הקשר HaKesher
TBT's Newsletter: The Connection
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Come be a part of our growing Reform synagogue.
All are welcome!
Temple Beth Tikvah is pleased to welcome our newest members:
Jessie Fertig & A.J. Kemp and their child, Charley Kemp
Leah Berry and her child, Espen Berry
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EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
All Events Are In Person Unless Otherwise Noted
May 9 - 11:00 am - Board Meeting
May 13 - Friday Night Shabbat Lights
5:30: Tot Shabbat
5:45 - Outdoor Proneg
6:00: Erev Shabbat Service
6:45: Meaningful Conversation
May 14 - 7:00 pm - Havdallah
May 20 - 5:30 pm - Pop-Up Shabbat
May 22 - 12:30 pm - Security Training
CHEVRUTA
"Musar Masters"
Via Zoom
Sundays 9:00 am - 10:15 am - 5/1, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29 (no meeting 5/8)
MORAL COURAGE
A Learning and Practice Group
Via Zoom
Sundays 11:00 am - 12:30 pm - 5/15, 5/22
ON THE HORIZON
June 25- Bat Mitzvah of Jayda Wikler
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President's Message
Kerrie Zurovsky
While I have enjoyed the past month of colder weather, snow showers (postponing a Seder!) and extra special ski days, I have to admit I am more than ready for spring! I love seeing the trees start to bloom in our yard, and I can’t wait to start gardening. With the arrival of spring, I feel a renewed sense of comfort and a yearning for social gatherings. With that in mind, there are a few events to share with you.
We are excited to announce that on Sunday, May 22, Gene Moss and Jessica Anderson of Secure Community Network (SCN) will be in Bend to present an afternoon of security trainings from 12:30-4:30pm. They plan to offer a Stop The Bleed class, Counter Active Threat Training (CATT) and a Situational Awareness Training (BeAware). SCN trainings have been instrumental in preparing Jewish congregations around the country against threats of all kinds. After the horrific hostage situation in Colleyville, TX in January, our members reached out with concerns for our own community and asked for these types of trainings. The rabbi in the Colleyville incident credited the SCN trainings he and his congregants received as key to their survival during that hostage situation. Having these safety and security experts here in person to go through such valuable information is a gift. We are grateful to be able to present this event later this month and hope to see many of you there. Please know these classes will be open to anyone in TBT, CSB and Chabad, and you can sign up via EventBrite right here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/security-training-training-from-scn-for-csbtbtchabad-and-interfaith-community-tickets-322901867177.
Our membership and programming committees, along with Rabbi Johanna, have put together a very special Shabbat in the Park event scheduled for July 8 for members of all ages. This will be a wonderful time to visit with those we may not have seen in a long time, as well as an opportunity to meet our newest members and get to know them a little better. More details will follow, but put this one on your calendar…you don’t want to miss it!
With June right around the corner, we are approaching our Annual Congregational Meeting. This year, we will be conducting our end-of-the-year TBT business via online communication as we have done the past two years. Communication about this will be coming to you later in May via email, so be sure to check your inbox. While we will miss seeing everyone at the Annual Meeting, we know the Shabbat in the Park will be a fun event for us to socialize, eat, sing songs and gather together in person.
As always, I am grateful to each of you for making this community the best it can be.
Shalom,
Kerrie
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Divrei Tikvah
From Rabbi Johanna Hershenson
I thought March came in like a lion and out like a lamb, but this year it was clearly the month of April. Wow. I thought I was so smart suggesting Temple Beth Tikvah celebrate Passover with a picnic to mitigate against Covid anxiety and exhaustion. Many synagogues throughout the world did the same. A congregation I know well in Auckland, New Zealand, posted photos of their synagogue seder picnic just as I was waking up to our winter storm. Aaaargh. Someone commented on my social media post bearing witness to blizzard winds and snow April 16th: “People plan, God laughs.”
May this month of May bring us the sparkling Central Oregon days we love. May we come out of our COVID anxiety and exhaustion. May we be gentle and kind with one another as we reconnect our social circles with in person gatherings.
While we long for days in which COVID meant nothing to us, days in which war seemed a vestige of history, and days in which we could disagree without offense and defense…it is worth our while to note what the pandemic gave us that we did not know we needed.
On-line venues became our lifeline for gathering. In Orthodox communities the lenient posture allowing for virtual minyan not only made holding a minyan possible, women joined virtual egalitarian minyan platforms in big numbers. Gender egalitarianism is creeping into modern Orthodox norms. Additionally, many of us joined on-line platforms at great synagogues throughout the world. Some of us visited synagogue communities in which we used to participate before moving to Oregon. Others among us found cantors and rabbis we might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience.
