Congregation Netivot Shalom's Newsblog!: March 2010

March 13, 2010

27 Adar 5770

Parashat Vayikra

Candle-Lighting: 7:01 pm / Havdalah 8:02 pm

Congregation

Netivot Shalom

E-Newsletter

Quick links to our community & events!

Shabbat Service Schedule

9:00: Torah Study in the library with Nitzhia Shaked
9:30: Shabbat Service in the Sanctuary
Childcare for children under 5 is available every Shabbat from 10am-1pm
10:30: Rimmonim - Shabbat program for children K-2 and their parents - Tefillah with a lively Torah story told by Dor Abrahamson. Intergenerational learning at 11:15 led by Steve Bileca and Angela Alonso and adult learning at 11:45.
11:00: Orah VeSimchah - Youth Services & Torah Study (geared towards 3rd-5th grades) - library

Teen Shabbat Today!

Parashat Vayikra - Leviticus 4:27 - 5:26
Midrasha/JCHS Shabbat

Psukei D'Zimra - R. Shalom Bochner
Shacharit - Rena Dorph
Torah Service - Anya Platt
Calling Gabbai - Clara Cunradi, Eli Bovarnik
Pointing Gabbai - Diane Bernbaum
Torah Leiners - Sarah Geliebter, Sa'adia Massarano, Danny Golde, Ilana Wexler, Debbie Graudenz
Haftorah - Yael Platt
Hagbah -Avi Rosenblum
Drash - Alida Jekabson
Musaf - Mika Simhi-Aloni
Birkat Hamazon - TBA
Board Representative - Gerri Levitas

Kiddush Sponsored by: Midrasha/JCHS and Families of Teens

After-Kiddush Program: 1:15± - Understanding The Szyk Haggadah, led by Rabbi Irvin Ungar

After-Kiddush Program next week: Rabbi Shalom Bochner on Counting the Omer, followed by evening classes, beginning Mar. 27. See below, under March Events.

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Rabbinic Notes

Refuah Shleimah and Yahrzeits

A Complete Healing to:

Susan Cakars, Toby Gidal, George Gidal, Leah Hellner, Selma Klett, Cristofer Lix, Joyce Mack, Marti Rosenzweig, Lois Silverstein, Susan Stanfield, Helen Stern, Emma Tankel, Yehudah ben Rachel, Sheindel Rivkah bat Libi, Pesach Yehuda ben Avraham v'Malka, Aaron Velvel ben Leah Breina, Bernarda Strauss and Yehudit Miryam bat Bashya.

Yahrzeits this week include:

Jack Berger, Morton Berger, Hyman Feinstein, Florence Greenhut, Frances Keller, Charlotte Koltun, Julius Rock, Morris Louis Sheftel, and Barbara Strauss.

March Events

MARCH 20th - 29th: JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL - 25th SEASON !!

Great music! Come share our simcha!

www.jewishmusicfestival.org - 510-848-0237 x 119 or pick up a brochure in the synagogue lobby. Concerts at JCC E. Bay, and Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse in Berkeley.

MARCH 21, SUNDAY MINYAN

Shacharit Minyan at Netivot Shalom Sunday, March 21 at 9:30 am It will be preceded by a pre-minyan learning session from 9:00 am- 9:30 am that Rabbi Creditor will conduct on Rambam's Hilchot Tefillah/Laws of Prayer.　 Rambam (Maimonides) wrote "Laws of Jewish Prayer", a volume of his comprehensive Mishnah Torah so communities could study Jewish tradition together.　 This preparation for the Minyan, will be based on the original text in the Hebrew with English translation. Services will be followed by breakfast thanks to Michael Cohen and at 10:30 am Rabbi Shalom Bochner　 will　 discuss　 "The Place of Generations". We tell of God's greatness from generation to generation. What are the duties of one generation to another?　 How do we best listen to and learn from each other?　 In this fifth talk in our series on Jewish community, we'll examine the role of generations and how we best provide for an organic community where the generations mix freely and also has their own specific needs attended to.　 We'll look at texts that speak to these questions and see how these lessons can be applied to our Netivot Shalom community

MARCH 21, 4-6PM: Jews of Modern China
Sponsored by Lehrhaus Judaica and Netivot Shalom
Join us for a spectacular panel featuring three speakers who are surviving representatives of the Sephardi, Russian, and Holocaust-refugee Jewish communities that lived in Shanghai in the first half of the 20th century -- Leah Jacob Garrick, Inna Mink, and Rabbi Ted Alexander. Linda Frank will moderate the discussion. Free @ Congregation Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave., Berkeley, CA 94702

