In This Issue:
- MOTAS MARCH MEETING – YOM HASHOAH CANDLE PACKING – MARCH 1
- FEBRUARY MENS HANG-OUT … NOW ON MARCH 1
- PURIM VIDEO / PURIM CARNIVAL (MARCH 8) VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
- MOTAS ANNUAL APPEAL REMINDERS/THANK YOU
- BASKETBALL SQUARE SEASON
- MENS SEDER – MARCH 29
- HOLD THE DATES – JETHAWKS BASEBALL / GOLF TOURNAMENT
- IN CLOSING
1. MOTAS MARCH MEETING – YOM HASHOAH CANDLE PACKING – MARCH 1
Not every MoTAS meeting is a speaker meeting. Some of our most enjoyable meetings are those where we just get together and schmooze while doing other activities. One of those is our March meeting, where we assemble the Yom HaShoah candle package that is mailed to every household in the congregation. We are pleased to participate in this project, joining many other Reform congregations throughout the country. The Yellow Candle program was started by the Federation of Jewish Mens Club (FJMC) in remembrance of Yom HaShoah. We mail candles to every household in TAS so that they may remember the Shoah and visibly demonstrate that we will never forget what unbridled antisemitism can bring. This is especially important now, as we are seeing an increasing in antisemetic violence both in Europe and in the US (witness the recent incidents up at UC Davis), and as we are losing the generation of Holocaust survivors. We encourage you to come to our meeting on Sunday March 1 to help us pack the candles. As always, we’ll start with our MoTAS breakfast at 8:45 AM, followed by an activity review at 9:00 AM. We plan to start working on the candles around 9:30 AM.
For more information on the Yellow Candles and their history, visit https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/activities/yom-hashoah-candles/. When you receive your Yellow Candle, we encourage you to contribute to MoTAS to support this program, and to light your candle on Yom HaShoah, which starts the evening of Wednesday, April 15.
2. FEBRUARY MENS HANG-OUT … NOW ON MARCH 1
When we scheduled the February Men’s Hangout and Discussion, we forgot about one thing: the Academy Awards. In deference to those who want to want to watch the Oscars®, we’re pushing back the meeting one week to Sunday, March 1 — same location, same price, same menu. The event will run from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Please update your calendars, and if you RSVPed previously and can no longer make the event, please let Dave Friedman know at vp2@tasnorthridge-motas.org.
3. PURIM VIDEO / PURIM CARNIVAL (MARCH 8) VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Help Make a MoTAS Purim Video. In support of the congregation’s upcoming celebration of Purim, the Rabbi has asked all committees, boards, and auxiliaries to be part of this year’s TAS Purim video (which is based on Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” video at http://youtu.be/nfWlot6h_JM). Frank Soronow (frank.soronow@nbcuni.com) has volunteered to coordinate the MoTAS video, and is tentatively planning on doing something the weekend of February 14. If you would like to be involved with the video, please contact Frank at the email above as soon as possible. The goal is to be creative, fun, and silly to some segment of the video; this will be edited together with everyone else’s. When the video is completed, we will send it to Ryan Smith (rysmith3@yahoo.com), who has graciously agreed to put this video together for us. In the final version, Taylor’s singing will be replaced with Purim lyrics — so we can use a Purim theme and characters if we want.
Purim Carnival Volunteers Needed. The TAS Purim Carnival is Sunday, March 8. In addition to the Purim Video mentioned in the first item, MoTAS is looking for volunteers to help the day of the Purim Carnival. We need volunteers in the following areas:
- Helping to assemble and serve falafel sandwiches, as well as serving other donated food items including pizza, salad, hamentashen, snacks, soft drinks.
- Helping pick up donated food items prior to the carnival.
- Helping set up prior to the carnival, including prep of the food serving station.
- Loans of pop-up tents to use the day of the carnival to provide shade. The Temple has liability insurance in case any harm is caused by those tents in a windstorm.
- Organizers for a poker game to be held during the tournament.
If you would be interested in volunteering, please contact Bob Levin at robertwlevin11@gmail.com.
