How We Use - Temple Beth Abraham

the Volume 31, Number 2

T E M P L E

B E T H

A B R A H A M

October 2011 Tishrei / Elul 5771-72

New Ways to

SCHMOOZE How We Use

Social Media

directory Temple Beth Abraham

Services Schedule

is proud to support the Conservative Movement by affiliating with The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Services/ Time

Advertising Policy: Anyone may sponsor an issue of The Omer and receive a dedication for their business 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. The Omer (USPS 020299) is published monthly except July and August by Congregation Beth Abraham, 336 Euclid Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610. 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. © 2010. Temple Beth Abraham. The Omer 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 ten issues per annum. It is sent as a requester publication and there is no paid distribution.

Location

Monday & Thursday Morning Minyan Chapel 8:00 a.m. Friday Evening (Kabbalat Shabbat) Chapel 6:15 p.m. Shabbat Morning Sanctuary 9:30 a.m.

Candle Lighting (Friday) October 7 October 14 October 21 October 28

6:26 p.m. 6:16 p.m. 6:05 p.m. 5:58 p.m.

Torah Portions (Saturday) October 1 October 8 October 15 October 22 October 29

Ha’Azinu Yom Kippur Hol Hamoed Sukkot Bereshit Noach

To view The Omer in color, visit www.tbaoakland.org. General INFORMATION

All phone numbers use (510) prefix unless otherwise noted. Mailing Address 336 Euclid Ave. Oakland, CA 94610 Hours M-Th: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Fr: 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Office Phone 832-0936 Office Fax 832-4930 E-Mail [email protected] Gan Avraham 763-7528 Bet Sefer 663-1683

STAFF Rabbi (ext. 213) Cantor (ext. 218) Gabai Executive Director (ext. 214) Office Coordinator (ext. 210) Bet Sefer Director (ext. 217) Gan Avraham Director (ext. 219)

Bookkeeper (ext. 215) Custodian (ext. 211) Kindergym/Toddler Program Volunteers (ext. 229)

Mark Bloom Richard Kaplan David Galant & Jay Goldman Rayna Arnold Virginia Tiger Susan Simon Ruth Morris Christine Tripod Joe Lewis Dawn Margolin 547-7726 Herman & Agnes Pencovic

OFFICERS President Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President Secretary Treasurer

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Bryan Schwartz 847-8079 Mark Fickes 652-8545 Steve Glaser 531-6384 Steve Grossman 834-3937 Laura Wildmann 601-9571 Flo Raskin 653-7947 Dan Finkelstein 428-2849

Committees & organizations

If you would like to contact the committee chairs, please contact the synagogue office for phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Adult Education Steve Glaser & Aaron Paul Chesed Warren Gould Development Steve Grossman & Flo Raskin Dues Evaluation Dan Finkelstein Endowment Fund Herman Pencovic Finance Dan Finkelstein Gan Avraham Parents Lauren Kaplan & Mala Johnson Gan Avraham School Committee Jenny Michaelson House Murray Davis Israel Affairs David Marinoff Membership Mark Fickes Men’s Club Phil Hankin Omer Lori Rosenthal Personnel Steve Glaser Public Relations Lisa Fernandez Ritual Eric Friedman Schools Laura Wildmann Social Action Jessica Dell’Era Torah Fund Anne Levine Web Site Jason Swartz Women of TBA Jeanne Korn Youth Steve Fankuchen

what’s happening

Shabbat Mishpacha a family service JOIN US FOR TOT SHABBAT

Saturday, October 1

Gather in the Sukkah to greet TBA’s new members for Kiddush following services.

10:15 a.m. in the Gan Kitah Gimmel classroom

Saturday, October 15

Special guest musician – Noam Birmbaum

Questions? Contact Rebecca Skiles at [email protected].

(across from the chapel)

This monthly service is geared towards children ages 2-6. We begin with songs, followed by an age-appropriate service and a story time inspired by Jewish holidays/themes or the Torah. Older siblings and grandparents are warmly welcomed!

DO A MITZVAH in the TBA Neighborhood

We have a light Kiddush following the service.

SHARE YOUR LOVE OF READING at Lakeview School

November 5, December 3, January 7

Volunteer just one hour a week to tutor a child at Lakeview School. Attend a free tutor training session:

Interested in leading the service? Playing music? Sharing a story? Or providing Kiddush? Contact Angela Engel at [email protected] or Lily Halem at [email protected].

300 Grand Avenue, Oakland To register, please visit www.jclread.org or call Ronna Kelly at (510) 834-2563, or the Jewish Coalition for Literacy at (415) 977-7414 x100.

Save the date for upcoming Shabbat Mishpacha services:

We need parent and grandparent participation!

Sunday, Oct. 16, 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Save the Date Second Annual Community

Release Renew Reconnect Reconcile Women of TBA - Women Connected Connecting in the New Year Sunday, October 16

Celebrating Your Joy in the Sukkah and in Life 9:30 a.m. welcome, 10:00 a.m. program in the TBA Sukkah , with guest speaker Rabbi Carol Caine Sukkot is traditionally called Ha Chag - The Chag and is the most joyous of all our biblical holidays. Our path to the new year begins with Tisha B’Av and ends with Sukkot. We have been on a journey of discovery and hopefully have gained some clarity about the direction we hope to take in the year to come. Our program will synthesize the insights gained during the process and season them with the joy of the holiday for application throughout the year. Join us in the TBA sukkah as we shake the lulav and share our joy. Your RSVP to Anne Levine at [email protected] or (510) 336-0565 will help us to prepare materials and food.

CHANUKAH SHUK ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR COME AND SHOP Saturday evening, December 10, 7:30 - 9:30pm Havdallah and Champagne Reception and Sunday, December 11 - 8:30 am - 4pm Shop ‘til you drop while supporting local Jewish artists and our synagogues!!

This year, shop at Temple Sinai 2808 Summit Street Oakland Hosted by and with artists from: Temple Beth Abraham and several other local Synagogues

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from the rabbi Facebook and the Talmud When one looks at a Talmud page one begins at the center with the Mishna (the oldest statements of law and argument) followed by the Gemara (commentary and digressions roughly based on the Mishna), and surrounded by various commentators throughout the centuries, including Rashi, his grandson, and others. There are also cross references to other texts and commentaries, leading you to all kinds of other source material. It’s a never ending sea of texts and lore on each page. When I look at a Facebook page or many other Internet pages, I often feel like I am looking at the 21st Century version of the Talmud. It’s people who may or may not know each other commenting, chatting, digressing, learning, teaching, and more. It’s also semi-permanent, as the comments stay up there for years to come (and in some cases forever). It’s a conversation across generations, time, and space, just like in the Talmud. I was one of the first rabbis on Facebook. I signed up to stay in touch with our teenagers. But I quickly enjoyed finding my college friends, best friends from elementary school, rabbinic colleagues, and more. We are now figuring out how to utilize it best as a resource and tool for the synagogue. Temple Beth Abraham has a Facebook page, but, apparently, it’s not the right type of page, so we will likely have to start all over and have everybody sign up again. Every so often I get asked if I believe that the internet and social networks will eliminate the need for synagogues. You can look up anything on the internet, or even participate in a virtual minyan. I believe the opposite is the case. First, I think things like Facebook and Twitter can stimulate interest in Judaism and synagogue life. More importantly, I believe the internet also means people long for actual human contact, and that includes real minyanim, not virtual one. And, hey, they can then tell people all about the real experiences on Facebook and Twitter! L’shalom, Rabbi Mark Bloom

Dear Friends, I would like to thank all of the wonderful people that donated to the Jeanette Jeger Kitchen Fund, as well as donations to other important TBA funds in honor of my 90th birthday. Achieving this milestone in my life was quite an achievement, especially after surviving the Holocaust. I am lucky to have so many good friends. Thank you for generosity, and your friendship. Love from, Jack Jeger 2

Remember to check the TBA website and email updates for information about latebreaking TBA events and activities. www.tbaoakland.org

Please Join Us for Morning Minyan on Mondays and Thursdays Join the regulars at our Minyan service, each Monday and Thursday 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 afterwards. 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.

president’s message How New Media Help the Oldest Religion By Bryan Schwartz, President

Perhaps the most famous Jewish traveler in history was “Benjamin of Tudela,” exploring between the years 1165 to 1173. A sort of Jewish Marco Polo – he traveled from Spain to visit Jewish populations in Rome, Greece (and Rhodes), Cyprus, ancient Turkey, Palestine, Syria, Baghdad, Persia, India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), China, Aden (a port at the end of the Arabian Peninsula), Egypt, and finally back through Sicily and Rome to Spain. I beat him. I traveled to Jewish communities in twice as many countries in the same amount of time. A major reason it was possible for me (and far less extraordinary than in the Twelfth Century): the Internet. Though I did much of my travel in the Internet’s early days, years before Facebook and Google reigned supreme, the Internet still made it possible for me to identify the world’s most isolated Jewish enclaves, read everything written about them, review maps and travel guides to figure out how to reach them, and, in some instances, contact community members – or, at least, shave away our degrees of separation. If I did the same travels today (not likely, with a young family and a need to be on the bima at TBA every Shabbat!), it would be even easier – I know that many of the Jewish leaders I traveled thousands of miles to meet are now part of the New World Order of Web 2.0. Through this shrinking Jewish world, from Oakland we can connect with Jewish communities which once had no connection to the rest of the Jewish world. This connection helps them survive, as Jews. By the same token, some of the world’s new Jewish frontiers, where Judaism is growing every year, with thousands of people finding their ancient Jewish roots, inspire us with their courage, enthusiasm, and spirit. Leaders like Shi Lei, who visited TBA from China earlier this year, and Rabbi Gershom Simozu, who frequently visits America to increase his Jewish learning and bring it back to his home community in Uganda, look at ancient traditions in new ways, and in sharing with us, help us grow our own Jewish practice. New Media make an impact even closer to home – actually, in my case, they are the reason for my home. I met my beloved wife Alicia on J-Date. I would like to believe that we would have met in any event, but I doubt it. We were in different social circles, living in totally different parts of the Washington, DC Metro area, attending different synagogues. J-Date, and other on-line dating sources, are perhaps our most powerful weapon in the battle against assimilation. And, they are not novel anymore. When Alicia and I were engaged in 2005, and went to our synagogue classes for engaged couples (essentially, “How to Stay Happily Married 101”), we learned that 16 of 18 Jewish couples in the class had met online. With every option and possibility in the world open to us, via the Internet, many Jews are using online dating to return, and to create their Jewish homes. Speaking of home, here at TBA, so many things are easier with the Internet than they were years ago. When Rabbi Bloom and I were BBYO leaders, we had to communicate about events with members using phone trees. I doubt if our social action, adult education, and many other special programs would be thriving as they are at TBA without TBA’s list-serves and the ability to talk to fellow members conveniently, at all hours, by email. In conclusion, I am no Benjamin of Tudela. But, I began to appreciate deeply our thriving Oakland Jewish community when I realized, visiting some isolated Jewish communities the Internet brought closer, how many opportunities we have here that I might have otherwise taken for granted.

