Shalom from TBD Religious School
Shabbat newsletter compiled by
Gal Kessler Rohs, Education Director
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We at religious school expose your children to Jewishly relevant experiences for a mere 3 hours on Sundays, 27 sessions a year. That’s really not much. In fact, it is very little. That’s why we encourage further Judaic exposure through temple life and beyond. We believe the latter to include Jewish summer camps. This includes sleepaway camps since this is a frame were campers are without parents, living an exclusive Jewish life, making new friends with a diverse group of children, all in light of Jewish values. The fun and diverse experiences are lifelong remembered as the positive Judaic experiences we wish to perpetuate to our children, ledor vador.
Thankfully, we have many Jewish sleepaway camps in Southern California, and beyond, some starting as early as entering 2nd grade and older. We have endorsed our TBD youth previously to attend
Newman Swig URJ
camp in both Southern and Northern California.
Havaya Arts
, is yet another Jewish camp that is a “joyful, welcoming, and progressive Jewish community where campers grow as intentional artists”.
Leenie Baker
, their outreach director visited our school in Channukah, and created a Havaya camp like experience where students crafted Channukiyot. Havaya Arts, according to their website, focuses on five core values- Wonder and Curiosity, Presence and Intentionality, Engagement with the Other, Embracing the Unknown, and Process as Product. Their website highlights their dynamic community, exploration of diversity, and innovation, which is much to the vision of the Reconstructionist movement they belong to.
This weekend, Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valley’s former
Camp Gan Shalom Director
and current
Shabbaton
director,
Aaren Heller
will be visiting our school too, to present elements of this year's Shabbaton. Shabbaton is a weekend away, this year from March 6-8th, which is designed for the
J
ewish youth in the greater San Gabriel and Pomona community for 3
rd
– 9
th
graders, including students from TBD. This year’s Shabbaton experience, as Aaren will share on Sunday, will revolve around the theme of
Do Not Stand Idly By
. According to the Jewish Federation's
website
, the group will take a look at Purim’s modern day meaning, of standing up for what one believes in. Aaren is planning on having our teens engaged in team work activities and games at TBD, to demonstrate the power of oneself with a group. The Shabbaton will use famous characters from Pixar movies (and the movies themselves) to demonstrate these ideas.
For the past number of years, our community’s Shabbaton has been held at
Camp Mountain Chai
,
another Jewish sleepaway camp i
n Angelus Oaks, in the heart of the San Bernardino mountains.
Jeff Brody
, Camp Mountain Chai’s coordinator, will be visiting TBD next month, to speak about summer camp experiences for students in first grade and older. Jeff will be linking his camp style activities to Tu Bishvat, and sponsor a family Biblical bagel breakfast followed by Tu B’Shvat themed Israeli dancing! Camp Mountain Chai is the “traditional overnight camp” in that activities include canoeing in the camp lake, hiking on the 7800 feet high mountains, archery, drama, ceramics, dance, crafts and more. His personal highlights about the camp include- the escape from city life, the living in a scenery of nature and watching the sunsets, together with a community of children from all over Southern California.
We highly encourage TBD families to think about their kids doing Jewish this summer by attending Jewish summer camps like Camp Newman, Camp Gan Shalom, Shabbaton, Havaya Arts and more for our students, we recognize there are other options for Jewish overnight engagement. TBD’s religious school section of our
website
is for this reason dedicated to camps. We state: “It is our goal that all students have an opportunity to attend Jewish summer camp. Camps provide an intensive Jewish living and learning experience. Our congregation is committed to affording every child the possibility of attending a Jewish camp.” We recommend you, parents, attend our camp and Shabbaton orientations both with Aaren this weekend at 9.30am, and with Jeff from Camp Mountain Chai next month. Come with your camper children, your questions, and with a will to partner with us in engaging your children Jewishly, much beyond Temple Beth David’s Religious School.
Wishing you Shabbat Shalom, and hoping to see you this evening for services with
Rabbi Lachtman,
and guest
Cantor Schwartz
,
-Gal Kessler Rohs
, Education Director
(picture taken from SGPV Federation website depicts last year's Shabbaton group, including some of our religious school students - can you spot them?)
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Shabbat services tonight
with guest Cantor Richard Schwartz
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Got Dirt?
Asking for donations of soil bags for our Tu Bishvat planting activity
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Our preschoolers and Kindergarteners will be planting a new garden as part of their Tu Bishvat planting experience. We are asking for about 10 bags of soil. Thank you for your donations, and thanks to the
Bidinian
family who have stepped up to help with the project!
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Happy Birthday Miss Doris
who turns 71 today!
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Miss Doris
has been at TBD since she herself attended kindergarten at TBD religious school. 67 years later, she is still celebrating her birthday at TBD, as a teacher, ritual committee member, beloved temple member, and one of the most recognizable faces at the forefront of TBD!
Fun facts about Miss Doris:
-She was born to be a teacher! All her troubles, aches, pains and worries leave the door once she enters the classroom! That's her passion, and that's what she is best at.
-Miss Doris is a cat lover. She has two rescue cats- Shaina and Meidel. Both have different personalities, both are mischievous and both are in competition for Miss Doris' attention.
-Miss Doris lives in Temple City, works in the public school sphere during the week, and at TBD religious school on Sundays. She has been teaching for over 50 years!
-TBD's children are her children! She loves them, and puts them first. That's her moto, and that's what she preaches!
-Miss Doris is generous with her good words, her empowerment of her students, her contribution to our temple, and her students. For Channukah for example, Miss Doris gifts her students so many gifts, they almost reach the ceiling!
-Miss Doris is thematically dressed to every occasion. How do you like this outfit here she wore on Chanukah? Even her earrings match the Festival of Lights!
-Miss Doris has a Ph.D in storytelling (well, almost!) When recounting a story, her voice is soft, intonations varied, and the suspense increases. Her stories go on, and on, and on, and on, and the longer they become, the more engaged her listeners turn!
Wishing you a happy happy happy birthday, Miss Doris. Looking forward to celebrating you tonight at TBD Shabbat services!
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Torah Portion
Parshat Va'era, Exodus 6:2-9:35
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The portion tells about the ten plagues of Egypt, those same plagues we speak about in our Passover Seder.
First, the Nile is turned to
blood
. Next, Egypt is overrun by swarms of jumping
frogs
, and then by itchy
lice
. In the fourth plague, hordes of massive, scary,
wild animals
invade the land, and in the fifth, all the animals belonging to the Egyptians
get sick and die
. Next, all the Egyptians get these horrible, painful
boils
all over their skin, and in the seventh plague, big balls of fire and ice fall down from the sky as
hail
.
Each time, Pharaoh begs Moses to get rid of the plague and promises that he will let the Jews go. But as soon as the plague is over, Pharaoh changes his mind. No matter how much Moses warns him that a new plagues will come, and no matter how much he knows the Egyptians will suffer, Pharaoh's heart remains hardened, and the Jews remain in slavery in Egypt.
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Temple Security Workshop
this Sunday, led by Gavin Wasserman, Volunteer Chair of TBD security
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Temple Security Workshop, January 26, 2020 (12:30 p.m. -1:30 p.m)
Gavin Wasserman
from the TBD Security Committee will be going over the recent report from the Secure Communities Network entitled "Firearms and the Faithful: Approaches to Armed Security in Jewish Communities, January 2020."
This is a must-read to understand the issues facing Jewish communities across the country, and Temple Beth David specifically. You may have seen our security volunteers at services and religious school; come find out more and give us your feedback and questions.
***Religious school parents: this is your chance to give us feedback on our efforts thus far.
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An opportunity for teens
to collaborate with other Jewish teens in LA
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Aaron Wiener,
6th Grade Religious School Teacher & Youth Director from Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills is reaching out to see if your organization would be interested in partnering with them, Temple Isaiah, Stephen Wise and six other synagogues in Southern California, in a Teen Jewish College Workshop.
