In This Issue:
- MoTAS is Here to Help / WELLNESS CONNECTION
- A Bright Future – Rabbi Becky Hoffman: Meet her at the June 14 Monthly Zoom meeting
- MoTAS Brings WiFi to TAS
- MoTAS Supports the 2020 Temple Gala: You Should Too! Sunday June 20
- MENS HANGOUT – POSTPONED
- LAST WEEK: OUR ANNUAL APPEAL FOR MOTAS AND TAS PRIDE
- MoTAS Efforts Supporting Members Hurt by COVID-19
- MRJ WEBINAR ON COMBATING ANTISEMITISM AND HATE – JUN 9
- IN CLOSING
1. MoTAS is Here to Help / WELLNESS CONNECTION
Our President, Howard Miller, wants everyone to know that our men’s group has talents, expertise, and friendly guys willing to help our fellow congregants in the time of need during the pandemic. If there is something one of our members might be able to help you with, even just a friendly voice, you are welcome to call Howard at (818) 993-0796. He will help find someone who can answer your questions, find people to provide a friendly call, and work with our Caring Community to help with various needs.
Additionally, we would like to remind you of the Wellness Connection being provided by the Temple. Men, in particular, have a problem with reaching out when they are in need. MoTAS is here for you, your Temple friends are here for your, but sometimes you need a little bit more. That’s where the TAS Wellness Connection comes in. Our temple has three mental health professionals who have availed their services to us at no charge through our TAS Wellness Connection. Simply, send an email to caringcommunity@tasnorthridge.org and provide your name, contact number, and age, and a therapist will be in contact with you. As the Cantor recently reminded us, “pain in life is unavoidable, suffering is optional.”
2. A Bright Future – Rabbi Becky Hoffman: Meet her at the June 14 Monthly Zoom meeting
Our temple’s biggest news of course is that we will have a new Rabbi to lead TAS into the future. Rabbi Becky (as she likes to be called) will be an asset to our temple. She is warm, intelligent and easy to talk with. We will introduce her to MoTAS and she will tell us a little bit about herself and her family. Rabbi Becky is looking forward to meeting our group. Join us on Zoom and help us give Rabbi Becky a warm welcome to TAS!
Topic: MoTAS June 14 Meeting
Time: Jun 14, 2020 9:00 AM
Join Zoom Meeting (click on the link):
(contact howard for link)
Meeting ID: (contact howard) (If needed)
Password: 8XXXb7
For those using the phone for audio, or who are just dialing in, the dial-in for the meeting is: (669) 900-9128. Note that this is an out-of-area call, for anyone that still might pay long distance.
3. MoTAS Brings WiFi to TAS
Earlier this year, MoTAS committed $5,000 toward generating full WiFi capability for TAS. Due to the efforts of Larry Pfefer, working with Spectrum, as of April 1st every office computer at the temple now has high speed broadband. But that is only part of the story. Our ability to use WiFi is just enough to support a pirate radio show across the main office. To bring TAS into the 21st century, MoTAS has committed the remaining money needed to support full WiFi capability to the majority of the campus.
MoTAS will use our $5K allocation to pay for the remaining required local cabling and wireless access points needed. This equipment will support wireless capabilities for the offices, Chapel, sanctuary and social hall as well as the school office, many classrooms and common areas such as the BBQ area, our playgrounds and hopefully, the parking lot.
The goal is to enable ALL of our members and staff to make full use of internet capabilities across the campus. TAS will be able to stream services when we are ready and our temple staff, our security [alarm] monitoring company and first responders will be able to view our security cameras onsite and remotely in real time in case of emergencies.
4. MoTAS Supports the 2020 Temple Gala: You Should Too! Sunday June 20
MoTAS has always supported our temple’s gala. MoTAS will be purchasing a $1,000 full page ad for this year’s Gala of Gratitude.
The Gala is TAS’ biggest fundraiser and needs to be successful now more than ever. COVID-19 will have a large impact on our current budget. While the Gala will be held virtually on Saturday June 20, your financial and online support is paramount to our temple’s success. So, Laraine and I have a challenge for everyone in MoTAS whether or not you have attended TAS Galas in the past. Tickets to previous galas would have cost each couple almost $400 to attend and you had to get all gussied up. Pretend this year’s prices went up, purchase a half page ad with your personal message for $450. Or, if you will really miss the dinner, purchase a quarter page ad for $236. Check the latest temple email bulletin for larger or smaller contributions. Let’s make our MoTAS members the Gala’s largest group of supporters. And you won’t have to spend hours deciding between beef, chicken or fish!
