February 2014 - Temple Isaiah

February2011
2014
December
Shevat/
Adar
I
5774
Kislev / Tevet 5772
Judaism’s 21st Century Questions: Let’s Pursue Visionary Answers
photo by Bob Coleman
Tens of thousands of words have been written in comment on
the recent study of American Jewish identity by the Pew Research
Center. Depending on which analyses you read, you could conclude
variously that our Jewish future is a glass half-full, half-empty, dire,
promising, hopeful, hopeless, and every shade of contradictory
prediction in-between.
We Reform Jews can celebrate some statistics; and find reason to
despair in others. Our embrace of modernity, our welcome of interfaith families, our affirmation of personal autonomy in religious
decisions, all find resonance with American Jews and boost our
percentage of affiliates. But those same aspects of our movement
give rise to questions about our near and distant future. Our contemporary age is one of personal choice and many of our Reform
young people choose “none” when asked about religious identity,
even when raised in an affiliated Jewish family. That “none” percentage rises much higher among the children of interfaith families.
Personal autonomy always includes the opportunity to opt out, and
the diversity in our communities that we love can also diminish
cohesion and the “member of the tribe” feeling that has kept prior
generations from opting in.
However you are feeling about the results, this is not research
to debate for a time and then file away. We need to use the Pew
statistics to motivate us, quickly and with determination, to envision a thoughtful, innovative future for our synagogue, a future
Temple members Dan Weiss and Emily Blanck with Allen
Goodfriend and Jane Copp, at Anshei Isaiah Trivia Night
January 11. The fundraiser resulted in $5,000 gross revenue for
the Temple Youth Fund.
that begins now. We must ask ourselves
hard questions: Are we, adults and children, educated enough about Judaism
to sustain our Jewish future? Does our
current level of personal commitment
to Jewish life and Jewish ritual create
in us a broad and deep, an unshakeable
Jewish identity capable of being passed
on to the next generation? How will
we translate and update but not dilute
a Judaism built into an intellectual, cultural and social masterpiece over the
course of the millennia?
This month we have a unique opportunity to begin to look at these and
other questions and begin to frame
some answers for our community and
ourselves. One of the greatest Jewish
thinkers and writers of 20th/21st century Judaism, Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman,
will be our Scholar in Residence over the
weekend of February 28 – March 2. A
long-time professor at our Reform seminary and a scholar of Jewish history and
liturgy, Rabbi Hoffman is an engaging
and dynamic speaker who has devoted
much of his work to helping synagogues
address contemporary and future needs
and transform themselves accordingly.
The details of Rabbi Hoffman’s presentations are in this Ruach and on our
website. Please give yourselves the
gift of participating in this chance to
think deeply, to question broadly, and to
envision with imagination how we can
create our exciting, vibrant and sustainable Judaism of the future. That is the
invaluable gift we can give the next
generations, starting now.
Rabbi Judy Shanks
Rabbi Judy Shanks
We need to use
the Pew statistics to motivate
us, quickly and
with determination, to envision a thoughtful, innovative
future for our
synagogue,
a future that
begins now.
TEMPLE ISAIAH
945 Risa Road, Lafayette, CA 94549
Temple Isaiah’s mission is to embody, enhance, and
perpetuate our Jewish tradition by providing a
welcoming spiritual home where the membership
gathers to worship God, study Torah, engage in acts of
Tikun Olam, participate in Jewish rituals and life cycle
events, and experience the joy of being a part of a
caring community.
Robert Goldberg
David Douglas
Tony Crea
David Bressler
Steve Lipson
Parliamentarian
Lisa Hirsch
Phone Ext
Rabbi
Roberto Graetz 308
Rabbi
Judy Shanks 308
Associate Rabbi
Alissa Miller 308
Rabbi Emeritus Shelley Waldenberg 308
Cantor
Leigh Korn 308
Executive Director Michael Liepman 301
Education Director
Rabbi Nicki Greninger 313
Gan Ilan Director
Liz Kaufman 108
Youth Director
Ira Rosenberg 311
Membership
Abby Seitelman 306
Facilities Rental Michaela Caughlan 303
Librarian
Melissa Gianotti 316
Clergy Secretary
Nina Jones 308
Education Asst.
Nathan Bellet 315
Communications Dir. Jen Boxerman 310
Hebrew Tutor
Joel Siegel 318
Office Staff
Sherry Tsai 300
Melissa Gianotti 304
Bookkeeper Tonna Lusareta-Stevens 302
President
Vice President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Office (925) 283-8575
Fax
(925) 283-8355
Religious School (925) 284-9191
Gan Ilan Preschool (925) 284-8453
Gift Shop
(925) 284-4933
Website
www.temple-isaiah.org
Ruach Vol. 62, No. 7, February 2014
Ruach is published monthly except in July by Temple
Isaiah. Ruach is breath, wind, or spirit. It also means
soul. May it be a breeze of fresh Jewish spirit arriving
at your home.
