January 15 2021 l 2 Sh'vat 5781
CONGREGATION BEIT T'SHUVAH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Dear Congregants,
This coming Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
It was on April 8, 1986, that Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich), introduced legislation for a federal holiday to recognize and honor the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The following January, annual ceremonies commemorating Dr. King’s birth were launched by the The King Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The call was made for nationwide ceremonies and the work towards making that happen began. In the 1970s, support for a national holiday began to grow. In 1979, then President Jimmy Carter called on Congress to vote on the King Holiday Bill but it was defeated by five votes in November of 1979. In 1980, Stevie Wonder released “Happy Birthday” in his support of enacting a National MLK, Jr. holiday and in 1982, he and Coretta Scott King delivered a petition to the Speaker of the House with over 6 million signatures in favor of the holiday.
It was on November 3, 1983 that Republican President Ronald Reagan signed a bill marking the 3rd Monday in January to become “Martin Luther King Jr. Day”. It was not until January 1986, that the first national Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed. So, while his birthday is actually on January 15th, we celebrate it on the 3rd Monday of each January, ultimately, because of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act that was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson back in 1968. In 1994, Congress designated the holiday as a national day of service, that is, it is “a day on, not a day off” in order to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
As Jews and people in recovery, we are about action and service. May we in the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. re-commit our selves to service to our community and our country.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Micha'el Akiba
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THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION
By: Rabbi Joseph Shamash
One of my favorite things about working at Beit T’Shuvah is the ability to witness transformation. It is a privilege and a gift to see individuals come in broken and then heal.
So much of our healing depends on our own willingness and effort to grow, to learn and to be willing to take the next right step into the unknown. It requires a step of faith; the uncharted path is different from the road we’ve already been down too many times.
But what happens when we are closed? When we’re resistant to changing? What if, no matter what the promises or incentives to change are, we stick to what enslaves us? This is the challenge that Moses faces in this week’s parashah, Va’eira.
Moses has overcome his own reluctance to accept a new and daunting task. He has heeded God’s call to approach Pharaoh and demand the freedom of God’s children from bondage, and not only has Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go, he has added...click here to read more.
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Jenni J. for one year of sobriety.
Miriam Y. for one year of sobriety.
Jeff R. for 3 years of sobriety.
We are still celebrating birthdays each week on Zoom!
To sign up to take a Sober Birthday cake at Beit T'Shuvah, click here.
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If you would like to sponsor shabbat at
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Tribute donations are a wonderful way of marking life cycle events for your loved ones and friends and supporting Beit T'Shuvah.
Carol & David Roe in honor of Carrie Newman
Carole & Gary Lazar in honor of Emily Corleto, Lynn Bider and Neal Maslan for all of the wonderful work that they do for this amazing organization
Lisa & Joel Cassel in honor of Jackie Elkins
Lori & Scott Forman in honor of Jackie Elkins on her well-deserved recognition and focused long-term commitment to making a real difference in people's lives. Well done to all and CONGRATULATIONS to Jackie!
Betty Dockweiler & Frank Stiefel in honor of Pat Gage
Dena & Allen Baum in memory of Carolyn Heilweil
Jennifer Hechtman Rosen in memory of Dylan Buckner
Carol Solomon in memory of Sara Rosenberg
If you are interested in sending a beautiful tribute, please contact Development . You can also send a tribute online by Clicking Here. Beit T'Shuvah will promptly send a card to the family or friend you are recognizing.
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THIS WEEK'S SPOTLIGHT
Jackie Elkins
By: Jesse Solomon
Let me introduce you to a woman whose heart is as warm as the Challah she bakes: Jackie Elkins. Jackie has been connected to Beit T’Shuvah for almost 20 years. After seeing Harriett Rosetto and Carrie Newman speaking at a Jewish Federation event, she knew this was the organization that could help get her recently incarcerated brother out of prison. That’s exactly what they did. After her brother’s stay at Beit T’Shuvah came her nephew’s, and then finally, her son was ready to join the ranks. Bradley Elkins graduated from the program, became a PF, and eventually joined the staff as a counselor. He shepherded many people through their recoveries and taught us all valuable lessons along the way (lessons I assume he learned from his wonderful mother).
