The Short Schrift. FROM PRESIDENT LAURA SCHRAGER: A Season for Welcoming the Stranger

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1 The Short Schrift April 2017 NISAN - IYYAR, 5777 TBH BOARD PRESIDENT Laura Schrager VICE PRESIDENT Allyson Brooks TREASURER Gary Schneider SECRETARY Harriet Strasberg MEMBERS AT LARGE Michael Blum Tikva Glantz David Hanig Lisa Hoffman Spencer Orman Erin Syversen YOUTH ED REP Bat-Sheva Stein CONTACT US (360) (Phone) (360) (Fax) tbh@bethhatfiloh.org th Ave. SE Olympia WA Rabbi Seth Goldstein rabbi@bethhatfiloh.org Director of Family Life and Learning Catherine Carmel beitsefer@bethhatfiloh.org Community Engagement Coordinator Caroline Metzger tbh@bethhatfiloh.org FROM PRESIDENT LAURA SCHRAGER: A Season for Welcoming the Stranger One of my favorite memories from my grandparents' seders is when we would open their backdoor for Elijah. Somehow, my Great Uncle Joe was usually ambling up the dark path to the house at just that moment, when we enact the Jewish commitment to hospitality. With Pesach nearly at the door, let's celebrate all that we're doing here at TBH to welcome the stranger. Blintzapalooza: Our yearly fundraiser in support of community organizations just raised $10,400. This year we are supporting CIELO, the League of Women Voters, Thurston County Teen Council of Planned Parenthood, and the Nisqually Land Trust It is particularly fitting that we are giving money this year to CIELO, a local organization that provides services to Spanish-speaking members of our community. Thanks to all who volunteered. It was an amazing day. Yasher koach to Hannah Lidman, who was honored for her years of leadership of this event. HIAS: Our nation is immersed in a painful controversy around immigration and refugees. In March the Board supported adding TBH's name to the HIAS list of Jewish Congregations affirming the age-old tradition of Jews to welcome refugees. We have received 17 responses to our member soliciting comments, unanimously in favor of adding our name to the nine other Washington congregations that have already signed the HIAS refugee statement. To see this statement click here or go to: Pesach: You're invited to our Community Seder on the second night of Pesach, April 11th! To sign up you can the office or register on-line at Also, please call the office at if you'd like to join a family for the first night or if you can add a guest to your seder table. Shabbaton: On May 5-7, we will welcome Reconstructionist communities to celebrate Shabbat with us at Camp Solomon Schechter. We will get to pray, sing, eat, and enjoy fellowship with Reconstructionists from around the Northwest, learn from two inspiring teachers from the RRC, and meet the great newish Rabbis from Eugene and Seattle, Rabbi Ruhi and Rabbi David. Sign up by April 20th for a guaranteed spot at the Shabbaton: events/pnw-retreat. Continuted on the next page > Short Schrift: April 2017 Page 1

2 President s Message, Continued Greeters and Membership: We are moving forward with a plan to have Greeters at services in order to enhance our openness and improve our security. In February we installed new video cameras. Please contact the Rabbi or the office to volunteer to be a greeter. We also have adopted Membership Guidelines prepared by the Ritual Committee that describe our current minhag (practice) around membership and that urge us to be more intentional about welcoming people to our community. More on this in next month's Schrift. I'll be in Brooklyn this year celebrating Pesach with my three children, so I want to take the opportunity now to wish you a Happy Passover -- Chag Pesach Sameach! CREATING A JEWISH LEGACY Ensure the things you value are sustained for future generations Please take a moment to reflect on the many ways that TBH makes a difference for you and your family. Then imagine our community in the future without TBH. Think about how your family s spiritual, educational, cultural and social lives and those of our broader South Sound community would be diminished without TBH s presence. Even an active and vibrant Jewish community such as TBH cannot be complacent about its future. The world we live in faces many challenges to perpetuating Jewish Congregations, and TBH is not immune to any of these threats. It is up to each of us, as members of our community, to