Next month one of our group facili- tators, temple member and licensed marriage and family therapist Valerie Milner, will take us much further on our journey both to understand mental ill- ness better and to continue to reduce its stigma in our Jewish community. Mental Health First Aid is a program developed in Australia in 2001 that has received worldwide recognition; over 250,000 people have completed the program in the United States since it was launched here in 2008. The class aims to educate people about mental illness, not only to reduce the stigma but also to empower On Yom Kippur 2013 I spoke to our congregation about mental illness and its prevalence in our contemporary communities. One in four Americans will experience a serious mental illness over the course of his or her lifetime. This means that virtually every one of our lives will be impacted either by our own illness or that of a family member, friend, co-worker, schoolmate, or fellow congregant. In my sermon I quoted one mother’s disappointment after her daughter was diagnosed with severe depression. She lamented that friends and family had more hesitation and less generosity in their responses:“I didn’t get lasagna.” For many years now our P’tach Libeynu (Open Our Hearts) pro- gram has made sure that Temple Isaiah members and their families struggling with mental illness not only get meals and help at home but also regular psychological and spiritual support and guidance through our monthly groups.We are blessed to have Diana MaKieve, Valerie Milner, Rosemarie Frydman, and Karen Cohen leading these groups for our members and those in the Contra Costa Jewish com- munity who need our help. December 2011 Rabbi Judy Shanks January 2015 Tevet / Sh’vat 5775 With Mental Illness “You Don’t Get Lasagna” - But You Should at TI them to reach out with compassion and knowledge to those experiencing mental health issues. Participants learn about depression, anxiety, psychotic disorders, and substance abuse through lectures, videos, exercises, and discussion with our trained facilitator. Each participant receives a comprehensive workbook for use in the class and for reference afterward. Through funds procured by P’tach Libeynu from grants and donations, Temple Isaiah is able to offer this valuable eight- hour learning opportunity free to our membership. Please consider this important investment of your time for the sake of your loved ones and for the sake of strengthening our community as we deepen our Jewish commitment to bring casseroles – and much more – to those who are in distress. Class meets on Sunday, February 22 and March 1, from 12:45 to 5:00 p.m. in the Beit Knesset in the Talmud Torah Center on the lower campus. It is important that partici- pants be able to attend both sessions of this course. Email Clergy Assistant Nina Jones at ninaj@temple-isaiah. org if you would like to participate. There also will be online registration on our temple website. Please be sure to RSVP so that we have adequate workbooks and snacks. Rabbi Judy Shanks God's Room The Sanctuary is God's room. A light hangs from the ceiling and it never gets turned off. There are pomegranates on top of the Ark. The seeds in the pomegranates remind us of the Torah. The glass windows are so prey. We are quiet in God's room. We pray and get to sit with everyone, even the lile kids. We see the Torahs in God's room. There are five of them in the Ark. The Torah scks together and makes one big piece. It is so long that it can go all the way across the room. The Torah and the thing it wears are so beauful. We hold "the finger" so we don't touch the Torah. We can sing the words that are in the Torah and dance with it too. The Torah is very special. Wrien by Gan Ilan's Alonim Class of four year olds aſter a visit to the Sanctuary with Cantor Korn.
Transcript
Next month one of our group facili-tators, temple member and licensed marriage and family therapist Valerie Milner, will take us much further on our journey both to understand mental ill-ness better and to continue to reduce its stigma in our Jewish community. Mental Health First Aid is a program developed in Australia in 2001 that has received worldwide recognition; over 250,000 people have completed the program in the United States since it was launched here in 2008. The class aims to educate people about mental illness, not only to reduce the stigma but also to empower
On Yom Kippur 2013 I spoke to our congregation about mental illness and its prevalence in our contemporary communities. One in four Americans will experience a serious mental illness over the course of his or her lifetime. This means that virtually every one of our lives will be impacted either by our own illness or that of a family member, friend, co-worker, schoolmate, or fellow congregant. In my sermon I quoted one mother’s disappointment after her daughter was diagnosed with severe depression. She lamented that friends and family had more hesitation and less generosity in their responses: “I didn’t get lasagna.”
For many years now our P’tach Libeynu (Open Our Hearts) pro-gram has made sure that Temple Isaiah members and their families struggling with mental illness not only get meals and help at home but also regular psychological and spiritual support and guidance through our monthly groups. We are blessed to have Diana MaKieve, Valerie Milner, Rosemarie Frydman, and Karen Cohen leading these groups for our members and those in the Contra Costa Jewish com-munity who need our help.
December 2011Kislev / Tevet 5772
Rabbi Judy Shanks
January 2015Tevet / Sh’vat 5775
With Mental Illness “You Don’t Get Lasagna” - But You Should at TI
them to reach out with compassion and knowledge to those experiencing mental health issues. Participants learn about depression, anxiety, psychotic disorders, and substance abuse through lectures, videos, exercises, and discussion with our trained facilitator. Each participant receives a comprehensive workbook for use in the class and for reference afterward. Through funds procured by P’tach Libeynu from grants and donations, Temple Isaiah is able to offer this valuable eight-hour learning opportunity free to our membership.