TBA’s High Holiday Food Drive Please support the Alameda County Community Food Bank by donating non-perishable food items during the High Holy Days, from Rosh Hashanah to Sukkot and help make a difference. Bags will be distributed during Rosh Hashanah. Just return your bags during the High Holy Days, as early as Rosh Hashanah or as late as Sukkot. Donations will be accepted at 327 MacArthur Boulevard or 336 Euclid Avenue. 3

editor’s message New Ways of Schmoozing and Learning By Lori Rosenthal

I like my morning Facebook time – it lets me quickly connect with family members and friends. I get snippets of useful information, occasionally a great laugh, see some recommended links and often great articles, and occasionally enjoy surprise visitors. This summer, I reconnected with the girl I became a Bat Mitzvah with at Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford, CT. I am glad to report that we have both changed a lot...for the better. I have signed up to be Facebook friends or part of a mailing list for some wonderful Jewish groups and individuals. The items they post and emails they send often stick with me long past my initial reading of them. I follow Rabbi David Wolpe, the rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, who posts short gems that I love to read and often pass on to others. I am on the Jewels of Elul mailing list (thanks Judith!) and thoroughly enjoy the thoughtful and varied snippets they send out. I also follow the monthly Rosh Chodesh postings from Women of the Wall. It’s nice being linked up with different Jewish viewpoints. Oh yes, and to get ready for Torah Study Chavurah, I read a variety of commentaries on-line; gaining much from the different viewpoints discussed in Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and other denominations’ sites. As I dabble and discover value in these online Jewish forums and websites, I continue to pon-

der the distinction between the time I spend receiving information and cultivating Jewish relationships in cyberspace, and the time I spend being involved in and cultivating relationships in the comfort of our local Jewish community. I can’t help but notice how different they are and what different purposes they serve. I have always loved that fact that synagogue life is conducted IN PERSON! I cherish the opportunity to come together with fellow TBA members at shul on a regular basis. I like hearing how things are going with friends and acquaintances, watching people’s families grow and seeing the circle of life spin round. One of the truly wonderful aspects of Judaism is the group nature of our religious practice – the fact that it takes a minyan to make a service complete, or to enable a mourner to say kaddish are wonderful examples of how Judaism strives to keep us in close physical contact. And no online forum will ever replace that. Yet, the breadth of different viewpoints I can get online, in the comfort of my own home, is something that I would not do if I had to attend that many different events in person. And reading a thoughtful snippet or sermon or drash on-line is educational, interesting and informational, even if I don’t know the sender personally. I applaud the various new ways I find to get Jewish information on-line, make my voice heard, and participate in a twoway conversation with people I may or may not have ever met. In a wonderful way, those activities augment the “old-school” face to face Judaism that I enjoy so much here at TBA.

February 4, 2012 • Gala Gourmet Save the date and plan to join us under the Paris lights.

the

Omer

November Omer Theme: Focus on TBA Artists

We cheerfully accept member submissions. Deadline for articles and letters is the seventh of the month preceding publication. Editor in Chief Managing Editor Layout & Design Calendars B’nai Mitzvah Editor Cover Help From 4

Lori Rosenthal Lisa Fernandez Jessica Sterling Jon Golding Susan Simon Ruth Teitelbaum People like you!

Copy Editors Jessica Dell’Era, Charles Feltman, Nadine Joseph, Richard Kauffman, Jan Silverman, Debbie Spangler, James Wakeman Proofreaders June Brott, Jessica Dell’Era, Jeanne Korn, Anne Levine, Stephen Shub, Susan Simon, Debbie Spangler Distribution Hennie Hecht, Herman Pencovic, Pola Silver, Gertrude Veiss, Irene Weinberg Mailing Address 336 Euclid Ave. Oakland, CA 94610 E-Mail [email protected]

wtba, our sisterhood WTBA: Women Connected To TBA, Each Other, Ourselves, and Conservative Jewish Women Worldwide By Jeanne Korn, WTBA President

Every year at Rosh Hashanah, I’m reminded of the old Byrds’ song, “Turn, Turn, Turn.” In the case of WTBA this year, I think of “to everything there is a season, a time to plant, a time to reap, a time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together.” The High Holidays remind us of the continual turning over of the year, and give us an opportunity to review the past year, and look towards the future. There has been a turning over of WTBA, our sisterhood, for the last several years. We want to continue to become even more reflective of our diverse and vibrant community of women, while continuing our critical traditional roles. Early this summer, we invited you to join WTBA, or renew your annual membership. Why should you do this? As the new WTBA president, I have been asked this specific question a number of times. And so I present: My Top 10 Reasons for joining WTBA 10 New President (me) and invigorated new board. Let’s face it, every organization gets a huge kick upward when there is new blood introduced! The whole group is energized and full of new ideas as a result. Welcome to our newest board members, Deena Aerenson, Ellen Kaufman, Lynn Langfeld, and Amy Tessler. 9 Continuum of imaginative, spiritual special programs. We have a calendar of special offerings throughout the year, many of which are free to our members. Our Sept. 18 Elul event, Finding Our Path for the New Year, will be held in an accessible place under redwood trees. We “bookend” the holidays with our October 16 Celebration in the Sukkah. We are planning a membership event in November. January brings our annual WTBA Shabbat, which this year will expand to include Friday night, a mini-Shabbaton. We will hold our 2nd annual Vashti’s Banquet on March 11; if you didn’t experience the first one, you will definitely want to calendar this one. 8 Social connections, companionship, making new friends, and just plain fun. Our monthly programs provide something for everyone. This year we are continuing our First Thursday Girls Nights Out, some of which will center on specific subjects or interests. (Please note that the first Girls Night is September 22, and is themed “Surviving Your B’nai Mitzvah!”). We are excited about hosting a Sing-a-Long Fiddler on the Roof on Christmas Eve, jointly with the Men’s Club.

Pirkei Imahot

Wisdom of our Mothers

Join us for a new year of learning

Monday, October 3, 9:30 a.m. Debbie Spangler’s home

Subversive Sequels – a dialogue between feminist and traditional Bible commentary This year our monthly study group will take inspiration from the book, Subversive Sequels in the Bible - How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other by Judy Klitsner. We will look at the parallels and conflicts in familiar Torah passages, discuss Klitsner’s commentary and develop our own. Join our community of women as we uncover the emotional and intellectual themes which live in Torah and connect to our lives. Our Rosh Chodesh Torah study meets monthly, on the Monday closest to Rosh Chodesh. Meetings are hosted and facilitated by group members. Sponsored jointly by Women of TBA and Oakland Ruach Hadassah, the group is open to all women. Questions? Contact Debbie Spangler at (510) 531-1105 or [email protected]. Mark your calendar now for these future Rosh Chodesh dates: Chesvan–November 7; Kislev– December 5; Tivet–January 9; Sh’vat–January 30; Adar– February 27; Nisan–March 26; Iyar–April 23; Sivan–May 21; Tamuz–June 18.

Girls Night

Thursday, November 3, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. The Baum Youth Center, 341 MacArthur

Theme: Games Night! Girls’ Night is a casual monthly event open to all TBA women, sponsored by WTBA. A social time where TBA women can chat, laugh, debate, have a glass of wine and some light goodies, and get to know each other better. No need to bring a thing! Meet old friends, and make new friends. Questions: [email protected], (510) 339-3795 Calendar December 1 for next Girls’ Nights Out

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wtba, our sisterhood Reflecting in the Redwoods By Ellen Kaufman

Summoned by Anne Levine’s shofar blast, we gathered in a redwood cathedral. Welcomed by the aroma of trees being kissed by the sun and a carpet of needles crunching under our feet. On a spectacular Sunday, twenty women of TBA took time and space to reflect on the year that is passing and to prepare for the year to come. The Women of TBA (WTBA) once again created an opportunity to mark the transition from summer to fall and to contemplate the coming high holidays. Each of us was encouraged to “find our path” through breathing, movement and meditation led by Jessica Wolf; reflecting on text presented by Beth Sirull; and journaling about the gardens of our lives – the weeds we want to clear out and the seeds we want to cultivate in the coming year. The morning was a gift that each woman gave to herself and all agreed that it was a great launching pad for the coming holidays. As a complement to this event, WTBA invites women in the community to build on the spirit of the holidays and join us in the sukkah on Sunday, October 16. Rabbi Carol Caine will guide us as we “find our path” to feeling connected to ourselves and one another in the new year. Detailed information will be distributed via e-mail. Please consider joining us.

