Rabbi's Message
Shalom, I hope you are reading this message in the best of health and spirits. I know it’s not easy to be sequestered in your home void of outside activity with only your immediate family to talk to. I faced this exact situation many years ago while ‘visiting’ the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station. I write ‘visiting’ as it was a short stay as my wife, Jeff, dropped all charges.
So, I can relate to what all of us are subjected to during this time of germ-spreading invisible foes invading our lives. It’s not all that bad. For instance, I talk directly to my Desert family consisting of Jeff, Chelsea, Caleb, Panda and Joie. The last three don’t talk much but bark up a storm when someone comes near our home. We have yet to be robbed by any postman/woman who comes to the door.
We talk about current events, Temple services, TV movies and sitcoms and various other topics of interest. Most of our discussions are informative and eye opening. For instance, I found out that Jeff is not my wife’s first name. It’s Sheldon! I also found out that Tess really is my daughter!
It might seem that I am not taking our current state of affairs seriously. I am…but, if I can’t inject some humor, we will all go mishugeh!
With my time, I pray for the welfare of all of you and those whose health is being compromised. Please let me know the names of your loved ones who are battling a severe illness and I will say a specific prayer for him or her. And, yes, I can say it in the confines of my home without a Torah being present. The shechina, the spirit of G-d, is here in the Desert. It always has been. Passover, which is literally around the corner, is further proof that His presence is here. And, my beautiful family including all my daughters and grandchildren with whom we are in constant contact with via the phones and internet, speak incessantly.
My prayer for all of us is that we weather the uncertainties facing us and that we all overcome adversity and stay healthy and strong and hear only good news from our loved ones.
We are CREATIVE ARTS STRONG!
Most Sincerely, Rabbi Jerry Ram Cutler
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Our Next Virtual Shabbat Services on Facebook
Where:
In your home
When:
Friday, April 3, 10, 17, 24, 2020
at 6:00 pm
Why?
Tradition!
Extras
We're excited and looking forward to our Friday night Shabbat Livestream.
(facebook.com/CreativeArtsTemple) where we will be live streaming.
You will also be able to view it on
our website
(creativeartstemple.org) as well, after the fact.
This will be more of a Streamlined Shabbat Service. You will be able to chat with us, share any news from your week, or send a virtual hug all via Facebook.
We will be chanting the Mishabeirach for global healing and reciting the Kaddish for the current yahrzeits. If you have the names of loved ones you would like the Rabbi to read, please let us know.
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Renew
Ralphs Community Contributions Now!
Please Register today!
For your convenience, step-by-step website registration instructions can be found at
www.ralphs.com
, or if you are having a problem registering call the temple office at 310-720-9618 and we will help you.
Also, if you don't have computer access, you can call Ralphs at 1-800-443-4438 for assistance.
CAT NPO# 92136
Ralphs Rewards Card
Donate to CAT while you grocery shop
Participants are required to register for the new term online at
www.ralphs.com
or by calling Ralphs at
1-800-443-4438.
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You will be asked for The Creative Arts Temple NPO number. It is NPO# 92136
Please Note!!
The Scan Bar letters will no longer work at the register.
To verify if Creative Arts Temple is your charity of choice, look at the very bottom of your receipt next time you shop at Ralph's. It should say "At your request, Ralph's is donating to Creative Arts Temple." If you do not see that, you will need to register through the Ralph's
website.
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WE HAVE NEW GELSON'S DISCOUNT CARDS!
Gelson's Discount Cards
Yes, it is Hanukkah all through the year. Gelson's has offered to provide the temple with discount coupons. They are for $10 off your entire order of $50 or more. Pick them up at a Friday night service or call the temple for your coupon(s). Gelson's will honor any expired coupon. Take one or a few!
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Do you shop on Amazon?
Support CAT when you shop on Amazon!
I
f you want Amazon to donate to Creative Arts Temple, you need to start each shopping session at
http://smile.amazon.com
and they will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases.
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Monthly
Events
Services, High Holidays
(Until further notice live streaming will replace our monthly services)
Friday - 6PM
WEEKLY LIVE STREAMING
(facebook.com/CreativeArts
Temple) where we will be live streaming.
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All High Holiday services held at:
Westwood United Church
10497 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Friday -
Erev Rosh Hashanah
Sept. 18, 2020 @ 8:00 pm
Saturday -
Rosh Hashanah
Sept. 19, 2020 @ 10:00 am
Sunday -
Kol Nidre
Sept. 20, 2020 @ 8:00 pm
Monday -
Yom Kippur
Sept. 21, 2020 @ 10:00 am
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April Anniversaries
Mazel Tov to our CAT lovebirds!
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Rabbi Jerry and Jeff Cutler 4/2/2020
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With a donation of Chai ($18) or above, CAT will mail out a tribute card in your honor of Birthdays, Anniversaries, Get-Well-Soon wishes, Congratulations and In Loving Memory.
We'll post your tribute in our newsletter, no matter what amount you're able to donate.
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DONATIONS
You now can Order Tribute Cards, Remember A Yarzheit, Make donations to the Oneg Shabbat Table, Order a Plaque t
hrough your Temple Talk Email or on our website.
Just click on the link and choose what kind of donation you would like
to make.
Paypal is secure and safe. You can choose to use your credit card or through your bank. Once we receive your information, we will send you a confirmation email to let you know that we are in receipt of
your donation.
Or, you can call the office or just send a donation in the mail.
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April
Birthdays
And many happy returns!
Ludmilla Dektyar 4/6/2020
Bettye Donsker 4/6/2020
Nina Bush 4/12/2020
Peter Mark Richman 4/16/2020
Joanie Crosby 4/17/2020
Ross Bloom 4/20/2020
Arlene T. Sidaris 4/21/2020
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March Tributes
Your Thoughtfulness is Truly Appreciated
Gail Rund - In memory of Gladys Charitan
Joe Ingber - In memory of Gladys Charitan
Loretta Wallace - In memory of Gladys Charitan
Tootsie Veprin - In memory of Gladys Charitan
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March Onegs
Thank you to our sponsors!
As always, thank you to our Annual Oneg Sponsor:
Arnold Charitan
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Get Wells
Refuah Shleima
CAT wishes speedy recoveries to:
Phil Felson, Katy Haber, Webb Lowe, Marvin Markowitz, Peter Paul, Barry Smith, Pauline Staine, Soibhan McAllister Velarde
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Condolences
Creative Arts Temple extends heartfelt condolences to Arne & Gladys Charitan's daughter, Janeen, and family on the passing of Arne. He is so missed by all of us.
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March Yahrzeits
May you be comforted by the mourners of Zion
Alan Elias
In memory of Harriet Elias
Arlene T Sidaris
In memory of Andy Sidaris
Arnold Charitan
In memory of Ivan Charitan
Ava Kahn
In memory of Bea & Harry Boykoff & Marvin Kahn
Barbara Persten
In memory of Mattie Block
Bill Brandt & Pamela Kerman
In memory of Bernice Markowitz
David Rips
In memory of Grace B. Rips
Douglas Cohen
In memory of Lenore Stern
Elton Lewis & Barbara Van Orden Bailiss
In memory of Sally Bailiss
Gail Landers
In memory of Lucille "Chickie" Bercovitz
Jacqueline Maleck
In memory of Charlotte Maleck
Jane Shapiro
In memory of John Loeffler
Larry Yaker
In memory of Adele Yaker
Lea Sverdloff
In memory of Eli Sverdloff
Lorain Goldberg
In memory of Esther Chotiner
Lucy Weltsch
In memory of Emory Welstch
Norman Siegel
In memory of Esther Dye
Ralph & Cynthia Bovitz
In memory of Martin Yasser
Ronna Damen
In memory of Joseph Solomon
Ruth DiPietro
In memory of Abraham Moses
Sherlyn Gussman
In memory of Martin & Florence Gussman
Tootsie Veprin
In memory of Billy and Anna Veprin
If you made a donation in memory of your loved one and you don't see it here, it is because it was received after publication deadline and will appear next month
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8 technologies to keep your kids sane
while school’s out.
Stuck at home in quarantine?
Try these apps for everything from music lessons to reporting on the spot.
MARCH 19, 2020, 8:30 AM
Israel 21C
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Illustrative image via Shutterstock.com
School’s out – but not for summer. It’s coronavirus season and kids are holed up at home with their newly telecommuting parents.
According to estimates from news agency Agence France-Presse today, some 500 million people around the world are now subject to lock down measures.
Is there any way you can use this unexpected family time to pack in a little extra learning?
Fortunately, Israel has no shortage of technologies to help with that. So, before you and your young’uns come to blows, here are eight great made-in-Israel approaches to make the most of the new normal.
Learning to play the piano was never so easy – or high-tech. JoyTunes turns your mobile device into a virtual piano tutor, combining tried-and-true music methodologies with the latest in gaming (try “Piano Dust Buster” to compete with other gaming piano “players”).
JoyTunes’ iPhone and Android app listens to what you play to give you real-time feedback, reducing the amount of time it takes to get started. Maybe that’s why the company has a million people learning to play the piano a week, is used by 10% of U.S. music teachers and has been downloaded more than 10 million times.
Oh, did we mention that JoyTunes is the No. 1 education app on the app stores? There are three options for varying levels of learning, available in 11 languages, with 2,500 songs online from Beethoven to Adele.
JoyTunes is working on other instruments, too – look for guitar and saxophone to come to
an app near you
.
With time to spare, your kids can build themselves a website.
Heck, they can build as many as they want – for the whole family and everyone in the neighborhood – since Wix, Israel’s premier web-building tool, is free. (Wix makes money by selling add-ons such as the ability to drop the wix.com suffix and use your own.)
Wix takes the hard work of coding out of creating a web presence with drag-and-drop tools and ready-made templates. It’s one of
Israel’s most successful startups
, with a market capitalization of more than $8 billion and $832 million in earnings in 2018.
So many pictures and videos, so little time. Oh wait, now you have all the time in the world, creating a great opportunity to spruce up your
mobile phone’s content collection
.
Jerusalem-based Lightricks has a suite of mobile apps to help you put your best face forward. Photofox is Lightricks’ all-purpose photo editor, while Quickshot has customizable and ready-made filters.
Got videos? Cut and combine clips on-the-go with the award-winning Videoleap. Or animate your still images into funky photo art with Pixaloop.
Lightricks’ apps in 11 languages are free to start; you only pay if you want to unlock more pro features. Image and video processing is done on the phone, so no Internet connection is required.
With the world entering a (hopefully temporary) phase where isolation becomes the big story, media outlets are clamoring for news. But they can’t so readily send their reporters into this new “field” for fear of contracting coronavirus.
Israeli startup
Snappers
allows anyone with a mobile device to become an instant video stringer.
Sign up with Snappers and then if one of the company’s media partners, which include CNN among others, needs video from a particular location, they’ll see you on their Snappers map and can contact you to provide live in-quarantine reporting.
There’s a built-in communication channel in the app so your producer can tell you where to focus (“lose the fern in the corner”). If you’re talented, maybe your video will even go viral (in the old sense of the word).
Seen both versions of “Aladdin” (animated and live) enough that you can no longer tell Will Smith from Robin Williams? Tired of Thanos threatening to destroy the Avengers – and the world – again?
Inception VR has an alternative: The Israeli company aims to be the Netflix of
virtual reality
and has dozens of short programs ready to watch – from virtual boxing matches to a tour of Rishikesh (“the yoga capital of the world”) or the Tel Aviv Pride Parade.
There are documentaries (fancy “The Joy of Frogs?”), travelogues (visit Berlin, Tibet and New Orleans) and fashion runways (join Israeli supermodel Esti Ginsburg behind the scenes).
While you’ll need a VR headset from any leading manufacturer for the full immersive experience, there are plenty of “360” videos you can watch on a regular 2D computer.
You’ve had your fun; now it’s time to get down to some serious learning. Ramat Gan-based eTeacher Group has built technology to bring together students and teachers online in real time.
Established in 2000, eTeacher Group says it has hosted over 100,000 classes, taught by 302 teachers in 23 countries. Its four schools, including those teaching Hebrew, Chinese and English, have over 25,000 students a year.
Behind the scenes, eTeacher Group has built a complete software system for running virtual schools. The company got its first big boost in 2002 when the Israeli Foreign Ministry contracted with them to open an online school for the children of ministry employees.
The company expanded into Brazil in 2011 and Korea in 2012.
For students between the ages of 10 and 15 who wish to learn computer skills, the company’s “Tekkie Uni” offers online coding courses in France, the US, the UK, South Africa, South America, Australia and India.
As schools scramble to switch to online instruction, Israeli startup Class.me has a solution for adding chat to the mix – before, during and after class.
Teachers can set up a dedicated chat for their classes, without having to give out their personal WhatsApp number, allowing them to keep their private and professional lives separate.
Class.me’s “classrooms” can be broken down by subject, so students don’t waste time following irrelevant conversations. The system also supports adding private tutors into the chat network.
Class.me partners in Israel include World ORT, the cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and Ono Academic College. North Shore Hebrew Academy, Singapore Polytechnic and Abrams Hebrew Academy are among the company’s overseas clients.
