celebrating music
TRANSCRIPT
Volume 31, Number 7
March 2012
Adar / Nisan 5772
the
T E M P L E B E T H A B R A H A M
Pu RiM
Volume 36, Number 4 • December 2016 • Kis lev/Tevet 5777
celebrating music
directory
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GENERAL INFORMATION: All phone numbers use (510) prefix unless otherwise noted.Mailing Address 336 Euclid Ave. Oakland, CA 94610Hours M-Th: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Fr: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.Office Phone 832-0936Office Fax 832-4930E-Mail [email protected]
STAFFRabbi (x 213) Mark Bloom
Cantor Richard Kaplan, [email protected]
Gabbai Marshall LangfeldExecutive Director (x 214) Rayna ArnoldOffice Manager (x 210) Virginia TigerBet Sefer Director Susan Simon 663-1683
Gan Avraham Director Jill Rosenthal & Marta Molina 763-7528
Bookkeeper (x 215) Suzie ShermanFacilities Manager (x 211) Joe LewisKindergym/ Toddler Program Dawn Margolin 547-7726
Volunteers (x 229) Herman & Agnes PencovicOFFICERS OF THE BOARDPresident Laura Wildmann 601-9571Vice President Alice Hale 336-3044Vice President JB Leibovitch 653-7133Vice President Etta Heber 530-8320Vice President Ulli Rotzscher 559-0632Secretary David Goodwin 655-0529Treasurer Daniel Jaffe 479-7441
COMMITTEES & ORGANIZATIONS: If you would like to contact the committee chairs, please contact the synagogue office for phone numbers and email addresses.
Adult Education Aaron PaulChesed Warren GouldDevelopment Leon Bloomfield & Flo RaskinDues Evaluation Daniel JaffeEndowment Fund Charles BernsteinFinance Susan Shub
Gan Avraham Parents Marieka Schotland & Carolyn Bernstein
Gan Avraham School Committee Aaron Goldberg
House Stephen ShubIsrael Affairs JB LeibovitchMembership Ulli RotzscherMen’s Club Jereme AlbinOmer Lisa Fernandez & Rachel DornhelmPersonnel Laura WildmannPublic Relations Lisa FernandezRitual Eric FriedmanSchools Alice HaleSocial Action Marc BrunerTorah Fund Anne LevineWomen of TBA Jessica SterlingYouth Amanda Cohen
SERVICES SCHEDULEMonday & Thursday Morning Minyan In the Chapel, 8:00 a.m. On Holidays, start time is 9:00 a.m.
Friday Evening (Kabbalat Shabbat) In the Chapel, 6:15 p.m.Candle Lighting (Friday)
December 2 4:32 p.m.December 9 4:32 p.m.December 16 4:33 p.m.December 23 4:37 p.m.December 30 4:42 p.m.
Shabbat Morning In the Sanctuary, 9:30 a.m.Torah Portions (Saturday)
December 3 ToldotDecember 10 VayetzeiDecember 17 VayishlachDecember 24 VayeshevDecember 31 Miketz
TEMPLE BETH ABRAHAMis proud to support the Conservative Movement by affiliating with The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
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© 2016. Temple Beth Abraham.
The Omer (USPS 020299) is published by Temple Beth Abraham, a non-profit, located at 336 Euclid Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610; telephone (510) 832-0936. It is published monthly except for the months of July and August for a total of 10 issues per annum. It is sent as a requester publica-tion and there is no paid distribution.
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the jews of madagascar what’s happening
MAH JONGGJoin us on the 2nd Shabbat of the month as we gather in the Chapel after Kiddush.December 10 SHABBAT MISHPACHA
for preschool-aged children and their families.Kitah Gimmel classroom.December 3, 10:15 a.m.
T’FILLAT Y’LADIM for children in Kindergarten,
1st & 2nd grade and their families. In the Chapel.
December 3, 10:15 a.m.
JUNIOR CONGREGATION for children in 3rd - 6th grade.
In the Chapel.December 10, 10:15 a.m.
Please Join Us for TBA’s Youth Services
Morning Minyan on Mondays & ThursdaysJoin the regulars at our Minyan service, each Monday and Thursday usually start-ing at 8:00 a.m. The service lasts about an hour, and is really a great way to start the day. As an added bonus, breakfast is served immediately afterwards. To use the old expression – try it, you’ll like it. If not as a regular, just stop in once or twice and see what it’s all about.
Elysha Netsarh Presents The Jews of Madagascar. Sponsored by Kulanu.
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from the rabbiSermon in Song The Friday night after the Presidential election, I decided to do a “sermon in song.” With the help of the adult Shabbat Unplugged singers and the youth GleeBA singers, we let contemporary music express the way many of us were feeling as well as our hopes for the future. Here are lyrics from some of the songs we sang that night, as they tell a story that, like the Passover Seder, moves us from darkness to light.
Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise by the Avett BrothersThere’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light.
In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right.
And it comes in black and it comes in white.
And I’m frightened by those who don’t see it.
Where nothing is owed or deserved or expected.
And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected.
If you’re loved by someone you’re never rejected.
Decide what to be and go be it.
Yihiyeh Tov by David BrozaYihiyeh tov, yihiyeh tov, ken, lifamim ani nishbar.
Az halaila, oh, halaila, itach ani nishar.
It’s all right, it’s OK; sometimes I just break down.
Tonight I know, tonight I love, turn us back around.
Living of Love by the Avett BrothersYes, we live in desperate times, with fading words and shaking rhymes.
There only one thing here worth hoping for.
With Lucifer beneath you and God above.
If either one of them asks you what you’re living for.
Say love, say for me love.
One Day by MatisyahuOne day this all will change, treat people the same Stop with the violence, down with the hate One day we’ll all be free., and proud to be under the same sun. Singing songs of freedom like wy oh oh, wy oh oh, wy oh oh oh oh oh,
Sometimes in my tears I drown. but I never let it get me down So when negativity surrounds I know some day it’ll all turn around because... All my life I’ve been waiting for, I’ve been praying for the people to say That we don’t want to fight no more, there’ll be no more wars And our children will play, one day, one day, one day.
Ken Y’hi Ratzon, may this be God’s will.
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The Power of Song and CommunityBy Laura WildmannAt Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services, singing Avinu Malkeinu as a community is one of the spiritual highlights of the days for me. I don’t know if it is the beautiful mel-ody, the power of singing together as a community, or the nostalgia of chanting a prayer that I have chanted every year at the same holiday, but during Avinu Malkeinu, I truly feel our music and words connecting us with each other and with God.
Songs truly have a power to bring us back to a different time and place. Many of my memories of Jewish experiences are wrapped up tightly with songs and prayers repeated over and over. When I chant Birkat Hamazon (along with banging on the table and other extras), I experience the joy of summer camp and USY. Singing “Leaving on a Jet Plane” (okay, I know that’s not a Jewish song…) reminds me of the melancholy and close friendships of closing circles at camp and USY weekend retreats. And just last night, Forever Young by Bob Dylan came on the radio, conjuring up my first dance with Hugo at our wedding.
We are lucky at Temple Beth Abraham to have so many special musical experiences. In Rabbi Bloom, we have a rabbi who leads singing with his guitar and creates joyful musical memories for our children at Gan and Bet Sefer and for all of us at Shabbat and Holiday services. He and other musical congregants bring us Rock and Roll Shabbats and Shabbat Unplugged and a moving musical mishebeirach on Shabbat. We are lucky to have our talented Cantor Kaplan who leads our davening with his beautiful singing and has brought new tunes to our congregation, my favorite being the concluding prayer, “Hallelulyah”.
With Hanukkah coming soon, I have to admit that I have never been particularly enthu-siastic about the music of Hanukkah. While I have many special memories of wonder-ful Hanukkah get-togethers and delicious Hanukkah goodies and I enjoy singing Ma oz Tzur, I don’t find the music of Hanukkah as meaningful as the music of Shabbat and other Jewish Holidays. Perhaps it’s the comparison with that other holiday in December, which offers so many beautiful songs. So hopefully this year, Rabbi Bloom or Cantor Kaplan or one of our many musical congregants will introduce all of us to some new Hanukkah music and enhance our Hanukkah and our Jewish holiday memories.
from the president biking in israel
Rabbi Arthur Gould and Sheldon Kahn at the Israel Ride in Sde Boker.
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six word memoir
THE OMER We cheerfully accept member submissions. Deadline for articles and letters is the seventh of the month preceding publication.
Editors in Chief Lisa Fernandez & Rachel Dornhelm
Layout & Design Jessica SterlingCalendars Virginia Tiger
Cover Artwork Amalia and Aurora Campbell
B’nai Mitzvah Editor Susan Simon
Help From People like you!
Copy Editors Jessica Dell’Era, Nadine Joseph, Richard Kauffman, Lori Rosenthal, Jan Silverman, Debbie Spangler
ProofreadersJune Brott, Jessica Dell’Era, Charles Feltman, Elizabeth James, Jeanne Korn, Anne Levine, Susan Simon, Debbie Spangler
Distribution Hennie Hecht-ZilberbergMailing Address 336 Euclid Ave. Oakland, CA 94610
eMail [email protected]
Cover Artists:
Amalia Campbell loves to draw, play cello and take part in choir. She is 9 years old and has been singing her heart out at Temple Beth Avraham since she was in Gan Avraham.
Aurora Campbell loves to draw and play piano and violin. She is 9 years old and has been singing Ein Keloheinu with the kids at Temple Beth Avraham Saturday services since she was 2.
Six-Word Memoir: MusicBy TBA congregants, compiled by Jessica TeischMemorable Chanukah songs? I think not.
-Andy Wasserman
Bob Dylan wins Nobel Peace Prize!Love Rabbi’s Rock and Roll Shabbat!Still singing Jewish summer camp songs!
-Ann Rapson, still 61
Karaoke fun celebrates many 50 birthdays.Camp song sessions forever in brain.Singing for fun, prayer, healing, joy.Life without music: not as good.
Karen Bloom, still 46
Unheard music is all around us.-Jonathan Carey, 52
Children, grandchildren receive best Jewish start By sending them to Jewish camp.
-Elinor DeKoven, 81
250 Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra!
-Joel Biatch, 60
The Six-Word Memoirs on Jewish Life is a partnership between Reboot (www.rebooters.net) and Larry Smith. In November 2006, writer and editor Larry Smith issued a challenge to fans of his online publication, SMITH Magazine. Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s legendary shortest of short stories (“For sale: Baby shoes, never worn”), Smith asked readers to describe their lives in six words. Since then, the Six-Word Memoir® made its debut in 2006, nearly one million short life stories have been shared on the storytelling community SMITH Magazine website.
6 wordmemoir
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music
Hebrew Barbershop HarmonyBy Charles FeltmanMany TBA members know that my wife and I are very involved in Barbershop Harmony. Those familiar with that musical style know its roots are in the English language and the USA. But over the years it has been spreading from here both geographically and linguisti-cally. International competition champions have come from both New Zealand and Sweden. Competitions are always in English so the Swedish wins were particularly impressive. However linguistic expansion has occurred as well, even into Hebrew.
Back in 2008 I was at a week-long “Harmony University” training session. I was learning to be a Chorus Director and there were many others doing the same. After lunch one day there mid-week I heard a familiar melody but in a different language. The tune was “The Old Songs” - It begins every men’s Barbershop Chapter meeting, but in four parts. The Jewish attendees there immediately recog-nized this melody although it had been sung in Hebrew. One Chorus Director (in training) colleague, Martin, had made Aliyah from Texas several years before. Martin had wanted to find the Jews in our group and singing a familiar tune in Hebrew seemed the best way. As I had hoped to visit Israel soon we exchanged email addresses and discussed a new chorus he was starting. Martin told me about the “Twelve-Tones” mixed (both genders) Barbershop Chorus that meets in Tel Aviv. The year they
organized they had won the All-Israel Chorus competition against nearly 100 competitors!
A couple of years later I contacted my new friend Martin to let him know of our plan to visit Israel. He and his family lived near the Tel Aviv Port and usually spent Shabbat morning and afternoon there. So we organized our visit to spend Shabbat in Tel Aviv at a hotel walk-ing distance from the Port. When we met Martin and his family another friend, Kelly, was hanging with them at the Port. Kelly, as it turns out, was also a Barbershop arranger, and a well-known coach from Ireland. I had been emailing him for years discussing arrangements and surprised to meet him in Israel. Kelly had initially visited Israel for “Twelve-Tones” coaching, just before they won their big prize. So he immediately became very busy since other choruses now wanted him as their coach. He met a girl and chose to stay in Tel Aviv rather than bouncing back and forth from Dublin. Kelly was still the “Twelve-Tones” coach and told me their Annual Show was that evening! So he called to have tickets held for us and we went to a Barbershop Show in Tel Aviv! The music was sung two-thirds in Hebrew and one-third in English, which itself was a bit surprising. Upon meeting the chorus members later I found most had made Aliyah from the UK.
I was really excited when I found out how popular my preferred musical style was in Hebrew. So for a TBA “Musical Shabbat” the next year I was inspired to write
an “Adon Olam” arrangement. It was only the chorus if the “repeating” version (with a repeated first stanza), and sight-read that day. Then in 2014 one women’s quartet asked me about Chanukah songs with Barbershop arrangements. They wanted a Barbershop arrangement of a more traditional Chanukah song but I knew of none. Reviewing traditional Chanukah music I thought about “Mi Y’Maleil” and did some research. That led me to write a “Mi Y/Maleil” arrangement, performed that year in both English and Hebrew.
After comparing all available translations I now know why songs and poetry are so difficult to translate.
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women of tba
Learn How to Decorate Cookies Like a Professional
Instruction by a local professional baker
Sunday, December 4, 10:00 a.m. - noon
Temple Beth Abraham Social Hall
Enjoy a delicious brunch (with mimosas) and meet with friends new and old
Members: free* Non-members: $30
*Annual membership is $40 and is payable at the door if you are joining WTBA at the event.
RSVP TODAY by sending an email to Esther at [email protected]
Please join Women of TBA for
GIRLS NIGHT OUT: BUNCOThursday, December 1, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Baum Youth Center, 341 MacArthur
This fun, fast moving game is guaranteed to be an exciting event. Including prizes, wine, light appetizers and sweets. Free. Girls Night Out is a free, casual, monthly event to gather TBA women together for relaxed and unstructured social time. Meet in the Baum Center, next to TBA. RSVP: Molli at [email protected]
Sponsored by WTBA & Oakland Ruach HadassahROSH CHODESH: KISLEV
Monday December 5On behalf of The Women of TBA (WTBA) and Oakland Ruach Hadassah, we would like to invite all East Bay Women to join our Rosh Chodesh group. The group meets monthly on the Monday close to Rosh Chodesh, from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. at rotating members’ homes. The meetings are facilitated by members of the group. Questions? Amy Tessler at [email protected] or (510) 482-1218 to get on the distribution list for the upcoming meeting locations. FREE.
Kitchen Tour and Kiddush Luncheon InformationWomen of TBA reached out to the congregation, seeking new people interested in preparing Kiddush Luncheons. The preparation of the weekly Kiddush Lunceon is a generous contribution to our community which any congregant can do with the proper training. Thank you to Rabbi Bloom, Hennie Hecht, Mary Odenheimer and Treya Weintraub for their participation in this informational session.