Please consider this important investment of your time for the sake of your loved ones and for the sake of strengthening our community as we deepen our Jewish commitment to bring casseroles – and much more – to those who are in distress. Class meets on Sunday, February 22 and March 1, from 12:45 to 5:00 p.m. in the Beit Knesset in the Talmud Torah Center on the lower campus. It is important that partici-pants be able to attend both sessions of this course.
Email Clergy Assistant Nina Jones at [email protected] if you would like to participate. There also will be online registration on our temple website. Please be sure to RSVP so that we have adequate workbooks and snacks.
Rabbi Judy Shanks
God's Room
The Sanctuary is God's room. A light hangs from the ceiling and it never gets turned off. There are pomegranates on top of the Ark. The seeds in the pomegranates remind us of the Torah. The glass windows are so pretty. We are quiet in God's room. We pray and get to sit with everyone, even the little kids. We see the Torahs in God's room. There are five of them in the Ark. The Torah sticks together and makes one big piece. It is so long that it can go all the way across the room. The Torah and the thing it wears are so beautiful. We hold "the finger" so we don't touch the Torah. We can sing the words that are in the Torah and dance with it too. The Torah is very special. Written by Gan Ilan's Alonim Class of four year olds after a visit to the Sanctuary with Cantor Korn.
for the latest information www.temple-isaiah.org2 Temple Isaiah Ruach, January 2015
TEMPLE ISAIAH945 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.
President David Douglas
Executive Vice President Dan Myers
Vice President Tony Crea
Vice President Jasmine Tarkoff
Secretary Karen Goldberg
Treasurer Steve Lipson
Parliamentarian Robert Goldberg 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 Jory Gwasdoff 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 Sonia Das 300
Melissa Gianotti 304
Bookkeeper Sherry Tsai 302
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. 63, No. 6, January 2015
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.
Scholar in Residence Alan Morinis of the Mussar InstituteMorris and Bobbie Collen Memorial LecturesWe are delighted to welcome Alan Morinis, founder and dean of The Mussar Institute, as our scholar in resi-dence on Sunday, January 25. Raised in a secular Jewish home, Alan Morinis studied anthropology at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship and has spent the past 16 years exploring the Jewish spiritual discipline of Mussar. His books include Climbing Jacob’s Ladder and Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar, and the recently published With Heart in Mind: Mussar Teachings to Transform Your Life, which is a resource for our Saturday morning Mussar and Meditation services and our ongoing Mussar groups.
Please join us for two programs with Alan Morinis on Sunday, January 25, in the Social Hall:
“Raising a Mensch: Ourselves and Our Children” at 9:10 -10:20 a.m. If we have children or grandchildren, we want them to grow up to have good values and be good people. As it happens, there is no real dif-ference between what we need to do to cultivate good values in our children or in ourselves. In this session we will explore les-sons in child- rearing that apply to children and grandchildren and to ourselves as well.
“Taking Care of Our Relationships: What a 16th Century Jewish Text Can Teach Us About Relationships and How To Create, Sustain and Cultivate Great Ones” at 11:20 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
www.temple-isaiah.org/education/schol-ar-lectures
I Want to be a Mensch: Mussar as a Jewish Spiritual Path of Self-Improvement
Clergy Course with Rabbi Shanks Sunday, February 1, 8, and 22, 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at CCJDS (room to be announced). This adult education course led by Rabbi Shanks will build on the teaching of scholar in residence Alan Morinis on Sunday, January 25, and enable us to dive deeper into a practice that includes group and individual study of ancient and modern texts, ways to take everyday situations and turn them into life-changing moments of self-revelation, and techniques to chart our personal progress as we seek to gain deeper compassion, more patience, less anger, and greater personal insight. The course is appropriate for both those new to Mussar as well as those more familiar with its teachings and practice.
Mussar, literally “correction” or “instruc-tion,” also serves as the modern Hebrew word for ethics. Mussar is a Jewish mindful-ness practice developed in the 1800s and newly revived in our time, which uses study, meditation, chanting, and writing to help us become what we call in Yiddish a guteh neshamah (a good soul) or a mensch – one who embodies the best of all good human qualities (middot).
Since Rabbi Shanks taught her first Mussar class in the fall of 2013, many self-directed Mussar groups have been formed and are ongoing in the congregation, while many other temple members study on their own and as part of our Mussar and Meditation Shabbat worship. New study groups may be formed at the conclusion of this class for those who are interested.
