman .................................................. Vice President

David Leffman ................................................... Vice President

Jon Sonnen .......................................................... Vice President

Stephanie Calvo ..........................................................Secretary

Marcia Dahlberg ............................ Immediate Past President

Trustees

Rick Amstater, Joyce Davidoff,

Scott Feldt, Lori Gaman, Susie Goldman,

Jack Heydemann, Maria Klein, Hal Marcus,

Susan May, David Novick, Debby Robalin,

Phil Rothstein, Mark Schrier, Jane Snow

Temple Mount Sinai4408 North Stanton StreetEl Paso, TX 79902Phone: 915-532-5959Fax: 915-533-0092www.templemountsinai.com

Temple Mount Sinai is the

Reform Jewish congregation

serving El Paso, Texas.

We are a congregation of

supportive, caring and

diverse people with a rich

history.

Temple is a place for prayer,

ritual, spirituality, education,

wholeness and healing, social

action and celebration.

Join us as we explore,

through these elements of

sacred living, the richness of

Jewish faith and tradition.

Mailing Address

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. Postage

PAID

EL Paso TX

Permit No. 1386

Documents

MFM 02 2011 final