We Remember - Temple Beth Abraham
Transcription
We Remember - Temple Beth Abraham
the Volume 31, Number 8 April 2012 T E M P L E B E T H A B R A H A M Nisan / Iyar 5772 We Remember directory Temple Beth Abraham Services Schedule is proud to support the Conservative Movement by affiliating with The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Services/ Time Advertising Policy: Anyone may sponsor an issue of The Omer and receive a dedication for their business or loved one. Contact us for details. We do not accept outside or paid advertising. The Omer is published on paper that is 30% post-consumer fibers. The Omer (USPS 020299) is published monthly except July and August by Congregation Beth Abraham, 336 Euclid Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610. Periodicals Postage Paid at Oakland, CA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Omer, c/o Temple Beth Abraham, 336 Euclid Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610-3232. © 2010. Temple Beth Abraham. The Omer is published by Temple Beth Abraham, a non-profit, located at 336 Euclid Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610; telephone 510-832-0936. It is published monthly except for the months of July and August for a total of ten issues per annum. It is sent as a requester publication and there is no paid distribution. Location Monday & Thursday Morning Minyan Chapel 8:00 a.m. Friday Evening (Kabbalat Shabbat) Chapel 6:15 p.m. Shabbat Morning Sanctuary 9:30 a.m. Candle Lighting (Friday) April 6 April 13 April 20 April 27 7:19 p.m. 7:25 p.m. 7:32 p.m. 7:38 p.m. Torah Portions (Saturday) April 7 April 14 April 21 April 28 Pesach Pesach Shemini Tazria/M’tzora To view The Omer in color, visit www.tbaoakland.org. General INFORMATION All phone numbers use (510) prefix unless otherwise noted. Mailing Address 336 Euclid Ave. Oakland, CA 94610 Hours M-Th: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Fr: 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Office Phone 832-0936 Office Fax 832-4930 E-Mail admin@tbaoakland.org Gan Avraham 763-7528 Bet Sefer 663-1683 STAFF Rabbi (ext. 213) Cantor (ext. 218) Gabai Executive Director (ext. 214) Office Coordinator (ext. 210) Bet Sefer Director (ext. 217) Gan Avraham Director (ext. 219) Bookkeeper (ext. 215) Custodian (ext. 211) Kindergym/Toddler Program Volunteers (ext. 229) Mark Bloom Richard Kaplan David Galant & Jay Goldman Rayna Arnold Virginia Tiger Susan Simon Ruth Morris Christine Tripod Joe Lewis Dawn Margolin 547-7726 Herman & Agnes Pencovic OFFICERS President Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President Secretary Treasurer i Bryan Schwartz 847-8079 Mark Fickes 652-8545 Steve Glaser 531-6384 Steve Grossman 834-3937 Laura Wildmann 601-9571 Flo Raskin 653-7947 Dan Finkelstein 428-2849 Committees & organizations If you would like to contact the committee chairs, please contact the synagogue office for phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Adult Education Steve Glaser & Aaron Paul Chesed Warren Gould Development Steve Grossman & Flo Raskin Dues Evaluation Dan Finkelstein Endowment Fund Herman Pencovic Finance Dan Finkelstein Gan Avraham Parents Lauren Kaplan & Mala Johnson Gan Avraham School Committee Jenny Michaelson House Murray Davis Israel Affairs David Marinoff Membership Mark Fickes Men’s Club Phil Hankin Omer Lori Rosenthal Personnel Steve Glaser Public Relations Lisa Fernandez Ritual Eric Friedman Schools Laura Wildmann Social Action Jessica Dell’Era Torah Fund Anne Levine Web Site Jason Swartz Women of TBA Jeanne Korn Youth Steve Fankuchen what’s happening Women on the Move Sunday, April 8, 9:45 a.m. WTBA hikes happen the second Sunday of every month. We meet at 9:45 and depart promptly at 10:00. Hikes end by 11:30. We will meet at the Skyline Gate on Skyline just south of Snake and hike in Redwood Regional Park. For details, contact Deena Aerenson at daerenson@gmail.com or (510) 225-5107. TBA Annual Blood Drive April 15 • 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Sign up to give blood at www.redcrossblood.org. Choose “Search by Sponsor” and enter <TBAOakland> as your choice. You can also call the Red Cross to schedule an appointment at (800) 733-2767. Contact Charles Feltman with questions at (510) 653-7664. Please Join Us For: Sukkot in April/Rebuilding Together Oakland (RTO) Sunday, April 22 and April 29 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Contact Gabriella Gordon or Rachel Goldstone to sign up. Gabriella: allanbellagordon@yahoo.com Rachel: Rachelgoldstone@comcast.net See article and more details on page 16. Keflanu: Shabbat Fun & Games for 3rd - 6th Graders April 7 & 21, after services See details on page 11. Book Group Meeting Monday, April 16, 7:30 p.m. Judy Langberg’s home 2 Netherton Ct, Moraga (925) 376-1544 “The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance” by Edmund de Waal Please RSVP to Deena daerenson@gmail.com or call (510) 225-5107. Save the Date WTBA Girls Night Out Thursday, May 3 The theme will be Names and Naming Traditions. Planning for Pesach Do you need a place at the seder table? Or are you able to offer one this year? Please contact Rabbi Bloom (this year’s seder matchmaker) to be matched up for seder this year. First night seder is April 6. Honoring TBA’s Holocaust Survivors Saturday, April 14 at 9:30 a.m. As we approach Yom HaShoah this year, please join us in the Sanctuary for a special Shabbat service honoring TBA’s Holocaust Survivors: Leonard and Helen Fixler • David Galant Hennie Hecht • Jack Jeger • Genia Kerbel Adele Mendelsohn-Keinon • Misia Nudler Henry Ramek • Pola Silver We celebrate their extraordinary lives and the richness they add to our TBA community. Kiddush following services sponsored by TBA’s Second Generation. Yom HaShoah Community-wide Observance Tuesday, April 17 7:45 p.m. Temple Sinai, Oakland “Voices of Our Youth: Stories from the Holocaust” This program is open to the community. Admission is free. For more information: (510) 318-6453. Underwritten by The Tillie and Rene Molho Fund for Holocaust Remembrance of the Jewish Federation and The Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay. Co-sponsors: Bay Area Midrasha, Beth Jacob Congregation, Center for Jewish Living & Learning, JCRC/East Bay, Jewish Family & Children’s Service, Oakland Hebrew Day School, Tehiyah Day School, Temple Beth Abraham, Temple Beth Sholom and Temple Sinai. See additional WTBA and other Adult Education activities on page 5. 1 from the rabbi A Tribute to Past TBA Survivors A few years ago, we had a Saturday morning service which honored 12 TBA members who survived the Holocaust. Each story is truly amazing in its own right. We are blessed that nine of them are still with us today, but I also want to share brief snippets of three who have passed away since we did that service. Each of them inspired me and many others through the examples of their lives. RACHEL GORDON was born in Kovno, Lithuania, one of three girls and three boys. She was forced into the ghetto in 1941 and then sent to the Shtutov Concentration Camp in 1944, where she was forced to dig ditches on little food and sleep. Her son Aaron, 12 at the time, was sent with her husband to Dachau. When they parted he said “Don’t cry. I have a feeling we will see each other again.” Rachel was liberated by Russian soldiers and helped significantly by a Jewish soldier named Marshak. At a hospital in Berlin, all the doctors and nurses who had been caring for her witnessed her “Mother and Child Reunion.” Her son Aaron was right. He survived because he looked and could work like a man, even at 12. After the war he went to Israel aboard the actual Exodus ship. ILSE SANDERS was born in Germany as part of a successful family but left after Kristallnacht. Her jewelry and valuables were saved by her husband’s good friend, Paul, a Protestant man whose son would come to write a book about their special friendship. After paying for and applying for visas for various places, she was eventually allowed to leave for Haiti, where she and her husband arrived with $4 between them. They made ends meet by sharing a rented house with four families and by doing manicures for 10 cents for people, including, eventually, the Finance Minister and President of Haiti. Eventually, she made her way to Oakland and Temple Beth Abraham as relatives of the Jonas family. JEANETTE JEGER was born in a small town in Poland into the Loszak family, two of seven girls. Her family was committed to Judaism, education and helping others, whether Jewish or gentile. When Germany invaded she was told to leave for a ghetto being formed when the Mayor advised her not to go because she would be killed. He was right, but she and her sister Misia, who we are still blessed to have in our congregation today, had escaped, with the Mayor’s help. When their ghetto was liquidated and the people were sent to Treblinka, Jeanette and Misia managed to escape into the fields, where they spent the next year and a half hiding. They recalled hiding for an entire week in a barn under hay, with German soldiers taking a rest on top of that very haystack. They could hear the trains headed for extermination camps from the fields in which they were hiding. They were occasionally given food by kind farmers and their wives, but were constantly on the run. Today, Jeanette’s three children, her husband Jack, her sister Misia, and many other relatives are anchored in Oakland. May their memories continue to be a blessing and an inspiration to us all! Random Thoughts on Genesis By Irene Weinberg I shall be leaving Oakland as soon as my house is sold. But here is an essay of some thoughts concerning Genesis I would like to share in the Omer. I have enjoyed attending the Wednesday a.m. Torah study sessions. They made me think. Good luck to everyone. Irene Creation Reading the story of Creation: it is interesting there are two versions. 2 Why? Because God goofed! There is a need for the second version of the Creation, so that we can have the creation of Eve. And this is why we need Eve. In Version One, God creates male and female. There is nothing in Torah making the female whom God creates in Version One to be evil. That evil female (Lilith) is the invention of men. God tells man to be fruitful and multiply, but then God makes the birth process so painful. Well, there has to be a reason for all the pain. (Otherwise, man might not be so fruitful, and woman might blame God). And so we have the story of the Garden of Eden; the eating of forbidden fruit by Eve, and the punishment of Eve. Because Eve did wrong, she shall be punished. She shall have pain with childbirth. It is all Eve’s fault. Men had reasons to fear the power of women. Most people who have power don’t want to share it. So, like so many societies in so much of history, Judaism denigrated womanhood (and look what has been happening now...female rabbis, cantors, scholars etc.). Genesis, continued on page 7 president’s message I Remember By Bryan Schwartz I remember what it felt like to enter the concentration camp at Majdanek, while on the other side of the barbed-wire fence, the large Polish city of Lublin went about its daily business, within spitting distance of the trench dug for thousands of Jewish bodies to fall into, as they were shot. I remember the ashes of hundreds of thousands of our brethren there, piled two stories high, and a beautiful young Jewish girl from New Jersey as she cried, sitting on the edge of the massive urn, staring at the ruined civilization. I remember the sea of shoes of the victims, tens of thousands of pairs collecting dust for nearly 50 years (at the time of my visit), and my solitary pair. I remember thinking that nothing more than being lucky, born in late 20th century America, kept my high top Timberland boots on my feet, walking with thousands of other Jewish teenagers on the March of the Living. I remember it was cold in Auschwitz in the springtime, and I was wearing a heavy wool sweater. I remember there were dandelions in the grass, out of place indicators that existence continues without Them. I remember Polish schoolchildren pointed and laughed at us as we walked toward the camps where our families were burned, and I hated them. I seethed at the country where they lived, that did not even use the crimes of its past generations to teach its future generations to do better. I remember the train tracks, and the human bone fragments in the crematoria of Birkenau, and chanting prayers with dozens of youths in a drafty barrack there. I remember the desecrated gravestones of Kazimierz, where our people’s memorials were made into sidewalks. I remember the ash pits and monuments that are all that remain of 800,000 of us, in the peaceful woods of Treblinka. I also remember dancing the hora with elderly survivors in Krakow, and thinking – we Jews are stronger than other peoples, to survive like this. No one is stronger than we are. I remember realizing that my uniquely lucky birth, my desire to weave fairness and justice into the fabric of future generations, and the strength of our ancestors coursing in my blood, all pointed me in one direction – the ongoing struggle for civil rights. I am grateful that my legal career empowers me to fight on behalf of the less powerful, and against the indifference of those holding power. I am grateful, too, that I can spend my free time engaged in social action with a vibrant community of young and old Jews whose desire to repair the world and pursue justice was the Nazis’ greatest fear. Please join with me again at the Second Annual Bay Area Walk Against Genocide, on Sunday, April 29 at noon, at Lake Merritt. It is our duty as Jews to remember genocide and bring attention to – not ignore – atrocities in our world today. Go to http://www.walkagainstgenocide.org/ and click “Register Here” and then “Join a Team” to become part of the Temple Beth Abraham effort today! Looking For a Flat Screen TV for One Night to Help the Schools The Schools Auction committee is hoping you’ve found your platform shoes and bellbottom pants to wear to our fabulous Sunday Night Fever Auction May 6. Our Decorations Committee Chair Sharon Alva could use some help. If anyone has two flat screen TVs, either 26-inch or 32-inch, to lend for the night of the auction, please contact her at sharon@alvaproperties.com. 2nd Annual Bay Area Walk Against Genocide Sunday April 29 • Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA Noon-4 p.m. Music & Tabling 1-2 p.m. Program • 2-3 p.m. Walk Join the TBA team that will walk the lake and raise awareness about historic and ongoing genocides. If you cannot make the walk but want to help contribute to TBA’s strong stance against these atrocities, please consider a team donation. Contact Rachel Dornhelm at handknit@gmail.com with questions. And online: http://www.walkagainstgenocide.org/. 3 editor’s message Effortless Curiosity By Lori Rosenthal I heard a new term in yoga class recently that spoke to me instantly and then lodged itself into my brain. I think it is here to stay. Want to hear this new term? Effortless Curiosity. Just hearing the words makes my mind expand. Effortless curiosity sounds like an open door through which anything is possible. I find it tremendously appealing. Facing my day with effortless curiosity makes me feel like a two-year old exploring the world. And, like a two year old exploring the world, it means that any situation, no matter how many times I have done it before, can be transformed into something new and different. Just today, on this sleepy Sunday morning, my mind effortlessly happened upon a few questions that provided me with new food for thought: I wonder if that beautiful reddish bush with the pink flowers that is growing in the garden across the street would work in my shady front patio. How many of my high school friends can I meet up together while in New York this summer for my nephew’s wedding? Maybe I will volunteer for the Sukkot in April event this year and help rebuild a house in Oakland. I wonder what it would be like. Who cares that I know nothing about using tools to build things? While the seemingly easy nature of effortless curiosity is enhancing my life with new thoughts and ideas on the “thinking end” of the creative process, on the “doing end”, it draws me into situation that end up requiring additional effort. For every new “I wonder” or “whatever happened to” or “why can’t I?” idea that arises, I am tasked with expending some level of effort to discover the answer or bring the possibility to fruition. Sometimes it is a little effort and sometimes a much bigger one. That is the thing about plunging into uncharted waters. You never know where it will take you and you can’t operate on automatic when you are presented with new ideas. Yet - that is where the magic often happens. Imagine what effortless curiosity could inject into your daily life. Try it while driving your kids to Hebrew school, struggling with a testy situation at work, participating in a Shabbat service, or just chatting with friends, family and other special people in your life. You never know where it will lead. Let me know how it turns out. Are you The Omer's next cover artist? We are currently searching for a TBA member who wants to contribute monthly to The Omer in an artistic way. We will need someone for the September issue, due in early August. Contact Lori Rosenthal at omer@tbaoakland.org. the Omer Upcoming Omer theme in May: Shavuot We cheerfully accept member submissions. Deadline for articles and letters is the seventh of the month preceding publication. Editor in Chief Managing Editor Layout & Design Calendars B’nai Mitzvah Editor Cover Help From 4 Lori Rosenthal Lisa Fernandez Jessica Sterling Jon Golding Susan Simon Ruth Teitelbaum People like you! Copy Editors Jessica Dell’Era, Charles Feltman, Nadine Joseph, Richard Kauffman, Jan Silverman, Debbie Spangler, James Wakeman Proofreaders June Brott, Jessica Dell’Era, Jeanne Korn, Anne Levine, Stephen Shub, Susan Simon, Debbie Spangler Distribution Fifi Goodfellow, Hennie Hecht, Herman and Agnes Pencovic, Gertrude Veiss Mailing Address 336 Euclid Ave. Oakland, CA 94610 E-Mail omer@tbaoakland.org wtba, our sisterhood Vashti’s Banquest Imagine 35 TBA women, lounging in a big cushiony tent, relaxed from massage, beautified by henna tattoos, munching on fruit and nuts, sipping martinis, getting in touch with their Vashti side, and generally escaping to Persia for a couple of hours. That’s what happened on March 11, at WTBA’s 2nd annual Vashti’s Banquet. We gained insight into our futures with tarot readings. Miriam Gould tantalized us with her sultry Middle Eastern dance, and taught us a few key dance moves to work off those martinis. Thanks to Outi Gould and Bella Gordon, our killer “ambience” team, for creating an AMAZING, exotic tent. It looked just like a movie set! Thanks also to Mary Odenheimer for our scrumptious goodies, and Dawn Margolin for leading us in some Vashti exploration. Look for the 3rd annual Vashti’s Banquet next year. Pirkei Imahot / Monday, April 23, 9:30 a.m. Subversive Sequels in The Bible Join our community of women as we uncover the emotional and intellectual themes that live in Torah and connect to our lives. Meetings are hosted and facilitated by group members. Sponsored jointly by Oakland Ruach Hadassah and the Women of TBA, the group is open to all women. Questions? Contact Debbie Spangler at debspang@yahoo.com or (510) 531-1105 for the location of our next meeting. Fifth Annual East Bay Women’s Torah Study Kolot Nashim Monday, April 30, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. Hosted by The Women of Temple Beth Abraham (WTBA) 327 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA Join women from throughout the East Bay as we explore a wide range of thought-provoking topics. Taught by Bay Area Women Rabbis and Teachers. Contact with questions: Ellen Kaufman (ebkaufman@sbcglobal.net) Lori Rosenthal (rosentlori@gmail.com) 5 mishloach manot Thank you to all who made our 2012 PURIM BASKET Purim Basket Fundraiser such a success – you made nearly $35,000 for TBA with a portion going to Mazon, A Jewish Response to Hunger! Thanks to all member who donated to Mishloach Manot. And to those volunteers who worked so hard to make it happen!!! “IT DOES TAKE A VILLAGE” Hamentashen Assemblers Amy Tessler, Bella Gordon, Jeanne Korn, Jing Piser, Judy Chun, and Lynn Langfeld Driving Route Preparation: Amy Tessler, Jeanne Korn, Karen Bloom, Stacy Margolin, and Steven Grossman Basket Schlepping to Cars: Sara Korn and Scott Tessler Basket Assemblers: Adi Schacker, Alice Hale, Amy Tessler, Anna Schacker, Asher Rose, Doreen Alper, Ellis Diamant, Flo Raskin, Jeanne 6 Korn, Jenna Tessler, Joanne Goldstein, Joe Lewis, Jonah Bloom, Karen Bloom, Karen Schoonmaker, Leah Goldberg, Lori Rosenthal, Melissa Diamant, Micah Bloom, Miriam Green, Rabbi Mark Bloom, Rayna Arnold, Roni Schacker, Roxanne Diamant, Sara Korn, Scott Tessler, Stacy Margolin, Steve Grossman, and Steve Tessler Route Drivers & Helpers: Abby Klein, Adi, Anna & Roni Schacker, Alice Hale, Amy Moscov, Amy, Steve, Jenna & Scott Tessler, Armin Brott, Barbara Gross & Ben Stiegler, Barbara Rothblatt, Bella Gordon, Colin Schlesinger, David & Elliot Lenik, David Mendelsohn, Debbie & Ward Spangler, Deborah & Larry Reback, Doreen Alper, Dvora McLean, Ella Pashmar, Esther Rogers & Robert DeBare, Flo & Paul Raskin, Hildie Spritzer, Howard Zangwill, Jan Kessler, Jeanne & Sara Korn, Jenny Berg, Jerry Levine, Jessica Dell’Era, Jessica & Emma & Zoe Sterling, Jill Rosenthal, Joan Korin, Joanne Goldstein, Joy Jacobs, Jueli Garfinkle, Ken & Julie Cohen, June Brott, Laura Gilman, Liat Porat & Yuval Wolf, Lisa Fernandez, Lisa Kharrazi, Lori Jaffe, Lori Rosenthal, Lori Jill Seltzer, Lynn Langfeld, Marcia Benjamin, Melissa Diamant, Melissa Werthan, Miriam Green & Asher Rose, Patricia Eliahu, Rabbi Mark, Jonah, Karen & Micah Bloom, Rachel Brott, Rachel Dornhelm, Rachel Goldstone, Richard Kauffman, Rick Heeger, Ronn Berrol, Sharon Shoshani, Steve Grossman, Swann Lander, Uli Rotzscher, Ward Hagar, and Wendy Siver College Basket Coordinators: Debby Barach, Lori Rosenthal & Flo Raskin Route & Map Creation Coordinator Jeanne Korn Volunteer Coordinator: Amy Tessler Database Management Deborah Sosebee, Rick Heeger, and Steven Grossman Office Assistance: Agnes Pencovic, Christine Tripod, Pinky Pencovic, and Rayna Arnold. Administrative Heavy Lifting & Support Virginia Tiger All Kinds of Heavy Lifting & Support: Joe Lewis Food Donors: Ailsa Steckel, Arlene Zuckerberg, Debbie Spangler & Gabriella Gordon (Tangerines), American Licorice Company (Red Vines) Amy & Steve Tessler, Barbara’s Bakery (Snackimals Animal Cookies), Clif Bar & Company (Clif Bars & Mojo Bars) Steve Grossman, Edie & Dick Mills (Hamentashen) Emerald Nuts (Almonds), Hennie Hecht Kosher Katering (Hershey Kisses), Joel & Jing Piser (AIPAC Pin), Liat Bostick (Hamentashen), Nest Collective (Mashups), Numi Tea, Pop Chips, Semifreddi’s (Biscotti) Michael Rose, Somersault Snacks, Trader Joe’s Lakeshore (70% Dark Chocolate), Whole Foods Market. Oakland (Organic Raisins & Pirate’s Booty) And of course, the incredible co-chairs: Jing Piser, for her vision and creation of the most beautiful baskets yet; Steve Grossman, for negotiating and procuring the basket items; and Deborah Sosebee, who with Steve oversaw all things large and small. TODAH RABBAH! shabbat It’s Not Shabbat Without the Challah! By Susan Simon For many of us, it just wouldn’t be Shabbat without our beloved challah. Typically we only enjoy challah on Shabbat and on Sunday morning, devouring the leftovers as French toast, or with peanut butter or as part of a fabulous sandwich. From what I can tell, the word “challah” first appears in the Torah in Leviticus 24, verse 5, where we are told to take 12 “challot” and place them on a table before God in two rows. The word “challot” is translated in most chumashim as “loaves.” We find another reference to challah in Numbers 15, verses 17-21, where they talk about taking the first baking of challot to the priests as an offering. This is particularly significant, because it is this offering that we are still commemorating when we make our own challah. It is customary when forming the loaf to remove an olive-sized portion of the raw dough as an offering to God. It is this small piece of dough that is called “challah.” When we separate this dough, we recite a bracha – Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hafrish challah. (Blessed are you Adonai, Ruler of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate challah.) We tend to like our challot long and braided, but there is nothing sacred about this form of the loaf. You can shape your challah any way you like, and in different parts of the world, you are likely to encounter very different looking challot. We believe that the custom to have a round challah for Rosh Hashanah might have originated in the Ukraine in the 1700s. Some like to bake their challot for the New Year in the shape of a fish or a bird. And for Shabbat we typically have two challot on our tables, to represent the double portion of manna that God gave to the Israelites in preparation for Shabbat so that they would not have to collect manna and violate the requirement of rest. So what do we DO with our challot for Shabbat? In many homes it is the custom to perform a ritual hand-washing right before reciting the motzi, and starting the meal with a Genesis, continued from page 2 Sarah Later we learn that Sarah laughed when the visitors told her she shall give birth to a child…she was too old. But, I think that is NOT why Sarah laughed. She believed them, and laughed with relief. Now her place in the tribe and community was safe. bite of bread. Clean water is poured on each person’s hands. The hands are dried and the blessing is recited (al n’tilat yadayim), and then the person must not speak (humming is permitted) until the motzi is recited and a bite of bread eaten. What’s with the hand washing? After