Ahavat Torah Congregation

Transcription

1 Torah Portion: Numbers 1:1-4:20 Torah Teacher: Greg Metzger Torah Chanter: Glynnis Ortiz Greeter: Judy Kollack CLICK TO SHOP AHAVAT TORAH CONGREGATION P.O. Box 442 Santa Monica, Calif :00AM Ethics-Mussar Counting the Omer with Rabbi Miriam Hamrell and Rabbinic Intern Greg Metzger 10:00AM 12:15PM Shabbat Service 12:15PM-Potluck Dairy Lunch Ahavat Torah Congregation 343 South Church Lane, Los Angeles, CA (310) ONE TORAH, ONE COMMUNITY, MANY TEACHERS COMMITTED TO REPAIRING THE WORLD ahavattorahla.org Rabbi:Miriam Hamrell,MHL,MAEd. Cantorial Soloist: Gary Levine Associate Cantorial Soloist: Kimberly Haynes Co-Presidents: Judy Kollack & Shoshi Wilchfort Secretary:Lynn Stevens Treasurer: Debra Barrath Membership: Marvin Warsofsky Board Members: Barbara Burbank Vicki Crawford Gary Levine Jonathan Troper Co-Social Justice: Vivian Gold & Renee Schwartz Past Presidents: Michael Stevens Rena Jaffe Jean Katz Ron Estroff Sid Rosenblatt Blanche Moss Ex- Officio Members: Rabbi Miriam Hamrell & Charles Hamrell, MD God tells Moses in the Sinai Desert to conduct a census of the 12 tribes of Israel. Moses counts 603,550 not including the Levites. The Levites were to serve in the Sanctuary and they were responsible for dismantling, transporting and reassembling it. At each encampment, the Levites tents surrounded the Sanctuary; The Kohathites designed coverings in which to carry the Ark, menorah, etc.; the Gershoites, were in charge of its tapestries and the Merari transported its wall panels. The tents of Moses, Aaron and Aaron s sons were located at the Sanctuary s entranceway. Beyond the Levites, camped the 12 tribes in groups of three. The tribes had their own leaders and flags.!1

2 Thursday Night Day 48: Healthy independence should not prevent you from bonding with another person. Does my sovereignty prevent me from bonding? Exercise for the day: Actualize your sovereignty by intensifying your bond with a close one. Thur Night 5/21 Day 48 Friday Night Day 49: Examine the sovereignty of your sovereignty. Does it come from deep- rooted inner confidence in myself? Am I aware of my uniqueness as a person? Of my personal contribution? Exercise for the day: Take a moment and concentrate on yourself, on your true inner self, not on your performance and how you project to others; and be at peace with yourself knowing that God created a very special person which is you. Friday Night 5/22 Day 49 Conclusion Upon concluding these forty nine days we come to the fiftieth day - Mattan Torah, when we have fully achieved inner renewal by merit of having assessed and developed each of our forty nine attributes. After we have achieved all we can accomplish through our own initiative, then we receive a gift (mattana in Hebrew) which we could not have achieved with our limited faculties. We receive the ability to actually reach and touch the divine; not only to be cultivated human beings who have refined each of our personal characteristics, but divine human beings, who are capable of expressing beyond our defined human emotions.upon concluding these forty nine days we come to the fiftieth day - Mattan Torah, when we have fully achieved inner renewal by merit of having assessed and developed each of our forty nine attributes. From chabad.org!2

3 WHAT A MAGICAL POP SHABBAT! Our POP SHABBAT on May 16th was a huge success! How magical it was to listen to our traditional Jewish prayers through the music and lyrics of James Taylor, Paul Simon, Motown and the Beatles. Rabbi Miriam s prayers and joy filled the room with love. Our Cantors Gary and Kim were Rock Stars. Lenny once again inspired us to look deeper. Thank you to all of our congregants who so graciously donated such wonderful food. To all the unspoken heroes, who worked behind the scenes to make this day so special, thank you.!3

4 ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM OUR CO-PRESIDENTS Rabbi Miriam is in Israel for two weeks. However, it comes as no surprise that the Rabbi is in constant and close contact with many of us. She sends her prayers and loving hugs. RABBINIC INTERN GREG LEADS AHAVAT TORAH MEMBERS TO PERFORM ACTS OF TIKKUN OLAM!! Our rabbinic intern, Greg Metzger, is involved in many different tikkun olam projects; one of which is cooking and serving one breakfast and one dinner a month at the P.A.T.H. (People Assisting the Homeless) shelter in Hollywood. His energy and enthusiasm has been contagious. A few Ahavat Torah members have been drawn in and have become regulars in this volunteer program as well. Bernice Brown, Becky Murphy (Greg's fiancee), Judy Kollack, and more recently Rita Reuben are joining Greg s other volunteers in this endeavor. The residents are always appreciative and the volunteers always enjoy this event. CHAPLAIN DOV IS LEADING SERVICES THIS SHABBAT! Chaplain Dov Cohen needs no introduction, since he has been a familiar face at Ahavat Torah. He is kindly stepping in to conduct services this and next Shabbat, while Rabbi Miriam is in Israel. Chaplain Dov is a volunteer at the California Institute for Women in Chino. He is also the founder and leader of Shir HaShirim, which meets at the Veteran's Home in Los Angeles. Chaplain Dov was recently appointed State Chaplain for Jewish Veterans and is also the volunteer chairman of the ACCESS Board, which provides transportation for people with disabilities.thank you Chaplain Dov for helping us out!!4

5 CELEBRATE SHAVUOT WITH AHAVAT TORAH CONGREGATION ahavattorhla.org WHEN: Saturday May 23rd at 6:00 pm WHERE: 343 Church Lane Los Angeles, CA Saturday May 23rd is going to be a busy day for us. We are going to have our Mussar-Ethics Class, Service, and a Potluck Dairy Lunch. In the evening we are all coming back to Celebrate Shavuot. Please wear WHITE for this special program. 6:00 pm - Havdalah 6:35 pm - Study the book of Ruth & The Ten Commandments 8:30 p.m-dessert Dairy 9:00 pm - Program Ends We need your help for this wonderful event. Please call Linda Badger at (626)-1442 or lindabadger0713@yahoo.com and let her know how you would like to help. Thank You!!5

6 OUR EXCITING AND INFORMATIVE 5th SHABBAT PROGRAM WILL SOON BE HERE. THE TOPIC FOR THE EVENT IS HOMELESS IN LA. WHEN: MAY 30th Service Begins at 10:00 a.m. This event has been organized by our Rabbinic Intern Greg Metzger. He is leading us as we prepare for the Fifth Shabbat. Greg has arranged for a speaker, Ryan Bell, to present this issue to us. We will also have a few hands- on activities that could help the homeless - preparing food and preparing hygiene kits. PLEASE BRING A FRIEND Anyone who would like to participate in preparing Ahavat Torah for the 5th Shabbat, please contact Vivian at vgold@usla.edu or , or speak to Greg directly. MESSAGE TO THE CONGREGATION FROM AHAVAT TORAH S CO-PRESIDENTS Our big once a year GALA on June 7th this year is at the beautiful Mountaingate Country Club. It is almost here and we don't want anyone to miss it! Please get your reservation card and payment back to Barbara Burbank NOW. your tributes to Lynn Stevens at lsm1976@gmail.com right away. A copy of the return form is included in this newsletter. It will be a terrific fun-filled evening and a wonderful way of acknowledging how much we appreciate all that our 4 Honorees and 3 Women of Valor have done for our congregation. There are only 2 more weeks to go, so please get on this right NOW. With enthusiasm and excitement, we remain-- SHOSHI and JUDY (Co-Presidents)!6

7 AHAVAT TORAH S GALA CELEBRATION Located at MountainGate!7

8 Dear Ahavat Torah Members and Friends, Below you will find the invitation, response card, and silent auction fliers about our Gala. Please share them with your family and friends. It is easy as 1-2-3! Just copy & paste the material into your and send it out! Please help us to make this a beautiful and fun filled Gala. Shoshi, Barbara, Lynn, Marvin, Marilyn, Blanche and Rena (Gala Committee)!8

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11 Listen Closely The Silent Auction at the Gala on June 7th is two weeks away! We need your help with soliciting Gifts, Certificates, Merchandise etc. Don t Be Shy - We can Help! Marvin & Marilyn Don t Wait until it s too Late! Dear Members & AT Friends,!11 Please print out the following two pages and take/mail them to businesses in your area. Thank you for helping.

12 AHAVAT TORAH One Torah, Many Teachers, One Community Committed to Repairing the World Rabbi Miriam Hamrell Cantorial Soloist Gary Levine Associate Cantorial Soloist Kimberly Haynes Co-Presidents Judy Kollack Shoshi Wilchfort Treasurer Debra Barrath Secretary Lynn Stevens Board Members Barbara Burbank Vicki Crawford Vivian Gold Gary Levine Renee Schwartz Jonathan Troper Marvin Warsofsky Past Presidents Michael Stevens Rena Jaffe Jean Katz Ron Estroff Sid Rosenblatt Blanche Moss Ex-officio Members Rabbi Miriam Hamrell Charles Hamrell, MD IT S A WIN-WIN SITUATION WE WANT YOU TO PLACE AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR YOUR BUSINESS IN A SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS PUBLICATION THAT WILL BE HANDED OUT AT OUR JUNE 7, th ANNIVERSARY EVENT. WHEN YOU DONATE A GIFT OR A CERTIFICATE FOR YOUR BUSINESS TO OUR SILENT AUCTION YOUR ADVERTISEMENT WILL BE PROMI- NENTLY PLACED IN OUR TRIBUTE BOOK. WE ARE Ahavat Torah, a warm, welcoming and compassionate community, celebrating the fellowship of people drawn together by a love of Jewish spirituality, ethics, culture and traditions. We are deeply committed to Social Action within our congregation, the community and the world. SUMMARY OF SOCIAL ACTION PROJECTS Samplings of our Social Action Activities include feeding the hungry through SOVA Food Bank, supporting Jewish World Watch and working with the Santa Monica Community Corps for low income and immigrant families. We also support Neve Shalom, a School for Peace in Israel. We contribute clothing and toys to Cohasset Street Elementary School in Van Nuys, and have collected over 325 toys for other children in need. Our Rabbi and congregants volunteer in the women s prison in Corona bringing education and hope. Social Action is an important part of our philosophy. The generosity of individuals and businesses such as yours enables us to continue to fund these and other worthy programs. PLEASE FILL IN THE ENCLOSED DONATION FORM AND RETURN IT BY MAY I5, 20I5 TO: Ahavat Torah, c/o Coleman Colla 535 S. Curson Ave. #3H Los Angeles, CA (Ahavat Torah is a 501C(3). The tax exemption identification number is ) With much appreciation, Marilyn Marilyn Warsofsky Silent Auction Co-Chairpersons Marvin Marvin Warsofsky P.O. Box 442, Santa Monica, CA South Church Lane. Brentwood CA (310)

13 AHAVAT TORAH One Torah, Many Teachers, One Community Committed to Repairing the World PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW AND RETURN WITH YOUR GIFT OR CERTIFICATE BY May 15, 2015 DONOR INFORMATION Name [Business or Individual]: Contact Person [If different than above]: Address: City: State: Zip: Address: Phone: DONATION INFORMATION Please describe in detail the item you are donating and any restrictions or expiration date: Fair Market Value: ; if you do not know what starting bid should be used: [ ] I will provide gift certificate. [ ] Please design one for me. Signature of Donor: Solicited by: Phone: Attach Business Card here. Your donation is greatly appreciated. Your advertisement will be publicized in our Tribute Book! MAIL TO: Ahavat Torah % Coleman Colla 535 South Curson Ave #3H Los Angeles, CA Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Ahavat Torah is a 501C(3). The tax exemption identification number is P.O. Box 442, Santa Monica, CA South Church Lane, Brentwood CA (310)

14 SAVE THE DATE TOUR THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS WITH AHAVAT TORAH CONGREGATION Sunday, June 21st, 10:00AM Rabbi Miriam will be leading an amazing outing to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, including Imax to view past and present Jerusalem in 3-D and lunch. Please Rita at, vivarita18@gmail.com. to reserve your place. You may bring a friends with you to this special event. We will get a group price. Caps off to you, Graduate! Well done! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Hannah Shirene Yahudian has earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Modern Jewish Studies from San Diego State University. I as well as all the members of Ahavat Torah congratulate you on your huge achievement! You are an amazing young woman and we are so proud of you! Loving Hugs, Rabbi Miriam!14

15 REMINDER OF WEEKLY EVENTS FOR MEMBERS, FRIENDS AND FUTURE FRIENDS OF AHAVAT TORAH CONGREGATION By Rabbi Miriam Hamrell On Thursdays beginning at 11:00am, we have a Tanya class (Chasidic mystical my home - Cost $5. On Thursdays beginning at 12:00pm, we have a Torah Portion of the Week my home, with a pot luck dairy/vegetarian lunch. There is no charge for this class. On Thursdays beginning at 2:00pm, we have a Haftarah Portion of the Week my home. There is no charge for this class. On Saturdays beginning at 9:00am, we have a Mussar class (Jewish Ethics.) My Rabbinic Intern and I have been teaching this class weekly for the past 11years.. There is no charge for this class. On Saturdays beginning at 10:00am, we have an engaged, happy and spiritual service. During the service, as an introduction to different prayers, I teach the inner spiritual meaning of the prayers. I also ask the congregants questions as to their interpretation of the I am Israel and a Hebrew scholar. As the leader of the synagogue, it is very important to me that the meaning of the prayers be understood by my congregation. There is no charge for attendance at any of our services. Loving hugs, Miriam Rabbi Miriam E. Hamrell, MHL, MAEd. Ahavat Torah Congregation 343 Church Lane Los Angeles, CA (310)

16 Israel s Independence Day Celebration on May 17th. It was wonderful. Please join us next year!!16

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