FRI 7 Friday 7:30 PM 13 Soulful Shabbat - Temple Shalom | 2014 December-January-February Kislev •...

Winter 2014December-January-FebruaryKislev • Tevet • Shevat • Adar 15774Vol. LV No. 2

www.templeshalom.net

FridayJanuary 17, 2014

7:30 PMSoulful Shabbat

Ruachwith:

Shir Shalom & the ShabbatRuach Band, Ruach Teen Band

and TSYouth ChoirsWashington Revel Jubilee Voices,The Wilson Senior High SchoolChoir, Girls & Boys Club of DC

This interfaith program is supported by a Men of Reform Judaism (MRJ) Congregational Interfaith

Grant, made possible by funding from the JewishChautauqua Society, MRJ’s interfaith education project.

Tot Shabbat, 5:30 PMCongregational Potluck Dinner, 6:15 PMErev Shabbat Service – 6th Grade Leads,7:30 PM

Shabbat Morning Worship & Study, 10 AMShabbat Service and Bat Mitzvah of Emma Markus, 10 AM

Vayigash, Genesis 44:18-47:27Ezekiel 37:15-28

Erev Shabbat Service, 7:30 PM

Shabbat Morning Worship & Study, 10 AM

Va-y’chi, Genesis 47:28-50:26I Kings 2:1-12



Sh’mot, Exodus 1:1-6:1Isaiah 27:6-28 – 28:13; 29:22 – 29:23

Kabbalat Erev Shabbat Service, 6:15 PM


Va-eira, Exodus 6:2-9:35Isaiah 66:1-13, 23

Tot Shabbat, 5:30 PMCongregational Potluck Dinner, 6:15 PMErev Shabbat Service--CHAI SchoolLeads, 7:30 PM


Bo, Exodus 10:1-13:16Jeremiah 46:13-28

Erev Shabbat Shira Service, 7:30 PM

Shabbat Morning Worship & Study, 10 AMYoga Shalom & Drumming Circle, 10 AM

B’shalach, Exodus 13:17-17:16Judges 4:4-5:31

Soulful Shabbat Ruach Service HonoringMartin Luther King, Jr., 7:30 PM

Shabbat Morning Worship & Study, 10 AMShul at Home, 6:30 PM

Yitro, Exodus 18:1-20:23Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6

MLK Commemorat ion Shabbat6FRI

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Shabbat at Home, 7:30 PM


Mishpatim, Exodus 21:1-24:18Jeremiah 34:8-22, 33:25-26



T’rumah, Exodus 25:1-27:19Isaiah 66:1-13, 23

Tot Shabbat, 5:30 PMCongregational Dinner, 6:15 PMErev Shabbat Services--Grades K and 1 Lead,7:30 PM


T’tzaveh, Exodus 27:20-30:10Ezekiel 43:10-27

Erev Shabbat Services, 7:30 PM

Shabbat Morning Worship & Study, 10 AMKi Tisa, Exodus 30:11-34:351 Kings 18:1-39

Jews with Disabilities/WRJ Sisterhood Shabbatw/Josh Nelson, “Arise Devorah,” 7:30 PM


Vayak’heil, Exodus 35:1-38:201 Kings 7:40-50


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continued from page 1

F e b r u a r y

J a n u a r y

graphic design, cover design and production:laura-leigh palmer, asap graphics;[email protected]

editorCheryl McGowan, Temple [email protected]

Produced by Temple Shalom Phone: 301–587–2273Fax: 301–588–9368 8401 Grubb Road | Chevy Chase | MD | 20815

Adult Education TBD

ARZA Joan Kalin

Brotherhood Peter WolkMyles R. Levin

Capital Projects Marilyn Ripin

Cemetery TBD

Chavurah Rick Meyers

College Outreach TBD

e-Committee Jordin Cohen

Finance Marc FeinbergKenneth Kramer

Financial Future Michael Rubin

Founders Jean Beeman

Historian/Parliamentarian Sandra Kamisar

House/Grounds Mike Gurevich

JCRC Delegate Joan Kalin

Legal Counsel Ted Goldstock

Membership Leslie Rubin

Mitzvah Corps Lori Weinstein

Music Debra Gutman

Nominating Harvey Berger

Religious Education David Windt

Renaissance Lynn Kanowith

Sisterhood Beth JanoffLinda Gurevich

Special Funds Earl Simons

Tikkun Olam Seth Maiman

Worship Marty ShargelJerry Silverman

Youth Sarah Leavitt

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

ShareYourPhotos

To help complete the site, we need more photos of Templeactivities & programs. For now, a photo of the new bimah appears as a placeholderat the lower left of almost every page. Do you have a picture that illustrates a key aspect ofTemple life? If so, please send digital photos as email attachments to Susan Zemsky. Or dropoff prints in the Temple office. They’ll be returned.

