Oneg Shabbat FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, FOLLOWING THE SHABBAT SERVICE, OUTDOOR CHAPEL

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1 T H E B ETH JULY/AUGUST 2016 SIVAN/TUZ/AV 5776 PHOTO ABOVE: In 1977, American artist Robert Indiana created this 12-ft.-tall steel version of AHAVA (the Hebrew word for love) as a gift for the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Welcome Shabbat Outdoors FRIDAYS, JULY 1 THROUGH AUGUST 26 6:15 P.M., OUTDOOR CHAPEL Summer worship outdoors is a tradition at Beth Am, giving congregants an opportunity to appreciate the natural beauty of our campus. If you wish, feel free to bring friends and enjoy a picnic dinner before or after the service. See below for information on two upcoming outdoors services, and check out our listing of summer outdoor services at IN THIS ISSUE: Not Religious? You re Not Alone. PAGE 2 Observe Tisha B Av PAGE 3 Community Shabbat PAGE 8 Tu B Av Wine & Chocolate Oneg Shabbat FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, FOLLOWING THE SHABBAT SERVICE, OUTDOOR CHAPEL Beth Am Women and Beth Am Men invite you to embrace the spirit of the festival of Tu B Av, the Jewish Day of Love, with a wine and chocolate Oneg Shabbat under the trees. This service will include a D var Torah by Nancy Federman, the new President of Beth Am Women; and we ll welcome the new Beth Am Women Board as they receive a special blessing. Then stay for our popular Oneg Shabbat featuring fragrant wines and delectable chocolates. Camp Shabbat Service Followed by an Ice Cream Oneg Shabbat to Welcome New Beth Am Staff! FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, SERVICE, 6:15 P.M., OUTDOOR CHAPEL; ONEG SHABBAT, 7:30 P.M., GRASSY AREA Come enjoy a family-friendly camp-style Shabbat! Sing, dance and pray at our last outdoor service of the summer, led by educator Mike Mason and our clergy. After the service, enjoy hot dogs and other fixin s with your Beth Am friends. Dinner is free, but RSVP to Mike Mason at mmason@betham.org by Tuesday, August 23. After dinner, come meet our new Beth Am staff at the Oneg Shabbat and celebrate with make-your-own ice cream sundaes! Beth Am will provide all the ice cream and toppings just come, socialize and get to know our new staff members, Director of Family Learning Rabbi Miriam Philips and Director of Teen Engagement Madeline (Maddy) Winard. CONTACT US AT (650)

2 From Rabbi Janet Marder If you re not religious, you re not alone. Not Religious? Neither Are We. Maybe you ve seen those billboards around the Bay Area. They were put up several months ago to advertise a church called C3 (Christian City Church), part of an Australian-based movement whose mission is to establish 1,000 new churches by If you go to one of the three C3 churches in our area you ll find a Christian worship service focused on praise and prayer. What, then, makes it not religious? Its pastors explain that their church focuses on offering followers a direct relationship with Jesus, not religious ritual or a set of strict rules for behavior. Whatever you think of this advertising campaign, there s no denying that it s attracted a lot of attention in this area. The Bay Area is home to many people who don t connect with religion. A 2010 survey by the nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute found that the San Francisco metropolitan area had the second-highest proportion of religiously unaffiliated people in the country 31%, tied with Seattle. (Portland, Oregon held the number one spot, with 42% of residents reporting no religious affiliation.) And a survey last April by the Barna research group found the highest proportion of unchurched Americans 61% here in the Bay Area, compared with a national figure of 38%. Unchurched was defined as adults who have not attended a church service, except for a holiday or special occasion, at any time within the past six months. Recent studies also show a higher proportion of Bay Area Jews who don t identify with religion compared with Jews living elsewhere. The 2012 American Jewish Population Estimate, published by Brandeis University, found just over 122,000 adults in the Bay Area who identify with Judaism, with another 60,000 Jews who identify with no religion, with Buddhism or with another religion. [See: bit.ly/ StudyDrop] As the 2013 Pew study showed, 22% of American Jews describe themselves as having no religion, with 32% of Jewish Millennials (those born