Another gift of the pandemic was increased collaboration among synagogues and even Jewish movements. We, in Temple Beth Tikvah, had a year of adult learning with five rabbis and synagogues in an ad hoc venture we called Hamsa (Aramaic for five). In the Modern Orthodox world, an egalitarian study group called Anan K’vodecha (Cloud of your Glory) started on line and continues to operate with participants from Reform, Reconstructing, Conservative, Modern Orthodox, and secular identifying Jews.
Non-orthodox rabbis in Israel have reported that they are seeing Jews engage in on-line platforms who ordinarily describe themselves as non-synagogue going people, either because they are not religious or embarrassed about their religiosity. Here, in Temple Beth Tikvah, I have noticed friends in Zoom events and adult learning groups who don’t travel to our in person gatherings due to feeling alienated socially because of health or family status matters but on-line found connection.
Many of us attended a family funeral on Zoom or a livestream venue we likely would not have travelled to attend. We had Shabbat Zooms and Seder Zooms with family spread out all over the planet. We celebrated Bnai Mitzvah with relatives who may not have travelled due to costs and Covid.
Finally, many of us during pandemic living, took rituals into our own hands. We reasserted ownership over marking time so that days don’t pass without meaning. We started making Shabbat at home, practicing being present in baking and crafting; we watched Jewish programming on streaming services because we spent more time at home in front of our screens and eventually needed to expand our content consumption to compensate for isolation.
In its own way, the past two plus years of pandemic life, catalyzed new modes of connection and reinvigorated our appreciation of human contact and interaction. We are thinking about how to meet our social needs, how to benefit from our hard wiring to connect with others.
I, for one, am very happy to ease restrictions on gathering and mask wearing. I invite us in this moment to take pause to recognize how the pandemic served us, drew our attention to what really matters, and forced us to get creative and stay creative. While I feel like we lost two years, I also feel like we learned enough to make certain that as we begin to gather again we truly love each other and acknowledge the gifts of sharing moments in time.
May the warmth of spring’s arrival ease our sense of burden and welcome us to entering the world again, connecting with friends old and new, and enjoying the privilege of being part of a community eager to love again!
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..
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Friday Night Shabbat Lights:
Moderation in All Things
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Friday, May 13
5:30 PM
In Person
Join Rabbi Johanna as well as Eileen, Julie, & Jo for a Friday Night Shabbat Lights service, including a tot Shabbat!
5:30: Tot shabbat
5:45: Outdoor Proneg
6:00: Erev Shabbat Service
6:45: Meaningful Conversation about the D’Var Torah
We will be serving light refreshments at the outdoor Proneg. If you don’t yet feel comfortable partaking, we understand. The main service will be inside.
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Havdallah: Israel, Zionism and Me |
Saturday, May 14
7:00 pm
In-person
In honor of Israel’s Independence Day, join Rabbi Johanna for a social Havdallah amongst TBT friends.
See the weekly Happenings for more details.
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Pop-Up Shabbat: Lag B'Omer |
Friday, May 20
5:30 pm
In-person
Come celebrate Lag B’Omer with your TBT friends and family with drinks, delicious food, and outdoor games.
See the weekly Happenings for more information and location details.
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Security Training
Kerrie Zurovsky
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In response to recent events and many members’ concerns around safety and security, I am excited to announce that Gene Moss and Jessica Anderson from Secure Community Network (SCN) will be in Bend on Sunday, May 22 to conduct in-person trainings for our community.
In preparation for this event, Jessica is also offering us all the opportunity to take a few online classes (just an hour each) and gain some essential skills during the months of April and May. These classes are a convenient way for each of us to learn a little more about safety and how to respond in times of need. It’s easy to take the classes on Zoom and the knowledge you’ll gain will complement the more hands-on training provided on May 22, a definite plus if you’d like to attend the in-person session.
You are welcome to participate in one, some or all the classes, online or in person, to explore safety and security for your own education and for the benefit of our community as a whole.
If you are ready to sign up for a class, please click here. If you would like to sign up for the training on May 22, click here.
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Self Directed Online Learning: Learning with Rabbi Johanna
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.
Anyone can subscribe so that you get emails whenever Rabbi Johanna adds new articles, videos, or other content!
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Chevruta: Weekly Torah Study through the Lens of Musar Masters
Sundays 9:00 am - 10:15 am
Zoom (no meeting May 8)
Each week, Rabbi Johanna Hershenson leads our Chevruta in an exploration of the Torah portion through the lens of the Musar Masters. Come, let's study together!
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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 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, May 15 & 22. If you are interested in joining the group or if you have questions, please email lauralei.garrity@gmail.com.
