In This Issue:
- **LAST CHANCE ** TRADITIONAL JEWISH “XMAS” – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25 – MOVIE AND CHINESE FOOD
- FOOTBALL SQUARES GRANTS – CALL FOR PROPOSALS
- JANUARY 10 SPEAKER: CHP AGE WELL, DRIVE SMART PROGRAM
- CALL FOR PARTICIPATION – MoTAS SHABBAT – FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016
- SUPERBOWL SQUARES ARE ON SALE
- IT’S DONATION SEASON
- IN CLOSING
1. TRADITIONAL JEWISH “XMAS” – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25 – MOVIE AND CHINESE FOOD
*** WE HAVE EXTENDED THE DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION FOR THIS UNTIL 3 PM PST WEDS 12/23. THIS MAILS AT 10 AM, SO YOU HAVE 5 HOURS TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATION AND JOIN US. VISIT http://tinyurl.com/motas-jxmas-2015 FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ***
For many Jews, if you ask what they are doing on Christmas day, the answer is the same: They will be seeing a movie, and having Chinese food. Who knows where this tradition got started? Perhaps it is in the Talmud. But who is MoTAS to argue with tradition?
MoTAS is facilitating a TAS Jewish Christmas. MoTAS will be providing a list of recommended afternoon movie showtimes for members to pick their favorite movies and meet other TAS folk (the dinner fee does not include the movie). We will reconvene at TAS starting at 4:30 PM to discuss what we saw and have a “pre-neg” sponsored by Sisterhood. At 5:30 PM we will have early Shabbat services. At 6:30 PM will will go down as a group to Golden Hunan (10334 Reseda, 91326) for a fixed menu dinner. The pre-arranged menu consists of Egg Drop Soup and Egg Roll for appetizers; Steamed Chicken Fillet w/Chinese Greens in light white sauce (Gluten Free), Orange Chicken, Beef Broccoli, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Mixed Vegetable, and Mixed Vegetable Fried Soft Noodle for the entrees; Ice Cream for dessert; Tea and Steamed Rice.
The cost for the dinner is $22 per person (adult or child); $24.50 with soft drink. Reservations must be made by Wednesday, December 23 at 3pm; there are no exceptions and no walk-ups. December 25 is an extremely busy night at the restaurant, and we must pre-reserve our space to avoid the wait. The price is based on the Golden Hunan charge plus tax, gratuity, and online processing fees; this is not a fund-raising event.
For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/motas-jxmas-2015; an online signup form may be found at http://tinyurl.com/motas-jxmas-2015-registration. You can also reserve by calling (641) 715-3900 extension 403235#. Please provide the names of the movies of interest. If you are not paying on-line, your check must be received by the day of event; we will also be able to take “day-of” payments by credit card before the service using Square. Payment is due by 12/25 @ 5pm.
2. FOOTBALL SQUARES GRANTS – CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Temple organizations — do you have a financial need for which MoTAS can help? If you do, please fill out our grant request form at http://grants.tasnorthridge-motas.org (or just send an email with the request) to president@tasnorthridge-motas.org). These grants will be funded from the proceeds of the Fall Football Squares programs. The requests must be for specific items or programs, and are due by January 15. They will be prioritized by need and ability to fund, and will tentatively be announced at the February MoTAS meeting.
3. JANUARY 10 SPEAKER: CHP AGE WELL, DRIVE SMART PROGRAM
On Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 10am, our speaker will be from the CHP’s “Age Well, Drive Smart” program. California’s older driver population is numbering about 2.9 million today. It is estimated there will be over four million residents age 65 and older in California by the year 2020. Knowing that much of this community still relies on driving as their primary means of transportation, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) provides the Age Well, Drive Smart program. The program is supported by the Keeping Everyone Safe grant from the California office of Traffic Safety. The Age Well, Drive Smart talk provides education specifically designed to help older drivers tune up their driving skills, refresh their rules-of-the-road knowledge, learn about normal age-related physical changes and how they affect driving ability. Even if you are under 65 you should attend; you can learn what to watch for when older parents and relatives drive.
In order to ensure we have sufficient booklets, please RSVP here.
As usual, before the speakers meeting we will have the traditional MoTAS voluntary-contribution breakfast at 8:45 AM, followed by a review of upcoming activities at 9:00 AM.
Lastly, please mark your calendar for the February 7, 2016 meeting, when Temple member Aaron Weissman will be talking about the California Court System: How it is structured, and how to use it effectively. Aaron J. Weissman has practiced in civil and business litigation for over 33 years, emphasizing civil law and motion and appellate practice.
4. CALL FOR PARTICIPATION – MoTAS SHABBAT – FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016
Once a year TAS celebrates the contributions of MoTAS at the MoTAS Shabbat. This is a special Shabbat service that is primarily led by the members of MoTAS. If you are a male member of TAS and would like to participate in the service, please contact Bob Levine, at pastpresident@tasnorthridge-motas.org. You can also call Daniel at (818) 438-5781 and the message will get to Bob. Please let him know if you want to read Hebrew.
The last two years, we have done a dinner before the service. We have not yet decided if we will be doing a dinner this year. Watch future editions of the MoTAS Weekly for more information.
5. SUPERBOWL SQUARES ARE ON SALE
The Monday Night Football season is almost over (see item 2), and the Superbowl is rapidly approaching. Now is the time to buy a Superbowl Sqaure. The cost is only $18 per square, and you can help Temple Ahavat Shalom while potentially rewarding yourself. You can find the rules of the game, register and pay online, or find a form that you can print and mail in, at http://squares.tasnorthridge-motas.org/.
6. IT’S DONATION SEASON
By now, you’re receiving letters from this organization and that encouraging you to make your donations before the end of the tax year. We hope you support those you find worthy and meaningful, and also hope that you can find a something to support the congregation as a whole. The MoTAS leadership encourages you to financially support TAS — if you haven’t figured it out by now, we believe that TAS is a cause worth supporting. The Temple survives on your donations, and every dollar is important. Make a year end donation, and remember that it is tax-deductable.
P.S.: If you have a little left over after making those donations, consider getting a jump on your annual support of MoTAS. As you may recall, two years ago MoTAS got rid of dues — every man at TAS is a member of MoTAS. To make this model work, we’re building a relationship with you, and hope you want to provide financial support to maintain that relationship. We’ll be sending out a letter after the beginning of the year, but if you want to get your donation in during this tax year, just visit our website at www.tasnorthridge-motas.org and select “Support Us” from the right-hand column.
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. Sign up for our action alert list at http://tinyurl.com/motas-action-alert. 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 