Here’s another Israeli-made tool that students transitioning to distance learning may find handy: Verbit’s AI-powered transcription technology, which turns audio lectures into written documents.
Verbit says by using artificial intelligence, it can transcribe audio 10 times faster than the competition for half the price and at 99% accuracy.
Verbit announced in January that it had raised $31 million (for a total of $65 million). This week, the company revealed that Harvard University – which, like many universities around the world has shifted classes online – would use Verbit’s tech to provide written transcripts of lectures.
Harvard is not the only academic institution on Verbit’s growing customer list: Stanford, the University of Utah, the University of California Santa Barbara, Oakland University and the already-online Coursera all use Verbit.
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What the US can learn from Israel’s handling of coronavirus crisis
In our connected world, other countries can learn from practices and strategies implemented in Israel to stem the spread of the virus.
MARCH 24, 2020, 10:25 AM
Israel 21C
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The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed our daily lives. The virus has ushered in economic uncertainty, fear of losing loved ones, and the general anxiety of not knowing how long this crisis could last.
Each country facing this threat has adopted different strategies on curtailing the spread of this disease. The global community is still trying to figure how best to “flatten the curve” and save lives.
In today’s connected world, other countries can learn from each other’s best practices. It is worth noting and learning some of those practices from Israel, the Startup Nation.
It is not just about how Israel is combating the virus’s spread using technology but also about the Israeli attitude in facing adversity and coming out stronger.
For Israelis, this pandemic is a war.
Since its inception, Israel has had to prepare for any possible scenario with a strong partnership between the Israel Defense Forces and the public sector.
Americans, who are a resilient people, could learn from how the citizens of Israel have been able to thrive despite wars, terrorist attacks and the daily stresses of life.
Part of what makes the coronavirus so frightening is the seeming open-endedness of these lockdowns. Being resilient during a period you know will end eventually is one thing but being strong despite not knowing how long a difficult situation will persist is another.
Moving fast, despite pressure not to
The threat of a biological attack has worried Israeli leaders for decades, and that is reflected in how the government has taken on the coronavirus.
When Israel first announced it had taken what were deemed drastic measures at the time, many in the political and business community in Israel and abroad thought these actions were unwarranted.
In the face of possible diplomatic blowback, Israel chose to move quickly and enact stringent measures. These included not allowing travelers from certain countries to enter Israel and quarantining Israelis arriving from those countries as the virus was spreading globally.
At this point, in countries such as Italy and states like California, no measure seems too extreme in curbing the virus’s spread.
In general, when it comes to security Israel has been accused of overreacting at times. In this case, with a relatively lower number of infected patients and a low death rate, it appears the Startup Nation’s actions may have been warranted.
Use of technology
In Israel’s battle in securing the homeland the use of technology has been key in keeping the public safe.
Not without controversy, Israel is using technology to track the cellphones of those who may have the coronavirus. In order to track and enforce quarantines, Israel has been using cellphone data sourced by its security services for a 30-day period.
Israel excels at developing tools for tracking security-related suspects, including face recognition software, phone tracking and drones.
“The government’s fast response to the situation is a great testament to Israel’s technological maturity and readiness to quickly roll out tech solutions to tackle challenges of national concern,” writes cybersecurity strategist Jonathan Bennun, an alum of the IDF’s 8200 signal intelligence unit and a former Cisco Security professional.
“At the same time, this use of technology here is not novel; it is rather about promptly opening a data flow between different government branches with the right metadata,” Bennun adds.
Israel’s practice is being observed as the United States is currently engaging
major technology companies
in using cellphones and carrier data to potentially track activity via phone numbers, cellphone towers or digital footprints. This practice can also be used to track suspected quarantine violators as well as crowds by using GPS location, cellphone tower workload, traffic maps and social media.
Sanitizing and filtering data are key during this crisis, as there will be many false notifications and false positives leading to data fatigue and wasted resources. This is where Israel’s expertise in machine learning and automation can help improve data quality.
The organization of data could help distribute, allocate and operationalize resources such as sending supplies directly to patients and to hospitals dealing with an infected population.
When the time comes, authorities could notify people suspected of being infected with COVID-19 as well as deploy and mobilize security forces and health workers to a specific location.
Startups leading the way
Other ways Israel is using technology to combat the virus is through the plethora of
innovations
from established companies and startups.
Examples include the
ViriMASK
, which offers those on the front line full facial protection from the virus; and
Soapy
, a handwashing station that helps people wash their hands effectively, even in places without plumbing.
Israeli startups thrive on tackling the world’s biggest challenges, and we’re likely to see more throw their hats into the ring. (Watch for an ISRAEL21c story detailing many med tech solutions already at work in combating the coronavirus crisis.)
The Israeli Innovation Authority is offering NIS 50 million ($13.6 million) worth of
grants
to startups coming up with solutions on how to fight COVID-19. Several Israeli labs are working toward developing a vaccine.
It is during economic downturns and times of crisis that many of the world’s most successful companies were created, and this crisis could usher in a new crop of future unicorns.
Understanding the military role
While the United States has one of the largest and most powerful militaries in the world, most Americans don’t interact with the military in their daily lives.
In Israel, the IDF plays an important part in the country’s day-to-day life and has even been called to help when other countries faced
natural disasters
.
In places like Europe, militaries have stepped up their role augmenting police and security forces, and it looks like in New York and California this may be the case as well. Floating military hospitals are going to help treat the overflow of ill citizens and the National Guard has been put on call in many states.
Militaries by their nature prepare for any contingency, and, as we are seeing unfold across the globe, are taking an active leadership role.
As Abraham Ronen, a security expert from ActPro LTD Consulting & Project Management states, “The military is an integrated and familiar part of Israeli society. The challenge we are currently facing is how active a role the IDF will play in taking responsibilities from the police and other security forces, particularly as the coronavirus is also impacting other players in the region.”
It WILL be ok
For Israelis, optimism that all will be fine (“yihiyeh b’seder”) is not some vague hope that things will work themselves out. It means things will be okay because people will actively figure out solutions.
Given Israel’s security situation, one would think that its citizens would be in a constant state of depression or panic. The reality is that living with purpose, close family and peer connections (which are being tested to an extreme these days because of self-isolation) and finding meaning in struggle have made Israel’s citizens among the
world’s happiest
.
People in Israel understand hardships will happen, but that ultimately they will prevail. That is a lesson many in the United States are learning now.
No one knows where this will lead. But both the United States and Israel are learning more every day about the virus. The examples above prove ways in which we can be proactive on a national scale to battle the COVID-19 crisis.
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Coronavirus Information Reminder
Since the
coronavirus
is on everyone's mind these days, this article will hopefully alleviate some of your fears. It is copied as it was received.
If you have a runny nose and sputum when you have a cold, you cannot be a new type of coronavirus pneumonia, because coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough without runny nose. This is the simplest way to identify. Please tell your friends that if you know more about medical knowledge, you will have more awareness of identification and prevention.
The Wuhan virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed at a temperature of 26-27 degrees
(centigrade)
. Therefore, drink more hot water. You can tell your friends and relatives to drink more hot water to prevent it. Go under the Sun. It has been cold recently, and drinking hot water is also very comfortable. It is not a cure and is good for the body. Drinking warm water is effective for all viruses. Try not to drink ice, remember!
Doctor's advice about coronavirus:
1. It is pretty large in size (cell is about 400-500nm diameter), so any normal mask (not just the N95 feature) should be able to filter it out. However, when someone who's infected sneezes in front of you, it will take a great 3 meters (about 10 feet) before it drops to the ground and is no longer airborne.
2. When the virus drops on metal surface, it will live for at least 12 hours. So remember if you come in contact with any metal surface, wash your hands with soap thoroughly.
3. The virus can remain active on fabric for 6-12 hours. Normal laundry detergent should kill the virus. For winter clothing that does not require daily washing, you can put it out under the sun to kill the virus.
About the symptoms of the pneumonia caused by Coronavirus:
1. It will first infect the throat, so the throat will have the dry sore throat feeling which will last for 3 to 4 days
2. Then the virus will blend into the nasal fluid and drips into the trachea and enter the lungs, causing pneumonia. This process will take 5 to 6 days.
3. With pneumonia, comes high fever and difficulty in breathing. The nasal congestion is not like the normal kind. You will feel like you are drowning in water. It's important to go seek immediate medical attention if you feel like this.
About prevention:
1. The most common way of getting infected is by touching things in public, so you must wash your hands frequently. The virus can only live on your hands for 5-10 mins, but a lot can happen in those 5-10 mins (you can rub your eyes or pick your nose unwittingly).
2. Aside from washing your hands frequently, you can gargle with Betadine Sore Throat Gargle to eliminate or minimize the germs while they are still in your throat (before dripping down to your lungs).
Please take extra care and drink plenty of water as each of you is very important to us.
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Creative Arts Temple
P.O. Box 241831
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-720-9618
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