In This Issue:
- DINING OUT AT ROSIES – TUE JAN 21
- SUPERBOWL SQUARES – TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO GET YOURS
- HONOR LES BIRKEN (MAN OF THE YEAR) AT THE MRJ MOY DINNER
- TU B’SHEVAT SEDER/FEBRUARY MEETING UPDATE
- JANUARY MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES
- IN CLOSING
1. DINING OUT AT ROSIES – TUE JAN 21
Would you like an easy way to help MoTAS financially? How about taking your family to dinner. The MoTAS “Dining Does Good” allows you to go out to dinner, and have the restaurant donate a portion of your check support the Men of TAS. Our January Dining Does Good” will be Tuesday, January 21 at Rosie’s BBQ at 8930 Corbin Ave, Northridge CA 91324, 818-349-3055. 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 our work, 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.
2. SUPERBOWL SQUARES – TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO GET YOURS
We’re in the playoffs. The final games are taking place, and soon we’ll know the teams that will be in the Superbowl. But we know of a way where you can play in the Superbowl without even being an athlete, and without risking CTE: buy a Superbowl Square. The cost is only $25 per square, and you can help Temple Ahavat Shalom while potentially rewarding yourself. The price is the same as last year, although on-line registrations now have a small handling fee from TicketLeap that we used to absorb — this allows reduces the cost to MoTAS and allows us to do more for TAS. Payouts are the same: $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. HONOR LES BIRKEN (MAN OF THE YEAR) AT THE MRJ MOY DINNER
At the MoTAS Shabbat on January 10th, Les Birken 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 14, 2020 at Temple Beth Shalom in Santa Ana. The cost of the dinner is $40 if you are paying by cash or check; $42 plus TicketLeap fees if you are paying by credit card. You can RSVP or pay online at https://tasmotas.ticketleap.com/20-03-moy-dinner/. RSVPS are due by Friday, February 28.
4. TU B’SHEVAT SEDER/FEBRUARY MEETING UPDATE
Yes, we know about the conflict.
For the last few weeks, we’ve been telling you about the Tu B’Shevat Seder we were planning on doing with the Religious School on Sunday, February 8, 2020. This was the date of our normal Membership Meeting, and we were going to use the meeting time to set up the social hall for the kids and help with the service.
However, the Temple sent out an announcement about the “Count Me In” breakfast honoring donors … on that day in the Social Hall. Howard is working the issue with Temple leadership, and we should have an update by the next Weekly. So watch this space!
5. JANUARY MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES
Date: Sunday, January 12, 2020
Presiding: President Howard Miller
Present: Howard Miller (President), Hal Bass (Secretary), Bill Bigelson, Les Birken, Daniel Faigin (Past President), Ken Feldman, Rabbi Arturo Kalfus (Guest), Al Lapides, Gordon Lester, Bob Levine, Roger Lowe (Treasurer), Fabian Malinovitz, Barry Mann, William Moalem, Chuck Mondrus, Mark Moskowitz, Larry Pfefer (VP), Russ Rapoport (VP), Mike Rayfield, Bill Shapiro, Bernie Singer, Sandy Stern, Scott Yollis
President’s Report: Howard thanked Bob Levine, Roger Lowe, Mike Thornhill and Scott Yollis for preparing the brunch for today’s meeting.
Members introduced themselves and mentioned their plans for 2020.
Howard congratulated Les Birken on being named MoTAS Man of the Year.
Howard paid tribute to the MoTAS singers and musicians at the Men’s Shabbat service on January 10: Les Birken, Brian Hatkoff and William Moalem. Howard gave the D’var Torah at the service. He thanked Bob Levine for planning the service and acknowledged the speakers (Daniel Faigin and Brian Hatkoff) and readers.
Howard received a warm thank-you note from Tessa Cramer for the ECEC play rug.
Temple Upgrades: Larry Pfefer said that the temple has applied for an additional grant of $180,000 for security. However, he noted that we are competing with numerous other institutions for these funds.
Treasurer’s Report, as of 01/08/20:
Expenses:
- Holiday gifts for custodial staff: $225
Pending Expenditure(s):
- Sports Squares grant for lighting upgrades not covered by DWP: $1,500
- Increasing bandwith and additional projects TBD: $5,000
Proposed Sports Squares Grant for ECEC & Religious School Kitchen:
- New flooring, installation of an oven
Income:
- Oct 27 Poker Tournament: Income $16,904, Expenses <$7,574>=Net $9,330
- Dec 25 Dinner at A & W Seafood, Northridge: $21
Sports Squares:
- Prior Years Sports Squares funds: $7,284
- 2019 Football Squares: Income $5,000, Winners Paid Out <$1,795>=Net $3,205 (Net includes one winner who returned their $75 prize plus a $5 donation)
- 2020 Super Bowl: Income $350 (includes $100 remaining from 2019), Winner Payout <$0>=Net $350
- 2020 March Madness NCAA Basketball Tournament: Income $0, Winner Payout <$0>=Net $0
Total Sports Squares Funds Available for Distribution: $10,839
Dining Does Good, Tuesday, January 21 will take place at Rosie’s in Northridge. A 15% portion of each check goes to MoTAS. Diners are required to present a flyer, which is available at the temple or which they can download and print from https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/activities/dining/ on the MoTAS website.
Rinaldi Place Fence Painting: Scheduled for Sunday, January 26, from 1-3:30 pm. William Moalem has volunteered to organize this activity.
Tu B’Shevat Seder for Religious School, Sunday, February 9: As in past years, MoTAS volunteers will assist.
MRJ Men of the Year Dinner, Saturday Evening, March 14: This year’s celebration will be held at Temple Beth Shalom in Santa Ana, during which Les Birken, our MoTAS Man of the Year, and honorees from other Reform congregations in Southern California will be feted. Carpools will be arranged.
Joint Seder with Men of Temple Beth Hillel, Sunday, March 29, at 5 pm: This year’s Seder with take place at TBH in Valley Village. Daniel Faigin is the MoTAS organizer.
Sisterhood Seder, Thursday, April 2: Six MoTAS volunteers will be needed for 60-90 minutes that evening to assist Sisterhood with their Seder.
MRJ National Convention, June 25-28, 2020: The annual meeting will take place at Temple Shalom in Dallas. Brian Hatkoff, MRJ VP and long-time MoTAS member, is encouraging the men of TAS to attend the convention. Further information is available at https://menrj.org/.
Educational Presentation: Daniel Faigin is not only an expert in cybersecurity with the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, but he has had a lifelong interest in California highways. Daniel shared his encyclopedic knowledge of the subject with the MoTAS membership. Note: The presentation is available at https://app.box.com/s/jg6exlr0y6slir2z1q4twk9tflv3nth9
Daniel discussed highway numbering and postmiles, which start at the southernmost and westernmost point. Highway numbering for the interstate system has been standardized. On the other hand, an assigned highway number varies depending on whether it is a U.S., state or county highway. This despite the fact that California undertook a “great renumbering” project in 1964 to accommodate interstate highways.
Postmiles (using 2- or 3-letter county designations followed by numbers for mileage) are captured in various places, such as bridge abutments and call boxes. Postmile markers indicate the distance a route travels through individual counties, as opposed to milestones and exit numbers that indicate the distance traveled through the state. The postmile system is the only route reference system used by Caltrans.
Exit numbers, under federal mandate since 2002, run from 0 to 1.49 miles (Exit 1), 1.50 to 2.49 miles (Exit 2) and so forth through the state. California was the last state to adopt exit numbers.
Several proposed freeway routes have been abandoned over the years. These include the Whitnall Hwy, Reseda Fwy, 710 extension, Laurel Cyn Fwy, Industrial Fwy (Route 258), and Hwy 138 from Hwy 14 in Palmdale to I-15 in Victorville.
Naming portions of or entire highways in memory of certain individuals has been frequently done in California. Many of the names are largely unfamiliar to the motoring public (Nathan Shapell segment of the 405, the 105 Glenn Anderson Fwy), while others, such as the Ronald Reagan Fwy (SR 118), are household words.
The final segment of Daniel’s very well received presentation was a description of Minnesota’s effort to improve highway safety. The Gopher State employs 4 E’s: engineering, education, enforcement, emergency services.
Among the websites Daniel recommended were www.cahighways.org and http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov.
Adjournment and Next MoTAS Meeting: The next meeting will take place at TAS on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at 8:45 am.
Respectfully submitted,
Hal Bass/Secretary
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 