Volume 31, Number 7

March 2012

Adar / Nisan 5772

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T E M P L E B E T H A B R A H A M

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Volume 37, Number 5 • January 2018 • Tevet/Shevat 5778

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DIRECTORYDIRECTORY

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GENERAL INFORMATION: All phone numbers use (510) prefix unless otherwise noted.Mailing Address 336 Euclid Ave. Oakland, CA 94610Hours M-Th: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Fr: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.Office Phone 832-0936Office Fax 832-4930E-Mail info@tbaoakland.org

STAFFRabbi (x 213) Mark Bloom

Cantor Richard Kaplan, kaplanmusic@hotmail.comGabbai Marshall LangfeldExecutive Director (x 214) Rayna ArnoldOffice Manager (x 210) Virginia TigerBet Sefer Director Susan Simon 663-1683

Gan Avraham Directors Jill Rosenthal & Marta Molina 763-7528Bookkeeper (x 215) Suzie ShermanFacilities Manager (x 211) Joe LewisKindergym/ Toddler Program Dawn Margolin 547-7726

OFFICERS OF THE BOARDPresident Laura Wildmann 601-9571Vice President Alice Hale 336-3044Vice President JB Leibovitch 653-7133Vice President Etta Heber 530-8320Vice President Ulli Rotzscher 559-0632Secretary David Goodwin 655-0529Treasurer Daniel Jaffe 479-7441

COMMITTEES & ORGANIZATIONS: If you would like to contact the committee chairs, please contact the synagogue office for phone numbers and email addresses.

Adult Education Aaron PaulChesed Warren GouldDevelopment Leon Bloomfield & Flo RaskinDues Evaluation Daniel JaffeEndowment Fund Charles BernsteinFinance Daniel Jaffe

Gan Avraham Parents Toni Mason & Carolyn BernsteinGan Avraham School Committee Aaron Goldberg

House Stephen ShubIsrael Affairs JB LeibovitchMembership Ulli RotzscherMen’s Club Rick HeegerOmer Lisa Fernandez & Rachel DornhelmPersonnel Laura WildmannPublic Relations Lisa FernandezRitual Marshall LangfeldSchools Etta HeberSocial Action Alice HaleWLCJ Torah Fund Anne LevineWomen of TBA Jessica Sterling & Kathy SaundersYouth/BBYO & La’atid Amanda Cohen

SERVICES SCHEDULEMonday & Thursday Morning Minyan In the Chapel, 8:00 a.m. On Holidays, start time is 9:00 a.m. – CANCELLED JANUARY 1 –Friday Evening (Kabbalat Shabbat) In the Chapel, 6:15 p.m.

Candle Lighting (Friday)January 5 4:47 p.m.January 12 4:54 p.m.January 19 5:01 p.m.January 26 5:09 p.m.

Shabbat Morning In the Sanctuary, 9:30 a.m.

Torah Portions (Saturday)January 6 ShemotJanuary 13 Va’eraJanuary 20 BoJanuary 27 Beshallah

TEMPLE BETH ABRAHAMis proud to support the Conservative Movement by affiliating with The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Advertising Policy: Anyone may sponsor an issue of The Omer and receive a dedication for their busi-ness or loved one. Contact us for details. We do not accept outside or paid advertising.

The Omer is published on paper that is 30% post-consumer fibers.

Periodicals Postage Paid at Oakland, CA.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Omer, c/o Temple Beth Abraham, 336 Euclid Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610-3232.

© 2018. Temple Beth Abraham.

The Omer (USPS 020299) is published by Temple Beth Abraham, a non-profit, located at 336 Euclid Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610; telephone (510) 832-0936. It is published monthly except for the months of July and August for a total of 10 issues per annum. It is sent as a requester publica-tion and there is no paid distribution.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING

See PAGE 6 for events with Women of TBA including:

Rosh Chodesh-Jan. 8

GNO: Cannabis 101-Jan. 11

Woodsy Walks-Jan.21

Save the Date: WTBA Shabbat - Feb. 10

TBA BOOK GROUPTuesday, January 23 at 7 p.m.

The Weight of Ink by Rachel KadishRSVP: Judy at judyglick@gmail.com

for the location.

Please join us for an evening of

JEWISH MEDITATION Thursday, January 18, 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Temple Beth Abraham ChapelWe will chant, meditate, learn and share together in community. Open to everyone, absolutely no previ-ous experience required.

Meditation supports the practice of presence. It boosts your immune system, calms your nerves, and helps us stay connected with what is most important.

Mark your calendar for future dates: February 22, March 22, April 19, May 26

RSVP by email jueligarfinkle@gmail.com, if you know you are planning to attend. Walk-ins always welcome!

$18 cash or check payable the evening of meditation.

The evening will be facilitated by TBA member Jueli Garfinkle who is certified and has been teach-ing Jewish meditation since 2004. Jueli’s classes are based on the Jewish mystical tradition and calendar, and always include meaningful everyday practices to cultivate presence, joy, and connection. She leads ongoing medita-tion groups, workshops, and retreats throughout the Bay Area, as well as meets one-on-one with individuals to provide support and guidance.

Upcoming La’atid ProgramSunday 2/25/18: Volunteering at

Urban Adamah: Get your hands dirty, hang out with some friendly farm animals, and

hands-on learn about food justice in a uniquely Jewish way.

More Information or RSVP: acohen@bbyo.org

MAH JONGGJoin us on the 2nd Shabbat of the month as we gather in the Chapel after Kiddush.January 13, 2018

Gourmet GalaJanuary 20 6PM

See page 9 for details.

Men’s Club Family Game Night

Sunday January 28 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

Baum Youth Center, TBA

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FROM THE RABBIIn Appreciation of Shared Relilgious ValuesRather than writing on the theme of “Begin Again,” I would like to address the flip side of the Advice Column question about incorporating Judaism in your life when sig-nificant others have different levels of religious interest.

I feel very blessed that, for the most part, my wife and I do share the same level of reli-gious interest and commitment. Karen loves going to services. She loves Jewish ritu-als. She loves Hadassah. She loves Mah Jongg (I know that’s not technically a Jewish thing, but it sure is part of American Jewish culture). All that is of great comfort to me, as I know it is to many in the congregation as well. Many of my colleagues have spouses who don’t share their love of services, rituals, text study, or Israel.

Can you imagine Shabbat at TBA without Karen? It’s quite hard to do, isn’t it? And yet that is exactly the situation many other rabbis have. If I were in the same situa-tion, you would adjust, but you and I both get an extra gift in her con-stant presence and love of Judaism. She is truly my partner in Jewish life—as a wife, as a mother, and as a leader in our congregation.

So I guess I don’t have to answer the question about when signifi-cant others have different levels of religious interest, and for that I am truly grateful. I just wanted to take this opportunity to appreciate it, and I hope you all do as well.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Mark Bloom

Morning Minyan on Mondays & ThursdaysJoin the regulars at our Minyan service, each Monday and Thursday usually starting at 8:00 a.m. The service lasts about an hour, and is really a great way to start the day. As an added bonus, breakfast is served immediately after-wards. To use the old expression – try it, you’ll like it. If not as a regular, just stop in once or twice and see what it’s all about.

Cancelled JANUARY 1

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FROM THE PRESIDENTExperiencing the MikvahBy Laura WildmannBefore Hugo and I got married, now almost 18 years ago, I decided to follow the Jewish tradition of bathing in the mikvah before getting married. My visit to the mikvah in San Francisco was a meaningful and special way to mark the beginning of my new life as a married woman.

The tradition of the mikvah dates back to biblical times when it was required for a vari-ety of purification rituals, including purification before entering the holy space of the Temple. For a mikvah to be proper, it is required to hold 40 seah of water (about 150 gallons) and the water’s source must be from a natural spring or rainwater. Nowadays, Orthodox Jewish women continue to use the mikvah to purify themselves after their menstrual bleeding ends. In our community, a mikvah is used primarily as part of the conversion process.

I went to the mikvah with my sister and my mother. My visit to the mikvah began with the attendant explaining to me how to properly prepare myself. Once I was ready, I entered the room with the mikvah where my sister and mother were waiting to celebrate my mikvah dips with me.

I dipped myself completely into the water three times, with no parts of my body touch-ing the bottom or edges of the pool. With each correct dip, the attendant would pro-nounce the dip “kosher”. As with most Jewish traditions, I finished with the blessing: “Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us concerning the immersion.” And, also with any good Jewish celebration, my sister, my mother and I completed the celebration with food – a special dessert that my family had brought for our special day.

While I have never visited our community’s mikvah at Beth Jacob, our Bet Sefer stu-dents visit that mikvah when they study lifecycles, and Rabbi Bloom takes a group of men to the mikvah before Yom Kippur. I would encourage any of you who have never been to the mikvah to find a time to experience the tradition of the mikvah, either at a time of renewal in your life or at a time of renewal during the year.

Learning and starting over again – dedicated to the memory of PinkyBy Susan SimonI recently discovered I have a bunch of relatives I didn’t know about and one of them is a church-going man who happens to travel to Israel for work every 6 to 8 weeks. Because of his close working with Israelis he has been learning Hebrew vocabulary and grammar and is constantly studying and trying to improve his skills. I’m sure his conversational Hebrew is much better than mine at this point, but as he continues to polish his skills, he occasion-ally asks me questions.

Recently he was looking at the Hebrew words of the V’ahavta, specifically the phrase b’chol l’vavcha ov’chol nafs’cha or’chol m’odecha which, as a child I learned meant with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. I remember wondering why the word m’odecha meant “might” or “strength” since I knew the word m’od as meaning “very.” This made no sense to me but I wasn’t inclined to delve further into the mystery.

Fast forward several decades and I get an email from my relative in which he asks the following question: “What do I do with m’od at the end of this phrase from Deuteronomy” – the exact question I had asked as a child. Now I’m pretty certain that he was asking a grammar question, and while I love Hebrew grammar, I was struck by the deeper meaning that I read into his question. What does it mean to live by this requirement of loving God with all of our heart, soul and strength?

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EDITOR’S COLUMN

THE OMER We cheerfully accept member submissions. Deadline for articles and letters is the seventh of the month preceding publication.

Editors in Chief Lisa Fernandez & Rachel Dornhelm

Layout & Design Jessica SterlingCalendars Virginia Tiger

B’nai Mitzvah Editor Susan Simon

Help From People like you!Cover Artist Booker Holton

Copy Editors Lori Rosenthal, Jan Silverman, Debbie Spangler

Proofreaders June Brott, Charles Feltman, Jeanne Korn, Anne Levine, Susan Simon, Debbie Spangler

Distribution Hennie Hecht-ZilberbergMailing Address 336 Euclid Ave. Oakland, CA 94610

eMail omer@tbaoakland.org

After dark time, a career can begin againBy Lisa FernandezFor four months earlier this year, I didn’t have a full-time job. Suffice to say, it wasn’t my choice. It was truly the darkest time in my life.

In May, I got to begin again.

I found a new job, thanks to the networking of my husband, and I love it. I am a reporter, both online and for the TV side, of KTVU in Oakland. My commute is now five minutes (instead of the 100-mile round trip to San Jose that I’ve been making for 15 years). My colleagues are funny, smart and creative. I’m getting to do things I’ve never done before, like produce TV segments for the special projects unit. I have always loved being a print reporter using words, but I feel as though my career has been jump-started after 20 years, as I’m now learning new storytelling skills.

I never thought that would happen during the four months of being out of work.

People told me, including co-Omer editor Rachel Dornhelm who took many daytime walks with me, that things would eventually get better. At the time, I wanted to believe them, but just couldn’t.

I’m here to say that if you ever find yourself in a dark time, it won’t always be that way forever. In fact, things can even get better. They did for me.

Volunteer Board

FEED THE HUNGRY: TBA volunteers at CityTeam to feed the hungry on the fourth Sunday of

each month from 5:00-7:00 p.m. If you wish to volunteer contact

Caren Shapiro at cjshapiro@hotmail.com

GIVE A NEW PARENT AN HOUR TO SHOWERThis is a perfect mitzvah for those with daytime flexibility. Volunteers are need-ed to provide short daytime sits free of charge to our new moms and dads allowing them to shower, get a haircut, or just take a walk. Interested sitters should contact us at womenoftba@ tbaoakland.org.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: There is always an opportunity to volun-teer at Temple Beth Abraham. Please consider helping a cause or event you feel a connection to.

WELCOME A NEW MEMBER: Do you have time to help deliver TBA’s new member baskets? If so, please contact Virginia at virginia@ tbaoakland.org

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ADVICE COLUMN

Ask a Mamaleh and a Papaleh advice columnThis is the Omer’s new advice column – anyone is invited to write in with a reply or a question about a Jewish topic. This month, members were asked to weigh in on...

This month’s question: “How have you incorporated Judaism in your life when significant others (partners, children, or friends) have different levels of religious interest?”

From Anonymous:One big thing that’s helped us: Finding a few close friends in the synagogue, and celebrating Shabbat and holidays with them in our homes in ways we all enjoy.

One small thing that’s helped us: I’ve learned not to ask, “Do you want to come with me to [insert Jewish service or event]?” His answer is always no, I’m always disap-pointed, and we both feel bad. We’ve switched to per-centages. Very romantic, I know, but it moves us out of the binary, forces us to think about what’s most important in concrete terms. Him: “How do you feel about Rosh Hashanah this year? I’m 70-30 about not going–that’s going to be a hard work week for me.” Me: “My sister is coming with me and the kids, so I’m 50-50, so skip it. But I’m 80-20 about you coming to Kol Nidre with us this year.” Him: “Okay, good. I’ll come to Kol Nidre.”

For those who haven’t yet closed the deal on their life partners: Once I found my partner and realized that I wouldn’t have the full Jewish family life I had always imagined, my wise grandma encouraged me to think what Jewish things I couldn’t live without and be direct about it with my prospective fiancé. After a lot of effort try-ing to honestly conjure the feelings of future me, I asked him if he would be ok with circumsizing any son(s) we might have, and supporting me in making our kid(s) go to Hebrew school all the way through their bar/bat mitzvah. He said yes, but that he didn’t want to go with me to ser-vices regularly. I reported his answer to my grandma and she said: “That’s good enough, marry him. All the work to make a Jewish home is going to fall to you. But he is a very good one.” She, of course, was right on all counts.

Knowing in advance has, I think, helped minimize unrea-sonable expectations and marital resentment.

From Lara Fowler:I grew up in a non-observant but very culturally Jewish household. We were proud to be Jewish, but for my fam-ily, that meant Yiddish, bagels, and Funny Girl. Holidays were limited to Hanukkah, and a seder if someone else was having one. But I always wanted more. My parents were very supportive of my Jewish interest from the beginning, sending me to Midrasha and Jewish summer camps, but they didn’t really understand why I was so interested in it. As an observant adult, I’ve always felt slightly behind those who grew up in observant house-holds, but I try not to let it bother me. Everyone comes to Judaism from a different place, and for me, my obser-vance is at once a connection to my heritage and a mark of my individuality. Though my family doesn’t often come to shul with me, we celebrate Hanukkah together and still go to the seders of family friends. Being Jewish can mean plenty of different things, and differing levels of religious interest within a family simply means every-one is an individual.

Lara Fowler teaches middle school and high school at a one-on-one school in Walnut Creek. She’s a relatively new member at TBA but has been coming to services here for the past 7 years.

“Ask a Mamaleh and a Papaleh”Submit your questions about a Jewish dilemma you are facing. We may pose it to the TBA community so they can help you with their collective wisdom.

Question: “What is a simple Jewish ritual that you fol-low or have adapted that amplifies your connection to Judiasm?”

Email your replies to omer@tbaoakland.org

The deadline for new questions or answers is 1/10/18.

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Sponsored by Women of TBA & Oakland Ruach Hadassah

ROSH CHODESH Monday, January 8

9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.The group meets monthly on the Monday closest to

Rosh Chodesh and are facilitated by group members.Questions? Amy Tessler at abtessler@comcast.net or (510) 482-1218 for the upcoming meeting locations.

FREE. All East Bay women are invited to join.

Get Outdoors with Women of TBAWOODSY WALKS:

Sunday, January 21Meet at 9:15 a.m.

at Skyline Gate, Redwood Reginal ParkThis month we will venture to see where the ladybirds

winter in Redwood Regional Park.

Bring your dog, your family, or just yourselves. Wear comfortable shoes, dress in layers, and

remember your water bottle.Questions: Ann Rapson

(cell) 510-612-2304 (email) agrapson@yahoo.com.

Newcomer refugees begin againBy Nora Morton“You are safe now,” my supervisor gently says to our newest client—a young refugee with curly hair wear-ing jeans, a t-shirt, and blue wool coat. Her soft brown eyes looked relieved when she heard those words–you are safe. After a moment of silence, she quietly replies, “Thank you.” My supervisor and I give her a warm hug before she leaves our office to continue her orientation.

Her story is similar to the other refugees that come through our office at Jewish Family and Community Services East Bay (JFCS East Bay). Fleeing imminent danger, and often death threats, refugees leave everything behind—family, homes, and jobs—to begin again in the United States. Our case managers meet them the day after they arrive in the United States and begin providing them with resettlement services. The first 90 days, JFCS East Bay provides housing support, surrounds them with a support system of volunteers, assists with benefit enroll-ment, ESL classes, health navigation, employment search, on-site therapy, and often continued case management and volunteer services.

Prior to my work at JFCS East Bay, I had very little contact with refugees, but the experience had a profound impact on how I viewed the world. In 2003 the Iraq War had just begun, and the first group of Iraqi refugees was released from quarantine at a camp in Hungary. Those of us who were American in our volunteer group feared that we would not be welcomed in the camp. Not only were we of a different religion, but we were also bombing their country. One family in particular invited us into their

WOMEN OF TBA

cont. on page 7

Storage room at JFCS.

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MEN’S CLUBMen’s Club activities can be a “breath of fresh air”By Robert DebareGrowing up, my favorite hobbies included board games, watching sports, playing softball, and (my favorite) play-ing poker with my high school friends. Once graduate school started, I pretty much gave that all up (except for watching sports). A new career and a new city and even-tually a new family didn’t leave time for old hobbies.

It was a fundraiser I bought into at the Gan/Bet Sefer school auction that was my first California poker game, and that turned into the Men’s Club’s bimonthly poker fundraiser. I enjoyed these so much, that when asked to join the Men’s Club Board and help with the event, I agreed. With all the challenges and problems in our world, to be part of an organization whose goal is simply to promote and enhance the TBA community experience has been to me both an honor and a breath of fresh air.

I have fond memories of (about 5 years ago) going to a Men’s Club Family Game Night hosted by Eric Friedman, so three years ago I used my position on the Men’s Club Board to put together another (smaller) game night. The people who came had a great time, and for the last three years we have done this on MLK weekend. This year, so that we can still play Boggle with Karen Bloom, the event is moved to Sunday January 28, 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

As with all activities (except one – more about that below) sponsored by the Men’s Club, the entire TBA community is welcome. Having children from the ages of 5 up to 75 is part of what makes the evening special for me. I both learn new games (as some people bring their favorites) and teach people some of my favorite games, and meet new (to me, anyway) friends and connect with old friends. Please call me (510-882-6321) if you have any questions and to RSVP.

The following week is the annual Men’s Club Members Only (the one exception to everyone invited) Super Bowl Party at the Baum Center. A full year’s membership is only $36 (for the whole family) and you can join on the spot, so to me I feel everyone is still invited. Both the game night and the super bowl party are free, and spon-sored by your Men’s Club.

The Men’s Club also has events like Jewish Heritage Night with the A’s and Warriors, and bowling nights (Jews in Bad Shoes). We are proud to co-sponsor Erev-Xmas movie night, and Men’s Club Shabbat, Eggs-Mit-onion on Thanksgiving, and assist with events like the Gala.

We hope to see you soon at a Men’s Club event, and if you have been before but not in a while, please “begin again”. I am glad I did.

home—a small room with two bunk beds, a table, and hot plate. Even though the family had very little, they offered us coffee and something to eat. It did not matter who we were, or where we were from. Strangers had come to their door—to hear their story, share their heartache, and validate their experience.

Their future was filled with uncertainty, yet they expressed gratitude for the little they had—as do the refu-gees I continue to meet. Their generosity and kindness was touching and I was reminded on a deeper level that we are all human. At the core of life, we all long for: a safe place to live, enough food to feed our families, and the opportunity to connect with others and God.

JFCS East Bay is committed to welcoming the stranger, providing a safe haven, and remembering “we were once strangers in the land of Egypt.” I particularly love my work because of its commitment to refugee resettlement and ability to collaborate across boundaries to support the needs of our expanding multicultural community. As a volunteer service coordinator, I provide volunteers with opportunities; foster communication between individu-als and different cultures; and manage in-kind donations that help provide essential household items for newcomer refugees to begin again.

For more information and volunteer opportunities, please contact me at nmorton@jfcs-eastbay.org.

Nora, left, and coworkers at JFCS with items for newcomers.

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COMMUNITY - BEGIN AGAINContract Bridge – You never forget how to playBy Charles FeltmanBack as an undergraduate I learned the game of Contract Bridge. By the time I was in graduate school I even had a regular partner. We would even play in occasional serious Duplicate Bridge tournaments. But then I got involved in singing and folk dancing, leaving little time for Bridge. And as a result it was not until a few years ago that I began to play Bridge again.

I knew Ruth Kline (z’l) played Bridge Monday and Thursday mornings after Minyan. So when she passed on I visited her group to tell them why she was no longer playing. That day by chance they had only three players and were waiting for a required fourth. Since they were short a player I decided to be sociable despite no recent play. To my great surprise the subtleties of this game returned quite rapidly that day.

I am now one of the regular players after Minyan on Mondays and Thursdays. And the number of players has grown so there are usually a dozen or more of us.

Begin Again through artBy Booker HoltonI view my paintings as stepping-stones on the path of my reinvigorated lifelong passion for the visual arts, including my interpretation of imagined realism as well as abstrac-tionism. For many years, because of professional career choices, this passion, although alive, was nonetheless dor-mant. Slowly, this passion became unleashed, truly a new beginning.

I first fell in love with art as a child growing up in Connecticut. My wise parents, although supportive in many ways, nevertheless, suggested that I would never make much money or have a successful career as an artist. They urged me to pursue the sciences instead. I studied biology and earth sciences in Connecticut, eventually migrating to California where I was awarded my Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of California, Davis. I retired a few years ago as an environmental scientist, environmental consultant and business leader. That career, inspired by my parent’s thoughtful urging, was fulfilling and successful, but it postponed my artistic pursuit for a long time. Now, thanks to Hashem, I don’t have to worry about a career. I am happy to say that I have reached the wonderful status of a “starving” artist!

I am also grateful to contribute in any way to my supportive Temple Beth Abraham (TBA) community. My wife, Elaine, and I have been members for nearly 10 years. I have had the privilege of serving on the TBA Board, participating in the TBA Gala, and being in the company of a rich, welcoming and diverse family of fellow congregants. For this, I am grateful. In many ways, each day is a begin-ning, not only in terms of diurnal changes, but also in the renewing, daily commitment to mitzvot and tikkun olam.

About the Cover ArtThis image was part of my attempt to deal with my obsession over the Hebrew letter Aleph, the silent beginning of words. As is the start of our communication, the Aleph only takes on sound when we start to breath the sounds of our beginning word. To me, Aleph takes on a “sound-life” much as our existence gets defined by what we do, our actions, our “sounds “of life. The image that I attempted to convey in my painting was the beginning of light from darkness, the beginning construction of our universe and lives from isolated bricks of time, and the articulation of our continued responsibility to sustain the beginning process of creation through the juxtaposition of Aleph, our words and deeds.

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GALA GOURMET

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COOKING CORNERCookbooks for the New Year By Faith KramerHappy New Year!

To celebrate I’m cracking open a few Jewish cookbooks I haven’t featured here in the Omer. Since my theme this year is Shabbat, all the recipes I’m featuring would work well in a Friday night dinner.

First up is the oldest cookbook in this bunch, The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook: Garden-Fresh Recipes Rediscovered and Adapted for Today’s Kitchen by Fania Lewando. The book was first published in 1938 and was translated from the Yiddish and the recipes reworked by my friend Eve Jachnowitz. Lewando ran a popular vegetarian restaurant in Vilna, Lithuania. She was killed by the Nazis in World War II. Her book was rediscov-ered in 1995 and revamped and translated a few years ago. It is published by Schocken. The book is filled with Lewando’s imaginative takes on traditional Jewish and Lithuanian dishes, including this diary Cauliflower and

Carrot Kugel which is meant as a main course but I think it would also make an intriguing dessert. Try making it with a non-dairy milk and margarine for a parve dish.

Because of my column in the j I have the opportunity to read lots of different Jewish-themed cookbooks. One that I haven’t had a chance to feature yet is Amy Stopnicki’s Kosher Taste: Plan, Prepare, Plate (Feidheim). When I was researching recipes for this column I thought her kale salad would be a winner for Shabbat dinner.

Miriam Pascal, a veteran food writer and cookbook author, published Real Life Kosher Cooking: Family-Friendly Recipes for Every Day and Special Occasions (Artscroll) just this past October. The book has been incredibly popular, becoming an Amazon best seller despite its niche category and is now in a second print-ing. I haven’t had much of a chance to cook out of it yet, but since I love a good meatball dish (I once wanted to write a meatball cookbook), I couldn’t resist her Sesame Meatballs.

THE VILNA VEGETARIAN’S CAULIFLOWER AND CARROT KUGELServes 12

This recipe makes a lot. A half recipe (made in an 8” x 12” pan) worked beautifully. I also greased the baking pan with additional butter, which was not specified in the cookbook. If the candied orange peel is not available use 2 Tbs. finely chopped orange zest.

1 1/4 cup butter, divided4 lbs. (about 16 medium large) carrots1 1/2 lb. cauliflower, cooked and pureed1/2 cup bread crumbs3/4 cup raisins1 tart, crisp apple, cut into 1/4” pieces2 Tbs. sliced almonds

1/4 tsp. almond extract2 Tbs. chopped candied orange peel6 Tbs. sugar, divided6 Tbs. flour, divided2 eggs3/4 tsp. salt, divided1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil or steam the carrots until cooked but not mushy. While they are cooking make filling. Melt 3/4 cup butter. Mix pureed cauliflower with bread crumbs, raisins, apple, almonds, extract, orange peel, 3 Tbs. sugar and 5 Tbs. flour, eggs and melted but-ter. Stir until well combined. Drain and cool carrots. Slice into 1/4” rounds and lay out half on bottom of an 11” x 17” pan. Spread filling evenly over carrots. Top with a layer of remaining carrots. Dot with 1/2 cup but-ter, sprinkle with 3 Tbs. sugar and 1/4 tsp. salt. Mix milk with 1 Tbs. flour and pour over top. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour.

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COOKING CORNERKOSHER TASTE’S KALE SALAD

Serves 6-8

When making a fresh kale salad, it’s important to let the dressing break down the kale. Stopnicki does this by marinating the greens. Since I’m not a big canola oil fan, I used grapeseed oil in the dressing, but any neutral-tasting oil will work. Grated carrots and broccoli stalks are often available in the produce section if you’d like to save prep time.

5-6 cups fresh kale (green or purple), broken into 1”-2” pieces (hard stems discarded)

1/2 cup grated carrots1 cup grated broccoli stalks1/2 cup dried cranberries1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds 1/4 canola oil1/4 rice vinegar (unseasoned – plain)2 tsp. sugar2 Tbs. honey mustardSalt, to tasteGround black pepper, to taste

Combine kale, carrots, broccoli and cranberries in a large bowl. In a small jar, mix oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir or seal and shake well. Pour over greens. Mix well. Let sit 20 minutes before serving topped with almonds ad pumpkin seeds.

REAL LIFE KOSHER COOKING’S SESAME MEATBALLSMakes 6 Servings

I like these over rice or couscous to soak up the sauce. To make ahead, freeze in airtight container. To serve as an appetizer form the mixture into smaller meatballs and reduce the simmering time by a few minutes.

2 lbs. ground beef1 egg1 tsp. plus 2 Tbs. soy sauce1 tsp. kosher salt1 tsp. plus 1 tsp. garlic powder2 Tbs. bread crumbs2 Tbs. plus 3 Tbs. sesame seeds

2 Tbs. oil3/4 cup ketchup1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth or water2 Tbs. rice vinegar (plain – unseasoned)1 Tbs. toasted (Asian) sesame oil2 Tbs. honey1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Place beef, egg, 1 Tsp. soy sauce, salt, 1 tsp. garlic powder, bread crumbs and 2 Tbs. sesa-me seeds in a large bowl. Mix until combined. Form into 1” balls. Heat oil over high heat in large, deep frying pan. Working in batches, brown meatballs about 2 minutes per side. Pour off any fats or liquids from pan. Remove from heat until sauce is ready.

In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup, broth, remaining soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, remaining garlic powder, ginger and remaining sesame seeds. Return meatballs to

burner over high heat. Pour sauce over meatballs and gently stir to coat. Cover. Cook over high heat until sauce is bubbling. Reduce heat. Simmer for 15-20 min-utes until meatballs are cooked through.

If you are interested in any of these cookbooks, I hope you will consider buy-ing them from your pre-ferred local independent book store or from Afikomen, the Berkeley Judaica shop.

Faith Kramer writes a food col-umn for the j, The Jewish News of Northern California, and blogs her food at www.clickblogappetit.com. Contact her at fjkramer@msn.com

12

GAN AVRAHAM PRESCHOOLEvery FridayBy Jill Rosenthal and Marta MolinaEvery Friday, Gan Avraham prepares for Shabbat – with music and challah-making. It’s been an amazing Fall and we are moving full throt-tle towards Winter Break. We’re look-ing forward to Begin Again in January!

13

BET SEFER

Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank YouMany greasy thank yous to our fabulous crew of latke makers who made over 900 latkes for our Bet Sefer Hanukkah parties and Kindergym families. What a delightful, oily group of generous people. Thank you to Marni Kottle, Jonathan Gordon, Jeff Gutkin, Daniel Jaffe, Dawn Margolin, Aaron Goldberg, Stacy Margolin, Mala Johnson, Shana Rigelhaupt, Treya Weintraub and Joshua Polston. And undying gratitude to Mary Odenheimer who for more years that I can remember (certainly more than the 14 years I have been director) has been buying the potatoes, eggs, onions, and matza meal, has lugged them into the kitchen, and has worked tirelessly every year to perfect our recipe. We tweak every year and they are always delicious. Todah Rabah!

Barriers to learning and participating in ritualsBy Susan SimonOne of the many things that I love about Judaism is that so many rituals, celebrations, meals, and events are home based or based outside of the walls of the synagogue. You don’t need an intermediary to say a blessing for you. You don’t need a rabbi to hang up your mezuzah. You can bake a challah from a recipe and purchase most ritual objects at Afikomen right here in Oakland. It’s not hard to find all of the prayers and blessings transliterated (we have them in Rabbi Bloom’s Shirat Avraham Siddur that we use every Shabbat). And almost any melody for com-mon things can be found online or on my website.

And yet I know that there are many people who don’t perform or participate in Jewish rituals. What holds them/you back?

Is it the language barrier? It could very well be a big fac-tor. For those of you who feel that way, does the trans-literation help? Would more sound files help so you can hear the blessing or prayer being recited?

Is it a barrier to you that you feel you might be doing something wrong? Do you feel that other people would judge how you were doing something? Do you feel like a fraud in doing a ritual that you are unsure of? Are you ambivalent about the ritual because you don’t completely understand it?

Ideally, all Jewish people should feel comfortable per-forming and participating in rituals. That’s part of what makes a person feel like they belong in a community – knowing how things are done, understanding the customs, feeling competent. When someone doesn’t have that knowledge or those skills it can lead to feeling like an outsider. And when someone feels outside of the commu-nity, it is hard to motivate them to participate which can lead to further alienation.

We know from the children in our community that the ones who are the most connected and the most knowl-edgeable are the children whose parents participate the

most in our programming. Parents who bring their chil-dren to youth services have children most knowledgeable about the service. Parents who attend TBA functions like the auction and Gala are communicating to their children that the synagogue is a valuable and important part of their lives. Families that attend events like dinner classes at Bet Sefer and our Share A Shabbats show their children that going to Bet Sefer isn’t just for the children but is a valued and important part of being Jewish. And parents who volunteer in the schools or general events make a particularly strong impact on their children.

Yet how can we overcome those “everyone knows every-thing but me” barriers to participation? I have a few sug-gestions.

Is there something you don’t know about or don’t know how to do? Email me (susan@tbaoakland.org). I’m happy to teach you what I know and look up what I don’t know. Nothing to be embarrassed about – there are tons of things I don’t know or have forgotten – we can learn together.

Want practice performing rituals? Let me know what you are interested in – I can provide resources and maybe we could get a few people together to practice.

Have many questions on a variety of subjects? Email me – we are considering an Ask the Rabbi session but I want to see how much interest there is before scheduling an event. If we get a dozen people or so we’ll get something on the calendar.

It’s never too late to learn to sing blessings and prayers. You can check out my website that has dozens of prayers chanted pretty slowly. www.tropatopia.com It is open to the public and has many of the Shabbat evening and morning prayers as well as some other information.

Struggling with Hebrew after having learned earlier in your life? Email me and we’ll try to put together a group of people who need some structure for practice. Practice makes perfect, or at least, much better and we can do that together.

cont. on page 15

14

LIFE CYCLESB’

nai M

itzva

h Sarah Alice Michels, January 13, 2018I am 13 years old, and I am a reluctant 7th grader at Orinda Intermediate School. I have been preparing for my Bat Mitzvah for about a year. I started my Jewish education in kindergarten, when I began to attend Contra Costa Jewish Day School. I went to CCJDS for six years. In my free time, I enjoy playing softball, riding hors-es, and acting in the theater. I also enjoy reading books (like The Hunger Games and Paper Towns) and watching TV (like Riverdale and The Arrow).

My portion is Vaera from the Book of Exodus. It is about the ten plagues. I will be discussing the choices between good and evil and why innocent people must suffer, both in biblical times and in our world today. I will also be talking about how people are respon-sible for their leaders.

I hope to see you at my Bat Mitzvah on January 13.

Ruby Sadikman, January 27, 2018Hello, my name is Ruby Sadikman and I’m in 7th grade at Contra Costa Jewish Day School. I enjoy playing guitar, skiing with my family and spending a month each summer at Camp Ramah in Ojai. I also like playing soccer, hanging out with my sisters, Ella and Lilah, and laughing at my own bad jokes. My favorite subject in school is English because I really like writing and thinking cre-atively. I also love lunch time, because food.

My torah portion is Beshalach in the Book of Shemot (?). It’s about the splitting of the Red Sea during the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and the people crossing the sea and celebrating free-dom with songs and music led by Miriam. The reading ends with the Jews complaining about the lack of food and their immense hunger. My drash will focus on Miriam’s leadership and how this relates to feminism today. For example, when she led the Israelites in celebration after they escaped Pharoah’s grasp, she demonstrated the power of women to create community and inspire faith.

To hear more, please join me and family at my Bat Mitzvah on January 27, 2018!

Bayla Polston, February 3, 2018I am 13 years old and in the 7th grade. I started going to Bet Sefer in 5th grade. I have made many new friends at TBA. Also, for the past 7 years I have been going to sleep away camp. I now go to Camp Ramah in Northern California and I love it. I attend Claremont Middle School, and my two favorite subjects are History and P.E.

I play a lot of sports. I play volleyball, run track, swim, and run cross country. I love to sing and I play guitar and ukulele. I have two amazing siblings, an older brother and a younger sister. I love food and cooking!

My torah portion is called Yitro, a chapter in the book of Exodus, which focuses on the Ten Commandments.

Hope to see you at my Bat Mitzvah on February 3!

15

I learned a valuable lesson quite a few years ago right here at TBA. An older woman joined our community. We know that the easiest way to feel like an insider is to have young children help you make friends. But this woman was long past having children and was single. Rather than just joining and feeling badly that she didn’t know anyone, she did something that I thought was remark-able. She joined every single committee and group that she could. She became active in our women’s groups and attended every activity we sponsored. Within no time she was a genuine insider. I was in awe as I still can’t picture myself doing those things! What I didn’t know at the

time was that she wasn’t all that knowledgeable about Judaism. But she participated and learned and became an active member of the TBA family. She put herself out there with her whole heart.

No one likes to feel like they don’t know what is going on or how to do something. And it feels awkward to take on new practices and rituals. But a little repetition and help from others goes a long way toward feeling more like you are capable and belong. Take that step to increase your learning and competence. Let me know that you want to attend an “Ask the Rabbi” session or want some help from me. Be a role model to others, be active, be involved. Your community needs you!

CONTINUEDS

A Legacy Gift Lasts ForeverInclude TBA in your Estate Planning so that your message to your family is loud and clear:

“The existence of Temple Beth Abraham is important to me and for the future of Jews in Oakland.”Contact TBA’s Executive Director Rayna Arnold for further details

(510) 832-0936 or rayna@tbaoakland.org.

Welcome New Members Seth & Abi EcksteinMichael Roman

Welcome Returning MembersJoel Mendelson & Irene Shoikhet, Son Oscar

Bet Sefer column, cont. from page 7

A Note to New Members: We would like to introduce you to the TBA community in an upcoming newsletter. Please send a short introduction of you and your family, with a digital photo, to omer@tbaoakland.org. Thanks!

For the first time, I saw “strength” or “might” as grit, determination and perseverance. And if we translated m’od incorrectly as “very, isn’t that some form of per-severance, sticking to something? Loving God with my heart is reminiscent of to me of normal human love. Going a bit deeper, loving God with all of my soul could be seen as a higher level of love, a more internal part of me that isn’t as exposed to the world. Loving God with all my might? Perhaps that’s the kind of really dif-ficult love that we have to muster in the face of grief and despair. Maybe that’s the kind we have to try for when fulfilling God’s commandments that might be supremely difficult.

In response to my explanation my relative said “… it seems Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and do it very much. Very much could be with

emphasis, or often, or a lot, or as you offer, with persis-tence. If heart is everything about me that is touchable (hardware) and soul is everything about me that is not touchable (software) then perhaps the phrase means, Love the Lord your God with all of yourself, and do so com-pletely.”

So his new translation is Hear O Israel the Lord is One and should be worshipped with all of yourself to the full-est extent.

I responded by admiring his conclusions. Love the one God the very best you can at any particular moment of your life. What that looks like is a horse of a different color. If you believe in tikkun olam (repairing the world), then it might look like acts of loving kindness (g’milut chasadim). And if you fall short as we all do, you try again and again until you stop breathing. Maybe that’s the ultimate meaning of m’od after all.

Pinky column, cont. from page 3

16

LIFE CYCLES

Is your birthday information wrong or missing from this list? Please contact the TBA office to make corrections.

Mazel Tov to: Mazel Tov to Ben and Amber Hyman on the birth of their daughter Eliya

January Birthdays

JANUARY 1 - 5Jason FinkelsteinNina HausmanTilie Selvidge

Roxanne WindlerMidori AntebiMicah BloomPhilip MezeyAriana RukinAdam Singer

Avria Ben-ZeevJudah EliahuSimon JacobsTal Yoel Kind

Samuel J. Tobin

JANUARY 6 - 12Gabriel AbramiChiara CroninAvi MargolinJames Rose

Adam GildeaAliza Grayevsky Somekh

Aden GoldbergMartin StoneLinda Gordon

Andrea KneelandMelanie LaMar

Stein MasonCharlotte Ragones

Lisa SilbersteinDaniel Silberstein

Sarah MichelsJonah MooreMiriam GouldSuzanne KleinJacob Zatkin

JANUARY 13 - 19Gene KaufmanSophia ShareSydney Shub

David WeintraubSonia AronsonAdiel AvidorDaniel Elitzer

Daniela Simone GoldfeinErin Hodess

Janice Lasar FrankelMaya Levinsohn

Ari LipsettDeborah RebackShana Rigelhaupt

Patricia AdlerAriel Ben-Zeev

Rabbi Andrea BerlinJana Good

Gabriella ZakTami BenauJeanne KornBryna Ross

Aviva KellmanHarvey Varga

Sabrina Berdux CohenErica Friedman

Lilliana KayYael Kelley

Sandra SimonOceane Winikoff

JANUARY 20 - 26Judah Solomon Chabon

Ellie GertlerSimon Gertler

Richard KauffmanEzra Tobias Schwartz

Sylvia Gutkin

Adam KleinCurtis Schacker

Ilya VargaMichael BurgeNoah Garber

Marvin SchotlandDina Rose Zangwill

Jonah AbramiRobert DeBare

Michael WassermanEli Friesen

Hannah KleinDaniel Wasserman

Daniel WindlerSarah Antebi

Maxwell GoldstonePenny Harris

Eric Leve

JANUARY 27 - 31Eli Baum

Lawrence PolonRuby Sadikman

Camelia SchwartzGabriela Turner

Lillian Calahan KleinElisabeth Schleuning

Hannah SumnerAven Vergano Egan

Leorah ZangwillNatalie HagarDina Hankin

Garrett SchwartzKaren BloomJay Goldman

Sophia PosamentierOren Micah SchotlandMax Berk-Wakeman

Asa GoldbergMadeline Stanley

17

LIFE CYCLES

May God comfort you among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem

Edith Tabak, Mother of Lisa Tabak (Jeff Lipsett)Lola KahaneMona Scharff, Mother of David Scharff (Gizelle Barany)

Edythe Goodwin, Mother of David (Stella) Goodwin Herman Pencovic, Husband of Agnes Pencovic

Recent Deaths in Our Community

January Yahrziets

14 - 18 TEVETJanuary 1 - 5

Arthur BravermanMary Brisky

Alan GreenbergCarolyn Sue Nightingale

Erna PikarskiPaula RotmanTom RotzscherRandy Diamant

Gitta Schneider ElulJoseph GusfieldBetty HollomanIrving KingstonLouis Rosenberg

Anna D. WeinsteinEugene WeissSam Barnett

Murray R. DavisEsther IsaacsonBecky SingerEthel Cohen

Howard CohenDavid HolemanJay MichaelsonDavid Biatch

Abraham S. CouzinBernard David Laytner

Edwin H. LeuinRochelle Mason

19 - 25 TEVETJanuary 6 - 12Raphael Benisty

Sydney GoldsteinBessie Ranzer

Charlotte ResnickMyra SencerDavid BluerFred Brasch

Donald BrauerLouis E Engleberg

Elias HerfieldBela J. Klarman

Lew MenkesJoseph Singerman

Ida CowanAlbert Eis

Minna EpsteinEdward Flick

Rheta GoldbergGussie GrossEvelyn HarrisLouis Jacobs

Abraham KreimermanDennis Polse

Moshe ShwekyJoel Irving Stein

Esther WallisEdith Worgold

Mollie BerkowitzIsadore LazarIrina PartsufJack BergerJoseph Gold

Irma GusfieldFrances King

Arthur J. LevineLeonard Quittman

Beth BelzerSheldon BerrolIgnatz JacobsRenate Kay

Jewel KoletskySarah RosenthalIsadore Rubin

Marion StoluskyMaurice C. Stone

Carl HirschMorris Silver

26 TEVET - 3 SHEVATJanuary 13 - 19

Bertha FrankelEdith Kurtz

Debbie A. NesbitMichael R. NesbitShirley SpillmanAnna WeintraubFrank GlasserMae GoldingLouis Judson

Caroline KaufmannEthel Louik

Leslie TurchinGertrude Zatkin

Sofica Becker Herscu MantelWilliam L. Stern

Herman Samuel HandloffDorothy Lavin

Juel Ephraim FassBenjamin Goor

Thomas Lee HastingsHarry KarshSamuel Kay

Eliezer NaharyElwood DavidsonHarriett KaplanMorris Kessler

William MandlerHarry Morofsky

Helen SiegelMorris Silberman

Rose CohenRon Joseph

Bertha RabinowitzMani Saidian

4 -10 SHEVATJanuary 20 - 26Alice Cunningham

Morris NankinEtta KushnerEly Langfeld

Esther SchulackLeo WassermanMildred KarrenNat KaufmanRobert Morris

Miriam NathansonBetsy Rosenberg

Howard RosenbergMatthew Seamans

Tom TurchinAlexander Dubrow

George ElberMaurice KernsMichael Levine

Rebecca ParkerMarcus ZaslovMargaret Ash

Rose FreyHelen Hankin

Celia VeissNathan YeszinRobert Dines

Ida FassStanley Levin

Grace Blue RossMalka Breslov

Victor Samuel CohenYetta Engleberg

Herbert GoldsteinRobert Kruger

Joe Zatkin

11 - 15 SHEVATJanuary 27 - 31

Sylvia KarshBetty Ray

Maurice TobinRuth ZielenzigerSarah Blumberg

Rae FineSarah Herskowitz

Mollie LaubMorris RothmanVictoria WindlerAubrey Broudy

Dora DavisJennie DicksonJoseph JacobsMoshe Naggar

Jean Kristal RubinShoshanah ShoshaniFanny Grey-Klein

David SaidianMattie Wachsman

Marion Newman WolfMary Leon

Harry H. LevineZelda Rosenfeld

18

DONATIONSCharity is equal in importance to all the other commandments combined.

Murray Davis Courtyard Project/Next Big Thing Building FundRenat EngelSandy & Dawn MargolinJessica SiegelBruce & Alicia von KugelgenAlden F. & Sabrina Berdux CohenJessica Dell’EraRenat EngelNoah & Carrie GarberJudith KlingerGary & Faith KramerDavid & Stephanie Mendelsohn, in

memory of Jack Garfinkle, Edward Bernard Glick, Saul Seltzer, Harry Nudler, Tom Rotzscher.

Jacqueline Palchik

Jack & Jeanette Jeger Kitchen FundNorman & Jo Budman, in loving memory

of Edith BudmanPeter & Helen Loewenstein, in honor of

Misia Nudler’s 90th birthday, love Peter, Helen, Mark, Kelly, and Devin Loewenstein

Misia Nudler, in memory of Jeanette Jeger

Bet Sefer Discretionary FundBarry Barnes & Samantha Spielman, in

honor of Susan Simon and her work with TBA kids

Noel Danto & Barbara Antebi, in honor of the B’nai Mitzvah of Galvin and Zach Fickes

Richard & Marilyn Dornhelm, in appreciation of the Simchat Torah readings by Aurora & Amalia Campbell

Misia Nudler, in memory of Miriam Nudler

Gan Avraham Discretionary FundGlenn & Amy Friedman, in memory of

my grandmother, Augusta WeinbergerGlenn & Amy Friedman, in memory of

Robert WallersteinMarvin & Wendy Siver, in honor of

Galvin and Zachary Fickes’ B’nai Mitzvah

High Holy Day Appeal - General FundJoseph Aamidor & Jodi LernerTimothy Barry & Jaime Rapaport BarryRonn Berrol & Joan KorinLeon & Judy BloomfieldDaniel & Anne BookinRaphael Breines & Rinat FriedAndy Campbell & Rachel DornhelmSusan CossetteMelissa DiamantRichard & Marilyn Dornhelm

Jason Edelstein & Leah Wagner-EdelsteinAvi & Patricia EliahuDan & Angela EngelCharles & Harriett FeltmanDan Finkelstein & Joanna BergJoel & Jueli GarfinkleAaron Goldberg & Amy GerardBen GoldstoneNeil Goteiner & Nadine JosephWarren & Outi GouldAllan GreenWard Hagar & Caroline HastingsPhilip & Dina HankinAriella Jessel & Emily GeaganJoseph Karwat & Stacy MonthAbraham Klein & Sofi HallRobert Klein & Doreen AlperJB Leibovitch & Judy ChunGabriel & Angela LevyJoseph & Eve MaidenbergDavid & Stephanie MendelsohnAdam & Diana MillerLarry Miller & Mary KellyJoseph & Sheila MillmanDan Oppenheimer & Sarah TunikDaniel Pincus & Deborah SchapiraDavid & Ann RapsonMax & Victoria RomanAllen & Ellen RubinCurtis & Adi SchackerJudy ShalevSandra SimonAaron & Rebecca SkilesBen Stiegler & Barbara GrossStephen & Amy TesslerAndres & Gabriela TurnerBruce & Alicia von KugelgenMadeline WeinsteinMartin White & Caryn LaiDaniel Windler & Andrea KneelandMichael & Natalya ZatkinRami & Daphne AlbertBrandon & Melissa BercovichRobert Edesess & Janet LaiEric & Tina EisenmanRenat EngelNorman Frankel & Janice Lasar FrankelStacy FrauwirthAlan Gellman & Arlene ZuckerbergDavid Goldstein & Sharon ShoshaniAndrew Gordon & Kerry DemmeLola KahaneJason Klein & Doree Jurow KleinJonathan Klein & Rebecca Calahan KleinJames Kleinmann & Lara GilmanChris Lehman & Lisa Greenberg

Dan & Amy MaidenbergElan & Roberta MasliyahGregory & Ruth MorrisSteven Pascal & Danna Gillette-PascalDrew & Kelsi PerttulaLarry & Deborah RebackJess & Shana RigelhauptDaryl & Bryna RossKlaus-Ullrich RotzscherTsutomu Satomi & Hildie SpritzerColin & Cecile SchlesingerGary Sherne & Sandra FruchtCindy SloanJason & Jeanne SwartzAndy & Marcia WassermanBenjamin & Jenette Woskow

High Holy Day Appeal - Endowment FundJoseph Aamidor & Jodi LernerRonn Berrol & Joan KorinLeon & Judy BloomfieldDaniel & Anne BookinRaphael Breines & Rinat FriedAndy Campbell & Rachel DornhelmSusan CossetteElinor DeKovenMelissa DiamantRichard & Marilyn DornhelmJason Edelstein & Leah Wagner-EdelsteinAvi & Patricia EliahuDan & Angela EngelCharles & Harriett FeltmanDan Finkelstein & Joanna BergJoel & Jueli GarfinkleAaron Goldberg & Amy GerardBen GoldstoneNeil Goteiner & Nadine JosephWarren & Outi GouldAllan GreenWard Hagar & Caroline HastingsPhilip & Dina HankinAriella Jessel & Emily GeaganJoseph Karwat & Stacy MonthAbraham Klein & Sofi HallRobert Klein & Doreen AlperJB Leibovitch & Judy ChunGabriel & Angela LevyJoseph & Eve MaidenbergDavid & Stephanie MendelsohnAdam & Diana MillerLarry Miller & Mary KellyJoseph & Sheila MillmanDan Oppenheimer & Sarah TunikDaniel Pincus & Deborah SchapiraDavid & Ann RapsonMax & Victoria Roman

19

DONATIONSAllen & Ellen RubinCurtis & Adi SchackerJudy ShalevSandra SimonAaron & Rebecca SkilesBen Stiegler & Barbara GrossStephen & Amy TesslerAndres & Gabriela TurnerBruce & Alicia von KugelgenMadeline WeinsteinMartin White & Caryn LaiDaniel Windler & Andrea KneelandRami & Daphne AlbertBrandon & Melissa BercovichRobert Edesess & Janet LaiEric & Tina EisenmanRenat EngelNorman Frankel & Janice Lasar FrankelDavid Goldstein & Sharon ShoshaniLola KahaneJason Klein & Doree Jurow KleinJonathan Klein & Rebecca Calahan KleinJames Kleinmann & Lara GilmanChris Lehman & Lisa GreenbergDan & Amy MaidenbergRobert Marshak & Judy KellyElan & Roberta MasliyahGregory & Ruth MorrisLen NathanSteven Pascal & Danna Gillette-PascalDrew & Kelsi PerttulaLarry & Deborah RebackJess & Shana RigelhauptDaryl & Bryna RossKlaus-Ullrich RotzscherTsutomu Satomi & Hildie SpritzerColin & Cecile SchlesingerGary Sherne & Sandra FruchtCindy SloanJason & Jeanne SwartzAndy & Marcia WassermanBenjamin & Jenette Woskow

Temple Beth Abraham General FundAudrey AdlerDiane Biglovsky, in memory of

Bill Biglovsky and Richard GutmannFleurine H. Brown, in honor of

Vera Zatkin’s 95th birthdayJoseph & Judith Epstein, in memory

of Rebecca EpsteinMichael & Dorothy Goldsmith, in

memory of Alice MendelFifi Goodfellow, in memory of Herb

Goodfellow and Raymond NaggarLouis & Lisa Goodman, in memory of

Herbert S. GoodmanMurray & Janet Gordon, in honor of

Vera Zatkin’s 95th birthday

Alfred & Gertrude Halpern, in honor of Vera Zatkin’s 95th birthday

Howard & Karen HertzRandall & Jan Kessler, in honor of

Vera Zatkin’s birthdaySeymour Kessler, in memory of

Hilda KesslerAdele Mendelsohn-Keinon & Irwin

Keinon, in honor of Misia Nudler’s birthday

Ilya & Regina Okh, in memory of my brother, Joseph Okh

Barry & Hana RotmanAllen & Ellen RubinMichael & Deborah Sosebee, in

memory of Edith TabakMark & Lori Spiegel, in memory of

our fathersDaniel Weiner & Lynn Gitomer, in

memory of Elaine Siegel, my auntDaniel Weiner & Lynn Gitomer, in

memory of Selma Gitomer, my great auntMadeline Weinstein, in memory of

Herman RothDavid & Treya Weintraub, in honor

of Noah Lindenbaum’s bar mitzvahDavid & Treya Weintraub, in honor of the

B’nai Mitzvah of Zachary and Galvin FickesDavid & Treya Weintraub, in honor of

the Bat Mitzvah of Zoe GrahamCheryl Zatkin-Steres, in memory of

Vicki Zatkin’s uncle Leon

Kiddush FundMichael Gelfand & Deborah Hoffman-

WadeAdele Mendelsohn-Keinon & Irwin

Keinon, in memory of Al Mendelsohn, from Adele and children

Steve Wolf & Ruth Jaeger, in honor of Misia Nudler’s 90th birthday

Minyan FundDaniel & Anne Bookin, in memory of

Sonia GreenbergMartin & Evelyn Hertz, in memory of

Paul HertzRobert Klein & Doreen Alper, in honor

of Felix BroachSheldon & Barbara Rothblatt, in

memory of Edith Tabak

Camper/Scholarship FundElinor DeKoven, in honor of the B’nai

Mitzvah of Galvin and Zach FickesElinor DeKoven, in honor of

Charles Feltman’s 75th birthdayElinor DeKoven, in honor of Misia Nudler’s

90th birthdayMisia Nudler, in honor of Vera Zatkin –

good luck in your new home, and happy special birthday!

Rabbi Discretionary FundMitchell & Jennifer Creinin, thank you to

Rabbi Bloom for a lovely holy day seasonDavid FreemanSari Grossman, in honor of Rabbi Mark

BloomHarvey & Lora Kass, in memory of

Harry NudlerJennifer McClellandKathleen Nelson, in honor of her

conversionSheldon & Barbara Rothblatt, in

memory of Rabbi Joel GoorAndy & Marcia Wasserman, in memory

of Ely LevisAndy & Marcia Wasserman, in memory

of Eve Levis

Cantor Discretionary FundAlan Gellman & Arlene Zuckerberg,

in memory of Robert ZuckerbergJonathan Kelner

Leonard Quittman Endowment FundFifi Goodfellow, in memory of

Esther NaggarFifi Goodfellow, in memory of

Yvonne Marcus and Isaac MarcusLarry Miller & Mary Kelly, in memory

of Idell WeissHerman & Agnes Pencovic, in honor

of Vera Zatkin on her 95th birthdayGarret & Helen Romain, in memory

of Max and Dorothy Levien

Herman Hertz Israel Scholarship FundJerrold & Anne Levine, in memory of

Charlene Eberhart

Mollie Hertz Interfaith Outreach FundGerald & Ruby Hertz, in memory of

Sam MorowHoward & Karen HertzDavid Steinberg

Leo and Helen Wasserman Educational/Cultural FundWilliam & Sharon Ellenburg, in

memory of June FleckMarc & Janet Wasserman, in memory

of Helen Wasserman

Pola Silver Teen Holocaust Education Trip FundMisia Nudler, in memory of Edes OlszakMisia Nudler, in memory of Gitman Olszak

20

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0:45

am

Sha

bbat

K

inde

rgym

– S

ocia

l Hal

l 6:

15pm

Kab

bala

t Sha

bbat

–

Cha

pel

Para

shat

She

mot

9:

30 a

m B

ar M

itzva

h of

N

atha

nial

Ilfe

ld –

San

ctua

ry

10:1

5 am

Sha

bbat

Mish

pach

a –

Gan

Gim

mel

Cla

ssro

om

10:1

5 am

T’fi

llat Y

’ladi

m –

C

hape

l

4:

47pm

Can

dle

light

ing

5:48

pm

Hav

dala

h (4

2 m

in)

7

(20

Teve

t) 8

(2

1 Te

vet)

9

(22

Teve

t) 10

(2

3 T

evet

) 11

(2

4 T

evet

) 12

(2

5 T

evet

) 13

(2

6 T

evet

)

10:0

0 am

Adu

lt Ed

with

Ken

C

ohen

: Pes

ach,

Sed

er &

the

Hag

gada

h –

Chap

el

12:3

0 pm

Haf

tara

h Tr

ope

clas

s

Gan

Avr

aham

resu

mes

8:

00 a

m M

inya

n fo

llow

ed b

y B

reak

fast

12:0

0 pm

Gan

Mee

ting

with

Pr

e-Sc

hool

Dire

ctor

s – A

trium

4:

00-6

:00

pm B

et S

efer

6:

15 p

m K

itah

Vav

Din

mer

cl

ass

9:30

am

Wee

kly

Text

Stu

dy a

t La

kesh

ore

Caf

e 10

:00

& 1

1:15

am

Kin

derg

ym

– So

cial

Hal

l 7:

00 p

m B

BY

O -

AZA

&

BB

G –

Bau

m Y

outh

Cen

ter

8:00

am

Min

yan

10:0

0 &

11:

15 a

m K

inde

rgym

4:

00 –

6:0

0 pm

Bet

Sef

er

7:00

pm

Gan

Pro

spec

tive

Pare

nts’

Mee

ting

7:00

pm

WTB

A G

irls N

ight

O

ut: C

anna

bis 1

01 –

Off

-site

9:30

& 1

0:45

am

Sha

bbat

K

inde

rgym

– S

ocia

l Hal

l 6:

15pm

Kab

bala

t Sha

bbat

–

Cha

pel

Para

shat

Va’

era

9:30

am

Bat

Mitz

vah

of S

arah

M

icae

ls– S

anct

uary

1:

00 p

m M

ah Jo

ngg

for A

ll –

Libr

ary

4:

54 p

m C

andl

e lig

htin

g 5:

55 p

m H

avda

lah

(42

min

)

14

(27

Tev

et)

15

(28

Tev

et)

16

(29

Tev

et)

17

(1 S

heva

t)

18

(2 S

heva

t)

19

(3 S

heva

t)

20

(4 S

heva

t)

10:0

0 am

Adu

lt Ed

with

Ken

C

ohen

: Pes

ach,

Sed

er &

the

Hag

gada

h –

Chap

el

10:0

0 am

& 3

:30

pm

Kin

derg

ym –

Soc

ial H

all

Gan

& O

ffic

e C

lose

d fo

r M

LK

, Jr.

Day

8:

00 a

m M

inya

n fo

llow

ed b

y B

reak

fast

4:

00-6

:00

pm B

et S

efer

9:30

am

Wee

kly

Text

Stu

dy a

t La

kesh

ore

Caf

e 10

:00

& 1

1:15

am

Kin

derg

ym

– So

cial

Hal

l 5:

30 p

m T

icho

n fo

r 8th

Gra

ders

– B

aum

You

th C

ente

r 7:

00 p

m B

BY

O-A

ZA &

BB

G

8:00

am

Min

yan

follo

wed

by

Bre

akfa

st 10

:00

& 1

1:15

am

Kin

derg

ym

4:00

– 6

:00

pm B

et S

efer

7:

00 p

m M

en’s

Clu

b Po

ker

Nig

ht –

Bau

m Y

outh

Cen

ter

7:00

pm

Wom

en’s

Med

itatio

n G

roup

– C

hape

l

NO

Kin

derg

ym

6:15

pm

Kab

bala

t Sha

bbat

- C

hape

l

Para

shat

Bo

9:30

am

Sha

bbat

Ser

vice

s –

Sanc

tuar

y 10

:15

am Ju

nior

Con

greg

atio

n –

Cha

pel

6:00

pm

Gal

a G

ourm

et –

So

cial

Hal

l

5:

01 p

m C

andl

e lig

htin

g 6:

02 p

m H

avda

lah

(42

min

.)

21

(5 S

heva

t)

22

(6 S

heva

t)

23

(7 S

heva

t)

24

(8 S

heva

t)

25

(9 S

heva

t)

26

(10

Shev

at)

27

(11

Seva

t)

9:15

am

WTB

A W

oods

y W

alk

10

:00

am A

dult

Ed w

ith K

en

Coh

en –

Cha

pel

12:3

0 pm

Haf

tara

h Tr

ope

clas

s w

/ Sus

an -

Libr

ary

8:00

am

Min

yan

follo

wed

by

Bre

akfa

st

4:00

-6:0

0 pm

Bet

Sef

er

7:00

pm

TB

A B

ook

Clu

b Th

e W

eigh

t of I

nk –

Off-

site

7:

30 p

m T

BA

Boa

rd

Mee

ting

- Cha

pel

9:30

am

Wee

kly

Text

Stu

dy a

t La

kesh

ore

Caf

e 10

:00

& 1

1:15

am

Kin

derg

ym

5:30

pm

Tic

hon

for 8

th

Gra

ders

– B

aum

You

th C

ente

r 7:

00 p

m B

BY

O-A

ZA &

BB

G

8:00

am

Min

yan

follo

wed

by

Bre

akfa

st 10

:00

& 1

1:15

am

Kin

derg

ym

– So

cial

Hal

l 4:

00-6

:00

pm B

et S

efer

9:30

& 1

0:45

am

Sha

bbat

K

inde

rgym

– S

ocia

l Hal

l 6:

15 p

m K

abba

lat S

habb

at -

Cha

pel

Para

shat

Bes

halla

h 9:

30 a

m B

at M

itzva

h of

Rub

y Sa

dikm

an -

Sanc

tuar

y

5:

09 p

m C

andl

e lig

htin

g 6:

10 p

m H

avda

lah

(42

min

.)

28

(12

Shev

at)

29

(13

Shev

at)

30

(14

Shev

at)

31

(15

Shev

at)

Tu

b’s

heva

t

10:0

0 am

Adu

lt Ed

with

Ken

C

ohen

– C

hape

l

10:0

0 am

& 3

:30

pm

Kin

derg

ym –

Soc

ial H

all

12:3

0 pm

Haf

tara

h Tr

ope

clas

s

5:00

pm

Men

’s C

lub

Ann

ual

Gam

e N

ight

for A

ll A

ges –

B

aum

You

th C

ente

r

8:00

am

Min

yan

follo

wed

by

Bre

akfa

st

4:00

-6:0

0 pm

Bet

Sef

er

9:30

am

Wee

kly

Text

Stu

dy a

t La

kesh

ore

Caf

e 10

:00

& 1

1:15

am

Kin

derg

ym

5:30

pm

8th G

rade

Tic

hon

- K

itche

n 6:

00 p

m 9

th G

rade

Tic

hon

6:

00 p

m C

onfir

mat

ion

– B

YC

7:

00 p

m B

BY

O-A

ZA &

BB

G

21

FEB

RU

AR

Y 2

018

16 S

HE

VA

T –

13

AD

AR

577

8 SU

ND

AY

M

ON

DA

Y

TU

ESD

AY

W

ED

NE

SDA

Y

TH

UR

SDA

Y

FRID

AY

SA

TU

RD

AY

1

(16

Shev

at)

2

(17

Shev

at)

3

(18

Shev

at)

8:00

am

Min

yan

follo

wed

by

Bre

akfa

st 10

:00

& 1

1:15

am

Kin

derg

ym

– So

cial

Hal

l 4:

00 –

6:0

0 B

et S

efer

7:

00 p

m W

TBA

Girl

s Nig

ht

Out

: Tu

B’s

hvat

Sed

er–B

aum

Y

outh

Cen

ter

9:30

& 1

0:45

am

Sha

bbat

K

inde

rgym

– S

ocia

l Hal

l 6:

15pm

Kab

bala

t Sha

bbat

–

Cha

pel

Para

shat

Vitr

o 9:

30 a

m B

at M

itzva

h of

Bay

la

Pols

ton

– Sa

nctu

ary

10:1

5 am

Sha

bbat

Mish

pach

a –

Gan

Gim

mel

Cla

ssro

om

10:1

5 am

T’fi

llat Y

’ladi

m –

C

hape

l 8t

h Gra

de S

hul-I

n

5:16

pm

Can

dle

light

ing

6:17

pm

Hav

dala

h (4

2 m

in)

4

(19

Shev

at)

5

(20

Shev

at)

6

(21

Shev

at)

7

(22

Shev

at)

8

(23

Shev

at)

9

(24

Shev

at)

10

(25

Shev

at)

10:0

0 am

Adu

lt Ed

with

Ken

C

ohen

: Pes

ach,

Sed

er &

the

Hag

gada

h –

Chap

el

8:00

am

Min

yan

follo

wed

by

Bre

akfa

st 4:

00 -

6:00

pm

Bet

Sef

er

9:30

am

Wee

kly

Text

Stu

dy a

t La

kesh

ore

Caf

é N

O K

inde

rgym

1:

15 p

m W

TBA

-spo

nsor

ed

Bin

go a

t Reu

tling

er H

ome

5:30

pm

8th G

rade

Tic

hon

6:

00 p

m 9

th G

rade

Tic

hon

6:00

pm

10t

h Gra

de

Con

firm

atio

n C

lass

7:

00 p

m B

BY

O -

AZA

&

BB

G –

Bau

m Y

outh

Cen

ter

8:00

am

Min

yan

NO

Kin

derg

ym

4:00

– 6

:00

pm B

et S

efer

6:

15 p

m K

itah

Zayi

n D

inne

r C

lass

NO

Kin

derg

ym

6:15

pm K

abba

lat S

habb

at –

C

hape

l

Para

shat

Mis

hpat

im

Shab

bat S

heka

lim

9:30

am

WTB

A S

habb

at

1:00

pm

Mah

Jong

g fo

r All

– Li

brar

y 5:

30 p

m G

an A

vrah

am S

hare

-A

-Sha

bbat

5:

24 p

m C

andl

e lig

htin

g 6:

25 p

m H

avda

lah

(42

min

)

11

(26

Shev

at)

12

(27

Shev

at)

13

(28

Shev

at)

14

(29

Shev

at)

15

(30

Shev

at)

16

(1 A

dar)

17

(2

Ada

r)

10:0

0 am

Adu

lt Ed

with

Ken

C

ohen

: Pes

ach,

Sed

er &

the

Hag

gada

h –

Chap

el

12:3

0 pm

Haf

tara

h Tr

ope

clas

s

8:00

am

Min

yan

follo

wed

by

Bre

akfa

st

4:00

-6:0

0 pm

Bet

Sef

er

6:15

pm

Kita

h D

alet

Din

ner

clas

s

9:30

am

Wee

kly

Text

Stu

dy a

t La

kesh

ore

Caf

e 10

:00

& 1

1:15

am

Kin

derg

ym

– So

cial

Hal

l 6:

00 p

m –

9th G

rade

Tic

hon

6:00

pm

10t

h Gra

de

Con

firm

atio

n C

lass

7:

00 p

m B

BY

O-A

ZA &

BB

G

8:00

am

Min

yan

follo

wed

by

Bre

akfa

st 10

:00

& 1

1:15

am

Kin

derg

ym

4:00

– 6

:00

pm B

et S

efer

9:30

& 1

0:45

am

Sha

bbat

K

inde

rgym

– S

ocia

l Hal

l 6:

15 p

m K

abba

lat S

habb

at -

Cha

pel

Para

shat

Ter

umah

9:

30 a

m S

habb

at S

ervi

ces –

Sa

nctu

ary

10:1

5 am

Juni

or C

ongr

egat

ion

– C

hape

l

5:

31 p

m C

andl

e lig

htin

g 6:

32 p

m H

avda

lah

(42

min

.)

18

(3 A

dar)

19

(4

Ada

r)

20

(5 A

dar)

21

(6

Ada

r)

22

(7 A

dar)

23

(8

Ada

r)

24

(9 A

dar)

9:

15 a

m W

TBA

Woo

dsy

Wal

k

10:0

0 am

Adu

lt Ed

with

Ken

C

ohen

– C

hape

l 10

:00

am &

3:3

0 pm

Sun

day

Kin

degy

m

12:3

0 pm

Haf

tara

h Tr

ope

clas

s

Gan

& O

ffic

e cl

osed

for

Pres

iden

t’s D

ay

8:00

am

Min

yan

follo

wed

by

Bre

akfa

st

NO

Bet

Sef

er

9:30

am

Wee

kly

Text

Stu

dy a

t La

kesh

ore

Caf

e 10

:00

& 1

1:15

am

Kin

derg

ym

NO

Tic

hon

for 8

th o

r 9th

Gra

ders

N

O C

onfir

mat

ion

Cla

ss

7:00

pm

BB

YO

-AZA

& B

BG

8:00

am

Min

yan

follo

wed

by

Bre

akfa

st 10

:00

& 1

1:15

am

Kin

derg

ym

– So

cial

Hal

l N

O B

et S

efer

7:

00 p

m W

omen

’s M

edita

tion

Gro

up -

Cha

pel

9:30

& 1

0:45

am

Sha

bbat

K

inde

rgym

– S

ocia

l Hal

l 6:

15 p

m K

abba

lat S

habb

at -

Cha

pel

Para

shat

Tet

zave

h Sh

abba

t Zac

hor

9:30

am

Bat

Mitz

vah

of Ir

ene

Mek

lin- S

anct

uary

5:

39 p

m C

andl

e lig

htin

g 6:

40 p

m H

avda

lah

(42

min

.)

25

(10

Ada

r)

26

(11

Ada

r)

27

(12

Ada

r)

28

(13

Ada

r)

8:

30 a

m M

ishl

oach

Man

ot

Ass

embl

y

9:00

am

Mis

hloa

ch M

anot

D

eliv

ery

begi

ns

8:00

am

Min

yan

follo

wed

by

Bre

akfa

st

4:00

-6:0

0 pm

Bet

Sef

er P

urim

C

arni

val

7:30

pm

TB

A B

oard

Mee

ting

9:30

am

Wee

kly

Text

Stu

dy a

t La

kesh

ore

Caf

e N

O K

inde

rgym

N

O e

veni

ng c

lass

es

6:15

pm

Roc

k n

Rol

l PU

RIM

`

PERIODICALS POSTAGE

P A I DOakland, CA

Permit No. 020299

Temple Beth Abraham327 MacArthur Boulevard

Oakland, CA 94610

It’s that time of year ... to go through your closets and donate any Lightly Used or new Coats, Blankets, Sweaters, Hats, Gloves, Warm Scarves

One Warm Coat DriveTemple Beth Abraham 327 MacArthur Blvd Oakland

Donations Barrels will be set up: Inside the Synagogue Foyer and Outside the Gan Avraham Office

December 15 2017 thru January 20 2018

Donated coats will be distributed by Project Outreach Inc. and the Alameda County Social Services.

All items will be donated to the local Oakland Community

Learn more: www.onewarmcoat.org