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communityTBA Student Wins Presidential Honor for Cystic FibrosisBy Bethany KharraziBethany Kharrazi, now a 12th-grader at the Alameda Community Learning Center was honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award, granted on behalf of President Barack Obama, along with a Certificate of Excellence from the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Both awards were given in recognition of her advocacy on Capitol Hill on behalf of her brother and 30,000 Americans living with Cystic Fibrosis, an inher-ited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system.The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation depends on the power of family to help create awareness for this progres-sively devastating disease. Bethany has successfully lobbied for the Cystic Fibrosis Caucus, Orphan Drugs, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Authorization Act, and the Ensuring Access to Clinical Trials Act , and has been the team leader for several fundraisers, including the Cycle For Life, a 25-60 mile bike ride. The youngest of five siblings, she is determined to continue advocating until there’s a cure. Her father,Dr. Martin Kharrazi is the leader of the team that created Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening in California.“Each year my confidence grows to speak publicly about my brother and the impact Cystic Fibrosis has had on him and our family,” said Bethany. “I love my brother, he’s one of the funniest, smartest and bravest people I know. I will continue fighting this fight, especially when he can’t,” Bethany said.Bethany will be back on her bike and pounding the pave-ment in Washington D.C. again on behalf of her brother
and the cause. Her brother, Jeremy Kharrazi, is an alum of ACLC, a founding player of Alameda’s ‘Dark Meat’ Ultimate Frisbee team and a graduate of Vanderbilt University.The President’s Volunteer Service Awards recognize those who have volunteered significant amounts of time serv-ing their communities and their country. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, recognizes middle and high school students across America for outstanding volunteer service. Certificates of Excellence are granted to the top 10 percent of all Prudential Spirit of Community Awards nominees in each state and the District of Columbia.“These students have not only improved their communi-ties through their exemplary volunteer service, but also set a fine example for their peers,” said JoAnn Bartoletti, Executive Director of NASSP. “Each of their stories is proof of the impact one young person can have when they decide to make a difference.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was also printed in the Alameda Patch and the Alameda Journal.
Righteous Gentiles Saved My LifeBy Misia NudlerIf not for the Righteous Gentiles I wouldn’t have lived through the war. My life was saved several times by people who were brave enough to risk their lives for me. September 1st, 1939 the Germans attacked Poland and they started killing Jews. After two years they sent out a proclamation that all the Jews would have to go to Czyzew and they would be forming a Ghetto. Our next door neighbor, a Polish person, Majewsky told us not to go, that they would kill us. My father found a farmer who had a horse and buggy and who took us to Chehanowiec. True to the warning, all of the people who went to Czyzew were killed on the way. The Germans formed a Ghetto in Chehan where we had to live and leaving the Ghetto was punishable by death. Conditions in the Ghetto were horrible. We were
hungry, cold and scared all the time. My sister Jeanette and I ran away from the Ghetto, and for almost two years we were hiding out in barns, attics and cornfields. It is hard to describe the misery we experienced. Two months before we were liberated, a lady from a village gave us boiled potatoes and bread once a week. Her name was Pienkowska, and she was a wonderful lady. The Germans liquidated the Chehanowiec Ghetto on November 13 1942. They took the people to Treblinka where my par-ents and family perished. Many Jews survived because of the bravery of Righteous Gentiles. A Jewish organization was established to help those people who saved Jews. This organization sends monthly financial help to these heroes. You can learn more about them at https://jfr.org/. Due to the bravery and kind-ness of these people and others, many Jews were able to survive and live rich and fulfilling lives.
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cooking corner
Continued on next page
Jewish Deli at HomeBy Faith KramerTo be honest, Jewish deli food tends to taste best in a Jewish deli. I don’t know if that’s because there is a spe-cial blend of place and memories that enhances the flavor or if just that the outsize servings trigger a biological response in us.
A sidebar to this rule is that no Jewish deli food is as delicious as that of the deli you knew best when you were young.
This is particularly true for me. For most of my college years I lived two blocks from the fabled Second Avenue Deli (back when it really was on Second Avenue) in New York City. The food, the friendliness, the wait staff and the warmth of the owner, the late Abe Lebewohl, who would sell me kosher meat if the local butcher was closed and would offer folks in line a free nosh as a thanks for waiting, made it my Jewish deli bench mark.
It’s a bench mark that most contemporary delis miss by a wide margin, including the resurrected Second Avenue Deli. (The deli is now located uptown on First Avenue as well as midtown off Third Avenue. The original deli downtown at Second Avenue and 10th Street struggled after Lebewhol’s death and it closed. Family members reopened it years later at the new locations.)
My undisguised passion for the Second Avenue Deli resulted in my being gifted twice with copies of “The 2nd Ave Deli Cookbook: Recipes and Memories from Abe Lebewhol’s Legendary Kitchen (Villard),” authored by Sharon Lebewohl (Abe’s daughter) and Rena Bulkin.
The book’s 160 recipes include much of the Second Avenue Deli’s Eastern European Jewish repertoire such as chicken soup, kasha varnishes and kugel as well as a few Middle Eastern dishes and recipes contributed by famous customers as well as New York chefs.
Despite my reluctance to try to recreate the deli experi-ence at home, these recipes are satisfying and tasty, even if not quite as good as my memory of how those dishes tasted at my table at Second Avenue Deli in the old days with the waitress cracking jokes, constantly refilling the pickle dish and worrying that my friends and I were get-ting enough to eat.
There is an old New York Jewish expression, probably first uttered by a frustrated Jewish mother who felt under appreciated. “What am I? Chopped liver?”
Well I won’t mind being compared to chopped liver if it is as tasty as Second Avenue Deli’s.
SECOND AVENUE DELI’S CHOPPED LIVER
Adapted from a recipe by Sharon Lebewohl and Rena Bulkin
Serves 8 (more or less)
This recipe broils the livers, which is the traditional way to kasher (make kosher) them. Recipes that don’t start with that step will not have that Jewish deli taste. Please note: The directions below take advantage of a loophole in koshering liver and omit the salt. If you prefer to salt, sprinkle kosher, coarse salt on both sides of the livers before broiling, omit add-ing when processing and add salt to taste later.
Beef liver is in the original recipe but some find it has a stronger taste than chicken livers and most contemporary chopped liver recipes use all chicken. Feel free to substitute all chicken livers if you prefer. I also prefer to use all schmaltz. Containers of kosher schmaltz (chicken fat) are available (usually fro-zen) at some markets and butchers.
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cooking corner kosher fuelKosher DrivingBy Gregg MorrisShould the ethanol that is used as a fuel additive in your gasoline be produced in a kosher-certified distillery? No less an authority than the Rabbinic Coordinator of Technical Services for the Orthodox Union recently argued that the answer is an emphatic yes, but he wasn’t addressing a group of observant Jews, and he wasn’t mix-ing up the kashrut distinction between fuel for the body, and fuel for the car. He was addressing a conference of ethanol fuel and biodiesel producers, and his rationale for why they should produce fuel-grade ethanol in a kosher distillery is related to a byproduct of the ethanol-production process, Distillers Corn Oil (DCO). DCO can be converted into biodiesel fuel, and currently represents about 20 percent of the raw material supply for biodiesel production in the U.S. The biodiesel production pro-cess produces glycerin as a byproduct, and glycerin is a widely used food additive, including being used in many packaged goods that are certified kosher. This is why it is important to follow kosher rules in the corn-processing process that produces ethanol fuel and byproduct DCO – if the vegetable oil that is converted to biodiesel is not kosher, then the glycerin byproduct derived from the DCO is not kosher, and its value as a food additive is sig-nificantly diminished.
Vegetable oils are, by their nature, kosher. The problem with DCO is that the refining process used in ethanol-fuel production uses emulsifiers, and industrial emulsifiers can be made from either animal or vegetable sources. A certi-fied kosher ethanol-production facility, of course, uses only vegetable-derived emulsifiers, and produces byprod-uct DCO that is guaranteed to be free of animal-product ingredients. When this kosher-certified DCO is con-verted to biodiesel, the byproduct glycerin can be sold as kosher, and used by food processors without concern as to whether they are being used in kosher foods. That is why a Rabbi whose career is dedicated to the authentica-tion of kosher food would be invited to deliver a keynote address at a conference on the manufacturing of advanced biofuels.
I hope you will think about this the next time you fuel your car. In fact, the next time you are at a gas station fueling your car, and somebody else is doing the same at a nearby pump, I hope you will approach that person and say: “Excuse me sir (or madam), do you know that the fuel you are putting in your car was produced in a kosher distillery?” It’s a terrific conversation starter.
1 1/2 lbs. beef liver1 lb. chicken livers2 Tbs. oil (such as corn or vegetable), divided
2 1/2 Tbs. schmaltz (chicken fat), divided
4 cups coarsely chopped onions4 hard-boiled eggs2 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Rinse livers in cold water and cut away any membranes and visible fat. Leave chicken livers whole, but cut beef into 1” pieces. Put the livers on a raised, perforated rack placed in large baking pan. (Line pan with foil for easier clean up.) Heat broiler. Broil about 8-10 minutes (watching care-fully to avoid burning), then turn over for another 4-5 minutes until browned and fully cooked through. Place in bowl, stir gently with 1/2 Tbs. oil. Cover and refrigerate for at least a half hour.
Heat 1 1/2 Tbs. oil and 1 1/2 Tbs. schmaltz in large skillet. Over medium low heat sauté onions, stirring occasion-ally, until very soft and browned. Cover and chill for at least a half hour.
Place livers, onions, eggs, remaining schmaltz, salt and pepper in food proces-sor. Process until well combined but still a little chunky. It works best to process it in two batches. Chopped liver is best when it still has some texture and is not too smooth. (Or for a real treat hand chop in batches to the desired consistency with a mezzaluna or other curved chopping knife and a wooden bowl like grandma (or at least my grandma) used to do. Chill before serving. Taste and add salt and or pepper if necessary.
Note: The book’s version of this recipe drizzles the livers with oil before broil-ing instead of coating them after broiling as I specify here.
This is one in a series of columns explor-ing Jewish-themed cookbooks that I find inspiring and think you will enjoy as well. All cookbooks are available in stock or by special order from Afikomen, the Berkeley Judaica shop. To order any of the fea-tured cookbooks, please contact the store at [email protected] or (510) 655-1977.
Faith Kramer writes a food column for the j weekly and blogs her food at www.clickblogappetit.com. Contact her at [email protected]
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jewish day schoolsElections 2016: Oakland Hebrew Day School & DemocracyBy Philippa LichtermanThe past few weeks at OHDS were filled with much excitement and buzz around the 2016 elections. Our students actively engaged in the democratic process in multiple ways, from writing letters to their new presi-dent to debating key policy issues, both in Hebrew and English. While our middle school students researched the candidates, wrote their own endorsements, studied propositions, and followed the election results live, our younger students explored their own personal values and practiced articulating their thoughts about what their new president should do. Finally, all the students enjoyed plac-ing their own votes for president and for Student Council initiatives at the OHDS polling station, led by our fifth graders. Teaching our students to be active participants in democracy is essential in helping them to learn lifelong skills, such as how to access different sources of infor-
mation, seek deeper understanding, engage in healthy and respectful dialogue, and make informed decisions about bigger issues.
We are blessed to have an incredible faculty who spear-headed this amazing effort and found a way to engage every student in the process.
If you would like to learn more about OHDS or come and see our students learning, please contact Philippa Lichterman, Admissions Director: [email protected].
Middle School Open House & Info SessionThursday, December 8
8:30 a.m.
Kindergarten & Bridge Kindergarten Info NightWednesday, December 14
6:00 p.m. Bridge K
7:00 p.m. Kindergarten
First graders, Re’em and Ari, were thrilled to have voted at the OHDS polls!
Middle school students debated gun laws in Hebrew and English.
Our second graders wrote letters to their new president
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gan avraham
Music at the GanBy Marta Molina and Jill RosenthalMusic is an integral part of the curriculum at Gan Avraham. From our Boker Tov (Good Morning) song, to singing blessings, to various group times in which music is incorporated; music is some-thing all preschoolers respond to with joy and interest.
As early childhood educators, we understand that music helps preschoolers develop in several ways.
1) Cognitive Development: Through music, children hear language. At the Gan, they are exposed to songs both in Hebrew and English. Research has shown that speech and language is developed through singing and rhyming in song. Listening and concentration skills are enhanced while children engage in music.
2) Social and Emotional Development: When children participate in music, they observe their peers and join together in cooperation to play instruments and sing songs. What is more fun than singing and dancing with a friend?
3) Gross and Fine Motor Development: Children play and move with simple rhythm instruments to accompany the various melodies that they hear. We observe children lis-tening to the tunes and moving rhythmically.
Rabbi Bloom leads us in song with his guitar every Shabbat. Even the youngest two year old can sing “Apples and Honey for Rosh Hashanah” and by the time they have reached Kitah Gimmel, you may hear them singing parts of “Ma’nishtanah” (The Four Questions) for Passover.
To further support music appreciation, we are fortunate to have Susan Rancer, our music specialist come to each classroom once a week. Susan has been part of our Gan
family for nearly 20 years. She is a certi-fied Music Therapist and has been in private practice for
over 30 years. Recently, we had
the chance to sit down with Susan
and ask her questions about her career and her
relationship with the children and staff at Gan Avraham.
What makes your heart sing? I love the Jewish music repertoire. I have been going to Hava Nashira for 14 years. It is a song leadership program in Wisconsin at one of the URJ camps. Debbie Friedman, the well-known Jewish songwriter, started the camp so she could train musicians to be song leaders for summer camp and syna-gogue programs.
How has Hava Nashira informed your work with young children at the Gan? I focus on gathering songs by Ellen Allard, who writes music specifically for young children and is a part of that program. She will write songs for me, if I ask her.
How does your work as a music therapist influence your work in the preschool classroom? It helps me relate to the kids and to see what is going on. We have had students with special needs in the classroom and man, I target them because I am looking at what they can offer us. I want to make sure they are part of everything. I want every kid to be part of the group, and feel that
cont on page 16
12
bet seferKite Flying At Bet SeferBy Susan SimonEach year our Kitah Gimmel class (3rd graders) walk down to Lake Merritt and fly kites. Sounds like fun, huh? And it is fun, but there are also some lovely Jewish rea-sons.
Starting on Shemini Atzeret every year, we add a line to our prayers (in the Amidah) that recognizes that God causes the rain to fall and the wind to blow. We continue with this prayer until Pesach, thus praying for rain and wind during the months when we most need them for growing food. In honor of this addition to our prayers, we make the wind visible by flying kites.
But the impetus to start this program years ago came from a story from the Holocaust. During the war, a wonderful man, Janusz Korczak, was caring for Jewish orphans in Poland. He had visited Israel on two occasions and had marveled at the wind he experienced and felt that it was a gift given to children to fly kites. In Poland, he was greatly influenced by seeing ragged street children and they touched his heart. He made it a practice to never refusing to visit the home of any sick child, regardless of their ability to pay. He became the director of an orphan-age in Warsaw which became a model of efficiency. All of his actions were geared toward the comfort of these children.
Dr. Korczak even had his own radio shows where he told fairy tales and funny stories and families would gather around their radios, eager for his show.
With the rise of the Nazis, the people who had been funding the orphanage lost their ability to continue. He was told to close the orphan-age and he refused. His friends tried to get him to leave and go to safety but he wouldn’t leave the children. There was so much dis-ease in the Warsaw Ghetto and Dr. Korczak stayed to pro-vide medical care as best he could.
In 1942, the Nazi soldiers burst into the orphanage and marched Dr. Korczak, the teachers and 192 children ten miles to the train station. Dr. Korczak was given one more chance to escape but he wouldn’t leave the children. They all boarded a train and were never seen again.
Dr. Korzcak left a wonderful legacy of his writings. I wanted to share a couple of things that he wrote that have to do with the wind.
cont on page 13
13
bet sefer adult ed
A Kite – a Gift from the Wind By Dr. Janusz KorczakAnd what about kites?
Just as the sea gives a child a toy – a boat
So the wind has to give him a kite.
It takes so little, string, a piece of plywood or cardboard.
Every Child Should Have a Kite By Dr. Janusz KorczakDo your children like fun and games?
What are their favorite games? Playing ball? Bicycling?
Why do you, who live down in the valley, ignore kites?
Every child in the valley must have a kite, for there is strong wind on the hill at Ein Harod.
You need all kinds of kites, and on every festive occasion you must fly scores, even hundreds, of them, in all shapes and colors.
I Would Like to be as High up as that Kite: By Dr. Janusz KorczakWhen there is a strong wind, the kite goes up really well.
A big kite made of cloth, with a wooden frame and a tail three cubits long.
Will it fly?… Won’t it? … Yes, it is flying!
Oh, it’s falling down! … There’s no wind …
There is wind, but the tail does not balance the kite prop-erly.
Four hats are tied to the tail in order to improve the bal-ance.
Now it will fly … Here it goes … Pull in the string … Now let it go!
You can hardly see it … the tail looks tiny and you can’t see the hats at all … I would like to be as high up as that kite …
ADULT ED
Secrets of the SiddurBette Birnbaum will be teaching about Secrets of the Siddur. We have three sessions currently scheduled and we are happy to add more. All sessions will meet on Shabbat mornings starting at 9:15 a.m. in the library outside of the sanctuary. The third and final session is on December 10th. The class is designed to end in time for you to join the rest of the community for the Torah service. Bette is a terrific, knowledgeable and engaging teacher – come give it a try. If childcare is an issue for you, email Susan and we’ll find a solution.
No charge for these classes.
Sibling RivalryNitzhia Shaked is returning to teach a series this Fall enti-tled Sibling Rivalry in the Bible. Nitzhia has a great fol-lowing here at TBA and all over the Bay Area. She has
tremendous knowledge, not only about the subjects she teaches, but also about interrelated subjects so her classes are rich with little tidbits and learning. She will teach on Sunday mornings starting at 10 a.m. in the Chapel.
The cost is $15 per session.
Coming Next Spring: Biblical ArchaeologyKen Cohen returns in the Spring, teaching a class about Biblical Archaeology, the greatest hits! Ken seems to have a wealth of knowledge about just about everything and this is no exception. Learn about new discoveries at the Temple Mount, about the City of David and the Palace of King David. Learn about the Dead Sea Scrolls, Masada and Caesarea.
More information to come.
14
youth cornerLa’atid Holds Iron Chef EventBy Amanda CohenLa’atid had a blast in the kitchen at the Iron Chef Oakland event. Teams each had to make a main course and dessert using the secret ingredients: pasta and Jell-O powder. They wowed the judges, artfully putting together some unbeliev-ably delicious, creative, and beautifully presented dishes. And, perhaps, best yet—by the end of the event, the kids left the kitchen cleaner than they found it. Save the date for our next La’atid event, our Hanukkah Party in the Social Hall on 12/4 from 12-2 PM. For more information, contact Amanda Cohen at [email protected].
15
donations
Charity is equal in importance to all the other commandments combined.
Davis Courtyard FundRenat EngelJames Kleinmann & Lara GilmanSandy & Dawn MargolinJessica Siegel & Klaus-Ulli RotzscherBruce & Alicia von KugelgenAlden F. & Sabrina Berdux CohenRicardo Craft & Erica ReischerJessica Dell’EraMelissa DiamantRenat EngelNoah & Carrie GarberJudith KlingerGary & Faith KramerMichael Rosenberg & Jessica TeischOri & Susan SassonPaul Silberstein & Karen Glasser, in
memory of Henry Glasser
Bet Sefer Discretionary FundJeremy Goldman & Eliza HershDaryl & Bryna Ross
Gan Avraham Discretionary FundJudi Rosenthal
High Holy Day Appeal – General FundRayna & Saul ArnoldMarc & Debra BarachTimothy Barry & Jaime Rapaport
BarryRichard & Mary BerkowitzBarbara Berman, in memory of my
beloved sister-in-law Jessie YoshpeHarvey & Fran BlatterBenjamin & Leah BloomRabbi Mark & Karen BloomAzary & Clara BlumenkrantzArnold & Marjorie BlusteinRaphael Breines & Rinat FriedNorman & Jo BudmanRichard Charlesworth & Amy MoscovMarvin Cohen & Suzy LockeNancy & Sidney Cohen, in honor of
Dina and Phil HankinAnn CohnNoel Danto & Barbara AntebiRonald DavidHoward DavisMartin DavisVirginia DavisJason Edelstein & Leah Wagner-
EdelsteinBarry & Cheri FeinerDavid & Diane FeldhammerCharles & Harriett FeltmanNorman Frankel & Janice Lasar
FrankelDavid FreemanJoel FreidPeter GertlerSteven Glaser & Deena AerensonReuven Glick & Marci GottliebJon Golding & Carla ItzkowichMichael & Dorothy GoldsmithFifi GoodfellowLouis & Lisa GoodmanRabbi Arthur Gould & Carol RobinsonAllan GreenMorey & Eleanor GreensteinKnut & Laura GrossmannSteven & Penny HarrisYtzhack & Etta HeberHennie Hecht-ZilverbergGerald & Ruby HertzStephen & Toya HertzBrett & Robyn HodessMichael & Audrey HymanSteven & Joan JacobsJack JegerDonald JurowMelvin & Margaret KaplanLeonard KatzBrent KauffmanAnthony Kay & Amy Kittiver-KayGeorge & Janet KingHoward KirschRuth KleinmanPhillip & Andrea LaMarMark & Judy LangbergChris Lehman & Lisa GreenbergMichael & Katherine MaidenbergJessica MasonKirk & Dvora McLeanPhilip & Amy MezeyPeter Miller & Bess GurmanJason & Nora MortonMisia NudlerIlya & Regina OkhBarbara OseroffJohn Parker & Deborah SantucciKlara PinkhasovBetty Ann PolseJeffrey & Judith QuittmanDavid & Lori RosenthalSteven Rosenthal & Ailsa Steckel
Barry & Hana RotmanNissan & Carol SaidianDavid Salk & Leah KaizerTsutomu Satomi & Hildie SpritzerCurtis & Adi SchackerDaniel B. & Marieka SchotlandLori-Jill SeltzerEthel ShafferCarolyn ShawStephen & Susan ShubGwynn SimonSophie SouroujonMark & Lori SpiegelJerome & Beverly TurchinMadeline WeinsteinAlon Wolf & Liat PoratSteven & Victoria Zatkin
Day of High Holy Day General AppealEve Gordon-RamekJohn Rego & Deborah Kahane RegoStuart & Abby ZangwillRayna & Saul ArnoldMarc & Debra BarachTimothy Barry & Jaime Rapaport
BarryBarbara BermanBenjamin & Leah BloomRabbi Mark & Karen BloomArnold & Marjorie BlusteinRaphael Breines & Rinat FriedNorman & Jo BudmanRichard Charlesworth & Amy MoscovMarvin Cohen & Suzy LockeNancy & Sidney Cohen, in honor of
Dina and Phil HankinAnn CohnVirginia DavisJason Edelstein & Leah Wagner-
EdelsteinBarry & Cheri FeinerDavid & Diane FeldhammerCharles & Harriett FeltmanNorman Frankel & Janice Lasar
FrankelJoel FreidPeter GertlerSteven Glaser & Deena AerensonReuven Glick & Marci GottliebJon Golding & Carla ItzkowichMichael & Dorothy GoldsmithFifi Goodfellow
cont on page 16
16
donations
Rabbi Arthur Gould & Carol RobinsonAllan GreenMorey & Eleanor GreensteinKnut & Laura GrossmannSteven & Penny HarrisYtzhack & Etta HeberHennie Hecht-ZilverbergGerald & Ruby HertzStephen & Toya HertzBrett & Robyn HodessSteven & Joan JacobsDonald JurowMelvin & Margaret KaplanLeonard KatzBrent KauffmanAnthony Kay & Amy Kittiver-KayGeorge & Janet KingJudith KlingerPhillip & Andrea LaMarMichael & Katherine MaidenbergKirk & Dvora McLeanPhilip & Amy MezeyPeter Miller & Bess GurmanSylvia MillerMisia NudlerBarbara OseroffJohn Parker & Deborah SantucciHerman & Agnes PencovicBetty Ann PolseJeffrey & Judith QuittmanDavid & Lori RosenthalSteven Rosenthal & Ailsa SteckelBarry & Hana RotmanNissan & Carol Saidian
David Salk & Leah KaizerTsutomu Satomi & Hildie SpritzerCurtis & Adi SchackerDaniel B. & Marieka SchotlandLori-Jill SeltzerEthel ShafferCarolyn ShawStephen & Susan ShubShirley SilverGwynn SimonSophie SouroujonMark & Lori SpiegelDavid SteinbergJerome & Beverly TurchinMadeline WeinsteinSteven & Victoria Zatkin
Day of High Holy Day Endowment AppealDean Goldfein & Tamira ElulJohn Rego & Deborah Kahane RegoStuart & Abby Zangwill
General FundMarcy Belfer, in memory of Reba
SchechtmanDaniel & Anne Bookin, in memory of
Norman BookinKeith & Marlene Dines, in memory of
Florence DinesLibby Hertz, in memory of Sidney HertzSandra SherStephen Steiner & Sarilee Janger, in
memory of Steve JangerRobert L. Tufel, in memory of Gilbert
Tufel, Rose Fodiman, and Roberta Licht
Madeline Weinstein, in memory of Emma Rothenberg
Kiddush FundPamela Cohn, in memory of Annie
Strom SchwartzNorman Frankel & Janice Lasar
Frankel, in memory of Morris “Moe” Lasar
Milton & Margaret Greenstein, in memory of Anna Leah Greenstein
Minyan FundMarshall & Lynn Langfeld
Camper/Scholarship FundRey Steinberg, in memory of my dear
friend, Annie Strom
Rabbi Discretionary FundHerbert & Harriet Bloom, in memory
of Blossom GoldfarbSari GrossmanRandall & Jan Kessler, in honor of
Ember Kadima Kessler’s baby namingHarold KirschJudy Craddick Maccabee, in memory of
Howard MaccabeeBarry & Hana Rotman, in memory of
Ken RotmanStuart & Abby Zangwill, in memory of
Errin BerkowitzStuart & Abby Zangwill, Brit milah
donations in honor of: Jonathann Gold, Niam Sanghvi, Jack Melman, Zev Blachman, Ariel Getreuer, Xavier Zaiko, Solomon Shlansky, and Asa Wroe.
they are important and that music can be a source of self-expression. I want them to have fun. And I want them to learn. Children learn faster and retain things longer when taught through song and story…I learned that in music therapy school. I want them to have fun. I want them to learn.
How do you see your work here as providing a foun-dation for Jewish learning, ritual and tradition? Think about our services. They are based on music. So, I am able to give them things to relate to. I focus a lot on the holidays because I know you are celebrating many of the holidays here, so I can reinforce that here with music. So, they will have a repertoire of familiar holiday songs. We are building and developing an appreciation for these songs and as they move on to the next class at the Gan,
they will be familiar with many of the tunes. This is why, several years ago, we made CDs for families. We made a holiday/Judaic song CD and a CD of secular music. Rachel Dornhelm was so great in spearheading that proj-ect! I get a lot of compliments on those CDs.
What do you remember about learning music when you were a child? I was a child prodigy. At age six, my first grade teacher played piano in the classroom. I had never touched a piano before, and at our back to school night, I went to the piano and I started playing every song she had played and I played with both hands. Much later, as an adult, I wrote a chapter in a book about savants and asked the expert editing the book: “What is that?” And he said that is what we call genetic memory. Or, it is just perfect pitch. I started taking piano but had a really bad experience because of the fact that I was such an ear
cont. on next page
Donations, cont. from page 15
Susan Rancer, cont. from page 11
17
new members life cycle
Welcome New Members Martin White & Caryn Lai. Children Mia & Nolan
Dan & Julia Elitzer. Son Adam
Elijah Miller, December 3, 2016Hi, my name is Elijah Miller, but you can call me EJ. I am in 7th grade at Piedmont Middle School. My favorite subjects in school are P.E. and reading. I play soccer for the Montclair Clippers, and I play per-cussion and piano in my school band. I have an amazing beagle named Cupa. Oh, and don’t forget my brother Zeke, and my Mom and Dad. I also ski, play tennis, basketball, video games, and chess.
My portion is Toldot, and it’s about Jacob and Esau — twin brothers who are polar opposites. This story pits strength against wits, clever-ness against brashness, and relays the desperation that can happen because of hunger. Please join me and my family for services and Kiddush lunch on December 3.
Eitan Goldfein, December 17, 2016I am an 8th grader at Contra Costa Jewish Day School in Lafayette. I like basketball, hanging out with my friends, and cooking. At school I like English, Judaics, and Math classes. This past summer I traveled to New York to visit with family and these same New York relatives traveled with our family to the Big Island of Hawaii to celebrate me! Coming to synagogue for Shabbat and Bet Sefer was fun because I was able to be with friends.
My Bar Mitzvah portion is VaYishlach from Beresheet and I focus on the lessons learned from Jacob’s struggle. It will be a great day that I will always remember.
B’na
i Mitz
vah
player and everything was being taught in the classical, traditional way – visually. And that visual way doesn’t work. I am an auditory learner. But I know now that you can teach piano traditionally but you need to know how. I have co-written a book entitled Perfect Pitch in the Key of Autism. It focuses on how to teach piano properly for those with perfect pitch, as well as those with disabilities such as Downs Syndrome, Autism, Alzheimer’s, learning differences, etc. Anything that I had trouble with when learning as a child, I have changed and it works!
What’s really exciting about my work is instead of look-ing at what’s wrong with the child, I get to identify the gifts these children present.
What dto you love about coming to Gan Avraham? Oh, I love it! First of all, I love the staff. You’ve got fabu-
lous staff. To come into the classroom and see this cama-raderie, and to see the enthusiasm and the passion that your teachers have is wonderful. I don’t ever see anyone just out of it. I see that everybody is engaged. They are watching the kids; they are doing their job. You’ve done a great job hiring. It’s so exciting to work with bright chil-dren that respond. It helps me to understand how children develop and learn.
Is there one song that you glom onto or one that you have found children always glom onto? “I am a Pizza” and “Slippery Fish”. They are both by a songwriter named, Charlotte Diamond.
Any other thoughts to share? Music is really magic. I say that all the time!
Susan Rancer, cont. from page 16
18
life cycles
Is your birthday information wrong or missing from this list? Please contact the TBA office to make corrections.
1Jereme AlbinBruce GoldbergSara KornJulie RubensteinAriele ScharffVera Zatkin
2Leah BloomGabriel LevyRenee Marx
3Suzanne BojdakIlah RossDaniel B. Schotland
4Michael RosenbergAaron SkilesHannah Tobin-Bloch
5Maytal BerlaMiriam GreenGabriel Halperin
6Vivienne AdlerEliana BloomfieldZack DavisEsther Rogers
7Ari Berl
8Robert EdesessRussell EisenmanSarah GoldmanJuliet HagarLinda Knauer
9Gaia BostickJohanna IlfeldKatya Marinoff
10David AvidorAriel Spritzer-Satomi
11Rachel HarrisSy David Schwartz
12Aaron EliahuAron GellmanRichard Stone
13Avshalom BerrolMarissa GlickTony Rose
14Hannah BenauLila ColtoffCarrie GarberSteven KayKaren KelleyJonah Rossiter
14Sheldon RothblattZoe AbramsJudy Glick
16Caroline HastingsSolomon Rigelhaupt
17Ila AlbinMax BaumMichael MarxJoel Mendelson
18Mia HarvittRowan MasonAmy MezeyColin SchlesingerRachel Zatkin
20Shosh BlachmanStephen Shub
21Andrew DreyfussAlan O’NeillTate Lev SchwartzJosephine Trilling
22Rachel BarachAaron BukofzerAmalia Dornhelm CampbellAurora Dornhelm CampbellCarla ItzkowichCarol Saidian
23Nathaniel IlfeldMax LopezEmily Sarit PascalAri Varga
24Josh Weiss
25Rachel LironJesse Shalev
27Corey DavisBen StieglerSusan Weiner
28Faith KramerLynn LangfeldSheila Millman
29Gene BrottMarlene DinesJackson LopezPeri Zangwill
30Lara GilmanPaul LeibovitchPatti Orozco CroninJohn ParkerCaren ShapiroDana SherneAudrey Isabel Trilling
31Timothy BarryZoe HarvittDavid JosephElliot LenikSam WeinerMartin White
December Birthdays
Mazel Tov Miri Yael Edelstein, Daughter of Jason & Leah Edelstein
19
life cycles
KISLEV 1-2December 1-2Irving GoldmanStanley HershmanPatricia NightingaleFreda RubensteinAugusta Saretsky
WeinbergerRuth Bresow YoungMax GershensonAnne Bosniak GoldbergKurt KruchinskiBen MaccabeeHelen MoskowitzJanice Thompson
KISLEV 3-9December 3-9Esther DeKovenCharlene EberhartPearl Kasdan JonasJoseph LandowitzMarietta WulffHenry BrottEsther DubrowMary FeltmanArlene Frances FreemanRebecca KernsJoseph OkhEdes OlszakGitman OlszakBen ShaneRobert ZuckerbergDavid BenistyPaul HertzMax GevertzArthur KellmanLeo and Esther RamekAbraham ShafferGussie GoldsteinIsaac MarcusMax MarovitzLeah StamerCyril Weiss
Phyllis Marjorie CowanJune Reingold FleckHarry GrossfieldJudy LernerHerman RothIrma EisJeanette JegerSarah LichtensteinEve RothmanStanley RudeeAnne H. Tanner
KISLEV 10-16December 10-16Jacob KarwatEdward BercovichHerbert GoodmanLeon KraftRebecca MillmanEsther NaggarSarah Leah SchneiderAaron GissenAlexander KleinlererAlice MendelJoseph RosenfeldJoseph SamsonJoseph ScheinJacob WachsmanEva WeissmanStella BrottSandy Rosenfeld EmertSam KatzburgSandra Rosenfeld-EmertLaura RosenthalErwin WallenEric ZielenzigerDavid AaronsHarry BarnettIrwin BryanRita HeegerNancy KonigsbergEsther NankinGanesane RosenbergBen Silver
Wayne StanfieldMax DavisRichard M. GoldstoneMolva GoodmanMary HaleMax KaufmanMervin TesslerNina BalintEdith BudmanMax CharlupJennie GevertzAdolph A. Kay
KISLEV 17-23December 17-23Erna BenderAl MendelsohnSylvia RebackHelen Ida TesslerThelma Diane TobinPierson JacobsToni W. BerkeLouis BermanMarlene Berger CasparIda HymanAnna ShalinskyBenjamin HolemanArthur WaldVictorine MisanMiriam NudlerSamuel RubinSam FeltmanMasao KishiMordecai ParkerStanley SchechtmanRichard GutmannLeon KleinPhillip MendelsohnArthur Nightingale
KISLEV 24-TEVET 1December 24-30Goldie TuretzMartha Zilverberg
Nathan DicksonRebecca EpsteinMichael FynlandRabbi Joel GoorBooker Sr. HoltonSophie KranzSamuel MorowLouis RobinsonGoldberg RoselynEsther AsherHerbert Allen GoodfellowRichard LevineRabbi Harold SchulweisBetty Gordon GrinbergKalman KleinRita MelamersonIsrael StamerRobert S. WallersteinSamuel GevertzRabbi Phillip LanghMichael J. O’RourkeSidney WinchellJoseph DorfmanJack GrayRaymond NaggarPaul TrofSamuel BernsteinDavid FreedmanMorris GelfandLeslie KesslerJacob KronrodMorris LeavittHarold ReidJerrold Schoenblum
TEVET 2December 31Mark S. BloomBessie KvintDavid MehrEthel MehrFannie Shapiro
May God comfort you among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem
Susan Ames Klinger, Mother of Judith KlingerRuth Zangwill, Step-Mother of Howard Zangwill (Stacy Margolin) & Stuart (Abby) ZangwillAnita Litwack, Mother of Richard Levine (Frances Herb)
Recent Deaths in Our Community
December Yahrziets
20
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er
7:00
pm
Jew
ish H
erita
ge N
ight
w
ith th
e W
arrio
rs
9:30
& 1
0:45
am
Sha
bbat
K
inde
rgym
- So
cial
Hal
l 6:
15 p
m K
abba
lat S
habb
at -C
hape
l Para
shat
Vay
ishl
ach
9:30
am
Sha
bbat
Ser
vice
s with
the
Bar
Mitz
vah
of E
itan
Gol
dfei
n
4:
33p
Can
dle
light
ing
5:34
p H
avda
lah
(42
min
)
18
(18
Kisl
ev)
19
(1
9 K
islev
) 20
(20
Kis
lev)
21
(21
Kis
lev)
22
(22
Kisl
ev)
23
(2
3 K
islev
) 24
(24
Kisl
ev)
10:0
0 am
Nitz
hia
Shak
ed -
Adu
lt Ed
Cla
ss -
Cha
pel
8:00
am
Min
yan
follo
wed
by
Bre
akfa
st N
o B
et S
efer
- W
inte
r Bre
ak
9:00
am
Wee
kly
Text
Stu
dy a
t W
oodm
inst
er C
afe
No
-8th
Gra
de T
icho
n C
lass
with
A
man
da C
ohen
7:
00 p
m B
BY
O-A
ZA a
nd B
BG
8:00
am
Min
yan
follo
wed
by
Bre
akfa
st N
o B
et S
efer
- W
inte
r Bre
ak
6:15
p K
abba
lat S
habb
at C
hape
l Pa
rash
at V
ayes
hev
9:30
am
Sha
bbat
Ser
vice
s 6:
00 p
m E
rev
X-m
as S
ing
Alo
ng
4:
37p
Can
dle
light
ing
5:38
p C
hanu
kah:
1 C
andl
e
25
(25
Kisl
ev)
Han
ukka
h I (
Hol
iday
of l
ight
s)
26
(26
Kisl
ev)
Han
ukka
h 27
(
27 K
islev
) H
anuk
kah
28
(28
Kisl
ev)
Han
ukka
h 29
(
29 K
islev
) H
anuk
kah
30
(1
Teve
t)
Han
ukka
h R
osh
Cho
