In This Issue:
- THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
- MARCH DINING OUT – SUPPORTING TASTY – MARCH 20
- EVENING OF YIDDISH LEARNING – MARCH 21
- MENS HANGOUT: WHAT IS SOCIAL JUSTICE?- MARCH 26
- NCAA BASKETBALL SQUARES ON SALE – MARCH 29 DEADLINE
- MOTAS SEDER: HELP WANTED / SIGNUPS OPEN – APRIL 2
- MOTAS 2017 ANNUAL APPEAL
- CHP CAR FIT EVENT – APRIL 29
- MoTAS NOMINATING COMMITTEE FORMING
- IN CLOSING
1. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
Thank you to:
- All the volunteers to setup, schlepped, and served at last week’s Purim Carnival. From all the reports I’ve seen on Facebook, a great time was had by all, and part of the reason for the success was our MoTAS volunteers.
- Thank you to those who stayed back at TAS and help stuff the Annual Appeal mailing. This will go into the mail this week, and we thank in advance all of the men of TAS who will donate to help us keep going.
- Thank you to all the men who volunteer. MoTAS can’t run on money alone: we need volunteers to run events, run for office, and in general, make things happen. Thank you to the volunteers who find the restaurants for dining outs, who shop and set up the food at our various events, who work tireless behind the scenes to make this all happen. Of course, if you would like to volunteer, talk to any MoTAS officer (or volunteer to become a MoTAS officer).
- Lastly, speaking of volunteers, thank you to the men and women who helped MoTAS host the recent Man of the Year dinner at TAS. We will hopefully have some pictures up shortly.
2. MARCH DINING OUT – SUPPORTING TASTY – MARCH 20
Our March Dining Does Good” will be NEXT MONDAY, March 20 at Souplantation in Porter Ranch in support of MoTAS and TASTY. You can find a flyer for the event at https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/activities/dining/. We really encourage you to come and support these events: we raise a little extra funds for various groups, but more importantly, we come together and break bread as a Temple family on a regular basis. It is a real joy to walk into a neighborhood restaurant and see your Temple friends, to sit down and share a table and talk. This is the heart and goal of MoTAS: Building Relationships.
April’s Dining Out will be at Emle’s Restaurant in Northridge on the last day of Pesach. Join MoTAS, and support Social Action, when you return to eating levened bread on Monday, April 17.
3. EVENING OF YIDDISH LEARNING – MARCH 21
Please join the TAS Life Long Learning program on March 21st for Wine and Cheese and an evening of Yiddish learning with Erin Faigin. We will be starting out with Yiddish greetings and common phrases, then plunge into reading. Together, we will be reading “Bontshe the Silent” by I. L. Peretz. After reading it we’ll discuss its literary significance and contemporary relevance. As usual, we’ll start with wine and cheese at 6:00 PM followed by the presentation at 6:30 PM.
4. MENS HANGOUT: WHAT IS SOCIAL JUSTICE?- MARCH 26
At our January 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.
The hangout is now scheduled! Sunday, March 26, 6 PM – 8 PM. RSVP to Dave Friedman at 818-970-7701 or email dave@818myhouse.com. The cost is $12 for a delicious Italian dinner.
5. NCAA BASKETBALL SQUARES ON SALE – MARCH 29 DEADLINE
NCAA/Basketball Squares are on Sale! The NCAA finals are rapidly approaching — have you created your brackets. Within MoTAS, the NCAA Basketball championships mean it is time for Basketball Squares. This year, we’ve added something new: We’re “Squaring” both the Men’s and the Women’s Semi-Final and Final Games. You’ll have six games, meaning 12 opportunities to win, for only $36 a square! The procedure is very similar to the Superbowl Squares. Basketball Squares cover the last three games in each of the Men’s and Women’s NCAA championships: the Women’s semifinal and final games on March 31 and April 2, and the Men’s semifinal and final games on April 1 and April 3, 2017. Squares are $36, 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 29, 2017. Forms will soon 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, $1800 will be available to support specific temple activities, organizations, and projects.