after 1980) identifying as non-religious. A while back I was discussing this phenomenon with some colleagues. One, a Conservative rabbi, said, I bet that if you asked a random sample of worshipers at one of our Yom Kippur services, they d say they weren t religious either. I ve spoken to enough of our congregants to have a sense that the same is true of Beth Am. Many of our members including those who are actively involved in our synagogue don t identify as religious. How we define religious, of course, varies with the individual. Some who say they aren t religious mean that they aren t observant, don t follow Jewish law or find little meaning in Jewish ritual. Others mean that they don t believe in a supernatural deity, struggle with belief in God or simply don t think that much about it. For some, the phrase religious Jew evokes a sense of piety and certainty that is very far from their experience. Or they identify religious Jew with a brand of Orthodoxy they find alien to their own way of living and thinking. I don t find the dichotomy religious or nonreligious particularly helpful in thinking about Jewish identity. The Hebrew Bible itself has no word for religion and the concept is alien to the Talmud, which saw the whole of life as potentially imbued with the sacred. Judaism itself is not focused on religion, but on transforming individuals, building strong communities and shaping a better world. Our tradition has never demanded belief in supernatural miracles or adhering to a list of prescribed dogmas. Indeed, no such list has ever won the allegiance of all Jews, including religious Jews. Judaism teaches us to orient our lives around significant commitments and moral principles, the highest of which is reverence for life. We come together for joyous festivals to celebrate life itself; we gather on the holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to reflect on how to live better, more significant lives. We honor Shabbat as a way to remind ourselves what ultimately matters in life our relationships with family and friends, with the natural world and with our community. Each of us feels the pull of tradition and Jewish memory differently; each perceives the sacred differently and finds unique meaning in particular Jewish acts. Some find delight in Torah study; some find beauty in the glow of candles reflected in the eyes of their children; some are transported by music, quieted by Shabbat meditation, comforted by community, provoked by prayer or inspired by the call of social justice. Judaism invites all of us to find our own path to a life focused on goodness, brings us together to share that search and shelters all of us under the broad canopy of tradition. Are you looking for that sort of life? Whether or not you call yourself religious, you ll find companions on the journey here at Beth Am. PAGE 2

3 OBSERVE (THE NINTH OF AV) Tisha B Av A Traditional Day of Communal Mourning WELCOMING Prospective Members Bring Your Friends, Family & Neighbors Interested in Beth Am SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 7 P.M., BEIT KEHILLAH Tisha B Av commemorates the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem as well as other days of tragedy in the Jewish community. This year, our observance will include time for text study, smallgroup discussion and reflection on the theme of home and the loss of home. Our discussion will be followed by a short service, during which passages from Eichah, the Book of Lamentations, will be chanted. FRIDAYS IN AUGUST, PICNIC 5:30 P.M.; SERVICE 6:15 P.M.; ONEG SHABBAT 7:30 P.M., OUTDOOR CHAPEL Do you know someone who might be interested in joining Congregation Beth Am? All prospective members are invited to celebrate Shabbat with Beth Am in our Outdoor Chapel at 6:15 P.M. every Friday in August. After the service, prospective members will have a chance to get to know clergy and lay leaders, and ask any questions they may have about our community. Prospective members are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner to enjoy at 5:30 P.M. before the service at 6:15 P.M.; Beth Am will provide dessert and good company! If you d like to help by attending one of the prospective member gatherings, contact Rachel Tasch at rtasch@betham.org, Rabbi Heath Watenmaker at rabbi_watenmaker@betham.org or either at (650) PLAN AHEAD: Get Your High Holy Day Prayerbooks Order Online or Purchase at the Beth Am Main Office Our wonderful High Holy Day prayerbook, Mishkan HaNefesh: A Machzor for the Days of Awe, is available for purchase! Get your two-volume set in one of the following ways: 1. Order at (new, convenient option this year) 2. Order at 3. Purchase and pick up one of our remaining copies for sale at Beth Am during business hours ($40/set, payable upon purchase). Available while supplies last. HIGH HOLY DAYS 5777: ROSH HASHANAH IS OCTOBER 2-3 YOM KIPPUR IS OCTOBER Plan ahead to allow ample time for shipping. Please remember to bring your GOLD prayerbook with you on Rosh Hashanah and your SILVER prayerbook with you on Yom Kippur to the Jubilee Christian Center in San Jose. We have only a limited supply to lend out, so we encourage you to bring your own. PAGE 3

4 July Calendar SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY CONGREGATION BETH JULY 2016 Debbie Mukamal :15 Torah 10:30 B not Mitzvah Service: Wluka/Simonsen 3 4TH OF JULY :00 Thursday Morning OFFICE CLOSED 11:00 Adult Hebrew Level F 6:15 Adult Hebrew Level B 7:30 Adult Hebrew Level A 5:45 Prayerbook Hebrew 7:00 Adult Hebrew Level D 7:00 BAW Book Group 7:30 BAW Rosh Chodesh 7:30 Equal Start Meeting 9:00 Adult Hebrew Level A 10:30 Adult Hebrew Level C 6:15 Adult Hebrew Level E 7:00 BAW Board Meeting 7:30 Advanced Conv. Hebrew 5:15 Tot Shabbat Rachel Gibson 10:15 Torah 10:30 B nei Mitzvah Service: Prouty/Judas 10:00 Renaissance Hike 3:00 Torah Circle :00 Thursday Morning 14 BIRTHRIGHT :15 Beit R fuah 5:45 Prayerbook Hebrew 7:00 Adult Hebrew Level D :00 Thursday Morning 21 ASILOMAR 22 ASILOMAR 23 6:15 Adult Hebrew Level A2 6:15 Adult Hebrew Level A2 11:00 Adult Hebrew Level F 6:15 Adult Hebrew Level B 7:30 Adult Hebrew Level A 11:00 Adult Hebrew Level F 6:15 Adult Hebrew Level B 7:30 Adult Hebrew Level A 5:45 Prayerbook Hebrew 6:00 BAW Garden Event 7:00 Adult Hebrew Level D 9:00 Adult Hebrew Level A 10:30 Adult Hebrew Level C 6:15 Adult Hebrew Level E 6:45 Tinnitus Support Group 7:30 Advanced Conv. Hebrew 9:00 Adult Hebrew Level A 10:30 Adult Hebrew Level C 6:15 Adult Hebrew Level E 7:00 BAW Chai Mitzvah 7:30 Advanced Conv. Hebrew TRIP RETURNS 10:30 Challah-Baking Workshop 2:30 Challah-Baking Workshop Rebecca Whitman 7:30 Community Shabbat Potluck Dinner Micaela Hellman-Tincher 10:15 Torah 10:30 Bar Mitzvah Service: Hedblom 10:30 B nei Mitzvah Service: Feldman-Peterson ASILOMAR :15 Adult Hebrew Level A2 8:00 B Breakfast 11:00 Adult Hebrew Level F 6:15 Adult Hebrew Level B 7:30 Adult Hebrew Level A 5:45 Prayerbook Hebrew 7:00 Adult Hebrew Level D 8:00 Thursday Morning FILY CPING TRIP 9:00 Adult Hebrew Level A 10:30 Adult Hebrew Level C Bruce Ives 6:15 Adult Hebrew Level E 7:30 Advanced Conv. Hebrew FILY CPING TRIP 9:15 Tot Shabbat 10:15 Torah FILY CPING TRIP 31 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 3 TO 4:30 P.M., SANCTUARY SAVE THE DATES THIS COMING FALL: BETH WELCOMES GUEST SPEAKERS JANET NAPOLITANO, President of the University of California, is an American politician, lawyer and university administrator who served as the 21st Governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009 and United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2009 to 2013, under President Barack Obama. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 7:30 P.M., SANCTUARY ARI SHAVIT is an Israeli reporter and writer. He is a Senior Correspondent at the Israeli newspaper Haaretz and the author of the 2013 New York Times Best Seller My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel. For a more detailed calendar, visit

5 august Calendar SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY EREV TISHA B AV :30 HHD Choir: Men s Sectional 7:00 BAW Book Group 7:30 BAW Rosh Chodesh 8:00 Thursday Morning 7:00 BAW Board Meeting 8:00 Thursday Morning 6:45 Tinnitus Support Group 7:30 Board Meeting 7:30 HHD Choir: Women s Sectional 4:00 Beth Am Camp Newman Shabbat (offsite at Camp Newman, Santa Rosa) 5:15 Tot Shabbat 6:15 Shabbat* Outdoor Service: Equal Start Speaker Russ Lehrman 6:15 Shabbat* Outdoor Greg Marcus 10:15 Torah 10:30 Bar Mitzvah Service: Stein 10:15 Torah 7:00 Tisha B Av Service :30 HHD Choir 8:00 Thursday Morning 7:00 BAW Chai Mitzvah 6:15 Shabbat* Service Outdoors: BAW Speaker Nancy Federman 7:30 Tu B Av Wine & Chocolate Oneg Shabbat 10:30 B nei Mitzvah Service: Gosler/Ostacher 10:30 Friendship 12:15 Friendship Lunch :00 Thursday Morning 7:30 Executive Committee 6:15 Shabbat* Outdoor Service: Camp Shabbat 7:30 Oneg Shabbat with New Beth Am Staff 9:15 Tot Shabbat 10:15 Torah 10:30 B not Mitzvah Service: Middler/Sturman TISHA B AV 11:00 B Breakfast 7:30 HHD Choir *PROSPECTIVE MEMBER SHABBAT 3:00 Torah Circle 7:30 HHD Choir CONGREGATION BETH AUGUST 2016

