may 2011 temple israel bulletin

Nisan - Iyar 5771 PAGE 1MAY 2011

Temple Israel Bulletin

End-of-Year Religious School and Congregational Pic-nic—page 1

Yom HaShoah service—page 5

Israel trip with Rabbi Bennett—page 6

Jewish Heritage Night at the A’s—page 7

Youth Group News —page 8

Bruchas and Bagels—page 9

Tot Shabbat—page 12

Children’s Clothing Swap—page 12

Recognizing our volunteers—page 13

Disco Seder pictures—page 14

Wanna dance? - page 18

IN THIS ISSUE

SCHEDULE OF

SHABBAT SERVICES

EREV SHABBAT, May 6:

6:30 PM: Family Shabbat evening ser-vice led by Religious School students.Torah Portion: Emor, Lev. 21:1-24:23,Haftarah: Ez. 44:15-31


7:30 PM: Friday Night Chai Shabbatevening serviceTorah Portion: Behar,, Lev. 25:1-26:2,Haftarah: Jer. 32:6-27


7:30 PM: Shabbat evening service.Torah Portion: Bechukotai, Lev. 26:3-27:34, Haftarah: Jer. 16:19-17:14


7:30 PM: Shabbat evening service withTorah reading. Noah Berk becomes a barmitzvah.

Torah Portion: Bamidbar, Num. 1:1-4:20, Haftarah: Hosea 2:1-22

SHABBAT, May 28:

10:00 AM: Shabbat morning service.Noah Berk is called to the Torah as a barmitzvah.

Temple Israel Religious School & TempleMembers’ Last Day of School Celebration

May 15, 10:30 - NoonFollowed by an all-school potluck picnic!

Class performances (Each class will perform a song or skit)

Presentation of Teacher Appreciation Gifts (Well deserved!)

Tzedakah Presentations (Monies collected throughout theyear will be presented to charities)

Paint-A-Tile Commemorative Art Project

12 Noon Religious School family potluck picnic (Please bring 1beverage bottle and a dish to share)

Paint-A-Tile Commemorative Art Project

We invite parents and their kids, and Temple members to custom design and paint colorfulcommemorative tiles that will be hung at the Temple.

Color Me Mine (sponsor of the event) will assist children with the art.

Cost is: $25 for 1 - 2 tiles

$20 for 3 or more tilesChecks, made payable to Temple Israel, are a tax deduction. Money will be collected dur-

ing the tile art project, so don't forget your checkbook!

TEMPLE ISRAEL BULLETIN

FROM THE RABBI’S STUDY

Numbers and counting seemto play an important part inmany religious traditions.Certain numbers are givenspecial significance, like thenumbers 4 and 13. In Jewishtradition both of those num-bers are considered lucky, as

are 7, 10, and 18, and several others. At Passover wecounted 4 children, 4 questions, 4 cups of wine, etc. Andwe count multiples of 4 as well: 400 years of slavery, 40years in the wilderness, 40 days for Moses atop the moun-tain, 40 days and nights of rain, etc. I’m pretty sure thatthese are not coincidental occurrences.

Our tradition also teaches us to count things themselves,like the number of people who left Egypt (600,000+ men,in addition to the women and children), the number of“things” involved with the wilderness Tabernacle, the num-ber of plagues in Egypt (10), stars (e.g., the number onemust see (3) to proclaim the beginning and the end ofShabbat), the number of people needed for a minyan (10).The number 7 is also important, especially because the 7th

day, which comes 52 times a year, is a special day, in thatwe refrain from work on that day, and we get to do so oncea week, every week, all year long. There is an entire bookof the Torah called Numbers (in English – in Hebrew thename is Bamidbar, meaning “in the wilderness”).

Besides all these numbers, we also count between events.For example, we begin counting on the 2nd day of Passover,and we keep counting until the 50th day, which is when wecelebrate the holiday of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks,which is 7 weeks and a day later. That period of time wecall s’firat ha-Omer (the Counting of the Omer). We countthe number of days in holidays like Sukkot, Pesach, andShavuot, and of course, Chanukkah. We count the numberof lights in the menorah (7, one for each day of the week),and in the chanukkiah (the menorah for Chanukkah, whichhas 9, one for each day of the holiday and one for the ser-vice candle).

What, you might ask, is the point of all this counting? Whydo we list out 613 mitzvot? Why 13 attributes of God? Why18 (or actually 19) benedictions in the Amidah? Why the“mystical” significance of the number 18? Where does ge-matria come into all this, that counting of the values of theHebrew letters in words?