Our text will be Alan Morinis’ newest book, With Heart in Mind: Mussar Teachings to Transform Your Life. Some copies will be available during his visit, or please procure the book yourself. The class is free, but please register in advance online or by contacting Nina Jones at [email protected] so that we have enough handouts at each class.
Alan Morinis
Learning about Chanukah in Gan Ilan’s Oranim class. For what’s happening at our preschool, see p. 10.
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Temple Isaiah Ruach, January 2015 3www.temple-isaiah.org for the latest information
NEWS AND INSPIRATION
David Douglas
ing members will no longer be with us. A strategic plan provides the opportunity to obtain input from the whole range of congregants – from our founders to our newest members.
Who is on the strategic planning team? Vice President Tony Crea leads the team of Julie Bell, Dan Greenberg, Sue Adler-Bressler, Joanne Peterson, Casey Sasner, Peter Bluford, Lisa Hirsch, Rabbi Judy Shanks (clergy representative) and Jen Boxerman (staff representative). The team will focus its efforts on three areas:
Update from the PresidentI am often asked, “How is it being president? Is it a lot of work? Do you get tired of dealing with problems?” The fact is, it isn’t too much work, there are very few “problems,” and it is very reward-ing – because I get to be part of exciting initiatives like these:
Annual AppealTo date, over 80 families have participated in this campaign. Thank you for these gifts which are a needed addition to our funding sources.
Membership and EngagementChaired by board members Julie Bell and Dave Bressler, this lively committee has worked hard to identify engagement options for congregants. Early efforts have included a successful new mem-ber event last October and plans to enhance and expand our havurot program. Stay tuned for more.
Winter NightsUnder the leadership of Joanne Peterson and Neil Modelevsky, we hosted nine homeless families for two weeks in December. Our members prepared dinner, engaged the families, and pro-vided a safe, upbeat environment for them during the holiday season.
L’Dor Vador CircleCelia and Leland Douglas (my distant relatives) have agreed to oversee the effort to solicit and recognize congregants who are able to give amounts greater than the standard commitment level, and whose generosity allows others not as financially for-tunate to participate fully in temple activities.
Puttin’ on the RitzOur fabulous gala is set for February 28. Enthusiastically chaired by Susana Maron, Sherry Rowen, and board member Faith Zenker, it promises to be an exciting fundraiser. Even if you are unable to attend, there will be ways to participate in gala-related fundraising parties and activities, so keep an eye out for temple emails advertising these events.
Isaiah 2020What is Isaiah 2020? Since our first meeting in September, the board has been exploring where we are as a congregation and where we are going and have looked at Temple Isaiah through a number of different lenses. As a result, the board voted to form a strategic planning team to develop a set of recommendations.
Why a strategic plan? Temple Isaiah is entering a period of transition. With Rabbi Graetz retiring at the end of May 2016, now is the appropriate time to review the existing needs of the congregation, project future needs, and identify the best way to build on our strong foundation. The advance notice of his retire-ment has allowed the congregation to embark on a thoughtful and clear-sighted strategic plan for the next five to ten years of Temple Isaiah’s life. In addition, our congregation will reach a point in the future – hopefully not too soon – when our found-
worship, learning, and community.
What is membership’s role? The team is in the initial phase, focusing on creating an accurate picture of where we are in 2015: who are our members, how they engage in temple life, and what is our financial and organizational structure. In the second phase we will be working with the congregation to find out what our community values, where it sees a need to refocus, and what we need to strengthen. We will use a wide range of options to engage people – group discussions, focus groups, survey tools, and ongoing conversations.
What is the timeline? The team expects to make recommenda-tions to the board in June. We also will be gaining insight, resourc-es, and perspectives from the URJ 2020 effort that is underway.
Thanks are owed to Tony Crea and the entire team for under-taking this important work that will invaluably benefit future generations and help ensure the strength and vitality of our community.
I also want to thank the board, clergy, and temple staff for help-ing make this job enjoyable. And I especially want to thank Jill, Josh, and Sophia for being great cheerleaders and supporters.
David Douglas, President
for the latest information www.temple-isaiah.org4 Temple Isaiah Ruach, January 2015
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Yizkor Elohim November 20, 2014
Dorothy Greisman, mother of Gayle (Stephen) Goldman.
November 24, 2014Harry Citron, father of Eric (Dvora) Citron, grandfather of Michael, Daniel and Talia.
November 28, 2014Edward Apelzin, father of Michele (Lawrence) Downes, grandfather of Joanna and Joshua.
December 17, 2014David Jacobson, father of Alan (Jill) Jacobson, grandfather of Corey, Matthew and Danielle.
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Welcome New Members November 11 — December 10, 2014
Angel in the Spotlight: Lucy Di BiancaAngel Network’s angels help us help you. Without the dedication of many wonderful volunteers, we would not have the caring community we do. Lucy Di Bianca, an Angel Network coordinator, is just such an angel.
