הקשר HaKesher
TBT's Newsletter: The Connection
|
|
Come be a part of our growing Reform synagogue.
All are welcome!
|
|
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
All Events In Person Unless Otherwise Noted
March 11 - Friday Night Shabbat Lights
5:30: Tot Shabbat
6:00: Erev Shabbat Service
6:45: Meaningful Conversation
March 13 - 10:00 am - Purim Carnival
March 14 - 11:00 am - Board Meeting
March 16 - 5:00 pm - Purim Party
March 19 - 7:00 pm - Havdallah
CHEVRUTA
"Musar Masters"
Via Zoom
Sundays 9:00 am - 10:15 am - 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27
MORAL COURAGE
A Learning and Practice Group
Via Zoom
Sundays 11:00 am - 12:30 pm -3/20, 3/27
JEWISH WELLNESS INITIATIVE
Via Zoom
Fridays 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - 3/11, 3/18, 3/25
No meeting 3/4
ON THE HORIZON
April 16 - First Day of Passover
|
President's Message
Kerrie Zurovsky
March is here! I am excited for the arrival of spring, even if that means only a few scarce days here and there that bring the hope of blooming plants, leaves on trees, sunshine and a bit of warmth. The transformation that comes with spring’s slow arrival is a mirror of our own journey in regards to TBT’s growth.
You have all received via email TBT’s B’nai Mitzvah Survey. You have also heard me and others refer to this thirteenth year of TBT’s existence as our B’nai Mitzvah Year. As our Mitzvah Project, we are all called to participate in the survey and contribute to the path of growth our congregation takes. Whether we are active members who participate in weekly events, members who solely take advantage of our High Holy Days services once a year or members who fall somewhere in between, we all hold a special place for TBT in our hearts. We all care for our members and want to see a secure future for our synagogue. This survey is an opportunity for you to share your voice and an avenue for your leadership to make important decisions based on your input. As mentioned in the email, the results of the survey will be shared at our annual meeting. What a wonderful culmination of this Mitzvah Project!
When I first started in my role as president, I wrote in my first newsletter article that “the future of our congregation relies on the intergenerational involvement of all of its members. TBT’s lively spirit is what pulls many of us in, embracing us and keeping us engaged.” This can feel daunting to those who are already stretched thin or to those whose priorities may place TBT in different places. Regardless, this survey is an easy yet crucial way for all of us to be involved in a most important way. I hope you all can find some quiet time in the coming days to complete the survey and share your feelings and opinions. I am grateful for each of you and your continued support and passion and count myself blessed to be a part of this wonderful community.
Shalom,
Kerrie
|
Divrei Tikvah
From Rabbi Johanna Hershenson
Having grown up in the mid-Atlantic part of the East coast, I remember the often said adage that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. Oy vey, this year we can only hope so. While the saying refers to the weather and we did get a winter blast moving us from February into March, this year, I am thinking about two years of pandemic restrictions finally in retreat just as an old-school despot shakes up the world doing exactly what we thought civilized people don't do anymore.
In like a lion, for sure. Imagine, a president of an independent Ukraine who has Jewish descent like many of us in Temple Beth Tikvah, accused by Putin of being a Nazi presence threatening Russian people. My husband Mark's paternal grandparents came to the US via Odessa. They likely were in Odessa due to pogroms in Kischnev, in the Pale of Settlement where the family likely originated. How many of us descend from Pale of Settlement Jewish communities? We are watching footage streamed from the region in disbelief despite knowing for years, months, and weeks that it was likely. What does one living in Bend, Oregon, do in such times? But watch?
Boy, oh boy, do I hope to see March recede like a lamb. May unity among those who value western democracy stand in the face of the anachronistic megalomaniacal tendencies of a lone dictator. May we witness his retreat and alienation from civilized discourse among those who serve the interests of humanity and our capacity to live well on the planet without taking from others.
