Shalom from TBD Religious School
Shabbat newsletter compiled by Gal Kessler Rohs, Education Director
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On the last day of last year’s religious school,
Jason Moss culminated the year at our congregational meeting. He provided his vision for our school, from a perspective of being a 20 year TBD member, Haskala teacher, and Executive Director of the SGPV Federation. His words were particularly encouraging to our congregation as he opened the door behind him, and asked his listeners to divert their attention to the outdoors.
I recollect that moment clearly. I remember the smiles on our, more than 30 year members,
Joel Kleinberg z”l and
Irwin Frazin, as we listened to the sound of religious school children running in the courtyard during recess, bouncing balls, hula hooping, and conversing with Miss
Doris about how they were to trace each other’s shadows with chalk on the ground.
As we open our doors this Sunday at 9am (per the flyer above, but no doubt hours earlier), our Sunday morning temple will brighten again. No doubt those children Jason diverted our attention to then, are now a tad taller, perhaps tanned from summer getaways, probably less in need of holding hands as they’ll walk through TBD’s doors with a feeling of familiarity, and most probably as is the custom of TBD, hold a can of food, or plush toy, to donate to those in need.
Yet not all children will have that confident marching through our doors kind of feeling. Some will need a hand to hold, others, a parent to shadow, while others may shed a tear of anxious feeling of a first day unfamiliarity. We have an obligation to create a feeling of homely inclusivity to all who walk through our doors. School in Hebrew, in fact, is Bet Sefer, which, translated literally means a home for books. The word for Synagogue is Bet Knesset, which translated literally means a home for a gathering. We are a school within a synagogue, or a Bait (Sefer) within a Bait (Knesset). Thus in Hebrew, we are a home within a home. How special is that!
I pray that we all, on the first day of school, create that feeling of a Bait, a home, for our incoming families. I pray that we create that homely feeling for those who, like Mr. Frazin and Miss Doris have been with us for more than 50 years, and for those, who prospectively wish to join us, in our home.
On behalf of our Religious School team, we wish you an especially peaceful Shabbat, as your Sundays from now on, will be spent at home, the home of TBD Religious School!
Shabbat Shalom,
-
Gal Kessler Rohs,
Director of Education
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From left to right in the video above: Steve Bermann, Rabbi in training Cynthia MinsterCheng, Cantor Orly Campbell, Gal Kessler Rohs, and Jason Moss.
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Sunday Plans
and schedule (copied and enlarged on left)
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9-9.30am- Arrival, Religious school registration, name tags, meet and greet
9.30am- Shofar blast! Boker tov, morning assembly in our sanctuary, meet our teachers, clergy, teaching aides, and staff, Shehecheyanu
10am-Apple cutting activity, apples dipped in honey
10.30am- parent-children classroom activities
11am- Parent orientation with
Rabbi Lachtman,
Cantor Campbell, TBD
President Michael Adelman, and
Gal Kessler Rohs
11.45am- family brunch
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Seeking Volunteers
for this Sunday
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We are seeking volunteers to help out with the opening of religious school this Sunday, September 8th. Some of the help we would need includes:
-setting up snack and lunch
-purchasing snacks and lunch
-tabling school registration and enrollment
-greeting new and incoming families
-giving out name tags
-helping clean up
Please reach out to Gal by either mailing, or calling the temple office, if you can volunteer to help!
A shout out to
Dulce Dubin
(pictured),
Abby Silver, Dafna Brook, Jenn Serio
and
Barbara Yamada
who stepped up to help.
Thank you!
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Shabbat Services tonight
a message from Cantor Orly, and Linda Elyad
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"During the month of Elul, of these times we can use to examine ourselves, to engage in self-assessment and self-judgement, is the time spent in communal prayer.”- Alan Lew
Please join Cantor Orly and Linda Elyad for a special Shabbat service that will truly awaken your soul.
When: September 6th at 7:30 pm
Where: Social Hall"
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Torah Portion this week
Parashat Shoftim
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The
commandment
of “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof,” “Justice,
justice
you shall pursue” is taken from this week's Torah portion, Parashat
Shoftim
.
The portion is the 48th weekly
#Torah
portion in the annual
#Jewish
cycle of Torah reading, and is found in
#Deuteronomy
16:18 - 21:9.
To find out more about L'Taken, click
here
. For a summary of the portion, click
here
.
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Meanwhile at TBD
the playground structures begin their installation
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Seeking plush toy donations
for children in need
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Next time you come to TBD, please consider adding a plush toy to the baskets in the lobby.
Elle
will allocate the donations to children and animals in need, as part of her Mitzvah Project.
Thanks for your Mitzvah involvement!
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Flyers, flyers, flyers
from the Jewish Federation SGPV
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Useful Reading
and further resources
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- Last week's religious school reading about how we have been getting ready for the new religious school year, in our weekly religious school eblast
- Shalom, and welcome to Temple Beth David of the San Gabriel Valley! Watch our video here.
- Dates to volunteer at Union Station in preparing breakfast for the homeless.
- We will use “Navigating the Journey” as a part of our adult Jewish Education series after the High Holy Days as a refresher and introduction to acquire more knowledge in Jewish life cycles.To purchase a copy now, so that you can have a head start with the classes that will begin in October, click here.
- What is Ulpan Shabbat
- Our Religious School staff and Clergy
- Missions, Goals and Objectives of our school
- A synapses of this week's Torah Portion,Parashat Shoftim
- About Haskala
- About L'Taken
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Wishing you Shabbat Shalom
and we'll eagerly wait for you as you enter TBD's doors on Sunday morning!
(ps-
here
is a door personality test, just for fun!)
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