The answer may vary depending on the particular circum-

stances. But one thing is clear and unambiguous: Judaismlooks at the process of counting from two very differentperspectives and comes to some unavoidable conclusionsin the process. A first reason for counting is to make surethat we get things right. If we need 45 poles for the wilder-ness Tabernacle, then we need to make sure that we haveall of them. Otherwise, the Tabernacle won’t be able tostand. If we need a certain number of people to performatspecific task and we don’t have enough, we might not beable to complete the task. Over and over again in the Torahwe hear about censuses, taken so that the leadership canhave a clear understanding of what resources are availablein order to do whatever needed to be done.

But equally important was the idea reiterated time andagain, that we don’t just count people; we also count onpeople. If a minyan were required in order to say theMourner’s Kaddish in a traditional home, and if 10 peoplesaid they would be there, but only 8 appeared, then tradi-tion says that Kaddish is not recited. Under that circum-stance, those on whom we were counting let us down, andthe result would be a difficult situation for the community.

It’s usually easy to count things. It’s not always so easy,especially these days, to count on people. Based on some-one’s telling us that they will “be there” for us and thentheir failing to show up leads to all kinds of problems, suchas a lack of trust, an inability to do the appointed task forwhich we were counting on them, etc. Now, more thanever, it seems all the more important to know on whom wecan count. That is why, when a child becomes 13 in ourcommunity, we welcome them as adults on whom we cannow officially count for helping to meet the needs of thecommunity. We can count them in a minyan; we ask themto assist in our Religious School; we invite them to chantTorah at the High Holy Days and throughout the year, etc.

As we count the days between the Feast of Freedom(Pesach) and the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), we move frombeing slaves in a strange land to being citizens of the Prom-ised Land. Along the way, we stop at Sinai long enough toreceive the building blocks of civilization (Torah and mitz-vot) that we will use so that we can survive and thrive inthat new place. We count the days and the years, we countpractically every step that we take, and we count on God tocarry us through. Let us never forget that both God and ourfellow Jews are also counting on us to be there for themwhen and whenever they need us. You can count on it!

Shalom,Rabbi Allen B. Bennett

Nisan - Iyar 5771 PAGE 3

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Before I tell you what isreally going on these days,I want to remind you thatif you received your taxrefund already, this mightbe a good time to makeyour Annual Giving Cam-paign contribution orcomplete your DuesPledge.

What is really consumingme these days is……….Noah is becoming a BarMitzvah! That’s right! Wow. When we first joinedTemple Israel 13 years ago, Jason was in kindergartenReligious School and I was just about to have Noah.Then… he became that little boy that slept under thepews during services. The same little boy that wouldbe so shy around Gretel Gates. And now, all 5’2.5inches of him will lead services on a Friday night andSaturday morning in May, in addition to reading fromthe Torah. How lucky we are that Rabbi Bennett, whogave us such a warm welcome, way back when, is go-ing to officiate! Everyone is invited!

In our synagogue, we usually have Friday night ser-vices. Because the Torah is usually read at a Saturdaymorning service, we would only have the opportunityto attend a Torah service when there was a bar or batmitzvah. A few years ago, we started to have Torahservice on the 4th Friday of the month.

The Berk family would like to welcome you withopen arms to this special Saturday Torah service aswe proudly witness our son Noah make one of manymajor transitions in his life. It has always been thecustom at Temple Israel to invite the entire congrega-tion to the service, which will start at 10am on Satur-day morning, May 28.

One of many “rites of passage”, Bar Mitzvah literallytranslates as "son of commandment." The word "bar"means "son" in Aramaic, which was the commonlyspoken language of the Jewish people (and much ofthe Middle East) from around 500 B.C.E. to 400 C.E.

The word "mitzvah" is Hebrew for "commandment."

When a boy celebrates his 13th birthday - he is a "barmitzvah" and is recognized by Jewish tradition as hav-ing the same rights as a full grown man. (haha). A boywho has become a Bar Mitzvah is now morally andethically responsible for his decisions and actions.(Well yes, this is true).

This is an emotional time. Family is coming from allover. We are all working and planning as Noah stud-ies his Torah portion while also trying to maintain hisgrades in Middle School, and attend Religious School,piano lessons and baseball. He is doing a great job –all those years of napping under the seats during ser-vices has really paid off.

This isn’t just about learning a Torah portion to per-form in front of adoring relatives though. Noah andthe Rabbi are working hard to understand how the To-rah portion and the Haftarah are meaningful to ourlives now. Noah is also working on a mitzvah projectthat will support the Junior Giants organization inmaking sure they have gloves to play baseball with. Iknow that Noah will value these lessons and continueto be the proud Jewish Alamedan that he is right now.