5. MENS HANGOUT – POSTPONED
Unfortunately, there was limited response to the May Mens Hangout, so it has been postponed until after our June meeting. Perhaps people are overwhelmed with all the zoom opportunities around, and this is just one more…. MoTAS recognizes that the quarantine is affecting us all, and both in similar and also unique ways. In a few weeks, whatever the situation, there may be more people who want to dig between the weeds and express how your life is being changed and how you are adapting, or not, and how it makes you feel about it. Please mention to your MoTAS friends about this confidential opportunity to share what’s really going on. If you would be interested in participating in June, please contact Bob Levine at tasboblevine@gmail.com . All men are welcome to attend. (Return to Top)
6. LAST WEEK: OUR ANNUAL APPEAL FOR MOTAS AND TAS PRIDE
MoTAS normally runs our appeal starting with the Men’s Shabbat in January, and ending on May 31. That’s this week, and so this is your last chance to be counted as contributing to the 2020 Appeal. Our annual operating budget depends on the generous contributions of our temple members — now more than ever, as we don’t know what will happen with some of our future events. We use the funds to run our organization, support the ECEC and Religious School, and the Temple. In combination with our other fundraising activities, we support the costs of Camperships, the Avodah Program, the free pancake breakfast, Confirmation L’Taken, and many more activities and benefits that are not part of the Temple budget. If you would like to help us, visit support.tasnorthridge-motas.org. Let’s show that 100% of our active members participate, even if it is just for $18.
7. MoTAS Efforts Supporting Members Hurt by COVID-19
As some of you know, MoTAS has sent $100 gift cards, anonymously through the office, to all members who have lost jobs due to the Coronavirus. Seven families have been affected. You should know that four of the families have sent signed, touching thank you notes to Howard. I thought you might enjoy a couple of their notes as MoTAS could not have done this without your support to our fundraising efforts:
❧
Dear Howard and MoTAS,
Thank you so much for the VISA gift card. What a sweet thing to do during this crazy time. My family and I were very moved by your generosity. Wishing you all good health and much love.
❧
Dear Men of TAS,
We have received a gift card from you and we are just speechless!!!
We thank you with all our hearts and after two months with no income and probably another two more before my husband’s business will be allowed to reopen it is a blessing!
From the bottom of our hearts we thank you all and hope for everyone to be healthy and happy.
All our love, (Return to Top)
8. MRJ WEBINAR ON COMBATING ANTISEMITISM AND HATE – JUN 9
MRJ invites MoTAS to participate in a webinar led by German Consul General David Gil on the subject of combating Anti-Semitism and Hate. The webinar will be held at 6pm on Tuesday June 9. His background includes overseeing the dissolution of the East German Stassi (secret police). If interested, you will need to register at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZxwEBWnXRASkXPQtmILXSw
Here’s the abstract:
Germany has been a world leader in the efforts to educate and eliminate anti-Semitism and hate. On Thursday, April 30, 2020, Germany outlawed all Hezbollah activities, including those of its political wing. Here’s more infomation: https://bit.ly/2SA9dkN The speaker is Consul General David Gill, German Consulate General New York. Born in 1966, Gill grew up in a protestant minister’s family in Herrnhut, Saxony, in former East Germany. He was denied a higher education by the communist regime for political reasons. Instead, he trained and worked as a plumber before joining a preparatory protestant school and later the theological seminary of the Protestant Church in Berlin-Brandenburg. In 1990, he initially was the chairman of Normannenstrasse Citizens’ Committee which oversaw the dissolution of the Ministry of State Security at the Stasi headquarters and served as the secretary of the Special Committee for the dissolution of the Stasi of the East German Parliament. After reunification, Gill became spokesman and head of the research division of the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi-Files before studying law in Berlin and Philadelphia. After holding positions in the Federal Ministry of the Interior and at the Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information in Berlin, he served as the Deputy Representative of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany to the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union. During Federal President Joachim Gauck’s term from 2012-2017, he was state secretary and chief of staff of the President. Since August 2017, he has been the German Consul General in New York.
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 