4. MOTAS ANNUAL APPEAL REMINDERS/THANK YOU
For those of you unaware, MoTAS no longer has dues. Every man at TAS is a member of MoTAS. Once a year, we send out a letter requesting the men of TAS to financially support the Men of TAS with a donation they feel is appropriate. It is less than a month since our appeal letters have gone out, and the donations are starting to come in. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far; those who have contributed over $100 will appear on our Wall of Honor at http://wallofhonor.tasnorthridge-motas.org/ (which is updated regularly). If you haven’t contributed yet, it is easy. The support page at our website, http://support.tasnorthridge-motas.org/, provides a downloadable form you can complete, print, and mail with your check; alternatively, you can follow the link on the site and contribute online. Either way, you can be assured your donation will be used to support MoTAS and its goals. Help prove that our experiment in inclusivity can work.
5. BASKETBALL SQUARE SEASON
Many breathed a sign of relief with the end of the Superbowl and the end of Football seasons. Others recognized that this was only a change in ball. It’s now Basketball season, and that means it is time for Basketball Squares. The procedure is very similar to the Superbowl Squares. Basketball Squares cover the last four games in the NCAA championship: the semifinal and final games on April 4-6, 2015. Squares are $18, and adults may purchase up to 3 squares for themselves, and 3 squares for their partner. Payouts are $150 for both the halftime and final scores of each game. You can win once or twice in a game. If the board is not fully subscribed, the payout is proportional based on the number of subscribed squares. To address the possibility that all 100 squares might not be subscribed, the following is the procedure for empty squares that win: each player will make a guess as to what the total number of points will be (i.e., you add the final scores of both teams). This number will be used to settle all cases, for all games. If you purchase more than one square your “number” will apply for all your squares. Closest to actual score wins (payouts divided with ties). If there is no halftime winner, the final score prediction will still be used.
Squares must be purchased by March 25, 2015. Forms should be available in the Temple Foyer. You can also print the registration form — or register online — at the usual online home of the Squares program: http://squares.tasnorthridge-motas.org/. Remember that the real winner is Temple Ahavat Shalom. With a fully subscribed board, $900 will be available to support specific temple activities, organizations, and projects.
6. MENS SEDER – MARCH 29
On Sunday, March 29, you are invited to join the Men of TAS at our annual Mens Seder. This special service and dinner, modeled after the traditional Passover Seder, provides a comfortable and ‘safe’ space for the men of TAS to explore and celebrate what it means to be a contemporary Jewish man. The text of our special haggadah, developed by MRJ and available at http://www.menrj.org/mrj-mens-seder, explores issues that pertain specifically to men; the service and dinner provides a place to take those issues, share them, discuss them, and wrestle with them.
Our Mens Passover Dinner will consists of traditional Passover foods — water, wine, homemade charoset, and more (maybe even gefilte fish) — as well as barbeque chicken and tri-tip from Outdoor Grill in Northridge (for what man doesn’t love barbeque).
The cost for the meal and the service is $20. The schedule is as follows:
- 5:30pm: Sign in and snacks
- 6:00pm: Service and dinner
Visit http://seder.tasnorthridge-motas.org to reserve in advance and pay by check or at the door, or to pay online. Reservations are necessary and are due by noon on Monday, March 23. Please invite your brothers, fathers, uncles and friends to join you. TAS affiliation is NOT required for this event.
7. HOLD THE DATES – JETHAWKS BASEBALL / GOLF TOURNAMENT
Start marking your calendar now for three significant upcoming dates:
- Jethawks Baseball – Sunday, June 7 @ ~12 PM. I’ve had a number of requests for a MoTAS outing for a baseball game. LA Dodger games are (a) expensive, (b) crowded, and (c) often boring. Minor league games, on the other hand, are a blast — inexpensive, great seats, and loads and loads of fun. We’re in the planning stage for an outing to see the Lancaster Jethawks for a Sunday afternoon game. This will be after religious school is over, and it will be a family event. Let Daniel know at president@tasnorthridge-motas.org if you would be interested in attending or helping to organize/drive.
- 2015 Golf Tournament – Monday, October 19. MoTAS is pleased to announce the date for the 2015 Charity Golf Tournament: Monday, October 19, 2015 at Calabasas Country Club. Please mark the date on your calendars now, and place to attend. Organizing meetings for the 2015 tournament will be starting soon; if you would like to be part of the organizing committee, please contact Barry Mann at andybarry80@yahoo.com.
8. 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!
Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom 