In This Issue:
- CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MAN OF THE YEAR
- ANNUAL APPEAL TIME
- SUPERBOWL SQUARES SALES NOW OPEN
- FEBRUARY MOTAS MEETING – SU 2/8/26
- MRJ WEBINAR: RABBI RICK JACOBS- WE 2/18/26
- MOTAS POKER TOURNAMENT – SU MAR 22
- MOTAS SEDER – HOLD THE DATE – SU MAR 8
- JANUARY MEETING MINUTES
- IN CLOSING
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. CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MAN OF THE YEAR
Larry Hoffman was honored at the January MoTAS Shabbat as our 2026 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 21, 2026 at Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village. The cost of the dinner is $50 if you are paying by cash, check, Zelle, or Venmo; $50 plus TicketLeap fees if you are paying by credit card. You can RSVP or pay online at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/tasnorthridge-motas/26-03-man-of-the-year-dinner. RSVPS are due by March 12, 2026 at 6:00PM.
2. ANNUAL APPEAL TIME
The MoTAS Shabbat marks the start of the Annual Appeal, which continues until the end of May. We’re waiting for the official letter from our President, at which point we’ll be building the appeal mailing. But you can, so to speak, “jump the gun”. MoTAS depends on contributions from our membership to do what we do, and to help 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 Google Drive account with the downloadable PDF form is here.
3. SUPERBOWL SQUARES SALES NOW OPEN
The Monday Night Football season is now over, and now is the time to buy a Superbowl Square. The cost is only $36 per square, and you can help Temple Ahavat Shalom while potentially rewarding yourself. On-line registrations now have a small handling fee from TicketLeap that we used to absorb — this allows reduces the cost to MoTAS and allows us to do more for TAS. Payouts are $330 for each quarter, and $650 for the final score. A full board of 91 squares pays out $1640 to players, and $1636 to MoTAS. You can find the rules of the game, register and pay online, or find a form that you can print and mail in, at https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/activities/sports-squares/. Squares must be purchased by the Wednesday, February 4, 2026 before the Super Bowl.
4. FEBRUARY MOTAS MEETING – SU 2/8/26
Our February Membership meeting will be Sunday, 2/8, at 8:45am. A full breakfast, including bagels, lox, and eggs, will be available starting at 8:45am. Our speaker at this meeting is Mr. T. B. Determined, speaking on a topic that he has promised us is in the mail. As Roger is unavailable, the Breakfast Crew can use some additional support. If you can help shop and prepare breakfast, please coordinate with Howard Schnee <Haschnee106@gmail.com> and Chuck Mondras <cmondrus@gmail.com>
We are working to get a copy of the recommended maintenance item list from our January speaker. Once we have it, we’ll include a link here.
5. MRJ WEBINAR: RABBI RICK JACOBS- WE 2/18/26
On Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 5pm PACIFIC, MRJ will be hosting a webinar with the President of URJ, Rabbi Rick Jacobs. The subject is described as “Who are we, where are we, where are we going? A candid conversation with Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism.”
A longtime and devoted creative change agent, Rabbi Jacobs spent 20 years as a visionary spiritual leader at Westchester Reform Temple (WRT) in Scarsdale, New York. Before that, during his tenure as the rabbi of the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, he created the first homeless shelter in a New York City synagogue. He’s a tireless advocate for an Israel that is secure, Jewish, democratic, and pluralistic, with a vibrant Reform Jewish community. Rabbi Jacobs has studied for two decades at Jerusalem’s Shalom Hartman Institute, where he is a senior rabbinic fellow.
To register for the webinar, click here.
6. MOTAS POKER TOURNAMENT – SU MAR 22
Hold the Date. The MoTAS Annual Poker Tournament is coming on Sunday, March 22. We hope to have the website updated and the new TicketLeap open by mid-December.
7. MOTAS SEDER – HOLD THE DATE – SU MAR 8
The Joint Brotherhood Seder will be held Sunday, March 8, 2026 at Temple Beth Hillel. We are awaiting the details from the Temple Beth Hillel, but for now, please SAVE THE DATE on your calendar.
8. JANUARY MEETING MINUTES
Date: Sunday, January 11, 2026, at TAS
Presiding: President Howard Schnee
Members Present: Howard Schnee (President), Hal Bass (Secretary), Les Birken, Dana Emerson, Daniel Faigin, Brian Hatkoff, Larry Hoffman (Immediate Past President), Everhet Kokason, Gary Lax, Gordon Lester, Bob Levine, Roger Lowe (Treasurer), Joel Lowell, Barry Mann, Chuck Mondrus, Jeff Neiman, Larry Pfefer, Russ Rapoport, Bill Shapiro (VP), Bernie Singer, Ben Tenn, Mike Thornhill, Mark Tilles, Scott Yollis (VP)
Guests: Jan Rapoport
Coffee & Breakfast: Scott Yollis, Mike Thornhill, Chuck Mondrus, Bob Levine
Question of the Day: Did you make a New Year’s resolution and how well have you kept it?
President’s Report:
- Howard congratulated our 2026 MoTAS Man of the Year, Immediate Past President Larry Hoffman, who received a hearty round of applause.
- Howard welcomed two new members to MoTAS: Dana Emerson and Everhet Kokason.
- Dining Does Good Took Place Wednesday, Jan 7, at the Outback in Northridge: If you are aware of other establishments that would be good venues for this program, let Dining Does Good coordinator Barry Mann know.
- Howard thanked Bob Levine for arranging the Men’s Shabbat Service Friday evening.
- The Poker Tournament, organized by Howard Miller with Larry Pfefer’s assistance, will take place Sunday evening, March 22. A flyer advertising the tournament will be distributed to congregational families and previous players.
- TAS New Member Brunch Sunday, Jan 25: Larry Hoffman will represent President Howard Schnee (who will be out of town) at the event.
- Larry Pfefer thanked Bill Shapiro of L.A. Lighting Manufacturing Co. for providing new illumination for the kitchen.
Roger Lowe’s Treasurer’s Report as of 01/11/2026:
(see emailed report)
New Business:
- MoTAS Logo Shirts: Attractive, stylish T-shirts, polo shirts and dress shirts with the MoTAS logo are still available to order. Larry Pfefer will be placing the order in the next week, so if you want to add or change your order, contact him ASAP at lpfefer@tasnorthridge.org . There is now the option for TALL sizing. Payment (if you haven’t paid already) will be due on or before when you pick up your order. Prices were $15 for T-Shirts, $35 for Polo Shirts, and $40 for Dress Shirts.
- Per Daniel Faigin, the MoTAS Annual Appeal is now under way and will continue through May 2026.
- Yom HaShoah Candles: Larry Pfefer said that Yom HaShoah will begin at sundown Monday, April 13, and end 24 hours later. Yellow candles and a cover letter will be prepared for mailing to the congregation at our March 15 membership meeting.
- Daniel Faigin announced that this year’s joint Men’s Seder will take place at Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village. TBH is also hosting the 2026 MRJ Men of the Year Dinner.
- Bob Levine encouraged people to purchase Super Bowl Squares for $36 each before they’re sold out.
Educational Presentation: Mensch with a wrench Mark Tilles’ topic was “The 10 Most Important Maintenance Items Around the House.” Drain your water heater every 6-12 months to eliminate sediment at the bottom, keep your water pressure regulator at 50-70 psi, inspect interior hoses each year, clean gutters at least twice yearly (spring and fall), consider installing gutter guards, periodically check for missing or damaged roof tiles, clean clothes dryer vent at least once a year, clean refrigerator coils twice a year, inspect the HVAC system twice a year, test smoke and CO detectors monthly, service your fireplace chimney annually, keep a fire blanket in the kitchen, know where your gas shutoff valve is located, install fire-resistant and ember-safe attic vents, practice brush clearance, and seal windows and doors to keep heat/air conditioning inside the house.
Next Meeting: The next General Membership Meeting will take place Sunday, February 8, 2026, at 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!
Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom 