6SAT 12 13SAT 19FRI 20 27SAT. Atonement: Seeds of Community Jewish Gospel Showcase Sunday, November 16, PM. Selichot Event

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1 Fall 2014 September October November Elul Tishri Cheshvan Kislev Vol. LVI No. 1 S e p t e m b e r 5 6SAT 12 13SAT Tot Shabbat, 5:30 PM Congregational Pot Luck Dinner, 6:15 PM Erev Shabbat Family Service 7:30 PM Ki Teitzei, Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19 Isaiah 54:1-10 Erev Shabbat Service w/rabbi Bruce E. Kahn Reflecting on 40 Years in the Rabbinate, 7:30 PM Shabbat Service and Bar Mitzvah of Ethan Waxman, 10 AM Ki Tavo, Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8 Isaiah 60:1-22 Erev Shabbat Service, 7:30 PM SAT 24 WED 25 THU 26 27SAT Selichot Reception, 8 PM SpeakEasyDC Storytelling: Atonement, 8:15 PM Havdalah & Candle-lit Selichot Services, 10 PM Nitzavim-Vayeilech, Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30 Isaiah 61:10-63:9 Alternate Community Family-Style Service, 6:15 PM Erev Rosh Hashanah Service, 8 PM Rosh Hashanah Morning Service, 10 AM Rosh Hashanah Youth Service, 10 AM Rosh Hashanah Community Family Service, 2 PM Tashlich, 3 PM Genesis 22:1-9 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10 Rosh Hashanah Second-Day Service, 10 AM Erev Shabbat Service: Shabbat Shuvah, 7:30 PM Genesis 1:1-2:3 Isaiah 5:5-6:13 or Jeremiah 31:1-19 Haazinu, Deuteronomy 32:1-52 Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20; Joel 2:15-27 SAVE THE DATE Seeds of Community Jewish Gospel Showcase Sunday, November 16, PM Selichot Event Atonement: Stor ies about Confession,Redemption and Making Amends Saturday, September 20, 2014 Dessert reception at 8 PM SpeakEasyDC Storytelling beginning at 8:15 PM Havdalah and Candle-lit Selichot services begin at 10 PM Temple Shalom, 8401 Grubb Road, Chevy Chase, MD Suggested donation: $15. Featuring Temple Shalom and Guest Choirs More Infor mation Coming Soon!

2 O c t o b e r continued from page 1 3 4SAT 8 WED 9 THU SAT 15 WED 16 THU SAT Kol Nidrei Service, 8 PM Alternate Community Family-Style Service, 8 PM Yom Kippur Morning Service, 10 AM Yom Kippur Youth Service, 10 AM Adult Study Opportunities, Part I, 1 PM Teen Conversation, 1 PM Meditative Classical Guitar Concert, 1 PM Adult Study Opportunities, Part II, 2 PM Yom Kippur Community Family Service, 2 PM Yom Kippur Afternoon Service, 4 PM Yizkor and Ne ilah, 5:15 PM (approx.) Morning: Deuteronomy 29:9-14; 30:11-20 Isaiah 58:1-14 Afternoon: Leviticus 19:1-4, 9-18, Jonah 1:1-4:11 Erev Sukkot Service Under the Sukkah, 5:30 PM Blessing of the Animals, 6:15 PM Erev Sukkot BYO Dinner, 6:30 PM Sukkot Festival Morning Serivce at Temple Emanuel, 10 AM Luncheon, 12 NOON Tot Shabbat, 5:30 PM Congregational Potluck Dinner, 6:15 PM Erev Shabbat Family Service/Youth Choir Kick- Off/ Consecration, 7:30 PM Chol Hamoed Sukkot, Exodus 33:12-34:26 Ezekiel 38:18-39:7 Congregational Dinner, 6 PM Erev Simchat Torah Family Service with Torah Unrolling and Israeli Dancing, 7 PM Simchat Torah/Sh mini Atzeret Festival Morning & Yizkor Memorial Service, 10 AM Luncheon, 12 NOON Erev Shabbat Service, 7:30 PM Noach, Genesis 6:9-11:32 Isaiah 66:1-13, 23 N o v e m b e r 1SAT 7 8SAT SAT Lech L cha, Genesis 12:1-17:27 Isaiah 40:27-41:16 Tot Shabbat, 5:30 PM Congregational Pot Luck Dinner, 6:15 PM Erev Shabbat Family Service, 7:30 PM Shabbat Service and Bat Mitzvah of Rachel Udell, 10 AM Vayeira, Genesis 18:1-22:24 2 Kings 4:1-37 Erev Shabbat Service, 7:30 PM Shabbat Service and B not Mitzvah of Hanna Schwartz & Naomi Flegel- Farmer, 10 AM Chayei Sarah, Genesis 23:1-25:18 1 Kings 1:1-31 Union Prayer Book to Gates of Prayer to Mishkan T filah: Reform s Way With Tradition Viet Nam to Afghanistan and Iraq Meir to Netanyahu SAT SAT PLO to PA Nixon to Obama Typewriters to Tablets File Cabinets to the Cloud Dow Goes From 600 to 17,000 Marijuana to Marijuana Soulful Shabbat Ruach Band Service, 7:30 PM Shabbat Service and Bar Mitzvah of Ethan Singer, 10 AM Tol dot, Genesis 25:19-28:9 Malachi 1:1-2:7 or 1 Samuel 20:18-42 Pro-Neg Shabbat, 5:30 PM Erev Shabbat Service, 6:15 PM Shabbat Morning Worship & Study, 10 AM Vayeitzei, Genesis 28:10-32:3 Hosea 12:13-14:10 Friday Night, September 12, :30 PM Rabbi Bruce E. Kahn, D. D. Reflections 40 Years A Rabbi 34 With Temple Shalom Then To Now: What s It All Mean? Kilmer to RGIII Civil Rights World Jewry American Jewry Temple Shalom SAT 31 Page 2 Erev Shabbat Service, 7:30 PM Shabbat Service and Bar Mitzvah of Anton Putterman, 10 AM Lech L cha, Genesis 6:9-11:32 Isaiah 66:1-13, 23 Candy Pro-Neg Shabbat, 5:30 PM Erev Shabbat Service, 6:15 PM graphic design, cover design and production: laura-leigh palmer, asap graphics; laura.leigh@asapgraphics.com editor Cheryl McGowan, Temple Shalom cmcgowan@templeshalom.net Produced by Temple Shalom Phone: Fax: Grubb Road Chevy Chase MD 20815

3 From the Rabbi The Challenge and Courage of Change Message from Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach Without a doubt, it was a challenging time to be in Israel this past July. It was a powerful experience, and important to be present as well as a triumph of sorts, as moving forward with our plans and finding ways to have a wonderful experience constituted its own small victory in an ongoing struggle. I hope that by the time you read these words, not only is a surface calm restored but that somehow steps have been taken to improve the lives of those in the region, all Israelis, and Palestinian civilians as well. Whatever will have unfolded in the meantime, however, there is one moment from last July that stays with me, as deeply relevant not only for Israel, but as a spiritual message for the High Holy Day season as well. In very early July, in a single session of a class I attended, the author and teacher Yossi Klein HaLevi opened with a brief reflection on the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens followed by the brutal revenge attack and murder of an Arab boy. Some line has been crossed, HaLevi said. He did not know exactly what it was, or what would come of it, but something fundamental had changed about Israeli society, he said. He was, I believe, expecting a deep and searing introspection to follow. Where have we gone wrong, and what can we do to change? Except that that class was on a Sunday. And on Tuesday night the first sirens sounded in Tel Aviv. In the midst of tragedy nay, in the face of an actual abomination, a sin there was a chance. There was a moment, there was a window. In the face of full-out attack, however, it seems for now, at least that the moment has been lost. What I am about to do now follows an ancient Jewish tradition: I am about to make a comparison between the situation we face as a collective, as a people in our renewed sovereign state, and the state of our own lives. This is a move made by the rabbis, who chose to link Psalms of exile ( by the waters of Babylon ) to the weekday liturgy, and songs of return ( return to Zion ) language to the prayers of Shabbat and holidays. It is a pyscho-spiritual read, an internalization of our historical, external and existential situation. As we approach the High Holy Days, I am concerned about trying to find that precious moment, that chance for change. Because there are times in our lives when we do cross lines, when we make mistakes (well short of murder, of course, where this analogy would break down), when we hurt ourselves and one another. There is a chance for a deep, a searing, introspection. But then the missiles start flying, we feel ourselves under attack, and we crouch into a defensive posture. It is natural, it is understandable but often the chance for change is lost. It is too hard to take an honest look inward when taking blows from outside. (Indeed and we see this in Israel very clearly this month those who raise hard questions anyway in the midst of fire are themselves attacked, often viciously and occasionally violently.) Rabbi Michael Feshbach and daughter Talia light candles at a Havdalah gathering at the home of Marc and Anne Feinberg. The Rabbi and Cantor Lisa Levine celebrated a quarter-century of spiritual work since graduating from HUC-JIR. That is why what our tradition calls tochecha, or rebuke, is so very hard. We all know people who practice rebuke freely and think they are good at it. Often they are not. To challenge another, there has to be so much love that it can lift us up; most of the time it rips us apart or brings us down instead. That is the call of this season: to find the time, to find a safe space, to take an honest look inside. Sometimes some kind of growth can come when under fire certainly it can reveal some aspects of character. But often rigidity flows from frontal attack; real and lasting growth, I believe even if prompted by a shocking event comes best from support, and a sense of being able to look inside. This year may we all find that safe space, and holy place: to look inside, and to not be afraid. To be honest, and strong. To be open and to be better. To love ourselves and others, to face challenge, and to change. Then we will move from tragedy to triumph. And then we will have fulfilled what this season, and what our lives, demand. I hope that Israel is able, as a country, to find a way to look inward as well as to protect itself in the year to come. And I hope that for all of us as well. Julie, Benjamin, Daniel and Talia join me in wishing all of you a wonderful and growth-filled new year of Sincerely, Michael L. Feshbach Rabbi Page 3

4 From the Cantor Message from Cantor Lisa L. Levine Shalom Dear Friends, It was an awesome feeling as my classmates and I stepped into the darkened sanctuary of Temple Emanu-el in NYC and ascended the bimah. We had an hour of pre-doctorate ceremony time with the President of HUC- JIR, my friend and dear colleague Rabbi Aaron Pankin. There we were, sitting in a circle in front of the ark, representing nearly 500 years of service to the Jewish people. It was a humbling and sobering moment in which I certainly felt the power of the Divine.We studied a Talmud text in which the writers heaped praise upon Rabbi Yonatan ben Zakai for his kindness to others, how he was the first to arrive and the last to leave the shul, and how he studied Torah from morning until night. We then shared our insights of how these attributes might describe our own journey of 25 years for the Jewish people. The wisdom that flowed from that circle certainly made me proud and went straight to my heart. In my reflection, I spoke about my role models: my own dear parents, Marvin and Shirley Lipco, who taught me a work ethic that has served me well over the years. I spoke about my students and how they inspire me every day and how this was the beginning of our journey, not an end. The text made me wonder how my congregation reflected on my actions, and I prayed that it was with honor and love. When it was all done, we had passed a test of sorts with ourselves and wrestled with the challenges and blessings of our holy calling. It was an honor to share that moment with my classmates, my clergy partner Michael Feshbach and esteemed colleagues. The student graduating class chose my own Hallelu/Hinei Ma Tov, sung by the alumni choir and graduating students from HUC- JIR, to begin the ceremony. I was in tears as our voices soared in prayer and song for what was certainly the highlight of my life! Page 4 Nava Tehila performs at Erev Shabbat services as part of a kick-off celebration of Rabbi Feshbach s and Cantor Levine s 25 years of service to the Jewish people. Both received honorary doctorates from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in June. When Rabbi Feshbach and I returned to Maryland, the celebration continued here at Temple Shalom with the Nava Tehila weekend. We prayed, we ate, we danced, we prayed, we ate and we danced some more! It was a truly joyous weekend of friendship and fellowship. I read the well wishes many of you wrote in the tribute book, and that gave me a warm feeling in my heart that will last forever! I wish to thank the entire congregation for their outpouring of love and appreciation. I'd also like to especially thank Anne Feinberg for chairing the Havdalah Concert weekend, and for her and Marc's gracious hospitality in their beautiful home and garden. Many thanks to our Music Committee under the direction of Debra Gutman and to everyone who baked for the oneg! Thanks to the Board of Trustees, Allison Druin and Linda Gurevich for their musical tribute and to the Shir Shalom choir for adding their voices! Thanks Emily Meyer for another amazing cake! It was an honor to celebrate this milestone with all of you! My prayer for us this end-of-summer season is that we each see miracles in our daily lives and celebrate what really matters most: small acts of kindness, the blessings of family and nurturing love. Each of us finds the way to that path, whether it be through music, hiking, biking, study, reading, yoga, worship or simply breathing in the air of a fresh, new day. May we be blessed with a little time to smell the roses and relax before we return to our very full Temple lives! Yours in song, Cantor Lisa Rabbi Michael Feshbach and Cantor Lisa Levine celebrated a quarter-century of spiritual work since graduating from HUC-JIR. On Thursday May 8, 2014, Rabbi Feshbach and Cantor Levine received Honorary Doctorate Degrees for 25 years of service as clergy. Below are their bios, as seen in the program booklet at the HUC graduation. Michael Lee Feshbach: Dedicated Rabbi Who, through his leadership of Temple Shalom, Chevy Chase, Maryland, for more than a decade, has made his congregation a warm and inviting house of prayer for all. Whose innovations to the Bar and Bat Mitzvah service have encouraged each participant to find his or her own voice. Who has taken the mantle of leadership in inter-religious dialogue, social justice advocacy, Israel education, adult learning and youth engagement. Who seeks to make the Jewish ties that bind us together stronger in each of our lives. Who has earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues as a prolific author. And who has attained positions of leadership on various councils and boards. Lisa Lipco Levine: Devoted Cantor Who brings her personal passion as Director of Liturgical Arts to the congregants of Temple Shalom, Chevy Chase, Maryland. Whose Shabbat and holiday recordings are a unique resource for inter-generational and interfaith choirs and bands. And who shares her Yoga Shalom book and CD with communities across the land.

5 Religious Education Rabbi Rachel Ackerman Rabbi-Educator The High Holy Day season is an opportunity to reflect on the year gone by, apologize for our wrongs from the past year, and look forward to the year ahead. I have always loved the concept of teshuvah. It is often translated as repentance, but this translation hardly gives justice to the true meaning of the word. Teshuvah, literally, means returning. True teshuvah, occurs when we return to a place where we previously erred, but this time choose to embrace the chance to make a new decision. It is an opportunity for renewal. And, ultimately, it is an opportunity for making new mistakes. So I d like to apologize in advance for the mistakes this new year, and new school year, will bring. The new school year promises to be an exciting one! Based on its inaugural success, our Second Annual Community Kickoff will take place on September 7 and, between now and next spring, we will hold incredible retreats and shabbatonim, field trips, services, a Purim Carnival, and family learning opportunities. We have made a number of changes. All of our seventh graders will meet on Sunday evenings, and they will study Hebrew for the entire year instead of one semester. We will welcome new teachers after saying goodbye to others who have moved on. We will experiment with two early session second grade classes. And, thanks to the hard work of our Goodto-Great Taskforce, we will be experimenting with and piloting a number of new programs. Our Good-to-Great Design Subcommittee worked for months at brainstorming various new models of youth and family education at Temple Shalom. With help from the greater taskforce, the Subcommittee tweaked, edited, and refined these models to bring them to the Temple Shalom community as congregational conversations. Alongside these conversations we will also be experimenting with aspects of these models over the next school year and soliciting feedback to best assess how to move forward. Temple Shalom children engage with Nira Harel s children s book, The Key to My Heart by reading the story and then visiting the different places that the father and son visit in the book. Jennifer MacAdam-Miller reads the story with the families and Pamela Wilcox makes pizza with kids in the pizzeria. It will be a year of renewal. It will be a year of teshuvah, of approaching a school year, one that could look like any other, but this time making new, and sometimes radical, changes. And because of this, we will make mistakes. Probably lots of them. We will run excellent programs and we will try ones that fail miserably. And for the opportunity to make mistakes, I want to extend the Good-to-Great Committee s gratitude to the Temple Shalom community. There will be a weekend or two where we may ask you to come on a Saturday instead of a Sunday. On occasion, we may extend the morning into a lengthier session. We may plan multi-grade family learning opportunities that we hope you will embrace. Some of these new programs will be wonderful, and some of them not-so-much. Some of them will be at times you love, others may complicate your schedule. Some that seem like wonderfully exciting and engaging programs on paper and will fall flat in practice. And for the opportunity to pilot these ideas, for the opportunity for us all to move from good to great and to figure out exactly what that means, and for the opportunity to err, I am grateful. Even more critical than the programs we pilot this year will be your dialogue around them. Your input, ideas, reflections, respectful feedback, openness, and honesty will help inspire the future of the Temple Shalom Religious School. Most of these new times, dates, and experimental programs are on your school calendar. Some will emerge based on conversations of which we hope you will have been a part. Our first set of Congregational Conversations will take place on September 7 during our Community Kickoff. We hope that you will consider joining us for at least one of the three opportunities throughout the morning to participate in these conversations. Thank you all for your role in creating dynamic and innovating Jewish learning and living opportunities for our Temple Shalom families. L Shalom, Rabbi Rachel Ackerman Page 5

6 From the President What s the Scoop FROM THE PRESIDENT Random Acts of Leadership Allison Druin President, Temple Shalom If I asked you to commit a random act of kindness today would you know what to do? Probably. Judaism calls acts of kindness (and charity) mitzvot; they are central to Judaism. When you perform a mitzvah a single act of kindness you strengthen the social fabric of our human relationships while performing a service. Acts of kindness are encouraged because they can heal, inspire, and change lives. I got to wondering, given all that we are doing at Temple Shalom in honoring and valuing our leaders, what has been said about random acts of leadership? Susan Mazza, a leadership professional, elegantly connects kindness with leadership. She writes: I started to consider that perhaps committing an act of kindness is in and of itself an act of leadership. On a number of occasions, while my motive was to be kind, I noticed my actions caused others to behave differently and even work together for a common goal. What seems to be the common thread is the commitment to making a difference. ( Susan crystalized for me what we have been striving for over the last year at Temple Shalom to support or inspire actions that can cause all of us to behave differently, for a common goal, for the common good. We have seen these random acts of leadership in small and large ways. For example, this past year Temple Shalom Religious School parents stepped up to be grade parents who could lead outside classroom activities, coordinate communication among families, and make religious school better for our students. There is Pamela Wilcox, our beloved youth group advisor and first grade teacher, who decided to bring locally produced fruits and vegetables to our Temple Shalom community. Forty congregants and community members bought farm-fresh foods from a local Community-Sponsored Agriculture program that Pamela created. Acts of leadership also permeate our committees. For example, the Financial Future Committee time and again brought us together for much-needed laughter, song, food, wine, and ruach (spirit). Raising money and recognizing those who give, while having lots of fun, inspire our membership to ensure that no one is ever turned away because of financial need. Another shining example is our outstanding Mitzvah Day organized for a number of years by Janis Pliner and her committee. In addition, our Good-to-Great Committee, chaired by Sarah Leavitt and Debbie Szyfer with lots of volunteers, is exploring new models for religious school learning for our youth and families. And fundamental to the health of our congregation, this past year the entire Temple Shalom family opened up their collective arms to the flood of new members from the Gift of Membership program (spearheaded by Leslie Rubin, the Membership Committee and Welcome Teams). As we enter our new Jewish year, it is time to ask what each of us can do. What new actions can we each take on to help move our Temple Shalom family forward? Last summer, our Board of Trustees had a retreat where we identified a few areas of shared focus and priority. While we have made progress in each, we still need your random acts of leadership to help us develop new communications tools/websites, to help us rethink Mitzvah Corps possibilities, and to start chavurot (groups of congregants with similar interests or in a particular geographic area, age group, or interest). We would be excited to support any emerging leaders who are interested in helping with these activities or anything else. My High Holy Days talk will announce an exciting new leadership training and development program at Temple Shalom. Until then, I challenge all of you to perform random acts of leadership! Many of you hold positions of leadership in your What s the scoop? Our own celebrity scoopers Cantor Lisa and Jeanette Gordon make e- cone -omical use of their skills as they work behind the counter at Baskin- Robbins to raise money for religious school programming. Temple Shalom in June. workplace, local PTAs, neighborhood associations and more. As the President of your Temple Shalom family, I ask all of you to bring your expertise, energy, and engagement to our congregation. Consider joining one of our committees; they need more volunteers with great ideas and energy. Take a look at our How to Get Involved at Temple Shalom webpage for more specifics: ( news_detail/how_members_can), or me: president@templeshalom.net. Kindness is itself an act of leadership. Our tradition has understood this for millennia. We call it mitzvot. My goal as your President this year is to inspire our whole Temple Shalom family to increase our random acts of leadership! Shalom, Allison Druin President, Temple Shalom Page 6

7 High Holiday Schedule Gleaning Temple Shalom 2014/5775 H i g h H o l y D a y S e r v i c e S c h e d u l e Selichot Saturday, September 20 Special Selichot Program and Reception, 8 PM Selichot Candlelit Service, 10 PM Erev Rosh Hashanah Wednesday, September 24 Alternative Folk-Style Service w/teen Choir, 6:15 PM Traditional Service w/shir Shalom Adult Choir, 8 PM Rosh Hashanah Thursday, September 25 Adult Morning Service w/shir Shalom Adult Choir, 10 AM Youth Service (1st 5th grade), 10 AM Family Service, 2 PM Tashlich, 3 PM Second Day Rosh Hashanah Friday, September 26 Morning Service, 10 AM Shabbat Shuvah, 7:30 PM Erev Yom Kippur Friday, October 3 Kol Nidrei Service, 8 PM Alternative Kol Nidrei Service 6th grade and up, 8 PM Yom Kippur Saturday, October 4 Adult Morning Service w/shir Shalom Adult Choir, 10 AM Youth Service (1st 5th grade), 10 AM Meditative Classical Guitar Concert, 1 PM Adult Study Opportunities I, 1 PM Teen Conversation, 1 PM Adult Study Opportunities II, 2 PM Community Family Service, 2 PM Afternoon Service, 4 PM Yizkor (Memorial) and Ne ilah (Concluding) Service, 5:15 PM (approx.) Break Fast, 6:45 PM Erev Sukkot Wednesday, October 8 Service Under the Sukkah, 5:30 PM Blessing of the Animals, 6:15 PM Erev Sukkot BYO Dinner, 6:30 PM Sukkot Thursday, October 9 Morning Festival Service at Temple Emanuel, 10 AM Erev Simchat Torah Wednesday, October 15 Congregational Dinner, 6 PM Family Service, Torah Unrolling and Israeli Dancing, 7 PM Simchat Torah Thursday, October 16 Simchat Torah/Sh mini Atzeret Festival Morning and Yizkor Services, 10 AM Simchat Torah Luncheon, 12 NOON Want to get involved and have some fun? The Religious Education Committee is seeking Volunteers. Contact David Windt at dwindt@hotmail.com Join the Rabbi s Thursday Lunchtime Class Reading the Writings: The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I and II Begins October 23, Noon Page 7

8 Chai School 14th Annual Community Memorial Service Chai School Fast Track Philanthropy Teen Philanthropy - Engage Giving How will this help? A phrase we heard over and over as ten 8th and 9th graders came together in our Fast Track Philanthropy class as an option for our Chai School program. Our program is based off of the Jewish Youth Philanthropy Institute, also known as JYPI. JYPI is a part of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. JYPI provides a space for teens to do hands-on giving through a Jewish lens. Fast Track Philanthropy is an adapted program of a year-long JYPI program looking at the questions: What skills do I have? What does it mean to be a part of a community? Who can I help? How do I get involved? Who is listening to my passions? What do I think is important? This year we focused on the importance of tikkun olam (repair of the world) and how our strengths can help our greater community. We brainstormed about how we could profit $100 in three weeks! The teens put together a snow-cone and bake sale for both Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings. As we learned about marketing our bake sales, the teens wrote, produced and directed two awesome commercials that were ed out to our Religious School families and posted onto the Temple Shalom Facebook group! After the amazing fundraising session, our teens donated their money to Red Wiggler Community Farm, which provides jobs to adults with developmental disabilities and a children's therapy program at Emunah Bet Elazraki in Netayna, Israel. Here's what our amazing teens said: My temple did fast track philanthropy. It was really fun and I m glad we could donate to different organizations. I liked working with my classmates to figure out what we were going to sell and also the advertisement. Hope we do this again. Asher I enjoyed the discussion aspect of the program. Debating with other people has been one of my favorite pastimes, and I feel that learning how to conduct a positive and productive discussion was valuable. Ben B. I thought philanthropy was a good experience. I thought it was a good idea to sell items to obtain money to donate to groups. I liked showing up for this. I thought it was frustrating when someone chose to take/steal from us but that was only once in a blue moon. Someone once said, Life is a gift from God, what you do with it is your gift back to God. In this case, [our gift is] raising money for those who need it. Seth Cohen...In the end, we made a decent amount of money, and hopefully helped someone somewhere...we need more time, more advertising, and more products. It was good. Both the philanthropy and the snow cones. Max Tiefer In our philanthropy class we learned about different perspectives of donating money to charities. We had to think about what was more important and who/what our money would be going to. This was interesting because we had to decide how big of an impact we d have and choose what we wanted to donate to. Michelle S. At first I was really hesitant to do it, but, once I got into it, it was actually pretty fun, and I was making a difference, even though it was a small one. And I got to be with my friends and eat free food. Jenna Lucash Want to sign up for JYPI ? Just want to learn more about JYPI? Avital Ingber at Avital.Ingber@shalomdc.org. We are so proud of our teens and give them a HUGE yasher koach and mazal tov for their wonderful accomplishments! Xani Pollakoff Thank you to our summer service leaders for their continued support! Page 8

9 TaSTY Mitzvah Day Welcome Back, TaSTY! Awarm welcome back to TaSTYites and their families! We hope that you had an amazing summer and that if you went to camp or travelled, you will share your experiences with us at one of our upcoming events! Our exciting year ended last Spring with our elections and we are pleased to announce the new TaSTY Senior Board for : President: Ruthy Goldberg Programming VP: Emma Bassin Social Action VP: Catherine Horowitz Religious and Cultural VP: Dana Bederson Membership VP: Sydney Wolk Communications VP: Joshua Schuster Treasurer VP: Jacob Rains Assistant to Membership & Communications VP: Zoe Goldberg-Hart TaSTY Jr VP: Dani Wolk Cabinet positions are still open and available! If you are interested in working with us, please contact Youth Adviser Pamela Wilcox or any of our Senior Board. There is an application posted to our Facebook Group, TaSTY Temple Youth Group!!!!! YUMM. We are excited to bring back successful events such as our Bethesda Night Out Scavenger Hunt, Paintball, new ways to have fun and affect our community in positive ways, as well as new programs geared specifically for TaSTY Jr. All of our board meetings are open to all members. Parents, please check that your student is signed up and paid for TaSTY as the school year begins dues for TaSTY Jr (grades 6-8) are $18 and $36 for TaSTY Sr (grades 9-12). These dues help us not only with our programming but also pay our dues for belonging to NFTY-MAR, the North American Federation of Temple Youth, Mid- Atlantic Region. We highly recommend that students interested in cabinet positions or who are already leaders on their own join our Senior Board at the first NFTY event of the year, Jewish Educational Leadership & Learning Opportunities (JELLO), happening September Please look for event updates on our Facebook site as well as s to registered TaSTY parents and on our bulletin board across from classroom 10. Upcoming Events: Sunday, August 24: Early Bird BBQ Sunday, September 7: Community Day, First Youth Group Meeting, time TBA Sunday, September 14: First Day of Sunday School Friday-Sunday, September 19-21: NFTY-MAR JELLO Friday and Saturday, September 3 and 4: TaSTY Volunteers for Manna Food Truck Collection SSL hours! Friday, October 10: Sleep Over in the Sukkah Saturday, November 1: TaSTY Jr Havdalloween DON T HOLD BACK FROM DOING GOOD TO THOSE WHO ARE DESERVING WHEN YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DO IT Proverbs 3:27 Temple Shalom s 21st Annual MITZVAH DAY Sunday, November 2 Save the date and watch for details about activities and projects Opportunities for everyone, young and not-so-young, working together to do good deeds, community service, and acts of Tikkun Olam If you would like to be a Project Team Leader or help out on Mitzvah Day, please contact Janice Pliner (janicepliner@yahoo.com ) Page 9

10 RENAISSANCE GROUP * ARZA An Appreciation.. The Renaissance Group wishes to extend its appreciation to Norma Newpol for conducting such a rewarding nighttime tour of Washington s monuments. Her extensive knowledge of Washington s major attractions and her vibrant personality made the outing all the more enjoyable. It s easy to see why she is in such demand as a professional tour guide. Norma is a prime example of the great range of expertise possessed by Temple Shalom s Renaissance Group and of our expanding membership in general. RENAISSANCE GROUP On Sunday evening, April 27, more than 30 members of the Temple Shalom Renaissance Group met at the Temple for a light supper and a nighttime tour of some of Washington s most iconic monuments. We were fortunate to have clear and balmy weather, and even more fortunate to have Temple Shalom s own tour guide extraordinaire, Norma Newpol. With stops at the White House, the World War II Memorial, the Memorial to Japanese-American Patriotism in World War II, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the Air Force Memorial, we were treated to a unique view of Washington at night. Norma was full of interesting facts new to many of us regarding these beautiful structures. A truly wonderful event for us. As we write this, the season nears an end. We are looking forward to a tour of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick and to a closing brunch at the Temple on June 22. We urge you to join us for the many interesting and entertaining activities we are planning for next year. Watch the weekly s from the Temple for announcements of our events. Be a proud sponsor of Israel and join ARZA the Association of Reform Zionists of America. ARZA s mission is to strengthen and enrich the identity of Reform Jews in the United States by ensuring that a connection with Eretz Israel is a fundamental part of that identity through education, advocacy, creating partnerships, travel and study. It is a vital source of support for IRAC the Israel Religious Action Center and IMPJ the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism. Just $36 makes you a member! For more information, please contact ARZA Chair Joan Kalin at joankalin@verizon.net. Best wishes for a Happy, Healthy, Sweet New Year and one of peace! Cantor Lisa performs as soloist with Zemer Chai at a concert for the Women Cantors Network conference held at Temple Shalom in June. Page 1

11 The Gift of Membership Kids Time Commitee Chairs The Gift of Membership Temple Shalom is extending the Gift of Membership program for a second year. This year we will continue to welcome new members by breaking down the financial barriers that give some prospective members pause. We hope that you will continue to reach out to friends and family who may be interested in joining Temple Shalom this year. In the next few months, we will again reach out at festivals and other events with our membership tent to help engage the larger community outside of Temple Shalom. Please look for opportunities on the Temple s Facebook page to join these activities. In the meantime, if you have questions about the Gift of Membership program, please call or me at or membership@templeshalom.net. L shalom (in peace), Leslie Rubin Adult Education ARZA Brotherhood Capital Projects Cemetery Chavurah College Outreach e-committee Finance Financial Future Founders COMMITTEE CHAIRS Historian/Parliamentarian TBD Joan Kalin Peter Wolk Myles R. Levin Marilyn Ripin TBD Rick Meyers TBD TBD Marc Feinberg Kenneth Kramer Michael Rubin Jean Beeman Sandra Kamisar House/Grounds JCRC Delegate Legal Counsel Membership Mitzvah Corps Music Nominating Religious Education Renaissance Sisterhood Special Funds Tikkun Olam Worship Youth Mike Gurevich Joan Kalin Ted Goldstock Leslie Rubin TBD Debra Gutman Harvey Berger David Windt Lynn Kanowith Beth Janoff Linda Gurevich Mark Ross Seth Maiman Marty Shargel Jerry Silverman Sarah Leavitt Page 1

12 Brotherhood Welcome back. I hope you had an enjoyable, restful, and interesting summer. In our family, we had great experiences at two different Jewish camps (our daughter Dani and son Alex, at Capital Camps and Six Points Sports Academy), a fascinating trip to Israel (my wife, Beth), a hard-working week in New Orleans rebuilding a home for a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina (Beth and our daughter, Sydney), and a week-long Boy Scout camp (which Alex and I attended). Did I say a restful summer? To help welcome back the religious school children and families, the Brotherhood is delighted to work again with the Sisterhood to help sponsor a bagel nosh and ice cream sundae bar, with great food and engaging activities on September 7 at noon. Our congratulations to the Brotherhood softball team, which just missed making the championship playoffs. It was a great inaugural year, with new friendships and good excitement during our Sunday-morning games. All men who are interested in playing, please contact team coach Will Hochman. The Temple Shalom Brotherhood night out at the Big Train baseball game in July was great fun. Our own Rabbi Feshbach was on hand to throw out the first pitch, and Temple choir members sang God Bless America. Thanks to Richard Marks, Glenn Germaine, and Mel Eck for their work on this event. This past year, in addition to the sponsorship of our brunches, we were pleased to provide New Year s cards, holy day schedule book marks, kiddush cups for our B nai Mitzvah, and considerable support for the Temple s Purim event, Martin Luther King program, and the Temple s unrestricted fund. We also provided donations to Rabbi Feshbach and Cantor Levine s funds to honor their 25th year as Jewish clergy, as well as a $1,900 grant to help upgrade to efficient, cost-saving lights for our parking lot. We intend to continue providing financial support for the Temple. Thanks to the leadership of Mike Gerecht, we had a well-received and successful plant sale, and also had our popular wine sale (thanks to Harvey Berger and Bernie Blumenthal), both of which we plan to hold again this year. Please join us for our upcoming brunch events, including what promises to be another fascinating political analysis by Steve Roberts, on November 9. Mr. Roberts served for many years as a New York Times political correspondent and now teaches political science at George Washington University. Please also plan to join us when Thomas Jones, a B-52 pilot and Space Shuttle astronaut, visits us as brunch speaker for a presentation about his experiences. We will also be holding our third annual hands-on latke-making event for our religious school, led by Heath Winter. In the meantime, thanks to a Brotherhood purchase, we will be able to play basketball in the back parking lot. We look forward to informal pick-up games on Sunday mornings and late afternoons on Hebrew School days (for as long as the days stay light enough), for anyone interested. We have monthly planning and social Brotherhood dinner meetings (first non-holiday Wednesday of the month, starting September 3 at 6:30 PM), where we are always pleased to see new attendees. Please join us for our meetings, brunches, and sports, and let me know if you have any ideas for or interest in recreational activities, fundraising, or other events you d like to see offered by the Brotherhood. On behalf of my fellow Brotherhood leaders, Myles R. Levin (Co-President), Bob Krauss (Secretary), Walter Miller (Treasurer), and Lynn Kanowith (Event Scheduling Director), best wishes as we approach the New Year. - Peter Wolk, Brotherhood Co-President The Brotherhood Picnic On Sunday, May 18, Temple Shalom Brotherhood conducted its annual end-ofschool picnic. Weather for the picnic was spectacular with sunny skies and temperature in the low 70s. Students, parents, faculty members and senior staff enjoyed hot dogs, hamburgers and veggie burgers. Students and family members played in the gaga pit and passed the afternoon chatting and picnicking on the lawn. Everyone had a joyful time. Page 1

13 Sisterhood Book Club Selections for Temple Shalom Book Club WOMEN OF REFORM JUDAISM stronger together Hello Ladies, We hope everyone had a great summer with enough time to relax and recharge. WRJ members participated in our New Sisterhood Summertime Socials and loved the informal get togethers. Last year, WRJ Sisterhood contributed over $6,400 to Temple Shalom, which included purchases of $1,000 in new ipads for the Religious School, $1,000 for new folding tables, $1,900 in new LED lighting for the parking lot, as well as Rabbi Feshbach, Cantor Levine and Rabbi Ackerman s Mitzvah Funds and other specialty funds at Temple Shalom. Dues, fundraising events and purchases at the Gift Shop enable WRJ Sisterhood to make these important and very necessary contributions. If you re interested in donating more to the Sisterhood to help contribute to these exciting programs, please indicate so on your dues invoice. In addition to our long-standing board members, please welcome Holly Posin as our new Communications Secretary. Holly is responsible for keeping everyone informed about upcoming WRJ Sisterhood events. Holly joined Temple Shalom last year and found volunteering a great way to get involved and meet new people. We invite you to follow her lead. We have an exciting year scheduled. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for the following special programs: Sunday, September 7, 2014 The Gift Shop is offering a Back-to-School Sale. Gift items are already discounted by 15% off retail as marked. At our sale event, we offer an additional 10% off. Stock up now for your special occasion and Hanukah needs. Sunday, September 7, 2014 Back-to-School bagel nosh and ice cream sundae bar hosted by WRJ Sisterhood and Brotherhood Sunday, October 19, PM Yenta Eventa an informal, social fundraiser hosted at a member home. Sunday, November 9, PM WRJ Sisterhood Sushi Meeting Sunday, December 7, AM-1:30 PM Annual Hanukah Mart Fri.-Sun., Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2015 Annual WRJ Sisterhood Spiritual and Spa Retreat Weekend Friday, February 20, :30-9:30 PM Annual WRJ Sisterhood Shabbat and Member Dinner Sunday, March 1, PM WRJ Sisterhood Meeting Sunday, March 29, :30-8 PM Annual WRJ Sisterhood Seder Sunday, May 17, AM-1 PM End-of-Year Judaica Shop Sale We look forward to your involvement and seeing you at one of our upcoming events. Fondly, Linda Gurevich and Beth Janoff Co-Presidents sisterhood@templeshalom.net Page 1 Temple Shalom book club participants Stu Bassin, Fran Paver, Peg MacKnight, Janice Zalen, Mona Ellis, Diane Wechsler, Nelly Urbach and Phyllis Lipof met in June for brunch to select upcoming books to be discussed in the year. Our Temple Shalom Book Club is back for its 16th year! Join Mona Ellis and Stu Bassin for lively discussions of quality books. Most sessions run from 9:15 AM-10:45 AM on Sunday mornings (during the early session of religious school) with bagels and coffee. Drop off your kids at Sunday School and join us for an engaging discussion! There is no charge for participation. October 19, 2014 Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation by Yossi Klein Halevi Halevi traces the personal and religious lives and evolving political views of seven paratroopers who helped conquer the Old City of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six- Day War. A must-read for anyone with an interest in contemporary Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. December 7, 2014 Peony by Pearl Buck Peony is set in the 1850s in the city of Kaifeng, the historic center for Chinese Jews. Peony is a Chinese bondmaid of the prominent Jewish family of Ezra ben Israel, and shows through her eyes how the Jewish community was regarded in Kaifeng at a time when most of the Jews had come to think of themselves as Chinese. February 1, 2015 The Chosen by Chaim Potok The now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each other. We will be showing this movie along with a brunch and book discussion. March 8, 2015 Churchill and the Jews: A Lifelong Friendship by Martin Gilbert An insightful history of Churchill s lifelong commitment both public and private to the Jews and Zionism, and of his outspoken opposition to anti-semitism. May 17, 2015 All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr A stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

14 Temple Shalom Phone: Fax: Grubb Road Chevy Chase, MD HIGH HOLY DAYS & FALL FESTIVALS 5775 SELICHOT Saturday, September 20 EREV ROSH HASHANAH Wednesday, September 24 ROSH HASHANAH Thursday, September 25 ROSH HASHANAH - SECOND DAY Friday, September 26 EREV YOM KIPPUR Friday, October 3 YOM KIPPUR Saturday, October 4 EREV SUKKOT Wednesday, October 8 SUKKOT Thursday, October 9 EREV SIMCHAT TORAH Wednesday, October 15 SH MINI ATZERET/SIMCHAT TORAH Thursday, October 16 Clergy & Staff Senior Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach Cantor Lisa L. Levine Susan Goutos Zemsky, Executive Director Rabbi Rachel Ackerman, Rabbi- Educator Rabbi Emeritus Bruce E. Kahn Cantor Emeritus Saul Rogolsky Cheryl McGowan, Executive Assistant Katherine Schnorrenberg, Clergy Assistant Sharon Barbee, School Assistant Lois Simpson, Bookkeeper Cécile Myers, Office Assistant Board of Trustees Executive Committee Allison Druin, President Linda Gurevich, Exec. Vice President Jeff Steger, Vice President Seth Maiman, Vice President Steve Schleien, Vice President Rita Klein, Treasurer Peg MacKnight, Secretary Trustees Linda Aldoory, Diane Cline, Margo Gottesman, Joan Kalin, Ken Kramer, Lisa Krim, Judy Lewis, Andy Mark, Walter Miller, Mark Ross, Leslie Rubin, Rhoda Schulzinger, Marty Shargel, Stefanie Weldon, Richard Weitzner Voting Auxiliary Members Harvey Berger, Immediate Past President; Peter Wolk and Myles R. Levin, Brotherhood Co-Presidents; Beth Janoff and Linda Gurevich, Sisterhood Co-Presidents; Emma Bassin, TaSTY President Auxiliary Members Ex Officio (Non-Voting) Rabbi Michael Feshbach Cantor Lisa Levine Susan Goutos Zemsky, Executive Director Rabbi Rachel Ackerman, Rabbi- Educator Stephen Sacks, Chairman of URJ Board Jean Beeman, Founder s Representative Ted Goldstock, Temple Counsel Steve Schleien, Temple Counsel