the short schrift - shulcloud › 1193 › uploads › short-schrifts › ...he is the author of...

MAY 2019 ADAR II - NISAN, 5779

Short Schrift: May 2019 Nisan - Iyyar, 5779

Save the Date: June 2 at 10 a.m.Calling all TBH Members! Please join us for another joyous Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 2nd at 10 a.m. We will celebrate our recent accomplishments and collectively think about our goals and priorities for the future.

We will also vote! Four current Board members are nearing the end of their terms: Leslie Goldstein, Lisa Hoffman, Michael Marchand and Harriet Strasberg. Please join me in thanking each of them for their work on behalf of our congregational community. The Nominating Committee, (Vice President Allyson Brooks, Fred Goldberg, Barnett Kali-kow and Charles Shelan) is working to find four TBH members ready to join the exciting world of TBH Board service!

Your ballot will also include the opportunity to approve an updated version of the TBH Bylaws. In 2017, Board member Harriet Strasberg, ably assisted by Past Board President Barnett Kalikow, began updating the Bylaws to reflect our current practices and values, and combining them with the Constitution. This year, the Board dedicated a great deal of time to the effort, capped by a Congregational Meeting on April 14th. Input from many congregants, including Immediate Past President Laura Schrager, Sue Goldstein, Ellen Grant and members of the Ritual Committee, inspired significant changes which made the updated Bylaws even better.

TBH Members will receive a ballot via mail two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. Much like the required minyan for religious services, we need a quorum for our Annual Meeting. But, if you cannot attend, please turn in your ballot in advance of the meeting. Your completed ballot will count towards the quorum.

At the Annual Meeting, we will engage in an exercise to collectively dream about what we would like to see at TBH. Your Board wants to ensure that our work reflects the pri-orities and values of our members. This will be your chance to help advise the Board and influence TBH’s priorities going forward.

And of course, there will be food! In addition to the traditional bagels, cream cheese and lox, we will offer additional delicacies for your eating pleasure. We want you to remain hydrated and nourished as we celebrate our wonderful congregational community togeth-er!

Tikva Glantz, Board President

The Short SchriftTBH BOARDPRESIDENTTikva [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENTAllyson BrooksTREASURERGary SchneiderSECRETARYDavid Hanig

MEMBERS AT LARGEMichael BlumMarilyn GisserLeslie GoldsteinLisa HoffmanSpencer OrmanHarriet Strasberg

YOUTH ED REPMichael Marchand

CONTACT US(360) [email protected] 8th Ave. SEOlympia WA 98501

Rabbi Seth [email protected]

Director of Family Life and LearningCatherine [email protected]

Interim CommunityEngagementCoordinatorKayla [email protected]

Short Nisan - Iyyar, 5779

LIFE & LEGACY™ Hosts Workshop on Estate PlanningThe TBH LIFE & LEGACY Committee sponsored a brunch time Estate Planning workshop on April 7 with bagels, lox and all the smear. Tony Ramsey, director of Endowment and Planned Giving for the Greater Seattle Jewish Federation,made a one hour estate planning presentation. Tony provided essential information and fielded a lot of great questions. We were pleased to have twenty four people in attendance. The committee wants to express its appreciation to

committee members Doreen Garcia, Ed Adelson, Charles and Norma Shelan for the planning and set up and clean up. For more information, on how you can participate in LIFE & LEGACY, contact Charles Shelan at [email protected].

Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism: A Shabbat of Learning

with Professor Joel Hecker from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical CollegeFriday-Sunday, May 10-12

Temple Beth Hatfiloh is delighted to present Professor Joel Hecker, one of today’s most prominent scholars of kabbalah, for a series of four teachings.

Friday night (7:45 pm): “A Kiss is Just a Kiss? The Meaning of Kissing in the Kabbalah.” Professor Hecker will present as part of our regular Shabbat Salon. Shabbat service at 6:00 p.m., catered Shabbat dinner at 7:00 p.m., presentation at 7:40 p.m. Come for all or part, reservations are REQUIRED for the dinner for $10 per person. Sign up and pay online at the event page.

Shabbat morning (10:00 am): “Call-Out Culture and A Story from the Zohar” Professor Hecker will teach during our regular Torah Study session. Shabbat brunch will be served.

