May 2019     
 
    הקשר HaKesher  
                                                 "The Connection"      
  



   Come be a part of our growing Reform synagogue. All are welcome!
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In This Issue
Contact Us
Join Our Mailing List

Celebrations
TBT Board Members
Board Officers:

 Co-Presidents:
   Sheila Luber  
   Ann Rosenfield 
   
 Secretary: 
   Mary Jane Eisenberg
   
 
  Treasurer:  
   Lester Dober

 Past President:
   Jeanne Freeman
   
 Members-at-Large:
    
   Paul Jacobs

   Kerrie Zurovsky

TBT Committee Chairs
 Adult Education
   Mel Siegel
   
 Bikkur Holim
   Suzanne Schlosberg
                -and-
   Evie Lerner
                -and-
   Linda Brant
     
 Calendar Keeper
   Kathy Schindel 
 
 Chevra Kadisha
   Ralph Uri
    
 Communications & PR
   Kathy Schindel

 Connections
   Sheila Luber

 Facilities
   Mark Schindel
   
 Finance
   Chuck Shattuck

 Fundraising
   TBD
  
 Membership & 
 Member Engagement
    Jeanne Freeman
             
 Music
   Julie Geveshausen
   
 Newsletter
   Eileen Katz
   
 Onegs
   Jan Freeman Bauer
     
 Rituals
   Lee-Shapiro-London
     
 Religious Education
   Sara Jo Slate
 
 Social Action
   Lynne Connelley 
     
 Webmaster
   Mark Schindel
  
 Youth Group
    Jillian Frankl
   
Newsletter Sponsors




Tully's Yoga Ad




Quick Links
May Calendar of Events 
 
School Activities

Sunday School 10:00 am: - 5/5, 5/19
Hebrew School 4:00 pm: - 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28

Other Events and Activities

   May 1 - 5:00 pm - Holocaust Remembrance COCC
                              (See Community News below)
   May 2 - Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)
   May 3 - 7:00 pm - Erev Shabbat Special Theme:                                        Scholar In Residence
   May 4 - 9:00 am - Leadership Workshop
   May 4 - 6:00 pm - Dinner and Havdallah (Reservations                                close Sunday, April 28)
   May 8 - Yom HaZikaron (Israel's Memorial Day
   May 9 - Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel's Independence Day)
   May 10 - 7:00 pm Erev Shabbat
   May 14 - 1:00 pm Board Meeting
   May 15 - 7:30 am Back Door Cafe
   May 17 - 2:30 pm Family Kitchen
   May 19 - Adult Education
   May 22 - Lag B'Omer-Bonfire at the Hershenson's new                   home (details to come later)
   
ON THE HORIZON
   June 2 - Annual Song of Miriam Awards, Portland
   June 8 - Bat Mitzvah of Amanda Uri
   June 9 - Annual Congregational Meeting and Social
   
For more details about any TBT events, see our complete schedule of Services, School activities, and Events online:
 https://bethtikvahbend.org/events/

Leadership News
                   Message From  Co-Presidents  
Sheila Luber and Ann Rosenfield

So much to eat; so many smiling faces. Doesn't food feed the soul as well as the belly? Maybe it's the joy we still feel from our wonderful Passover Seder with more than 100 members and guests, special Seder foods and a delicious dinner, teens having fun at their own table, everyone singing along with Rabbi Johanna, and conversation and laughter enveloping us all. Isn't our community the best!

Over the past few months, we've held memorable family-friendly services with member participation, fabulous feasts and getting-to-know-you games and activities. Yet again, food was a central theme and we plan to incorporate this ingredient as we plan next year's calendar of events. With pierogies for Purim and brisket at family Shabbat so well-received, food is definitely on the menu.

In the meantime, join us for a sweet oneg and a special May 3  Erev Shabbat service led by Rabbi Hershenson and guest Scholar in Residence, Rabbi Sam Joseph, speaking about congregational identity. We are excited to welcome this learned rabbi and exceptional educator whose expertise is helping develop successful Jewish congregations and organizations. On May 4 , TBT members who signed up to attend the Breakfast & Leadership Workshop learn from Rabbi Joseph how to cultivate positivity in our leadership culture. Then dinner (of course!) at Chan's, with heaping platters of food shared family style - a fitting venue for Rabbi Joseph's talk, "What's Up with Jews and Chinese Food?" Hmmm... even more food for thought!

One more tidbit - mark your calendar to come to our Annual Congregational Meeting on June 9 from 3:45 to 6 pm so you can help elect new Board members and approve our budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Catered by Kebaba...

L'Shalom,
Sheila and Ann
 
Divrei Tikvah  RJohannaHeadShot
From Rabbi Johanna Hershenson

Between Passover and Shavuot, we count the days of the Omer. From the second day of Passover until the evening of Shavuot (when we receive the Torah at Sinai), we count. We recite a blessing counting the days of the Omer. Then we state "Today is the nth day of the Omer."
 
The practice invites us to ask, what does it mean to count our days? What could it mean to recognize today as a follow up to yesterday and a precursor to tomorrow? For me, counting the Omer is a practice in mindfulness. This moment is important. This day has a name. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is far away. Right now matters.
 
In our congregational calendar, these days between Passover and Shavuot, are days of planning for our annual meeting in June and ultimately for our next fiscal year, which begins in July. A nomination committee has been assessing our leadership needs. Who will step away from our Temple Beth Tikvah board or committee leader roles and who might step in? What will be our goals for membership? For finance? For ritual and learning and community service? Religious school? Youth group?
 
One part of planning is evaluating successes and shortcomings from the past year. Another part of planning is assessing congregational needs and wishes and resources and priorities...and making choices that are manageable and will likely lead to feelings of connection and strength within the organization of our congregation.
 
Our scholar in residence program May 3rd and 4th is an opportunity to engage in a conversation about our next chapter of congregational development. Who are our stakeholders? What are our guiding principles and values? Where are we in our institutional development after 10 years? Should we focus on growing? Should we have our own building? What's next for us? What might we learn about ourselves as we address these questions?
 
I believe we are a small, welcoming congregation eager to nurture one another and be Jewish together. For some of us being Jewish together is about prayer, for others about intellectual discourse, and still others, communal service. Being Jewish together is about the food we eat, the seasons we acknowledge, the words we speak, and living according to our values. How does Temple Beth Tikvah encourage our gatherings and what obstacles get in the way?
 
Where we are matters. Noticing our successes and and our challenges matters. Drawing on the wisdom of one another's experiences matters.
 
Counting our days, counting our members, counting our blessings...Happy Omer Counting!


~~ Rabbi Hershenson's office hours are by appointment. If you would like to set up an appointment, please contact her by email at: johannahershenson@gmail.com, or by phone at 541-213-9880.


TBT Highlights
TBT's Evie Lerner To Be Honored

Jewish Women's Round Table presents the
27th Annual Song of Miriam Awards Brunch

Honoring Outstanding Women Volunteers
Sunday, June 2 nd , 2019  
 10:00 am - 12:15 pm

Mittleman Jewish Community Center   
                6651 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland

Cost: Patron: $36   Regular: $25 until May 24th. After May 24th the cost is $32;   C hildren 12 & under: $10

RSVP to Terry Reynolds at tlrsboard@yahoo.com.

Please bring photo ID for MJCC Security
 
Jewish organizations in the Portland Metro Area, Southwest Washington, and Central Oregon have the opportunity to honor one of their women members at this event. This year TBT is pleased to honor Evie Lerner .

Every TBT member knows where Evie lives because for a decade she has opened her home for countless gatherings, large and intimate: Yom Kippur break-fasts, Shabbat dinners, Passover Seders, Hanukkah parties, weekly Torah studies.

Evie is determined to mix bubbes and babies, new members and old-timers. And her home - with its historical murals, giant menorah, singing rabbi, and abundance of homemade soup - is like Evie herself: warm, cheerful, and thoroughly Jewish. "Whether you're frying latkes in her kitchen or debating Leviticus in her study, you always feel welcome - and very well fed" says TBT member Suzanne Schlosberg.

Evie not only offers her home to TBT but also her organizational skills, her compassion, and her medical supplies. Evie organizes the "care and feeding" of our community, arranging meal trains and hospital visits. She is the first to say, "I've got extra soup in the Crockpot and I'll bring over my shower chair!"

Evie has connected TBT members in person and online, having managed our Facebook page for seven years, posting birthdays, mazel tovs, and welcomes.
Never a spectator, always a participant, Evie was a founding member of TBT and has been an integral part of our community ever since.
 
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Scholar In Residence Weekend
May 3-4
Torah w/star (color)


Join us for TBT's first Scholar in Residence Weekend with Rabbi Sam Joseph. Come and explore your identity in the light of the Jewish Reform movement.

May 3rd at 7:00 pm: Erev Shabbat Service
May 4th 9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Breakfast & Leadership Workshop for Board Members, Committee Chairs, and others interested in helping to lead TBT. 
May 4th at 6:00 pm: Dinner and Havdallah, $10 per person and no-host bar. 
Register online by Sunday, April 28
 
Click  here  to make your reservation for Dinner and Havdallah at Chan's.

RSVP to Marilyn Shattuck to reserve your seat for May 4, mpshattuck@gmail.com
Seder Thank You's

Jeanne Freeman
Having chaired the Passover Seder committee for a number of years now, I can speak to the talent, efficiency and organization of this crew and revel in the pleasure of working with them.
 
Jan Freeman-Bauer, Terry Hoogstede, Rose Jackman, Liz Levinson, Terry Reynolds and Marilyn Shattuck worked together to create a beautiful evening of fun, food, ceremony and tradition. These talented women know exactly what is needed to bring this event together, and it was a wonderful success. My personal thanks to each of them for giving their best personal efforts!
 
However, putting together a Seder for more than a hundred people takes more than just a committee of seven - it takes a community. Our thanks to those additional volunteers who helped in a variety of ways: Andrea Casey, Naomi Chudowsky, Sophie Chudowsky, Marcia Garon, Dres Hoogstede, Paul Levinson, Jay & Sheila Luber, Ann & Michael Rosenfield, Kathy & Mark Schindel.
 
Thanks also to our bakers and Haroset makers, who make sure that the sweetness of the holiday is with us: Beverly Adler, Ann Held, Marti Fields Johnson, Laurel Fishkin, Jan Freeman Bauer, Jeanne Freeman, Eileen Katz, Liz Levinson, Ann Rosenfield and Kathy Schindel.
 
And finally, our thanks to Rabbi Johanna and to Julie and Jo for leading us in a musical evening steeped in tradition and joy.

Bat Mitzvah of Amanda Uri

 Please join David Uri and Lisa Uri
 
       in celebration of the
          Bat Mitzvah
         of their daughter

           Amanda Uri

                              Saturday, June 8
                                   10:00 am 
 
All TBT members are welcome

Spring Cleaning at TBT

 
It started with the small closet in the main hallway at the church. Its shelves were overflowing with containers of various sizes, both plastic and cardboard, hiding from sight a riot of paper-goods, plastic flatware, serving pieces, ritual service, and more. Before every oneg, intrepid angel of organization, Jan Freeman Bauer, would remove each vessel to peer inside and select her supplies for the table. When she couldn't attend, she'd gift volunteer helpers a perfectly calibrated box of items to serve up the oneg treats. When taking their turns, Terry Hoogstede and Sheila Luber saw an opportunity to thank Jan while making the process better for all.
 
They poked and they tussled with contents galore to evaluate the current state of the closet. They re-imagined the space and plotted where to put what. Devising a new system, they foraged for bins at Home Depot with clear sides and easy to open lids. They consolidated and distributed most everything they could into new homes marked with big labels. But the real magic happened when Terry and Sheila loaded the totes and their contents onto the portable chrome cart, and pushed it straight into the closet.
 
Now Jan and anyone who helps with an oneg simply rolls the cart - with its goodies safely stowed on board - to any room in the church. Bringing supplies to the table makes set up and clean up quicker and easier. And with a full inventory in one place, counting and restocking is a breeze. Oh...and the closet is now a thing of beauty. Check it out.
 
As sometimes wandering Jews without a permanent home, our accumulated belongings, beyond those stored in the church closets, reside in a storage facility. There items rest until the call comes for ceremonial service. High Holiday Machzor - in the storage unit. Seder plates and matzoh covers - in the storage unit. But years of moving items in and out without a semblance of system for the boxes and bins had created chaos. Finding the Haggadahs had become as much a part of our Passover tradition as finding the Afikomen.
 
Through the efforts of Mark Schindel, Kathy Schindel, Michael Rosenfield, Burt Litman and Jeanne Freeman order has been restored!
 
Three sturdy shelf units were put together and dozens of boxes were moved out and ultimately back into the unit. All our belongings are sorted, ordered, and shelved. The end result is an organized home for some of TBT's most important belongings, and one that is a joy for those charged with collecting those items.
 
Thank you to Terry, Sheila, Mark, Michael, Kathy, Burt and Jeanne for all of your work.       

Save the Date!
Annual Congregational Meeting
Sunday June 9
   
This event will include catered appetizers and desserts with an opportunity to socialize, followed by our TBT Board Elections and Budget Approval

A membership letter with more details will be mailed shortly.  
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Board and Committee News
TBT Board Notes
Next Board Meeting:  May 14  1:00 to  3:00 p.m. 
Location:  Stonebriar Apartments Clubhouse, 21255 E. Highway 20, Bend.

Your TBT Board meets monthly and members are invited to attend. Dates and times of Board meetings are on the TBT calendar at:  https://bethtikvahbend.org/events/

If you would like to read minutes of previous board meetings, you can request a copy from Board Secretary, Mary Jane Eisenberg  maryjanee112@yahoo.com.
 
Ritual (Religious) Committee News
Alex Charney Cohen colorful star

Many thanks to all who have attended Ritual Events throughout the year and many more thanks to those who participated in services, hosted an Oneg, and set up before or cleaned up after.
Education Report Aleph Bet blocks
Sara Jo Slate

It's been an exciting spring at Community Religious School! Some highlights of our spring include:

Seder Plates
After Sunday school on March 3rd, students joined together for lunch (generously donated by Busy Izzy Foods), made beautiful Seder plates for their families, and, in the process, raised $70.00 for Family Kitchen. We look forward to making this activity a yearly tradition, so make room on your shelves for more Seder plates!

Purim Celebration
On March 17, we celebrated Purim with carnival games, mask-making, and the creation of 50+ blessing bags for the homeless in our community. Everyone came in costume! The grand finale of our celebration was a meaningful (and hilarious!) Purim spiel written by Isaac & Ruby and performed by our talented students. 

More Music!
On April 7, we welcomed our new song leader, Gabe Shapiro. While songs remain part of our curriculum during class time, we've also dedicated our closing community time to music so that students can learn quintessential Jewish prayers and songs together at the end of every Religious School session.

None of these events would be possible without our wonderful teachers, teen helpers, and lots of parent participation. Special thanks to Anne Arathoon, Isabelle Eyman, Isaac Peterson, Ari Halpern, Gabe Shapiro, Kerrie Zurovsky, and the many other parent volunteers who pitched in to make this spring so special. 

As we wrap up the school year in the next couple of months, parents are planning a special closing day activity. Stay tuned for details! Families, please check your email in June for a survey. With the new Bend-La Pine district start times, we will need to know the times that work best for Tuesday Hebrew School. We look forward to hearing your ideas as we plan for the next school year. 


June Newsletter Deadline:  May 24th 

This newsletter is emailed to both members and non-members each month.  If you have something you want to include in the newsletter, please e-mail it to Eileen Katz:  eileentam@aol.com by the 24th of each month for the following month's publication.  As always, you will continue to receive "e-minders" before important events take place.

Shalom,
Eileen
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Community News
Holocaust Remembrance


Central Oregon Community College's Jewish Students Club presents:
 
In Their Own Words - Holocaust Survivors 
Hans Biglajzer (1926 - 2017) and 
David Stoliar (1922 - 2014)
 
Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at Central Oregon Community College's Wille Hall (in the Coats Campus Center) from
5 to 7 pm
 
Using archived video footage, you will meet long-time Bend residents Hans Biglajzer and David Stoliar, local Holocaust survivors and heroes, and hear their incredible stories from World War II.  Then, family members will answer questions and friends will be invited to share memories of Hans and David.
 
Hans Biglajzer was a German Jew who was only 13 when
he lived through the terror of Kristallnacht.  Against tremendous odds, he survived the Lodz ghetto and Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps.  He eventually settled in Clackamas, Oregon after the war with his family, and became a nationally-known saddle maker and leather worker.  When he retired, he and his wife Doris moved to Bend.
 
David Stoliar was the sole survivor of the worst civilian maritime disaster of WWII, the sinking of the Struma, a refugee ship transporting Romanian Jews to Palestine.  It was tor pedoed by a Russian submarine in the Black Sea on February 24, 1942 killing all 800 passengers except 19-year-old Da vid Stoliar, who was the sole survivor.  After the war, he liv ed in many countries before moving to Bend with his wife, Marda.
 
The eve nt  i free and open to the public.  Refreshments will be served.  For more information, please contact Pat Givens at  pgivens@cocc.edu  or Polly Vishner at  pvishner@cocc.edu .

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Taizé Service
Next Taizé:  May 2

All TBT members are invited to Taizé - an evening of Interfaith prayerful meditation, peace, and silence. Taizé services are held the first Thursday of each month, October through May, 7:00 p.m. at St. Clare's Chapel, St. Francis Catholic Church, 2450 NE 27th St. in Bend, OR. Everyone is invited to attend and participate. Sponsored by the Sacred Art of Living Center and the Interfaith Community of Central Oregon.

 

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TBT Tributes
Temple Beth Tikvah gratefully acknowledges the following contributions:
  • Pati and Dan Boyd wishing Burt Litman a speedy recovery
  • Pati and Dan Boyd wishing Terry Reynolds a speedy recovery
  • Burt Litman and Jeanne Freeman in memory of Rose Freeman
  • Burt Litman and Jeanne Freeman in memory of Bertha Litman
  • Grant Herz in memory of Susan "Suzie" Butler Mayer
  • Grant Herz in memory of William "Sam" Baade
  • Susie Richman in memory of Galen Krohn
  • Mel Siegel in memory of Mae Siegel

 

Donations listed above were made to the Temple's general fund unless otherwise specified.


You may honor the lives and achievements of friends and relatives via a tribute with a donation to TBT. You can do this online by clicking here, or by sending a check and the name and address of the person being honored to TBT at P.O. Box 7472, Bend, OR, 97708.

Donations may be designated to a specific fund, including:

   - General Fund
   - Youth Education Fund  
   - Music Fund    
   - TBT Goodwill Fund 
   - Social Action/Tzedakah Fund 
   - or the Corrie Grudin Memorial Fund
   

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About Temple Beth Tikvah

For Jewish families, retirees and singles at every level of faith in Central Oregon, Temple Beth Tikvah provides a comforting embrace for the soul of your DNA. We are a dynamic Reform Jewish congregation with friendly, giving, active people drawn to Bend and Central Oregon because of the active lifestyle we find here.
 
We come together in different ways, inspired and informed by our common thread of Jewishness. Whether you were born Jewish, love someone who is Jewish or choose to be Jewish. Practice Judaism a little, a lot or not at all. TBT can serve as the heart of your vibrant, connected life.
 
We can be your primary source of friendship, purpose, spiritual and intellectual pursuit. Or a side note adding flavor and dimension how and when you want. Whichever you choose, TBT offers an inclusive, communal foundation on which to build your relationships, experiences and practice. From social activities to social action, worship to study, participation to leadership. It's your choice, in this community of yours.  

Please contact us at 541-388-8826 or info@bethtikvahbend.org for more information.
 
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