Lucy and her family joined Temple Isaiah after moving to Walnut Creek almost 40 years ago, and she’s been involved in temple life ever since. She taught Sunday school in the days of Rabbi Waldenberg, served on the education com-mittee, helped with High Holy Days activities, and attended Adult B’nai Mitzvah class – all this and more before becom-ing an angel.
When Lucy was asked to become one of the first Angel Network volunteers, she gladly agreed. Since then she has done it all: writing cards, making calls, offering rides, mak-ing meals, and being a coordinator.
Lucy talks about her spiritual journey in the context of helping others and how even driving someone to an appointment can feel like meditation to her. “It’s such a journey to figure out what you need to do for people,” Lucy says. One family that she is helping through Angel Network has a child with a life-threatening illness. For many months Lucy has arranged meals for this family and often drives them places herself. She speaks of the immense appreciation she receives from those she helps.
“I am really moved when I talk about Temple Isaiah. It is both spiritual and educational,” says Lucy. She sees volunteering as an adventure, as a way for us to show others how to care for one another. According to Lucy, “Angels show up when they are needed.”
Lucy sums it up simply: “When you volunteer you are doing a mitzvah.” The joy you feel from knowing your deeds can make someone’s life a little better is immeasurable. Angel Network exists because of angels like Lucy as well as those who volunteer just once or twice a year. We are always in need of more angels, so please add your name to our list. Contact Jill Jacobsen at [email protected] or Ruth Willen at rw.angelnet @gmail.com to find out how you can help.
Robin Bach, Angel Network
Lucy Di Bianca
Time to Vote for ARZA-Representing ReformFrom January 15 through April 30 the American Zionist Movement will hold elections to determine the makeup of the United States delegation to the World Zionist Congress, a forum for discussing and addressing the critical issues facing the Jewish world. The composition of the congress has both financial and policy implications for Israel, and the larger the Reform movement’s delegation, the greater our impact. Over the past five years our strength ensured that $20 mil-lion went to our Reform partners in Israel: the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, Israel Religious Action Center, World Union for Progressive Judaism, progressive kibbutzim, and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
By voting for ARZA-Representing Reform in this year’s election, you can help assure the future of progressive Judaism in Israel and promote our movement’s values of equality, pluralism and peace. For more information and to vote for ARZA-Representing Reform, please go to www.reformjews4israel.org.
Lunch and Learn with JFCSMark your calendar for Wednesday, February 4, when we’ll meet in the Oneg Room to hear Rita Clancy of Jewish Family & Children’s Services of the East Bay talk about the agency’s services for seniors. Here’s our schedule: schmooze at 11:45 a.m., potluck lunch at 12 p.m., and program at 12:45 p.m. Visit www.temple-isaiah.org/lun-chandlearn to RSVP.
www.temple-isaiah.org for the latest information Temple Isaiah Ruach, January 2015 5
COMMUNITY
Twinning: Let’s Make It HappenIn December members of our Israel and World Jewry Committee met with Reuven Marko, chairman of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (the umbrella organization of the Reform communities and institutions in Israel) and an active member of Congregation Natan Ya, to brainstorm about our new twinning relationship. The discussion focused on ways to match individual members and groups with each other, ideas for both person-to-person and group-to-group activities, and the various media that we can use.
Here are some of the ideas that emerged from this and earlier meetings of the committee:
Survey both congregations on their specific interests and ideas about twinning.
Try to match people with professions, hobbies or other interests in common. Each month feature a family from each congregation to exchange their family story and pictures.
Encourage affinity groups within each congregation to engage in twinning activities.
Send Natan Ya the Ruach, Shabbat Shalom, and Shavua Tov and ask them to send us their communications. Actively publicize twinning activities in all Temple Isaiah print and online media.
Use email, Facebook, Skype, Webinar, and other media. For example, individuals can use social media to interact and play games such as “Words with Friends.” The congregations can use Skype to transmit communal celebrations such as Chanukah and Purim.
Hold real-time joint Torah study sessions or book group dis-cussions.
Send audio tapes and photos of Israel and World Jewry Committee programs.
Plan a group trip to Israel and invite members of Natan Ya to join us and show us their country personally. Encourage temple members traveling to Israel to visit Natan Ya.
If you would like to participate in any of these activities or have additional ideas, please contact Marlene Thier at [email protected] or Herb Thier at 925-376-6892. Join us for our next com-mittee meeting on Tuesday, January 6, at 7 p.m. in the Library and help make twinning happen at Temple Isaiah.
ViA Isaiah and the Jewish Coalition for Literacy (JCL) have teamed up to offer training for volunteer reading tutors on Monday, January 12, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Adult Lounge. This three-hour training session will remind you why you love reading and teach you how to help others acquire reading flu-ency and comprehension skills. JCL tutors work one-on-one with kindergarten through third graders a minimum of once a week.