The event will be held at Temple Emanuel on March 1st from 5pm-8pm.
Aaron is inviting teens and their parents to discover all of the Jewish options teens have post high-school. Everything from Jewish campus life, to Jewish gap year programs, to University in Israel is part of the program.There will be opportunities for all our teens to meet one another with the hope of building relationships.
If you are interested in this event, and teen collaboration, please
mail Aaron
, or call his cell: 925.580.1161
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David's Word and Jlife Magazines are online
TBD's and the Federation's newsletters
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Shabbat Shalom with a Flashback Video
of Rabbi Lachtman, Cantor Schwartz, Gal and a jar of herring!
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Flyers, Flyers, Flyers,
flyers, flyers, flyers
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Coming up at Temple Beth David
featured dates to note:
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Friday, Jan 24th at 7.30pm: Service with Rabbi Lachtman and Cantor Schwartz, followed by Israeli dancing with Ellen Novoseller
Saturday, Jan 25th at 7pm: Every Person Has A Name
Sunday, Jan 26th: Haskala at Every Person Has A Name, 9.30am Federation Shabbaton presentation withAaren Heller, 12.30pm Security and Planning meeting, followed by fundraising committee meeting, both with Gavin Wasserman
Tuesday, Jan 28th at 7.30pm: Adult Seminar with Rabbi Lachtman on Jewish Life Cycles
Friday, Jan 31st at 6pm: Ulpan Shabbat including dinner
Sunday, Feb 2nd at 9.30am: Adult Bagel Breakfast with Cantor Orly
Friday, Feb 7th at 7.30pm: Shabbat services with Hannah Stein, oneg Shabbat in honor of Hanna andAlan Stein, sponsored by the Stein family
Saturday, Feb 8th at 4.15pm: Hannah Stein Bat Mitzvah
Sunday, Feb 9th, at 9.30am: Jeff Brody presentation of Camp Mountain Chai at Religious School
Friday, Feb 14th at 6pm: Ulpan Shabbat including dinner (topic: Tu BiShvat)
Sunday, Feb 16th, No Religious School, President's Day, TBD at Union Station
Sunday, Feb 23 at 9.30am, Adult Bagel Breakfast, 9.30am, Debby Singer presenting PJ Library
Friday, Feb 28th at 6pm: Ulpan Shabbat including dinner
Sunday, March 1 Religious School
Thursday, March 5th, at 10am: National Webinar on education and thriving (Contact Gal for more info)
Thurday, March 6-8th, Shabbaton (For 3-9th graders)
Sunday, March 8th: Purim at TBD, Lindy Bornstein making food enrichment
Friday, March 13th at 6pm: Ulpan Shabbat with Cindy Pailey including dinner (topic: Purim)
Sunday, March 15th Religious School, TBD at Union Station
Sunday, March 22nd Religious School
Friday, March 27th at 6pm: Ulpan Shabbat including dinner (topic: Passover)
Sunday, March 29th at 9.30am, Adult Bagel Breakfast
Friday, April 3rd at 6pm: Ulpan Shabbat including dinner (topic: Passover)
Sunday, April 5th Religious School (topic: Passover, Model Seder)
Sunday, April 12th, No School, Passover Break
Friday, April 17th at 6pm: Ulpan Shabbat including dinner (topic: Israel)
Sunday, April 19th Religious School (topic: Holocaust for Upper Grades), TBD at Union Station
Sunday, April 26th Religious School (topic: Israel Day)
Friday, May 1st at 6pm: Ulpan Shabbat including dinner
Sunday, May 3rd Religious School
Sunday, May 10th, No School, Mothers' Day
Friday, May 15th at 6pm: Ulpan Shabbat including dinner (topic: Shavuot)
Sunday, May 17th: Last Day of Religious School, family lunch, TBD at Union Station
Friday, June 5th at 6pm: Ulpan Shabbat including dinner
Sunday, June 21st: TBD at Union Station
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