In This Issue:
- DINING OUT AT MICHELEDAS – TU 2/27
- MAN OF THE YEAR DINNER – SA 3/9 – REGISTER BY 2/28
- MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP – TH 2/22
- MOTAS ANNUAL APPEAL TIME
- ON THE HORIZON
- FEBRUARY 2024 MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES
- IN CLOSING
(* indicates updated items)
From the Editor: The goal of the Weekly is to get MoTAS members the information they need on upcoming activities, and then get out of the way. If you have any information on MoTAS activities you need to get out to the membership, please contact the Weekly Editor at cybermaven@tasnorthridge-motas.org.
1. DINING OUT AT MICHELEDAS – TU 2/27
“Dining Does Good” has returned. Things have gotten more complicated since the pandemic with all the delivery apps and such, so this is DINE IN or PICK UP only. Let’s support MoTAS, and all show our smiling faces at Micheledas in Northridge on Tuesday, February 27, 2024.
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, February 27 at Micheledas Mexican Grill, 9735 Reseda Blvd, Northridge, CA 91324, (818) 527-1132. Just present the flyer when you order or pick up your take out order in person.
How do you get a flyer? You can find a flyer for the event at https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/activities/dining/ (click on the image of the flyer) or download PDF from our Box account . Once you are at the Box version of the flyer:
- If you are on a PC or Mac using a browser: (1) click on the white DOWNLOAD button; (2) there will be a pop-up about logging in to do more — ignore that – just close the popup box; (3) You will be prompted on where to save the download, or it will go into the downloads directory; (4) when the download is complete, open the PDF and print it. DO NOT right click and attempt to print from the Box page.
- If you using a browser on an Android phone: This takes you directly to the PDF. You can download or print from there.
- If you are using some other method, please send it to me and I’ll include it on this list.
- If you can’t figure this out at all: Drop me an email at cybermaven@tasnorthridge-motas.org , and I’ll send you the PDF as an attachment.
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.
For this month’s Dining Does Good, we are going to try a MoTAS table. This is for anyone who wants to support Dining Does Good and is looking for people to dine with. We will meet at Micheladas at 6:30. Please RSVP to Stephen Platt. sjplatt412@gmail.com or (954) 205-9260.
Looking forward, our March dining event will be at Red Robin on Tuesday, March 26. If you need the flyer early, you can find it here; we’ll link it into the dining page after the February dining out. You can bring the flyer with your meal, show the flyer on your phone, mention the flyer when ordering, or even order online and use the flyer found under “Fundraisers (To-Go Only)”.
2. MAN OF THE YEAR DINNER – SA 3/9 – REGISTER BY 2/28
Larry Pfefer was honored at the January MoTAS Shabbat as our 2024 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 9, 2024 at our congregation: Temple Ahavat Shalom. The cost of the dinner is $50 if you are paying by cash or check; $50 plus TicketLeap fees if you are paying by credit card. You can RSVP or pay online at https://tinyurl.com/motas24moy. RSVPS are due by February 28, 2024 at Noon.
Note: We had an error in last week’s weekly: The correct price is $50 for the dinner.
When you register, you will be asked for your choice of meal, and whether you want to volunteer to help. We will need volunteers to check people in and with other site logistics.
3. MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP – TH 2/22
The next Men only discussion group will be February 22 at 6 PM. $15 each and Brian Hatkoff will bring in pizza or something. Subject is “What do you wish your father told you and/or what you as a father wish you told your kids about life.” We are limiting it to 12 guys. Address will be provided upon RSVP to Brian Hatkoff at bhatkoff@aol.com or at 818-571-6554. Have questions? Just reach out.
4. MOTAS ANNUAL APPEAL TIME
The MoTAS Shabbat marks the start of our annual appeal. MoTAS does not collect membership dues — we depend on contributions from our membership to do what we do, and to help Temple Ahavat Shalom. You should be receiving the appeal letter shortly. To contribute online or to print a donation form, just visit support.tasnorthridge-motas.org or go directly to https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/about/support-motas/. The online direct donation page is here; the link to our Box account with the downloadable PDF form is here.
5. ON THE HORIZON
The following events are on the MoTAS Horizon. Future weeklies will have appropriate links.
- March 10 – Monthly meeting
- March 17 – MoTAS hosting breakfast for school parents. Possible game day. Volunteers will be needed to help. If you will be available to help, contact Larry at president@tasnorthridge-motas.org.
- March 26 – Dining Out at Red Robin
6. FEBRUARY 2024 MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES
Date: Sunday, February 11, 2024, TAS Activity Center
Presiding: President Larry Hoffman
Members Present: Larry Hoffman (President), Michael Abramson, Hal Bass (Secretary), Bill Bigelson, Les Birken, Bob Brostoff, Jim Eblinger, Dana Emerson, Daniel Faigin, Scott Gore (VP), Brian Hatkoff, Al Lapides, Gordon Lester, Roger Lowe (Treasurer), Joel Lowell, Barry Mann, Howard Miller, Chuck Mondrus, Jeff Neiman, Larry Pfefer (Immediate Past President), Stephen Platt, Howard Schnee, Alan Stepakoff, Mike Thornhill
Coffee & Breakfast: Mike Thornhill, Roger Lowe, Bob Levine
Question of the Day: What is your favorite car (real or fictional)?
President’s Report:
The next men’s only discussion will take place Thursday, February 22, at 6 PM. $15 each and Brian Hatkoff will bring in pizza. Subject is “What do you wish your father told you and/or what do you as a father wish you told your kids about life?” Attendance is limited to 12 guys. Address will be provided upon RSVP to Brian Hatkoff at bhatkoff@aol.com or 818-571-6554.
Per Bob Levine, Super Bowl squares for today’s game in Las Vegas are sold out.
The regional MRJ Men of the Year dinner will be held at TAS on Saturday evening, Mar 9. Daniel Faigin, Scott Gore, Howard Miller, Jeff Neiman and Larry Pfefer are on the planning committee. A sign-up sheet for volunteers to help with set-up and sign-in was circulated. Daniel Faigin has provided a form for online registration ($50 per person) and entree selection. Brian Hatkoff moved, and Scott Gore seconded, a motion to approve up to $1237 for additional costs such as security, custodial services, a meal for the TAS president and an ad. The motion carried unanimously.
A sign-up sheet for volunteers to assist with breakfast for the Religious School parents on Mar 17 was sent around. We will be using green tablecloths for St. Patrick’s Day, and Daniel Faigin will provide party games.
Howard Miller said he is seeking new bids for landscaping in front of the temple offices.
Members are reminded to photograph events in which they participate, such as today’s general membership meeting, and to send the photos to Membership & Engagement Director Brooke Botwinick. All individuals appearing in the photos need to consent to social media posting.
Howard Miller is chairing the Annual Gala, which will be held at TAS Saturday evening, May 18. This year’s honorees are the Breuer, Pfefer and Solomon families.
Roger Lowe’s Treasurer’s Report as of 02/09/2024
- (see emailed weekly)
New Business:
This month’s Dining Does Good venue to dine-in or take-out will be Micheledas Mexican Grill at 9725 Reseda Blvd in Northridge on Tuesday, Feb 27. Stephen Platt will be the table coordinator. Be sure to present the restaurant with a flyer available in the temple’s weekly bulletin and on the MoTAS website. Next month’s venue will be the Red Robin in Northridge on Tuesday, Mar 26. If you know of other restaurants that might be good candidates for Dining Does Good, let the program coordinator Barry Mann know.
January’s MoTAS Shabbat marked the start of our annual appeal. MoTAS does not collect membership dues—we depend on contributions from our membership to do what we do and to help support Temple Ahavat Shalom. To contribute online or to print a donation form, just visit support.tasnorthridge-motas.org or go directly to https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/about/support-motas/. The online direct donation page is here; the link to our Box account with the downloadable PDF form is here.
Scott Gore moved, and Howard Schnee seconded, a motion to approve up to $500 for additional portable audio speakers as recommended by Larry Pfefer. The motion passed unanimously.
Educational Presentation: Al Lapides presented a PowerPoint entitled “Cars from Cugnot to Tesla.”
Al said the first gasoline-powered cars were separately patented by Daimler and Benz in the 1890s. Ironically, the name Mercedes (whose vehicles Hitler favored) was inspired by the granddaughter of Rabbi Adolf Jellenek of Vienna.
Though well known for his avowed antisemitism, Henry Ford hired a brilliant Jewish architect, Albert Kahn, to design the company’s massive River Rouge complex in Dearborn, MI. Construction began in 1917 and was completed in 1928.
Some authorities believe Dodge added a Mogen David to its logo as a response to Ford’s antisemitism.
Numerous car companies failed during the Great Depression and early years of World War II. Nowadays, most cars are designed not only for their curb appeal, but for their safety features and reliability.
Members who heard the talk were impressed with Al’s encyclopedic knowledge and his ability to present the topic in an entertaining, informative fashion.
Adjournment and Next MoTAS Meeting: The next MoTAS membership meeting will take place in the TAS Activity Center, Sunday, March 10, 2024, at 8:45 am. The educational presentation by a guest from JPL will be about computed tomography of undersea thermal vents and what they could potentially reveal about the origins of life.
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. Join the MoTAS Google Group at https://groups.google.com/g/tas-motas (you may need to be logged into your Google account, if you have one). Come be part of the Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom!
Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom 