February 29, 2012 - Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills

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TEMPLE EMANUEL OF BEVERLY HILLS CLERGY Rabbi Laura Geller, Senior Rabbi Rabbi Jonathan Aaron, Senior Rabbi & Director of Education Cantor Yonah Kliger, Cantor Rabbi Sara Mason-Barkin, Assistant Rabbi Rabbi Meyer Heller, Rabbi Emeritus BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Dr. Elisa Newman White, Co-President Scott Shlecter, Co-President Joyce Levine, Co -Treasurer Brian Weinberg, Co-Treasurer Lisa Greer, Secretary Jeffrey Wolf, VP Legal Affairs Israel Eichenstein, VP Religious Activities Lewis Rudzki, VP Membership Diane Vanette, VP Programming Michael Weinman, VP Education & Youth Marcie Zelikow, VP Resource Development Sue Brucker, Immediate Past President Bruce Corwin, Chairman DIRECTORS Roger Brooks Amy Cohen Bruce Cole Victor Gold Joshua Goode Craig Karlan Myra Lurie Bonnie Nissenbaum Dr. Jack Quinn Lisa Rosenblatt Brian Rosenstein Mark Schwartz CONSTITUENT ORGANIZATIONS Barbara Bruser, Chair, Endowment Board of Trustees Brad Kesner, President, Men’s Club John Stone, Board of Regents Craig Karlan, Early Childhood Center Council Dayna Turcotte, Early Childhood Center Council Amy Cohen, Religious School Council Bonnie Nissenbaum, Religious School Council Ellie Trope, Parent Teacher Havurah John Stone Dayna Turcotte Gary Yale TEMPLE EMANUEL ADMINISTRATION Ellis Kirschenbaum, Executive Director Penelope Rosenberg, Assistant to the Executive Director Yoni Rosenberg, Director of Operations, Administration and Facilities Dan Gordon, Director of Information and Technology Tova Joffe Larsen, Director of Membership and Development Lynn Franklin, B’nai Mitzvah Coordinator Alex Fox, Clergy Assistant Katie Almaleh, Membership and Programing Assistant Liya Gorozhankina, Accounting Manager Shelley Blumenfeld, Accounts Receivable Associate Annie Levine, Communications Specialist Nattan Hollander, Graphic Designer Kevin McCarthy, Receptionist TEMPLE EMANUEL SCHOOLS Rabbi Sara Mason-Barkin, Congregational Educator and Director of Temple Emanuel Religious School Rabbi Jonathan Aaron, Interim Head of Temple Emanuel Academy Day School Stacy Kesner, Director of Temple Emanuel Early Childhood Center (ECC) Kelley Courtney, Religious School Offi ce Manager and Adult Education Coordinator Rachel Sternheim, Assistant Principal of Temple Emanuel Academy Day School Nichole Carlin, Temple Emanuel Academy Day School Director of Admissions Orly Akouka, Temple Emanuel Academy Day School Administrative Assistant Julie Ohana, ECC Offi ce Assistant Ronda Rose, Director, Kosofsky Library CONTENTS 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12-13 14 14 15 16-17 18-19 20-23 24 25 26-28 29-30 27 Presidents’ Perspective L'Shalom Rabbi's Refl ections Early Childhood Center & Baby Emanuel Temple Emanuel Academy Day School Religious School Family Retreat New Emanuel Campaign 5th Annual Beverly Hills Purim Ball B’nai Mitzvah Spirituality Retreats Social Justice Membership Matters Calendar of Events: January 2012 Calendar of Events: February 2012 Upcoming Events Purim at Temple Emanuel Upcoming Services Our Temple Family Contributions Pillar Members Our Vision At Temple Emanuel people find meaning and purpose in their lives and discover holiness through connection with Jewish tradition, with each other and with God. We open doors to Judaism that is alive, vibrant and joyful, with innovative prayer that warms souls, music that opens hearts, lifelong learning that challenges minds and a passion to repair the world. We honor each individual's unique Jewish journey at every stage of life as we celebrate our connection with the Reform movement, the Jewish people, Israel and the larger world.
Scott Shlecter Dr. Elisa Newman White sshlecter@gmail.com elsnwmn@aol.com By Scott Shlecter Just another Friday night... A week ago as I write this, our Temple had its monthly Shabbat Unplugged (December 2). We do this most every month. But to me, it was an extraordinary and inspiring event, and I would like to share some of the reasons why. The fi rst of many memorable moments was at dinner, when an long time member asked me why the service was called "Unplugged". I guess we sometimes take such things for granted. I explained that the term "Unplugged" comes from rock music, when concerts or recordings are done in acoustic rather than electric guitars, which creates a softer, more mellow rendition. As rock music becomes increasingly the domain of aging Baby Boomers, perhaps we should enshrine this bit of knowledge in our literature along the lines of Passover's Four Questions, so we can be sure of passing it L'dor V'dor - The inquisitive child asks... "Why is this service called Unplugged?" Not only are the guitars toned down, but we also create a softer, more mellow mood in our Sanctuary by lowering the lighting, as we do with our Ne'ilah service. I fi nd the atmosphere very conducive to moving my karma from the stress of the work week to the peace that Shabbat offers. Sharp eyed observers have pointed out