In This Issue:
- TU B’SHEVAT SEDER – RSVP DEADLINE – FRI JAN 26
- SUPERBOWL SQUARES – SALES CLOSE MON JAN 30
- MRJ MAN OF THE YEAR DINNER – SAT MAR 10
- SISTERHOOD MEETING ON GENDER IDENTITY – TUE FEB 20
- PURIM CARNIVAL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – SUN MAR 4
- BREAKFAST CREW VOLUNTEER CALL
- MEETING SUMMARY – JANUARY MEMBERSHIP MEETING
- IN CLOSING
1. TU B’SHEVAT SEDER – RSVP DEADLINE – FRI JAN 26
Tu’b’Shevat is one of the four Talmudic New Year’s days of the Jewish calendar. The tradition is that the holiday celebrates the birth of the trees, and many customs have developed around the day. One of these arose in the 16th century in the Land of Israel, when Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed and his disciples created a Tu BiShvat seder, somewhat like the Passover seder, that celebrated the Tree of Life.
MoTAS invites the Temple Ahavat Shalom community to join in that tradition as we host a mystical Tu’B’Shevat seder, as practiced by the kabbalists of the holy city of Tzfat, celebrating the gifts that grow on trees, four kinds of wine, and desserts that celebrate tree fruits!
The seder foods for the day consist of Red and White Wine or Juice, Figs, Olives, Dates, Carob, Pomegranates, Challah, and Almonds. Our seder “meal” celebrates the sweetness that comes from trees with fruit pies and fresh fruit (and we won’t forget that chocolate is also a tree product).
Reserve now, and bring your friends. To ensure adequate quantities, reservations are due by Friday, January 26, 2018.
- What: Tu B’Shevat Seder
- Where: TAS Social Hall
- When: Sunday, January 28, 2018 at 2:00 PM
- Cost: $10
- RSVP: By January 26, 2018
Reservations and payments may be made online through Eventbee. Alternatively: Email the names of those attending to treasurer@tasnorthridge-motas.org, and then either leave a check for MoTAS for $10 per person at TAS in the MoTAS Box, or pay at the door. This saves us any Eventbee and credit card processing fees. For more information, visit the event page on the MoTAS Website.
NOTE: Volunteers are needed to help shop, set up, and clean up. If you have teens, this is one way to earn avodah hours. Click here to RSVP to volunteer.
2. SUPERBOWL SQUARES – SALES CLOSE MON JAN 30
The regular football season is nearly over, and now is the time to buy a Superbowl Square. The cost is only $25 per square, and you can help Temple Ahavat Shalom while potentially rewarding yourself. The deadline is rapidly approaching — sales close on Tuesday, January 30 — 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 – SAT MAR 10
At the MoTAS Shabbat on January 5th, Roger Lowe was announced as the MoTAS Man of the Year. The MRJ Man of the Year Dinner, where our honoree will be feted, together with the honorees from other MRJ congregations from the MRJ Pacific Southwest region, is Saturday, March 10, 2018 at Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton. . The cost of the dinner is $40, and you can RSVP now by clicking here. RSVPS are due by Saturday, February 27.
4. SISTERHOOD MEETING ON GENDER IDENTITY – TUE FEB 20
Note: Sisterhood sent out this announcement this week, and as it is open to all, and this is an issue that concerns all parents, we’re sharing the information:
Have you heard that at camps, clubs, and colleges, Gen Z is including “what pronouns do you use?” as one of their introductory questions? Do you wonder what it means to be gender-fluid? If you think identifying as non-binary is “just the newest fad”, did you know that one survey found that half the millennials surveyed agree that gender isn’t limited to male and female. Our world is changing with regard to gender identity, and it is hard to keep up.
To help all of us wrap our heads around the phenomenon, Sisterhood has invited a panel of youth and adults to help us to understand the principles, the language, and the Jewish history behind gender identity. This is a joint program with TAS High, Adult Education and Sisterhood and is open (free) to everyone: teens, parents, siblings, friends, Temple members, non-members too.
Join us on Tuesday, Feb 20 and expand your horizons. Learn how the world and our youth are changing with respect to gender. The purpose of this event is to educate us, parents, teens, and all interested individuals on the topic, to give everyone a chance to ask questions, and to give our youth a voice on a topic that is important to them. We hope you will come, listen and learn.
5. PURIM CARNIVAL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – SUN MAR 4
This year’s Purim Carnival is being held at TAS in combination with Temple Ramat Zion. MoTAS has been a strong supporter of the Purim Carnival for more than 30 years, preparing and serving food to carnival attendees. This year we will be sharing that effort with the Men’s Club of TRZ. MoTAS will need 3-4 guys to help shop for some of the food on the Thursday or Friday before the event and 12 or more guys to help prepare and serve the food on Sunday. Please call Howard Miller (818) 993-0796 or RSVP at https://motascybermaven.eventbee.com/event?eid=163569512 if you can help. Let’s make this a solid effort from MoTAS.
6. BREAKFAST CREW VOLUNTEER CALL
Do you enjoy the breakfast at our monthly meetings? We all do, but sometimes due our busy schedules, someone from the preparation crew cannot be there. Don’t you want to help and part of our substitutes list?
The tasks that four people currently perform include.
- Shopping for the food and preparing some of it.
- Purchases and picks up the bagels from Western Bagel.
- Cook the eggs.
- Making the coffee
The group works at setting up the food service and afterwards the cleanup. We are looking for some good men who can step in when one of the regular crew cannot make it.
For more information contact Roger Lowe at Roger_J_Lowe@sbcglobal.net or RSVP at https://motascybermaven.eventbee.com/event?eid=193169613. Come and support our continued breakfast tradition.
7. MEETING SUMMARY – JANUARY MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Date: Sunday, January 21, 2018
Present: Frank Soronow (President), Hal Bass, William Bigelson, Les Birken, Daniel Faigin, Davd Friedman, Jerry Hilecher, Larry Hoffman, Bob Levine, Roger Lowe (Treasurer), Howard Miller, Larry Pfefer, Russ Rapoport, Mike Rayfield, Bill Shapiro, David Silverman, Mike Thornhill
D’var Torah: Mel Janis, who generally leads the opening prayer and gives the D’var Torah, was unable to attend the meeting due to illness. Frank Soronow gave the D’var Torah. He based his remarks on the Exodus and the call for abolition of slavery or indentured servitude, which still exists in parts of the world.
Frank thanked Past President and 2017 Man of the Year Daniel Faigin for his continuing efforts on behalf of TAS and MoTAS.
Treasurer’s Report: Full report available online. Our balance includes $3,622.27 for grants from last year’s sports squares of $622.27 and $3,000 from this year’s sale of football squares. $1,050 anticipated from the sale of Super Bowl squares will be used for winners and grants. Dining for Dollars at Weiler’s Deli netted $142.94. Recent expenses were $489 for Yom Ha Shoah candles and boxes, and $500 to meet our annual commitment to Men for Reform Judaism.
TAS President Jerry Hilecher’s Report: Jerry announced that Rabbi Liat Yardeni-Funk, popularly known as Rabbi Lyf, will conduct her first formal service on Friday evening, January 26. Rabbi Lyf will spend 60% of her time at TAS, with other rabbis to fill in, albeit in smaller roles. Under CCAR and URJ policies, Rabbi Lyf is a temporary rabbi, to be succeeded by an interim rabbi for one year beginning July 1, 2018. On July 1, 2019, TAS hopes to have a permanent rabbi in place. Jerry said the temple has hired an experienced marketing specialist to work with the temple staff, auxiliaries and schools to enhance our image among the membership and outside community. She will receive $8,750 for her services during the next 6 months.
Man of the Year Dinner: Frank congratulated Roger Lowe, MoTAS Man of the Year. He said he hoped that TAS would be well represented at the regional MRJ dinner at Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton, when Roger will be honored on Saturday evening, March 10.
Renovation of Kitchenette in Temple Offices: Howard Miller reported that the kitchenette will shortly be undergoing renovation, and that a new microwave oven for the kitchenette was recently purchased by the members of Les Birken’s havurah.
Super Bowl Squares: Squares are now on sale for $25 each. Bob Levine encouraged MoTAS members to purchase squares and to publicize this major fund-raising activity among their friends and family members. Printable and online forms are available on the MoTAS website.
Tu B’Shevat Seder: A sign-up sheet was passed around for the Seder on Sunday, January 28.
Cantor’s Concert: The concert, which will feature Cantor Ken Cohen among others, is to take place at TAS on Saturday evening, February 3. Frank encouraged MoTAS members to register for this event.
Purim Carnival: The annual Purim Carnival, a joint activity of TAS and Temple Ramat Zion, will be held on Sunday, March 4, at TAS. Volunteers are needed, for which a sign-up sheet was passed around. MoTAS will supply the beverages and Ramat Zion, the food.
Next Meeting: Sunday, February 11, 2018, at 8:45 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 