Women on the Move Sunday, October 9, 9:45 a.m. WTBA hikes happen the second Sunday of every month. We meet at 9:45 a.m. and depart promptly at 10:00 a.m. Hikes end by 11:30a.m. We will meet at the Skyline Gate on Skyline just south of Snake and hike in Redwood Regional Park. For details, contact Deena Aerenson at [email protected] or (510) 225-5107. 6

thinking about shabbat Getting Ready for Shabbat By Susan Simon

If we are lucky enough to be able to take a real vacation from work, from our day-to-day ordinary lives, we spend time thinking about the vacation, planning for it, brainstorming how to make it the best that it can be. We work for a long time all year in order to save up our vacation days so that we can do something special during this time. After all the time spent planning, purchasing, and hunting for the vacation that will refresh us, we have those last minute tasks to do. At work we have to clean off our desk, arrange for someone to return our calls, put our away-messages on our email accounts, and a myriad of other little things. Typically, we walk out of our offices on that last day before vacation feeling like we didn’t quite get it all completed, but that we will just have to deal with the consequences when we get back. Rare are those among us who would cancel their vacation because every “i” wasn’t dotted and every “t” wasn’t crossed. Shabbat is just like this. Who among us leads such a leisurely life that when Friday afternoon rolls around, preparing for Shabbat is simple? Who of us feels like they have completed all of their tasks and can easily put aside the chores? Let’s think about what it entails to make Shabbat in a very traditional household. In many homes preparing for Shabbat means making 2 challot for Friday night dinner. A special meal is planned and has to be shopped for and cooked. In some homes, this might be the only night everyone in the family can make it home for dinner at the same time, so the table has to be cleaned off and set with nice linens and tableware. In many homes, flowers are purchased and arranged to enhance the beauty of Shabbat. The ritual objects used – candlesticks, Kiddush cup, challah tray, etc. – are cleaned and arranged on the table. Looking at this list, it is clear that preparing for Shabbat can be a daunting task, one that some of us might feel isn’t worth the trouble. But you don’t have to work quite so hard in order to make a holy experience for your family and friends. After all, celebrating Shabbat means that we put aside the ordinary tasks of our lives, leave them behind as we do when we go on vacation, and embrace that which is holy: our family, our friends, and ourselves. We desperately need a day to unwind, rest, and recharge our batteries

for the week to come. But few among us take that time and treat ourselves to a day where our responsibilities are comprised of good conversation, long walks, and the muchbeloved Shabbat nap. Maybe your Shabbat doesn’t have to be so traditional. Maybe for your Erev Shabbat meal, you bring home takeout food but manage to put it on place mats that you reserve just for this occasion. Perhaps every Shabbat you pull out your Bar Mitzvah Kiddush cup and use it to bless the wine. Maybe on Friday nights your family eats dessert together, something you just can’t manage during the week. This might be the night that everyone drops a few coins in your tzedakah box and talks about where to donate the funds. It could be that your family doesn’t say brachot over bread at every meal, but for Shabbat, the children get to raise the challah up high in the air and recite the motzi. The point is that for families that choose to make Shabbat holy, the rituals they choose to embrace might vary widely from one another. I learned recently of a ritual from Morocco and Tunisia where some families put out a table of sweet goodies and some coffee or wine to relax from all of the preparations for Shabbat – and this meal is called the meal of Bo’i Kallah, or Come my Bride reception. What a lovely way to prepare for a day of holiness! What can you do in your home to make Shabbat a bit holier? It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Because you don’t have time to put a 6-course meal on the table doesn’t mean that you can’t make your pasta, salad and garlic bread really special. Like vacation time, as you sit down to your meal, you may not have finished every task that was on your list, but it is time to let go of those worries and obligations. It is time to recognize that these things will not get done tonight and that they will still be there when Shabbat is over and you can attend to them then. For now, bless your family members and friends, laugh a lot, give thanks, feel the gratitude, enjoy your food, and remember that you have created an oasis of holiness in a really crazy world. What do you do to make Shabbat a time that is different from the rest of your week, to make it holy in whatever way that word has meaning to you? Send a note to the Omer ([email protected]) and share your special day with the TBA community.

Remember to check the TBA website and email updates for information about late-breaking TBA events and activities. www.tbaoakland.org 7

social media and the jews Social Media and the Jewish Community By Stephanie M. Roach

I love social media. I use social media nearly every day, and often miss it when I don’t. You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Plus. I even still have a My Space account. I also blog and have an account on YouTube. There are others, but the list quickly becomes tedious, because social networking is now a part of so many web and mobile technologies, even those whose primary purpose is specifically and clearly something else. For example, Pandora, iTunes, and Spotify (all designed for listening to and/or managing your digital music library and accounts) include social networking features such as sharing your play lists and listening activity with your friends. Social media are pervasive in digital life, today. But, what do social media mean for the Jewish community? When we think about our core values such as tikkun olam, we can best realize the potential of social media. Social media are designed to connect people and allow them to interact synchronously and asynchronously, privately and as a group. As a result, you can get instant gratification while still using social media on your own schedule. This also gives our community the opportunity work on a cause together—perhaps, using crowdsourcing as part of our decision making process. Crowdsourcing with social media takes advantage of social media’s ability to be where the crowd is. Facebook has some 750 million users. A new competitor, Google Plus (Google+ or G+) is drawing on the already well established profiles of users of the many Google applications such as Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs (to name just a few). Google applications are already so widely used…to combine their utility with social networking is brilliant. With so many users already in one place, with social media there is potential to do great good by harnessing the energy, preexisting enthusiasm, and platform loyalty of social media users. Awareness campaigns can begin with status posts, profile pictures and/or sharing links to useful articles and resources. These might develop over time as the campaign spreads. Groups or circles of friends can target specific causes and focus on individual users with higher levels of interest and thus, might involve fundraising efforts. And as we’ve seen recently in the news, revolutions can be aided by social media due to their wide reach and capacity for instant sharing and updates. One of the most powerful aspects of social media is the capacity to make conversations happen. As opposed to traditional methods of electronic communication such as television that only enable one way communication or broadcasting, social media allows diverse viewpoints to be shared, and allows for responses and conversations to develop. As 8

part of the Jewish community, we can host, participate in and otherwise support conversations that reflect the diversity that is found within Judaism and around the world. Of course, in any discussion of technology, as Jews, we have an ethical obligation to realize, that despite the significant number of technology/social media users, that there are many individuals and communities who do not have access to these resources and opportunities because of economic, social, and political hardships. Within the United States as well as abroad, many are left behind when it comes to using technology. Schools, libraries and distant relatives, for some, may be the only access to computers, smart phones and the like. As a result, opportunities to learn and engage with others are lost. The digital divide must be considered as those of us who can afford to incorporate more and more technology and social media in our everyday lives do so. Nonetheless, I encourage the TBA community to challenge ourself to learn something new. If you don’t already have a Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter account…you should try it out. Each social media venue has a different focus and different capabilities. One may be just right for you or your organization. When thoughtful, civic minded individuals engage with the technology available to them, the technology can transcend the everyday tedium of our lives. Social media are capable of more than just the superficial. Have fun, and strive to create positive change through your use of technology. Stephanie M. Roach has been a member of TBA since 2007. She has a Master’s in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University and tweets about social media and library technology on Twitter, @StephRoach.

Six Degrees of Social Media By Rachel Teichman

Some of you may know that my husband, Jesse, is related to singer Lisa Loeb. They are distant cousins, and aren’t close, but it is a fun claim to fame for our family. And who didn’t love the “Reality Bites” soundtrack, right? Because of this fact I “Like” her professional page on Facebook. Because of her page I found a link to an interview she did with Kveller.com, the informative website for hip Jewish families. I contacted Kveller, and told them about my blog, and said that I would be interested in writing for them. They had me pitch a few stories, and the one they wanted was on Jewish green crafting ideas. It is live on their site now, and it is actually a longer version of something I originally wrote for the Omer! I am now working on a piece about toddler friendly Jewish foods, and bringing Jewish elements into a camping trip. While on the Kveller website, I noticed that Mayim Bialik, no relation, was also a contributor. I read her profile, and realized she was involved with the Holistic Moms Network as well, so I looked that up. I never considered myself to be

social media and the jews a holistic anything, but turns out I am something of a holistic mom! I approached them about doing some writing, and have written a piece on creating green accessories and general green crafting tips. I figure if these celebrity moms are involved with these sites they must be cool, and it is always worth it to just ask! Rachel Teichman crafts and cooks with her kids, and blogs about it at www.totsandplans.com. Of course she has a Facebook page for the blog, and tweets @totsandplans too!

Jewseums - Social Networking at Bay Area Jewish Museums By James G. Leventhal

I’ve spent pretty much my entire life in museums – since I was a kid and most of my working life. My wife and I spend almost every vacation visiting museums locally and internationally. I think they’re one of the greatest things going. And since my wife and I moved out here 10 years ago, I have been lucky enough to work at two Jewish museums – the Magnes and the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM). The Bay Area is fortunate to have such interesting, world-class institutions as a part of its Jewish cultural biosphere. The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life will open its new facility as part of the University of California, Berkeley with a free Community Open House on Sunday, January 22, 2012. And the Magnes has a really rich amount of information on-line currently – it’s website http://www. magnes.org/ and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/ magnesmuseum and Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/magnes.

TBA Hires Web Designer to Spruce Up Site By Lisa Fernandez

On Purim, TBA launched a new looking website, complete with a sophisticated design, royal purple background and a nice slideshow that just happens to feature the rabbi’s sons. That effort was a result of a volunteer committee that worked for eight months on the project. Now, TBA has hired a key volunteer from that committee, Liz Willner, who joined TBA with her husband, Dan Harvitt, and their two daughters, Mia, 7, and Zoe, 5, last year. Great for TBA, Liz is a web designer, whose big clients are Market Hall and Diablo Foods among others. Check out her website at www.dogandbonedesign.com (You can ask her about the title when you see her). Liz will now be tasked with putting small, finishing touches on the now-improved site, www.tbaoakland.org. And she will have two other missions to design as well. The first is to create a business directory, the brainchild of TBA Vice President Steve Glaser. Steve envisions creating advertising space for TBA members who want to promote their businesses by charging a small annual fee. The second project, envisioned by TBA President Bryan Schwartz, is to create an interactive forum, sort of like the Berkeley Parents Network, where congregants can communicate and get recommendations about gardeners, painters, guitar teachers and the like on this space instead of sending out emails to the entire congregation.

At the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM), where I work now, we will launch California Dreaming: From Gold Rush to the Present on November 16. California Dreaming is a participatory exhibition tells the story of how Jews settled in the area and made lives for themselves in the spirit of independence, renewal, and entrepreneurialism. These characteristics have remained unique to the Bay Area and its diverse Jewish community. While examining the past through objects, photos, and video, California Dreaming presents contemporary Jewish life through personal narratives and participation from the Jewish community. This is a great way for TBA members to see themselves in the picture. To add your own photos to the exhibition go to: http://www.flickr.com/groups/californiadreaming/. And the CJM’s tweets are funny and a great local resource. You can follow the CJM at http://twitter.com/#!/Jewseum.

