In This Issue:
- MoTAS SHABBAT – FRI JAN 27
- SUPERBOWL SQUARES ON SALE – SALES CLOSE TUE JAN 31
- MRJ MAN OF THE YEAR DINNER AT TAS – SAT MAR 4
- CANTORS CONCERT (SAT FEB 4) – LETS GET A TABLE
- SPEAKING OF JACOB ZELONKY – GO SEE “ZANNA DON’T”
- FEBRUARY DINING OUT – SUPPORTING SISTERHOOD
- UPCOMING MENS HANGOUT: WHAT IS SOCIAL JUSTICE?
- FEBRUARY MOTAS MEETING – SUN FEB 12
- IN CLOSING
1. MoTAS SHABBAT – FRI JAN 27
Once a year TAS celebrates the contributions of MoTAS at the MoTAS Shabbat. This year’s MoTAS Shabbat is Friday, January 27, 2017 at 7:30 PM. This is a special Shabbat service that is primarily led by the members of MoTAS and open to the entire congregation. It is where we show TAS how meaningful our organization is and how we contribute so much to the value of the community. We will be sharing the evening with the Minkow family, in celebration of Ethan’s Bar Mitzvah the following day. This Shabbat is not just for MoTAS members; please bring your friends and family to join us. Because we are expecting a full house, please arrive early to reserve your seat(s).
If you are participating in the service, you should have already received the service order from Bob Levine. Please plan to arrive by 7:00 PM; 6:30 PM if you are in the choir.
2. SUPERBOWL SQUARES ON SALE – SALES CLOSE TUE JAN 31
Your last chance to support TAS by buying a Superbowl Square is rapidly approaching. The cost is only $25 per square, and you can help Temple Ahavat Shalom while potentially rewarding yourself. Sales close on Tuesday, January 31 — and the board is filling up. The price has been raised slightly to account for eliminating some biased squares, but the payout has also been raised: $230 for each quarter, and $460 for the final score. A full board of 91 squares pays out $1150 to players, and $1125 to MoTAS. 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/.
3. MRJ MAN OF THE YEAR DINNER AT TAS – SAT MAR 4
MRJ Man of the Year Dinner – Saturday Evening, March 4, 2017. At the MoTAS Shabbat, our honoree for the MoTAS Man of the Year will be announced. This honoree will be feted, together with the honorees from other MRJ congregations from the MRJ Pacific Southwest region, at the MRJ Man of the Year Dinner on Saturday, March 4, 2017. This year, the dinner will be held at Temple Ahavat Shalom, allowing us to show off our beautiful remodeled social hall. The cost of the dinner is $36, and you can RSVP now by clicking here. We will also need volunteers to help check in people and help with the event; if you are able to volunteer, click here.
4. CANTORS CONCERT (SAT FEB 4) – LETS GET A TABLE
Music From The Heart, our Cantors Concert featuring Cantor Ken Cohen, Cantor Daniel Friedman, Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot, Cantoral Intern Lisa Peicott, and Broadway vocalists Jennifer Bennett, and Jacob Zelonky, will be Saturday February 4th at 7:30 PM. Information and ticket prices are available at http://www.tasnorthridge.org/concert/. MoTAS will be purchasing at table at the concert, and we would like you to join us. We have six seats available at our table at $30 a seat, on a first come, first serve basis. If you are interested in joining us, please send an email to Frank at president@tasnorthridge-motas.org.
5. SPEAKING OF JACOB ZELONKY – GO SEE “ZANNA DON’T”
If you haven’t figured it out by now, the MoTAS Weekly is written by your past president, Daniel. I attend loads of theater, and last weekend we saw Zanna Don’t at the Chromolume Theatre (FB, TW). It is a delightful show; you can read my writeup of it here. Imagine our surprise when we learned that Jacob Zelonky, Barb Gelb’s son, had a leading role.
Zanna Don’t, with music and lyrics by Tim Acito and additional book and lyrics by Alexander Dinelaris, takes place in an alternate reality where being homosexual is normal, and being heterosexual is unnatural and shunned. Set in Heartsville USA, it is the story of a matchmaker, Zanna, who lives only to help people fall in love with the right guy or girl. The show opens on a busy day, when Zanna is creating some new matches between the super-popular Chess team champion, Mike, and the new football player, Steve (played by Jacob). He also is matching up Roberta with the head of the precision mechanical bull riding team, Kate. He does this all with the aid of his canary, Cindy, his wand, and love music selected by Tank, the DJ. Life at high school is highlighted by the drama club musical, directed by Candi and her assistant, Brad. This year they have chosen to do something daring, something that upsets the locals and the school board. They are doing a musical about heterosexuals in the military. The musical stars Steve (the football player) and Kate (the bull rider). Although they each have their own partners (Steve has Mike, Kate has Roberta), the reluctantly agree to kiss. As you might guess, they fall in love. But this is a forbidden love, which has its consequences… that are explored in the second act.
Chromolume is a small under 50 seat theatre and can use all the support we can give it. Jacob is in the cast, and actors are best when playing to a full house. I hope MoTAS can help. The Chromolume theatre is at the edge of the West Adams district, about 1/2 block W of the intersection of Washington and Houser, at 5429 W. Washington Blvd., 90016. The show plays through February 5th (although obviously Jacob will not be on February 4th, and attending the MoTAS Shabbat on January 27th takes precedence). Tickets are available through the Chromolume online store. Use the code zanna30 for 30% off! There are a very small number of tix on Goldstar for a few select performances at 40% off too.
6. FEBRUARY DINING OUT – SUPPORTING SISTERHOOD
Our February Dining Does Good” will be February 20 (Presidents Day) at Marie Callender’s in Northridge in support of MoTAS and Sisterhood. You can find a flyer for the event at https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/activities/dining/.
7. UPCOMING MENS HANGOUT: WHAT IS SOCIAL JUSTICE?
At our last MoTAS meeting, we had an energetic discussion about the meaning of the term “Social Justice”, and how different groups view the term very differently. Should “Social Justice” be redistribution by the government to those it deems to be in need, or should it be people helping people that they feel are in need — in other words, what is the role of government, and what is the role of community? Independent of what the government does, what is an individual’s responsibility to others? What does our tradition teach about the different views of social justice from a Jewish perspective. The discussion got so lively that we have decided to devote an upcoming Mens Hangout to the subject. We’re looking for a Sunday evening in late February, so watch your MoTAS Weekly for the announcement.
8. FEBRUARY MOTAS MEETING – SUN FEB 12
The next monthly membership meeting of MoTAS will be on Sunday, February 12. The meeting will include great friends, Kelzmer music, a three star buffet, and big ideas. The meeting will begin with breakfast at 8:45 am, with the meeting proper starting at 9:00 am.
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 