6. MOTAS SEDER: HELP WANTED / SIGNUPS OPEN – APRIL 2
On Sunday, April 2, 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.
NOTE: Our usual coordinator, Mike Thornhill, will be out of town for this event. We are looking for volunteers to help with shopping, Pesach food preparation, and picking up the food. If you can help, please contact Daniel at faigin@cahighways.org.
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 (for what man doesn’t love barbeque).
To RSVP (and pay in advance), visit https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/activities/mens-seder/. You can also RSVP by mailing treasurer@tasnorthridge-motas.org and paying at the door. RSVPs are due by noon, March 27. 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
Register Online: 
7. MOTAS 2017 ANNUAL APPEAL
In 2012, ignoring the objections of our accountant, the Men of TAS eliminated the dues requirement for membership. We moved to an inclusive model where every man in TAS is part of the Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom. Since we don’t have dues, we don’t have steady revenue. So, every year Men of TAS asks you to support our work financially. It is through your annual contribution that we are able to make our annual contribution to the Temple’s general fund, to support our breakfasts, and to fund our various activities.
By now, you should have received the email with our Annual Appeal message, and soon you will receive a reminder in the mail. You can also find the message on our support page at http://support.tasnorthridge-motas.org/. On that page, you can find a printable donation form that you can mail in, as well as a link to contribute online.
See your friends and fellow congregants that have really stepped up to support us on our website’s Wall of Honor at http://wallofhonor.tasnorthridge-motas.org/. Join the Wall of Honor yourself by donating 100 or more shekels (dollars). Your generous gift will provide fun events for all Temple members, kids to adults, teachers and staff. Continue to repair and improve our facilities. Most importantly, it will help us continue teaching and living the Jewish values that guide and enrich all our lives.
8. CHP CAR FIT EVENT – APRIL 29
In early 2017, MoTAS had a speaker on the CHP Age Well, Drive Smart program. They have sent us material on a new “CarFit” program they are doing. It will be Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the California Highway Patrol West Valley Area Office, 5825 De Soto Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA 91367. Here’s what they wrote:
AARP is sponsoring a nation-wide program promoting CarFit and your group has the opportunity of participating in this program at the CHP West Valley Area office. We hope you and your group’s members will want to participate in this program. All you have to do to participate is to call the CHP office at 818-888-0980 and say “I want to register for the CarFit Event.” Appointments will be made at 30 minute intervals. You’ll drive in, enter the vehicle line-up in our parking lot, and our technicians will evaluate you and your car in terms of your driving safety. We’ll have multiple lines and technicians available. Contact Lynn Blumberg, Senior Volunteer Program V58017 at 818-601-0408 or Officer Leland Tang (LTang@chp.ca.gov) for any additional information.
CarFit is an educational program that offers older adults the opportunity to check how well their personal vehicles “fit” them. The CarFit program also provides information and materials on community-specific resources that could enhance their safety as drivers, and/or increase their mobility in the community.
CarFit is important because while older drivers are often the safest drivers in that they are more likely to wear their seatbelts, and less likely to speed or drink and drive, they are also more likely to be killed or seriously injured when a crash does occur due to the greater fragility of their aging bodies. Driver safety programs improve adult driver safety by addressing cognitive abilities and skills, however, older drivers can also improve their safety by ensuring their cars are properly adjusted for them. A proper fit in one’s car can greatly increase not only the driver’s safety but also the safety of others. At a CarFit event, a team of trained technicians and/or health professionals work with each participant to ensure they “fit” their vehicle properly for maximum comfort and safety. A CarFit check takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Visit www.Car-Fit.org for additional information
9. MoTAS NOMINATING COMMITTEE FORMING
In accordance with the MoTAS bylaws, we are gearing up for the MoTAS election season. If you would be interested in running for the MoTAS Executive Board, please drop a note to faigin@cahighways.org.
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 