We would like to thank our Temple Israel Family forhelping to bring us to this point. We owe greatthanks to our community, our teachers, our pastschool directors and Cantor Pam. We are especiallygrateful to Rabbi Bennett, Mindy Myers, our wonder-ful Religious School director, and Rachel Herrmann,our great great Amitim teacher, who we will misswhile she pursues an exciting opportunity next year.

For centuries, everyone has managed to get throughthis, we have done it before, and then we get to relax abit and celebrate. I hope you will join us!

B’Shalom,

Cindy Berk


EDUCATION NEWS

Dear Temple Israel Community:

This year’s Religious School is coming to an end and I want to take this opportunityto thank the many people who have volunteered to make our events go smoothly.From the people who helped set up and clean up at events, to the people to helped in

the kitchen, the Class Shabbat planners, the class parents, and the people who supported the teachers whenthey needed extra assistance.

A special shout out goes to the unbelievable and hard-working Education Committee, led by Laura Grunbaum,who make important decisions on educational directions and really guide the Religious School towards growthand new opportunities. My deep appreciation.

As you well know, a well-functioning school is a reflection of its members. The more we all put into theschool, with volunteering and effort, the more all the students benefit. Thank you for stepping up and being anintegral part of your child’s Jewish education.

Every month I attend the Council of Jewish Educators and listen to the unrolling of events and programs at theother religious schools, most of which are double or triple the size of the Temple Israel Religious School withlarger budgets. When I tell the group of the interesting things our school does – the use of Youtube cementingclass lessons; the unusual art projects; the tree plantings for Tu B’Shevat; creative cooking projects; non-traditional Passover seders; writing their own 10 Commandments on a scroll; Hebrew skits, Book and aCookie; Children’s Chanukah Market; and much more, they are in awe and envious (and I am proud of whatwe do and accomplish).

So this is my thank you to you for supporting my educational directions and choices. I deeply care for all thestudents in the school and feel honored to be the director.

Please join us on Sunday, May 15 at 10:30 for end of the year presentations and picnic (See flyer on separatepage 1). Religious School families and Temple members are invited.

Lastly, if you have not sent in your re-enrollment form, please do so ASAP. And if you can refer new studentsto the Religious School, please give them my contact info. I would be more than happy to show them aroundand meet privately with anyone.

Warmly,

Mindy Myers, Director of Congregational Learning

[email protected]


MAKING THE GIFT—THERE’S STILL TIME AND STILL THE NEED

The last half of our fiscal year (January through May) is the time of our Annual Giving Campaign. This isyour opportunity to make a gift to the congregation to better support our operational needs and save for therecruiting and hiring of our next rabbi. Sadly, dues alone do not cover such expenditures.

In February, you were sent a letter launching this year's campaign. A board member has probably contactedyou to schedule a visit to hear your concerns and ideas for Temple Israel along with asking for your gift to thecampaign. If you have not yet responded to the letter or scheduled your visit with the board member, pleasedo so as soon as you can. These visits are super helpful in the Board’s better understanding our needs collec-tively and directly. Don't let that opportunity pass you by.

To help us end the fiscal year in the black and not in the red, consider making your gift prior to May 31st, thelast day of our fiscal year. Mail your check to our office or click on the yellow PayPal button on our websiteat: templeisraelalameda.org/support/dues (write "Annual Giving Campaign" in the Comment Box duringcheck-out). On behalf of your fellow members, thank you for giving this much-needed gift.

As many of you know, I have been delighted to leadseveral interfaith tours to Israel and Jordan during mytenure as the rabbi of Temple Israel. While the guestlists have differed on each trip, the level of excite-ment, enthusiasm and enjoyment has remained prettyconstant among the various travelers. We have allcome back from these trips with a much greater under-standing of, and appreciation for, the complexities ofthe region including the geography, history, politics,economics, demographics, etc.

With the announcement of my planned retirement atthe end of June, 2012, I have realized that the next tripwe are scheduled to take will be the last one I lead asTemple Israel’s rabbi. I am reminded of Mark Twain’squip that we should learn from the mistakes of othersbecause we won’t live long enough to make them allourselves. In this case I hope to have learned from myown mistakes, and want to make this final trip the verybest one ever.

So if you have ever wanted to participate in one ofthese trips with me, this will be your last chance. Hereare the details:

We leave on Monday, November 28, and we returnon Tuesday, December 13. That is, we leave on theMonday after Thanksgiving and we’re back a full

twelve days before Chanukkah and Christmas(Chanukkah begins on Christmas Eve this year). Morethan a “holy land theme park tour,” our trip is reallyan in-depth introduction to Israel, from ancient timesto modern, and from north to south, and east to west.Under the auspices of Da’at Educational Tours and itssubsidiary ARZA World, we receive VIP treatmentfrom the moment we register until we are back in ourhomes once again. Our trip includes a brief trip toPetra, Jordan, where the historical site there has beendesignated one of the new “10 Wonders of theWorld.”

If you ask any of the guests who have gone on ourprevious trips, they will tell you that they learnedmore than they ever expected in ways they could nothave imagined, and gained a respect for the countryand people of Israel (and its neighbors) that they neverthought they could have.

Please join me for what promises to be our best tripyet (as well as my tour leader swan song and last hur-rah). For details, more information, and registration,go to www.arzaworld.com, and search for Temple Is-rael of Alameda. Alternatively, call me at the office at(510) 522-9355, x 312, and let’s talk.

Rabbi Allen B. Bennett

LAST CHANCE TO TAKE A TRIP TO ISRAEL WITH RABBI BENNETT!


Temple Israel’s on-line volunteer clearinghouse just cele-brated its one-year anniversary of publication, and what ayear it has been!

Each week Moshe’s List is e-mailed to Temple membersseeking volunteers to fill Temple needs. It has sought eve-rything from helpers for envelope stuffing projects to fullcrews of people to put on special events. It also has a“wanted” column seeking tangible items the Temple canuse as well as a “lost and found” section.

This is not a classified ad publication for people to swapand trade their own goods and services – but rather specifi-cally lists ways members can donate their time and items tohelp the Temple itself.

Here is just a sampling of things that Moshe’s list hashelped make possible this past year via its posts:

Tech helpers were recruited for our website, Facebookpage and on-line presence.

Library aides were found to assist our librarian run ourTemple library

Fundraising events such as our successful HolidayExpo, Disco Bingo, & Children’s Clothing Swaps werefully staffed with volunteers.

Cooking crews were recruited for numerous ReligiousSchool events.

Loads of Hamantashen cookie bakers were found tobake over 900 cookies for Purim.

Raffle prizes were donated for numerous events to helpraise funds for the Temple.

Furniture and household goods were consigned to aresale store to benefit our coffers.

Tea pots and tiered trays were loaned for our 90th An-niversary Party

Art supplies were donated for our Religious School

Musicians were recruited for our Friday Night Chaiband & singers found for our choir

Thanks to everyone who either requested something beposted, or responded to a post this past year. Keep thosegood ideas coming and check Moshe’s list each week tosee how you can help your temple community – and maybein the process make some new friends and have fun.

To request something be posted on Moshe’s list [email protected]

Shalom,

“Moshe”

MOSHE’S LIST – OUR VOLUNTEER CLEARINGHOUSE – TURNS ONE!

JEWISH HERITAGE NIGHT AT THE OAKLAND A’SJoin your Temple Israel friends in supporting the Oakland A’s on “Jewish heritage Night” at the Oakland Coliseum onMay 17. It will be a California competition – the A’s against the Los Angeles Angels. Game time is 7:05 p.m. Seats are$26 each and are located in the Plaza Infield, right outside the Westside Club. In addition, each ticket holder will receivehis/her very own A’s yamulke and a delicious ballpark treat served in the Westside Club (non-kosher). Parking willbe FREE for the evening.

We can collect money for tickets at the Office for this event so we can all sit together!! More info to come!

For more information, go to www.oaklandathletics.com/jewish or contact Josh Feinbergat [email protected] or 510.563.2205.


YOUTH GROUP GOES GOLFING

Members of the Temple Israel youth groups went Pee Wee golfing on Sunday April 17. The golfers includedNoah Berk, Daniel Waldman, Carl Penny, Maya Berkowitz, Danny Charney, Ellie and Hanna Krulikov.

We started our day right after Religious School with a picnic lunch in Leydecker Park and then on to CastroValley for golfing. It was a hot and sunny day, so after an intense round of golf, we retired to the “19th hole”for ice cream. We then returned to the Temple.

Daniel, Noah and Carl each scored a hole in one, and Carl exhibited some interesting shot selection. I wouldlike to thank Ross Charney for driving and generally helping out wherever needed.

