DONATIONS

Many thanks to the following families for their generous donations received in March, April and May:

Prayer Book Donations in March, April and May

* In celebration of David Hoodis’ Birthday
* In celebration of the marriage of Josh Gelman to   Lisa Burgess
* In celebration of the marriage of Brianna Solomon to Jason Adams
* In Memory of Annette Ruben

     -By the Rosen Family

* In celebration of Tom Douglass receiving the Tikkun Olam Award by Marilyn and Bernie Birns

Religious School Fund
* In Celebration of David Hoodis’ Birthday by the Stacy & Scott Doctor Family Fund of the Houston Jewish Community Foundation
* In celebration of Arthur Brown running his 50th Marathon (NOT a Typo!)
* In honor of Betsy Rosen’s Board Service to Etz Chaim by the Hoodis Family
* In honor of Carol Stuckey

      -By the Ruben Family

Building Fund
* In remembrance of Sandra Halland, Ellen Kessler’s Sister
* In remembrance of Samuel Meyerson, Evie Adler’s Father

       -By the Rosen Family

Memorial Fund
* In loving memory of Sandra Hallond by Ellen and Stan Kessler
* In loving memory of Annette Ruben by the Ruben Family

Please consider Etz Chaim in your charitable giving. Donations are tax deductible and can be made to thank or honor a friend or relative, remember loved ones and friends, celebrate a special occasion, support Etz Chaim’s mission and commitment to growing a thriving Jewish Community in NWA or to leave a legacy. Donations in any amount are greatly appreciated and can be made to the following funds:

v  Building  Fund  Simcha  Fund

v  Siddur/Torah  Fund  Memorial  Fund

v  Religious  School Fund  Arts  Alive

v  Adult  Education Fund  Scholarship  Fund

v  Rabbi  Discretionary Fund

 
Please send your donations to:

Congregation Etz Chaim P.O. Box 477

Bentonville, AR 72712

L’DOR V’DOR RELIGIOUS SCHOOL NEWS

May was fun filled with the celebration of Israel's 60th Anniversary. Students and parents enjoyed sharing in songs, dancing and stories with Rabbi Jack and Debbye.

I want to thank our teachers and students for a great school year! Everyone worked hard and had a good time. I also want to thank our parents. Often this group is overlooked, however it is important to thank our parents for their dedication and support of Etz Chaim and the religious school. Without our parents commitment we would have no kids to teach.

Enjoy the summer!

Warm Regards,

Wynnie Hoodis 

WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS!

Cindy and Jonathan Shively and their children Noah, age 3 and Ali age 18 months. The Shively’s recently relocated from Memphis to Bentonville.

Please contact our Membership Chairs, Ellen and Stan Kessler at 273-1105 if you know of Jewish friends, neighbors or colleagues who may be interested in membership.  It's our goal to warmly welcome and involve all Jews in our area.

MAZEL TOV!

* Mazel Tov to Marcy and Ed Gelman on the marriage of their son Josh to Lisa Burgess on June 8 in Virginia.
* Mazel Tov to Rachel Stucky on her graduation from Bentonville High School. Rachel will be heading to Utica, Miss this summer as a counselor at Jacob's Camp. In the fall she will attend U of A. We thank Rachel for her dedication and involvement at Etz Chaim, including serving as a Religious

School Teacher and an active member in our Sisterhood. We know that she will continue to be involved!
* Mazel Tov to Ida and Steve Fineberg on their son Adam Douglas’s graduation from the U of A.
* Mazel Tov to our Michelle Bruhenn and Ryan Malachek on their upcoming summer wedding.
* Mazel Tov to Cindy and George Flynn on their daughter Brianna’s marriage to Jason Adams in May in California.

TREASURER’S TWO CENTS

WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS! Cindy and Jonathan Shively and their children Noah, age 3 and Ali age 18 months. The Shively’s recently relocated from Memphis to Bentonville. Please contact our Membership Chairs, Ellen and Stan Kessler at 273-1105 if you know of Jewish friends, neighbors or colleagues who may be interested in membership.  It's our goal to warmly welcome and involve all Jews in our area.

Congregation Etz Chaim enters our new fiscal year on July 1st. I hope that you can attend the annual meeting on Sunday, June 15, when we will present an overview of the financial health of our congregation. We are pleased to report that there will not be an increase in dues for the 2008-2009 year. We are appreciative of the strong support and generosity shown by our members and friends of Etz Chaim. It is only with your continued financial support that we can provide the wide range of programming to help our Jewish community grow. Annual Gift/Dues Forms will be distributed in mid-June. We ask that all forms be completed and sent in by August 31. Dues paid in full by August 31 will be eligible for a 10% discount. As always, no one will be denied membership based solely on their financial situation. Please feel comfortable to contact me confidentially if you need to make any special arrangements.

NEWSWORTHY…

OUR NEW PRAYER BOOKS HAVE ARRIVED!

We are enjoying praying from the new Mishkan T’Filah prayer books. Our thanks and gratitude to the Schusterman Family Foundation for their generosity as our major book contributors. There are still several opportunities to donate prayer books. For $36 each, prayer books can be donated to: thank or honor a loved one, commemorate a Yhortzeitz, celebrate a birthday or anniversary and the list goes on. A book plate will be inscribed with your message and our donation is tax deductible.
 