May March feel like a lamb as we start to gather in our dedicated Temple Beth Tikvah space in First Presbyterian Church to begin a process of reconnecting with each other, checking in around what we've missed in each others’ lives during the pandemic, and returning to rituals and learning that happen in community.
As our gatherings resume and increase with spring's arrival next month, we will maintain our request that indoor gatherings remain masked. Some of us have compromised immune systems and continued concern about what COVID might do to us, so out of respect we will wear masks and not eat in public worship services. We will make a concerted effort to schedule outdoor events in which masks will no longer be necessary for everyone, but still we want to be kind to the folks among us who may continue to wear them. We will also soon experiment with small gatherings in one another's homes, for which we will require participants to be fully vaccinated so that there is freedom to unmask and share a meal together.
Our upcoming holiday plans for Purim and Passover demonstrate our gentle re-awakening. For our first ever PG-13 Purim in Public, we will gather in an outdoor but heated patio. For our community Passover Seder in April, we will sacrifice the catered dinner, allowing us to gather for an afternoon Seder picnic in a Bend Parks and and Recreation covered venue. We will enjoy ritual Seder foods and an interactive Haggadah experience outdoors.
In like a lion, out like a lamb...May the month ease us back into our public spaces and encourage us to return to social skills that have gotten a bit rusty over the years of staying home. May we witness sense and order return to geopolitics and our own social discourse as we navigate the current chaotic realities that existentially frighten us.
Love, strength, and patience, dear friends. May we all find old and new connections and the joy that comes with them. In our Passover Seder we say, Next year in Jerusalem. I say, next time in person! Amen.
B'virkat Shalom
Rabbi's office hours are by appointment.
Click here to schedule a Zoom meeting.
Click here to schedule an in-person meeting at "Chemple" at FPC..
|
Paul Spencer
Member at Large
This is part of a series of spotlights on our leadership. Eileen Katz, Newsletter Ed.
If you see the “Paul, the Computer Guy” car around town, that’s the company car of TBT’s own Paul Spencer….but more on that later.
Paul was born in Florida but moved to Virginia where he grew up. He was raised in the Methodist Church in which his mother was active, but felt little commitment to the church.
Paul’s father worked in Washington D.C. as an engineer with the US Navy. His mother worked for the CIA in the tech field. Paul’s older sister still lives in Virginia where she uses her law degree to work on government contracts.
Paul graduated from George Mason University in 1993 with a degree in Psychology but his passion was IT. He took a job as a programmer in the DC area for two years and then took a job in Iowa for one year. Soon he realized that Iowa was not the place for someone who loved the outdoors. From a friend in California Paul learned of a job opening at Litton Industries, and in 1997, moved to Los Angeles to join the firm. Later he worked for Teledyne. Paul lived in the Los Angeles area for seven years and was excited to be in a place with abundant outdoor opportunities. Among other activities, he enjoyed marathon running, backpacking and Scuba diving.
In 2001, in the early era of computer dating, Paul met Suzanne (Schlosberg) through Match.com. In September 2003, the two eloped to Lake Louise in Canada to avoid the stress of an extravagant wedding. Later they celebrated their marriage at a party with family and friends.
After the two were married, Paul took an Introduction to Judaism class at the Reform synagogue, Stephen Wise Temple in Bel Air. While taking the class Paul made the decision to convert to Judaism with Rabbi Jerry Brown. Part of what attracted Paul to Judaism was its celebration of life events, irrespective of the religion.
Soon Suzanne began planting the idea of a move to Bend where she had previously lived. (Suzanne is a freelance writer who can work from home) Coincidentally, Paul was laid off from Teledyne at the end of 2003. Paul’s layoff afforded the couple a chance to do some traveling. They started with a 12 day/220 mile trek on the John Muir Trail through the Sierra Nevadas. If you do the math, you wonder how they accomplished the distance in such a short time. Paul says it was Suzanne’s need to end the misery of the trek that pushed them further each day. When the trek was over, Suzanne wrote a story of their adventure for Backpacker magazine. The couple also took a more leisurely three month trip through Australia and South America.
Paul and Suzanne settled in Bend in 2004 and joined the Jewish Community of Central Oregon. In 2008, they became one of the founding families of TBT. The two lent their talents to the myriad of skills needed to start a synagogue and have been active with TBT ever since.
Not long after settling in Bend, their twins Toby and Ian were born. The boys were the first children of TBT members to be named in the Jewish tradition; the two were Bar Mitzvah’d at Pioneer Park in 2020 during COVID. Toby and Ian share Paul’s love of the outdoors, especially Nordic Skiing. Suzanne is also athletic and you may see her around town running errands on her bike.
While all this activity was going on, in 2005 Paul started his own business, aptly named Paul the Computer Guy. When working from home became increasingly difficult, he opened a retail store on Franklin Avenue in Bend which still operates today with three long time employees. The company offers IT support to a wide range of businesses and individuals. The business benefited as COVID pushed more employees to work from home.
Paul is delighted to be a TBT Board Member At Large where he can provide his expertise in technology to manage the membership data base, to assist Rabbi Johanna with communication and to help the leadership stay connected through Cloud capabilities.
Paul feels fortunate to work with the more senior and experienced TBT members and feels great satisfaction in being useful to the TBT Community.
|
Check out these two upcoming Purim celebrations!
Purim Carnival
Sunday, March 13
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Outdoors
The Jewish Community Religious School of Central Oregon and the Central Oregon Jewish community are putting on a fun Purim Carnival for all ages. Come and enjoy a Purim play, games, yummy Hamantaschen, and crafts!
The day will start with a Star Wars themed Purim play written by our school’s very own Ruby Peterson-Hammerman. Star Wars themed costumes are encouraged for this event!
We will also be hosting a shoe drive for Soles4Souls, so please bring gently used and new shoes to support this wonderful organization.
This will be an outdoor event, so remember to bring some warm layers in addition to your costume.
PG-13 Purim-In-Public
Wednesday, March 16
5:00 pm
Outdoors
Come join in the fun with a PG-13 Purim party hosted by the Central Oregon Jewish congregations! All three rabbis will be at this public story-telling and play-reading for adults.
We’ll gather at 5:00, enjoy some appetizers and drinks, then start the Megillah reading at 5:30. It’s an outdoor event with heaters available.
Costumes are strongly encouraged!
See the weekly Happenings for location details for both events.
|
Friday Night Shabbat Lights: Clinging to the Divine |
Friday, March 11
5:30 pm
Indoor, in-person
The band is back together!
Join Rabbi Johanna with the music of Julie & Eileen for a Friday Night Shabbat Lights service, including a tot Shabbat!
5:30: Tot Shabbat
6:00: Erev Shabbat Service
6:45: Meaningful Conversation about the D’Var Torah
As this is an indoor, in-person event, masking will be required at all times. No food or drink will be served for on-site consumption. Ritual challah and wine will be available for Rabbi Johanna to bless and, if you get the Rabbi’s trivia question, you can take the challah loaf home as a prize!
See the weekly Happenings for location details.
|
Havdallah Among Friends:
Meaningful Conversation
|
March 19, 7:00 pm
Indoors
In Person
Havdallah is about transitions, gently escorting us from the sabbath to ordinary days. Pandemic restrictions in Oregon have finally begun to wane. Wouldn't it be great to get together and just chat about the world and what concerns us despite the actual little we can do individually to address big geopolitics?
Join Temple Beth Tikvah friends, old and new, in person for a Havdallah service and meaningful conversation:
Ukraine, world democracy, and the Jews...
See the weekly Happenings for location details.
|
Are you TBT's New Newsletter Maven?
Eileen Katz deserves a standing ovation for the incredible job she’s done the last three + years producing the TBT “HaKesher” Newsletter you are reading now. In addition to the weekly “Happenings, it's TBT’s monthly publication and our primary communication with current, past and future temple members.
While we are sad to see Eileen step away, we understand it’s time for her to give someone else the chance to shine... and that, dear reader, leads us to you.
The person who takes over the newsletter needs to be good with detail and with written language and grammar though there are members who assist with editing the articles. If you’re comfortable learning a software program that’s easy to use, you’d be the dream candidate. Don’t worry, Eileen has graciously offered to help train her replacement and the sooner you come on board, the sooner you can begin under her expert guidance.
Eileen spends about four hours a month on the newsletter - sometimes more, occasionally less. After sending emails to encourage Rabbi and lay leaders to submit their articles, she enters their content into the program template and adds other TBT news. Eileen also conducts interviews and writes biographies, adding two or three hours of time when she does. Interviewing not your thing? It’s okay; we’ll find another way.
TBT’s newsletter maven is an important role supporting our community’s communication and connection. Your contribution would be greatly appreciated and a tremendous opportunity to give back to your congregation. Please contact Kathy Schindel at schindelke@aol.com to learn more.
|
Jewish Wellness Initiative: Turning Hardships into Victories
Every Friday
12:00 - 1:30 pm
No Meeting March 4
Zoom
We feel better in life when we feel understood. Many of us in Temple Beth Tikvah share personal and familial challenges, but we tend to navigate them alone. How do we in Temple Beth Tikvah discover one another through our shared concerns or worries? Enter the Jewish Wellness Initiative.
Each month we explore different topics and members are encouraged to come and go as their schedules and interests allow. For the month of March, we will be exploring the topic, “Turning Hardships into Victories”. For monthly themes throughout the year, click here.
|
“Learning with Rabbi Johanna” Self-Directed Online Learning
Are you interested in learning more about Judaism at your own pace? Our Rabbi has launched “Learning with Rabbi Johanna”— a self-directed online learning space to supplement limited, covid-safe gatherings, available to all at the touch of a button. Adult ed on your schedule.
Anyone can subscribe so that you get emails whenever Rabbi Johanna adds new articles, videos, or other content!
|
Weekly Torah Study through the Lens of Musar Masters
Sundays at 9:00 am - 10:15 am
Zoom
What is a Chevruta? Chevruta (pronounced chev-roo-ta) is a group of adults committed to lifelong Jewish learning together, where camaraderie and friendships are cultivated through discourse. A fitting name for TBT’s adult education group!
Each week, we explore the Torah portion through the lens of the Musar Masters. Musar is best described as a character development practice. Its rabbis taught that the ethics we derive from our sacred stories and legal codes call us to behave differently in the world and in relationship with others.
Come, let's study together!
|
Moral Courage: A Learning & Practice Group
Sundays, twice a month
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Zoom
Looking for a non-judgmental place to explore and learn about difficult or controversial topics with your community? TBT’s Moral Courage Group is here for you. Facilitators Rabbi Johanna Hershenson and Lauralei Garrity welcome TBT members of all ages and backgrounds to join the on-going conversation.
The Moral Courage Group will be meeting next on Sunday, March 20 & 27. If you are interested in joining the group or if you have questions, please email lauralei.garrity@gmail.com.
|
TBT Board Notes
Next Board Meeting: Monday, March 14
11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Due to COVID-19, all board meetings are being held via Zoom. If you would like to attend, contact Lauralei Garrity at lauralei.garrity@gmail.com.
If you would like to read minutes of previous board meetings, you can request a copy from Board Secretary, Lester Dober at les36dob@gmail.com
|
April Newsletter Deadline: March 25th
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
|
The Essentials of Jewish Ethics |
You are invited to join Rabbi Yossi Feintuch of Congregation Shalom Bayit for a six-part Continuous Jewish Education series:
The Essentials of Jewish Ethics.
The next sessions will be held on Wednesdays, 3/2, 3/9, and 3/30 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm via Zoom.
