In This Issue:

1. SUKKAH BUILDING – SUN OCT 5
2. PANCAKE BREAKFAST – SUN OCT 12
3. OCTOBER DINING OUT – CHI’S CHINESE – WE OCT 15
4. SEPTEMBER MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES
5. IN CLOSING

(* indicates updated items)

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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. During the summer, when there are not a lot of events, the weekly will appear … less than weekly. If you know of someone who should be getting the weekly, of if you had this forwarded this to you and you want to get on our sublist, please drop a note to cybermaven@tasnorthridge-motas.org and we’ll add you.

1. SUKKAH BUILDING – SUN OCT 5

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 5, 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.

Please let Chuck Mondras <cmondrus@gmail.com> know if YOU can shop for chicken wire and wire ties. We also have a volunteer sign-up page for those volunteering to shop, build, and unload fronds: https://volunteersignup.org/PJX7E

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. If you can help, please let Daniel know at faigin@cahighways.org. 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. PANCAKE BREAKFAST – SUN OCT 12

Batter up, not for baseball but for our annual Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, October 12! 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 was circulated at the September meeting; we also have an online volunteer sign up page set up at https://volunteersignup.org/RYTWY.

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.

3. OCTOBER DINING OUT – CHI’S CHINESE – WE 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 October Dining Does Good” will be Wednesday, October 15,   at Chi’s Chinese, 9635 Reseda Blvd. Northridge, CA 91324,  (818) 886-6928, chis_chinese@verizon.net.

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 Google Drive . From there, just click on the printer icon to print, or the three dots to download.

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.

4. SEPTEMBER MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES

Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom General Meeting Minutes

Date: Sunday, September 14, 2025, at TAS

Presiding: President Howard Schnee

Members Present: Howard Schnee (President), Hal Bass (Secretary), Les Birken, Joe Blachman, Daniel Faigin, Larry Hoffman (Immediate Past President), Brian Hatkoff, Gordon Lester, Bob Levine, Roger Lowe (Treasurer), Joel Lowell, Barry Mann, Chuck Mondrus, Jeff Neiman, Larry Pfefer, Bill Shapiro (VP), Bernie Singer, Ben Tenn, Mike Thornhill, Mark Tilles, Scott Yollis (VP)

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

Question of the Day: Whom do you want to win the World Series?

President’s Report:

• Dining Does Good Tuesday, September 16: This month’s venue is Presto Pasta on Chatsworth St in Granada Hills. Be sure to print out and present the flyer available on the MoTAS website. If you know of other establishments that would be good choices for this program, notify Dining Does Good coordinator Barry Mann.
• As Scott Gore moved to San Diego County during the summer, he resigned the presidency and the MoTAS board chose VP Howard Schnee as president. In turn, Howard nominated Bill Shapiro as one of two vice presidents to serve alongside Scott Yollis. Other officers are Roger Lowe, treasurer; Hal Bass, secretary; and Larry Hoffman, immediate past president.
• Larry Pfefer presented a plaque of appreciation to Immediate Past President Larry Hoffman.
• The Men of Reform Judaism (MRJ) conferred a special award on MoTAS for our leadership efforts and support of MRJ.
• Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center, destroyed in last January’s wildfires, thanked MoTAS for providing ice cream to the children. Marshall Waldman and Howard Schnee spearheaded this effort.
• MoTAS has a softball team. Contact Joe Blachman if you’d like to join.
• Jackie Zev of Sisterhood thanked MoTAS for contributing Honey Jars to the clergy and staff for the High Holy Days.
• Chuck Mondrus and Howard Miller will oversee sukkah building on October 5.
• Larry Pfefer announced that new lighting for the kitchen is being installed, and that timers and clocks are being WiFi-enabled.
• The Sisterhood Hanukkah Boutique will take place Sunday, November 2. Daniel Faigin said that volunteer sign-ups will be online.
• Our annual Veterans Shabbat will be observed Friday, November 14. The Veterans Shabbat Committee, made up of Roger Lowe, Bob Levine and Hal Bass, will consider the possibility of a dinner the following Sunday, November 16.
• A Poker Tournament, headed up by Howard Miller, is scheduled to take place Sunday evening, March 22, 2026.

Roger Lowe’s Treasurer’s Report as of 09/09/2025:

• (see emailed report)

New Business:

• Roger Lowe presented the 2025-26 MoTAS budget. Following discussion, Chuck Mondrus moved, and Joel Lowell seconded, a motion to approve the budget. The motion was approved unanimously.
• MoTAS T-Shirts: Larry Pfefer has samples of shirt styles; he will be meeting with Daniel Faigin to select final styles, after which we’ll be placing orders (or opening the ability to order).

Educational Presentation: No presentation this month

Next Meeting: The next General Membership Meeting will take place on Sunday, October 5, 2025. The sole order of business will be sukkah-building.

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!