Please send this information, along with your check ($36 per book) to:

Etz Chaim  P.O. 477 Bentonville, AR 72712

* Donated by:

* Inscription on Book Plate:

* Please send acknowledgement to:

THE WOMEN’S SEDER

The ladies of Etz Chaim had a lovely time during the Women's Seder on April 24. This event is becoming quite the tradition for the ladies of Etz Chaim and one that I hope will continue to grow and flourish.  We had tremendous food and fun, as well as a lovely service led by Leigh Mercado. I would like to personally thank Betsy Rosen for being the leader and coordinator of this event and helping get everything ready at my home. Thank you to all of the ladies who brought their special and YUMMY dishes. Everything was delicious!!!! I can't wait until next year. Thanks again to all!!

Ida Fineberg

A SPECIAL ESSAY RECEIVED FROM GRACE PENNINGTON, ONE OF THE JOHN BROWN  UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WHO ATTENDED SERVICES IN APRIL

This past weekend I accompanied about a dozen fellow John Brown University students to join the Congregation Etz Chaim for its Friday evening synagogue in Bentonville.  

            As we entered the building, that looked much like a small church with pews and a stage, we were handed a Shabbat book as the men in the group donned a bright purple yamika. We were welcomed by the witty and welcoming jokes of Rabbi Zanerhaft as people began to trickle in the building.

The Rabbi had invited one of Ed Klotz’s Intercultural Family Seminar class to visit the synagogue after he spoke at their class a few weeks ago. I was impressed by the professor and students’ similar desire to experience the practices of another religion head on and learn from it.

I came away from the service with a plethora of new thoughts. Here are a few of them.

I learned that the Jewish religion is very much steeped in history and connecting with ancestors. I felt joined with the people of the past as we read prayers that they would have proclaimed hundreds of years ago.

We spoke Hebrew in a certain sing-song manner that once resounded from the mouths of Jews perhaps in the Bible times. Yet there was life in every word and joy in every verse that we recited. It was as if the congregation knew the words of the prayers by heart, but they were anything but desensitized to their continual meaning and power. Many of them had these verses and melodies memorized, a feat that put my failed attempts to memorize more than a verse of scripture to shame.

I began to see the beauty of the Hebrew language through their prayers and recitations. I was tempted to take one of their Shabbat books that we read home with me. As we read it together, the beautiful flow and deep meaning of the poetic words revealed God in a new way to me. Even as we struggled to sing the Hebrew melodies, while not having a clue what it meant, the joy that shone on people’s faces was enough to transmit the sacred feeling of the prayers.

I felt as if I were in a different country, in a different time, yet I felt welcome and at home there. I agreed with the words that they spoke, and I felt encouraged to join in. The word “Jewish” became a secondary thought, a word with no different meaning than “Christian” to me.

I witnessed nothing that I disagreed with. In fact, I would love to see some of their traditions and songs infiltrated into an evangelical church service. I began to see that the walls that have been drawn around our two religions are unnecessary because they are a people that love God as we do and have a great deal to share.

As I contemplated the service a day after we went, I happened to flip my Bible to Galatians 3:28. I was caught by the verse’s words that said, “In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal.”

Finally, I was refreshed by the attitude of these people. They seemed to look on their history of oppression and seclusion with courage, desiring peace most of all. The ever present “shalom” saturated the tone of the service. I was impressed by how quick they were to forgive. They had an amazing hope for peace, and they even convinced me that peace is something that we can bring into our world.

Most of all, the Jewish service taught me to relish and honor the past, celebrate the change of the present and move forward as a world community, embracing similarities rather than highlighting differences.

THIRD ANNUAL ISRAELI SUMMER SCOUT CELEBRATION & FOOD DRIVE TO BENEFIT MAZON, ”A JEWISH RESPONSE TO HUNGER”

BENTONVILLE, AR – For the THIRD consecutive summer, Arkansas Jewish Federation is sponsoring the Tzofim for Congregation Etz Chaim and the entire NW Arkansas community. Last year these Scouts performed 2 shows in Bentonville. One Show the Scouts performed to approximately 300 Boys & Girls Club members & staff dancing, singing and touching the lives of the entire community.

The Tzofim Friendship Caravan is part of the delegation sent to North America to represent the State of Israel every summer. Each Caravan is comprised of ten highly motivated and musically talented Tzofim, ages 16 and 17, and two adult leaders. The Caravans perform at camps, public gatherings, U.S. Naval bases, schools, community centers, hospitals and nursing homes. These Friendship Caravans have a delightful ability to introduce Israeli culture and folklore in performances tailored to appeal to audiences of all ages, races and religions. The performance includes songs in Hebrew, English and Yiddish exposing audiences to the vast cultural diversity in Israel.

Tzofim Friendship Caravans will crisscross the United States bringing Israeli culture and goodwill through their unique blend of smiles, songs and dances in Hebrew, Yiddish and English. Between songs, the Tzofim share their personal stories and dreams with the audiences.