At the time I am sitting down to write this message, a great manyarticles have been written, ink spilled and emails sent, about the newlypublished Pew Research Center’s survey of trends in the size, shape,attitudes and identity of the American Jewish population (the reportitself can be found online at:

http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/chapter-1-population-estimates/). It is hard to know what to make of all the numbers: depending upon

how one counts the Jewish population, and what definition one uses,there are either 4.2, 5.3, 4.7 or 7.8 million Jews in this country.Quantum mechanics and postmodern philosophy alike teach that howyou ask a question affects the answer that you get, that an observerautomatically influences the outcome—but that’s a pretty large spread todeal with.

For my purpose at the moment, though, it is not the size but thecomposition of the Jewish population that interests me. Whatever theexact figures may be, it is clear that those who identify themselves as“Jewish, but with no religion” have dramatically increased. (Thisparallels the rise of the “nones,” or the “religiously unaligned/undefined” in the general population.)

The communal implications—and the institutional ones—areenormous. What is it that makes one Jewish, that marks a Jewish act,that enables Jewish continuity, if God is factored out of the equation? Ithas always been clear that an individual atheist could comfortablyconsider himself or herself Jewish—but what becomes of Judaism itselfwhen large parts of the community disconnect from this aspect of ouridentity?

There are many who point out that a thriving, rich, secular Jewishidentity exists in Israel, for those who consider themselves “culturally”Jewish but not at all religious. This is certainly true. But what othershave answered is that in Israel, there can be a “thick” cultural identityreinforced by the language, the calendar, the sound and the seasons ofthe majority culture, and that, absent the insulated immigrantneighborhoods that thrived here at one time but then passed intohistory, such an identity is much more difficult in this country. Indeed,the “thin” cultural identity here relies on bagels and memories of theBorsht Belt. Is that not enough to carry and pass on its essence, its corevalues?

Saying that our culture promotes education and activism is notenough either. We are not the only ones who advance ourselves throughlearning. Social Justice may be a core Jewish value—as comes acrossclearly in the Pew survey as well—and something that resonates withyounger Jews far more deeply than rituals. But if it is not seen as beingconnected to Jewish identity, it is unclear how social justice alone willreplicate itself as a Jewish value.

I have long taught that Jewish identity is a reflection of both faithand folk, spirituality and peoplehood, religion and culture—and thathow one sees oneself differs along either a spectrum or, perhaps more

accurately, a Cartesian vector field of identity. (I have no idea if I amusing that term accurately, but both of my teenage boys insist that myspectrum was flawed because it was bi-polar: If you had more of acultural identity on a spectrum you had less of a spiritual one, and viceversa, whereas in a vector field you could feel strongly about both,weakly about both, or any combination of the two). So the idea ofcalling oneself “Jewish, with no religion” is not in and of itself new, noris “cultural” Judaism as a primary form of identity.

What I would argue, though, is with the old neighborhood gone,with lives fully integrated into the American scene, the critique ofdefining Judaism solely by culture is on point. Indeed, in the NorthAmerican setting, I believe, strongly, that religion is the vehicle throughwhich cultural values are transmitted. A spiritual community is not justfor those who pray. (Well, and prayer is not just for those who believe.)A synagogue is now, as it has ever been, a beit knesset, a primary place ofJewish gathering, a beit midrash, a place of learning, as well as a beittefilah, a place of prayer.

However we define ourselves at the moment, as Jews and as thoseintimately connected with Jewish families, may we remember that acongregation can be a source of nourishment and strength, even as wegrow, and change, and our sense of ourselves, our identity itself, changesand evolves over time.

Michael L. Feshbach

Rabbi

Jews in the PewReflections on Recent Research on the Jewish Community in the United States

Message fromRabbi Michael L. Feshbach

From the Rabbi

SAVE THE DATE

Shabbat at HomeFriday, January 24, 2014

7:30 PM

No Erev Shabbat service at the Temple that evening.Instead, all congregants are urged to open up their

homes to share Shabbat dinner with new and old friends.If your home is not big enough, or you’re new to theTemple and don’t know who to invite, we’ll match youwith a host family. Dinners may be cooked, catered, orpot luck, traditional or basic or gourmet. It’s about

building community. The dinner is just the icing on the cake.

Dear Friends,

As the winter months set in, the coldertemperatures can throw us off, sometimesmake us feel blue and even make us want toget ready to hibernate like some of our animalfriends. But for me, this brisk change of seasonpresents opportunities for growth. I’ve beenworking on a project for almost two years thathas finally come to fruition. I feel blessed thateven though it is winter, it seems a little likespring! The name of the recording that hasbeen percolating is called “Sowing Seeds.” Theidea was born in a Music Committee meetingwhen our president, Allison Druin, suggestedthat a collaborative recording with variousartists singing my music would be a new andfresh idea. I agreed and “Sowing Seeds” wasborn. It is a collaboration with the fabulousIsraeli jazz band Seeds of Sun, led by flutistMattan Klein. Mattan and his amazing playershave transformed some of my most popularprayers and songs into swinging jazz covers.From there I invited 10 of my favorite popularJewish and contemporary singers to interpretthese songs in their own style. A few dedicatedmembers of the youth and teen choirs gave upsome of their summer mornings to add theirvoices as well. The CD, a true team effort, wasrecently released and will make its debut at theURJ Biennial in San Diego. It is a trueblessing to be able to share my music with thetalented people who are involved with“Sowing Seeds,” and I look forward to sharingit with all of you! If you’re attending theBiennial, you will receive a FREE copy!