6 A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT Tzimtzum Summer According to Kabbalistic tradition, in order to create the universe, God needed to pull back to refrain from occupying all the space that existed, so that there would be an empty place in which the world could grow. This process was called, in Hebrew, tzimtzum contraction. I have an image in my head of a great, huge, 100% all-encompassing God shrinking just a little creating a small gap in God s fullness so that the tiny little seed of creation would be able to take root. It reminds me of summers at Beth Am. Summer Shabbatot in the Outdoor Chapel are my very favorite. The sounds of the children behind us on the playground. The column of ants dutifully climbing to reach the canopy of the tree that shelters us. Squinting at the setting sun when we turn around to welcome the Sabbath Bride. The smell of dusk as the air quiets. It seems that in the summer we pull back, just a little, from all the things that fill our lives 100%. We contract a bit so that tiny seed of Shabbat can take root. Want to read more? Visit L Shalom, Loree Farrar President@betham.org BETH ACCEPTS Car Donations It s a Win/Win for You and for Beth Am Car donations are an easy way to support Beth Am, providing you with a tax write-off and Beth Am with additional funds for our community. We take care of the DMV paperwork, pick up your car, sell it at auction and then send you a receipt for the full amount that the car sold for. It s that easy! We can also accept trucks, boats, motorcycles and RVs. For more information and to begin the process, please contact Beth Am Development Director Mandy Eisner at meisner@betham.org, (650) , ext The Mahler Family MEMBER SPOTLIGHT. David and Jessica Mahler, both originally from Los Angeles, met as students in Los Angeles Hebrew High School and were high school sweethearts. Jessica came to Palo Alto for college in 2000 and David moved to the Bay Area in 2004 after finishing business school; they ve been here ever since. They now live in Palo Alto with their two daughters, Simone (2) and Josie (born during Pesach this year). After they were married in 2007, they began looking for an adult Jewish community. They had been involved in the Jewish community through Hillel at Stanford and Jews Next Dor, but really started to build their young adult community and a connection to Beth Am through their involvement in the Roots Collective leadership council in 2010, participating in Peninsula-wide young adult events. They joined Beth Am in 2012, after attending lots of young adult dinners and events. They say they were drawn in by the warmth of the clergy and staff, Beth Am s beautiful campus and welcoming community. Over the years, the Mahlers experience of community has changed as their family has evolved. Though they first discovered Beth Am through their involvement in young adult programming, their main connection to Beth Am now is through their involvement in our community of Families with Young Children. They ve enjoyed meeting new families and friends through both of these great groups, and have remained plugged into the broader Peninsula Jewish community through their involvement with the synagogue. When asked what Beth Am means to them, David and Jessica said, Beth Am is a place for our family to grow Jewishly together. It s a place for our daughters to enjoy Shabbat and holidays as we did growing up, and to associate positive experiences with Judaism. It s a community where we hope to establish meaningful, lifelong friendships. PAGE 6

7 EQUAL START S Speaker Series Making a Difference in Early Childhood Education CALLING ALL KIDS WHO LIKE TO SING! The ZIMRIYAH: Beth Am s Junior Choir for Students in Grades K-6 Beth Am s Equal Start Initiative is quickly becoming a highly-organized, informed team of congregants who are working to improve early care and learning at the local and state levels. We are recognized within the early learning community as the largest, local, faith-based supporter of this issue. This is due, in part, to our Equal Start Speaker Series. Our speakers have included Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and distinguished Stanford faculty member Deborah Stipek. Recently, we hosted a well-attended panel discussion that included the Director of FIRST 5, Santa Clara; the Deputy Superintendent of the Santa Clara County Board of Education; the Director of GoKids; and leaders of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the Local Early Education Planning Council. The event was well attended and the discussion lively and informative. On June 3 we also welcomed our 2016 Akselrad Lecturer, Sister Judy Donovan, a leader of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). She spoke about the importance of faith-based communities coming together. We look forward to an autumn lineup that includes the following notable speakers: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18: Professor Anne Fernald, Stanford Department of Psychology WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16: Professor David Kirp, U.C. Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2: Dr. Emmett Carson, CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017: Dr. Lisa Chamberlain, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Lucile Packard Children s Hospital Stanford Stay tuned for more information on these upcoming speaker events! Equal Start is Beth Am s social justice initiative to provide high-quality early learning opportunities for every child in California. Learn more about getting involved with the Equal Start initiative at SUNDAYS FOLLOWING SUNDAY PROGR, BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 18, 11:30 A.M. TO 12:30 P.M., SANCTUARY If you have a child who loves to sing then this choir is for him/her! Rehearsals will be held on Sundays following Sunday Program. A pizza lunch will be served. All kids are welcome! Our first rehearsal will be held on Sunday, September 18 immediately following Sunday Program. Don t miss out on the fun! Sign your child up online at ZIMRIYAH2016. Family Camping Trip A Few Spots Remain Register Today! FRIDAY TO SUNDAY, JULY 29 TO 31, PORTOLA REDWOODS STATE PARK For many of our members, the Beth Am Family camping trip is their favorite activity of the year. Imagine sitting around the campfire with good friends while the kids go off and play. We ll enjoy hikes, campfires, a fabulous kids talent show, plenty to eat and songs around the campfire. We have reserved the group campsite for Friday and Saturday nights. You can join the group for both or just one night, or you can even just come for the day. Beth Am will provide the campsites, breakfasts and, of course, s mores! First-time campers are welcome. There are bathrooms with running water and drinking water available at multiple locations around the campground. To register or learn more about the camping trip, please visit PAGE 7

8 50% Recycled Chlorine Free Printing CONGREGATION BETH Arastradero Road Los Altos Hills, CA NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #121 CONGREGATION BETH LOS ALTOS HILLS, CA High Holy Day Choir Welcomes New Singers Do you love to sing? Has anyone at Shabbat or holiday services ever commented on your lovely voice? Are you interested in learning some of the most beautiful Jewish choral music ever written, with a group of wonderful singers from Beth Am? If you answered yes to any of these questions then Beth Am s High Holy Day Choir is for you. Check out our rehearsal schedule below and contact Alyssia Berkowitz at (650) or aberkowitz@betham.org if you re interested in participating HIGH HOLY DAY CHOIR SCHEDULE ALL REHEARSALS ARE HELD ON TUESDAYS (EXCEPT THE WOMEN S SECTIONAL) AND BEGIN AT 7:30 P.M. August 9: Men s sectional rehearsal Thursday, August 11: Women s sectional rehearsal August 16 August 23 August 30 September 6 September 13 September 20 September 27 SERVICE, CHALLAH-BAKING AND DINNER: Community Shabbat FRIDAY, JULY 15, SERVICE AT 6:15 P.M. WITH D VAR TORAH BY RECENT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE REBECCA WHITMAN, OUTDOOR CHAPEL; POTLUCK DINNER TO FOLLOW, PATIO You re invited to Beth Am s Shabbat service under the trees, followed by a special community Shabbat potluck dinner. We ll have a chance to enjoy the delights of Shabbat together while savoring a beautiful summer evening. Please sign up online at CommunityShabbat2016 to bring a dish to share (enough for 10 people) according to your last name: A-M main dish N-Z salad or side dish Beth Am will provide a delicious ice cream dessert! Like to bake? Sign up to come to Beth Am earlier in the day to participate in our challah-baking workshop at