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TBT Board Notes
Next Board Meeting: Monday, May 9, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
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
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Music Committee
Lester Dober
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I am pleased to announce that Cantor Adelle Nicholson will be serving as our Cantor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services this year. Cantor Nicholson is affiliated with Temple Beth Shalom in Miami Beach, FL were she is in charge of training students for their B'nei Mitzvah.
We welcome Cantor Nicholson back to our Congregation. Cantor Nicholson was our High Holy Day Cantor in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Working together with Rabbi Johanna and our musicians, she not only added beautiful music to our services but also added interesting teachings to make our services more meaningful.
Cantor Nicholson came to the cantorate during a four-year sojourn in Germany that gave her an opportunity to explore Judaism in a deeply personal way. A singer at the Cologne Opera House, she began to feel a keen sense of obligation to her grandfather, who had come to America before WWI. His father had hoped for a new start for himself and his family, as his businesses had been confiscated by the Russian government one too many times. Cantor Nicholson’s grandfather became a Bar Mitzvah on the boat, and worked hard for many years to put his son through college. Her father was living proof that her great-grandfather’s hope had been realized.
As she walked daily by the sites of preserved WWII ruins, Cantor Nicholson knew that she owed a great debt of gratitude to her grandfather and his family. She wondered why she had been so fortunate to have been born into the favorable circumstances of 1960s middle-class America, and later to have prospered in 1980s America-friendly Germany. This spiritual search eventually led Cantor Nicholson to the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music (DFSSM) at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she became invested in 1996.
After a two year hiatus from in-person services, Cantor Nicholson will help make this year's HHD services all the more special.
Lester Dober, Music Committee Chair
Julie Geveshausen
Ann Rosenfield
Alex Charney Cohen
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June Newsletter Deadline: May 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
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Camp Kalsman in Washington is now open for summer registration for children in grades 1 though 11.
The sessions range from one week to five weeks and focus on specific areas of interest, including Kibbutz life, the arts, Hebrew immersion, outdoor challenge and more.
Our own Rabbi Johanna will be a camp rabbi for session July 10-17 which is open for grades 1-4!
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We are excited to re-start our Taizé choir performance Thursday, May 5 at 7:00 pm. This will be the first performance in over two years and the last date for our current season. We will begin again in October, COVID permitting.
Please join us in an hour of meditative non-denominational Taizé music and silence at our monthly ecumenical service at Trinity Episcopal Church (St. Helens Hall), 231 NW Idaho, Bend.
You are also welcome to attend our rehearsal at 6pm before the service as an attendee, musician or singer. The choir has gotten smaller during COVID, so we encourage you to attend the rehearsal even if you just want to join us to sing melody.
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Temple Beth Tikvah gratefully acknowledges the following contributions:
- Tully Ellsberg In Memory of Cana Ivy, beloved daughter
- Burt Litman & Jeanne Freeman In Memory of Bertha Litman, beloved mother of Burt Litman
- Jerry & Phyllis Greenbach In Memory of Arthur Greenbach
- Mel Siegel & Marijane Krohn In Memory of Mae Siegel
- Tully Ellsberg In Memory of Thomas Ellsberg, beloved husband
- Kathy & Mark Schindel In Memory of Doug Beetham
- Marcia & Ralph Uri In Memory of Miriam Becker, mother of Marcia Uri
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
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Temple Beth Tikvah
P.O Box 7472
Bend, OR 97708
541-388-8826
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Your secure online donation to
Temple Beth Tikvah
is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your generosity.
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Celebrations in May honor the following:
Birthdays:
May 2
- Lorraine Schechter
- Suzanne Schlosberg
May 4
May 7
May 8
- Burt Litman
- Michelle Mahony
May 9
May 10
May 11
May 14
- Abby Arathoon
- Steve Dimond
May 16
- Gerald Greenbach
- Jayda Wikler
May 17
May 18
- Chris Arathoon
- Zac Zlatkus
May 19
May 20
May 21
May 23
May 25
May 26
May 28
May 30
May 31
Anniversaries:
May 11
May 17
May 22
- Arielle Metz & Martin Meinig
May 26
May 31
- Gerald & Phyllis Greenbach
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President:
Kerrie Zurovsky
Past President:
Sheila Luber
Vice President
Cere Fingerhut
Secretary:
Lester Dober
Treasurer:
Mark Schindel
Members-at-Large:
Jillian Frankl
Paul Spencer
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Budget & Finance
Chuck Shattuck
Membership
Sheila Luber
Program Oversight
Kathy Schindel
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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
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Your secure online donation to
Temple Beth Tikvah
is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your generosity.
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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.
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PO Box 7472
Bend, OR 97708
(541) 388-8826
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