all, this form of hand washing doesn’t get the hands clean. But the idea is that it transforms us from everyday eating rituals, where hand washing is just for cleanliness, to an act that embodies holiness as though our dining table becomes a Divine altar. The simple act of each person individually washing their hands, making everyone wait their turn, and making everyone wait to eat is supposed to heighten the specialness of this meal, causing everyone to focus on getting a bite of the yummy challah. It also contributes to the differentness of the Shabbat meal, where such rituals are not a part of the ordinariness of eating. I have been at homes with a variety of lovely customs. In some households, as the challot are raised while saying motzi, everyone touches the challot, or touches someone who is touching the challot, as though everyone is sharing the electricity. Some people dip the challah in salt or in honey before eating it. In some families, an adult walks around the table and hands out a piece of challah to each person at the table, as though each is an honored guest. In one home, chocolate chips are hidden in the challah and children delight as they find and eat them. There are many more customs surrounding challah that we could discuss. But I close with this thought: when we love people, so many of us want to give something special to them, and we often express that love by providing gifts of food. In this emotional state, we are far more likely to want to nurture one another than to receive gifts. One translation of the Pirke Avot teaching that explains “Who is rich?” is “the one who is happy in sharing.” Breaking bread is at the very core of our concept of human giving. Making a beautiful and meaningful ritual of breaking bread with family and friends sanctifies Shabbat in immeasurable ways. This week, enjoy the holiness you make of your own Shabbat table. You see, Abraham was told he would to be the father of ‘many’, but Sarah was not told she would be the mother of those ‘many’. As of then, only Ishmael had been born to Abraham, and his mother was Hagar. But, with the birth of a son of hers and Abraham’s, Sarah would have her place as the matriarch, and have security. 7 we remember These photos of loved ones were contributed by members of TBA’s Second Generation Holocaust Survivor’s Group in honor of Yom Hashoah. These are photos of loved ones who perished and of loved ones who survived and went on to rebuild their lives and have children and grandchildren. Photo from Judy David Bloomfield: This is a photo of my mother’s little sister, Edith Klein, who at age 13 was deported with her family from Nagyvarad, Hungary to Auschwitz in May of 1944. The family was separated upon arrival, and Edith and her mother were killed in the gas chambers. My mother, Eva, and her older sister Lily survived. My parents named me Judith, in memory of Edith, and now my daughter Eliana shares this legacy with me. She is named after both Edith and Cornelia. Simon Roth (adult man on left), grandfather of Hana Rotman, in 1946 after he got remarried to Reszi Roth and legally adopted Hana’s mom and her uncle (the two kids in the picture), whose biological father perished in the Holocaust. Note: Simone Rotman (Hana’s daughter) was named after Simon. 8 Three Kahane brothers (clockwise from left): Sidney Szepsel, Sam Shmuel, Martin Morechai (photographed with cousin Irene Kahane in Regensberg, Germany after the war). They survived the Shoah, settled and raised families in the Bay Area. Sidney and Sam were members of TBA until their deaths in April, 2000 and August, 2000, respectively. Sadly, the last surviving brother, Martin, passed away in February, 2012. Submitted by Deborah Kahane Rego, Sidney’s daughter. “My grandmother’s sister Nora married a Catholic and had this child, Peter. They had to divorce to save the boy. The parents would meet in the woods so Nora could see him. Nora died in a camp, we found Peter, now age 70, only a few years ago.” From Debbie Spangler we remember Rivka Spiegel with grandchildren, Hannah and Molly. Mark Spiegel’s mother, Rivka Spiegel, at Zeilsheim DP camp in 1946 Liat Bostick’s mother and her wartime foster mother. Lisa Tabak with mom, Edith Tabak. Edith survived the holocaust as a little baby in hiding in Rawa Ruska, Poland. Four-year-old son of Simon Roth (Hana Rotman’s grandfather) who was killed in the Holocaust. This photo is of my (Hildie Spritzer’s) grandparents: Heinrich and Mathilda (whom I am named after) Spritzer. Hilde Spritzer’s Uncle Moritz Aron, the sole survivor of the rest of his family in the photograph. Edda (his wife), Dodi and Horst (his children) who were gassed. Our daughter, Marissa was named after Moritz! 9 rock and roll purim 10 morning minyan & kitah zayin TBA Morning Minyan Needs You!!! The Lord looked down on the House of Abraham, and anger roseth mightily in his breast, as the people of Israel were scant to be seen at minyan. And the Lord raileth from out of his heavenly abode, for those whom He had already called unto Himself were not properly honored, and that vexed him greatly. “Have I not taught thee that but ten of thy flock of six hundred need be present to say Kaddish? Have I not made thee a light unto the nations, counting the daughters of Sarah and the sons of Abraham with equal merit? Have I not provided thee with heat in the winter, shade in the summer, and a lot to parketh thy chariots? Yea verily, ye shall answer unto me why ye cannot arrange that precious life I, and those who have come before, bequeathed thee, so that but thrice each year, ye gathereth on a Monday and Thursday morning in the chapel I have provideth thee, to honor thy father and mother, thy sister and brother, thy friend and thy child. Yea verily, ye shall answer unto me if thee refuseth to be present in support of thy fellow members of the House of Abraham, who cry out in their hour of need for a tenth. the freeways shall I cleareth, so that thee might be speedily on thy way. But if ye continueth in thy present ways and heedeth not my word, and ye continueth to hide thy face from the gathering of minyan in the House of Abraham, then shall I hideth my face from thee and cloggeth thy freeways with all manner of beast. And if ye shall be hard-hearted and still not heedeth My word, then surely shall I sendeth unto thee my prophet, Fanny ben Yoseph, for a great plague, and he shall ranteth and raveth, grinding thine ear into dust, and he shall filleth up thy Voicemail and In Box with all manner of gibberish, yea verily unto the end of thy days!” As revealed to Steve Fankuchen. But if ye heedeth my word it shall pleaseth me, and surely it will come to pass after davening thine rightful portion that my prophet, Yacov ben Avraham, shall announceth a sumptuous feast prepared for thee in the main diningroom. And Kitah Zayin In L.A . 11 gan avraham Pesach at the Gan By Ruth Morris When I think of Pesach at Gan Avraham, I am always reminded of the portion of the Haggadah that instructs parents how to answer the questions of the “four children”. As director of the preschool, the child that comes to mind first is the child who is too young to ask about the holiday. We are told to teach that child about the Exodus. At the Gan, teachers often begin talking about Pesach by asking the children what they know or remember about Passover. Some prompting words may be given. The very youngest, even if they’ve been to a seder, usually remember very little about Pesach, when asked. Some know that matzah is “a cracker.” In Kitah Bet, before teachers begin talking about Passover, children remember that it is a holiday, that matzah is a “crunchy bread”, that matzah ”helped the Jews” and “you read from a book”. As expected, the children in Kitah Gimmel can recall much more about Passover. Many children can retell parts of the story in some detail, although Pharoah may be confused with King Ahashverosh, particularly when Purim is on their radar. They remember some items from the seder plate. Each year we build on what children remember and retain from their previous year. Soon children at the Gan will be busy preparing for Pesach. By creating associations through all five senses we help children retain knowledge. They will hear the story of the Exodus in many ways. They will have the opportunity to participate in art projects, seeing, touching and tasting many of the ritual objects for Pesach. Everyone goes home with something to add to their own family’s Seder table. And of course we will smell and taste everything from salt water and parsley to charoset. Some children may make their own matzah, and everyone will help clean the school so that there is no chametz to