February 2014

Monthly Edition • Volume 76 No. 6
Adat Ari El Bulletin
Jamie Kaler
Bruce Fine
Adar 1 5774 • February 2014
Adar 1 5774 • February 2014
Karen Rontowski
Featuring Comedian Bruce Fine and his Laugh Pack
Drinks, Dairy Desserts, Auction, and 50/50 Raffle
(A portion of each ticket price will be donated to help support the Sderot Indoor Recreation Center, a 21,000
square-foot secure indoor playground and community center built by Jewish National Fund as a gift to Sderot’s
families which have been hardest hit by continual rocket attacks from Gaza.)
----------------------------------------RSVP by February 1st------------------------------——--
Collection Items for
February:
Sample-Sized Toiletries
Stay
Connected
(PUPXXXBEBUBSJFMPSHUPQVSDIBTFZPVSUJDLFUT
If you are not already receiving it, make sure you sign up for the weekly “This Week @ Adat”
email, which is sent out every Friday. The email includes important information about service
times and upcoming events, 1as well as rabbinic commentary about the weekly Torah portion.
Email Dean Thomson at dthomson@adatariel.org to stay connected.
Adat Ari El Bulletin
Adar 1 5774 • February 2014
President’s
Message
Rabbi’s Message
On January 3rd I went to prison.
By Bennett Spiegel
As President of the Board of Rabbis, I have the opportunity to serve on a number of committees. One
of those is a newly-formed religious advisory committee to Sheriff Lee Baca; when issues involving
Jewish inmates and Jewish tradition arise, the Sheriff’s department refers them to this three-member group to offer guidance. For example,
several prisoners requested sufganiyot (jelly donuts) as part of their
Hanukkah observance, and we were asked whether or not that was an
essential part of the observance. (Answer: no. They are nice and traditional but not necessary according to Jewish tradition.) In order to get
a better feel for what we’re doing and whom we were serving, several
of us met with the officer who oversaw prison life and then went on a
tour of several floors of the L.A. County Jail.
The first thing you notice is that there is a lot of concrete, glass, and
metal. The more modern prisons have what they call pods: large twostory areas with cells and a common area, and thick glass separating
the common area from another larger common area where prisoners
congregate for programs and other activities.
The two officers giving us the tour explained the developing philosophy that they have been trying to implement. They note that one of
the biggest challenges they face is ensuring that prisoners feel like
human beings. They shared how so much of a prisoner’s experience is
so controlled and contained that it eats away at how they see themselves. Their experiences behind bars rob them of their humanity on a
very profound and subtle level.
In response, the Sheriff’s department runs programs including life
skills, anger management, and high school equivalency programs—all
with an eye towards changing the very soul of the person incarcerated.
But I was most touched by the small ways in which the officers
sought to help. One officer shared that they don’t refer to the prisoners as “inmates” but—this officer worked on the women’s floor—as
“ma’am.” And they deliberately refer to their cells as “rooms.” These
and other things are small but telling ways that reveal how these officers shape the experiences of those in their care.
The Torah refers to Egypt as “Mitzrayim,” literally the “narrow places,” the idea being that enslavement is a narrowing of human freedom
and possibility. And just as we were redeemed from Egypt, so too are
these officers in the process of redeeming these prisoners by acknowledging their humanity. Treating them with respect, dignity, and care,
they help liberate their souls from their physical confinement.
Many of the people we meet are confined as well—not nearly as
seriously or obviously as those at the L.A. County Jail, but confined
nonetheless. Their cell walls are invisible but real and are made up of
the petty selfish desires, emotional baggage, and past hurts they carry
with them. And perhaps we can learn from these officers that most
people deserve a shot at redemption, and we can play a small role in
that process by how we treat them.
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This year we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the Adat Ari El
Sisterhood. It is thus appropriate that we will be honoring
our Sisterhood at this year’s Gala Dinner in June. Anyone
who knows anything about Adat Ari El knows that our
Sisterhood is and has been for 75 continuous years an
unshakable force for the nurturing and growth of our community and for countless inter-familial relationships that
exist within our community. In recognition of the essential
role that our Sisterhood plays in the life of Adat Ari El, I
would like to dedicate this month’s column to the amazing
women who have served as the Presidents of our Sisterhood for the past 75 years, who by their deeds have taught
us what it means to exemplify leadership from generation
to generation and from strength to strength.
PAST PRESIDENTS
1938-39 Helen Schoenberg*
1939-41 Onnie Whizin*
1941-43 Ruth Schrager*
1943-44 Lillian Schrager*
1944-45 Jean Weisbard*
1945-46 Freda Silverberg*
1946-47 Jen Deitchman*
1947 -48 Ruth Schrager*
1948-50 Saralyn Spilky*
1950-51 Ruth Chais*
1951-53 Pauline Halote*
1953-54 Bess Freeman*
1954-56 Libby Daniels*
1956-57 Min Balaban*
1957-58 Marian Wail*
1958-59 Lila Weintraub*
1959-61 Evelyn Neuman*
1961-63 Bobbie Rothman*
1963-65 Bea Reynolds
1965-67 Susan Weir*
1967-69 Loretta Reinherz*
1969-71 Lela Jacoby
1971-73 Idele Deutsch
1973-75 Pearl Leonard
1975-78 Janet Farber
1978-80 Marcia Abelson
1980-81 Vickie Sonnenberg
1981-83 Judy Rosenbaum-Rieder
1983-85 Eleanor Botney
1985-87 Elaine Brown
1987-89 Ida Liberman
1989-91 Sylvia Levine
1991-93 Marcia Fink
1993-95 Doris Goodman
1995-97 Beverly Barak
1997-99 Shirley Moore
1999-01 Marcia Fink
2001-03 Ellen Silverman
2003-05 Karmi Monsher
2005-07 Arlene Bloom
2007-09 Jan Field
2009-11 Karen Gale
2011-13 Lena Labowe
2013-15 Christine Prell
* Of Blessed Memory
Adat Ari El Bulletin
Adar 1 5774 • February 2014
What’s the smallest amount of money you
see lying on the ground that will cause you
to stop, bend down, and pick it up? For me
it depends on the day and how my back
feels and whether my 10-year-old son is with
me. He’s closer to the ground and much more limber.
On good days, or when he’s around, we’ll pick up pennies. I’ve always been interested in pennies since I was
young and I found a 1931 “S” in a bag of pennies that
my dad brought home from his currency exchange in
Chicago. I remember spending several winter weekend
evenings looking through bags of coins for our coin collection, and remember the good feeling of the whole
family participating in this fun activity.
have to bend down. All you have to do is toss
your soft-drink and water cans and bottles in
a separate garbage bag and take them to your
local recycling center. The one I go to is at the
Ralph’s Market on Magnolia and Coldwater Canyon.
Since August and the start of school, I’ve redeemed
nearly $50 in recyclables.
The Ron & Trana Labowe Adat Ari El Day School is collecting pennies, 1.5 million pennies—one for each Jewish child
murdered in the Holocaust. I’ve contributed my recycling
proceeds and will continue to do so. Please join me. When
we’ve accomplished this goal, we can choose another.
Recycling is easier on the back than bending down to pick
up pennies, and it’s better for the environment as well.
Today’s equivalent of finding money on the ground
comes in the form of aluminum cans and glass or
plastic bottles. For the most part, you don’t even
What
does
Thanks,
Steve Lavender
Judaism
say
about:
with
Rabbi Jonathan
Jaffe Bernhard
After services
on Shabbat
morning
February 8th
Deiber
Chapel
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Adat Ari El Bulletin
Adar 1 5774 • February 2014
So much of our living is done on automatic, and yet being
better people requires that we pay attention to and focus on the
moment and on the person in front of us. Mussar is the traditional
Jewish method of living a mindful life. It is a practice that helps us
develop ethical awareness, responsible behavior, and soul growth.
I invite you to join me for a six-part introductory class that’ll change
your life.
No Hebrew or other experience necessary.
Classes will be held on
Wednesday Evenings
7:30 p.m. - Deiber Chapel
February 12th, 19th and 26th
March 5th, 12th and 19th
Please RSVP to Rabbi Bernhard at
rabbijjb@adatariel.org
The Gift Gallery
at Adat Ari El
February, 2014
Join Rabbi Silver and Cantor Aranoff for a celebration of
Shabbat in a fun, musical, relaxed atmosphere.
Friday, February 14th
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Join us for dinner, Jewish Apples to Apples and singing,
followed by a tuneful service, Israeli dancing
and Ice Cream Sundaes.
