MoTAS Weekly for 1/28/15: Bob Levine – Man of the Year

In This Issue:

1. MAN OF THE YEAR – BOB LEVINE

If you missed our MoTAS Shabbat last Friday night, you missed a very special evening. After a delightful dinner from Scott Tessler and the crew at Silver Spoons, we had a wonderfully creative service led by Rabbi Shawna, Cantor Jen, and the Men of TAS. The service featured reflections from MoTAS members on who MoTAS means to them, a special D’var Torah about leadership, a special Kaddish introduction about important men in our lives, and of course, the introduction of our Man of the Year, Bob Levine. We’re collecting all of the member-written components and posting them on our website in the MoTAS-Shabbat category. You can read them at https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/category/motas-shabbat/.

The MoTAS Shabbat was just the start of the festivities for our honoree. On Saturday, March 7, 2015, our honoree will be recognized at the MRJ Regional Man of the Year dinner, hosted at Temple Beth David in Westminster, CA. We hope you can be there to support our honoree, so mark your calendar now. The cost will be $36.00 per person. You can RSVP online at http://moydinner.tasnorthridge-motas.org/; a signup sheet will be available at the MoTAS Meeting. Send you check for $36, indicating your dinner choice (Brisket, Salmon, or Vegetarian) to Roger Lowe in care of the Temple at 18200 Rinaldi Place, Northridge CA 91326. Make the check payable to “MoTAS | TAS Mens Club” .

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2. FEBRUARY SPEAKER AND THE TAS 50th ANNIVERSARY

2015 is a very special year — it is the 50th anniversary of the creation of Temple Ahavat Shalom through the merger of North Valley Reform and Temple Beth Torah of San Fernando Valley. The big TAS celebrations will start in August 2015, and from what I hear they are going to be spectacular. Keep watching the Menorah for details. In support of the 50th Anniversary planning effort, MoTAS is looking for a MoTAS member who is willing to be a liasion between MoTAS and the planning committee. You would attend planning committee meetings, and report back to MoTAS leadership on the activity and how to integrate MoTAS. If you would like to volunteer for this position, please drop me a note at president@tasnorthridge-motas.org.

Additionally, We’re looking for a Confirmation class student who is interested in history to research the history of the Men’s organization at TAS, which over the years has gone by the names “Brotherhood”, “Men’s Club”, and the current MoTAS. We have some information going back to the mid-1990s, but nothing before. The task would involve finding the temple’s archives (especially newsletter archives), and reviewing them to rebuld the history. The student would be invited to present their research at a future MoTAS meeting, and would earn Avodah credit. If you would like to volunteer for this position, or know of someone who would like to do it, please drop me a note at president@tasnorthridge-motas.org. This task is open to either gender.

Lastly, MoTAS is getting a head start on the celebration with our February speaker. Recall that I indicated that TAS was the merger of North Valley Reform (founded in 1962 as a split from Temple Beth Torah) and Temple Beth Torah (founded in 1951 as a split from Temple Beth Hillel; TBT later split back out in 1968). Back in 2001, for TBT, I worked with their historian Shirley Berg to develop a history of the congregation. Through that effort, we identified the rabbis of North Valley Reform — and our February speaker is the fellow who was the student rabbi for NVR when they started, Hal Daum. Since then, Hal has had a long and varied career, including working in real estate, as a parole officer, and as the Executive Director for a number of congregations. We invite you to join MoTAS on Sunday, February 8th (8:45 AM – Breakfast; 9:00 AM – Activity Review; 10:00 AM – Speaker) to learn about TAS in the days before it was TAS.

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3. THAT FULL UP FEELING: SUPERBOWL SQUARES AND FEBRUARY HANGOUT

Normally, I use the Weekly Newsletter to promote upcoming events. This week’s letter is small, as I’m pleased to report that two upcoming events are filled to capacity:

First, our Superbowl Squares board is fully subscribed. With a fully-subscribed board, payouts to winners are $180 for each of the first quarters, and $360 for final score, resulting in $900 available to fund special TAS needs which have not been budgeted by the temple. This is wonderful news.

Additionally, our Sunday, February 22 Mens Only Hang Out and Discussion Group with Rabbi Lutz is fully subscribed. We thank Rabbi Lutz for providing this opportunity. Dave Friedman, our event coordinator, is working up some special discussion topics for the evening — and remember, everything said during the meeting stays in the meeting. Additionally, we’re going to be joining the Rabbi for dinner before the meeting with a Barbeque dinner from Stonefire Grill. Those who have registered: please remember to get your checks for $15 to Dave Friedman at 19707 Buckeye Meadow Lane, Porter Ranch CA 91326. Dave will provide you the location of the hang out once your reservation is confirmed. For those that missed this event and want to participate, we’ll be working with the Rabbi to schedule another date in the future. This is a Mens Only event.

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4. CANTORS CONCERT

One of the points emphasized during the MoTAS Shabbat was participation: We want everyone to participate and show support. Here’s a good example: This Saturday night is the Cantor’s Concert. Even if you can’t provide additional support, you contact the office and attend the event. Let’s fill the venue for Cantor Jen!

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5. IN CLOSING

As always, remember that the Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom is *your* organization. Keep up to date on our activities at http://www.tasnorthridge-motas.org/ and participate. We want to serve all the men of Temple Ahavat Shalom and welcome new participants from the TAS membership. Join our Facebook group and “follow” our website. Come be part of the Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom!

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