Congregation Beth Shalom|Newsletter June 2007

Previous newsletters are here. June 2007 / Sivan-Tammuz 5767
Klezmer on the Bay Dinner Cruise Join fellow klezmer lovers on Sunday, June 10 for an unforgettable evening of music, dinner and dancing, on board the beautiful Royal Prince ferry. Price ($45 for JCC members; $50 public) includes kosher-style dinner, cruise, entertainment, and first drink. The ferry boards from two locations: Sausalito passengers board at Golden Gate Ferry at 5:45 p.m. (return at approx. 8:15 p.m.). All other passengers board at Pier 43 1/2 in San Francisco at 6:45 p.m. (return at approx. 9 p.m.). For more information about the cruise call 650-212-PJCC (7522). For more information about klezmer and Yiddish activities, see the KlezCalifornia website at www.klezcalifornia.org. Cafe Shalom 2007 What a wonderful, relaxing day for Cafe Shalom! The weather was beautiful, the music and dancing very entertaining, and the atmosphere was relaxed and "kicked back," as one person described it. At our recent annual meeting, I mentioned that Cafe Shalom "runs itself." I guess what I should have said is that, with all the help of the congregation, it seems to run itself. This was a very pleasant experience for me and I thank everyone who helped make it so. This year we served 810 meals. Thanks to Valli Israels for organizing the volunteers. Thanks to Bergen Filgas, who suggested the design for our t-shirts, and to Jacob Biewer for creating the design. Starbucks -- watch out! Victor Meissonnier and Tammy Kempner were in charge of our Bake Shop this year and did a tremendous job of getting people to come on Sunday mornings to bake our goodies. We made more money this year in the Bake Shop than we have in many years. Congratulations, Victor! I hear you are already making plans for running the Bake Shop again next year! Many thanks to Loren Gonella and Anthony Gonsalves, who once again raised of $7000 in sponsorships this year. To date, we have raised approximately $18,000 after expenses, but there are still some members who have not sent in their ticket money--so please do so as soon as possible. I would like to thank all the committee chairs for a great job: Joan Guerra for Take Out; Bette Rubin-Smith and Ann Johnson for managing the kitchen; Anthony Gonsalves for food and supply acquisition; Lara Brotslaw for teaching and organizing the dancing; Andra Greenwald, Tom Gough and Morrie Kirschen for conducting the sanctuary tours and Morrie for getting Foster Farms to donate all the orange juice. Thanks to Anne Porteous for organizing the silent auction; Elsa McCoy for running the raffle; Joel Youngheim for publicity; Mark Haskett for the program; Eli Lester for the sound system; Celia Angel for decorations; Marlene Gonsalves for the signs; Linda Goodman for finance; Gloria Ringsby for advance ticket sales; Laura Biewer and Kelly & Marianne Villalobos for the new membership booth; Deborah Steinberg for Club Cafe Shalom; and all of you who helped, either in the weeks before Cafe Shalom or on the day of the event. As I have written this article, I notice that many of the names of the committee chairs are the same as in previous years. We had many new volunteers this year and I would like to encourage every one of you to become more involved next year and possibly chair a committee. I would like to see the current chairpeople mentor a new member, so that in a few years, the new member can take over for many of our current chairs who no longer have children in the Religious School. These people continue to run these committees for their love and devotion to our congregation, and I thank you so much for your hard work. I have received some tremendous suggestions to improve Cafe Shalom for next year. We will be having a wrap-up meeting within the next few weeks, so please watch your e-mails for the date. Thank you, everyone, for your hard work and for making Cafe Shalom another successful fund-raising event for our Religious School! -- Joyce Gandelman Thank You to All of You Volunteers! I appreciated everyone's willingness to work toward making Cafe Shalom a success. As a Sunday School parent, I personally am grateful to everyone who helped with this year's festival. Know that your efforts and cooperation are very appreciated! I'm sure I must have omitted someone's name, and for that I apologize. Please know that we are grateful! -- Valli Israels Mendlin Hosts (and Set-Up and Clean-Up): Doreen Goldman, Loren Gonella, Morrie Kirschen, Gloria Ringsby, Kenni Friedman, Todd Aaronson, Barbara Rubin, Buzz Cohn, Scott, Josh & Jacob Biewer Bake Shop: Victor Meissonnier(chair), Barbara Angel, Laney Grose, Joann Betschart, Carol Kailes, Susan Howard, Tammy Kempner, Nancy Blanekship, Elsa McCoy Ticket Sales: Dennis Goodman, Eve Quesada, Linda Gough Waiters & Bussers: Al Angel, Lou Friedman, Gary Kailes, Arkady Shmorgon, Avi Brotslaw, Rochelle Rosen (post sales), Phil Trompetter, Gary Shmorgon, Becca Brotslaw, Aleah Gonsalves, Marissa Goodman, Eric Grose. Andrew Gonsalves, Rachel Xavier, Naftali Wayne Kids Activities: Deborah Steinberg, Heather Doyle, Laura Skolnick Kitchen: Steve Schwimmer, Miriam Bermann, Barbara Rubin, Taunya Schwimmer, Joseph Bermann, Rochelle Rosen, Ross Redding,Harold & Bette Rubin-Smith, Ann Johnson Bartenders: Keith Highiet, Louis Levin, Gloria Ringsby Take Out: Joan Guerra, Susan Podolsky Raffle: Elsa McCoy, Jane Pascal, Sabina Villalobos, Hannah Hyden Saturday Set-Up: Taunya Schwimmer, Steve Schwimmer, Celia Angel, Loren Gonella Saturday Food Preparation: Keith Highiet, Loren Gonella, Andra Greenwald, Al & Barbara Angel, Dan Brotslaw, Flo Loeffler, Elsa McCoy, Tracy Micheli Decorations: Celia Angel, Flo Loeffler Sanctuary Tours: Tom Gough, Andra Greenwald, Morrie Kirschen Membership Table: Kelly Villalobos, Marianne Villalobos, Laura Biewer Foster Farms Pickup: Loren Gonella, Morrie Kirschen, Dennis Goodman Saturday Pickup from Stratford Home: Harvey Highiet Parking: Mike Loeffler, David Bermann Silent Auction: Anne Porteous, Gloria Ringsby Food Acquisition: Anthony Gonsalves Finance: Linda Goodman Religious School News Dear Families, The end of the CBS Religious School year has arrived, but our job continues for preparations for the fall. I want to thank the Religious Education Committee: Laura Skolnick, Kelly Villalobos, Linda Gough, Marla Kitzmann, Mary Drabkin, and Eve Quesada, for their time and support this year. We will continue to meet during the summer to make our education program better for the coming school year. I have commitments from many teachers for another year, so our new educators line up will be revealed soon! We are definitely losing one of our Hebrew teachers, Avi Brotslaw. Avi has been our Aleph teacher for the past couple of years and we are losing him to college, of all places. Mazel Tov, Avi! We are all very proud of you and wish you well at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. May your cup "runneth over." Our children once again did a fantastic job bringing tzedaka money each week to Sunday School. I don't have the dollar count, but we completed a grand mitzvah with their pocked change. We made and donated 65 mitzvah bags to the Redwood Family Center. These bags were filled with snacks and activities, and once again put smiles on many kids' faces who needed our help in repairing the world. I also want to send a BIG thank you to Dick Henriksen for rolling all our tzedaka money to go to the bank! Thank you, Dick, for all your time and love you give to CBS each week. Cafe Shalom was a HUGE success again this year, thanks to all of YOU. As you know, this event is to raise money to keep our school fees low, educate our children, and to give financial help for regional youth activities. Every year we need all hands on deck, so mark your calendars for next year, Sunday, May 4, 2008! The help of our children was outstanding! Whether they were dancing, bussing tables, selling raffle tickets, or writing name tags, everyone contributed to this community effort and made it a beautiful day! Please feel free to contact me anytime throughout the summer with questions, resource needs, and suggestions, or to share something wonderful your child or grandchild should be recognized for. Have a safe summer, filled with family fun! Shalom, Marlene Gonsalves Remember, half of every subscription to J- will go to Congregation Beth Shalom. See your Bulletin for details.	Oneg Shabbat Hosts June 1 -- Naftali Wayne Bar Mitzvah. June 8 -- Flo Loeffler & Keith Highiet families. June 15 -- Guerra & Klain families. June 22 -- Gale Orland & Wedegartner families. June 29 -- Board Installation. Thank you for participating. Please remember to include fruit as an alternative dessert. Choir If you are interested in singing with the choir for the High Holy Days, we will begin rehearsals in August. Please contact Laura Biewer for more information. Scholar-in-Residence Weekend Our scholar-in-residence weekend was an amazing experience! My head is swimming from the many nuances I learned about davenning. Hazzan Shalowitz introduced many new melodies to CBS. His program on Saturday evening about Jewish music was interesting, and again, so much new information shared! On Sunday morning, a small group gathered for coffee and bagels as we learned about our connection to the Gregorian civil calendar and how the Jewish calendar works. Of course, he burst my bubble when we learned that the familiar melody to V'ne'emar is from "Three Blind Mice," and BaYom haHu is from "The Farmer in the Dell." This fabulous program was brought to you by the Cantors Assembly Ambassador Program, which brings a Shabbat experience with a cantor to small synagoges which would otherwise not be able to afford such a weekend. Todah Rabbah to Tammy Kempner, who cooked a wonderful Shabbat dinner, and to Joyce Gandelman, who made the kiddush lunch, and to Liz Trauring and Marlene Gonsalves, who assisted behind the scenes. And, of course, a heartfelt thanks to Hazzan Howard Shalowitz, who shared his knowledge and wonderful baritone voice with us. -- Laura Biewer Did You Know ... ... that the intricate pieces of choreography practiced during our worship services can bring us even more feelings of holiness than our words alone? For example, when many of us take three steps backward and then three more forward immediately preceding the Amidah, it can feel as though we are leaving a mundane space, even for a moment, and entering one of peace and holiness. Some believe that, upon taking these steps, we are emulating the steps taken back when we witnessed the thunder and fire on Mount Sinai. Others liken them to the approach to an audience with a monarch. Whatever your interpretation, adding our bodies to our words can truly make our prayer experience a more complete and meaningful one. End to Credit Cards After a six-month trial, we have determined that it is not cost effective for CBS to accept credit cards. We will no longer be processing automatic dues payments via credit card. Thank You Thank you to Lyn Rabinovitz for her help with little jobs around the office, and to Tammy Kempner for her help with the mailing of the May bulletin. If you are available to volunteer to help with the bulletin, we are always looking for helpers. Contributions Thank you for your donations or contributions. Please make all checks out to CBS, Congregation Beth Shalom, or USY, and use the memo portion to note the fund you are contributing to. [The bank is beginning to object to other names on checks.] Todah Rabbah! "Get Well" Information Needed If you know of a congregant who is ill or in the hospital, please help us include them for calls, visits, and the speedy recovery list by letting the office staff know. Please remember that hospitals are not permitted to share information with the public, including the synagogue. Are You Getting Our Weekly eMail? If you are not getting our weekly CBS email, let me tell you what you might be missing. Our weekly email is sent out on Thursdays, and includes yartzets observed, weekly activities, a Torah summary, congregational "get well" list, and special announcements. If you would like to be added to this list, please contact Laura Biewer (cbslaurab@sbcglobal.net or 571-6060). Don't miss another week! Inkjet Cartridge Recycling Program Thank you for your past support and we hope that more of you will think of recycling your used ink jet cartidges by placing them in the recycling bin in the foyer. Scrip News We carry O'Brien's, Gottschalks, Richland Market, and Starbucks. These are in stock and available for purchase. Safeway and Macy's If you shop at Safeway or Macy's, we ask that you consider registering your store cards with escrip. Every time you make a purchase, you generate a percentage of your purchase for CBS. SaveMart If you shop at SaveMart, please register for a SHARES card. Forms are available in the foyer or call the CBS office and we will mail one to you. If you have any questions on any of these programs, please call the CBS office at 571-6060.

Previous newsletters are here.

June 2007 / Sivan-Tammuz 5767

Klezmer on the Bay Dinner Cruise

Join fellow klezmer lovers on Sunday, June 10 for an unforgettable evening of music, dinner and dancing, on board the beautiful Royal Prince ferry. Price ($45 for JCC members; $50 public) includes kosher-style dinner, cruise, entertainment, and first drink.

The ferry boards from two locations: Sausalito passengers board at Golden Gate Ferry at 5:45 p.m. (return at approx. 8:15 p.m.). All other passengers board at Pier 43 1/2 in San Francisco at 6:45 p.m. (return at approx. 9 p.m.). For more information about the cruise call 650-212-PJCC (7522). For more information about klezmer and Yiddish activities, see the KlezCalifornia website at www.klezcalifornia.org.

Cafe Shalom 2007

What a wonderful, relaxing day for Cafe Shalom! The weather was beautiful, the music and dancing very entertaining, and the atmosphere was relaxed and "kicked back," as one person described it.

At our recent annual meeting, I mentioned that Cafe Shalom "runs itself." I guess what I should have said is that, with all the help of the congregation, it seems to run itself. This was a very pleasant experience for me and I thank everyone who helped make it so.

This year we served 810 meals. Thanks to Valli Israels for organizing the volunteers. Thanks to Bergen Filgas, who suggested the design for our t-shirts, and to Jacob Biewer for creating the design. Starbucks -- watch out!

Victor Meissonnier and Tammy Kempner were in charge of our Bake Shop this year and did a tremendous job of getting people to come on Sunday mornings to bake our goodies. We made more money this year in the Bake Shop than we have in many years. Congratulations, Victor! I hear you are already making plans for running the Bake Shop again next year!

Many thanks to Loren Gonella and Anthony Gonsalves, who once again raised of $7000 in sponsorships this year. To date, we have raised approximately $18,000 after expenses, but there are still some members who have not sent in their ticket money--so please do so as soon as possible.

I would like to thank all the committee chairs for a great job: Joan Guerra for Take Out; Bette Rubin-Smith and Ann Johnson for managing the kitchen; Anthony Gonsalves for food and supply acquisition; Lara Brotslaw for teaching and organizing the dancing; Andra Greenwald, Tom Gough and Morrie Kirschen for conducting the sanctuary tours and Morrie for getting Foster Farms to donate all the orange juice. Thanks to Anne Porteous for organizing the silent auction; Elsa McCoy for running the raffle; Joel Youngheim for publicity; Mark Haskett for the program; Eli Lester for the sound system; Celia Angel for decorations; Marlene Gonsalves for the signs; Linda Goodman for finance; Gloria Ringsby for advance ticket sales; Laura Biewer and Kelly & Marianne Villalobos for the new membership booth; Deborah Steinberg for Club Cafe Shalom; and all of you who helped, either in the weeks before Cafe Shalom or on the day of the event.

As I have written this article, I notice that many of the names of the committee chairs are the same as in previous years. We had many new volunteers this year and I would like to encourage every one of you to become more involved next year and possibly chair a committee. I would like to see the current chairpeople mentor a new member, so that in a few years, the new member can take over for many of our current chairs who no longer have children in the Religious School. These people continue to run these committees for their love and devotion to our congregation, and I thank you so much for your hard work.

I have received some tremendous suggestions to improve Cafe Shalom for next year. We will be having a wrap-up meeting within the next few weeks, so please watch your e-mails for the date.

Thank you, everyone, for your hard work and for making Cafe Shalom another successful fund-raising event for our Religious School!

-- Joyce Gandelman

Thank You to All of You Volunteers!

I appreciated everyone's willingness to work toward making Cafe Shalom a success. As a Sunday School parent, I personally am grateful to everyone who helped with this year's festival. Know that your efforts and cooperation are very appreciated!

I'm sure I must have omitted someone's name, and for that I apologize. Please know that we are grateful!

-- Valli Israels Mendlin

Hosts (and Set-Up and Clean-Up): Doreen Goldman, Loren Gonella, Morrie Kirschen, Gloria Ringsby, Kenni Friedman, Todd Aaronson, Barbara Rubin, Buzz Cohn, Scott, Josh & Jacob Biewer

Bake Shop: Victor Meissonnier(chair), Barbara Angel, Laney Grose, Joann Betschart, Carol Kailes, Susan Howard, Tammy Kempner, Nancy Blanekship, Elsa McCoy

Ticket Sales: Dennis Goodman, Eve Quesada, Linda Gough

Waiters & Bussers: Al Angel, Lou Friedman, Gary Kailes, Arkady Shmorgon, Avi Brotslaw, Rochelle Rosen (post sales), Phil Trompetter, Gary Shmorgon, Becca Brotslaw, Aleah Gonsalves, Marissa Goodman, Eric Grose. Andrew Gonsalves, Rachel Xavier, Naftali Wayne

Kids Activities: Deborah Steinberg, Heather Doyle, Laura Skolnick

Kitchen: Steve Schwimmer, Miriam Bermann, Barbara Rubin, Taunya Schwimmer, Joseph Bermann, Rochelle Rosen, Ross Redding,Harold & Bette Rubin-Smith, Ann Johnson

Bartenders: Keith Highiet, Louis Levin, Gloria Ringsby

Take Out: Joan Guerra, Susan Podolsky

Raffle: Elsa McCoy, Jane Pascal, Sabina Villalobos, Hannah Hyden

Saturday Set-Up: Taunya Schwimmer, Steve Schwimmer, Celia Angel, Loren Gonella

Saturday Food Preparation: Keith Highiet, Loren Gonella, Andra Greenwald, Al & Barbara Angel, Dan Brotslaw, Flo Loeffler, Elsa McCoy, Tracy Micheli

Decorations: Celia Angel, Flo Loeffler

Sanctuary Tours: Tom Gough, Andra Greenwald, Morrie Kirschen

Membership Table: Kelly Villalobos, Marianne Villalobos, Laura Biewer

Foster Farms Pickup: Loren Gonella, Morrie Kirschen, Dennis Goodman

Saturday Pickup from Stratford Home: Harvey Highiet

Parking: Mike Loeffler, David Bermann

Silent Auction: Anne Porteous, Gloria Ringsby

Food Acquisition: Anthony Gonsalves

Finance: Linda Goodman

Religious School News

Dear Families,

The end of the CBS Religious School year has arrived, but our job continues for preparations for the fall. I want to thank the Religious Education Committee: Laura Skolnick, Kelly Villalobos, Linda Gough, Marla Kitzmann, Mary Drabkin, and Eve Quesada, for their time and support this year. We will continue to meet during the summer to make our education program better for the coming school year.

I have commitments from many teachers for another year, so our new educators line up will be revealed soon! We are definitely losing one of our Hebrew teachers, Avi Brotslaw. Avi has been our Aleph teacher for the past couple of years and we are losing him to college, of all places. Mazel Tov, Avi! We are all very proud of you and wish you well at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. May your cup "runneth over."

Our children once again did a fantastic job bringing tzedaka money each week to Sunday School. I don't have the dollar count, but we completed a grand mitzvah with their pocked change. We made and donated 65 mitzvah bags to the Redwood Family Center. These bags were filled with snacks and activities, and once again put smiles on many kids' faces who needed our help in repairing the world. I also want to send a BIG thank you to Dick Henriksen for rolling all our tzedaka money to go to the bank! Thank you, Dick, for all your time and love you give to CBS each week.

Cafe Shalom was a HUGE success again this year, thanks to all of YOU. As you know, this event is to raise money to keep our school fees low, educate our children, and to give financial help for regional youth activities. Every year we need all hands on deck, so mark your calendars for next year, Sunday, May 4, 2008! The help of our children was outstanding! Whether they were dancing, bussing tables, selling raffle tickets, or writing name tags, everyone contributed to this community effort and made it a beautiful day!

Please feel free to contact me anytime throughout the summer with questions, resource needs, and suggestions, or to share something wonderful your child or grandchild should be recognized for.

Have a safe summer, filled with family fun!

Shalom,
Marlene Gonsalves

Remember, half of every subscription to J- will go to Congregation Beth Shalom. See your Bulletin for details.

Oneg Shabbat Hosts

June 1 -- Naftali Wayne Bar Mitzvah.
June 8 -- Flo Loeffler & Keith Highiet families.
June 15 -- Guerra & Klain families.
June 22 -- Gale Orland & Wedegartner families.
June 29 -- Board Installation.

Thank you for participating. Please remember to include fruit as an alternative dessert.

Choir

If you are interested in singing with the choir for the High Holy Days, we will begin rehearsals in August. Please contact Laura Biewer for more information.

Scholar-in-Residence Weekend

Our scholar-in-residence weekend was an amazing experience! My head is swimming from the many nuances I learned about davenning. Hazzan Shalowitz introduced many new melodies to CBS. His program on Saturday evening about Jewish music was interesting, and again, so much new information shared! On Sunday morning, a small group gathered for coffee and bagels as we learned about our connection to the Gregorian civil calendar and how the Jewish calendar works.

Of course, he burst my bubble when we learned that the familiar melody to V'ne'emar is from "Three Blind Mice," and BaYom haHu is from "The Farmer in the Dell."

This fabulous program was brought to you by the Cantors Assembly Ambassador Program, which brings a Shabbat experience with a cantor to small synagoges which would otherwise not be able to afford such a weekend. Todah Rabbah to Tammy Kempner, who cooked a wonderful Shabbat dinner, and to Joyce Gandelman, who made the kiddush lunch, and to Liz Trauring and Marlene Gonsalves, who assisted behind the scenes.

And, of course, a heartfelt thanks to Hazzan Howard Shalowitz, who shared his knowledge and wonderful baritone voice with us.

-- Laura Biewer

Did You Know ...

... that the intricate pieces of choreography practiced during our worship services can bring us even more feelings of holiness than our words alone? For example, when many of us take three steps backward and then three more forward immediately preceding the Amidah, it can feel as though we are leaving a mundane space, even for a moment, and entering one of peace and holiness.

Some believe that, upon taking these steps, we are emulating the steps taken back when we witnessed the thunder and fire on Mount Sinai. Others liken them to the approach to an audience with a monarch. Whatever your interpretation, adding our bodies to our words can truly make our prayer experience a more complete and meaningful one.

End to Credit Cards

After a six-month trial, we have determined that it is not cost effective for CBS to accept credit cards. We will no longer be processing automatic dues payments via credit card.

Thank You

Thank you to Lyn Rabinovitz for her help with little jobs around the office, and to Tammy Kempner for her help with the mailing of the May bulletin. If you are available to volunteer to help with the bulletin, we are always looking for helpers.

Contributions

Thank you for your donations or contributions. Please make all checks out to CBS, Congregation Beth Shalom, or USY, and use the memo portion to note the fund you are contributing to. [The bank is beginning to object to other names on checks.] Todah Rabbah!

"Get Well" Information Needed

If you know of a congregant who is ill or in the hospital, please help us include them for calls, visits, and the speedy recovery list by letting the office staff know.

Please remember that hospitals are not permitted to share information with the public, including the synagogue.

Are You Getting Our Weekly eMail?

If you are not getting our weekly CBS email, let me tell you what you might be missing. Our weekly email is sent out on Thursdays, and includes yartzets observed, weekly activities, a Torah summary, congregational "get well" list, and special announcements.

If you would like to be added to this list, please contact Laura Biewer (cbslaurab@sbcglobal.net or 571-6060). Don't miss another week!

Inkjet Cartridge Recycling Program

Thank you for your past support and we hope that more of you will think of recycling your used ink jet cartidges by placing them in the recycling bin in the foyer.

Scrip News

We carry O'Brien's, Gottschalks, Richland Market, and Starbucks. These are in stock and available for purchase.

Safeway and Macy's
If you shop at Safeway or Macy's, we ask that you consider registering your store cards with escrip. Every time you make a purchase, you generate a percentage of your purchase for CBS.

SaveMart
If you shop at SaveMart, please register for a SHARES card. Forms are available in the foyer or call the CBS office and we will mail one to you.
If you have any questions on any of these programs, please call the CBS office at 571-6060.