The next event in May will be a trip to Angel Island. Then the Special Olympics Ice Cream Awards in our so-cial hall, the Alameda Sand Castle building contest in June and in July we have the 4th of July Parade. Finally,we will be conducting the services in August when the Rabbi is on vacation.

More when I have the information.

Skip Soskin 510-521-9651

NOAH BERK TO BECOME A BAR MITZVAH

Noah Berk was born to much fanfare and hoopla in CastroValley, CA, May 20, 1998. At an early age, he displayed akeen enthusiasm for all things sports. This led to his partici-pation in basketball and soccer leagues though his true pas-sion is baseball. Noah is in his 8th year of playing organizedbaseball where he can often be found behind the plate catch-ing games.

Growing up in a musical family, Noah has inherited his fa-ther’s musical genes. While Noah plays guitar, bass, saxo-phone and piano, the one instrument that is uniquely his is theukulele. His gentle soul, quick wit, charm and sense of humorhas endeared him to family, classmates and friends. Thesetraits contribute to his sense of fair play and tikkun olam.Noah is eager to conclude this chapter in his life in eager an-

ticipation of beginning another anew. Noah is grateful to the Temple Israel community for bringing him tothis point.


TEM PLE ISRAEL’S

90TH ANNIVERSARY

COOKBOOK

2010

THE MIDWAY SHELTER COOKING PROJECTThe Temple Israel Dinner Cooks are proud to have been preparing dinner once a month for the residents of the MidwayShelter for the past several years. Many religious and community organizations in Alameda take part in this activity, sothat the women and children who are putting their lives back together at the Shelter get a nourishing, healthy dinner eachday.

In April, Bev Blatt, Nancy Freed, and Alison Harris prepared and delivered honey glazed chicken (augmented by left-overs from our Congregational seder!), potatoes, zucchini, carrot salad (also left from the seder), dessert, and juice. Wealways have a good time visiting with each other and catching up on each others’ lives while we cook! And, as MaryGold frequently says, “Many hands make work light”!

We cook on the third Wednesday of each month. Four or five volunteers are needed, and if you’d like to help, pleasecontact Alison Harris at 521-3375 or [email protected].

The 90th Anniversary Cookbook is available in theTemple office, or, you can contact

Alison Harris at

[email protected] or

510-521-3375

and we will arrange to get you your copy at a mutuallyconvenient time.

BRUCHAS AND BAGELS IS BACK

Our monthly pre-service gathering, Bruchas & Ba-gels, takes place the 2nd Friday of the month, at 6:30p.m., in the Social Hall, prior to that evening's Shab-bat service. This is a casual way to come together todo the candle, wine and challah blessings (aka"Bruchas") while noshing on bagels and meeting yourfellow congregants. So the right amount of fresh ba-gels and challah are ordered, please e-mail memberMel Waldorf at [email protected] or call theTemple office with your RSVP.


SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNES- THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

19:00 AM HebrewSchool

10:15 AM Reli-gious School

7:30 PM YomHaShoah service

28:45 AM Jazzer-cise

5:15 PM AAmeeting

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

8:00 PM Bandrehearsal


4:00 PM HebrewSchool

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

7:00 PM RitualCommittee meet-

5

5:30 PM I ni C


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

6:30 PM Student-led Shabbat service

7

8

Mothers’ Day

No Hebrew School

o r R e l i g i o u sSchool

3:00 PM I ni C


5:15 PM AAmeeting

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise



4:00 PM HebrewSchool

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

7:00 PM Board ofDirectors meeting

12

5:30 PM I ni C


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

6:30 PM Bruchasand Bagels

7:30 PM FridayNight Chai Shab-bat service

147:00 PM FamilyGame Night

159:00 AM HebrewSchool

10:15 AM Reli-gious School

12:00 Noon Endo f R e l i g i o u sSchool Commu-nity Picnic

3:00 PM I ni C


5:15 PM AAmeeting

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

7:00 PM RabbiSearch Committeemeeting


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise


188:45 AM Jazzercise

10:00 AM MidwayShelter Cooking

5:15 PM Jazzercise

6:30 PM Educationcommittee meeting

7:30 PM The Good,the Bad, & the Ugly:Fair Trade Chocolate

19

5:30 PM I ni C


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

6:15 PM Tot Shab-bat

7:30 PM Shabbatevening service

214:00 PM Privateevent

22

3:00 PM I ni C


5:15 PM AAmeeting

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise




5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

2610:30 AM LittleLatkes

5:30 PM I ni C


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

7:30 PM Shabbatevening serviceNoah Berk be-comes a bar mitz-vah

2810:00 AM NoahBerk is called tothe Torah as a barmitzvah.

299:30 AM Minyan& Bagel Breakfast

3:00 PM I ni C

30Memorial Day

Temple office closed

8:45 AM Jazzercise

5:15 PM AA meet-ing

5:15 PM Jazzercise


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise


MAY 2011


SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNES-DAY

THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

7:00 PM RitualCommittee meet-ing

2

5:30 PM I ni C


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise


4

5

3:00 PM I ni C


5:15 PM AAmeeting

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise


8

SHAVUOT

8:45 AM Jazzer-cise

10:00 AM Festivalmorning servicewith Yizkor

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

7:00 PM Board ofDirectors meeting

9

5:30 PM I ni C


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

6:30 PM Bruchasand Bagels

7:30 PM FridayNight Chai Shab-bat service

11

12

3:00 PM I ni C


5:15 PM AAmeeting

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

7:00 PM RabbiSearch Committeemeeting


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

7:00 PM AnnualGeneral BudgetMeeting



10:00 AM Mid-way Shelter Cook-ing

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

7:00 PM AnnualGeneral Meeting

16

5:30 PM I ni C


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

6:15 PM Tot Shab-bat


18

19FATHERS’ DAY

3:00 PM I ni C


5:15 PM AAmeeting

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise




5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

2310:30 AM LittleLatkes

5:30 PM I ni C


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise

7:30 PM Shabbatevening servicewith Torah reading

25

269:30 AM Minyan& Bagel Breakfast

3:00 PM I ni C


5:15 PM AAmeeting

5:15 PM Jazzer-cise


5:15 PM Jazzer-cise


29 30

JUNE 2011


Tot Shabbat Services at Temple Israel

Friday, May 20, from 6:30 – 7 pmfollowed by a Tot Shabbat Oneg Shabbat from 7 – 7:20pm

Welcome Shabbat with dancing, singing, prayer, and joy!

Introduce your child to Shabbat through prayer services designed especially for children ages 3 – 8

Older children are invited to help lead the service.

Tot Shabbat services are led by Rachel Herrmann.

All Tot Shabbats begin promptly at 6:30 pm in the Temple Israel sanctuary. Doors open at 6:15. New families andfriends welcome! This is the final Tot Shabbat until October 2011.


RECOGNIZING OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS!

Temple Israel could not function without the support and hard work of our volunteers. These members givefreely of their time and energy, and should be recognized by us all. The Temple Israel Bulletin will be listingour volunteers in this and future issues.

Thank you to:

Lois Blumsack & Carol Parker for putting on the Community Seder

Carol Parker for the invention and distribution of Moshe's List

Ritz Cohen (years of coordinating and helping put on Oneg Shabbats)

Eric Strimling and Wayne Zensius (Building Coordinators)

Alison Harris ( TI Bulletin)

Kimberlee MacVicar ( TI Times)

Jen Whatley (Scrip)

Josh Cohen (webmaster - and those helping him now on the tech group)

Nicole Thresher - Social Networking maven

Skip Soskin (for working tirelessly to make sure our kids have a youth group)

The middle of the night security list people

Others who toil for us year in and year out on temple related things...

Ed Kofman, Bev Blatt, Skip Soskin - Temple Israel Foundation

Beth Magidson (who worked on our room partition bulletin boards among so many other things)

People who work on all-Temple work days sprucing up the Temple

People who give our elderly members rides to Temple

Lauren Helfand for sending out get well and sympathy cards and the like at the instruction of the Rabbi

Rob & Jeri Kaplan for their lovely voices & for their many years of keeping our Temple bar well stockedfor events

Friday Night Chai Band

High Holy Day Choir and musicians

Parents organizing Little Latkes, Tot Shabbat and Bruchas and Bagels

Your help is greatly appreciated!


RELIGIOUS SCHOOL DISCO SEDER CELEBRATION!


CONTRIBUTIONS

A list of donations was not received in time for publication in this issue of the Bulletin. This information will be in-cluded in the June Bulletin.

As you probably know, Women of Temple Israel (WTI) has been on hiatus this year. This break was supposedto give us a chance to regroup and redefine ourselves. But the thing that has been the most obvious is that thewomen of our congregation do not seem to have a need for a women's group at this time. Perhaps it is becausethere are enough other social, cultural, educational, and spiritual opportunities already happening at TempleIsrael. Perhaps it is because with the economy and society in the shape they are now, we do not have the en-ergy to add another activity to our lives. Whatever the reason, we cannot plan and put on events with the veryfew women who did express interest in having a women's group.

In the past, the Women of Temple Israel (or Sisterhood, as we were originally called) was extremely active inthe life of the Temple. We raised money to run the Religious School, organized and ran events such as theBreak-the-Fast, Congregational Seder, the annual Donor Dinner, oversaw the cleaning of the kitchen beforePesach and the sanctuary before the High Holy Days, organized the oneg Shabbats, ran the Judaica Shop, gavegifts to our b’nai mitzvah celebrants, put on programs such as book discussions, movies, health issue forums,Judaic arts & crafts and cooking, and much more. When there was a job to be done at Temple Israel, we fre-quently did it. But over the past decade, fewer people seem to have the time to spend on either helping to dothese events or to attend them.

Maybe in another couple of years, we can try again to have a women's chavurah, sisterhood, activity group, orwhatever we'd like to call it. In the meantime, we plan to continue cooking for the Midway Shelter until thosefunds run out, and stay involved with other Temple Israel activities. We thank you all for your support in thepast, and look forward to continuing to work with you in congregational events, committees, and services.

B’Shalom,

The Board of the Women of Temple Israel

MESSAGE FROM THE WOMEN OF TEMPLE ISRAEL

TEMPLE ISRAEL—NOW GET TWEETS!

We now have an administrator to manage Facebook and Twitter for the Temple. The goal is to reach out tomore people in our community of Alameda as well as to people around the Bay Area who are interested inwhat we have to offer. There is a lot going on in Temple Israel and we need to keep up with the fast andchanging pace of communication. This is a great way to keep up with upcoming events and to RSVP to thoseevents. Please ‘Like’ us on Facebook, ‘Follow’ us on Twitter @templeisraelala, and spread the word to thosearound you! If you have any questions about our Facebook or Twitter accounts, please send an emailto [email protected].


YAHRZEITS

May 6James Barnett 4/30Evelin Glasser 4/30Rose Kalmon 4/30David Lesch 4/30

Mildred Copeland 5/1 Nisan 27Frank Braun 5/3Lois Kaplan 5/3Ann Manno 5/3Nathan Oppenheimer 5/3Daniel Vugrincic 5/3Jeanne Nelson 5/4Melissa Tyler Early 5/5John Herrmann 5/5Minnie Skee 5/5Michael Finberg 5/6Ethel Glick 5/6 Iyar 2Lony Stern 5/6May 13Edna Bork 5/7Abraham Jacobs 5/7 Iyar 3Edna G. Koschnitski 5/8Shirley Nachman 5/9 Iyar 5Helen Sheridan 5/9Esther Nachmoulis 5/10 Iyar 6Bertha Ragent 5/10Joseph Leondar Schneider 5/10Mildred Green 5/11Robert Rifkin 5/11Frances Fiedler 5/12Tillie Hoven 5/12Alexander Levine 5/12John H. Pastor 5/12David Pinckney 5/12Karen Pinckney 5/12Elliott Stephens 5/12Lou Louis 5/13May 20Hilda Kruger 5/14 Iyar 10Marcus Bernstein 5/15Jack Carlow 5/15Stephen Schlusberg 5/15Steven Boudreau 5/16Louise Rosenfeld 5/16 Iyar 12Fega Barlas 5/17Benjamin Carlow 5/17

Abraham Herzig 5/17 Iyar 13Hilda Kutin 5/17 Iyar 13Meyer "Corpie" Schneider 5/17Gertrude Cohen 5/18Claire Anker Friedling 5/18Ruth Gogol 5/18Meyer Kapler 5/18Ernest Mandell 5/19Beverley Rollins 5/19Martin Brown 5/20Myriam Renfro 5/20May 27Sol Charney 5/21 Iyar 17Charles Highstein 5/21 Iyar 17Marge Leffler 5/21 Iyar 17Alexander Levy 5/21William Braverman 5/22Elizabeth Wolf 5/22 Iyar 18Diana Barr 5/23Arthur Finkel 5/24 Iyar 20Patricia Isitt 5/24 Iyar 20Dorothy Sawyer 5/24 Iyar 20Miriam "Mimi" Schneider 5/24Louis Becker 5/25Samuel Kravitz 5/25Herman Sonnenschein 5/25Martin Young 5/26 Iyar 22Annette Barnett 5/27Belle Golub 5/27Jamie Gross 5/27 Iyar 23Kathy Teller 5/27June 3Samuel Leonard 5/28Silvia Slate 5/29Morris Prins 5/31 Iyar 27


CELEBRATIONS

BIRTHDAYS

ANNIVERSARIES

Ken & Pauline Schindler May 28, 2011 5th anniversaryJen & Fred Whatley May 30, 2011 12th anniversary

Steve Kofman May 6Howard Sidorsky May 7Sheila Corman May 11Charley Weiland May 14Ron Soltz May 16Jay Savel May 17Mary Gold May 18Noah Berk May 20 13th birthdayWalter Jacobs May 20Christina Spiegel May 20James Thresher May 20Robert Kaplan May 21Elizabeth McDonough May 21 12th birthdayNancy Rafalaf May 21Nancy Bloom May 22Elijah Lustig May 22 16th birthdayGary Waldman May 22Kevin Joshua Stein May 25 19th birthdayKira Cady Macvicar May 26 3rd birthdayJeff Cohn May 28

Roger Finberg May 29Sandra Klein May 29Rachel Rendel May 31Eric Strimling May 31 49th birthday

GRADUATION!!

If you have a child or grandchild who is graduating from high school, college, or grad school this May orJune, please let us know at [email protected] by May 10. We like to acknowledge this accomplishment inthe June Bulletin!



The Temple Israel Bulletin is a monthly periodical.Deadline for articles is the 10th of the month for the fol-lowing month’s issue. Comments can be directed to theTemple office: 3183 Mecartney Rd., Alameda, CA94502-6912, Phone 510-522-9355, Fax 510-522-9356,email: [email protected].

RABBI: Allen B. Bennett,

[email protected]

DIRECTOR OF CONGREGATIONAL LEARNING:

Mindy Myers

[email protected]

ADMINISTRATOR:

[email protected]

PRESIDENT: Cindy Berk

[email protected]

The TI Times is a weekly email publication sent to theTemple Israel membership with email addresses. If youwould like to receive the TI Times please contact the Tem-ple office at: [email protected]

OFFICE HOURSRabbi Allen B. Bennett is generally in the office:

10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays,

9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays,

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Fridays,

and Sundays during Hebrew and ReligiousSchool hours.

The office is open from 9:00—Noon on Monday and Tues-day and 9:00 AM– 12:00 PM Thursday through Friday.

Because the Rabbi may be involved in meetings, other ap-pointments, tutoring students, etc., during the times he is inthe building, it is best to make an appointment before com-ing in.

YOUR TEMPLE ISRAEL BOARDOF DIRECTORS

President - Cindy BerkTreasurer—Jacob Lustig

Secretary—Beth Magidson

Fundraising— Kimberlee MacVicar & Jen Whatley

Personnel—Betty Riback

Public Information- Carol Parker

Operations – Eric StrimlingEducation—Mike Riback

Ritual— Suzi Scher

Membership—Charley Weiland

Big Band Concert/Dance

in Alameda Every Last Wednesday of the Month

Come and listen/dance to Dave’s Swingtime Big Band playing the hits from the 30’s to the

60’s.

18 piece big band plus a female vocalist performs east and west coast swing, rumbas,

waltzes, cha chas, tangos, night club two-step and a few surprises!

Every last Wednesday of the Month

8:00 pm to 10:00 pm Temple Israel 3183 Mecartney Road

$5.00 donation

For further details call Dave at 510-521-1349 or Email: [email protected]


UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

YOM HASHOAH SERVICEMay 1, 7:30 PM: Please join us for this Holocaust Memorial Service,. See page 5 for more information.

BRUCHAS AND BAGELSMay 13, 6:30 PM: Join us for the recitation of the traditional Shabbat blessings over the candles, wine, and challah,and enjoy a light bagel snack! See page 9 for more information.

END-OF-YEAR RELIGIOUS SCHOOL AND CONGREGATIONAL PICNICMay 15, Noon: Join us for this potluck picnic. See page 1 for more information.

JEWISH HERITAGE NIGHT AT THE OAKLAND A’SMay 17, 7:05 PM: See page 7 for more information about this event!

THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY: FREE TRADE CHOCOLATEMay 18, 7:00 PM: An interesting discussion about free trade products, especially chocolate!

TOT SHABBATMay 20, 6:30 PM: A short service for young children. See page 12.

WANNA DANCE?May 25, 8:00 PM: Dance to the Big Band sound of Dave Altschuler’s Swingtime Band. A $5.00 donation at the dooris requested. See page 18 for information.

MINYAN AND BAGEL BREAKFASTMay 29, 9:30 AM: Join us for davening followed by a delicious bagel brunch

GIFT CARDSSales Table open during all Temple Israel committee meetings and during Religious School!

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