MARCH 24 DEADLINE -Oakland Hebrew Day School celebrates its Chai Anniversary at the Gala 2010 honoring Rabbi Judah Dardik and presenting Netivot Shalom's very own Efrat Simhi-Aloni with the Excellence in Education Award. The Gala Committee is looking for past and current photos and updates on what the Alum of OHDS are doing today. Please email any information or questions to Danielle Elkins, Gala Chair, at zazuelkins@comcast.net or Patti Schneider, Development Director at OHDS, at pschneider@ohds.org or 510-531-8600 ext. 19.

New ON-LINE REGISTRATION at http://ohdsgala2010.eventbrite.com! Register now until March 24 and receive an early registration special. Gala 2010 promises to be an elegant evening at OHDS's very own Upper Campus, Sunday, April 25, reception 5:00 dinner and program 6:00. To further support our school, place aTribute or Business Ad in the Gala 2010 Journal by contacting Patti Schneider or Danielle Elkins.

MARCH 27 - May 11: THROUGH THE OMER: LET US COUNT THE DAYS
1:15 - after Kiddush; Thurs. Apr. 1, 8, Tues. Apr. 13, 20, 27, May 4, 11: 7:30
Through an 8 part class, we will use the 49 days of the Omer period to frame our own journeys of self discovery and personal realization. By exploring and discussing the Sephiot, the mystical divine attributes that are a focus of the counting of the Omer, we will both encounter new understandings of God and also our own inner powers. This class does not assume any background in Kabbalah or Hebrew reading and will include text study, compassionate listening, journal writing, and exploring how the Omer period and the Jewish community can be powerful tools in becoming the people we want to become.

ALL ABOUT PESACH!

Mark your calendars for two wonderful Passover Programs!

Tuesday March 31st 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Kids Seder (Parents welcome too!) led by Rabbi Menachem Creditor and Janet Harris at Netivot Shalom

Tuesday March 31st 7:00 - 10:30 pm
Second Night Congregational Seder led by Rabbi Shalom Bochner at Netivot Shalom
Childcare will be provided

For more information, click here: http://netivottest.org/comm_seder

CNS Preschool Annual Fundraiser - Seder Table Toppings

It's not too soon to start thinking about preparations for Passover. Simplify your Seder with a Seder Table Toppings Package. The standard package includes enough consumable products for one large-size seder (approx 20 people) or two medium-size seders (10 people each). The deluxe package includes enough for 2 large seders (20 people each). Packages without perishable items can also be shipped. All packages will include some surprises inspired by our CNS preschool kids. Proceeds will support the CNS Preschool Scholarship Fund. An online order form is available here: http://netivotshalom.org/seder_table_toppings. Order today!

Seder Matching
Do you have room at your seder table for guests? OR Are you someone who would like an invitation to a seder?
Please contact Robin Braverman at 925-979-1998 or email her at rivkah48@sbcglobal.net for seder matching. The sooner we know who has room at a seder table and who would like an invitation, the easier it will be to match people up.

If your family has small children and would like to be a guest at a seder, there are other families with small children that may be willing to host you. Also if your family has small children and you would be willing to have other families with small children as part of your seder, please let us know, the sooner the better. Thanks! Contact Robin Braverman 925-979-1998 or rivkah48@sbcglobal.net.

PASSOVER SHOPPING DAY AT AFIKOMEN on SUNDAY, MARCH 21st, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

A benefit for local Jewish Schools: NETIVOT SHALOM PRESCHOOL* GAN SHALOM * TEMPLE SINAI * KEHILLA - Mention Netivot Shalom Preschool and they will donate 15% of the sale back to our school. A win-win for you, your school and your local Judaica store!

April Events and Beyond

APRIL 20: 5:30 - 9:00PM: CELEBRATE ISRAEL AT 62! CONGREGATION BETH EL
Children's Activities and Story-telling!
Speakers! Israeli Sing-A-Long! Entertainment! Israeli Dancing!
Kosher Israeli Food available for purchase!
Admission is free. For more information: 510.318.6453.
Sponsors include Chochmat HaLev, Cong. Beth El, Cong. Beth Israel, Cong. Netivot Shalom, JCRC/East Bay, Kehilla Community Synagogue & the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay

MONDAY, APRIL 26, 7:30PM:A CONVERSATION WITH NEAL BASCOMB, AUTHOR OF HUNTING EICHMANN, presented by The Jewish Federation of the East Bay's Israel Center and Congregation Netivot Shalom.