to me that when we turn the Star Wars Light Sabers off (those vertical fl orescent lights on our western wall), it also unfortunately turns off the Menorah. This gives me the opportunity to thank Scott Stone, who has been serving tirelessly to see the project to completion. At the end of the service I made a point to thank and congratulate Scott on how beautiful the space was, but all the more so for the sacred moments that had taken place. Scott continues his work both to iron out this and other remaining glitches, as well as leading our Campaign Committee in imagining what the next phase of our facilities upgrading should be. In addition to the architectural beauty, the vibe was enhanced by having our Sanctuary fi lled almost to capacity. The Adler family was there in force, to begin the celebration of Jake becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Our Temple Board and families were also part of the crowd. More on the Board in a bit. And "the regulars shuffl ed in..." to borrow from aging rocker Billy Joel. Early in the service Sydney Turk Porter and Hale Porter were brought to the center of the circle, to receive a blessing for all the contributions they have made over the years to our congregation, as they move to the desert for their next life adventure. Sydney was for many years the godmother of our Caring Committee, which helps to organize visits to ill congregants and other acts of lovingkindness. Hale was a congregational leader in varying capacities for many years. Of course we are sad to see them leave, but due to the strong foundation Sydney leaves behind, the Caring Committee is now stronger than ever, with a recent meeting attended by 30 congregants eager to continue the good works. The service was also billed as the Board's installation. On one level, this occurrence was so late relative to when this Board actually began its term, its was perhaps almost silly (our term runs July to June, so we are nearly 50% through). Nevertheless, about 20 of our Board members were there, most with family and friends. At the designated time, we were invited up to the Bimah, where each of us briefl y introduced ourselves. The congregation read a paragraph calling us to service, we responded with a paragraph acknowledging our responsibility to care for our Temple, and the clergy completed the ceremony with a benediction. Even though I have been through this "exercise" a few times before, this one touched me (and I would bet the rest of us) in a stronger way, surrounded by a substantial representation of our community, and having almost all of the Board together. Along with our weekly announcements, we also handed out our Board Covenant. This is a one page document that enumerates all the things we ask of Board members. The clergy have guided us in the construction of this document over the past few years. Aside from derech eretz (maintaining ethical and responsible comportment), we ask quite a bit of our Board members in both time and money. The fact that 30 such capable members of our community have agreed to step up to this level of responsibility is remarkable, and is something our Temple is most fortunate to have. Selfl ess dedication to the Temple extends well beyond the Board, to dozens of other service committees - for our schools, our fundraising, greeters, and many other functional areas such as fi nance and membership. It would be impossible for our Temple to operate without the dedication of so many members of our congregation I'll conclude with a request of the congregation. All of us are both volunteers and only human. What all volunteers contribute of their time usually comes at the expense of professional, family or well earned personal downtime. Most Temples face ongoing challenges, and we are not immune. We always welcome your feedback when given constructively and lovingly. And if the opportunity arises, please thank your favorite Board member or volunteer for for their selfl ess dedication to our Temple and its sacred work. See you at the next Shabbat Unplugged or our other monthly musical service, Shabbat B'Yachad. TEMPLE TOPICS /// JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2012 (3)
Page 1: Temple T Emanuel of Beverly Hills L
Page 5 and 6: Music Talks By Rabbi Jonathan Aaron
Page 7 and 8: Teaching From Emanuel Day School De
Page 9 and 10: TEMPLE TOPICS /// JANUARY - FEBRUAR
Page 11 and 12: Please join us For the 5th Annual B
Page 13 and 14: Dylan Michelle Brenner February 18,
Page 15 and 16: Notes from Membership Committee Cha
Page 17 and 18: 5 Thursday Friday Saturday 10 Tevet
Page 19 and 20: 2 Thursday Friday Saturday 9 Shevat
Page 21 and 22: Intergenerational Production Auditi
Page 23 and 24: Shabbaton� March 23 and 24 Final
Page 25 and 26: SYNAPLEX� Friday, January 6 and F
Page 27 and 28: Mazel Tov to... Marnie Greenwald, w
Page 29 and 30: General Fund From Jamie and Lee Bro
Page 31 and 32: Tzadikim Erika & George Kobor Shery

February 29, 2012 - Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills

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