desh
Tev
et
31
(2
Teve
t)
Han
ukka
h
Offi
ce a
nd G
an C
lose
d fo
r Hol
iday
9:00
am
Min
yan
follo
wed
by
Bre
akfa
st
No
Bet
Sef
er -
Win
ter B
reak
9:00
am
Wee
kly
Text
Stu
dy a
t W
oodm
inst
er C
afe
No
clas
s thi
s wee
k-8t
h G
rade
Ti
chon
Cla
ss w
ith A
man
da C
ohen
7:00
pm
BB
YO
-AZA
and
BBG
8:00
am
Min
yan
follo
wed
by
Bre
akfa
st N
o B
et S
efer
- W
inte
r Bre
ak
6:15
pm
Kab
bala
t Sha
bbat
- C
hape
l
Para
shat
Mik
etz
9:30
am
Sha
bbat
Ser
vice
s with
the
Bar
Mitz
vah
of Ja
cob
Hill
5:38
p C
hanu
kah:
2 C
andl
es
5:39
p C
hanu
kah:
3 C
andl
es
5:39
p C
hanu
kah:
4 C
andl
es
5:40
p C
hanu
kah:
5 C
andl
es
5:41
p C
hanu
kah:
6 C
andl
es
4:42
p C
hanu
kah:
7 C
andl
es
5:43
p C
hanu
kah:
8 C
andl
es
21
JAN
UA
RY
201
7 3
TE
VE
T –
4 S
HE
VA
T 5
777
SUN
DA
Y
MO
ND
AY
T
UE
SDA
Y
WE
DN
ESD
AY
T
HU
RSD
AY
FR
IDA
Y
SAT
UR
DA
Y
1
(3 T
evet
) H
anuk
kah
VIII
2
(4
Tev
et)
3
(5 T
evet
) 4
(6
Tev
et)
5
(7 T
evet
) 6
(8
Tev
et)
7
(9 T
evet
)
Gan
and
Off
ice
Clo
sed
for
Hol
iday
9:
00 a
m M
inya
n fo
llow
ed b
y B
reak
fast
at H
olid
ay T
ime
Gan
retu
rns f
rom
win
ter b
reak
4:
00 p
m B
et S
efer
9:00
am
Wee
kly
Text
Stu
dy a
t W
oodm
inst
er C
afe
10:0
0 &
11:
15 a
m K
inde
rgym
N
O 8
th G
rade
Tic
hon
Cla
ss
7:00
pm
BB
YO
-AZA
and
BBG
7:
30pm
Adu
lt Tr
ope
Cla
ss -
Libr
ary
8:00
am
Min
yan
follo
wed
by
Bre
akfa
st 10
:00
& 1
1:15
am
Kin
derg
ym -
Soci
al H
all
4:00
pm B
et S
efer
9:30
& 1
0:45
am
Sha
bbat
K
inde
rgym
- So
cial
Hal
l 6:
15 p
m K
abba
lat S
habb
at -
Cha
pel
Para
shat
Vay
igas
h 9:
30 a
m S
habb
at S
ervi
ces
10:1
5 am
Sha
bbat
Mis
hpac
ha
10:1
5 am
T'fi
llat Y
'ladi
m w
ith
Susa
n Si
mon
4:
48p
Can
dle
light
ing
5:49
p H
avda
lah
(42
min
)
8
(10
Teve
t) 9
(1
1 Te
vet)
10
(12
Tev
et)
11
(13
Tev
et)
12
(14
Tev
et)
13
(15
Tev
et)
14
(16
Tev
et)
Kita
h Za
yon
Trip
to L
A W
ith R
abbi
Blo
om
9:00
am
Wee
kly
Text
Stu
dy a
t W
oodm
inst
er C
afe
10:0
0 &
11:
15 a
m K
inde
rgym
N
O 8
th G
rade
Tic
hon
Cla
ss
7:00
pm
BB
YO
-AZA
and
BBG
7:
00 p
m G
an A
vrah
am P
rosp
ectiv
e Pa
rent
s Mee
ting
Gan
cla
ssro
om
7:30
pm A
dult
Trop
e C
lass
- Li
brar
y
8:00
am
Min
yan
follo
wed
by
Bre
akfa
st 10
:00
& 1
1:15
am
Kin
derg
ym -
Soci
al H
all
4:00
pm
Bet
Sef
er
9:30
& 1
0:45
am
Sha
bbat
K
inde
rgym
- So
cial
Hal
l 6:
15 p
m K
abba
lat S
habb
at
UN
PLU
GG
ED -
Cha
pel
Para
shat
Vay
echi
9:
30 a
m S
habb
at S
ervi
ces
1:00
pm
Mah
Jong
g - C
hape
l 10
:00
am A
dult
Ed w
ith K
en
Coh
en (C
hape
l) 8:
00 a
m M
inya
n fo
llow
ed b
y B
reak
fast
4:00
pm
Bet
Sef
er
4:
55p
Can
dle
light
ing
5:56
p H
avda
lah
(42
min
)
15
(17
Tev
et)
16
(18
Tev
et)
17
(19
Tev
et)
18
(20
Tev
et)
19
(21
Tev
et)
20
(22
Tev
et)
21
(23
Tev
et)
10:0
0 am
Adu
lt Ed
with
Ken
C
ohen
(Cha
pel)
5:30
pm
Men
’s C
lub
Gam
e N
ight
B
aum
You
th C
ente
r
Gan
and
Off
ice
clos
ed fo
r M
artin
L
uthe
r K
ing
Day
9:
00 a
m M
inya
n fo
llow
ed b
y B
reak
fast
at h
olid
ay ti
me
4:00
pm
Bet
Sef
er
9:00
am
Wee
kly
Text
Stu
dy a
t W
oodm
inst
er C
afe
10:0
0 &
11:
15 a
m K
inde
rgym
6:
00 p
m 8
th G
rade
Tic
hon
Cla
ss
with
Am
anda
Coh
en
7:00
pm
BB
YO
-AZA
and
BBG
7:
30 p
m A
dult
Trop
e C
lass
- Li
brar
y
8:00
am
Min
yan
follo
wed
by
Bre
akfa
st 10
:00
& 1
1:15
am
Kin
derg
ym -
Soci
al H
all
4:00
pm
Bet
Sef
er
9:30
& 1
0:45
am
Sha
bbat
K
inde
rgym
- So
cial
Hal
l 6:
15 p
m K
abba
lat S
habb
at -C
hape
l Para
shat
She
mot
9:
30 a
m S
habb
at S
ervi
ces
10:1
5 am
Juni
or C
ongr
egat
ion
Cha
pel
5:
02p
Can
dle
light
ing
6:03
p H
avda
lah
(42
min
)
22
(24
Tev
et)
23
(25
Tev
et)
24
(26
Tev
et
25
(27
Tev
et)
26
(28
Tev
et)
27
(29
Tev
et)
28
(1 S
heva
t)
10:0
0 am
Adu
lt Ed
with
Ken
C
ohen
(Cha
pel)
8:00
am
Min
yan
follo
wed
by
Bre
akfa
st
4:00
pm
Bet
Sef
er
7:30
TB
A B
oard
Mee
ting
Cha
pel
9:00
am
Wee
kly
Text
Stu
dy a
t W
oodm
inst
er C
afe
10:0
0 &
11:
15 a
m K
inde
rgym
6:
00 p
m 8
th &
9th
Gra
de T
icho
n C
lass
es –
Bau
m Y
outh
Cen
ter
6:00
pm
Con
firm
atio
n C
lass
B
aum
You
th C
ente
r 7:
00 p
m B
BY
O-A
ZA a
nd B
BG
7:30
pm
Adu
lt Tr
ope
Cla
ss -
Libr
ary
8:00
am
Min
yan
follo
wed
by
Bre
akfa
st 10
:00
& 1
1:15
am
Kin
derg
ym -
Soci
al H
all
4:00
pm
Bet
Sef
er
NO
Sha
bbat
Kin
derg
ym
6:15
p Be
t Sef
er K
itah
Bet
Sha
re-A
/ K
abba
lat S
habb
at C
hape
l
Para
shat
Vae
ra
9:30
am
Sha
bbat
Ser
vice
s 6:
00 p
m T
BA
Gal
a
5:
10p
Can
dle
light
ing
6:11
p H
avda
lah:
1 C
andl
e
29
(2 S
heva
t)
30
(3 S
heva
t)
31
(4 S
heva
t)
10:0
0 am
Adu
lt Ed
with
Ken
C
ohen
(Cha
pel)
La’a
tid B
owlin
g A
dven
ture
O
ff-s
ite
8:00
am
Min
yan
follo
wed
by
Bre
akfa
st
9:00
am
Ros
h Ch
odes
h St
udy
Sess
ion
(off-
site
)
4:00
pm
Bet
Sef
er
what’s inside
PERIODICALS POSTAGE
P A I DOakland, CA
Permit No. 020299
Temple Beth Abraham327 MacArthur BoulevardOakland, CA 94610
TBA Directory .........................iWhat’s Happening ............. 1From the Rabbi ................... 2From the President ............. 3Six Word Memoir ................. 4Music .................................... 5Women of TBA .................... 6Community ......................... 7Cooking Corner .................. 8Kosher Fuel .......................... 9Jewish Day Schools .......... 10Gan Avraham ................... 11Bet Sefer ............................ 12Adult Ed ............................. 13Youth Corner ..................... 14Donations .......................... 15New Members .................. 16Life Cycles ......................... 16Calendar ........................... 20
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