From The President

October 2009/5770 -- Happy New Year!

I hope that this year's High Holy Day services were as fulfilling to you as they were to me. It was very nice to have both a Rabbi and a Cantor on the bima this year.

But our holidays are not over yet. Hopefully, as you are reading this month's Bulletin you are making plans to come to Sukkot services and join us for oneg under the Sukkah. It has been said that praying and eating go hand-in-hand in our religious observances, so we are making every effort to live up to that creed.

For example, this year, as part of our Sukkot celebrations we will have a bar-b-que under the sukka on Sunday October 4 after our services. Everyone is welcome.

Then, on Sunday, October 11, we will provide delicious edibles as we dance around the synagogue in observance of Simchat Torah with the religious school, when we celebrate the completion of the reading of the Torah as our cycle begins again. If you would like to help with any of these delicious holidays, please contact the Office.

Speaking of "helping out," if you did not return your volunteer appeal card, it is not too late. There is an opportunity for each and every member of our congregation to get involved with the synagogue and do a mitzvah. If you're not sure what you want to do or how your talents can be used at CBS, just ask. We want to involve you in our shul as each of our members take "ownership" of a project or mitzvah, or just make a commitment to help make minyan on Shabbat. Whatever it is that you want to contribute to make CBS a warm and welcoming center for Jewish life in Modesto we want to know about it, and we encourage you to get involved.

The upcoming year will be filled with many opportunities for everyone to get involved with CBS. I hope to see each and every one of you at some time during the year or speak with you on the phone. My phone is always on for your calls or comments, and I urge you to call me if you want to talk about anything that is happening at CBS.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year,

From the Religious School

Shanah Tovah!

What a blur of activity we've experienced these past few weeks! The start of religious school, new teachers, new programs, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot preparations, and much more.

The good news is that the kids are all excited about the programs and instructional process. We had wonderful participation from the students at Rosh Hashanah in both services. Everyone had a chance to experience Rabbi Moldo's service, the cantor's chanting, and the shofar blowing.

Personally, I can't thank the parents enough for their support and participation.

We have a few new faces in the religious school and we will all celebrate their joining the journey of Jewish Education at our Simcha Torah celebration. We also have a new teacher, Nir Vegvizer, who brings a unique level of knowledge and enthusiasm to the school. So, mark your calendar and join us on the morning of October 11th as we celebrate Am Yisrael's receipt of the Torah and our welcoming these students to their Jewish Journey.

Of special note is our board's commitment to starting some form of a "kinder-care" or pre-school program for families with children under 5. Keep checking your email and this newsletter for more information. We have a had a generous donation waiting for a pre-school program to be launched and this may be just the right opportunity for us to get started! This program will be designed with parents in attendance, more social, to start before we begin a journey of the legal process for an official pre-K program.

Once again, Shanah Tovah and thank you so much for your support, participation and well wishes as the religious school moves into what will be a great year!

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