In This Issue:

1. JUNE MOTAS MEMBERSHIP MEETING – SU 6/1
2. ANNUAL APPEAL – WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
3. JUNE SHABBABAQUE – FR 6/13
4. MAY MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES
5. 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. JUNE MOTAS MEMBERSHIP MEETING – SU 6/1

Our June Membership meeting will be Sunday, 6/1, at 10:00am (a later start time due to the Gala the night before). A full brunch, including bagels, lox, and eggs, will be available starting at 10:00am (later time). Note: The Temple is nominally closed this Sunday, so you MUST use your access card or gate code; if you don’t have a card or code, please contact Larry Pfefer at lpfefer@tasnorthridge.org. For the June 1 meeting, we will be showing three short Israeli videos after the business meeting:

• An Average Story (18m). Avi Cohen has just been informed that he is the most average man who ever lived. Overnight, he reluctantly becomes a national icon and instant celebrity. With his wife’s enthusiastic urging, they translate the situation into a business venture that goes surprisingly awry. Year: 2015
• Kapunka (11m). A wild Jewish western comedy about the conflict of living a traditional and modern life. In order to get around, a requirement for Jews to leave their fields once every seven years. Shmulik “sells” his land to his Thai laborer leading to unexpected consequences. Year: 2015
• The Mouse (12m). A hard-working family in an Israeli suburb in the ’70s. Through the kids’ point of view, we follow the message the adults deliver to their children and how that will shape the adults they will become. Year: 2019

2. ANNUAL APPEAL – WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

We’re nearing the end of the appeal period, but we’re running behind in the amounts we’ve collected. MoTAS depends on contributions from our membership to do what we do, and to help Temple Ahavat Shalom. You’ve received your appeal letter. We now need you to act. 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.

3. JUNE SHABBABQUE – FR 6/13

It’s back. MoTAS’s Famous Shabbabaque (or, as Larry the Elder spells it, Shababbaque) on Friday, June 13, 2025. Whatever the spelling, Shabbabque, Shabbaque, or Sha-Bar-BBQ (think of it like Chanukah, or is that Hanukkah), it is a MoTAS tradition to usher in summer. Before we go into the details of the event, WE WILL NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THE MAGIC HAPPEN. We need you to go to https://volunteersignup.org/7RJ3M and sign up to help. You can sign up with multiple duties. We need people to shop, prep, cook, setup, serve, take tickets, and cleanup.We can’t do it without you. So again: Volunteer to help at https://volunteersignup.org/7RJ3M .

Shabbabaque starts with a service in the sanctuary at 6:30pm, followed at 7:45pm by a delicious barbeque dinner.  Last year’s menu included turkey burgers, beef burgers, and hot dogs.  Vegetarian items included vegetarian patties, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad,  watermelon, and dessert. To sign up, visit https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/activities/shabbabaque/, or you can go to the Ticketleap directly at https://tasmotas.ticketleap.com/2506-shababbaque/. The cost is $10; free for religious school families. Reservations are required (and pre-payment is encouraged) by the Tuesday before the event, June 10, at 6:00 PM.

Our grid mavens have informed us that this will be your first official chance to purchase Football Squares for the 2025 Monday Night Football season.

4. APRIL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES

Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025, at TAS

Presiding: President Larry Hoffman

Members Present: Larry Hoffman (President), Hal Bass (Secretary), Les Birken, Daniel Faigin, Scott Gore (VP), Larry Greenberg, Al Lapides, Bob Levine, Roger Lowe (Treasurer), Joel Lowell, Barry Mann, Howard Miller, Chuck Mondrus, Larry Pfefer (Immediate Past President), Russ Rapoport, Howard Schnee, Bill Shapiro, Bernie Singer, Mike Thornhill, Scott Yollis (VP)

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

Question of the Day: Star Wars or Star Trek?

President’s Report:

• Dining Does Good: Coordinator Barry Mann is looking into restaurants for our next Dining Does Good experience. If you know of establishments that would be good venues for this program, let Barry know.
• Honoring Our Men of the Year at the Olive Garden: We had an excellent turnout last Sunday to honor MoTAS Man of the Year Howard Miller and Regional MRJ Special Honoree Daniel Faigin. Larry Pfefer handled the arrangements.
• MoTAS volunteers are needed for the Sisterhood Shabbat on May 9 to set up, serve and clean up.
• The annual Shabbabaque will take place Friday evening, June 13. There will be no charge for students in the Religious School and their parents and siblings.
• The MoTAS Annual Appeal is now under way. Donations can be made through the MoTAS website.
• Today is the last day for individuals and their immediate family members over age 18 to vote online in the World Zionist Congress election.
• Larry H announced that MoTAS has been awarded one ticket for the May 31 Gala. He will turn the ticket over to Aaron Solomon to be used at his discretion by a worthy individual.

Roger Lowe’s Treasurer’s Report as of 05/03/2025:

• (see emailed version)

New Business:

• Officers for 2025-26 were elected by acclamation following a motion by Howard Miller and seconded by Al Lapides. They are President Scott Gore, Vice Presidents Howard Schnee and Scott Yollis, Treasurer Roger Lowe, Secretary Hal Bass, Immediate Past President Larry Hoffman. One-year terms begin July 1.
• The annual Shabbabaque will take place Friday evening, June 13.
• Chuck Mondrus introduced, and Daniel Faigin seconded, a motion to purchase MoTAS T-shirts. Following discussion, it was decided to have Larry Pfefer and Daniel Faigin look into the design and cost of T-shirts and report back to the membership at a subsequent meeting. [Correction: The committee was to look into MoTAS Branded Apparel — potentially T-Shirts, Polo Shirts, and nicer shirts]

Educational Presentation: No presentation this month

Next Meeting: The next General Membership Meeting will take place Sunday, June 1, 2025, at 10:00 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!