steward our future for our children and our children s children. The good news is that you have a real opportunity to play a role in ensuring that TBH remains a vital part of our community for generations to come! TBH is pleased to have been selected as a participant in the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle s Life and Legacy Program. This special program helps guide and support a select group of area Congregations in ensuring that future needs are met and that these vital centers of Jewish life can perpetuate values such as TBH s emphasis on tzedakah and tikkun olam well into the future. TBH s Life and Legacy campaign is underway, and we re already meeting with considerable success and enthusiasm. We d love to talk to you about this important opportunity. The TBH Life and Legacy Committee has received training from the Jewish Federation in helping our members consider making a difference through a Legacy commitment. A member of the committee would be delighted to meet with you and your family at your home or a location convenient for you to discuss options for participating. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Charles Shelan, chair of the TBH Legacy Committee, at cshelan@comcast.net. We hope you will consider this valuable opportunity to ensure the future of our community and the vitality of Jewish life in the South Sound region. And your commitment now will help TBH qualify for extra funding this spring through our Federation involvement. Thank you for considering joining fellow TBH members and helping to ensure TBH s future through your Legacy commitment! Ed Adelson Short Schrift: April 2017 Page 2

3 APRIL EREV SHABBAT SERVICES Erev Shabbat services on April 7th and 28th will be at 7:30 pm. All other services will be at 6 pm. April 7 7:30 pm Choir service, Oneg following April 14 6:00 pm Shabbat Service, Potluck following April 21 6:00 pm Family service, Potluck following April 28 7:30 pm Service with Shabbat at Home APRIL SHABBAT DAY ACTIVITIES JEWISH WITH MEANING 1st Saturday, April 1, 10:30 am - 1:00 pm We will gather for food, ritual, experience, and discussion as we connect with our tradition on a deep level. All are welcome to join us. This month guest facilitators Toby and Jim Shulruff will be leading us in a session on preparing for Passover. We are excited to have them share insights and inspiration as we move into this season of our Liberation. If you are able, please bring something for the potluck brunch, but come whether you bring food or not. TORAH STUDY 2nd Saturday, April 8, 10:00 am Prayer and study are equally holy activities; and we will do both. We ll share a snack and study the Torah together. All are invited. No experience is necessary! BAR MITZVAH MUSSAR MORNING & SERVICE 3rd Saturday, April 15 Mussar 9:30 am, Service 10:30 am Mussar is the Jewish school of thought which seeks to root personal character development and right behavior in Jewish tradition and text. We meet monthly to share food and learn more about this tradition and how it may benefit our lives. TALMUD STUDY 4th Saturday, April 22, 9:30 am The Talmud is a compendium of law and lore that is the basis on which biblical interpretation and contemporary Jewish practice rest. Rabbi Seth will lead us as we dive deep into this complex and fascinating text. 5th Saturday, April 29, 10:00 am All are welcome as Simon Mahoney Trobman, son of Kenny Trobman and Katherine Mahoney, is called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah. Simon is living up to his Hebrew name Shamir, meaning flint: he is strong, sharp witted, and carries with him a spark of mischief. He loves his trumpet, playing soccer and other sports, hanging out with his dog, and eating Vic s pizza. He is in 7th grade at Washington Middle School where he excels in all his classes, but especially math and science and band. His research on different materials required to create explosions may have landed his family on various watch lists, but so far his experiments have left all digits and property intact. Simon has been thinking about ways to connect youth with seniors in our community through fun and service. Short Schrift: April 2017 Page 3

4 APRIL EVENTS WEEKLY EVENT: Make Your Voice Heard Wednesdays at 7:00 pm This political advocacy group is focused on issue advocacy and communicating with lawmakers. We meet to discuss current events and identify various political actions to take. It is open to members and friends of the Jewish community. Bring your information and your concerns. Kvetching allowed. We also have an list to help keep you up to date. The sign up list is on the MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD bulletin board outside the TBH admin offices. FILM SERIES: Havana Curveball (2014) Saturday, April 1, 7:00 pm Mica is a typical young teen. Enthusiastic. Idealistic. Dreaming baseball. At 13, he is studying for his Bar Mitzvah. An earnest kid, he takes to heart his Rabbi's requirement to help "heal the world." Imagining himself a savior of sorts, he launches a grand plan to send baseballs to Cuba, a country with a mysterious pull. He knows only that Cubans are poor and love baseball -- and that Cuba saved his grandpa's life during the Holocaust. (Documentary, 56 minutes, English) View the PDF flyer for details! Senior Schmooze Tuesday, April 4, 12:00 pm Join us for speaker Robert Perretz. Bob will be speaking about the movement to provide sanctuary to undocumented immigrants to our country. Sam and Mellie will be the dessert hosts. Thurston County Food Bank Tuesday, April 11, 3:30 pm 2260 Mottman Road SW, Tumwater Join us on the second Tuesday of April as we again fill bags at the Tumwater branch of the Thurston County Food Bank. The FORKids program provides a weekend bag of food to over 2,000 elementary and middle school children in Tumwater, Lacey and Olympia. For information please contact Elie Halpern at (360) or ehalpern@aol.com. COMMUNITY SEDER Tuesday, Apirl 11, 6:00 pm Join us as we celebrate the Festival of Freedom together with song and story at the annual Community Seder led by Rabbi Seth Goldstein, with a fully catered meal by Rambling Jacks. Paid reservations are required. To register, Caroline in the TBH office. You can also sign up and pay on our Community Seder event page! SPEAKER CANCELLED SHABBAT SALON Friday, April 14, 6:00 pm We have decided to reschedule this salon due to Passover celebrations. The April 14th Shabbat Service will be at 6:00 pm, followed by a potluck Oneg. Look for information about the May Shabbat Salon in upcoming weekly s. BOOK GROUP: The Reader Bernhard Schlink Tuesday, April 18, 7:00 pm Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar Germany. (218 pp.) Contact Karen Greene at ekgisrael@gmail.com for details. Dying Happens, Let s Talk Sunday April 23, 1:00 pm Please join us for a second discussion to the explore issues before, during and after death, including a range of Jewish perspectives related to these topics. The event will be held in the TBH Social Hall. Advancing In Hebrew Tuesday, April 25, 7:00 pm This seminar-type gathering will work on advancing Hebrew knowledge, including grammar and roots. Contact Rabbi Seth at rabbi@bethhatfiloh.org if you want to know if this class is right for you. Held on the 4th Tuesday of the month. Immigration, Synagogues, and Sanctuary Thursday, April 27, 7:00 pm Both traditional Jewish teachings and our history cause us as Jews to engage with issues of immigration and refugees. In light of the recent political climate, synagogues and churches are reflecting on the idea of Sanctuary and how houses of worship can aid those who are in need of protection and support. Please join Rabbi Seth and others to learn more about the New Sanctuary Movement, Jewish approaches, and what organizing is happening both locally and nationwide. Short Schrift: April 2017 Page 4

5 MAY EVENTS PREVIEW Senior Schmooze Tuesday, May 2 at 12 pm PNW Shabbaton May 5-7 at Camp Solomon Schechter Featuring fabulous teachers from the RRC, PNW Rabbis, lively services, meals, youth programming, time to learn, hang out with old and new friends, to celebrate Shabbat. It s the first regional gathering of PNW Reconstructionist communities in almost two decades right here in Olympia! Sign up by April 20 to guarantee a spot! Register at: Book Club: The Golem of Hollywood Tuesday, May 16 at 7 pm Dying Happens, Let s Talk Jewish approaches to death and dying Our next workshop in our series on death and dying will be Sunday, April 23 at 1:00 pm. The session will be led by Rabbi Seth Goldstein and Sheri Gerson and focus on Jewish approaches to death and dying, both from a traditional and