Editor
Julie Candau
[email protected]
Photographer
Michael Fox
Copy Editors Ellen Baer, Miriam Cairns,
Jeanie Conneran, Beth Hoenninger,
Shirley Maccabee, Julie Magilen,
Anna Marie Levy, Carol Olmert,
Frank Winer
2 Temple Isaiah Ruach, February 2014
Cantor Korn’s
Documentary Film Series
Cantor Korn’s Documentary Film Series presents The Invisible Men, the untold story of
persecuted gay Palestinians who have run
away from their families and are now hiding illegally in Tel Aviv. Their stories are told
through the film’s heroes: Louie, 32 years old,
a gay Palestinian who has been hiding in Tel
Aviv for the past eight years; Abdu, who was
exposed as gay in Ramallah and then accused
of espionage and tortured by Palestinian
security forces; Faris, who escaped to Tel Aviv
from the West Bank after his family tried to
kill him. Their only chance for survival -is to
seek asylum outside Israel and Palestine and
leave their homelands forever behind.
Join Cantor Korn for film and discussion
on Sunday, February 9 at 4:00 p.m. in the
Adult Lounge. For more information www.
temple-isaiah.org/education/documentary-film-series.
Contra Costa Jewish
Film Festival
Temple Isaiah is proud to present The
Wonders: Carole Chaiken Memorial
Screening on Saturday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m.
at Century 16 Theatres, Pleasant Hill. The
film is Israeli (2013) and runs 112 minutes in
Hebrew with English subtitles.
The Wonders is about an amiable 20-something bartender/graffiti artist, a kidnapped
young Rabbi who sees the future, a mysterious red-headed femme fatale, and a gruff and
lonely detective embroiled in a conspiracy.
The setting is the city of Jerusalem with its
serpentine streets and picturesque homes.
This “film noir” charmer (with touches of
romance and comedy) is directed by Avi
Nesher (The Secrets, The Matchmaker) and
incorporates the stylish elements of Martin
Scorsese, the Coen Brothers and Woody
Allen. Although the answers to the mystery
are not revealed until the end, the road to
the film’s conclusion is original and delightfully entertaining. The score is by the internationally renowned hip-hop group HaDag
Nachash. Admission at the door is $12. This film is
part of the 19th Annual East Bay International
Film Festival that runs March 8-23. For more
information, visit www.eastbayjewishfilm.
org
Lunch and Learn Series
At our next Lunch and Learn series,
Wednesday, February 5, at 11:45 a.m. in the
Oneg Room, Rabbi Andi Berlin, will speak on
“Cultivating Gratitude: Jewish Perspectives
on the Spiritual Importance of Thankfulness.”
Rabbi Andi Berlin is Congregational Network
Director URJ West, and published writer,
lecturer, teacher, and scholar. No charge to
attend. Potluck lunch and carpools can be
arranged. Questions? Contact the Temple
Office at (925) 283-8575. RSVP online at
www.temple-isaiah.org/lunch-and-learnseries.
Harris Memorial Concert
The Afro-Semitic
Experience
Sponsored by the Stanley and Rebecca
Harris Memorial Lecture Fund
Join us on Sunday, March 23, for a lecture and performance by the Afro-Semtic
Experience. A 4:00 p.m. reception precedes
the 5:00 p.m. program in the Sancturary.
Co-founded by African-American jazz pianist Warren Byrd and Jewish-American jazz
bassist David Chevan for an interfaith Martin
Luther King memorial service in 1998, the
Afro-Semitic Experience has gone on to
share its music at concerts, workshops, and
worship services across the United States,
Canada, and Europe.The music is an intricate
tapestry of the distinct cultures and heritages
of the members of the group. It weaves stories and music together as it celebrates and
explains the Jewish and African-American
sacred traditions. With its highly accessible
ethnic world music mix and ability to get
an audience on its feet, The Afro-Semitic
Experience is emerging on the festival scene
and redefining the jazz concert.
PurimspieL
Saturday, March 15, 2014
at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary
for the latest information www.temple-isaiah.org
NEWS AND INSPIRATION
Temple Isaiah welcomes
Dr. Rebecca Golbert
Executive Director of the Institute for Jewish Law & Israeli
Studies at the University of California, Berkeley
Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at 7pm in the Social Hall
“The Berkeley Institute for Jewish Law & Israel Studies:
Putting It In Context.”
Free and open to the public
Sponsored by the Israel and World Jewry Committee
Mussar and Meditation Services
Mussar is a Jewish path to becoming a better person, a “soulcurriculum” guiding us to take small steps toward having more
patience, more tolerance, more open-hearted gratitude for the
blessings in our lives. During Shabbat morning services on February 1, 15, and
March 29, we will focus on some Mussar teachings through the
meditative, repetitive singing or chanting of liturgical phrases and
through dialogue and guided and silent meditations. Kaddish
will be recited at the end of the service for those in mourning
and those remembering loved ones’? Yahrtzeits. These services
will take place beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the Beit Knesset in the
Talmud Torah Education building Questions? Contact clergy assistant Nina Jones at (925) 283-8575 or [email protected]
Always in good taste -- The Chosen
Ones – Women of Isaiah’s fabulous
cookbook featuring over 600 delicious
recipes. $36 plus tax/$30 each plus tax
for 3 or more. Available in the Gift
Shop and Temple Office or order
online at www.temple-isaiah.org/
women-isaiah/woi-cookbook/
Proceeds benefit the many wonderful
Temple Isaiah and community
programs we support. Thank you!