The purpose of this series is to explore the vast code of Jewish ethics and how they apply to our day-to-day actions. Jewish tradition teaches that ethical behavior (Derech Eretz) is central to being Jewish, and in fact, that observance (or performance) of religious ritual is meaningless without an underlying ethical code of conduct. How do we treat human and nonhuman beings? How do we exercise fairness, gratefulness, humility, kindness, sacred giving (Tzetzakah) and forgiveness in everyday life? What does it mean to live an ethical existence?
Rabbi Yossi has a wealth of experience on this topic, which he taught at the college level.
All are welcome! You don’t have to be a member of Shalom Bayit. You don’t even have to be Jewish! Each session stands independently of the others. Topics will be announced beforehand. No outside reading is required. Come prepared to listen, learn and discuss together!
Register Here We will send you the Zoom link prior to each session.
Reconstructing Judaism is committed to bringing Jewish ethical traditions into relevance in modern life. Read more about the Center for Jewish Ethics here.
|
Temple Beth Tikvah gratefully acknowledges the following contributions:
- Leslie Conley & Joe Jezukewicz In Memory of Adrienne & Oliver Gold
- Leslie Conley & Joe Jezukewicz In Memory of Perl & Robert Palan
- Tully Ellsberg In Memory of Beloved Daughter, Cana Ivy
- Susie Richman In Memory of Max Richman
- Mark & Kathy Schindel In Memory of Nathan Bernstein
- Mel Siegel & Marijane Krohn In Memory of Moses Siegel
- Randi & Zac Zlatkus In Memory of Sheri & Irving Trachman
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
- Gary Reynolds Memorial Fund
- Youth Education Fund
- Music Fund
- Special Projects Fund
- TBT's Goodwill Fund
- Social Action/Tzedakah Fund
- or the Corrie Grudin Memorial Fund
|
|
Temple Beth Tikvah
P.O Box 7472
Bend, OR 97708
541-388-8826
|
Your secure online donation to
Temple Beth Tikvah
is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your generosity.
|
Celebrations in March honor the following:
Birthdays:
March 2
- Rebecca Uri
- Ellie Zurovsky
March 4
March 6
March 7
- Reuben Draheim
- Ted Heller
March 8
- Maricela Feldman
- Paul Levinson
March 9
March 11
March 12
- Allan Detrick
- Missie Wikler
March 13
March 14
- Charlene Dimond
- Rhiana Maidenberg
- Micah Slate
March 17
March 18
March 20
- Mike Goldstein
- Ari Halpern
March 23
March 24
- Ann Rosenfield
- Corinne Smith
March 26
- Lauralei Garrity
- Joseph Jezukewicz
- Brad Zuckerman
March 27
March 28
March 30
March 31
Anniversaries:
March 3
March 19
March 30
|
President:
Kerrie Zurovsky
Past President:
Sheila Luber
Vice President
Cere Fingerhut
Secretary:
Lester Dober
Treasurer:
Mark Schindel
Members-at-Large:
Jillian Frankl
Paul Spencer
|
Budget & Finance
Chuck Shattuck
Membership
Sheila Luber
Program Oversight
Kathy Schindel
|
Adult Learning
Mel Siegel
Bikur Cholim
Suzanne Schlosberg
Evie Lerner
Linda Brant
Calendar Keeper
Kathy Schindel
Chevra Kadisha
OPEN
Communications & Public Relations
Kathy Schindel
Sheila Luber
Fundraising
OPEN
Music
Julie Geveshausen
Newsletter
Eileen Katz
Onegs
Jan Freeman-Bauer
Program Coordinator
Lauralei Garrity
Religious Education
Melissa Wikler
Social Action
OPEN
Venue Logistics
Mark Schindel
Webmaster
Jeanne Freeman
|
Your secure online donation to
Temple Beth Tikvah
is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your generosity.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
PO Box 7472
Bend, OR 97708
(541) 388-8826
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