After all of this, Jackie felt like she wanted to give more back to the community that saved her family. That’s when she came up with the idea for Baked T’Shuvah. With the help of a couple of residents with culinary experience, she created Beit T’Shuvah’s first-ever batch of Challah. At the time, it was only meant as a fun exercise for residents to do. As more residents started making Challah with Jackie, she decided it was time to talk to Beit T’Shuvah’s development team about getting her challah into the big leagues—Friday night services. Back before the COVID lockdown, residents would bake challah on Thursday nights and watch as...click here to continue reading.
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Please join us on January 31, 2021 at 6:00 pm for our virtual Healing Broken Souls Gala.
Our community will gather for a special evening. Residents --current and past --, our founders and a special musical performance that will be truly inspirational. Additionally, you don’t want to miss a moving video about a woman’s journey to recovery and redemption.
This year we are honored to present Jackie Elkins with our first ever Spirit of Beit T'Shuvah Award. This will be an evening that will be talked about for many years.... please join us!
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Stay Safe This Holiday Season |
2020 has been tough for our communities. Beit T'Shuvah, in partnership with LA County Health, is reminding you to stay safe at home this holiday season by celebrating in person only with people you live with. Our work this month is the key to keeping our communities safe from COVID-19.
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Alumni Process group for residents who have left BTS during the pandemic.
Wednesdays at 12pm.
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Beit T’Shuvah Sisterhood T-shirts $30.
Back of shirt: "Be The Light That Helps Others See"
Multiple Colors Available!
Contact Dana Gache:
Phone: 3103516408
E-Mail: Ohmygache@gmail.com
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Purim is coming! A holiday of hat-shaped cookies, heroes, evildoers, masks, and unmasking, Purim is like a funhouse mirror that distorts reality to show us who we really are - much like 2020. And much like early recovery, you can’t make this ish up.
Join our Beit T'Shuvah community for a mini-schpiel, Purim games, and a mask contest - all via zoom!
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Beit T’Shuvah has raised nearly 3,000 through the Amazon Smile program to help save the lives of those suffering from addiction. Be a part of the movement and choose Beit T’Shuvah as your set featured charity on Amazon Smile by clicking the link below for all of your amazon purchases! Click here to shop through amazon smile.
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Beit T’Shuvah Custom Masks are Here! |
Stay safe while supporting Beit T’Shuvah with masks custom made by Creative Matters. Perfect gifts for alumni, staff, residents, people in recovery or community members!
$10 per mask
Designs:
One Day At A Time
In This Together
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BTS Zoom Family Support Group! Whether your loved one is still in treatment or they have already moved on to the next chapter of their journey, we would like to provide a platform in which families get to talk about their shared experiences and wisdom.
This group is for families of our current and former residents, no need to RSVP, just drop in!
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Friday night services held via zoom at 6:30pm PT.
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Saturday Morning Services |
Saturday morning Prayer and Meditation at 10:30am PT.
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Come learn on Saturday mornings at 9:30am PT with Rabbi Micha'el Akiba.
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**NO CHALLAH WILL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE**
Baked T'Shuvah's founder Jackie Elkins is licensed by the state and you can order the Baked T'Shuvah challah you know and love!
Pick up at BTS. Must prepay.
Available flavors: Plain, Chocolate Chip, Salted Caramel or Raisin. Contact Amy Abrams to place your order - orders need to be placed no later than Wednesday!
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We are still celebrating birthdays each week on our Shabbat Zoom.
To sign up to take a cake, please contact Jillian.
If you missed celebrating your birthday this year and would still like to take a cake via Zoom, contact Jillian.
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Monday through Saturday at 9am PT. Join the Facebook group:
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Life in Uncertain Times: Coping Strategies Before, During, and After Corona. With Rabbi Joseph. Mondays from 12-1pm PT/3-4pm ET.
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#NotMyCorona. Recovery-Minded Spiritual Learning with Beit T’Shuvah and the T’Shuvah Center. Wednesdays. 1pm PT/4pm ET.
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BTS community AA meeting: Thursdays at 7pm.
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Thursdays. 9-9:30am PT/12-12:30pm ET.
A powerful kaddish experience led by the Lab/Shul community. They have invited our Beit T’Shuvah community to join them.
https://labshul.org/event/virtual-mourners-kaddish-call/2019-08-29/
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Past newsletters are now available online. Please click here to view.
For anyone that shops at Ralphs, please consider registering your phone with their community care program and select Beit T'Shuvah as your charity.
For anyone that purchases items on Amazon, all you have to do is go to Amazon Smile and choose Beit T'Shuvah as your charity and a percentage of each purchase will be given back to us.
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