Join Temple Isaiah families with children in K-6th grade for
our sixth annual Family Retreat at the
Union of Reform Judaism’s Camp Newman.
Register by March 23 at
www.temple-isaiah.org/familyretreat/
www.temple-isaiah.org for the latest information
Temple Isaiah Ruach, February 2014 3
COMMUNITY
Library Open House
Please join the Temple Isaiah Library Committee in celebrating
reading at our annual Library Open House on Sunday, February
23.
If you have not been to the Library recently, visiting during
the Library Open House is a wonderful opportunity to see the
dramatic changes that have taken place this year. Our space has
cozy new furniture, new paint, an engaging children’s area, and
many new books. The celebration will be ongoing, so stop by
any time between 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. to take part in literary
crafts, games, a raffle supporting the Library Fund, and snacks.
The Library Committee Members and Librarian will be available
to answer your questions and help you locate your next great
reading adventure. The Library is also looking for summer volunteers of all ages,
and we would love to share some of the opportunities available if
you are looking for a volunteer opportunity this summer. Join fellow readers of all ages as we celebrate our rich literary community! Questions? Contact Librarian Melissa Gianotti at melissag@
temple-isaiah.org or (925) 283-8575. We hope to see you there!
Yizkor Elohim
December 20, 2013
■ Ray Anzman, step-grandfather of Rabbi Nicki (Dan)
Greninger, great grandfather of Oren and Lila Greninger,
in Denver, CO.
December 22, 2013
■ Edward Berkowitz, father of member Peter (Rachel)
Berkowitz, husband of Lois Berkowitz, in Washington, D.C.
January 3, 2014
Rae
Douglas,
mother
of
Leland
(Celia)
Douglas, grand■
mother of David (Jill), Steve (Melissa), Sabrina (Mike),
great grandmother of Joshua and Sofia, Aislee and
Sandler, and Gabriel and Sebastian, in Danville, CA.
Welcome New Members
December 17, 2013 to January 16, 2014
This space
left intentionally
Blank
January 6, 2014
■ Cecile (Cece) Held, mother of Ellen (Matt) Kirmayer
and grandmother of Russell and Eli, in New York.
January 10, 2014
■ Ernest H. Weiner, father of Dan (Lynn Gitomer), Lisa
(Yaron), Steven (Valerie) and Rebecca, in Walnut Creek.
4 Temple Isaiah Ruach, February 2014
for the latest information www.temple-isaiah.org
COMMUNITY
Jewish Book Group
Join Rabbi Shanks on Wednesday, February 12 at 10:30 a.m.
in the Adult Lounge to share Searching for Zion: The Quest for
Home in the African Diaspora by Emily Raboteau.
Emily Raboteau’s Searching for Zion takes listeners around
the world on an unexpected adventure of faith. Both one
woman’s quest for a place to call “home” and an investigation
into a people’s search a the promised land, this landmark work
is a trenchant inquiry into contemporary and historical ethnic
displacement. On her ten-year journey back in time and across
the globe, through the Bush years and into the age of Obama,
Raboteau wanders through Jamaica, Ethiopia, Ghana, and the
Southern United States to explore the complex and contradictory perspectives of “black Zionists.” She talks to Rastafarians and
African Hebrew Israelites, Evangelicals and Ethiopian Jews, and
Hurricane Katrina transplants from her own family — people
who have risked everything in search of territory that is hard to
define and harder to inhabit. In Searching for Zion, Raboteau
overturns our ideas of place and patriotism, displacement and
dispossession, citizenship and country in a disarmingly honest
and refreshingly brave take on the pull of the story of exodus.
www.temple-isaiah.org for the latest information
Mazal Tov
■ To Ruth and Dr. Marvin Epstein, on the birth of greatgrandson, Ari Jacob Margolis, to Flora Endelman Margolis
and Jon Margolis, on October 15, 2013.
■ To grandparents Nadav and Ziva Rave, and parents Todd
and Iris Wedeking, on the birth of daughter, Zahava
Wedeking, on December 18, 2013.
■ To Jackie and Darren Bronson, on the birth of daughter,
Kyla Renee Bronson, on December 21, 2013. ■ To Temple Isaiah Membership Coordinator Abby
Seitelman and spouse Rob Seitelman on the birth of
daughter, Amelia Cydney Seitelman, born on January 5,
2014.
■ To Neal and Cheryl Pincus on the wedding of Yoel
Sharasi and Leah Pincus on January 11, 2014.
Temple Isaiah Ruach, February 2014 5
COMMUNITY – WOMEN OF ISAIAH
With Open Hearts
At the 2013 URJ Biennial in December, Rabbi Judy Shanks and
Women of Isaiah board member Diana MaKieve presented a
workshop on “Mental Illness and Our Congregations: Supporting
Our Families with Open Hearts.” They described Temple Isaiah’s
work to reduce the stigma of mental illness within our synagogue and the Jewish community through our P’tach Libeynu
program and discussed how to provide safe, welcoming support
groups, information, and referral services to people with mental
illness and their families as well as ways to educate the entire
congregation about the realities of mental illness.
Founded by Diana and co-sponsored by Temple Isaiah and
Women of Isaiah, P’tach Libeynu started in January 2009 when
we hosted a conference about the stigma of mental illness that
attracted 200 people from the Contra Costa Jewish community.
Since then the program has received national recognition, including Women of Reform Judaism’s Or Ami award, and has become
a model for other congregations. Diana and her close partner in
P’tach Libeynu, Rosemarie Frydman, were honored as Temple
Isaiah Volunteers of the Year in 2012.
At the Biennial, Rabbi Shanks and Diana introduced a pamphlet
produced jointly by Temple Isaiah and Congregation Beth Am in
Los Altos Hills with a grant from the URJ. “Out of the Shadows:
Visiting People with Mental Illness” provides training for caring committees such
as our Angel Network on how to make visits to people with mental illness who are
in need of transportation, meals, or some
friendly company. Diana and the P’tach
Libeynu team also have written a guide for
starting mental health support groups in
congregations that she shared with workshop attendees interested in starting their
own groups.
Temple Isaiah has two P’tach Libeynu
support groups that meet monthly. A support group for adults with mental illness
meets on Sunday afternoons and is facilitated by Valerie Milner, a longtime Temple
and Women of Isaiah member who is a
licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
Another group for family members affected by a loved one’s mental illness meets on
Monday evenings. Please visit the Temple
website for information on how to register
for these groups.
P’tach Libeynu also sponsors informative
programs on mental health topics throughout the year that are open to everyone. We
encourage you to attend these programs
and to contact Diana MaKieve if you would
like to know more about P’tach Libeynu or
to volunteer to help with events. As Rabbi
Shanks reminded us in her moving Yom
Kippur sermon, we all must speak out
about mental illness and do what we can
to enable our family members, friends and
fellow congregants to tell their stories and
get the help and services that they need.
Women of Isaiah is committed to supporting these efforts and the important work
of P’tach Libeynu.
Diana MaKieve
P’tach Libeynu
Judy Lipson,
Women of Isaiah
Co-President
Karen Goldberg
Women of Isaiah
Co-President
Save The Date
Annual Women's Intergenerational Seder
Monday, April 7 at 6:45pm in the Social Hall
Co-Chairs Vivian and Valerie Poettgen
Stay tuned for more information
6 Temple Isaiah Ruach, February 2014
for the latest information www.temple-isaiah.org
YOUTH AND EDUCATION
LAFTY Makes a Difference
LAFTY, Temple Isaiah’s high school youth group helps prepare
food for Winter Nights.
As we’ve just finished our fifth LAFTY event, we find ourselves
halfway through what has been an amazing year. LAFTY is not
only Temple Isaiah’s high school youth group but also a collection of passionate teenagers who realize the power of their
Jewish identity and are close to each other beyond what words
can describe. We have monthlyevents where we engage in a
variety of programs and activities that range from roller-skating
to learning about Israel’s political parties. In addition to its educational and social programs, LAFTY also serves as a vehicle for
tikkun olam, offering its participants many opportunities to
work for social, political, economic, and environmental justice.
As the Social Action Vice President on LAFTY board, my role
is to incorporate engaging social action programs into LAFTY’s
activities throughout the year. When elected, my main goal was
to maximize our direct community service, action through interaction. So far, I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished.
At our event in November, we went to Mount Diablo and built
a restoration trail using wheelbarrows and shovels to clear land
and spread mulch. The event’s theme was “LAFTY B’nai Mitvah,”
which reflected ideas of transition and growing up, incorporating
the idea of finding your own unique path or “blazing your own
trail.” Getting our hands dirty and actually building a trail directly
reflected this and was a great way to give back to our local community! At our next event, LAFTY made eight double-layer fleece
tie blankets, which were later donated to Project Linus, an organization that took them to a local homeless shelter.
Finally, at our most recent event, over 15 LAFTYites gathered
at my house where we cooked a huge meal to serve at Isaiah’s
Winter Nights. That evening, we played with the kids, served
dinner, and performed some of our favorite silly Kefli skits for
the families at Winter Nights. This was a great chance for us to
learn some valuable cooking skills while giving back to the community that has given so much to us. LAFTY has proven that we
have the power to make a difference, and I can’t wait to see what
we accomplish through the rest of the year.
Carolyn Brager, LAFTY Social Action VP
LAFTY, Temple Isaiah’s high school youth group
LAFTYites made eight blankets to be given to the homeless at
Project Linus, Berkeley
www.temple-isaiah.org for the latest information
Temple Isaiah Ruach, February 2014 7
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
February 2014
Sunday
Shevat — Adar I 5774
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1
Saturday
8:45am Torah study
10:30am Shabbat Service
(Bar Mitzvah: Leo
Berckman)
10:30am Alternative
Mussar Service
2
3
4
Religious School
Adult Education Classes
4pm Religious School
12:45pm Kleztones
Rehearsal
9
Religious School
Adult Education Classes
6:30pm Grief Support
Group
7:15pm Rosh Chodesh
7pm Dr. Rebecca Golbert
10
11
6
11:45am Lunch and
Learn
12pm Talmud Study
4pm Religious School
1:15pm TEX Torah Study
6:45pm Noar Night
7pm Adult Choir
Rehearsal
12
1pm Writing Workshop
4pm Religious School
4pm Religious School
4pm Documentary Film
7pm Knitting and
Handiwork
7pm Committee Night
6:45pm Noar Night
6:45pm Engaging Israel
7pm Adult Choir
Rehearsal
16
17
18
19
7
8
9:15am Ganeinu
8:45am Torah Study
9:30am Tot Shabbat
10:30am Shabbat Service
(Bat Mitzvah: Sarah
Forman)
6pm Shabbatarama
followed by dinner
13
10:30am Jewish Book
Group
10:30pm Women’s Torah
Study
3pm P’tach Libeynu
5
14
15
8pm Shabbat Service
followed by Oneg
9:15am Torah Study
10:30am Shabbat Mussar
Service w/potluck
21
22
9:15am Ganeinu
8:45am Torah Study
10:30am Shabbat
Service (B’nai Mitzvah:
Benjamin Hogan and
Anna Berkowitz)
10:30am Alternative
Mussar Service
12pm Talmud Study
1:15pm TEX Torah Study
20
Campus Closed:
President’s Day
12pm Talmud Study
1:15pm TEX Torah Study
23
24
6:30pm Grief Support
Group
7pm Board Meeting
7pm Adult Choir
Rehearsal
25
26
Religious School
Adult Ed Courses
11am Library Open House
27
8:15am WOI Hike
12:45pm Kleztones
Rehearsal
1pm Writing Workshop
4pm Religious School
1:15pm TEX Torah Study
4pm Religious School
7pm Anshei Isaiah Board
Meeting
7pm P’tach Libeynu
8 Temple Isaiah Ruach, February 2014
6:45pm Noar Night
7pm Purimspiel
Rehearsal
28
9:15 Ganeinu
12pm Talmud Study
12:30pm Mah Jongg
3pm Voices on Poverty
Event
6pm Happy Half Hour
Oneg
6:30pm 3rd Shabbat
Service with Adult Choir
5:30pm Tot Shabbat
service followed by
dinner
L’dor Vador Circle dinner
preceding
8pm Shabbat Service
with Larry Hoffman
followed by Oneg
for the latest information www.temple-isaiah.org
Social Action
Voices on Poverty: A new interfaith initiative
It was a chilly December morning,at the Monument
Crisis Center. I was shadowing a staff member
during client check-in, and I got a little ahead of
myself because it is easy to become overly enthusiastic in a place like this. You see so much need
that you want to address when you witness the
anguish and hope on people’s faces.
A kind looking woman came to the desk with
two of her four children. I was about to hand
Safeway gift cards to her when the staff discovered her file was missing. Had she already been in?
Was she even eligible? As her two children looked
on, we faced the reality that this woman might not
qualify for assistance at this time.
I wanted to respond that things would be okay
because if she didn’t quality, I would give her my
own money. But I remembered what the Reverend
Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial in San Francisco
said many years ago: giving money individually
will not solve a problem that’s the responsibility
of a community as a whole.
On most days at the Monument Crisis Center,
there are hundreds of people and families lined
up hoping to receive the benefits they rely on for
their survival. There are also people inside and
outside our Temple community who struggle to
make ends meet every single day. They are not
far from the more desperate situation that I witnessed that day.
Temple Isaiah
is forming
a coalition
comprised of
faith-based
institutions
and other nongovernmental
organizations
to educate,
motivate
and mobilize
citizens of this
County around
issues of
poverty.
ViA Isaiah - Temple Isaiah’s Values in Action Co-Chairs wish to thank
all of the volunteers that worked to make this year’s Winter Nights
Shelter a success. Please visit www.temple-isaiah.org/wn for more
photos and our letter of appreciation
www.temple-isaiah.org for the latest information
Now is the time for us at Temple
Isaiah to act. We have the opportunity as a congregation to increase
awareness of this serious problem
and to help the 100,000 people in
our county, including 34,000 children, living in poverty.
Temple Isaiah is forming a coalition comprised of faith-based institutions and other non-governmental
organizations to educate, motivate
and mobilize citizens around issues
of poverty. Participants of all faiths
will be given an opportunity to share
what each of our traditions teaches
us about poverty and our shared
responsibilities in addressing this
problem.
Please mark your calendar for this
important first meeting on Sunday,
February 23 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00
p.m. in the Social Hall. All are encouraged to participate. For more information visit www.temple-isaiah.org/
get-involved/via-isaiah.
Jasmine Tarkoff and Casey Sasner
ViA Isaiah Co-Chairs
Jasmine Tarkoff
ViA Isaiah Co-Chair
Casey Sasner
ViA Isaiah Co-Chair
Winter Nights Shelter Co-Chair Joanne Peterson with
volunteer Noga Elhasid from Gan Ilan Preschool.
Temple Isaiah Ruach, February 2014 9
YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE – SPECIAL GIFTS
Special Gifts December 1 - 31, 2013
Angel Network Fund
A donation from:
Nedda and Joe Katzburg
In honor of:
The renewal of wedding vows for Marilyn and
Shalom Blaj, from Helene Weber
Lori Roseman, from Maggie and Daniel Entin
Susan Zaret, from Maggie and Daniel Entin
For the yahrzeit of:
Sarah Olmert, from Carol Olmert
Doris Wolf, from Tonna Lusareta-Stevens
Cantor’s Music Fund
In appreciation of:
Cantor Korn, from Marilyn and Shalom Blaj, Diablo
Valley Chapter Hadassah
In honor of:
The b’not mitzvah of Erin Bloom, Cynthia Frankel,
Karen Goldberg, and Rosemary Wheeler, from
Michael and Virginia Peiser
Ruth Cohen’s bat mitzvah, from Steven
Weinzimmer and Karen Maas
Ellen Emold’s special birthday, from Elaine Highiet
Jordan Sherman’s bar mitzvah, from Vicki and
Michael Sherman
Karen Goldberg’s bat mitzvah, from Greta and
Jerry Frantz, Steven Weinzimmer and Karen
Maas
Mildred Hauer’s special birthday, from Elaine
Highiet, Beverly Kivel, Doris Leiber
Rosemary Wheeler’s bat mitzvah, from Herb and
Margaret Eder
Sarah Zucker’s bat mitzvah, from Jim and Trish
Zucker
In memory of:
Samuel Klash, from Irene Korn
Ed Leibson, from Elaine Highiet
Adeline Matzkin, from Stephen Ellis and Ellen
Bernstein-Ellis
Florence Speyer, from Nancy and David Steinberg
For the recovery of:
Dave Anderson, from Elaine Highiet
Len Cohn, from Elaine Highiet
For the yahrzeit of:
Jerome Adler, from David Bressler and Susan
Adler-Bressler
Sylvia Adler, from David Bressler and Susan AdlerBressler
Hyman Baerson, from Betty and Harold Redsun
Sophie Baerson, from Betty and Harold Redsun
Lillian Berg, from Judy and Marty Berg
Edward Bressler, from David Bressler and Susan
Adler-Bressler
10 Temple Isaiah Ruach, February 2014
Cantor’s Music Fund Cont’d
Bella Schwartz Brier, from Tina Brier
Eva Corper, from Beryl and Ivor Silver
Shoshana Maizel Fogel, from Yonina and Barry
Bushell
Jack Lefkowitz, from Gloria and Bob Schiller
Sidney Levy, from Anna Marie Levy
Ruth Schiller, from Robert Schiller
Cantor Ted Cotler Library Fund
In appreciation of:
Our Librarian Melissa Gianotti, from Adam Zoger
and Lise Wollenberg
In memory of:
Sara Fischer, from Lisa Hirsch
In honor of:
Mildred Hauer’s special birthday, from Shirley
Allen
For the yahrzeit of:
Maurice Melvin, from Lorraine Force
Robert Melvin, from Lorraine Force
William E. Stevens, from Virginia and Michael
Peiser
Daniel Baron Feed the Hungry Fund
In memory of:
Ed Leibson, from Shirley Nankin
Jenny Levy York, from Trudi Gardner
For the yahrzeit of:
Dorothy Berman, from Shirley Nankin
General Fund
A donation from:
Alex and Jan Trzesniewski
In appreciation of:
Temple Isaiah, from Diablo Valley Chapter
Hadassah
The Temple Board of Directors, from Susana and
Steve Maron
In honor of:
The wonderful b’not mitzvah this December, from
Susan Zaret
Melinda Krigel’s bat mitzvah, from Rachel and
Bradley Kane
Lori Roseman, from Kevin and Isabel Wong
Susan Zaret, from Kevin and Isabel Wong
In memory of:
Edward Bressler, from Mark and Kathy Bressler
Ruth Graetz, from Linda and Gil Duritz
Ed Leibson, from Constance Rogers
Adam Paul Kaplan, from Marc and Marilyn Kaplan
Robert Katz, from Susan Zaret
General Fund Cont’d
In memory of:
Anita Schneit, from Andy Schneit
For the yahrzeit of:
Bessie Fishman, from William Ellis
Albert Graddis, from Barbara Cahn
Leonard Jacobs, from Gail and Hank Walden
Judy McConnell, from David and Diana Obrand
Eva Millstein, from David Millstein
Morris Millstein, from David Millstein
Hyman Rowen, from Harvey and Sherry Rowen
Pearl Rowen, from Harvey and Sherry Rowen
Sidney Steinberg, from Sandy Sidorsky
Phil Sussman, from Elinor and Gordon Berke
Endowment Fund
Donations from:
Emily Blanck, Miriam Cairns, Anthony and Lucy Di
Bianca, Robert and Janiece Nolan, Ivor and Beryl
Silver, Frances Singer, Steve Sutton and Jennifer
Willen
Ivy Blum Memorial Fund
In memory of:
Ivy Blum, from Irwin, C.J., Todd and Leslie Feinberg
Jacob M. Tarkoff Gan Ilan Fund
A donation from:
John and Kathy Blum
In memory of:
Faye Tarkoff, from Karen and Mitchell Tarkoff
Jacob M. Tarkoff, from Karen and Mitchell Tarkoff
For the recovery of:
Len Cohn, from Karen and Mitchell Tarkoff
Memorial Plaque Fund
In memory of:
Pierre L. Hirsch, from Lisa Hirsch
Edith F. Zucker, from James and Patricia Zucker
Robert J. Zucker, from James and Patricia Zucker
Prayer Book Fund
In honor of:
Cynthia Frankel’s bat mitzvah, from Nina Aoni
In memory of:
Meyer H. Weiss, from Jonathan, Kiyo, Kyra, and
Michael Weiss
For the yahrzeit of:
William Goldberg, from Karen and Stewart Kupetz
Sidney Kupetz, from Karen and Stewart Kupetz
for the latest information www.temple-isaiah.org
YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE – SPECIAL GIFTS
Project Hearth for the Homeless Fund
In appreciation of:
Roger Emanuel, from Donna Kaulkin
In memory of:
Ruth Voll, from The Gitomer-Weiner Family
For the yahrzeit of:
Sara Goldstone, from Marilyn Wolff Goodman
Stuart Kaufman, from Arlene and Larry Kaufman
Elsye Morgan, from Margery and Myron Bernstein
Irving Morgan, from Margery and Myron Bernstein
Frederick Paull, from Arlene and Larry Kaufman
P’tach Libeynu Fund
For the yahrzeit of:
Helmo Trzesniewski, from Alex and Jan
Trzesniewski
Rabbi Graetz’ Discretionary Fund
Donations from:
Helene and Daniel Casella, Phyllis and Harvey
Ceaser
In appreciation of:
Rabbi Graetz, from Steven and Linda Grossman
In honor of:
Marty Diamond, from David Anderson
the wedding of Fern Nemenyi and David Shaw,
from Carol and Mark Simons
In memory of:
Minnie Anderman, from David and Meredith Olson
Pierre Hirsch, from Carol and Mark Simons
Ed Leibson, from Zida Levy
Adolf Neuwald, from George and Bonnie Kennedy
Elizabeth Olson, from David and Meredith Olson
Ruth Graetz, from The Anshei Isaiah Board, Zakhar
Baran and Natalie Smolkin, Sandy and Jean
Colen, Beth Harris Hoenninger, Stephanie Kane
and Michael Goldberg, George and Bonnie
Kennedy, Elise Trumbull
Trudy Reizman, from Daniel and Faith Greenberg
For the yahrzeit of:
Walter Donat, from Dan and Dori Schick
Terry Levich, from Mo Levich
Harry Hyman, from Allan and Eva Hyman
Milton Langert, from Steven Weinzimmer and
Karen Maas
Sylvia Rothman, from Joel Hassen and Rochelle
Freedman Hassen
Leon Rudnick, from Sandy Rudnick and Alexandra
Morgan
Gertie Stolback, from Charlotte Stolback
Minnie Tornheim, from Tina and David De Stephen
www.temple-isaiah.org for the latest information
Rabbi Greninger’s Discretionary Fund
In appreciation of:
The baby naming for Mia Robinson, from Carey
and Sheryl Robinson
The beit din for Coleman Smith’s mikvah, from
Susan and Michael Smith
In honor of:
Cynthia Frankel’s bat mitzvah, from Martin Frankel
Rabbi Miller’s Discretionary Fund
In appreciation of:
The beit din for Coleman Smith’s mikvah, from
Susan and Michael Smith
In honor of:
Sarah Zucker’s bat mitzvah, from Jim and Trish
Zucker
Rabbi Shanks’ Discretionary Fund
In appreciation of:
Rabbi Shanks, from Gaye Lending Alperin, Andrew
Schneit
Rabbi Shanks officiating at our 60th anniversary
renewal of vows, from Marilyn and Shalom Blaj
The beit din for Coleman Smith’s mikvah, from
Susan and Michael Smith
In honor of:
Shalom and Marilyn Blaj’s renewal of vows, from
Ernest and Eleanor Glaser, Helene Weber
Shalom and Marilyn Blaj’s 60th wedding anniversary, from Betty and Harold Redsun
Mildred Hauer’s special birthday, from Zida Levy
The wedding of Fern Nemenyi and David Shaw,
from Mark and Carol Simons
Hailey Rose Zimmerman’s Zeved Habat naming
ceremony, from Joy Becker and Leslie Barron
In memory of:
Carole Chaiken, from Sandy and Jean Colen
Harry Maleh, from Linda Maleh, Randi and Warren
Schultz
For the yahrzeit of:
Murray Alter, from Carole and Don Alter
Walter Donat, from Dan and Dori Schick
Virginia Draggee, from Nancy and Sheldon Nankin
Sam Feldman, from Rose Michaels
Arline Feyder, from Carolyn Hokanson
Sondra Goldberger, from Sheryl and Jim
Goldberger
Joe Gorelick, from Ronnie Gorelick
Janice Nankin Greene, from Nancy and Sheldon
Nankin
David Jacobson, from Sharon and Howard Noble
Barbara Kaplan, from Alan Burckin and Carol
Olmert