Speaking of the Biennial, our gathering of5,000 Reform Jews from all over the countryis almost here. I am honored to be part of thedelegation representing Temple Shalom inwhat is my 14th Biennial! I have been invitedto present Yoga Shalom both for the URJAssembly as well as the WRJ Assembly. I willalso be present at the national launch andbook signing for the WRJ CentennialCovenant book, in which some of my writingshave been published.

Finally, I will be gathering artists whoparticipated in “Sowing Seeds” for a URJ BamStage Performance. If you are attending theBiennial, please join me for all these events. Ilook forward to sharing all the richness andinspiration that the Biennial has to offer.

Looking ahead to January, our AnnualMLK Commemoration Service promises to beeven more special than ever! I’m incrediblyproud that for the second year in a rowTemple Shalom has been awarded the MRJChautauqua Society Grant for InterfaithProgramming. We will again be hosting theWilson High School Choir under the directionof Lori Williams, the Washington Revel JubileeVoices and other special guests. Please plan onjoining us for this once-a-year event that is notto be missed!

Another incredible opportunity is comingup in February. One of the hottest and mostpopular Jewish singer/songwriters of our time,Josh Nelson, will join us on Friday, February 21to celebrate our WRJ Sisterhood Shabbat. Joshwas a close friend of Debbie Friedman and willbe featuring some of Debbie’s most belovedsongs along with his own compositions, joinedby our choirs. You will NOT want to missJosh, who has taken the country by storm withhis unique style and infectious music.

Gardening is one of my great passions, andas I was out there one day, sowing seeds intothe soil, I realized that writing music is muchthe same process. We plant small seeds andwith a little care they grow to fruition,bringing sustenance and creating community.My hope is that in the long winter months tocome the many musical seeds we have sownwill give us inspiration and hope.

Yours in Song,

Cantor Lisa Levine

Sowing Seeds

Message from Cantor Lisa L. Levine

From the Cantor

Abby Landesman and Victoria and SophiaMorse join Cantor Lisa in the studio to add

their voices to “Sowing Seeds.”

Sowing SeedsThe Music of Lisa Levine

performed bySeeds of Sun and Friends

Each Sunday I try to spend a fewminutes in each classroom. There isone class, however, that I find myself

lingering in a little bit longer than the rest. Ifind it hard to pull myself away from the pre-k/kindergarten classroom.

I love wandering into that room, not onlybecause it is likely that I will get at least twohugs. I love wandering into that room, notonly because pre-k/kindergarteners areincredibly cute. I love wandering into thatroom, not only because I am taller than everykid in that class. I love wandering into thatroom because of the yirah, the awe andwonder, of the 3, 4, and 5 year olds. I lovewatching their eyes widen when reading abook. I love when they jingle quarters in theirhand and can’t wait to pour them into thetzedekah box. I love that they can’t wait to tellme about a baby naming they are going tothat night. I love that every Torah story, everyholiday, every ritual object, every blessing, andevery dance is filled with unbridled joy.

I also get this feeling when I wander intothe 3rd grade Hebrew classroom, when handsshoot up in excitement to let everyone knowthat a shin makes a “sh” sound and a memmakes a “mm.” Students want to write theletters on the whiteboard. They can’t wait toput the letters and vowels together to makewords. I always want to observe just a little bitlonger. I want to watch them and be inspiredas they learn and grow and take it all in.

There have been other times this yearwhere I have observed this enthusiasm andexcitement:

Our opening-day Community Kickoffsucceeded beyond what any of us could haveanticipated; students enthusiastically cookedand played Gaga. Parents learned from anOrthodox rabbi about Reform andConservative congregations joining togetherin New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; westudied, played, learned, and ate together.

A recent program initiated by TaSTYcaptivated our high school students. Scott Fried,a health educator and motivational speaker,

shared his story about contracting HIV in 1987and taught our students what it means to “beenough.” The students lingered well beyond theend of the program to talk about it and to speakwith Scott. See Scott’s remarkable “manifesto” athttp://www.scottfried.com/manifesto/manifesto.htm. More zest for learning comesfrom the 15 adults who learn Hebrew togetheron Sunday mornings.

Ruth Fellow (and 1st grade teacher andTaSTY advisor) Pamela Wilcox spearheaded aCommunity Supported Agriculture program,which not only provided an opportunity tosupport a local farm by purchasing produce,but also supported members of ourcommunity by enabling them to get healthfulproduce at an affordable price. Perhaps best ofall, the 7th graders ran around insisting that Itry a pear. We created enthusiasm from our7th graders over fresh fruits and vegetables!

In his book, Who is Man?, Rabbi AbrahamJoshua Heschel wrote, “Knowledge is fosteredby curiosity; wisdom is fostered by awe. Aweprecedes faith; it is the root of faith. We mustbe guided by awe to be worthy of faith….Theloss of awe is the avoidance of insight. Areturn to reverence is the first prerequisite fora revival of wisdom, for the discovery of theworld as an allusion to God.”

Young children have this awe and wonder;the mastery over a new language procuresthese sentiments in our 3rd graders and adultHebrew learners. Retreats and one-offprograms can also reinvigorate these senses ofcuriosity, awe, wonder, and faith.

As children grow older, during adolescenceand adulthood, their sense of awe and wonderand curiosity often diminishes. Not everythingnew is exciting. They settle into their ways andbeliefs, become skeptical, become guardedabout how they express excitement over newmaterials. They begin to practice Judaism byrote. They begin to stop singing songs andprayers at the tops of their lungs, but rathermumble their way through. They riskbecoming bored at the same stories over andover again, and the rituals become tedious andrepetitive. And when they do this, they becomeskeptical of their faith that once came easily.

Sometimes parents ask me why we areteaching our students that an all-powerfulGod created the world in seven days, exactlyas it says in the Torah. The funny thing is, ourteachers don’t teach this so blatantly (ourclergy don’t believe this either). The teachers

teach them Bible stories, they teach themabout how the Torah says the world wascreated, about how God made light anddarkness. But a six-year-old’s sense of theworld is that absolutely anything is possible,that indeed God could have done this, oneday at a time. They have an unfiltered belief,and, as they get older, it becomes morechallenging to balance this with theirintellectual understandings of how the worldreally works.

Religious Education

NFTY MAR JELLO participants in a groupphoto (Emma Bassin, Sydney Wolk, DanielFeshbach, Matt Green, Matt Marks, RuthyGoldberg, Dana Bederson, Evan Solomon).

Temple Shalom students explore the Torahwith Cantor Lisa.

The first grade Sukkah Building was a hugesuccess!

continued on page 6

Rabbi RachelAckermanRabbi-Educator

When we become disillusioned by the realityof the world, we become less curious, and faithbecomes more difficult. But if we are to have arevival of wisdom, if we are to continue to beable to teach our children, if we want tobecome excited once again, we need to striveto learn and grow and take a leap of faith toexplore something different, to try somethingnew, and to say the prayers with the same faithand conviction we had as children.

And how can we do this? We can surroundourselves by those who have this awe and senseof wonder. I spend time with kindergarteners.You may want to come to family services andwatch our youth choir sing aloud from deepwithin their souls. Come sit in on a Hebrew classand learn a few letters. Go on a retreat. Organizea Shabbat dinner with some families. Come toShabbat Morning Worship and Study and learnalongside some of the wisest people in ourcongregation as they grapple over and over withthe stories in our Torah. Try something new andchallenge yourself. Be curious, for throughcuriosity you will gain knowledge. Allow for aweto become worthy of faith. Strive for insight inorder to approach awe. Risk reverence and gainwisdom.

Our pre-k/kindergarteners do this naturally.For us, we need to become a little morevulnerable. But just think about what you couldexperience if you allowed yourself to look at theworld as if through the eyes of a five-year-old. Ifyou need a little inspiration, come peek into ourpre-k/kindergarten classroom.

L’Shalom,

Rabbi Rachel Ackerman

Religious Education • Adult Education

Students having a blast with Jackie Gordon atJewlympics during the Community Kickoff!

Students learn from Jeremy John and PamelaWilcox how they can earn SSL hours by help-ing to sort produce as part of our Fresh Stopsliding scale CSA (Community Supported

Agriculture).

Temple Shalom members swab their cheeksat the Community Kickoff as part of

Gift of Life, a program that enters adults inthe National Bone Marrow Registry.

continued from page 5

Engaging Israel 2.0After the premier appearance in the Washington area of the Shalom Hartman Institute’s

cutting-edge Engaging Israel program, Temple Shalom now offers the next phase of thisinnovative curriculum “hot off the press.” Engaging Israel 2.0 can easily be taken by thosewho missed the first phase.

Engaging Israel 2.0—The Tribes of Israel: A Shared Homeland for aDivided People

This series examines the concept of a shared common space and begins shaping a narrativefor the Jewish people and for Israel that respects differences, but at the same time elevates andnurtures what holds us together.

Taught at Temple Shalom by Rabbi Michael Feshbach, Engaging Israel 2.0 is part of theWashington Area Reform Movement Israel Engagement Series, in conjunction with TempleShalom, Temple Sinai and Temple Emanuel.

Tuesday evenings February 4, 11, 18 and 25, March 4, 11, 18 and 25, April 8 and 29

7:30-9:30 PM

Pricing information to follow. For more information, call Lauren at 301-587-2273 or

email [email protected].

Adult Education 2014Life-Long Learningat Temple Shalom

Reflecting, Connecting and RuachA long-time Temple Shalom member asked me the other day: “What

do you hope can be done during your first year as President?” This tookme by surprise, since I felt like I barely had begun my term. But shemeant it’s never too early to think about the paths you hope to take.

What surprised me even more was that it took me another three daysto answer her seemingly simple question. I realized I could give her alaundry list of all the programs we are developing and all the strategicplanning we are doing, but that’s not really what she was looking for.This long-time member wanted to know what the larger issues were thatI was going to cover—not every single step I was going to take. Inconsidering those wide expanses of possibility, three words came tomind: reflecting, connecting, and ruach.Reflecting:

This year I hope the board will reflect on a number of differenttopics, and the congregation as well. For example, the board began thisfall with a retreat at the local campgrounds of Mike and Linda Gurevich.Between the Havdalah bonfire and the large pads of paper filled withendless ideas, we found the peace and community to reflect on theyear’s coming priorities. These included: the religious school, MitzvahCorps, chavurot, and communication/outreach. Our reflection andstrategic planning for the Temple will continue throughout this year.You may keep up with them through my blog postings athttp://www.templeshalom.net/index.php/home/president or on ourTemple Shalom website: http://www.templeshalom.net/index.php oreven on our Temple Shalom Facebook page.

We will also be reflecting this year as a congregation on how gratefulwe are to those of our fellow congregants who give so much of theirtime, energy, and resources to Temple Shalom. Your nominations forthe Circle of Leadership will help us reflect on the importance ofhonoring our Temple Shalom volunteers. We will honor our Circle ofLeadership and our Circle of Giving members throughout the year inmany ways, big and small. So look for our emails, mailings, andannouncements for more information on this important way to reflect!Connecting:

This year, our congregation is connecting with new people in manymore ways. Thanks to our Gift of Membership program, we are seeing alarge number of wonderful new families joining our Temple Shalomcommunity. We will be supporting our newest families with “WelcomeTeams” of existing members to do everything from sending a quick emailof hello, to meeting up at various services and program events.

Temple Shalom’s family can also keep connecting through theTemple’s radio station: jWash.net. Recently we learned that we wereconnecting to the Idaho Jewish community. In a small town with only

six Jewish people, this radio station has helped them enjoy the HighHolidays without long hours and many miles of travel.Ruach:

My third hope for this year is that we continue the ruach (spirit) andgood energy in all that we do with our congregational family. Thisruach abounds as plentifully as the food at our ever-growing PotluckDinners on the first Friday night of the month. Following our Totservices and preceding our Family services with the youth choir, you willfind hundreds of congregants reflecting on the week’s events andconnecting with old friends and welcoming new faces. If you have nevertried these Friday nights, I urge you to find your way there. Ruach iscontagious!

And speaking of contagious, my final hope is that you come out toenjoy the many other programs throughout the year; they are led byenergetic and creative congregants and Temple Shalom staff. The ruachand laughter were endless at our Comedy Night to raise funds for ournew roof. The special services we have throughout the year (fromTorah Study to the MLK Shabbat) are an important part of ourcongregational ruach. And the many Adult Education programs and ourreligious school activities keep the ruach expanding.

So my answer to a long-time Temple Shalom congregant may besimple: Reflection, Connection, and Ruach are what I plan for ourTemple Shalom family this coming year!

L’Shalom,

Allison DruinPresident

From the President • Arza

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Bernie Blumental never misses an opportunity to dance. Here he is show-ing the rest of us how it is done!

A splendid time was had by all!

Rachel Robinson takes a break from the excitement at the Raise theRoof Comedy Night fundraiser which generated much needed

monies for our new roof.

Raise theRoof

ComedyNight

FundraiserOctober 19

2013

Phot

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Food Fight and GreatUpcoming Events

For this column I turn to my friend,Brotherhood member, and fellow New Jerseynative, John Landesman to settle a friendlydispute. “John you're from New Jersey as Iam. As you know, my wife Beth is from NewYork. For some reason she is always compar-ing Maryland pizza and Chinese food to whatthey have in NY. My question is ‘Why does-n’t she compare it with the best pizza andChinese food, which is found in New Jersey?’Don’t you agree?” John: “Yes.” “Thank youJohn.” “I wonder what pizza and Chinesefood the Maryland natives prefer?!”On other matters, it is my pleasure to reportthat the Brotherhood had a wonderfulRedskins tailgate party. With a 25’ x 15’ TVimage projected onto the social hall wall(thanks to Bob Krauss, Walter Miller, andBob Goodman) and great camaraderie, it defi-nitely surpassed our own home viewing capa-

bilities, and established a new visual standardfor our upcoming social hall movies. We arealso glad to report the frequent and apprecia-tive use of the picnic tables in the garden areabelow the Sukkah, thanks to the assemblingskills of Richard Udell, Jeff Kushner, andmyself, as well as the generosity of MikeGurevich. It has been good to see kids, par-ents, families, teachers and classes using thosetables. We are also excited to report on helping theSunday school students learn how to makelatkes, thanks to Heath Winter, GlennGermaine, Barry Molar, and myself. We con-tinue to investigate creative options for moregreen initiatives at the temple, thanks to ourad hoc committee including Elliott ZenickMarty Shargel, Lynn Kanowith and JeremyBusse, and continue to consider plans formore recreational equipment. We look forward to our Dinner and a MovieNight (with great Chinese food) coming upDecember 22 (thanks to Bob Krauss andLynn Kanowith), and are excited about ourupcoming February 2 program on “TheJewish Role in Comic Book Heroes,” withappreciation to Mark Schulhof and MikeRubin for their work on this event. We areplanning exciting events in the Spring thatinclude a high-level Jewish advisor in theAdministration and a former NFL player.As we expand our program activities andTemple projects, we look forward to havingeven more Brothers at our regular meetings(the first Wednesday night of the month at6:30 PM except on holidays, so Dec. 4, Jan.8, Feb. 5, Mar. 5). As always, we welcomethe entire Temple community to our events.

Brotherhood • Comedy Night

Message From the Brotherhood by Peter C. Wolk, Brotherhood President

Event coordinator Michael Rubin finally gets a chance to relax and enjoy hanging withfriend, Rosana Lima and Brian Samtur.

Stefanie Weldon collecting for the adjoiningraffle. We offer our sincere thanks to every-one who worked so hard to make the event

a success.

Franicine Simons and Norma Newpol catch up.

Spanish Immersion Program Comes to Temple Shalom

You may have noticed a language other than Hebrew emanating from classrooms #3and #4 on Monday and Thursday afternoons and Thursday and Saturday mornings. Youngchildren eagerly grasping the fundamentals of Spanish are here attending the Arco IrisSomos Spanish Immersion program, led by long-time educator Sra. Lupe Marks.

Ms. Marks, armed with Spanish and Education degrees from Towson University, hascreated several successful programs to bring the Spanish language to youngsters throughoutthe county, including the Spanish Summer Camp (which she co-founded), and “Grupo de

Juego” Spanish Program at the TESS Center in Takoma Park. Lupe ran “La Hora de Juego”play time program at the Takoma Park Library for two years and taught at Clara Barton

Center for Children in Bethesda . Currently, she runs a bilingual program at the Little Fallsand Chevy Chase libraries. She served as head of the Teacher Development Training

Committee at Adat Shalom Torah School in Bethesda, and sat on the Torah School’s Boardfor the 2009-2010 school year. Lupe is also a member of the Maryland Foreign Language

Association and National Network for Early Language Learning.

And we are thrilled to have her effervescence and enthusiasm here! The Arco Iris Somos program provides age-specific instruction to children ages 15

months to 8 years, beginning with sounds and musical aspects of language, building up togreater fluency. Older students have an opportunity to study the history and culture of

several Latin American countries, including Peru, from which Lupe hails.

Sra. Lupe visited the US as a student in the early 1980s. She studied in New York Cityto be a travel agent. After working back in her home country for a few years, Lupe

returned to the US, where she met her husband. The couple lived in Towson while Lupeobtained her degrees from Towson, then moved to Silver Spring. They attend Adat

Shalom Reconstructionist Synagogue with their two children, Benjamin (13) and Gabiel (11).

ANNUAL PURIM

SPIEL

MASQUERADE BALL

& SILENT AUCTION

Saturday, March 15 starting at 6 PM

TOT PURIM5:30 PM

Hello, Ladies,

We had a great turnout for the YentaEventa back in October hosted by BetsyKingery. Everyone enjoyed the casualatmosphere and was delighted to meet all thenew members who participated.

By the time you read this, you would havealready celebrated Hanukah and hopefullyattended the WRJ Sisterhood Hanukah Mart.The Temple Shalom Judaica Gift Shop literallymoved all merchandise from the shop to theSocial Hall for your convenience. We hope youhad a chance to stop by.

We’re gearing up for some exciting activitiesover the next couple of months and invite youto participate in as many get togethers as yourschedules will permit.

Our quarterly meetings, Sundays,December 8 and March 2, 6-8 PM—

are chances to socialize with other women,have a nosh, get some work done and hearfrom special guest speakers. It’s also anopportunity to catch up on business, volunteerand participate at your own pace.