Electronic Schmoozing 2011 By Outi Gould

Electronic schmoozing - it is my way to have morning coffee with my sister, brothers, sister-in-law, and an assortment of nieces and nephews six thousand miles away. I have my coffee cup on my desk as I get on Facebook in the morning and read about what’s going on in their lives, and make my comments to which they respond, often within minutes. To stay in touch with own kids who live in California? Texting, Facebook, and e-mail is what I do. I don’t really like phone calls, but I read blogs when I have a moment, and I send and respond to texts and e-mails when the time is right. continued on page 16 9

gan avraham Gan Update

By Ruth Morris, Gan Director We have all seen it at some time or other, and it brings smiles to our faces – young children pretending to be adults by using real or toy keys and an imaginary steering wheel to “drive” a car; talking on the phone to set up a “meeting” and then waving goodbye as they leave us; going “shopping” or “cooking” dinner. In the past few years, we have also observed many preschoolers at the Gan (and everywhere else) pretending to use cell phones, Smartphones and other electronic technology as part of their play. Many children have pretend cell phones of their own. This change in their choice of “pretend technology” mirrors what they see happening in their own homes and in the world around them. Although they don’t use social networking now, they are beginning to hear and learn about it, for better and worse. Now would be a good time for parents to be proactive and thoughtful about how they use their phones and social networking sites when they are with their young children. What kind of message do they want to send their child about time spent with them? We are all challenged to find the balance, for ourselves and for our families, between technology and life. A friend of mine, Marla Rosner, has a blog called Beyond Netiquette, that deals with these kinds of issues. She points out that the typical time we might be focusing on our kids in many homes is now divided between kids, emails, texts, Facebook posts and phone calls. One suggestion she made to encourage us to be more thoughtful about our use of digital devices around our children is to keep phones off at mealtimes. She also suggests setting aside an evening for all electronic devices to be turned off, for example, like a game night. This brings to mind Shabbat Unplugged, a movement that encourages families to turn off all electronic gizmos for the duration of Shabbat. What would that feel like? If you are interested in reading more about this, you can go to beyondnetiquette.com. Although I love the ease with which one can connect with any community, including the Jewish community by using social networking, I think that the best way to teach a young child about connecting with the Jewish community is by direct example. Take the time to prepare something special for Shabbat or a Jewish holiday. Make a special decoration with them. Read a Jewish story, go to Shabbat Mishpacha, invite a family over for a holiday, or plan to do a simple good deed together, all in real time. It is a gift to be able to reach out all over the world to our widespread Jewish community so easily, but we need to remember that right here at home are our youngest Jewish community members, waiting for their parents to turn off their phones and computers and connect with them. You may have heard about Shabbat Unplugged – one day per week where all the electronic gizmos are turned off. Why not try it? You may learn to relish the peace of not always being “on.” 10

The Gan Beat

Rachel Dornheim Interviews Susan Rancer, Gan Music Teacher You work with young students at the Gan just being introduced to music. How did you get started in music? I was born in Philadelphia, but when I was 2-1/2 I moved to Amarillo, Texas. I didn’t have great music training there. But my first grade teacher did play the piano every day. And one day -- it was back to school night -- I went up to the piano there and started playing all the songs she’d played. People were astonished: “how did you do that? you’d never seen a piano before.” And my mom found me a piano teacher… When I went off to college I knew I wanted to do music. But I didn’t want to perform and I didn’t want to just teach. My teacher told me about music therapy. I’d never heard of it but I wanted to do music. So I said OK. What does a music therapist do? Basically what I do is I teach children with special needs – kids who are autistic or have learning disabilities -- music activities. I teach them different musical concepts, or when they’re ready I teach them an instrument. I play piano, guitar, and violin and those are the instruments I teach, but mainly piano because it’s linear so it’s easy to teach. It’s a hard instrument but it’s an educationally transferable instrument. If I have a child having a hard time with fine motor skills, the piano helps. It helps with handwriting and computer skills. It helps with darn near everything, It helps with hand–eye coordination, visual tracking… That’s what their parents want, and it’s amazing to see the progress. continued on page 17

bet sefer

la’atid

Bet Sefer and Jewish Education By Susan Simon, Bet Sefer Director

As I write this, Bet Sefer is about to start, but as you read this, Bet Sefer has been in session for about a month. So I will have to report on our start next month, rather than writing a fantasy now. In the meantime, getting ready for school always makes me think deeply about Jewish education, about our mission and our goals. The Hebrew word for the concept of Jewish education is khinukh. So many words are difficult to translate and this word is no exception. It encompasses not only what we think of traditional teaching, but also training for life itself. The Talmud reminds us that it is the parent’s responsibility to see that the children receive a Jewish education. Jewish education begins in the home, the place where children are first exposed to brachot, rituals, stories and traditions. Even the very youngest of children can be taught to recite the Sh’ma, can participate in a Passover seder, can help with the motzi, and can attend children’s services. In the first century BCE, Rabbi Simeon ben Shetakh established the first schools and ordered parents to send their children to them. (I wonder how successful that “order”

was!) In the first century CE, Rabbi Joseph ben Gamla in Jerusalem arranged for towns to have teachers for the community, rather than leaving all of the education to individual parents. After the fall of the second Temple in 70 CE, somehow this tradition of formal education continued, at least for the males in a Jewish family. As a result, the rate of literacy for Jewish men was always very high. Talking about the early Jewish education system brings pictures of the traditional kheyder, the one small room school houses from Eastern Europe portrayed in books (think Sholem Aleichem) and movies. We picture a skinny man clad in all black who yelled and hit students with a ruler. Girls were never in the picture – their education remained in the home under the tutelage of their mothers, grandmothers and aunts. Could our great-grandparents ever envision the type of Jewish education that our children now receive? In Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and Renewal Jewish schools all over America and in many other parts of the world, boys and girls learn together, learn the same subjects, master the same skills. All of them learn Torah, all learn Hebrew, all get exposed to Jewish holy texts. All who continued on page 19

La’atid Kicks Off New Year With Waterpark Day By Lisa Fernandez

About a dozen families brought their own picnic lunches on Labor Day weekend for schmoozing and wet cool rides at a great little waterpark many had never been to before. The day was organized by La’atid’s co-founders, Phil and Dina Hankin, and it was great to see friends and families after a long summer. Rabbi Bloom also showed up near the end of the day, in a red water shirt to boot, after he performed a wedding. And while this Omer issue is dedicated to TBA 2.0, it was wonderful that no one from the youth group was playing on their iPod touches or DS video games. Instead, everyone was simply smiling and sliding. Well, having technology did come in handy at one point. This participant (yours truly) didn’t read the email carefully enough to see where the group was meeting. (And neither did a few other families either.) As we were scouring the packed beach for our TBA crowd, I did whip out my cell phone to call Karen Bloom to see where everyone was. In moments, she had texted me the location. Please mark your calendars for the next La’atid event on October 16. Depending on the weather, the group will either be playing miniature golf or bowling.

La’atid, TBA’s youth group for 4th to 7th graders, kicked off the New Year with a fun day at Shadow Cliffs in Pleasanton. 11

check out our local jewish day schools SUKKAHPALOOZA at Oakland Hebrew Day School

Using the Digital World to Connect the Tehiyah Community

During the time of the Temple, it was customary to bring a unique offering of water to the altar during the holiday of Sukkot. The Talmud teaches that the world is judged for water on the holiday of Sukkot, and the offering inspired hope for a year of blessings and good harvests.

Tehiyah Day School’s community is connected to each other, and to the Bay Area’s Jewish community through a variety of tools. Almost all school communications are now on-line, with almost no paper sent home as part of the school’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint as much as possible. Sending communications by email, including the school newsletter, allows the school to include easy links to information on the internet of interest to our community. Videos created by and/or of our students are often posted on YouTube, and can easily be shared with all members of the community through private links in newsletters and other emails.

By Melanie Marcus, Admissions Director, Oakland Hebrew Day School

Each night of Sukkot (except on Shabbat), from night unto morning, masses of people would dance and sing at the Temple Mount in celebration of this special event. Our sages wrote (Sukkah 51B), “Whoever did not see this celebration never saw a celebration of his days.” This joyful affair was called Simchat Beit HaShoevah, meaning The Rejoicing of the House of Drawing (sho’ev meaning to draw water). It is important to teach children about these Biblical events in Jewish history. At OHDS, our goal is to give each child an educational experience that, whenever possible, incorporates the text-based classroom study of our rich Jewish history coupled with the hands-on experience of reliving the moment in present day. OHDS welcomes you to know the celebration of Simchat Beit HaShoevah at our third annual SUKKAHPALOOZA! Come one, come all to this wonderful and free communitywide celebration! SUKKAHPALOOZA – Simchat Beit Hashoeva Live Music, Dancing, Learning and More! Food from Oakland Kosher Live Music with The Ferris Wheels Tuesday, October 18 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. OHDS Upper Playground, 5500 Redwood Road, Oakland Want to know more about OHDS? We welcome you to come for a personal tour of the OHDS campus. To schedule a time, contact Melanie Marcus in the Admissions Office at 510-531-8600, ext. 26 or [email protected]. There are three upcoming events for preschool families, please join us… Preschool Family Sukkah Celebration Monday, October 17, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat Preschool Program Friday, November 18, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Kindergarten Information Night Wednesday, January 11, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

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By Donna Sidel, Tehiyah’s Director of Communications

Tehiyah’s Facebook page is a place to share news and information, and for parents to chat with one another about information connected to the school. Though this page is used to post and comment on school news, it is our alumni who have really made use of this new social media to stay in touch. Our alumni have developed their own Facebook pages to keep connected to each other as they move out into the world. There are currently more than ten classes of graduates with their own Facebook pages. In addition, Tehiyah maintains its own Google Group, the Tehiyah Community Exchange, which is open to any current or former Tehiyah family. It has become a valued part of Tehiyah’s communications network. Membership is voluntary, though postings are monitored by the school. It is a perfect way for parents to post items of interest for the school community, and to comment and begin a dialogue. Postings include congregation events, information of interest to the Bay Area Jewish Community, community events, items for sale, recommendations, and requests for advice. The Tehiyah Community Exchange is expected to soon grow to more than 250 members. In addition, Tehiyah has regularly been featured in El Cerrito’s local e-newsletter, the El Cerrito Patch. Stories during this past school year included our student council’s philanthropy/tzedakah project collecting shoes for children in Ethiopia, the successes of our “green” program, features on alumni as well as current students, faculty, and staff. Tehiyah takes pride in our interconnectedness, whether it’s a friendly greeting or hug at the school or touching each other’s lives through social media tools. We are a community, and we stay connected even after we, or our children, have graduated. If you’d like to learn more about our Bridge-K through eighth grade program, please don’t hesitate to call our admissions office at (510) 233-3013 ext. 239 for a personal tour of our campus.

check out our local jewish day schools Facebook Goes to School at CCJDS

By Amy Wittenberg, Admissions Director, Contra Costa Jewish Day School At the Contra Costa Jewish Day School, Facebook has brought “real time updates on my classroom happenings” says 3rd grade teacher Mary Beth Kierstead. “Through Facebook I can build enthusiasm for special events and projects, parents are able to give me instant feedback and love knowing what their children did during the school day. I enhance my posts with photos, its so easy and such a great way to keep in touch with my students parents and even grandparents!” Lawrence Delaney also uses Facebook, “I teach 2nd grade and in my experience the paper notes that I sent home did not always arrive safely, if at all. In response to this I built a classroom website to convey information, policies and to keep parents up to date re: my classes activities. But I found this to be a major job, keeping up the website was challenging, and parents forgot to look at it regularly. Eventually, the only people who consistently checked the website were the students to play educational games that I had linked on there. I also communicated through email but found that because we all get so many emails, my emails sometimes got lost.” “I decided to use Facebook as my main communication tool last year and it’s been a very positive experience. For me,