(Parents- bring your own Kosher Wine)
For more information, please contact our co-chairs: Bari Goldman (818) 764-1061,
Sharon Lieblein (818) 779-1006 or Sally Greene (818) 990-2099
Shabbat Mishpacha - Friday, February 14, 2014
RSVP by going to the Adat Ari El calendar at www.adatariel.org OR
by check, payable to Adat Ari El, and turned in to Dean in the Admin Office
Name: _____________________________
Phone: ____________________
# of Adult Meals: __________ @ $15:00 = _______
# of Children older than 2: __________ @ $10:00 = _______
# of Children younger than 2: __________ Free of Charge
Dairy
Meal
4
20% off
ALL
STERLING SILVER
JUDAICA
Shop early in the month
to have the best selection.
(818) 980-3282
(818) 789-6377 – Beverly Barak
for special appointment
Adat Ari El Bulletin
Adar 1 5774 • February 2014
B’nai Mitzvah
Mina Opos
mother of Mike (Adena) Opos and Henry (Shelley) Opos;
grandmother of Josh (Alexis) Opos, Jessica, Shauna and
Kevinn Opos; great-grandmother of Kayla Hazel Opos
February 2014
Edith Goldberg
mother of Don (Beverly) Goldberg and Ivan (Sheila) Goldberg;
grandmother of Alyce and Paul Goldberg
February 1, 2014
Sivan Propper
Daughter of
Richard & Hadas Propper
Miriam Wise
widow of Rabbi Aaron Wise z’l; mother of Rabbi Yitzchak
(Stefanie) Etshalom, Tamar Wise, and Jonathan Wise z’l;
grandmother of Adi, Nava, Yonah, Yossi, Ariella, Roni,
Avi and Kovy; sister of Judy Yabroff
February 15, 2014
Carly Kraemer
Daughter of
Sam & Miriam Kraemer
Pearl Slovin
mother of Sherri (Alan) Marcus and Gary Rohde;
grandmother of Danielle Marcus
Shoshana Kohlani
mother of Tali Mekahel
Ben Berger
husband of Rae Berger; father of Steve and Natalie Berger,
Elise and Harvey Canter, Jane and Peter Behman, Alex and
Caren Polland, Beth and Steve Roberts; grandfather and
great-grandfather to many
February 22, 2014
Michael Altschul
Son of
Alan Altschul &
Sharon Gerber-Altschul
Rachel Goodman
mother of Izzy (Perri) Goodman and Rita Goodman;
grandmother of Willie and Ruby Goodman, Jack and
Solley Goodman
Clare Karish
mother of Ron Kahan (Sari Goodman); grandmother of
Stephen Kahan and Gregory Kahan
THE LAUGH PACK
February 8th at Adat Ari El
Norman Besen
father of Joette Labinger, Randy Weinstein and Leslie (Arthur)
Stein; grandfather of 8; great-grandfather of 15
More talent added to this special LAUGH PACK...
Fox TV personality Mark Thompson,
and sensational crooner Marty Ball will now join
Bruce Fine, Karen Rontowski, and Jamie Kaler!
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Adat Ari El Bulletin
Adar 1 5774 • February 2014
Education
Adat Ari El Day School
12020 Burbank Blvd
Valley Village, CA 91607
Grades K-6
Accredited by:
CAIS, WASC, BJE, Solomon Schechter
Day School Association
For More Info
WEBSITE: www.aaedayschool.org
PHONE NUMBER: 818.766.4992
http://www.facebook.com/AAEDaySchool
http://twitter.com/AAEDaySchool
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Adat Ari El Bulletin
Adar 1 5774 • February 2014
Dear Adat Ari El Family,
There aren’t enough thanks for all the love and
support you have given us during this sad time
in our lives.
The outpouring of friends who attended
Ben’s funeral on such short notice, all of your
wonderful people coming to the shivas we had
for him helped ease our hearts, the myriad
of cards, notes, Synagogue and Sisterhood
Tributes, and all the donations and food were
so very thoughtful from all of you.
Ben was a very special man to all of us. He was
my gift for 11½ years. Thank you again and
again for all the love and support.
Rae Berger and Family
We would like to express our appreciation to
everyone who made donations in honor of the
birth of our grandson, Jack Reuven Rothblum.
Lois and Rabbi Moshe Rothblum
Your lifestyle continues here.
CALL TODAY FOR A PERSONAL TOUR
AND COMPLIMENTARY LUNCH.
818.245.5832
INDEPENDENT & ASSISTED SENIOR LIVING RESIDENCES
5450 Vesper Avenue, Sherman Oaks, CA 91411
SRGseniorliving.com
RFCE #197603674
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Adat Ari El Bulletin
Adar 1 5774 • February 2014
PERIODICALS
Postmaster: Please send address changes to:
12020 Burbank Boulevard
Valley Village, California 91607-2198
(818) 766-9426 Fax (818) 505-9223
Published Monthly During the School Year
Design by Galileo Graphics
Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe Bernhard
Assistant Rabbi Deborah Silver
Rabbi Emeritus Moshe J. Rothblum
Cantor Ira S. Bigeleisen
Associate Cantor Judy Dubin Aranoff
Rabbi Aaron M. Wise
Cantor Allan Michelson
Bennett Spiegel, President
Joanne Klein, Executive Director
Adat Ari El is affiliated with
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Adat Ari El is on the Internet...
our website address is:
www.adatariel.org.
Rabbi Bernhard’s address is:
RabbiJJB@adatariel.org.
Saturday, February 1, 2013
9:30 a.m............................................. Sanctuary
Bat Mitzvah:.................................Sivan Propper
Parsha & Torah reading:......................Terumah;
Exodus 25:1-40
Darshanit:........................ Rabbi Deborah Silver
Friday, February 7, 2013
6:00 p.m................................. Kabbalat Shabbat
Candle Lighting - 5:32 p.m.
Saturday, February 8, 2013
9:30 a.m......................... David Familian Chapel
Parsha & Torah reading:......... Tetzaveh/Zachor;
Exodus 27:20-28:30
Darshan:...........Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe Bernhard
Friday, February 14, 2013
6:00 p.m................................. Kabbalat Shabbat
Candle Lighting - 5:19 p.m.
Saturday, February 15, 2013
9:30 a.m............................................. Sanctuary
Bat Mitzvah:................................ Carly Kraemer
Parsha & Torah reading:....................... Ki Tissa;
Exodus 30:11-31:17
Darshan:.....................................David Kraemer
The Bulletin (USPS 661-900) is published monthly by
Adat Ari El, located at 12020 Burbank Blvd., Valley Village, CA 91607-2198.
Phone: (818) 766-9426, ext. 220 Fax (818) 505-9223 email: RabbiJJB@adatariel.org.
Adat Ari El is a non-profit organization
Total requested circulation averages 850 copies monthly
Periodicals paid at North Hollywood, CA
POSTMASTER – Send address changes to:
Adat Ari El, 12020 Burbank Blvd., Valley Village, CA 91607-2198
Friday, February 21, 2013
6:00 p.m................................. Kabbalat Shabbat
Candle Lighting - 5:25 p.m.
Saturday, February 22, 2013
9:30 a.m............................................. Sanctuary
Bar Mitzvah:..............................Michael Altschul
Parsha & Torah reading:...................... Vayakhel
Darshan:.................................Rabbi Neil Hirsch
Friday, February 28, 2013
6:00 p.m................................. Kabbalat Shabbat
Candle Lighting - 5:31 p.m.
Saturday, March 1, 2013
9:30 a.m............................................. Sanctuary
Bat Mitzvah:..................................... Sara Zacky
Parsha & Torah reading:........Pekude/Shekalim;
Exodus; 28:21-39:21
Darshan:...........Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe Bernhard
Shabbat Mishpacha, a family
service designed for anyone who
wants to eat dinner and celebrate
Shabbat in a fun, musical, relaxed
family atmosphere, will be held on
February 7th at 7:00 p.m. in Russell
Hall (preceded by dinner and an
activity at 6:00 p.m.).
Tot Shabbat @ Adat for ECC-aged
children will be held at 9:30 a.m.
on February 1st beginning with
9:30 a.m.–10:15 a.m. services in
the David Familian Chapel and
concluding with snack and play time
from 10:15 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Daily Minyan Deiber Chapel
Mornings
Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m.
Sundays & Holidays 9:00 a.m.
Evenings: Sunday - Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
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