The 3rd Annual Women’s Spa Retreat at Lansdowne Resort, January 31-February 2, 2014—

is a warm, spiritual and relaxing weekendaway to meet and spend time with otherwomen from our Temple community. Inaddition to wonderful accommodations,hospitality suite, relaxing spa, and gourmetmeals, the weekend retreat includes women-led, women-focused and women-inspiredservices. Contact Susan Gerecht [email protected] for more information.

WRJ Sisterhood Mah Jong Classes/Games, Sundays, 11:15 AM-1:15 PM—

when school is in session. All experiencelevels are welcome. Contact Robin Dinermanat [email protected].

The WRJ Women-Led Shabbat Servicewith Josh Nelson, Friday, February 21,2014, 7:30 PM—

is very spiritual and uplifting. It’s led by andshared by women of all ages. Please plan toattend, and perhaps volunteer to participate,with your grandmothers, mothers, sisters,

aunts, daughters and girlfriends. Ourcomplimentary paid-up membership dinnerprecedes the service. We invite women whohave joined the Temple through the Gift ofMembership to also be a part of this wonderfulevening. Contact [email protected] formore information.

The WRJ Women’s Seder, Sunday, March 30, 2014, 5 PM-8 PM—

is an intimate gathering of women, moms,and daughters who take the time to reflect,worship and come together as a community.Women of all ages attend, and it’s a wonderfultradition to start and share with the women inyour life. [email protected] if you would liketo participate on a committee to organize thisseder.

The WRJ Sisterhood Judaica Gift ShopEnd-of-Year Sale, Sunday, May 18, 2014,10 AM-1:00 PM—

takes place in the parking lot on the last dayof Sunday School. The Brotherhood hosts thetraditional end-of-year Bar-B-Que at noon. It’sa great time to make summer plans with yourTemple friends, enjoy great food, and buy saleitems from the Gift Shop. This is one of manyjoint programs the “Hoods” bring to youthroughout the year.

If you want to get in touch, please contactus at [email protected].

Yours,

Linda Gurevich and Beth Janoff

Co-Presidents

Sisterhood

WOMEN OF REFORM JUDAISMstronger together

What is TaSTY? It’s not a new wordin the urban dictionary, a popularnew music group, or the latest reali-

ty TV show. If you don’t know who we are,it’s time to get re-introduced: TaSTY is ourTemple Shalom Temple Youth group, andhopefully we’ve gotten your attention at somepoint this year.

In the first few months since returningfrom summer activities and getting throughanother new school year, these intrepid teenshave had a BBQ, gone to a leadershipconference through NFTY-MAR, led a NFTY(summer camp, song style) Shabbat MorningService with kickball game, had members ofoutside congregations’ youth groups over,brought in an amazing guest speaker, put on abake sale, sponsored a Mitzvah Dayplayground-fixing project, and continues tomake a racket. So get ready--if you don’tknow us, you will know us soon!

There are two incarnations of TaSTY:Junior, for students grades 6 through 8, andSenior, for grades 9 through 12. Throughoutthe year TaSTY Jr. events occur, but theTaSTY Sr. events happen more often and areplanned and implemented by a student-electedboard.

Our Board consists of Emma Bassin, IlanaSimon-Rusinowitz, Jacob Rains, Sydney Wolk,Ruthy Goldberg, Ben Wing, Josh Schuster,Matthew Marks, Eva Rocke, Mathew Green,and Dana Bederson. These are the passionateteens who ask, “How can we get a gaga pit?”and “What can we do as teens about harmprevention?” and “What will engage mypeers?” and bring forth exciting programs.

TaSTY’s goal for the year is to engage asmany of our Temple youth as possible from6th grade all the way through high school. Weare more than just movie nights and fooddrives.

This year is a new beginning for this re-emerging youth group. Our strong boardgenerates interesting and valuable activities forteens by teens. They want to hear from all ofthe Temple’s youth, as this program is whatthey want it to be.

This year we are trying to tie in more socialaction with our social activities, helping thecommunity and condition of the world while

strengthening relationships. Coming up verysoon are such activities as volunteering as agroup on Christmas Day, then going forChinese food and a movie. Some entrances toprograms are paid in non-perishable foods forpantries.

There are activities for every type ofinterest—for the more sports inclined, thereare numerous opportunities for gaga (Israelidodgeball), iceskating, and our big paintballevent this Spring. The artistically inclinedshould look for fun cooking, painting, theatrevisits, or participate in our Logo Contest. Ifyou don’t know where you fit in, just comejoin us on an activity. This is a place for youthto be together and experience being Jewishtogether. But this is not an extension ofReligious School—it’s an opportunity to meetnew people and just hang out doing reallyunique activities. Where else can you go tohang out doing a scavenger hunt in Bethesda?Who else will challenge you to a matzah cook-off or gaga tournament?