Facebook was a success due to a few factors. First, about 90% of parents in the classroom already had a Facebook account and they were actively checking it every few hours or at the very least everyday. Second, the information I was posting up was real time, instant updates from the classroom. This led to parents having a greater knowledge and understanding of their child’s day. We were doing a science project about bridge building. I updated my status and, posted a picture and within 2 minutes had people ‘liking’ my status and commenting on the picture. At dismissal that day, 6 parents (a third of the class) asked their children about the science lesson which led the students into a conversation about their day. What this means for the students and parent is that they will no longer have the conversation that goes “What did you do at school today?” “Nothing, really it was kinda boring!” Come discover the difference CCJDS can make for your child! You are invited to come see for yourself -- how with small class sizes in Kindergarten through 8th grade, a strong Hebrew and Judaics curriculum, along with outstanding general studies, drama, art, music, a rock band, sports teams, your child will thrive at CCJDS. The school is located in Lafayette, only 18 minutes away from TBA, in a new state-of-the-art building. We offer financial assistance to families who qualify, please know that we want to work with your family to make our school affordable! CCJDS is a fully accredited independent school. We welcome families from diverse Jewish backgrounds. Call Amy Wittenberg at (925) 284-8288 to set up a private tour or join us for our next group tour on Nov 16, 9:30-11:00 a.m. Your family is also invited to our Open Houses on Sundays, Dec 4 and Jan 29, 3-5 p.m. Our Middle School Open House will be on Tuesday, Jan 24, 6:008:30 p.m. For further information visit www.ccjds.org.

Calling All TBA Artists The theme for the November Omer is TBA Artists, and the deadline for submissions is October 7. We are especially looking to highlight those of you that make a living in the art world as well as those who make art as their passion. To participate, please send a short (200 - 500 word) write-up that addresses any/many of the following items: • Where your love of this type of art began • Where you create it and where you display it • The Jewish connection • Major influences on your art • Anything else on the topic that you want to say PLEASE send a digital photo! This is your chance to shine! Send submissions to [email protected]. 13

midrasha Midrasha Berkeley Update By Diane Bernbaum, Director

I often write in this column asking you to do something for Midrasha, but this month I’m going to tell you what Midrasha can do for YOU. Do you know we have a job bank of teens willing to work for you? During registration, Midrasha students are asked if they want to make their names available to people looking for teens to babysit, pet sit, help with computers, do office work, housework, garden work, moving or lifting, tutoring younger children, help build a sukkah or help at parties. If you would like a copy of the list, e-mail us at: diane@ midrasha.org or call the Midrasha office, (510) 843-4667. I’d also like to tell you a little bit about what happened in our office this summer. We were fortunate to participate in the Jewish Vocational Service’s program called the Kohn Internship program. Each summer JVS selects about 25 college students to place with Jewish agencies. JVS works hard to place interns with organizations that match their skills and whose missions match what the interns want to learn. The interns work at the organization for 4 days a week and then, on Fridays, all the interns meet at JVS and are offered interesting seminars on both the work world (how to interview, how to write a resume, how to deal with a boss of a different generation) and on the Jewish community (with lectures by people like historian Mark Dollinger). And unlike some internships, these interns are paid. Each host organization pays a fee, and JVS adds funds to round out the stipend. We shared our intern with Congregation Beth El, which proved to be a great arrangement, with each of us getting about a month of the intern’s time. Our intern, Emma Snyder, was a real help in every way. We had a big task in mind, but the technology was beyond me. Although we had had a Facebook “group,” we wanted a “page,” which would allow us to post a lot more information about our organization. Emma not only set this up for us, she also wrote out detailed directions, so now I know how to do this myself. So now we’re asking you do your part. Go to your Facebook account, search for “Midrasha in Berkeley” and then “like” us. We post weekly announcements, our calendar, events, pictures, etc. But that’s not all Emma did. Just when we were wondering who was going to format our Parent Handbook in a fairly complex program called InDesign (our volunteer who normally does this was away in Africa), Emma piped up that she’d been an editor for the Berkeley High Jacket and knew how to use that program. If you want to see her handiwork, go to our website: www.midrasha.org. The Handbook is on our home page. Over the course of the summer Emma did other projects as well – making board notebooks, attending camp recruit14

ment sessions and meetings with organizations like Urban Adamah, and just helping us run the office. We loved her, and we think she loved being with us. Over the years this program has convinced many young adults to pursue careers working in Jewish non-profits. Thank you, Jewish Vocational Service.

Oakland Midrasha is Underway! By Kendra Lubalin

There is a lot going on this month at Midrasha! On October 4 we have our first Parent Program of the year. Parents have so often said to me, “this class sounds so great, I wish I could take it!” and so we have obliged! Dana Sheanin, a gifted educator who is teaching our Managing Stress and Finding Shalom class, will offer a class for you to explore your own life stresses, get a sneak peek at what your kids are learning at Midrasha, connect meaningfully with other parents about teen stress, and get a little personal stress relief! All Midrasha parents are invited to join us from 7:15 - 9:15 p.m. on October 4. October 11 is our annual Bring a Friend Night at Oakland Midrasha. On this evening our students are invited to bring other Jewish teens to Midrasha for a night, to give them a chance to check out the program. If you know a Jewish teen who might like the Midrasha program, please encourage them to come! It’s not too late to discover how much fun we are having here on Tuesday nights! On October 25, during Midrasha, Temple Sinai’s new Rabbi, Rabbi Andrew Straus, will be doing some learning with any interested Midrasha parents. He will be teaching in our 10th grade core program, and would like an opportunity to connect with any interested Midrasha parents. He is a wonderful educator, and I encourage you to come learn with him! Oakland Midrasha is piloting a new program during our elective hour this year, partnered with the other three Midrasha campuses and a new organization called Urban Adamah. We will be offering a class on the places where food and social justice come together. Urban Adamah is a community organic farm and Jewish environmental education center that just opened in Berkeley, and twice this month our students from this class will have the opportunity to meet up with their friends from the Midrasha retreats at the Urban Adamah farm to do some hands on learning together. We are so excited about how much Midrasha has to offer our community of teens and their families and hope you find something to connect with at Midrasha in the month of October!

hiddur mitzvah Hiddur Mitzvah – A Throne for Our Torah By Anne Levine

Hiddur Mitzvah is the concept of beautifying or embellishing a mitzvah and is inspired by a quote from Song of the Sea Exodus 15:2 “This is my God and I will glorify Him.” Throughout the year we will be spotlighting ways in which this concept is alive here at Temple Beth Abraham and the artists and benefactors that have made these contributions to the beauty and holiness of our community possible. This month our Hiddur Mitzvah spotlight is on the beautiful hand crafted Torah stand created by congregant, Donaldo Osorio and commissioned by Elinor DeKoven for our Sanctuary and dedicated in honor of her father, Rabbi Ralph DeKoven. About Elinor DeKoven Elinor was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is the daughter of Rabbi Ralph and Esther DeKoven. In 1956 Elinor fought for the right to have an aliyah on the shabbos before her wedding. “It was unheard of at that time for a woman to be on the bimah at all, much less be called to the Torah. But I was insistent. My father was the assistant Rabbi at the synagogue, and he supported me. I got that aliyah and it is part of why as an adult I became such a strong supporter of Women’s League of Conservative Judaism. They were instrumental in paving the way for women on the bimah today.” In Elinor’s Words: How this Piece was Inspired “After our remodel, when the Torah was read from the lower Torah table, someone always had to hold the Torah at the conclusion of the Torah service. Every week I would think, what a shame they have to hold it and it just didn’t seem right to have the Torah sitting like that. I thought, the Torah needs a throne. So I contacted Rabbi Bloom and he made it happen.” About the Artisan, Donaldo Osorio Donald was born in San Juancito, outside Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He learned carpentry alongside his uncle in his workshop in the backyard of his grandmother’s house. Specialized in wood carving at the Institute for Professional Artisans in Honduras. Has spent more than a decade mastering this art. Moved to the United States in 2003 with his wife Anat Shenker. They joined Temple Beth Abraham in 2008 and their son Shai is a Gan graduate.

Donaldo’s work is on display in Honduras’s National Cathedral, the Painter’s Place in San Francisco and Berkeley, and private collections around the Bay Area. Visit him online at: osoriowoodworks.com

In Donald’s Words: How this Piece was Inspired “Rabbi Bloom showed me examples of stand designs but left it up to me to craft something. As a wood carver and a member of this congregation, I wanted to add detailing to make the stand something no other community has. Also, as we’re fortunate enough to have a number of Torahs of varying heights, we need something that could safely hold each and adjust quickly for those occasions when more than one Torah is in use. The tree of life design I carved is, of course, a reference to the Torah itself. It’s intentionally simple, to match the design of the sanctuary windows.” 15

continued articles WTBA, continued from page 5

We also support our TBA People of the Book club, and monthly women’s hikes, both wonderful opportunities for getting to know each other better, “off-site.” The more choices provided for you at TBA, the more chances you have of broadening your network and discovering more women that you really like. It’s wonderful to come to holiday services, or social events, and see lots of familiar faces. 7 Auxiliary and monetary support for TBA. WTBA has always contributed part of your membership dues back to the synagogue, both to the General Fund and the Centennial Fund. We also do many other things for the TBA community, including organizing our babysitting registry, and Hour to Shower program for new moms. 6 Auxiliary and monetary support for our schools. This is a core WTBA function. We sponsor first day Gan and Bet Sefer events, provide food and service for the High Holiday family services and Simchat Torah, and make countless latkes for Bet Sefer and synagogue Chanukah celebrations. We always assist with the annual Schools Auction, and make several donations, including the ever-popular Chick Flix parties. This year, we are proud to be beautifying a corner of the new Baum Youth Building with a new lounge area. Perhaps most visibly, we gift each b’nai mitzvah with a pair of candlesticks to light their way into Jewish adulthood. 5 Support for WLCJ and Masorti Judaism. Did you know that $10 of your membership fee is sent to the national headquarters of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism? WLCJ is the parent organization of all Conservative sisterhoods. It keeps us all connected, provides tons of information and education nationwide, and provides monetary support to many Conservative institutions. Your membership also gets you a subscription to WLCJ’s lively quarterly magazine, Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism. 4 Larger Community Connections. WTBA underwrites a much-loved monthly Bingo program at Reutlinger Home (thanks to Pola Silver and Misha Nudler for doing this for many years, and Shirley Social Media, continued from page 9