Solomon H. Kaplan, from Roy Kaplan
Harry Maleh, from Randi and Warren Schultz
Rabbi Shanks’ Discretionary Fund Cont’d
Yakov Slavoutski, from Sergei & Susan Slavoutski
Abraham Snider, from Carole and Don Alter
Howard Evan Weintraub, from Deeni and Howie
Schoenfeld
Religious School and Youth Fund
Donations from:
The Liatis Foundation, The Louis L. Borick
Foundation
In honor of:
Mildred Hauer’s special birthday, from Len and
Robbie Cohn
Joel Siegel in honor of Sarah Zucker’s bat mitzvah, from Jim and Trish Zucker
For the yahrzeit of:
Robert Kirayer, from Ellen and Matt Kirmayer
David D. Lederman, from Herbert and Elaine
Lederman
Social Action Fund
In appreciation of:
Judy and Terry Matzkin, from Thom McDannel and
Susan Lieber and Ashley and George Rafal
In honor of:
Karen Goldberg’s bat mitzvah, from Lynn Epstein
In memory of:
Ruth Graetz, from Stephen Ellis and Ellen
Bernstein-Ellis
For the yahrzeit of:
Eleanor Leo, from Karen Fiske
Joe Singer, from Sandra and David Anderson
Stanley and Rebecca Harris Memorial Lecture Fund
For the yahrzeit of:
Rebecca Bruck Harris, from Beth Harris
Hoenninger, Tonna Lusareta-Stevens
Waldenberg-Zwerling Youth Fund
In memory of:
Gail Zwerling Lerner, from Susan & Robert Wolfe
Winter Nights Project Fund
Donations from:
Nora and Ken Fishbach, Sanna and Ben
Horenstein, Penny Kermit, Judy and Maynard
Lichterman, D.P. and Steven Slotsky, Jan and
Alex Trzesniewski, Maxine Weinberg
For the yahrzeit of:
Bess Harris, from Jean-Pierre and Susan Aglietti
Vivian Israel, from Jay and Ellen Israel
Jacob Schwartz, from Miriam Swernoff
Women of Isaiah Fund
In honor of:
Karen Goldberg’s bat mitzvah, from Diana and
Michael MaKieve
Temple Isaiah Ruach, February 2014 11
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
Shabbat
Worship Services
Saturday, February 1
8:45am Torah Study
10:30am Shabbat Morning Service
Leo Berkman, Bar Mitzvah
Paid
Lafayette, CA
94549
Permit No. 30
945 Risa Road
Lafayette, CA 94549
(925) 283-8575
Address Service Requested
Exodus 25:1-27:19, Terumah
10:30am Alternative Mussar
Service
Friday, February 7
6:00pm Shabbatarama Service
Followed by Dinner and Oneg
Saturday, February 8
8:45am Torah Study
10:30am Shabbat Morning Service
Sarah Forman, Bat Mitzvah
Exodus 27:20-30:10, Tetzaveh
Friday, February 14
8:00pm Shabbat Service Followed
by Oneg
Saturday, February 15
9:15am Torah Study
10:30am Shabbat Morning Mussar
Service followed by Potluck
Exodus, 30:11-34:35, Ki Tissa
Friday, February 21
6:00pm Happy Half Hour Oneg
6:30pm 3rd Shabbat Service with
Adult Choir
Saturday, February 22
8:45am Torah Study
10:30am Shabbat Morning Service
Benjamin Hogan and
Anna Berkowitz, B’nai Mitzvah
Exodus 35:1-38:20, Vayakhel
Friday, February 28
5:30pm Tot Shabbat
8:00pm Shabbat Service with
Larry Hoffman, Followed by Oneg
Ti m e ly i n fo r matio n EN C LOS ED: P lea se d eliv er b y feb ru a ry 1
When All Bets Are Off: American Judaism, Past Present and Future
scholar weekend with
Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman
Sponsored by the Miriam Epstein Endowment Fund
Rabbi Hoffman is author or editor of over forty
books and two-time winner of the National
Jewish Book Award. He serves on the faculty of
HUC-JIR, lectures widely across North America
and is co-founder of the Synagogue 3000
Institute dedicated to reviving American
Synagogues.
Join us for a weekend dedicated to
“Synagogues in the 21st Century”
Friday, February 28 to Sunday, March 2
“Founders, Baby Boomers, and Beyond:
The Jewish Project For Our Time”
at Shabbat services on Friday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary
“Authentic Jewish Spirituality—Even For
Skeptics Who Think There Isn’t Any”
at Torah Study on Saturday, March 1 at 8:45 a.m. in the Beit Knesset
“Why Tomorrow’s Generation Will Be Jewish:
Judaism and our Anxious Search for Meaning”
Saturday, March 1 at 4:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary
“Community Identity Day: A Dialogue Across the Generations”
March 2 at 9:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary
Details at www.temple-isaiah.org/education/scholar-lectures/