be found! When you include your child in Passover preparations at home you help your child incorporate what they are doing at school into memories of the holiday that they will draw upon when Passover comes around the following year. Let them help clean their toys or help you clean a corner of the kitchen. Could they help prepare matzah balls or charoset? Or try this: play some Passover songs while your family prepares for the holiday. The Hagaddah has it exactly right when it instructs us to teach our children about Pesach every year, especially our young children who don’t yet know what questions to ask! la’atid To All TBA Families, If you have a child who will be attending an overnight JEWISH summer camp, the Men’s Club would like to help provide you the means of offsetting some of your camp tuition. This is a campership, not a scholarship. All you need to do is fill out the following and send it in to the TBA office (or email philhankin@aol.com the info): Parent Name: Child Name: Name of Summer Camp: Dates Attending: Cost of Tuition: All interested families will need to get this information turned in by May 1, 2012. Once we have received all of the requests, we will send out checks to all respondents. Kol Tuv, Phil Hankin, Men’s Club President La’atid Events 2012 April 1 Chocolate Seder May 20 - Pool party/Graduation To RSVP or if you have questions, contact your trusty advisors, Dina and Phil Hankin at dinahankin@aol.com. 12 bet sefer keflanu Bet Sefer Update By Susan Simon At Bet Sefer we try to teach many Jewish skills: how to read Hebrew, how to recite prayers and brachot, how to interpret text. But that’s just one side of our religious school. Another side has to do with teaching about values, both Jewish and universal. Our Bet Sefer Bet (second graders) just finished studying the Ten Commandments and worked hard to create their own ethical rules to live by. They presented their illustrated scrolls at a siyum on February 28 before a packed house of loved ones. (See photos below.) Their “commandments” varied widely. Some took an ecological path – don’t litter, take care of the trees. Others were most concerned with how we treat others: be kind to the new kids in class, be nice to your teachers and parents. Each illustrated scroll was reflective of the personality, charm, wit and intensity of each student. We finished our siyum with a quick fruit snack and congratulations all around. A huge yasher koach to all of the students for their thoughtful work. And a hearty mazel tov to their teachers, Mindy Myers and Rachel Rubenstein as well as their madrichot, Jenna Tessler and Ruby Rosenberg. Enjoy the photos that we took–the afternoon was a delight! Keflanu: Shabbat Fun and Games for 3rd - 6th Graders We would like to invite 3rd – 6th graders to join their friends in the Baum Youth Center following Shabbat services on the 1st and 3rd Shabbat of the month, Dates include: April 7, 21 May 5,19 June 2,16 After the service join together for lunch in the social hall. About 20 minutes after motzi, the Rabbi will announce the chaperone is ready for check-in at the Baum Youth Center! Have fun with Shabbat appropriate games and activities… basketball • board games • jump rope • foosball • ping pong • or even just shmooze Parents: we ask that an adult accompany the child/children to the Baum Youth Center – the chaperone will sign your child in and an adult pick-up at the Baum Youth Center – for the safety of the youth, we ask that they not leave the site on their own. We ask your assistance and cooperation with this new program. Please make suggestions as we work out any kinks. 13 midrasha Midrasha in Oakland – Upcoming Activities By Kendra Lubalin Thank you to all of you who turned out for our second annual “Pouring for Passover” wine tasting and auction. It is only through the ongoing support of our families, communities, donors and volunteers that we are able to continue this program that means so much to so many of our teens! Thank you, again, to all who supported our March Fundraising event! Please join us for our community Yom HaShoah v’HaGevurah commemoration on April 17 at 8:00 p.m. in Temple Sinai’s Sanctuary. This year’s program will connect stories of the teen experiences of holocaust survivors with local teens in our community, building bridges of memory and understanding. Final Parent Program of the year. On April 24 at 7:15 p.m. we will offer a Midrasha style class for parents on “Interpreting Text through Art.” Two Midrasha teachers, Erica Fink and Jennifer Levine, both of whom have taught Midrasha classes on Jewish texts and art this year, will use text study as a format for exploring core values and identity questions, and then guide parents in a self reflective art project connected to the text. This class offers a two-fold opportunity: first, for your own ongoing adult education, and second, to experience first hand what your teens are doing when they sign up for a class like “Jewish Art, Ancient Wisdom and You.” Our previous parent nights have had much positive feedback, so don’t miss your final chance this year to check out this great program! israel tidbits Oakland Midrasha’s 7th Grade Orientation is coming Tuesday, May 1 at 7:15 p.m.! Any and all curious 7th graders and their parents are invited to come and check out Midrasha that night. Students will have the chance to hang with the 8th graders for the night in their core and elective classes, and get the inside scoop on what the 8th graders think of Midrasha. Parents are invited to a parent orientation to learn about our classes, curriculum, special programming, our retreat program and much, much more while your students are enjoying Midrasha classes! Come have all your questions answered! We are also having a preMidrasha social event that night for 7th and 8th graders! All 7th graders are invited to come early (6:00 p.m.) to the orientation to hang out with our 8th graders, play games, eat pizza and ice cream, and have some pre-orientation fun! This is part of our monthly ‘Lounge Night’ program – cosponsored and run by Marshall Sachs, Temple Sinai’s youth director and Midrasha’s 8th grade teacher. These nights are always a hit! You are invited to Midrasha Graduation on May 15 at 7:45 p.m. in Temple Sinai’s Sanctuary. Please join us in celebrating our students! Graduation is a golden opportunity to celebrate our joint community’s successes by hearing our students talk about their Jewish experiences and education in their diverse communities and what this Jewish foundation offers them as they go forward into adulthood. It is a time to hear the next generation reflect on their meaningful experiences, growth and aspirations. You will be inspired! There is a reception afterwards in Stern Hall. Israel Tidbits Submitted by June Brott The Prototype AshPoopie AshPoopie, the brainchild of Prof. Oded Shoseyov of the Hebrew University, is a super pooper-scooper. After it gathers dog droppings, it turns them into odorless, sterile ash within seconds. All the dog-walker does is push a button to release an activation capsule from the cartridge inside the unit. Some of the biggest pet product manufacturers and retailers are interested in partnerships, licensing agreements, joint ventures and sole marketing rights from the manufacturer, Ramat Gan-based Paulee CleanTec. The product will be on the market in 2012. The Mouse Finds The Drugs Every Time Israeli startup Bioexplorers uses mice to detect contraband in purses, luggage and cargo. “Mice have an excellent sense of smell and are relatively easy to train,” explains CEO Eran Lumbroso. When a person goes through a Bioexplorers system passageway, a fan blows air into a sensor receptor and delivers it into a chamber containing several trained mice. If they sniff drugs or bombs, they move into another chamber and set off an alarm. “The mice rarely make an error, and the entire procedure is far less invasive or intimidating than the alternatives, like using dogs or X-ray machines,” says Lumbroso. Sleeping Your Way To Smoother Skin The Cupron company of Beit Shemesh makes textile products impregnated with copper oxide, including a pillowcase that it claims can reduce facial lines after sleeping on it for two weeks. As you sleep, perspiration from your skin releases copper ions from the case, which stimulate the production of collagen, helping to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Other Cupron products include bath towels that don’t retain odors, a self-sterilizing makeup brush set, socks that fight athlete’s foot, and even socks, already in use by the Israel Defense Force, that don’t have to be washed! 14 cooking corner Pesach Favorites By Faith Kramer While all Friday night celebrations of Shabbat are special, this month we have the blessing of our Shabbat observances coinciding with the first night of Passover, making the Sabbath very special indeed. Every family seems to have its own Pesach food traditions. Much of that practice depends on Judaic background and interpretations of Jewish law. Other traditions depend on geography and income (which dictated what foods were available), custom and individual taste. I grew up with the New York Ashkenazi Jewish Passover basics – chicken soup with matzo balls, brisket, sponge cake and a chunky charoset thick with apples, walnuts, cinnamon and Manischewitz. While I still make those foods, I also serve an Iraqi-style charoset made with date syrup and my adaptation of a Turkish pastry as well as many other traditional foods from other cultures that my grandmother might not recognize as “Jewish” but which connects me to Jewish celebrations across the globe. Despite my own Seder meal’s international elements, though, the number one recipe request I get from friends at Passover is for a potato casserole. Below are recipes for the charoset, pastry and our favorite potato casserole. Charoset from Shanghai via Iraq and India Makes about 1 cup My friend Dianne’s family roots are in Iraq but the family lived generations in India and then Shanghai. Feel free to change the proportions to suit your taste or to substitute other nuts. Date syrup is available in kosher, Middle Eastern and other specialty markets. 1 cup date syrup ¾ cup chopped walnuts Combine and stir well. Passover “Shredded” Pastry Makes 16 pieces This recipe was inspired by the shredded phyllo dough desserts from Turkey and elsewhere. Cutting the dessert into 16 pieces before baking makes it much easier to serve. This sugar syrup is not as sweet as the traditional Turkish style one would be. Be sure to use the Passover fine or thin egg noodles which are a few inches long and about 1/8th of an inch wide. Syrup 1 ½ cups cold water ½ cup sugar Juice of one lemon Pastry 1/3 cup of raisins 4 oz. parve Passover margarine or butter plus extra for greasing pan 3 ½ oz. (about 1 cup) shelled walnut halves ½ tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ cup sugar 1-12oz, bag of Passover fine or thin egg noodles, uncooked 1 cup hot water 16 walnut halves for garnish Make sugar syrup by combining water, sugar and lemon juice in a heavy pot over high heat. Stir until mixture boils, then stir occasionally, boiling for about 15-20 minutes until mixture is reduced by half. Let cool then chill. Soak raisins in boiling water to cover until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain and discard water. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8”x 8” pan. Combine drained raisins, walnuts, cinnamon and sugar in food processor or blender. Chop until coarsely ground. Set aside. Melt margarine or butter. While still warm toss with the uncooked fine egg noodles and 1 cup hot water. Press half of the noodle mixture into an even layer in the prepared pan. Top with layer of raisin and walnut mixture. Pat another layer of the noodle mixture evenly on top of the filling. Distribute any extra margarine mixture evenly on top of the final layer of noodles. Cut into 16 squares. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and toasty. Immediately pour cold sugar syrup evenly over top. Let rest until pastry has absorbed the syrup. Top each piece with walnut half. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 6-8 Potato Casserole This is a kosher for Pesach, parve, gluten-free and vegan version of a Kramer family favorite. The top layer of potatoes gets crunchy and brown, the bottom layer seem to melt into the onions for a rich, almost creamy taste. ¼ cup olive oil, divided, plus additional as needed 2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes (about 6 medium) 1 medium onion (about 8 oz.) 2 cups vegetable stock or broth 1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic 4 Tbs. minced fresh basil, divided plus extra for garnish if desired ½ tsp. salt, divided, or to taste ½ tsp. ground pepper, divided, or to taste ¼ tsp. paprika Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 7” x 11” or similar baking dish with about 1 tsp. of the oil. Set aside. Peel potatoes if desired. Cut potatoes into 1/8” slices. Slice onion into 1/8” slices. Layer a third of the potato slices on the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping slightly if needed. Layer in half of the onion, distributing the sliced onion rings evenly on top of the potatoes. Pour a third of the of vegetable stock over the potatoes and onions. Drizzle with 1 Tbs. of oil and sprinkle on half of the garlic, half of the basil, half of the salt and half of the pepper. Layer another third of potatoes and top with onions, stock, oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper as before. Top with the remaining third of the potato slices. Pour remaining stock over potatoes. Using a pastry brush, brush top layer of potatoes with remaining oil, sprinkle with paprika and put in oven. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour until the under layers of potatoes and onions are very soft and cooked through, the top layer is browned and the liquid in the pan is bubbling. Brush with additional olive oil if needed while baking. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped basil to garnish. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Faith Kramer blogs her food at www.clickblogappetit.blogspot.com. Her food columns appear twice a month in the j. weekly. 15 B’nai Mitzvah life cycles Rebecca Glick, April 28 My parents are Marci Gottlieb and Reuven Glick, and my older sister is named Marissa. I love to read any book I can get my hands on. At the moment, my favorite book award would go to The Hunger Games. I also love to do art and draw random things whenever I can. During the summer, I enjoy taking different art classes. I also enjoy cooking for my family and friends. My favorite thing to make is chocolate chip cookies. I have a pet gecko named Gimmel. Currently, I am in the 7th grade at Piedmont Middle School. Most kids say they hate school, but I love going to school and learning new things. My favorite subjects are math and science. I am so happy that I have made so many friends that will be able to join me for my Bat Mitzvah celebration. My parsha is Tazria-Metzora from the book of Leviticus. It is probably one of the Torah portions that might be classified as boring, since it discusses leprosy, including ways to tell whether somebody has the disease and rules for how to treat it. For my drash, I chose to focus on the number seven, which shows up a lot, not only in the rules for dealing with leprosy, but also in many other places in the Bible and in Judaism. For my Bat Mitzvah project, I will be donating 10 percent of the money I receive to an organization of my choice. Many of my family and friends from around the country will be traveling to support me on my Bat Mitzvah day. I am so excited to have them join me for this special occasion. There have been many people that have played a huge role in getting me to where I am right now. I want to thank Rabbi Bloom for helping me find a subject that interests me in my torah portion and Susan Simon for tutoring me so I will be prepared for my special day. I would also like to thank all of the other people that have helped me become who I am today, especially my parents and sister. Sukkot in April: Rebuilding a Home By Rachel Goldstone Join us this year on April 22 and/or April 29. Temple Beth Abraham will once again participate in the annual Sukkot in April/Rebuilding Together Oakland (RTO) event. This year, we will be working on Sunday, April 22 and finishing on Sunday, April 29, 8:00 a.m. -5 p.m. on both days. We will be painting and repairing the home of a low-income family in Oakland. Each year, thousands of Rebuilding Together volunteers come together for one or two weekends in April to help restore the homes of their low-income neighbors. The April Rebuilding Program grows each year, and we look forward to continue the rebuilding throughout the city of Oakland. Skilled and unskilled volunteers are all needed. If you are a skilled volunteer or contractors who is willing to serve as team leader, that is greatly appreciated, but ALL skill levels are needed. Our Sukkot in April project will be jointly sponsored by Kehilla Community Synagogue and Temple Sinai. Breakfast and lunch are provided. RTO provides all materials, but by all means bring your own tools, gloves, and hats. Volunteers must be at least 14 years old (that’s an RTO rule). We need volunteers for food pickups and more, so there’s a job for anyone who wants to help out. Whether you are handy or not, please become involved in this important and satisfying event. It is a wonderful way for our TBA community to truly reach out to those right in our “back yard.” Please contact us with any questions and to sign up as a volunteer. Leevnote u’l’he’ba note (to build and to ourselves be built!) Thank you so much. Gabriella Gordon and Rachel Goldstone Volunteer Coordinators Gabriella: allanbellagordon@yahoo.com Rachel: Rachelgoldstone@comcast.net 16 life cycles April Birthdays 1 8 15 25 Kevin Horodas Trevor Kaplan Mary Kelly Shira Kharrazi Zoe Brott Willa Heeger Heike Friedman Liam Gordon Shoshana Yael Kay 1 9 16 Tirzah Brott Stella Goodwin Allison Kent Weiss Danielle Raskin Max Wike Steven Grossman Jonathan Jacobs Rachel Swetnam Melissa Werthan Amanda Becker Benjamin Jacobs Ellen Kaufman 3 10 Michelle Cossette Fernand Garcia Jeffery Michael Hamilton Steven Jacobs Fred Knauer Jenny Michaelson Anat Shenker Mathew Frierman Ruth Kleinman Maayan Rubin Dan Kaiser Tamara Miller Eva Sasson Naomi Weiss 4 Aliza Batzdorff Aaron Sloan Freid Jerry Lorber 5 Cheri Feiner Cindy Mirkin Maya Young 6 Daniela Acevedo-Schiesel Deena Aerenson David Lorber Kevin Schwartz Ian von Kugelgen 7 Roberta Masliyah Avrah Ross David Schleuning Sara Zimmerman 11 Benjamin Estow Isaac Estow David Goodwin Swann Lander 12 Renuka Bornstein Fifi Goodfellow Noah Hagey Robert Klein Aviva Maidenberg Sara Aviva Teitelbaum 13 Beverly Turchin 14 Sophia Blachman-Biatch Isabel Goldman Rosalind Heeger Judith Stein 18 19 Ray Plumhoff Liat Porat 20 Maimone Attia Eva Handlers Lindasue Kay Steven Kay Joseph Young 21 Desten Broach Noah Isaacs Noah Stein 22 Audrey Hyman Lila Miller Melissa Morewitz David Oseroff Bruce Sawle 26 Yehudit Chang Naomi Hazens Laurence James Joseph Karwat Benjamin Marinoff 27 Gregory Estow Talia McLean Abbie Villanueva Welch Warren 28 Maya Rath 29 Benjamin Morewitz 30 Steven Harris Bayla Jaffe Sarah Levine Shira Levine Alexander Lowell Simone Rotman Elana Sasson Walter Teitelbaum 24 Bayne Albin Yaeir Heber Ariel Trost Gideon Ur Is your birthday information wrong or missing from this list? Please contact the TBA office to make corrections. Mazel Tov Benjamin, born February 18 to proud parents David and Talia Kaplan. Ayla, born March 14, to proud parents Naomi and Gary Rosenblum. Noa, born March 15, to proud parents Jennifer Beck and David Joseph. Welcome New Members Hannah Acevedo-Schiesel & Gabriel Acevedo-Bolton. Their daughters Daniela & Lucia Acevedo-Schiesel. Svetlana & Mikhail Partsuf. Their daughter Irene. 17 life cycles April Yahrzeits May God comfort you among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem Nissan 9-14 April 1-6 Irving Barach Lily Benisty-Kent Martha Harris Solomon White Grace Gill Holton Jocelyn Alice Kessler Leo Lorber Lonnie Balint Blutstein Joseph Epstein Fritz Gottschalk Philip Oseroff Stanley Behr Donald Bleiberg Beatrice Simon Nissan 15-21 April 7-13 Henrik Balint Herbert L. Groginsky Elsa Maho Avrim A. Raskin Solomon Saidan Michael Nicolas Miller Murray Goldstein Abraham Hoffman Renee Davis Sidney Szepsel Kahane Albert Levine Pavel Blyumenkrantz Milton Heyman Annie Silver Nissan 22-28 April 14-20 Claire Braaf Judith Diamont Shelly Lipton Aaron Nudler Jack Sharnak Rose Applebaum Shlomo Fixler Abraham Grossman Nancy Quittman MEMORIAL PLAQUE Anyone wishing to purchase a memorial plaque, please contact Pinky at the synagogue office at extension 229. Rosalie Rogers Connie Schwartz Leon Benjamin Sidney Bernstein Ida Jaffe Mary Simon Joseph Banks Herman Weisman Herman Zatkin Alvin Alper Harry David Maurice Glasser Anna Leah Goldman Moses Rynski Raizel Rynski Faygel Scheinerman Mordechai Scheinerman Nissan 29-iyar 5 April 21-27 Walter Green Betty Isaacs Burton Polse Pearl Weinstein Pearl Myers Steven Beilock Dorothy Dronsick Morris Gerstler Maisie Steckel Alice Steiner Jane Saunders iyar 6-8 April 28-30 Ida Gevertz David Harris Benjamin Paul Anna B. Gurman Gittel Rothblatt Helen Schleifer Leslie Davis Gerstler Florence Recent Deaths in Our Community Charlotte Resnick, Mother of Renee (Michael) Marx Shirley Goldberg, grandmother of Karen (Rabbi Mark) Bloom David Bernstein, grandfather of Bryan (Alicia) Schwartz It is a Jewish tradition to give contributions to commemorate life cycle events and other occasions. Are you celebrating a birthday, engagement, anniversary, baby naming, Bat/Bar Mitzvah or recovery from illness? Or perhaps remembering a yahrzeit? These are just a few ideas of appropriate times to commemorate with a donation to Temple Beth Abraham. These tax-deductible donations are greatly appreciated and are a vital financial supplement to support the wonderful variety of programs and activities that we offer. Thanks again for your support! We could not do it without you! 18 donations Charity is equal in importance to all the other commandments combined. Centennial Project Cynthia Berrol Dr. Janice Corran & Linda Polse Marshall & Lynn Langfeld, in honor of Stuart Zanwill’s birthday Stephen & Susan Shub Michael & Deborah Sosebee, In honor of Anna Schacker’s Bat Mitzvah Andy & Marcia Wasserman, In honor of the birth of our first grandchild, Samuel D. Lieb Centennial Match Mark Fickes & William Gentry Philip & Dina Hankin Klaus Ullrich Rotzscher Howard Zangwill & Stacy Margolin Stuart & Abby Zangwill, In honor of Adam Adelstein’s Brit Milah Stuart & Abby Zangwill, In honor of Eliot Byler’s Brit Milah Stuart & Abby Zangwill, In honor of Etai Shimony’s Brit Milah Stuart & Abby Zangwill, In honor of Ethan Sisitsky’s Brit Milah Stuart & Abby Zangwill, In honor of Jackson Beiser’s Brit Milah Stuart & Abby Zangwill, In honor of Joshua Beliak’s Brit Milah Stuart & Abby Zangwill, In honor of Liev Wiegmann’s Brit Milah Stuart & Abby Zangwill, In honor of Nathaniel Taksa’s Brit Milah Stuart & Abby Zangwill, In honor of Oliver Berman’s Brit Milah Stuart & Abby Zangwill, In honor of Theodore Lieberman’s Brit Milah Stuart & Abby Zangwill, In honor of Jordan Revzan’s Brit Milah Piser/Davis Challenge Barry Barnes & Samantha Spielman Richard & Audrey Kauffman Dick & Mary Odenheimer, In honor of Joe and crew Benjamin & Susan Persin Hildie Spritzer & Tsutomu Satomi Jeanette Jeger Kitchen Fund Norman & Jo Budman, In memory of Ruth Roth Jack Coulter, In memory of Cora Coulter Fifi Goodfellow, In memory of Latifa Naggar and Charles Marcus Norbert & Alice Nemon, In memory of Tillie Eisenberg Harold & Jean Pearl, In memory of Max Pearl General Fund Richard & Naomi Applebaum David & Shany Barukh, In memory of father Ellen Beilock David & Marcia Benjamin Ruth Feldman, In memory of Louis Feldman Charles & Harriett Feltman Barry & Elaine Gilbert, In memory of Morris Klang Daniel Harvitt & Liz Willner Ytzhack & Etta Heber Richard Heeger & Alice Hale Jessie & Susan Kasdan, In memory of Louis Kasdan Martin & Lisa Kharrazi, In honor of Bethany’s Bat Mitzvah Ruth Kline Marshall & Lynn Langfeld, In memory of Charlotte Resnick Dan & Amy Maidenberg Peter Miller & Bess Gurman Dick & Mary Odenheimer Ronald Pepperman & Penny Kayano Steven Rosenthal & Ailsa Steckel Paul & Galen Rothman Klaus Ullrich Rotzscher Bryan Schwartz & Alicia CernitzSchwartz Aaron & Rebecca Skiles Ben Stiegler & Barbara Gross Jesse & Rachel Teichman, In memory of Joseph B Teichman David & Treya Weintraub Howard Zangwill & Stacy Margolin Kiddush Fund Charles & Harriett Feltman Leonard & Helen Fixler, Get well to Pinky Pencovic and Ethel Shaffer Herman & Agnes Pencovic, In honor of Steven Rosenthal Annie J. Schwartz Strom, In memory of Samuel Jaffe Minyan Fund Daniel & Anne Bookin, In memory of Sheba Bookin Fifi Goodfellow, In memory of Latifa Naggar and Charles Marcus Martin & Evelyn Hertz, In memory of Sylvia Hertz Joan & Hershel Solomon, In memory of Blanche Roth Neuman Yom Ha Shoa Fund Misia Nudler, Happy Birthday Steven Rosenthal and Thank you to Dr. G. Balbas Misia Nudler, Speedy Recovery Ethel Shaffer, in honor of Professor Samuel Oliver and condolences to Ruth Schneider on the loss of her daughter Camper/scholarship Fund Elinor DeKoven, Get well wishes for Ethel Shaffer and Hennie Hecht, Mazel Tov to Bethany Kharrazi and her family. Rabbi Discretionary Fund Herbert & Harriet Bloom, In memory of Matilda Bloom Holzman Martin & Lisa Kharrazi, In honor of Bethany’s Bat Mitzvah Steven & Victoria Zatkin, In memory of Joseph Zatkin Cantor Discretionary Fund Martin & Lisa Kharrazi, In honor of Bethany’s Bat Mitzvah Celia & Morris Davis Hunger Fund Joan Aldeff, In memory of Helen Aldeff Celia Somers, In memory of Charles Somers Endowment Fund Ilya & Regina Okh, In memory of David Okh Sheldon & Barbara Rothblatt, Happy Birthday Ori Sasson Leonard Wolf, In memory of Sam Wolf, Melissa Ann Powers and Marion Wolf Hertz Fund Gerald & Ruby Hertz Hertz Interfaith Fund Gerald & Ruby Hertz, In memory of William Morofsky 19 20 1 PesaCh ii 15 8 22 29 PesaCh iiii Rosh Chodesh 23 30 7-9p East Bay Women’s Torah Study 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 8 Iyar 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 1 Iyar 9 2 16 Gan Resumes 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 24 Nisan 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 17 Nisan 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10 Nisan 3 PesaCh iv 10 17 24 4p-6p Bet Sefer (K-6th) 7:30p Monthly Board Meeting 2 Iyar 4p-6p Bet Sefer (K-6th) 7:40p Community Commemoration of Yom HaShoa at Temple Sinai 25 Nisan No Bet Sefer (K-6th) 18 Nisan No Bet Sefer - Pesach Break 11 Nisan 4 PesaCh v 11 18 25 Yom haZikaRon 9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 6:15p Confirmation Class 7:30p BBYO-AZA and BBG 7:30p Intro to Judaism 3 Iyar 9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) No Kindergym 6:15p Confirmation Class 7:30p BBYO-AZA and BBG 7:30p Intro to Judaism 26 Nisan 9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) No Kindergym 6:15p Confirmation Class 7:30p BBYO-AZA and BBG 7:30p Intro to Judaism 19 Nisan 9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) No Kindergym- Pesach Break 6:15p Confirmation Class 7:30p BBYO-AZA and BBG 7:30p Intro to Judaism 12 Nisan 5 PesaCh vi 12 19 Yom haatZma’ut 26 4p-6p Bet Sefer (3rd-7th grade) 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 4 Iyar 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) No Kindergym 4p-6p Bet Sefer (3rd-7th grade) Yom hashoah 27 Nisan 4p-6p Bet Sefer (3rd-7th grade) 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) No Kindergym 20 Nisan 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) No Kindergym No Bet Sefer (3rd-7th grade) No Girl’s Night Out Fast oF the FiRst BoRn 13 Nisan 6 13 20 '' 7:38p 27 6:15p-7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat 9:30-10:30a & 10:45-11:45a Kindergym 5 Iyar No Kindergym 6:15p East Bay Minyan 6:15p Rock’n Roll Kabbalat Shabbat 28 '' 7:32p Nisan Office Closed No GAN / Kindergym 6:15p-7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat PesaCh vii 21 '' 7:25p Nisan Office closes 1:00p No GAN / Kindergym No Kabbalat Shabbat Service eRev PesaCh 14 '' 7:19p Nisan Always check the Congregational E-mail or the Weekly Shabbat Bulletin for more up-to-date information. Please note any corrections care of Rayna Arnold at the TBA office. PesaCh i Pesach 7 Pesach 14 21 8:39p Havdalah (42 min) 9:30a-12p Shabbat Services Bat Mitzvah of Rebecca Glick 28 6 Tazria / M’tzora Iyar 9:30a-12p Shabbat Services 10:15a Shabbat Mishpacha 11a T’fillat Y’ladim 12:15p-1:15p Keflanu – Shabbat Fun & Games 8:33p Havdalah (42 min) Shemini 29 Nisan 9:30a-12p Shabbat Services 10:15a Jr. Congregation 8:26p Havdalah (42 min) PesaCh viii (YiZkoR) 2nd geneRation CommemoRation shaBBat 22 Nisan 8:20p Havdalah (42 min) 9:30a-12p Shabbat Services 12:15p-1:15p Keflanu – Shabbat Fun & Games 15 Nisan April 2012 Calendars in The Omer are produced 30-60 days in advance using the best data available from the TBA Administration Staff. This calendar is also available at our website www.tbaoakland.org 8a-5p Rebuild Oakland Together 10a-12p New Ken Cohen Class 12p-4p 2nd Annual Bay Area Walk Against Genocide (Lake Merritt) 7 Iyar 8a-5p Rebuild Oakland Together 10a-12p New Ken Cohen Class Rosh Chodesh 30 Nisan 10a-12p New Ken Cohen Class 9a-2p tBa Blood dRive and Bone maRRow testing 23 Nisan 16 Nisan 2-4:p La’atid Chocolate Seder (Baum Y.C.) 4p Teen Rosh Hodesh Group 9 Nisan Nisan / Iyar 5772 21 PesaCh sheni 6 13 20 shavuoT i 21 28 (Office and Gan Closed) 9a Shavuot Services 9:05p Havdalah (42 min) shavuoT ii (Yizkor) 7 Sivan 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 9:30a Rosh Chodesh– Wisdom of out Mothers 29 Iyar 7 14 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 22 Iyar 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 15 Iyar 15 8 1 22 8 Sivan 29 7:30p Monthly Board Meeting 4p-6p Bet Sefer (K-6th) Last session for this year-Bet Sefer rosh Chodesh 1 Sivan 4p-6p Bet Sefer (K-6th) 5p Jr. Congregation Ice Cream Party 23 Iyar 4p-6p Bet Sefer (K-6th) 16 Iyar 4p-6p Bet Sefer (K-6th) 9 Iyar 2 9 16 23 30 9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 6:15p Confirmation Class 7:30p BBYO-AZA and BBG 9 Sivan 9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 6:15p Confirmation Class 7:30p BBYO-AZA and BBG 2 Sivan 9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 6:15p Confirmation Class 7:30p BBYO-AZA and BBG 24 Iyar 9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 6:15p Confirmation Class 7:30p BBYO-AZA and BBG 17 Iyar 9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 6:15p Confirmation Class 7:30p BBYO-AZA and BBG 10 Iyar 3 lag B’omer 10 17 24 31 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 10 Sivan 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 3 Sivan 4p-6p Bet Sefer (3rd-7th grade) 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 25 Iyar 4p-6p Bet Sefer (3rd-7th grade) 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 18 Iyar 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10-11a & 11:15a-12p Kindergym 4p-6p Bet Sefer (3rd-7th grade) 6:15p BS Zayin dinner class 7:30p Girl’s Night Out 11 Iyar '' 7:45p 4 '' 7:51p 11 '' 7:57p 18 25 6:15p-7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat 9:30-10:30a & 10:45-11:45a Kindergym 4 '' 8:03p Sivan 9:30-10:30a & 10:45-11:45a Kindergym 6:15p East Bay Minyan 6:15p-7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat 26 Iyar 6:15p-7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat 9:30-10:30a & 10:45-11:45a Kindergym 19 Iyar 9:30-10:30a & 10:45-11:45a Kindergym 6:15p-7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat BS Hay Share a Shabbat 12 Iyar Always check the Congregational E-mail or the Weekly Shabbat Bulletin for more up-to-date information. Please note any corrections care of Rayna Arnold at the TBA office. Acharei Mot/ K’Doshim 5 Emor 12 B’Har 19 26 6:15p Erev Shavuot Sticker Service 9:30a-12p Shabbat Services erev shavuoT B’Chukkotai 5 Sivan 9:30a-12p Shabbat Services Bar Mitzvah of Danny DeBare 11a T’fillat Y’ladim 12:15p-1:15p Keflanu – Shabbat Fun & Games 8:58p Havdalah (42 min) 27 Iyar 8:52p Havdalah (42 min) 9:30a-12p Shabbat Services Bat Mitzvah of Shira Benau 10:15a Jr. Congregation 20 Iyar 9:30a-12p Shabbat Services 10:15a Shabbat Mishpacha 12:15p-1:15p Keflanu – Shabbat Fun & Games 8:46p Havdalah (42 min) 13 Iyar May 2012 Calendars in The Omer are produced 30-60 days in advance using the best data available from the TBA Administration Staff. This calendar is also available at our website www.tbaoakland.org 27 9a Shavuot Services 6 Sivan 4p Teen Rosh Hodesh Group Yom YerushalaYim 9:30a TBa annual meeTing 28 Iyar Ls’atid Pool Party/Graduation 21 Iyar 5:30P TBa sChools auCTion 14 Iyar Iyar / Sivan 5772 Temple Beth Abraham 327 MacArthur Boulevard Oakland, CA 94610 Periodicals Postage PAID Oakland, CA Permit No. 020299 COMING SOON!!! Sunday Night Fever The TBA Schools Auction (Benefitting Gan Avraham & Bet Sefer) Sunday, May 6, 2012 5:30-8:30 p.m. Pesach Services Schedule 1st Night Pesach is Friday April 6 – No Kabbalat Service Shabbat Service, Saturday, April 7 – regular Shabbat service begins at 9:30 a.m. Friday April 13 – Office closed – regular Kabbalat Service Shabbat Service, Saturday, April 14 – regular Shabbat service begins at 9:30 a.m. Disco the night away! To volunteer for the event, please email rachel.teichman@gmail.com or eric.leve@gmail.com. TBA’s Second Generation will be involved in the Shabbat service with a special Pesach Kiddush. what’s inside TBA Directory..........................i Shabbat ....................................7 Keflanu..................................13 What’s Happening...................1 We Remember........................8 Midrasha...............................14 From the Rabbi........................2 Purim....................................10 Israel Tidbits..........................14 President’s Message.................3 Minyan Purim & Kitah Zayin.. 11 Cooking Corner.....................15 Editor’s Message......................4 Gan Avraham News..............12 Life Cycles.............................16 Women of TBA........................5 La’atid...................................12 Donations..............................19 Mishloach Manot......................6 Bet Sefer News......................13 Calendar................................20
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