Saturday evening (7:00 pm): “Letters and the Textualization of Reality: A Mystical Approach to Language” Seudah Shlishi (“the third meal”) potluck. Please bring a dairy/vegetarian dish or dessert to share.

Sunday morning (9:00 am): “Spiritual Eating Practice in the Hasidic Tradition” Coffee/Tea and light snacks will be served.

Joel Hecker, Ph.D., serves as Professor of Jewish Mysticism at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and is among to-day’s most prominent scholars of kabbalah. He is the author of Volume 11 and Volume 12 of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, the first complete annotated translation of the Zohar, the central and canonical text of Jewish mysticism. Hecker is also the author of Mystical Bodies, Mystical Meals: Eating and Embodiment in Medieval Kabbalah (Wayne State University Press, 2004), and has published widely on a range of themes in Jewish mysticism. His scholarly interests include ritual, embodiment, mystical techniques, the deployment of emotion, visual culture in the kabbalah, as well as the history of Jewish magic.


May Erev Shabbat Services

May 3 Shabbat Choir Service7:30 pm There will be an oneg after the service hosted by Melinda Holman in memory of Paul Holman and Reta Nightingale Husbands.

May 10 Shabbat Salon6:00 pm Catered meal and speaker after the service. Please RSVP for the dinner. Details below.

May 17 Family Shabbat Service6:00 pm There will be a semi-catered dinner following services. Register on the website and bring a side or dessert to share.

May 24 Shabbat Service7:30 pm Oneg host TBD.

May 31 Shabbat Service7:30 pm There will be an oneg after the service hosted by Nancy Snyder and Gary Schneider in memory of Pauline Snyder.

May Shabbat Day ActivitiesJEWISH WITH MEANING1st Saturday, May 4, 10:30 amThis will be the end of the second of the seven weeks of counting the omer. Where will we journey along the way? There were 11 encamp-ments before the Israelites arrived at Sinai. We’ll share stories and lessons of journeys that move us through our stops along the way to a time of insight, direction, and connection. Everyone is welcome! Bring something for the potluck brunch if you are able. TORAH STUDY WITH RABBI HECKER2nd Saturday, May 11, 10:00 amPrayer and study are equally holy activities; and we will do both.We’ll share a snack and study the Torah together. All are invited. Brunch will be provided. More information on page 2.MUSSAR & HAVURAH3rd Saturday, May 18, 9:00 am and 10:00 amAt 9:00 am join us for Mussar, which seeks to root personal character development in Jewish tradition and text. At 10:00 am join us for Ha-vurah, a small group of like-minded Jews who assemble to experience Shabbat and prayer services, lifecycle events, and learning together.TALMUD STUDY4th Saturday, May 25, 9:30 amThe Talmud is a compendium of law and lore that is the basis onwhich biblical interpretation and contemporary Jewish practice rest. Rabbi Seth will lead us as we dive deep into this complex andfascinating text.

Shabbat Salon: An Evening ofOpen Hearts, Hands and Minds

Friday, May 10 at 6:00 pm

Join us for Shabbat Salon! Our speak-er is Professor of Jewish Mysticism at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Joel Hecker. Professor Heck-er will also be serving as the TBH Scholar-in-Residence May 10-11. Learn more on page 2.The evening will begin with a full Shabbat service at 6:00 pm followed by a catered dinner and in the Social Hall at 7:00 pm. RSVP is required for the dinner only. Join us for the speaker only at 7:45 pm.

Registration closes Wednesday, May 8th at 5:00 pm. Sign up and pay online! Photos from our April Salon with TBH Member

Howard Schwartz!

Livestream service on TBH's Facebook Page!

MAY EVENTSNancy Kalikow MaxwellPresentation and DinnerWednesday, May 1, 6:00 pmDinner and presentation on Nancy Kalikow Maxwell's new book: Typically Jewish.

Tot ShabbatSaturday May 4, 10:00 am

All kids ages 0-6 and their grown ups and families are invited to celebrate Shabbat together with song, story, movement, prayer and craft! Join us the first Saturday of every month.

Senior SchmoozeTuesday, May 7, 12:00 pmDon't miss out! Bring your brown bag lunch and jokes! This month, Bernie Friedman will be the presenter and the dessert host.

Safety Team MeetingTuesday, May 7, 5:00 pmIf you have questions, call or text Mar-cia David at (206) 353-7255.

