In This Issue:

1. SUKKAH BUILDING – SUN OCT 13
2. DINING OUT AT PRESTO PASTA – TUE OCT 15
3. PANCAKE BREAKFAST – SUN OCT 20
4. POKER TOURNAMENT – SUN NOV 17
5. SEPTEMBER 2024 MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES
6. 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. We are now in our summer hiatus, so the weekly will be every 2-3 weeks, depending on upcoming events.

1. SUKKAH BUILDING – SUN OCT 13

When you’re tired, what sounds appealing? Perhaps a little shack out the field, with some fruits, where perhaps you can see the twinkling stars in the sky? In other words, it’s Sukkah Time!

Of course, we have to build the Sukkah first. JEWISH MEN WITH TOOLS (MoTAS) are scheduled to build our temple Sukkah on Sunday, October 13, after an abbreviated monthly meeting. The current plan is to start early: some social time around 815a, have a brief meeting, and the construction will commence afterwards. All able bodied men [and women] are invited to come help build our community Sukkah and join in the fun and camaraderie. Bring your gloves, Allen wrenches, your mask. your appetite and your smiles. There will be free bagels, cream cheese and coffee for all. This easy job can be completed in about an hour. It is extremely important that you attend if you can, as a number of regulars will not be available this year due to the timing.

Please let Scott Gore (scott22g@msn.com) know if YOU can shop for chicken wire and wire ties.

Note: The palm fronds should be delivered that morning between 730am and 800am. We will need folks to help Jose and his crew unload the truck. Additionally, if you have an additional source for palm fronds, corn stalks, or other similar flat-ish vegetation that would be good for the roof or the sides, please let us know.

2. DINING OUT AT PRESTO PASTA – TUE OCT 15

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 September Dining Does Good” will be Tuesday, October 15,  at  Presto Pasta, 17923 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills, CA 91344, (818) 360-7737. 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.

3. PANCAKE BREAKFAST – SUN OCT 20

Batter up, not for baseball but for our annual Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, October 20! Our Master Flippers, Scott and Bill, will be up at the plate, I mean grill, with their hot bats, I mean spatulas. We need the rest of the team that morning ready to play their positions: mixer, table set-up, serving and clean-up. The Rabbi wants to serve the pancakes between 11:00am and 11:30am in the Sukkah, so we’ll start setting up around :900am (this may change as we learn more of the logistics for the day). We should be done by 1pm. as there will be no extra innings. A sign up sheet will be circulated at the September meeting.

If you’re curious, the menu will include: Pancakes, fresh fruit, Syrup, Powdered Sugar, Butter, plus loads of great other toppings. It will be free to students and parents, although donations will always be welcome.

4. POKER TOURNAMENT – SUN NOV 17

If you are a poker brat, a poker bum, or are simply a recreational poker player who would like to try your hand at a real Texas Hold-em tournament, join the Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom on Sunday, November 17, 2024 for our annual Poker Tournament. The proceeds support the activities of MoTAS, which in turn benefit our temple and religious school. MoTAS has used the proceeds from previous efforts to donate the following for the temple: (*) New microphones that have transformed the sound from the bimah; (*) An updated main office kitchenette; (*) Light fixtures for the Sanctuary bathrooms; (*) Lighting and electrical updates to the Social Hall kitchen; (*) A new water heater for our Social Hall kitchen

Help MoTAS achieve our 2024-25 goals by participating as a Player or Sponsor.  Register to play for just $95, less than half the cost of any other charity tournament in Los Angeles. Please invite all of your poker playing friends and family to join us in benefiting the temple and religious school. The address is 18200 Rinaldi Place. Please arrive at 3:30pm to register. Bring your dark glasses and lucky hat if you like. We also offer a bounty of an additional $100 in playing chips if past players bring a new player to our tournament. Become a Sponsor with one of our available sponsorships:

For more details, visit our Poker Website, http://poker.tasnorthridge-motas.org/ ⇒  https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/activities/poker/, where you can learn about prices and sponsorship levels. Please sign-up in advance online or send a check made out to TAS with a hard copy of the registration form to Howard Miller at 9656 Geyser Ave, Northridge CA 91324.

We’re also looking for donations for the raffle and silent auction at the tournment, Contact Howard at hmiller12@socal.rr.com if you have something to donate.

5. SEPTEMBER 2024 MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES

Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom General Meeting Minutes

Date: Sunday, September 15, 2024, at TAS

Presiding: President Larry Hoffman

Members Present: Larry Hoffman (President), Hal Bass (Secretary), Les Birken, Bob Brostoff, Daniel Faigin, Scott Gore (VP), Bob Levine, Roger Lowe (Treasurer), Barry Mann, Chuck Mondrus, Jeff Neiman, Larry Pfefer (Immediate Past President), Russ Rapoport, Len Schaffer, Howard Schnee, Bill Shapiro, Bernie Singer, Ben Tenn, Mike Thornhill, Scott Yollis (VP)

Coffee & Breakfast: Scott Yollis, Mike Thornhill, Roger Lowe, Bob Levine, Scott Gore

Question of the Day: What was your favorite radio station while growing up?

President’s Report:

Per Barry Mann, Dining Does Good this month will be at Micheladas Mexican Grill, 9725 Reseda Blvd in Northridge, 818-527-1132, on Tuesday, September 24. Be sure to present the flyer available on the MoTAS website when dining in or taking out.

Larry Pfefer announced that new light fixtures for the kitchen and stairwell will be ordered this week.

Roger Lowe’s Treasurer’s Report as of 09/11/2024:

• (see emailed version)

New Business:

Sukkah building on tap for Sunday morning, October 13.

Pancake Breakfast for Religious School students and their families is Sunday, Oct 20, at 11 am. MoTAS is hosting this event with parfaits from Sisterhood.

October 20: League of Women Voters Ballot Presentation by Zoom. This event is co-sponsored by MoTAS, Sisterhood and the temple’s Social Action Committee.

The annual Veterans Shabbat will take place Friday, November 15. Daniel Faigin mentioned there is a new rabbi/chaplain with the U.S. Space Force in El Segundo, Captain Saul A. Rappeport. Hal Bass will contact Rabbi Becky about possibly inviting Rabbi Rappeport to the service.

The Poker Tournament organized by Howard Miller will take place on Sunday, November 17.

MoTAS will provide soda, snacks and sandwiches for the Sisterhood Holiday Boutique on Sunday, November 24.

On December 25, MoTAS will arrange for dinner at a Chinese restaurant.

The annual MoTAS Shabbat is scheduled to take place on Friday evening, January 10, 2025. It is at this event that our Man of the Year is introduced.

There will be a joint Trivia Night with Sisterhood on January 30.

The TAS-Beth Hillel Men’s Passover Seder will be held on Sunday, March 30.

Sign-up sheets were circulated for several of the activities above.

The 2024-25 MoTAS budget was presented. Daniel Faigin introduced, and Russ Rapoport seconded, a motion to adopt the budget. The budget was approved unanimously.

Educational Presentation: Len Schaffer on Ham Radio. Len is a retired L.A. County deputy DA who has been an avid amateur radio operator for many years and has logged over 4,000 contacts. He explained the nature of ham radio and its particular value during emergencies, and then went live to demonstrate some of his equipment. All those present were impressed with Len’s breadth of knowledge and willingness to share his expertise.

Next General Membership Meeting will be devoted to Sukkah Building, Sunday, Oct 13, 2024, 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. 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!