There is also the added bonus ofparticipating in the NFTY MAR (NorthAmerican Federation of Temple Youth Mid-Atlantic Region) calendar. There are severalretreats including the upcoming and WinterKallah. It is a chance to spend the weekend

with camp friends from other places, withother Jewish teens, and to reconnect. Theseweekends away include important life lessonsin being a Jew and connecting with others. Ihighly recommend that if you have never goneand are of age to participate, SIGN UP! Ourboard is waiting to welcome you on theseawesome experiences.

From the TaSTY Board and your YouthAdviser, we hope to see you involved in ourYouth Group this year—because you reallywon’t want to miss this.

—Pamela Wilcox, TaSTY Advisor

• TaSTY •

A Word from your Friendly Youth Adviser…

Eliya Cook, Eva Rocke, Rachel Steger, MikaelaGreenwald and Nesha Ruther with

inspirational speaker and health educatorScott Fried.

Temple Shalom Judaica ShopContemporary, handcrafted and one of a kind items

B’nai Mitzvahs • Weddings • Family • Home • Holidays

15% off of the retail price as marked

Proceeds benefit Temple Shalom

Cash and checks only at this time

Sun. 8:30 AM-1:30 PM, 5:45-8 PM, and Wed. 4:15-6 PM and

by appt. [email protected]

The Shop is managed and staffed by volunteers from

Temple Shalom Sisterhood, Women of Reform Judaism.

SUPPORT THE SHOP THAT SUPPORTS TEMPLE SHALOM8401 Grubb Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815

RENAISSANCE GROUPThe Renaissance Group hosted its first event of the season on

October 6, which marked the beginning of the group’s 13th year. Weconducted a short business meeting followed by a presentation by ourguest speaker, Montgomery County Sheriff Darren Popkin and hisassistant, Hannah Sassoon. Sheriff Popkin discussed the department’smission, training and their interaction with our local policedepartment and other area agencies including state and federalagencies.

Sheriff Popkin is most proud of the Montgomery County FamilyJustice Center of which the Jewish Council Against Domestic Abuse(JCADA) is a part. Sheriff Popkin and Hannah Sassoon created thisprogram, which now encompasses an entire floor at 600 JeffersonStreet in Rockville. An abused individual can now obtain help in asingle day in one stop, as opposed to having the individual makecontact with various county departments during an extended period oftime. There is even a video conference connection with a judge so thata court order can be issued without having to leave the center. Eventhe department décor has been taken into account so that theindividual can find a warm and calm atmosphere during this process.

Following Sheriff Popkin’s presentation, we had a lively and veryinformative question-and-answer period covering a wide range oftopics.

The Renaissance Group offers a broad range of events during theupcoming months:

Our annual Chinese Dinner and Movie Night is scheduled forDecember 22. On January 26, 2014, we are planning on attending ashow at the Rockville Little Theater, and we will tour the KennedyCenter and see a Young Artist Opera Concert on February 27.

Our full calendar of events can be seen on the Temple Shalom website at www.templeshalom.net, under Groups click on Renaissance.

Temple Shalomwww.templeshalom.netPhone: 301–587–2273 • Fax: 301–588–93688401 Grubb Road • Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Clergy & Staff Senior Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach Cantor Lisa L. LevineSusan Goutos Zemsky, ExecutiveDirectorRabbi Rachel Ackerman, Rabbi-EducatorRabbi Emeritus Bruce E. KahnCantor Emeritus Saul RogolskyCheryl McGowan, ExecutiveAssistantLauren Harrison, Clergy AssistantBarbara Berney, School AssistantLois Simpson, Bookkeeper

Board of Trustees ExecutiveCommittee Allison Druin, PresidentLinda Gurevich, Exec. Vice PresidentJeff Steger, Vice PresidentSeth Maiman, Vice PresidentSteve Schleien, Vice PresidentRita Klein, TreasurerLynn Kanowith, Financial SecretaryPeg MacKnight, Secretary

TrusteesLinda Aldoory, Jordin Cohen, MargoGottesman, Ken Kramer, Lisa Krim,Judy Lewis, Andy Mark, Walter Miller,Michael Richards, Leslie Rubin, RhodaSchulzinger, Marty Shargel, StefanieWeldon, Richard WeitznerVoting Auxiliary Members Harvey Berger, Immediate PastPresident; Peter Wolk and Myles R.Levin, Brotherhood Co-Presidents;Beth Janoff and Linda Gurevich,Sisterhood Co-Presidents; EmmaBassin, TaSTY PresidentAuxiliary Members Ex Officio (Non-Voting)Rabbi Michael FeshbachCantor Lisa LevineSusan Goutos Zemsky, ExecutiveDirectorRabbi Rachel Ackerman, Director ofEducationSandy Kamisar, URJ Board MemberStephen Sacks, Chairman of URJBoardJean Beeman, Founder’sRepresentativeTed Goldstock, Temple Counsel

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