Report on theSouthern BorderTuesday, May 7, 7:00 pm

Rabbi Seth recently traveled to El Paso, TX and Juarez, Mexico on a delegation of rabbis sponsored by HIAS and T’ru-ah. He will share a slideshow and give a report back of what he witnessed and learned at the southern border, as well as opportunities to support migrants seek-ing asylum. This presentation will take the place of the regular meeting of the Immigration and Refugee Task Force.

Shabbat SalonFriday, May 10, 6:00 pmJoin us for our monthly Shabbat Salon featuing Rabbi Joel Hecker. More infor-mation on page 3.

Scholar-in-ResidenceRabbi Joel HeckerMay 10-12Please join us for three additional events with Professor Joel Hecker, including Saturday morning Torah study, Saturday evening Seudat Shlishi, and Sunday morning coffee and snacks. See more information on page 2.

Ritual Committee MeetingThursday, May 9, 6:00 pmThe committee helps in organizing ritual events, caring for ritual objects, and supporting the Rabbi in serving the spiritual needs of the community. For more information please contact Craig Wallace at [email protected].

FORKids Food PackingTuesday, May 14, 3:30 pmThurston County Food Bank2260 Mottman Road SW, TumwaterWe welcome anyone who wishes to join us! If you have any questions, please contact Elie Halpern at (360) 357-8160 or [email protected].

Book GroupTuesday, May 21, 7:00 pmTypically Jewish by Nancy Kalikow Maxwell.

Lag B'Omer at Camp Solomon SchecterThursday, May 23, 5:30 pmJoin us at Camp Solomon Schechter for a Lag B'Omer BBQ celebration! We'll eat dinner, do archery, have maccabiah games and finish up with a bonfire and sing-a-long. Preregistration is required. Register at the event page on the TBH website.

Grounds Work PartySunday, May 26, 10:00 amBring your own hand tools if you have them. We’ll have some here too. Come for some or all of the time. Many hands make light work! Contact Catherine at [email protected] for more information

Advancing in HebrewTuesday, May 28, 7:00 pmThis seminar-type gathering will workon advancing Hebrew knowledge,including grammar and roots. Held on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

Green Team MeetingTuesday, May 30, 5:30 pmEveryone is welcome to attend. If you have any questions or ideas for us, please contact Spencer Orman at [email protected].


Olympia Sisterhood MeetingTuesday, May 7, 1:30 pmSisterhood will meet May 7, 1:30 p.m. at TBH in the Board Room to share our thoughts on the film, Hester Street. We will also plan the June Sis-terhood picnic to be held in the Rose Garden at Priest Point Park, other summer meetings and our Fall Tea. All Jewish women and women who have Jewish spouses are welcome! Come see what Sisterhood is about! For more information please contact Jane Blustein, [email protected].


Annual MeetingSunday, June 2 at 10:00 amSee more details on page 1.

Senior SchmoozeTuesday, June 4 at 12:00 pm

Health and Wellness SeriesThursday, June 27, time TBDBruce Silverman will present on the topic of gut health. Stay tunedfor more details!

Book GroupTuesday, June 18 at 7:00 pmPlan for next year's selection!

JUNEEVENTSPREVIEW

FORKIDS FOOD PACKINGThanks to the seven individuals who volunteered on Tuesday, April 9, to build two pallets for the Food Bank. It was a very fast working crew. We were there actually less than an hour. Thanks to Michele Jackman, Richard Jackman, Betty Goldstein, Sue Goldstein, Beth Dubey and Bernie Friedman. We will again be at it on the sec-ond Tuesday of May which is May 14 at 3:30 to build a couple more pallets. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Elie Halpern at [email protected] or call him at 360-357-8160.

GREEN TEAMWe are now exploring green cleaning products which are, among other things, non-toxic, environmentally-friendly, cost-effective, easy to use, and meet the requirements of a public institution and com-mercial kitchen. We’d love to hear your ideas. We are also looking at the effectiveness of the kitchen sanitizer, and the best products to use with it. The next Green Team meeting is Thursday, May 30th at 5:30 pm at TBH. Everyone is welcome to attend one or both of these meetings. If you have any questions or ideas for us, please contact Spencer Orman at [email protected].

STARS OF DAVID SOFTBALL SIGN UP!Join us for weekly games on Monday or Wednes-day night (still to be decided) starting the week of June 3rd. We play in a non-competitive co-ed league, sponsored by Olympia Parks and Recre-ation. The team is open to players of all levels and to non-members, so sign up with friends. Ages 18 and over, 16-17 with parental consent.