Rosh Chodesh Sh’vat - The Women of the U.S. Supreme Court: Who Are They and What Drives Their Decisions?Note: This program is not for women only! All are welcome.
Women of Isaiah is honored to present Jesse H. Choper, the Earl Warren Professor of Public Law at Berkeley Law, as our guest speaker at a special Rosh Chodesh event on Wednesday, January 21, at 7 p.m. in the Adult Lounge. Professor Choper served as law clerk to Chief Justice Earl Warren of the U.S. Supreme Court fol-lowing graduation from law school. He has been on Berkeley’s law school faculty since 1965, serving as dean of the law school from 1982 to 1992, and has been a visiting professor and guest lecturer at major uni-versities throughout the world. Professor Choper has published widely and is the recipient of several distinguished teaching awards, including the Boalt Hall Alumni Association’s Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Professor Choper will address such questions as: How have the women justices of the Supreme Court influenced American life and law as we know it? What patterns can we see in their opinions? What unique insights can women bring to the Court? In keeping with this year’s Rosh Chodesh theme of Powerful Jewish Women, we will have an opportunity to learn more about two such women: Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Elena Kagan. Please join us!
Jesse Choper
JCL Volunteer Tutor Training at Temple IsaiahMany students read below grade level and need a friendly, patient volunteer to read with them. No experience necessary - just a willingness to help and complete the training. Please join us and help reduce the illiteracy rate in our community by becoming a JCL reading tutor. For more information and to register, visit www.jclread.org.
for the latest information www.temple-isaiah.org6 Temple Isaiah Ruach, January 2015
COMMUNITY
REGULAR HOURS - During Religious SchoolTuesdays & Wednesdays 4 - 6pm, Sundays 9am - 1pmOr call for an appoinment: 925-284-1404All sales support Temple Isaiah, the religious school and community projects.
The Magic of Chanukah Never Ends, and its greatest gifts are family and friends. For everything else, shop the sale at the
Women of Isaiah Gift Shop to get a jump on next year’s celebrations. ALL CHANUKAH ITEMS ARE 30% OFF!
To Ellen Bernstein-Ellis on being awarded the Certificate of Recognition for Special Contributions in Higher Education by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in November 2014. Ellen is a clin-ical supervisor and director of the aphasia treatment program at California State University, East Bay.
To Melissa Jakubowitz on being elected a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in November 2014. Fellowship is one of the highest hon-ors the association bestows and is awarded for outstand-ing contributions to the discipline of communications sciences and disorders.
To Madelene and Todd Nabi on the birth of their son, Noah Sterling Nabi, on December 8, 2014.
To Rabbi Nicki and Dan Greninger on the birth of their son, Gabriel Elijah Greninger, on December 17, 2014.
To Susan and Michael Smith on the birth of their son, Harrison Kyu Smith, on December 17, 2014.
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How Do You Tikkun Olam?David Gerson is the executive director of Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa and president of the Lafayette School Board. He and his wife Stacii joined Temple Isaiah in 2012 and have twin teen-age daughters, Rebecca and Jessica. Here is his story:
In my nearly 64 years I have had many incarnations. In the 1960s I was a hippie, in the ‘70s I became a China expert and later a respiratory therapist. In the ‘80s I became a tax lawyer. But I have always been the son of Albine and Myles Gerson, two New Yorkers who never lectured about helping others; they just did it.
It was not until I became a father in 1999 that I realized that I was not fulfilling my parents’ legacy of making the world a bet-ter place for my children as they had done for me. By then Albine and Myles had passed away. It was their legacy – their granddaughters – that made me think about giving back, getting involved, and taking personal responsibility for the world around me.
I started the easy way. I found a local nonprofit to support with my dollars. Later I joined its board of directors. The law had been more than good to me, but it was time to move on. From 2006 to 2009 I phased out of my law practice. In 2010 I was elected to the Lafayette School Board and, after serving for years on the Shelter Inc. board of directors, I became its president.
It was then that I knew I was doing the work that I should have been doing all along – bringing whatever limited talent I have for helping others, for solving problems and for making the world a slightly better place for my children and my neighbors. So in 2011 I decided to find a job in the nonprofit world. I found Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa, a nonprofit that feeds 500 people every day that was in need of new leadership. I joined its staff as executive director. I now focus on feeding those in need and leading the Lafayette School Board as its president. My best days are when I sit with Loaves and Fishes clients and witness their dignity in the face of adversity. I know that Albine and Myles are thinking, “Yes, David was a tax lawyer, something to be proud of, but what he is doing now, well that is a mitzvah.”