Want to know about my recent trips? Check out my Israel blog, or my Alaska blog. Want to know what’s growing in my garden this season? Read my garden blog. If you are interested, we will talk more in person, but in the meanwhile, I won’t bore you with things that are of no interest to you. Yes, you could say that all that is not *really* schmoozing, 16

Silver for joining this effort), the East Bay Jewish Forum lecture series, the annual East Bay Women’s Torah Study evening, and more. Last year WTBA supported the hugely successful first annual intercongregational Chanukah Shuk Arts and Crafts fair (thanks to Outi Gould and Bonnie Burt); look for the second annual Shuk December 11 at Temple Sinai. We have organized and supported the annual Blood Drive for many years. We hope to present a joint program with our Hadassah chapter this spring. 3 Life-long learning. WTBA supports the monthly Pirkei Imahot Rosh Chodesh Torah Study group; the first meeting of this year is September 12. Our Sukkot programs, Women’s Torah Study events, and support the East Bay Forum are all indicative of our love of learning. Look for more educational events in the coming years. 2 TBA traditions. WTBA is our sisterhood, and it’s been around for many decades, thanks to the dedication of legions of past presidents and board members. I feel proud to be carrying on that tradition, and creating new ones. 1 Increased opportunities for us, our TBA women, to feel connected to one another. I believe that the above nine reasons all lead to this Number One, my top reason to join. That is a lot of bang for your annual $40 membership! I hope you will consider joining WTBA. You will increase our power, our ruach and our growth, and help make us more reflective of our women community. Please send your check, made out to TBA Sisterhood, either to the return envelope with your membership letter, or to the TBA office, marked for WTBA. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any ideas, feedback, or suggestions for what you would like to see us provide in the coming years. Look for our annual postcard snapshot of the year in your machzor on Rosh Hashanah, and keep it throughout the year to remind you of upcoming and ongoing WTBA events. With best wishes for a Shanah Tovah, Jeanne Korn, WTBA President but what am I going to do when my family lives so far away? Make a ten-hour flight every week, back and forth? Hardly. http://firsttriptoisrael.blogspot.com/ http://secondtriptoisrael.blogspot.com/ http://outi-inmybackyard.blogspot.com/ http://alaskatripog.blogspot.com/

members’ updates Congratulations Avi Margolin! The Lone Soldier Center (Chayal Boded) in Israel honored Avi Margolin in their August e-bulletin as “This Month’s Amazing Volunteer!”

continued articles TBA Alumni CD Release Party On October 3, Jory Fankuchen, (featured in the February 2011 issue of The Omer) will be performing with the Musical Art Quintet at Yoshi’s in San Francisco. This will be a CD release event for the Quintet’s new CD. Details are available on the group’s website: http:// www.musicalartquintet.com/.

Avi Margolin is a former lone soldier from Oakland California who served in the Nahal infantry brigade. For the past two years, Avi spends his one free day a week picking up and delivering furniture to lone soldiers in need. Avi works as a licensed tour guide (avi. margolin@gmail. com) instilling a love of Israel in youth and adults from the world over. Thank you so much for everything you do Avi, you are a true inspiration!

Gan Beat, continued from page 10

How did you get started? In 1975 I got my first music therapy job at Kilgore Children’s Hospital in Amarillo for emotionally disturbed and autistic children. Then, in 1977, a speech therapist at the Amarillo synagogue helped me start off in private practice. I was the first private music therapist in the US. In 1980 I came out [to the Bay Area] on vacation. A friend of mine from childhood invited me and while I was out here said “why don’t you move out to California?” I said “But I have my private practice.” And she said “what else do you have there?” and I moved here. How much of your work life is spent as a music therapist and how much in Jewish schools? I see 50 kids a week in my private practice. I do the preschool work and synagogue work for fun. I go to Hava NaShira, a Jewish singing group in Wisconsin. Debbie Friedman [a renowned songwriter who married Jewish songs with folk infused melodies] started it years ago, all these amazing singer songwriters gather and learn from each other.

Why do you work in synagogues? How long have you done music in a Jewish setting? I was the music director for my synagogue in Amarillo, Texas starting when I was in 4th grade. Do you know what we would do? Hymns. We didn’t have Debbie Friedman then. It was hymns then and they were awful. And then finally someone who was stationed at the military base nearby came and taught us a few Israeli songs, songs in Hebrew and I was like “Oh my God. It’s wonderful. I’d never heard this.” The only thing I’d heard was traditional hymns at the services. That was all we had. With organs and everything. What is your favorite song to sing with the kids at the Gan? I’m always doing the aleph bet song, because I feel they need to learn the aleph bet and if they get it really young it will stick with them… I love going to the Gan because I feel like music is such an important part of education. If I hadn’t had music in schools it would have been awful. I look at how they pulled out the music education in schools and it’s so frustrating.

17

cooking corner Feasting on Food Blogs

By Faith Kramer To me, sometimes the world wide web is like the greatest free cookbook in the world, especially when it comes to researching and investigating Jewish food history and recipes. But besides access to thousands of food blogs, websites and other online resources, I also enjoy the web’s ability to have a conversation with not only other Jewish food bloggers, but Jewish cookbook authors and even everyday folks who are just looking for something easy to make for Shabbat lunch. Below is a highly selective list of Jewish food blogs and websites as well as a few Facebook groups open to all. I’ll be posting a version of this list on my food blog, Blog Appetit (www.clickblogappetit.com) If you have a food blog or other on-line resource you’d like to recommend, please email me at [email protected] and I’ll add it to the on-line version. Food Blogs and Websites I have no idea how many Jewish-identified food blogs and websites there are out there on the web. There are now a staggering number of just food blogs alone (more than 12,000 in English alone) and I’ve never seen a breakdown of how many have Jewish content. Many, such as my blog, feature Jewish foods but cover a wide range of other cuisines as well. Others are exclusively Jewish or kosher. Here is just a sampling of ones that identify themselves as Jewish food sites that I’ve found and liked. To find more yourself, when you find a food blog or website you like, look for a section or page labeled “links,” “blog roll” or “other blogs I like” or similar and you’ll find other blogs and websites recommended by the one you are on. It’s a great way to discover new resources. Cookbook Authors – These sites are maintained by Jewish cookbook authors. Joan Nathan, author of Jewish Cooking in America and much more: www.joannathan.com Gil Marks, rabbi, chef and author of the comprehensive Encyclopedia of Jewish Food: www.gilmarks.com/wordpress/ Levana Kirschenbaum, author of three cookbooks and a noted cooking teacher: www.levanacooks.com Professional Bloggers – These are sites maintained by bloggers who turned their expertise and experiences into cookbooks, magazines or other professional endeavors. The Shiksa in the Kitchen is a Jew by choice who shares her explorations into Jewish food, culture and history: www.theshiksa.com Jamie Geller, the writer and recipe developer behind Joy of Kosher, has been compared to a kosher Rachel Ray and I 18

think that is an apt description to her fresh take on Jewish favorites and lifestyle: www.joyofkosher.com The Kosher Eye has plenty of recipes by famed chefs and cookbook authors but also features reviews of kosher food and wine products as well as coupons and promotions. www.koshereye.com Other Food Blogs – these are Jewish food blogs that reflect the interests and tastes of the blogs’ authors who aren’t necessarily professional chefs, authors or bloggers. They may not have as slick an appearance or post as regularly, but this is Jewish food shared from the heart. Kosher Camembert takes an international approach to Jewish food, which is one I share: www.koshercamembert.wordpress.com Kosher Scene covers Jewish food topics and offers recipes but it also produces Jewish food maven podcasts: www.kosherscene.wordpress.com Café Liz offers vegetarian Jewish and Israeli food in English from Israel. Liz Steinberg also has a number of links for other food blogs based in Israel that are in English: www.food.lizsteinberg.com Couldn’t be Parve shares great desserts and other treats with beautiful photos to inspire you: www.couldntbeparve.com Classically Kosher offers up fresh and modern versions (some lightened up) of Jewish classics: www.classicallykosher.com In Mol Araan is a food blog in Yiddish and English that often delves into the cultural anthropology of Jewish food: www.inmolaraan.blogspot.com On-line Publication Websites The j. weekly, the San Francisco Bay area’s Jewish publication, maintains an archive of its cooking columns (including mine): www.jweekly.com/cook/archives New York City’s The Jewish Week also has a recipe archive: www.thejewishweek.com/features/nosh_pit The venerable Jewish Forward has combined with Hazon to produce the Jew and the Carrot which covers food justice, production and other issues as well as offering recipes. It’s a regular read for me: www.blogs.forward.com/the-jew-and-the-carrot/ Tablet is an on-line magazine with a very varied content. I especially like their food features which always contain a lot of cultural background and history with their recipes: www.tabletmag.com/?cat=35 Other websites – Many Jewish organizations have recipe archives or food sections. Here are just a few I refer to regularly. continued on page 19

B’nai Mitzvah

life cycles Adam Lerner, October 22, 2011 My name is Adam Jason Lerner. I am named after my great grandfather, Aaron. I am in 8th grade at The Contra Costa Jewish Day School (CCJDS), and have attended the school since first grade. I live in Danville with my mom, dad, and little brother, Brian. I enjoy playing basketball, football, and baseball. My favorite sport is baseball and I currently play on a team that is to prepare me for high school baseball.My favorite subject in school is math. My Bar Mitzvah is on October 22, 2011. Due to Rabbi Bloom being away on Sabbatical during the month of my birthday, I got to choose my Torah portion. I chose Bereshit. I find the Creation story one of the most interesting Torah Portions. In my drash, I will be focusing on some of the theories behind Eve eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. There are many lessons to learn from this portion. I have chosen to donate part of my Bar Mitzvah money to the Foundation for the Righteous, which provides monthly support to more than 900 needy and elderly non-Jews who risked their lives to help save Jews during the Holocaust. I am also participating in the Remember Us project by remembering Yosel Grinboim, who died at Tarnow in the Krakow region of Poland, in 1943. He was only 12.