We are guaranteed at least 14 games, with double-headers most weeks of the season. May 10th is the deadline for the team to register. We are asking for $50 from each player. We'll be scheduling some practices in May. Sign up now! Contact Jocelyn Brown at [email protected] or [email protected] to sign-up, get more info, to express interest in playing, or to say which day you prefer to play.


May’s middah in Beit Sefer is emu-

nah, translated as conviction or faith.

In many religious communities,

what they believe is what holds them

together. Many communities spend a

lot of time and effort making sure ev-

eryone believes the same thing. Their doctrines are what

bind them together. In Jewish spiritual life though, a com-

mon doctrine is not the glue that binds us. The search for

our personal experience with G-d is what binds us, even

as the details of our faith varies a bit from one Jew to

another. The Torah reassures us that searching and skepti-

cism are a healthy and legitimate part of Jewish life.

Why does Judaism validate this search? Judaism takes

skepticism seriously because it takes people seriously. It

recognizes that if Jewish life is to be meaningful, it has to

meet us where we are. Jewish tradition understands that

where we are can often be a place of confusion or skep-

ticism. It is often not a person’s intellect but something

more emotional that prompts a spiritual search. Though

there are many factors that motivate Jews to begin a spir-

itual journey, Jewish tradition recognizes that the most

important factors are often not intellectual.

People are often motivated by feeling the presence of

our Creator. We look for what Abraham Joshua Heschel

called moments of “awe and wonder,” moments when

G-d suddenly seems close. These moments are differ-

ent for all of us. For me, they often happen in the daily

‘between times’, times between first light and sunrise and

between sunset and last light.

Regardless of the weather, I am outside, tending to the

first or last needs of my birds. It is almost always still

and the atmosphere changes slightly as if the world

is taking in its first breath - or letting out its last. No

matter what the rest of the day is like, at that moment

I am held in the arms of the Creator. That is my “awe

and wonder” moment. It assures me that the Creator is

present and it gives me strength.

Everyone has different connections, your own “awe

and wonder” moments. Even as your own life chal-

lenges you, when you connect with your convictions,

your belief carries you. It is the value of your faith. In

Judaism we may not all have exactly the same be-

liefs, but we are encouraged to find meaning in our

own moments of “awe and wonder”. Our challenge in

practicing emunah is to find our personal connection to

G-d and allow our Jewish faith to be our guide along

the way.

L’shalom,

The following article and pictures are from Sara Eve

Sarliker, our Geza’im (1 & 2 grade) teacher:

Instead of telling you what we have been doing in

Geza’im lately, we thought we would show you! These

photos were from a Purim prep day, when we were

baking hamentashen, decorating and filling mishloach

manot, and then spent some time in our classroom cel-

ebrating our culmination of learning the basics of the

Hebrew alphabet. See more on page 7.

FAMILY LIFE & LEARNING


MAY YAHRZEITS

These names will be read from the bimah at Shabbat services before and after the yahrzeit. Bold type denotes those inscribed on a plaque on our Memorial Wall. Please

send any corrections and addtions to [email protected].

15 Isaac Robinson16 Harold Kozerski17 Jerry Grotsky17 Jacqueline Rosenkrantz18 Chana Sokoloff18 John William Fay21 Hyman Posner21 David Wedogsky21 Esther Pollock21 Pauline Snyder21 Rose Mogal23 Barry B. Aronovitch24 Joseph Gentile25 Perle Schrager26 Bessie Cotler26 William Patrick Halpern26 Morris Dobrin27 Leon Gerson28 Eugene Balter28 Jennette Lee30 Yaela Hertz Berkson31 Joseph Asher31 Sidney Barshter

1 Rose Siegel1 Bella Wirth1 Max Bard1 Eva Posner1 Murray Brodoff3 Anne Bean4 Joseph Jenkins4 Catherine Fay4 Naomi Siegel5 Rabbi Myron Kinberg6 Mary Godden9 Julius Sokoloff9 David Goldstein9 Michael Schon11 Marie Van Ry12 June Bean12 Lee Hollander13 Constance Shapiro13 Kenneth Royer13 Lawrence Scheier14 Jean Medley14 Ronald Doelle14 Alan E. Goldberg

Continued from page 6.