contemporary perspectives. What are the Jewish rituals of death and mourning? What does Judaism say about burial or cremation? What about organ donation and Do Not Resuscitate orders? The aim will be to get a better understanding of how we can honor Jewish teachings as we consider our own decisions around making preparations for death. We will be sharing experiences and asking questions in this informational and interactive session. The third workship in the series will be on Wednesday, May 17 at 7 pm and will feature TBH member and attorney Lisa Brodoff talking about the legal aspects of preparing for death. From TBH Committees TIKKUN OLAM COMMITTEE On Purim we celebrate Vashti, who stood up to the King, and Esther, who risked her life to save her people. On Passover we celebrate the midwives Shifrah and Puah who defied the Pharaoh s order and Miriam who led her people to freedom. We celebrate these women by supporting women in need today. Through April 14th, the TBH Tikkun Olam Committee is holding a Purim to Passover Product Drive to support the YWCA Other Bank. Please bring these products to TBH and place them in the blue bins: menstrual products dish soap laundry soap deodorant shaving cream shampoo conditioner FORKids UPDATE A total of 10 volunteers representing TBH were present to bag the weekly food items given to kids in need in the elementary and middle schools in North Thurston School District, Olympia School District and Tumwater School District as part of the FORKids Program of the Thurston County Food Bank. Kudos to Joan Aronovitch, Jim Redle, Beth Dubey, Bernie Friedman, Alex Zwolinski, Kay McKenzie, Laura Hurtado-Webb, Erez Goldstein, his friend Nataani Frisina, and Rabbi Seth Goldstein. A total of 576 bags were filled and the whole process took one hour. There also were five volunteers from St. Andrew Methodist Church present who participated. We welcome any new or returning volunteers in the future. We next will bag on the second Tuesday of the month of April, which is April 11, 2017, at the Tumwater Branch starting at 3:30 pm and lasting a maximum of an hour and a half. Please bring your family and friends! Short Schrift: April 2017 Page 5

6 FROM CATHERINE CARMEL: FAMILY LIFE AND LEARNING DIRECTOR Shalom y all, As I am writing this, I am preparing to be in Israel for two weeks. I will be away from my home, my husband and family, my dogs and chickens.this is unnerving to me, but this journey comes at great value in that I am traveling alone with my mother for the first time to a place we ve always talked about going, but never quite managed to get to. She s traveled to be with us while my children were younger, but actual vacations are not something that has ever been part of my life. I realize also, that this will probably be the only trip of its kind with my mother. While she is aging gracefully, she is planning the trip around the advice of her orthopedist. The weight of that realization pulls on me, as does the struggle of being gone, albeit temporarily, as the matriarch of my own family. I m feeling like Abraham in the parsha lech lecha. Abraham needed to leave his home in order to travel to this same holy space. I understand that I can t yet imagine the spiritual impact of the Holy Land or the appeal of the Western Wall. It s beyond what I have experienced. Still, I m leaving my home, the people and places that nurture me. Abraham understood that his journey was meant to change and enrich him, bring him closer to Adonai. Israel was the only physical and spiritual environment where he could fully appreciate this journey. I will be there on Yom HaShoah. I imagine the day feeling like those when we buried soldiers we lost during Rob s career, only on a larger scale. Our personal histories, like this experience are created within the communities we find ourselves connected. I have no personal history that ties me to the community that is the country of Israel, but I m hoping for experiences that bring Israel into the realm of my own personal history. I need Israel to be the same beneficial environment for me as it was for Abraham. I m afraid that the scope of the human history, the hopes and dreams of those who traveled here before us will just make me feel small and insignificant. My hope though is that while there, my mother and I are able to make Israel genuinely personal. I d like us to be able to stand in the footprints of the matriarchs and patriarchs and see ourselves in the history as well as the future. Sometimes a very long distance must be travelled in order to realize the greatest treasure. As Beit Sefer is beginning to wind down, here is a piece from Rochelle Rinn, teacher if the Anafim (3 & 4 grade) group. As we wrap up the year with Anafim, we are continuing to work on what holy means to each of us. We developed kosher meals and menus for the bulletin board, made our own bedside books that remind us of how our interpretations of some of our favorite pictures can also symbolize what holy means to each of us. We have been working hard to find what holy means and how there are connections to our world around us. Recently, we decorated our own special pots and planted flower seeds to later attract bees. In addition, we are trying to decipher the differences between special holidays and ordinary days and in every class, we learn and practice tolerance and respect for one another. Todah rabah, Short Schrift: April 2017 Page 6

7 THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS Sustaining Fund Steve and Nan Greenberg and family in memory of his parents Marian and Harold Greenberg Lin Zenki Camille Kettel to the Chevra Kadisha Society for the work of Sheri Gerson, Jeff Trinin, Gary Schneider Nita Posner in memory of Hyman Posner Frank Herman in memory of his mother Jane and in memory of his father Gerard Jill Rosenkrantz & Jay Goldstein in memory of Mario Santamaria Rabbi's Discretionary Fund Fred Turkheimer Rick, Marlee, Kelsey and Jaxon O'Neill in memory of Harold and Marion Greenberg Shabbat Salon Dinner Anaya Balter Blintzapalooza Katherine Davis-Delaney Memorial Plaques Gladys Roseman Save Our Star Campaign Craig Wallace Jonathon, Jeremy, and Cecilia Reyes Angel Ray Alana Carr Aleen Caplan Yamasaki Michael Krasnokutsky Jocelyn Wood Neil and Denise Weinstein Roger Cummings Danielle Ruse Charles Shelan Stefan Schaefer Kelsey Smith Melanie Bean Galle Nancy Koppelman Sheila Fay Toby & Jim Shulruff Lisa Oratz Theresa Slusher Gerry Alexander Randi Abrams-Caras Amy Hitchcock Leslie Gates Greg Carpenter Verne Gibbs Karen Beacham Margaret McPhee Lee Meyers Roxane Waldron Sean McCain Sabra Hull Martha Work Ian Werrett Peter Kane Joel Paisner Patty Imandt Karen Goldstein Sue Goldstein Bernie Friedman Anthony Vengarick Thank You Volunteers! Database: Judith Barnes Friday Night Oneg Hosts: Scott Royer and Dahna Berkson FORKids Volunteers: Joan Aronovitch, Jim Redle, Beth Dubey, Bernie Friedman, Alex Zwolinski, Kay McKenzie, Laura Hurtado-Webb, Erez Goldstein, Nataani Frisina, and Rabbi Seth Goldstein Facility Maintenance: Ariel Adereth Kitchen Cleaning: Kenny Trobman and Jessi Goodman Office Volunteers: Karen Greene, Kay McKenzie, and Leslie Goldstein Torah Study Brunch: Laura Hurtado-Webb and Leslie Goldstein Zaslow Event Hosts: Leslie Goldstein and Judith Barnes Film Series Hosts: Laura Hurtado-Webb and Brad Smith TODAH RAHAB: A special thanks to all who volunteered for the Purim Celebration & Blintzapalooza! Happy Birthday Yom Huledet Sameach 1 Juliet Van Eenwyk 10 Judith Barnes 14 Alan Reichman 15 Marilyn Gisser 15 Victor Kogan 17 Rick O'Neill 17 Gail Pollock 20 Sally Reichlin 20 Anne Wilson 22 Ed Adelson 23 Stephen Posner 27 Myra Paull 29 Hannah Lidman 30 Jill Rosenkrantz Short Schrift: April 2017 Page 7

8 Blintzapalooza Book Sale Blintzapalooza Chair, Hannah Lidman Rabbi Seth and Laura Schrager in Purim costumes APRIL YAHRZEITS 1 Ronald Philip Denitz 1 Al Levinson 1 Joseph Shill 2 Dave Alexander 2 Belle Goldstein 2 Nathan Schwartz 3 Jules Bank 4 Ruth C. Atkin 4 Sue Endres 4 Eva Shapiro 5 Irving Glickman 7 Robert Mann 10 Ruth Samsky 11 Irvin Gottfeld 11 Morris Halpern 13 Morris Rivkin 13 William Shlaes 14 Gerard Herman 15 Evelyn Friedman 15 Betty Robinson 16 Helen Pollock 18 Barbara Jean 19 William Mann 19 Meyer Winokur 21 Ann Okun 21 Sylvia Weiner 22 Rose Siegel 22 Bella Wirth 23 Harold Kaplowitz 24 Patricia Greene 24 Rose Rome 25 Joseph Jenkins 26 Rabbi Myron Kinberg 27 Mary Godden 27 Irving Samsky 29 Judah Rosen 29 Sam Stein These names will be read from the bimah at Shabbat services before and after the yahrzeit. Bold type denotes those inscribed on a plaque on our Memorial Wall. Short Schrift: April 2017 Page 8