Cooking Corner, continued from page 18

My Jewish Learning: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/culture/2/Food.shtml Chabad (especially good for classic Ashkenazi dishes): www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/323440/ jewish/Recipes-Cooking.htm Aish: www.aish.com/f/r/ Facebook In addition to blogs and websites, you can also interact with others about Jewish food on a number of Facebook pages and groups (you can also “friend” or “like” most of the blogs and websites listed above. To do so, search Facebook for their names or look on their sites for ways to connect. Many also use Twitter or other social media sites.) You’ll need to be a member of Facebook and logged in in order to access these groups. Jewish Cooking is probably the Jewish food group on Facebook I use the most. It was started by cookbook author Joan Nathan and she often responds personally to comments or questions: www.facebook.com/#!/groups/174618965938157/ I also like Kosher in the Kitch! which is a very observant, less foodie-oriented site: www.facebook.com/#!/groups/10159521228/ Faith Kramer blogs her food at www.clickblogappetit.blogspot. com. Her food columns appear twice a month in the j. weekly.

Bet Sefer, continued from page 11

choose to do so celebrate a Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremony. All are encouraged to continue their Jewish education with formal learning through high school. So what does this mean for the requirement of v’shinantan l’vanekha, “and you shall teach your children?” It perfectly hits the mark. As a community we have an obligation to teach our children, but that doesn’t mean we have to do it alone. There are many obligations that we delegate to another. And our delegation is not an abdication – every student continues to learn about Jewish beliefs and practices in the home. Every time you light Shabbat candles, you are teaching your child. Every time you put a few coins in the tzedakah box, you are teaching your child. Every time you attend synagogue for a service, you are teaching your child. It is a partnership that we are engaged in, a holy endeavor that we are privileged to undertake. As we continue our personal reflections during these High Holy Days, let us examine how all of us teach the children of our community, whether we are parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or none of the above. Let us look at our role modeling and the impact that all of us have on our youngest participants. And let us remember that learning doesn’t stop with adolescence. We have an obligation of continuing education – all of us. Let this new year of 5772 be one of intellectual and emotional growth for us all.

19

life cycles October Birthdays

1 Jacob Lorber

2 Ellie Kinczel Len Nathan Henry Ramek

8

16

22

Janet Lai Charles Levine Leah Liron Edie Mills Micah Ross

Gary Smith

Tamar Lowell Benjamin Ring

9

3

Ethan Becker Rachel Bernstein Susan Isaacs Rachael Rothman

Lauren Quittman

4 Lena Sloan Freid Isaac Frierman Sandra Rappaport

10 Rinat Fried

5

11

Yael Gordon Julie Kotovsky Marshall Langfeld Josh Rego Andrew Rose

Kate Flick Garcia Maya McLean Ana Schwartzman Paul Weiss

12

6 Charles Feltman Ruby Klein Barbara Oseroff Michael Oseroff Miriam Reichenberg Benjamin Skiles

Shirley Margolin Marco Villanueva

13 Dan Engel Ian Kelley Cole Matsuzaki

7

14

Eli Kleinmann

Eden Bruner Andy Campbell James Kalamas

17 Nicole Joseph-Goteiner Jan Kessler Sophie Marinoff Andrea Sarber Pola Silver Jenna Tessler

18 Jennifer Berg Dan Halperin Sophie Hodess Julian Lafferty David Morris Misia Nudler Mary Odenheimer Michael Rose Anna Schacker Sheli Schacker

19 Alicia Cernitz-Schwartz Danielle Glick-Scroggins

15 Beth Glick

20 Gabriella Gordon Will Sparks Treya Weintraub

21 Corrine Limbach Talia Rotman Gilles Tarquin

23 Ricardo Collaco Fredric Hoffman Lon Moore

24 Martin Kharrazi

25 Devorah Margolin David Weiner

26 Eric Batzdorff David Coltoff Michael Kubalik Cara Plumhoff

27 Dick Odenheimer

29 Julia Hamilton

30 Keith Dines Nathan Kruger Freya Turchen

31 Julia Bersin Eden Goldstone Samuel Ragones Amy Tessler Debra Weinstein

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

Welcome New Members Jereme and Summer Albin. Their sons Bayne and Elliott Albin Armand Attia Scott and Danielle Gerber. Their sons Max and Henry Gerber 20

life cycles October Yahrzeits May God comfort you among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem

Tishrei 3-9 October 1-7 Abraham Bauer George Bruder Nathan Kurtz Jeffrey Litman Pearl Weiner Lillian Silverman Pauline Wolf Anne Miller Melvin David Altman Frances Piser

Tishrei 10-16 October 8-14 Harry Brook Sam Grant Mathilda Kahane Jack Tessler Elizabeth Rosenberg Rabbi Morris Schussheim Florence Dines Jack Lorber

Tishrei 24-30 October 22-28

Solon Weiner Samuel Burge Rose Wasserman

Tishrei 17-23 October 15-21 Fradel Darling Sam Epstein Iris Leve Harold Nudler Bernice Katz Zywotow Benjamin Davidson Dorothy Maccabee Eleanor Davis David Benjamin Gaynor Albert Perl Emma Rothenberg Reba Schechtman Jay Feinstein Max Fass David Belzer Hy Goteiner Cernitz Seymour (Cy)

Frank Weinberg’s Unveiling October 23, 2:00 p.m. Please join us to celebrate the unveiling of a plaque at Frank’s grave site. Home of Peace Cemetery 4712 Fairfax Avenue, Oakland, CA Please join us for refreshments at our home after the unveiling: 1008 Ashmount Avenue RSVP (510) 451-7114 Irene Weinberg

Howard Krachman Daniela Rath Abraham Wishnoff Donald Rapson James Sosebee Errin Berkowitz Annette Biatch Elsa Kraus Labe Shikevich Sidney Samuel Hertz Isaac Kessler Ben Rust Edwin Ames Winchell Harry Mike Marshak Nachman Schleifer

Cheshvan 1-3 October 29-31 Alice Klein

Recent Deaths in Our Community Harry Levitch, father of Bruce Levitch (Lily Pham). Bezalel Bornstein, father of Deborah (and Michael) Sosebee.

MEMORIAL PLAQUE Anyone wishing to purchase a memorial plaque, please contact Pinky at the synagogue office at extension 229.

21

donations Charity is equal in importance to all the other commandments combined. Centennial Project Fund Alice & Leslie & Jan & Randy Kessler Jerrold & Anne Levine, in memory of Charles Levine Dick & Mary Odenheimer, In honor of the birthdays of Flo Raskin, Brett Hodess and Robyn Hodess John Rego & Deborah Kahane Rego, in memory of Mathilda Kahane Sheldon & Barbara Rothblatt Stephen & Susan Shub

Centennial Match Fund David Weiner and Ellen Kaufman, in memory of Alice Kessler Mark Fickes & William Gentry Ronald & Lynn Gerber

Neil & Madeline Weinstein, in memory of Hannah Roth Steven & Victoria Zatkin, in memory of Gertrude Bleiberg

Kiddush Fund Leopold & Ella Fixler, in memory of Alan Fixler Sheldon & Nancy Nankin, in memory of Rose Nankin Sheldon & Barbara Rothblatt, in memory of Morris Rothblatt Curtis & Adi Schacker, in honor of Maya Schacker’s graduation

Minyan Fund Fifi Goodfellow, in honor of Albert Naggar’s 90th birthday Lawrence & Sharyn Rossi, in memory of Zelda Klein

Yom Ha Shoa Fund Leon & Judy Bloomfield, in memory of Eva Klein David

Jeanette Jeger Kitchen Fund

Playground Fund

Norman & Jo Budman, in loving memory of Arthur Roth Misia Nudler, Get well Leora Siegl and congratulations on your retirement

Ronald & Gloria Gruber, in memory of Zachary Alexander Kalamas

Rabbi Discretionary Fund

General Fund

Richard & Naomi Applebaum, Grateful for the Bloom’s safe return Michael & Kathryn Burge, in memory of Rachel Gordon Barbara Oseroff, in memory of Joel Oseroff Pola Silver, in memory of Clara Broder

Armand & Carol Attia Diane Biglovsky, in memory of Sidney Biglovsky, Kathe Biglovsky, Bill Biglova Herbert & Harriet Bloom, in memory of Ina Nathan Ruth Feldman, in memory of Fannie Schiffman Alan Gellman & Arlene Zuckerberg Rabbi Arthur Gould & Carol Robinson Libby Hertz, in memory of Gladys Hyman Dr. Booker Holton & Elaine Gerstler, in memory of Johnnie Holton Crista Martindale, Brit Milah Nathaniel Green Daryl & Bryna Ross, Thank you to Susan Simon Joan & Richard Rubin

Cantor Discretionary Fund Barbara Oseroff, in memory of Joel Oseroff

Hertz Fund Gerald & Ruby Hertz, in memory of Mollie Hertz and Harry Hertz

Hertz Interfaith Fund Gerald & Ruby Hertz, in memory of Mollie Hertz and Harry Hertz

A Legacy Gift Lasts Forever Include 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 [email protected]. You are never too young to plan for the future! Thank You to our Legacy Donor, Steve Glaser. 22

high holy day schedule

tba goes to the theater

High Holy Day Service Schedule Shabbat Shuvah Ma’ariv

Sukkot First Day Service

Friday, September 30, 6:15 p.m.

Thursday, October 13, 9:00 a.m.

Morning Service Saturday, October 1, 9:30 a.m.

Yom Kippur Kol Nidre Friday, October 7, 6:30 p.m.

Morning Service Saturday, October 8, 9:00 a.m. Family Service (ages 2-1st grade) 9:30 a.m. , Social Hall Youth Service (2nd-6th grade), 9:30 a.m., Chapel Yizkor Service 10:45 a.m. Study Session 1:45 p.m. Martyrology Service and Mincha 4:30 p.m. Neilah 6:30 p.m.

Shemini Atzeret Shemini Atzeret Yizkor Thursday, October 20, 9:00 a.m.

Simchat Torah Erev Simchat Torah Family Service Thursday, October 20, 6:15 p.m. Service to be followed by music and dancing

Simchat Torah Friday, October 21, 9:00 a.m.

November 15 (Tuesday Night) at 8 p.m. $60 per ticket Seats are in the Center Orchestra (Rows L-N)

Name: _____________________________________ Address: ___________________________________ TBA Goes to the Theater Another WTBA Fun-d Raiser at the Curran Theater in SF

Join us to see: FELA! FELA! tells the true story of the legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, whose soulful Afrobeat rhythms ignited a generation. His story inspired a nation. His music inspires the world. Motivated by his mother, a civil rights champion, he defied a corrupt and oppressive military government and devoted his life and music to the struggle for freedom and human dignity. FELA! is a triumphant tale of courage, passion and love, featuring Fela Kuti’s captivating music and the visionary direction and choreography of Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones. “More than a musical. An Ecstatic Phenomenon!” -Time Out New York

# of Tickets _________________________________ Total $ enclosed _____________________________ Phone #: ___________________________________ Email: ______________________________________ Replies and payment due by October 10. Seats will be assigned on a first come first served basis. Make checks out and mail to: Lori Rosenthal 1868 Woodhaven Way, Oakland, CA 94611 Contact Lori Rosenthal with questions [email protected] or (510) 339-0133. This event brought to you by the Women of TBA and is open to all. Tell all your friends!