We made salt-dough Hebrew letters and decorated them - maybe some of us used a bit more glitter than was absolutely necessary. We are rounding out the year by completing our own books of Jewish holidays, and learning ways to incor-porate acts of loving kindness into our lives as part of our Jewish practice. We’re keeping our Hebrew skills sharp, too.

Photos from the FORKids Food Packing volunteer day on April 9th.

Photo from the TBH Community Seder on April 20th.


THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS!

Happy BirthdayYom Huledet Sameach

Visit www.smile.amazon.com and type "Temple Beth Hatfiloh" into the "pick your charitable organization" search box. Each time you shop Amazon, go to www.smile.amazon.com.

To make donations, contact the CFD at (360) 902-4162 or [email protected] Beth Hatfiloh's Charity Code is 1478808

Over the last 20 years, Melaleuca fundraising has raised over $20,000 for TBH! The Melaleuca line features 400 alternative for items you may already be using every day. For more information, contact the TBH office.

www.melaleuca.com

Cecilia ReyesJoel GreeneAnne HirschLen TrabkaMichele JackmanMagdalena Cristo-FrankOrin ZinnTovi TrobmanIsak BoydLuna LowskyCharles ShelanDaniel FarberRobert Carmel

5th6th6th8th8th10th

10th11th12th12th13th13th14th

15th16th16th17th18th19th21st21st23rd24th28th28th29th29th31st

Jaimie AdelsonKay McKenzieMichael Swartz LadermanArielle LewisVincent SchwentKim AdelsonLinda BlusteinGabrielle SacksAnya WallaceBeth HalpernAlden CarrMary-Lynne ReinerDoug LittauerZoe AligAbigail Taylor

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS!

Sustaining FundHal Marcus Designated Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater SeattleKeiko and Michael Paros In honor of the marriage Samuel Paros to Mary Blevins and in honor of Rabbi Seth for officiatingLeslie Gates In memory of Jonathan Michael OrenRebecca Jane Liebman

Groundskeeping: Rob Carmel, Kay McKenzie, James Dolliver, Bernie Friedman and Spencer OrmanShabbat Salon: Tikva Glantz, Katherine Davis-Delaney, Jill Dole, Laura Hurtado-Webb, Bernie Friedman, Nancy Snyder, Melinda Holman, and others! Laundry: Elie HalpernOneg Hosts: Kenny Trobman

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS!

Yes, I want to contribute to the ongoing vitality of Jewish life in Olympia and the South Sound!

Enclosed is my gift of:

$18 $36 $54 $108 $180 $360 Other:______

Check payable to “Temple Beth Hatfiloh” is enclosed.

Visa MasterCard Card #:_____________________________

Sec. Code (Last 3 digits on back of card):_________ Exp. Date:_________

Donor name: _____________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: ___________________________________________

Phone: __________________________________________________

Email: __________________________________________________

Your gift is tax deductible. Thank you for your generosity.

This gift is In honor of In memory of Wishing speedy recovery to With thanks to On yartzeit of ____________________________________________________________________________________

Please send a notification of this gift to:

Name: ____________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: ______________________________________________ Donations, without amounts, will be acknowledged in TBH publications. Please mark if this is an ANONYMOUS donation:

This gift is for High Holidays TBH Sustaining Fund Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund Goldberg Scholarship Fund Building Strength Maintenance Endowment See above for fund descriptions. High Holiday and other undesignated donations will be applied to the Sustaining Fund.

Available Funds

Temple Beth Hatfiloh Sustaining FundSupports the general operations of TBH and a variety of programs including educational opportunities, holiday celebrations, libraries and the music program.

Rabbi’s Discretionary FundUsed, at Rabbi’s discretion, to provide individual or institutional support as needed.

Goldberg Fund (School Scholarships)Supports the TBH youth education program.

Building Strength Maintenance EndowmentSupports the maintenance of TBH’s physical home.

TEMPLE BETH HATFILOH is a community center for Jewish life. We are dedicated to meeting the spiritual, educational, cultural and social needs of the Jewish community in Olympia and the surrounding South Sound area.

It is only through your generosity that we are able to sustain our programs, provide for those in need, maintain our Jewish home and ensure a Jewish presence for generations yet to come.

Every gift, no matter the size, is important and contributes to our Jewish community.

the short schrift - shulcloud › 1193 › uploads › short-schrifts › ...he is the author of...

Documents