David Gerson
www.temple-isaiah.org for the latest information Temple Isaiah Ruach, January 2015 7
COMMUNITY
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AJC Program on Anti-Semitism in EuropePlease join the American Jewish Committee (AJC) San Francisco and Temple Isaiah for “Making the World Safer for Our Next Generation: A Conversation about Anti-Semitism in Europe,” on Tuesday, February 10, at 7 p.m. in the Social Hall. A panel of European consuls general will discuss the threatening rise of anti-Semitism in their countries. We will learn how they are deal-ing with the situation and what we can do to further the safety of Jews worldwide. This timely discussion is co-sponsored by a number of East Bay congregations and Jewish organizations. Mark your calendar – you won’t want to miss this important communi-ty-wide program. For more information, contact Lynn Gitomer at [email protected].
Fun, Fun, Fun with Surfin’ MegillahWouldn’t It Be Nice to have summer in March? So Be True to Your Shul, and Help me, Ronda! We need your time and talent for this year’s Beach Boys-themed Purimspiel. Rehearsals areWednesday, February 11, 18 and 25 at 7 p.m.. in the Sanctuary, and we’ll be Spielin’ USA on Wednesday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m. Calling all California Girls (and boys) to sign up. Interested? Please contact Rabbi Shanks at [email protected] and send Good Vibrations our way this Purim.
Author Michael Lavigne at Library ShabbatPlease join us on Friday, January 9, 2015 at 8 p.m. in the Sanctuary for Library Shabbat with local author Michael Lavigne whose novels explore the relationship between the personal and the political and “the power of loss, anger, and love to trans-form our lives.” His first novel, Not Me, was the recipient of the Sami Rohr Choice Award for emerging Jewish writers, and his second novel, The Wanting, a powerful novel about an Israeli father and his daughter that brings to life a rich canvas of events and unexpected change in the after-math of a suicide bombing, earned favorable reviews in the New York Times, Toronto Star and San Francisco Chronicle.
Mr. Lavigne will share his experience researching and writing The Wanting, including how his three years in the former Soviet Union influenced the development of the novel, and what it was like to write from both an Israeli and Palestinian perspective.
Books will be available for purchase at the oneg following the service. You will also have a chance to check out books from our Temple Isaiah Library, the largest circulating collection of Jewish books in the East Bay.
Michael Lavigne
Jan Trzesniewski (on right), Tina De Stephen and Ziva Rave at Religious School tefillah with artist in residence Liz Lerman in November.
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8 Temple Isaiah Ruach, January 2015 for the latest information www.temple-isaiah.org
COMMUNITY – ANSHEI ISAIAH
After a busy summer and a fall full of events, Anshei Isaiah wrapped up the year by celebrating Chanukah with the Golden State Warriors on Jewish Heritage Night at Oracle Arena. We then bid a final adieu to 2014 with Uncle Yu’s Chinese food and an auld acquaintance, Robin Williams, star of Jumanji, the feature film at our Moo-Shu and Movie on December 24.
We will kick off 2015 with our annual major fundraiser for the Anshei Isaiah Youth Fund: Trivia Night on Saturday, January 10, at 6 p.m. So shake off the cobwebs from the little known and useless
Joel Willen
Happy New Year
PHOTOGRAPHY(408)807-4770www.laskyphoto.com
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Over 700 Mitzvahs Photographed and Counting.....Go for Experience
Bar/Bat Mitzvahs - Weddings
SCOTT LASKY
information stored in the deep recesses of your brain, and team up with friends to compete for the title of Trivia Night Champion – or just have fun playing the game. The $36 cost includes a catered dinner, dessert, coffee, tea, and soft drinks. (You supply your own wine or beer.) Scott Danish will once again be our emcee, posing questions that will challenge, intrigue, dazzle, and stump you – well, maybe not all of you. If you have not already registered your team of eight to ten people or yourself (we will place you on a team), please do so right away. All proceeds from Trivia Night will go to support Temple Isaiah’s youth programs.
The rest of the winter and spring will provide many different opportunities for men to get together to share their interests, expand friendships, explore spirituality, and just have fun. Join us on Sunday, January 25, at 4 p.m. for bocce ball at Campo Di Bocce in Livermore. If you have never played bocce ball, now is the time for you to get out and explore the intricacies of the sport. Space is limited, so sign up early.
Our annual Men’s Retreat is Friday, March 27, through Sunday, March 29, at Ralston White Center in Mill Valley. Spend a wonderful Shabbat weekend with Rabbi Graetz and Anshei Isaiah at the base of Mt. Tamalpais. This year we are fortunate to have Michael Gill as our musical accompanist.
Make a New Year’s resolution to get involved with Anshei Isaiah in 2015.
Joel Willen, Anshei Isaiah President
The Wellerstein family at our Chanukah celebration at Walnut Creek on Ice.