Congregation Netivot Shalom
1316 University Avenue, Berkeley

The hunt for, capture, and trial of Adolf Eichmann set the bar for how we treat war criminals today. In Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World's Most Notorious Nazi,New York Times best-selling author Neal Bascomb offers the first complete account of one of the most important, influential spy missions in history - the operation to catch Eichmann, architect of the mass murder of Europe's Jews, and bring him to justice .
Alternating between Eichmann on the run and his pursuers closing in on his trail, Hunting Eichmann follows the Nazi as he escapes two American POW camps, hides out in the mountains, slips out of Europe on the ratlines, and builds an anonymous life in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, concentration camp survivor Simon Wiesenthal's persistent search for Eichmann gradually evolves into an international manhunt that includes an insistent West German prosecutor, a blind Argentinean Jew and a budding, ragtag spy agency called the Mossad.
As a result of Bascomb's investigations, Hunting Eichmannreveals key details about the Mossad operation that have never before been published and provides new information on how Eichmann was able to remain free for fifteen years. Presented in a pulse-pounding, hour-by-hour account, this fully documented, finely nuanced history offers the intrigues of a detective story and the thrills of great spy fiction. And it comes at just the right time, as 2010 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Eichmann's capture.

Admission is free. For more information: 510.318.6453 or riva@jfed.org.

MAY 6, 7:30PM: CALLING ALL JEWISH SPOKEN WORD PERFORMERS!

We invite your submissions for "...and it was revealed: an evening of spoken word, a celebration of epiphanies and fervent fruition" as Jewish performance artists share their original spoken word pieces, stories, songs and poetry. The event, part of a series of spoken word happenings (see the recent J article - http://bit.ly/berkeleyword), will be held on Thursday, May 6 at 7:30 pm at Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley. If selected, performers agree to participate in a one hour "playshop" evening in April. (The playshop will provide a supportive environment for receiving feedback on performance and content.) Jewish content is optional, however, profanity and explicit language and divisive political content would not be appropriate for this event. To apply to be featured, please send to safranimate@gmail.com before March 28:
1) Your proposed spoken word piece (poetry, prose, story, song/rap)
2) Your bio (75 words or less - can be very casual)
3) Your phone number

Piece should:

-- Focus on a colorful personal story and designed to move, inspire/provide insight

-- Be no more than 5 minutes long when performed (please time it before submitting)

-- Lend itself to live performance (dramatic is good)

-- Roughly relate to the topic: "...and it was revealed" (epiphanies and fervent fruition).

Adult Learning Opportunities

Intermediate Talmud Class: Masechet Berachot (The Tractate of Blessings) facilitated by Rabbi Shalom Bochner. Thursdays, 5:45 pm - 6:45 pm, Netivot Shalom Library. Come explore the early roots of the Siddur, Jewish Prayer, and delightful tangents of everything including the kitchen sink! (and it's free!)

La'asok Haftarah Class: This class will continue every Wednesday at 1-2pm in the Library with Rabbi Creditor and Rabbi Bochner. Join us for a discussion of interesting sections and highlights of the weekly Torah portion.

LITURGY IN DEPTH: How do I make this foreign genre accessible for me?
What does it say? What does it mean? What does it mean for me?
Second Mondays in the Spring of 2010, Taught by Rabbi Stuart Kelman, 7:30-9 pm

*April 12: New Liturgical Developments for New and Older Holydays: Hallel; al hanisim and miracles!
*May 11: Refuah: Healing and asking for healing.*June 14: Lev Shalem: The new Conservative Mahzor - some thoughts and some specific prayers.

New Adult Learning Class with Rabbi Shalom Bochner -

The 7 weeks of the Omer between the second day of Passover and Shavuot Through an 8-part class, we will use the 49 days of the Omer period to frame our own journeys of self-discovery and personal realization.　 This class does not assume any background in Kabbalah or Hebrew reading and will include text study, compassionate listening, journal writing, and exploring how the Omer period and the Jewish community can be powerful tools in becoming the people we want to become. The series begins with After Kiddush Learning: on Saturday March 27th "What is the Omer?"　 To register for the class, please e-mail:　 Rachel at office@netivotshalom.org Class Fee:　 $40 - $120 (sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds.)

MAY17, 7:30-9:00: The Ten Dvarim ("Commandments"): the Foundation of Jewish Law, taught by Nitzhia Shaked
Class meets on 5/17, 5/24, 5/31, 6/07, 6/21, and 6/28 (six Mondays)
We begin by considering the nature and importance of the Ten Dvarim ("Commandments"), taken together, as the foundation of Jewish Law. Our focus then shifts to an in-depth text study of the separate Dvarim in Exodus and Deuteronomy, analyzing some challenging rabbinic and modern ideas on the content of each. Fee: $60 to $120 (sliding scale). For more information, stephen.tobias@gmail.com or 510-654-4561.

Miscellaneous Information and Community News

Rosenheimer Campership Application - It's that time of year again - scholarships to Jewish Summer Camp through the Rosenheimer Camp Fund are now available to children of Netivot Shalom members. Applications may be requested via the website by clicking on this link: Campership Applications . Time is of the essence. Applications must be dropped off at the Netivot Shalom office by Purim, which is February 28th. Applications may also be faxed to the office 510-549-9448 or emailed to education@netivotshalom.org. Campership awards will be announced within 2 weeks after that date.

This Summer: Ramah Outdoor Adventure! This summer, the National Ramah Commission is opening a one of a kind Jewish outdoor adventure camp in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains called Ramah Outdoor Adventure (www.ramahoutdoors.org). This camp will combine 60+ years of Ramah camping experience with the best of outdoor adventure activities including horseback riding, climbing and rafting. Students from throughout the United States who are entering grades 6-10 in September 2010 (and are not currently enrolled in a Ramah camp) are invited to apply to become part of the opening cohort of campers. The camp is located 90 miles from Denver in Pike National Forest on the 360 acre Ramah in the Rockies ranch! During its inaugural summer, Ramah Outdoor Adventure will be offering 1, 2 & 4-week options.

Green and Just Celebrations Guide!

The Guide promotes purchasing in line with ethical values, for the Jewish community and beyond.
The Guide provides resources for local families to incorporate values of social justice and sustainability into any event. From union-made wines to eco-kosher caterers, carpools to carbon offsets, we've got the suggestions to infuse any life-cycle celebration with joy and Jewish values. Find it online at http://pjagreenandjust.weebly.com.

Community Events -

Tuesday, April 19, 7:00-9:00 PM: Community-Wide Yom HaAtzmaut Celebration at Beth El, 1301 Oxford Street, Berkeley.

Sunday, May 2, 2010 Lag B'Omer: Picnic at Laurel Group Picnic Area in Tilden Regional Park. Go down South Park Drive from Grizzly Peak Blvd. and Laurel Group Picnic Area is on the left.

Committee Activities and Events/Click for Updates

From Social Action:

* Next chance to cook at the Dorothy Day men's shelter is April 4th, 5pm to 8. To participate contact dd@netivotshalom.org

    * KEEP FILLING OUR RED BINS: the Alameda County Community Food Banks says, "...more children are struggling with hunger. In raw numbers, the Alameda County Community Food Bank is serving 21,000 children and teens (under 18) every week. That's up 33% since 2005." Donations to the food bank can also be made through their website, www.accfb.org.

    * COMMUNITY FORUM ON ENDING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP:  Join Jewish Youth for Community Action at Netivot Shalom on March 22nd, 7-9pm, to discuss "2020 Vision," a plan to close the achievement gap in Berkeley Schools by the year 2020. Superintendent Bill Huyett and Chief of Staff to Mayor Bates Julie Sinai will be present to speak & answer questions. BUSD parents and students are encouraged to attend!

    * Support the LIGHTNING BOLTS:

fellow congregants the Rosenblatts and their Lightning Bolts team members will be participating in the upcoming MS Walk to raise money to fund research, support groups, education and other programs. To support the team and our congregants with MS, you can donate by sending a check to: The National MS Society, MS Walk 2010, 1700 Owens St., #190, San Francisco CA, 94158. Or donate online at

http://walkcan.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WLK_CAN_ePledge

From Job Networking: Job Seekers: We meet every Thursday from 10:00 am to 11:30 am to network, offer each other support, etc. Our meetings are held in Netivot Shalom's Library. Meetings are open to all job seekers. If you have any related questions, comments or suggestions, please contact Norma Kaufman (normakauf@comcast.net)