23

24

2

9

16

30

2 Cheshvan

17

24

31

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel)

3 Cheshvan

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel)

26 Tishrei

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel)

Sukkot V

19 Tishrei

Columbus Day

3

10

(Office Closed) 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel)

12 Tishrei

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 9:30a Rosh Chodesh: Wisdom of our Mothers

5 Tishrei

18

11

4

25

4p-6p Bet Sefer

7:30p Board Meeting

27 Tishrei

4p Bet Sefer in the Sukkah 4p-6p Bet Sefer

Sukkot VI

20 Tishrei

4p-6p Bet Sefer

13 Tishrei

4p-6p Bet Sefer

6 Tishrei

12

19

26 9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) 10a-12p Kindergym 7p BBYO-AZA and BBG

28 Tishrei

9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) NO BBYO-AZA and BBG

Sukkot VII HoSHana Raba / ERuV SHEmInI atzEREt

21 '' 6:09p Tishrei

9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) No Kindergym 5:30p Gan “Sukkot in the Sukkah” NO BBYO-AZA and BBG

EREV Sukkot

14 '' 6:19p Tishrei

13

20

27 8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10a-12p Kindergym 10a East Bay Jewish Forum 4p-6p Bet Sefer

29 Tishrei

No Gan/Kindergym/Bet Sefer East Bay Jewish Forum 9a Shemini Atzeret Services 6:15p Simchat Torah Family Service (followed by music and dancing!)

SHEmInI atzEREt (YIzkoR)

22 Tishrei

9a Sukkot 1st Day Services No Gan/Kindergym/ No East Bay Jewish Forum No Bet Sefer

Sukkot I

15 Tishrei

4p-6p Bet Sefer

7p BBYO-AZA and BBG

6

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10a East Bay Jewish Forum 10a-12p Kindergym

5

8 Tishrei

9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) 10a-12p Kindergym

7 Tishrei

7

14

15

28 9:30-10:30a & 10:45-11:45a Shabbat Kindergym 6:15p Gan Kitah Aleph and Kitah Bet Share a Shabbat 6:15p-7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat

RoSH cHodESH

30 '' 5:58p Tishrei

Always check the Congregational E-mail or the Weekly Shabbat Bulletin for more up-to-date information. Please note any corrections care of Rayna Arnold at the TBA office.

29 6:56p Havdalah (42 min)

9:30a-12p Shabbat Service

RoSH cHodESH

Noach 1 Cheshvan

7:05p Havdalah (42 min)

bIRkat HacHodESH

22 9:30a-12p Shabbat Services Bar Mitzvah of Adam Lerner

Bereshit 24 Tishrei

7:14p Havdalah (42 min)

9:30a-12p Shabbat Services 10:15a T’fillat Y’ladim

Sukkot III

17 Hol Hamoed Sukkot Tishrei

SImcHat toRaH

21

8 9a-6:45p Yom Kippur Services 7:30p Break the Fast meal 7:25p Havdalah (42 min)

Yom kIppuR

10 Yom Kippur Tishrei

No Gan/Kindergym 9a Simchat Torah Services 6:15p-7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat

23 '' 6:05p Tishrei

No Gan/No Kindergym

6:15p-7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat

Sukkot II

16 '' 6:16p Tishrei

6:30p Kol Nidre Service

Gan & Office closes at 1p (no Kindergym)

EREV Yom kIppuR

9 '' 6:26p Tishrei

1

9:30a-12p Shabbat Services 10:15a Jr. Congregation 10:15a Shabbat Mishpacha 7:35p Havdalah (42 min)

SHabbat SHuVaH

Ha’Azinu 3 Tishrei

October 2011

Calendars in The Omer are produced 30-60 days in advance using the best data available from the TBA Administration Staff. This calendar is also available at our website www.tbaoakland.org

10a Ken Cohen: Jerusalem Eternal 6p Teen Friendship Circle (Baum YC)

10a Ken Cohen: Jerusalem Eternal 6p Teen Friendship Circle (Baum YC)

23

25 Tishrei

9:30a WTBA Sukkah Event 10a Ken Cohen: Jerusalem Eternal La’atid Event

Sukkot IV

18 Tishrei

10a Ken Cohen: Jerusalem Eternal

11 Tishrei

10a Ken Cohen: Jerusalem Eternal 10:30a Kindergym Play Day 3:00p Kindergym with PJ Library!

(SunRISE to SunSEt)

tzom GEdalIaH

4 Tishrei

Tishrei / Cheshvan 5771

25

6

13

20

rosh chodesh

1 Kislev

7

14

21

28

4p-6p Bet Sefer

19 Cheshvan

16

9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) 10a-12p Kindergym 7p BBYO-AZA and BBG

krisTallnachT rememBrance

9

7p BBYO-AZA and BBG

12 Cheshvan

22

4p-6p Bet Sefer

3 Kislev

No Bet Sefer

29

7:30p Board Meeting

25 Cheshvan

23

30 9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) 10a-12p Kindergym 7p BBYO-AZA and BBG

4 Kislev

7p BBYO-AZA and BBG

9a Weekly Text Study No Kindergym

26 Cheshvan

9a Weekly Text Study 10a-12p Kindergym 7p BBYO-AZA and BBG 7:30p Lecture by author: Gershom 4p-6p Bet Sefer Bar/Bat Mitzvah meeting for 5th Grade Gorenberg at Beth El (TBA cosponsor)

15

8

9a-2p USCJ Ed Conference

18 Cheshvan

4p-6p Bet Sefer

elecTion day

11 Cheshvan

9a Weekly Text Study (Woodminster Cafe) 10a-12p Kindergym

2

3

10

17

24 No Gan/Kindergym/Bet Sefer/East Bay Jewish Forum 9a Thanksgiving Minyan & the Men’s Club presents “Eggs mit Onions” Breakfast

Thanksgiving (office closed)

27 Cheshvan

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10a East Bay Jewish Forum 10a-12p Kindergym 4p-6p Bet Sefer 7:30p Men’s Club Poker

20 Cheshvan

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10a East Bay Jewish Forum 10a-12p Kindergym 4p-6p Bet Sefer 6:15p BS Zayin dinner class

13 Cheshvan

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 10a East Bay Jewish Forum 10a-12p Kindergym 4p-6p Bet Sefer 7p Girl’s Night Out

6 Cheshvan

4

11

18

25 6:15p-7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat

No Gan/Kindergym/Office Closed

28 '' 4:34 Cheshvan

6:15p-7:15p Shabbat Unplugged

9:30-10:30a & 10:45-11:45a Kindergym

21 '' 4:38 Cheshvan

9:30-10:30a & 10:45-11:45a Kindergym 5:45p Mechina Share A Shabbat with Pot Luck Dinner and Dessert 6:15p-7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat

veTerans day

14 '' 4:43 Cheshvan

6:15p Rock n Roll Shabbat

9:30-10:30a & 10:45-11:45a Kindergym

7 '' 5:50 Cheshvan

Always check the Congregational E-mail or the Weekly Shabbat Bulletin for more up-to-date information. Please note any corrections care of Rayna Arnold at the TBA office.

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel)

2 Kislev

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel)

24 Cheshvan

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel) 9a-6p USCJ Ed Conference

17 Cheshvan

WTBA Rosh Chodesh-Wisdom of our Mothers

8a-9a Minyan (Chapel)

10 Cheshvan

1

5 Cheshvan

5

12

26 5:34p Havdalah (42 min)

9:30a-12p Shabbat Services Bat Mitzvah of Sophie Hodess

BirkaT hachodesh

Toldot 29 Cheshvan

5:37p Havdalah (42 min)

9:30a-12p Shabbat Services Bat Mitzvah of Risa Stiegler 10:15a T’fillat Y’ladim

19

22 Chayyei Sarah Cheshvan

6p Gan-Kitah Gimmel Havdallah 5:42p Havdalah (42 min)

9:30a-12p Shabbat Services

Va-yera 15 Cheshvan

9:30a-12p Shabbat Services Bat Mitzvah of Yael Gordon 10:15a Jr. Congregation 10:15a Shabbat Mishpacha 6:49p Havdalah (42 min)

Lekh L’kha 8 Cheshvan

November 2011

Calendars in The Omer are produced 30-60 days in advance using the best data available from the TBA Administration Staff. This calendar is also available at our website www.tbaoakland.org

27

10a Ken Cohen: Jerusalem Eternal 6p Teen Friendship Circle (Baum YC)

23 Cheshvan

La’atid event 10a Ken Cohen: Jerusalem Eternal 1-8p USCJ Ed Conference 6p Teen Friendship Circle (Baum YC) 6p Faces of Israel-community event (Netivot Shalom)

16 Cheshvan

10a Ken Cohen: Jerusalem Eternal 10:30a Kindergym Play Day 3:00p Kindergym Play Day 6p Teen Friendship Circle (Baum YC)

9 Cheshvan

4 Cheshvan

Cheshvan / Kislev 5771

Temple Beth Abraham 327 MacArthur Boulevard Oakland, CA 94610

Periodicals Postage PAID Oakland, CA Permit No. 020299

Do YOU have a High Holy Day honor? Do you know this couple? ggg Stu and Jeanne Korn will be the Honors Coordinators for High Holy Day services. If you have an honor or aliyah, make sure you check in with them when you arrive for services, and let them know where you are seated. They will queue you up when it is time for your honor. See High Holy Day Service Schedule on page 23.

what’s inside TBA Directory................................. i

Social Media and the Jews............. 8

Member Updates.......................... 17

What’s Happening.......................... 1

Gan Avraham News..................... 10

Cooking Corner............................ 18

From the Rabbi............................... 2

Bet Sefer News............................. 11

Life Cycles.................................... 19

President’s Message........................ 3

La’atid.......................................... 11

Donations..................................... 22

Editor’s Message............................. 4

Local Jewish Day Schools............. 12

High Holiday Service Schedule.... 23

Women of TBA............................... 5

Midrasha...................................... 14

Calendar................................. ......24

Thinking About Shabbat................... 7

Hiddur Mitzvah............................ 15