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www.temple-isaiah.org for the latest information Temple Isaiah Ruach, January 2015 9
108:45am Torah Study9:30am Tot Shabbat10:30am Shabbat Service
(Bat Mitzvah: Maya Solwren)
6pm Trivia Night
99:15am Ganeinu
8pm Library Shabbat Followed by Oneg
8
10am N’Shama Yoga
12pm Talmud Study1pm TEXTorah Study
7
11:45am Lunch and Learn
4pm Religious School
6:45pm Noar Night
6
10am N’Shama Yoga
12:30pm Writing Workshop
4pm Religious School
5
7pm WOI Board Meeting
4
1pm Genealogy Workshop3pm P’tach Libeynu
38:45am Torah Study10:30am Shabbat Service
(Bar Mitzvah: Daniel Tarkoff)
2
5:45pm Shabbatarama Dinner
6:30pm Shabbatarama Service Followed by Dinner
1Office Closed: New Year’s
Day
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for the latest information www.temple-isaiah.org10 Temple Isaiah Ruach, January 2015
YOUTH AND EDUCATION
January marks the halfway point in our year as well as enrollment time for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year. It has been a very busy semester, full of enriching activities in the classrooms and evening and weekend events. In September we surveyed our preschool parents to find out more about their interests and learned that everyone wanted to engage in activities with other preschool families and learn-ing opportunities for themselves. We heard our parents and, with the assistance of our Jewish Resource Specialist Shelley Chetrit,
have organized new monthly programs for families and adults.In October Gan Ilan celebrated Sukkot with supper in the
sukkah, complete with harvest activities, a home-cooked dinner, and a musical concert. We kicked off a monthly mom’s night out program in November with challah baking, followed by green smoothies and candle making, and just before Thanksgiving we organized a family mitzvah project in which our families collabo-rated and created fleece blankets and cards that we donated to a Shalom Bayit shelter.
Rabbi Shanks has begun a lunch and learn series for preschool parents entitled, “Raising a Mensch.” At the first meeting parents reflected on what values were important to them and during their second gathering discussed the “December dilemma.” Rabbi Shanks will continue to meet with our parents throughout the spring.
Many more things are planned for this semester. All of these engagement programs are helping to build a strong preschool community. Our families are developing connections with Jewish traditions and history through hands-on experiences and are strengthening their Jewish identity through these diverse educa-tional programs.
Enrollment for next year is already underway. If you know any parents who are looking for an outstanding Jewish early child-hood education program, please encourage them to come visit Gan Ilan. We would love them to join our very special preschool community.
Liz Kaufman, Early Childhood Education Director
News from Gan Ilan
Small Class Sizes State-of -the Art Science Lab Drama/Music/Art/Sports Hebrew/Judaics Financial Assistance
CCJDS is a beneficiary of the Koret Foundation, Jim Joseph Foundation, and the Jewish Federation of the East Bay.
Lafayette, CA 925-284-8288 www.ccjds.org
CONTRA COSTA JEWISH DAY SCHOOL
DISCOVERTHE
DIFFERENCECCJDS
AT
CAIS and WASC accreditations
Liz Kaufman
Smiles all around for the Lujan Waisberg family at Chanukah at the Rink. Board members Fa and Tania chair the Early Childhood Education committee, and the twins are in Gan Ilan’s Alonim class for fours.
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www.temple-isaiah.org for the latest information Temple Isaiah Ruach, January 2015 11
YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE – SPECIAL GIFTS
General Fund Cont’dIn memory of:Jacqueline Bandel, from Scott SomersRona Mael, from Beryl and Ivor SilverSam D. Shapiro, from Lee and Lyn ShapiroTamar Sherman, from Catherine and Yehuda
Sherman
For the yahrzeit of:Richard Allen, from Shirley AllenHiram Cook, from Lee and Lyn ShapiroRosara Leibson, from Phillip and Joanne PetersonEleanor Leo, from Karen FiskeEvelyn Schultz, from Linda and Nathan Schultz
Ivy Blum Memorial Fund
In memory of:Ivy Blum, from C.J., Irwin, Todd, and Leslie Feinberg
Jacob M. Tarkoff Gan Ilan Fund
In memory of:Dr. Robert Greene, from Jill and Alan Jacobson,
Karen and Mitchell Tarkoff
Memorial Plaque Fund
In memory of:Irving Geldin, from Susan GeldinNellie Geldin, from Susan Geldin
Project Hearth for the Homeless Fund
In honor of:Lillian Katzburg’s special birthday, from Elaine
Highiet
For the recovery of:Frances Singer, from Eleanor and Ernest Glaser
Rabbi Graetz’ Discretionary Fund
In honor of:Stan Holcenberg’s special birthday, from Phyllis
and Ed Miller
In memory of:Herman Greenstein, from Lynn Wolff Douglas Martin, from Susan WallachZelma Roter, from Mark and Andrea Roter and Lori
Sloan
For the yahrzeit of:Elizabeth Kurtzman, from Angela and Michael
KurtzmanTerry Levich, from Mo Levich
Rabbi Greninger’s Discretionary Fund
In appreciation of:Rabbi Greninger, from Heather Howe-Dennett
Angel Network Fund
A donation from:Cecile Farkas
In appreciation of:The Angel Network, from Shirley Nankin
For the recovery of:Frances Singer, from Beverly Kivel
For the yahrzeit of:Edna Phillips, from Beverly Kivel
Cantor’s Music Fund
In appreciation of:The High Holy Days choir and music, from Beryl
and Ivor Silver
In honor of:Lillian Katzburg’s special birthday, from Beverly
Kivel
For the recovery of:Andrea Green, from Arlene and Yale DownesFrances Singer, from Arlene and Yale Downes
For the yahrzeit of:Rose Belove, from Marilyn and Mark MorrisEthel Korn, from Irene and Arthur KornHerman Baron Moss, from Jack and Terri
Bookbinder Muriel Moss, from Jack and Terri Bookbinder
Cantor Ted Cotler Library Fund
In memory of:Alvin Clar, from Joan ClarHelene Weber, from Lorraine Force
Carlene Berman Flowers Fund
For the recovery of:Eleanor Glaser, from Elaine HighietAndrea Green, from Elaine HighietFrances Singer, from Elaine Highiet
Daniel Baron Feed the Hungry Fund
In honor of:Jane Emanuel on receiving a well-deserved
Threads of Hope award, from Donna Kaulkin
For the yahrzeit of:Ruth Glick, from Bobbi BaronBob Goldstone, from Jari Goldstone
General Fund
In honor of:Lillian Katzburg’s special birthday, from Tillie
MolhoMichael Liepman, from Rachel Lefkowitz and Jay
Sherwin
Rabbi Miller’s Discretionary Fund
For the yahrzeit of:Rachel Lavigne, from Stephanie and Michael
Sandberg
Rabbi Shanks’ Discretionary Fund
In appreciation of:Rabbi Shanks’ participation in the naming of
Ravi Shai and Rohan Lev, from Benjamin Winig and Mala Subramanian
In honor of:Lillian Katzburg’s special birthday, from Eleanor
and Ernest Glaser
For the yahrzeit of:Gussie Esacoff, from Ronnie GorelickWilliam Hassen, from Joel and Rochelle Hassen Sylvia Levine, from Chere ElsingaJoey Lott, from Sheldon and Nancy NankinHoward Evan Weintraub, from Marsha Weintraub
Molling and Richard Molling
Religious School & Youth Fund
For the yahrzeit of:Laszlo Tibor Gyongyosi, from Martin Lackner
Women of Isaiah Fund
For the yahrzeit of:Edward Goodfried, from Roy KaplanBarbara Kaplan, from Roy KaplanJean Levitt, from Roy Kaplan
Winter Nights Fund
For the yahrzeit of:Dorothy Bushell, from Yonina and Barry Bushell
Special Gifts November 1 – 30, 2014
Deena Solwren and daughter at our Chanukah party on ice.
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Friday, January 2
5:45pm Shabbatarama Dinner6:30pm Shabbatarama Family
Service
Saturday, January 3
8:45am Torah Study10:30am Shabbat Morning Service
Daniel Tarkoff, Bar Mitzvah
Genesis 47:28-50:26, Vaychi
Friday, January 9
8:00pm Library Shabbat Service with Michael Lavigne Followed by Oneg
Saturday, January 10
8:45am Torah Study9:30am Tot Shabbat Service10:30am Shabbat Morning Service
Maya Solwren, Bat Mitzvah
Exodus 1:1-6:1, Shemot
Friday, January 16
6:00pm Happy Half Hour Oneg6:30pm 3d Shabbat Service with
Mizmor Band
Saturday, January 17
9:15am Torah Study10:30am Mussar Shabbat Service
Followed by Potluck
Exodus 6:2-9:35, Vaera
Friday, January 23
5:30pm Tot Shabbat Service8:00pm Shabbat Service
Followed by Oneg
Saturday, January 24
8:45am Torah Study10:30am Shabbat Morning Service
Vasch Gerber, Bat Mitzvah
Exodus 10:1-13:16, Bo
Friday, January 30
6:00pm Oneg 6:30pm 5th Shabbat Service with
Israel Trip B’nai Mitzvah Teens
Saturday, January 31
9:15am Torah Study10:30am Shabbat Morning Service
Exodus 13:17-17:16, Beshallah
SHAbbATWorSHIP SErvIcES
Non-Profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE
PaidLafayette, CA
94549 Permit No. 30
Timely informaTion enCloSed: PleaSe deliver by January 1
![Dec 8 Shabbat Worship Service Dec 15 Dec 22 Shabbat ......intellectual attainment than we do. [Everyday Holiness: The Spiritual Path of Mussar] The original celebration of Chanukah](https://static.documents.pub/doc/80x56/5f3a1db4b28b0963c45335ae/dec-8-shabbat-worship-service-dec-15-dec-22-shabbat-intellectual-attainment.jpg)
