ETZETERA - OCTOBER 2023

Clergy

Rabbi Ari Averbach

Interim Cantor Kenny Ellis

Associate Chaplain Benny Sommerfeld

Rabbi Emeritus Richard Spiegel

Rabbi Emeritus Shimon Paskow

Staff

Executive Director Gideon Manzur

Early Childhood Education Director Debbie Blumenthal

Religious School Director Joyce Bronstein

Early Childhood Education Asst. Director Keri Loventhal

Programming & Youth Director Cindy Goldberg

Office Manager Shane Silverstein

ECE Administrative Assistant Linda Starr

RS Administrative Assistant Sarah Karamas

Membership Services Jessica Jacoby

Clergy Assistant Jill Rosenberg

Musical Director Mariano Dugatkin

Board of Directors

President Eric Feigenbaum

Executive Vice President Felicia Toporoff

Immediate Past President Shari Mark

Treasurer Shira Soria

Recording Secretary Rachael Pugh

VP, Building & Grounds Dan Wachs

VP, Early Childhood Education Chad Hampton

VP, Personnel & Legal Josh Hopstone

VP, Project Funding Wendy Margolis*

VP, Religion & Worship Cheryl Wolf

VP, Religious School Education Adya Riss

VP, Social Action Pam Friedman

VP, Youth Ilana Sweet

Trustee, Bingo Arnie Blitstein

Trustee, Governance Steve Plotkin

Trustee, Programming Dan Lubetkin

Trustee, Sustainability Ely Jacobsohn

President, Men’s Club Irwin Barney

President, Women of TEC Linda Hutchings

Past President, Board Member Sherri Finn-Werber

Past President, Board Member Gary Katz

Past President, Board Member Myles Simpson

Past President, Board Member Marshall Scherr

*Past President

Join us as we invite Lori Gottlieb to TEC. Lori is the best-selling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and the co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast. This event will be moderated by Rabbi Ari Averbach.

SUNDAY, NOV. 12, 2023

Doors open 6:15pm Event begins promptly at 7:00pm

 VIP Tickets

 General Admission

*A purchase of a VIP ticket includes a private dinner with Lori prior to the event.

Rabbi Ari Averbach

rabbiaverbach@templeetzchaim.org

Zeh HaYom Asah Ado’nai, Nagila V’nism’ha Vo – This is the day the Lord made, let’s rejoice in it and be happy.

It’s probably a favorite line of most clergy. We sing these words every day of Sukkot, and every time we do Hallel (a group of Psalms sung on certain holidays). But it’s also a key theme of Judaism. People like to sum up Jewish holidays as, “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat.” However, that is a misrepresentation of most of Judaism. Yes, some holidays fall into that category (most notably Hanukkah and Purim). But so many of our celebrations are centered on finding joy in the everyday.

We sing these words on such occasions as each new moon. Judaism is aware that life is complicated and sometimes heartbreaking. And our ancestors found countless reasons to celebrate – not just when we escaped persecution.

Creation is renewed every single day, and we have a chance to find something holy in that monotony. Maybe it is taking those five minutes to watch the sun set or to observe an insect do its important work as it carries a leaf across a branch.

Find something that reminds you that today is a special day and do something to celebrate it. No matter how small.

Benny Sommerfeld, Chaplain

benny@templeetzchaim.org

Chag Sameach! I hope the holiday season has been rewarding for you and your family. This is my first column as part of the clergy team at Temple Etz Chaim as your Chaplain. What does the Chaplain do? My main task is to nurture the spiritual wellbeing of TEC in partnership with Rabbi Averbach. That includes adult education; visits to the hospital; connecting with congregants who are part of our Misheberach list; helping make your lifecycle events more spiritual for all family members; participating in Minyan of comfort; etc. You find my office next to Rabbi Averbach’s in the administrative wing at TEC. Come in and say hello, I welcome your visits.

The new year has begun, and we are about to kick off our adult education programs. Adult B’nai Mitzvah will start on October 15. I would encourage anyone who would like to do a Re-B’nai Mitzvah

to sign up too. This will give you another opportunity to experience this milestone as an adult. The program is going to run for a year and end in the fall of next year. This fall sessions are focused on brushing up your Hebrew skills, taught by Gail Simpson. If you feel that your knowledge base is already up to par, then you can choose to read Torah, starting a Torah trope class. In January we will continue with Judaica, prayers and Torah reading. You will discover the inner secrets of our prayers, their structure and meaning. There will be a second opportunity for the B’nai Mitzvah class to learn Trope later during next year’s sessions as well.

Contact me and sign up if you are interested, it will be a memory for life. Rabbi Averbach and I are looking forward to seeing many of you in class.

Eric Feigenbaum, President eric@templeetzchaim.org

This year’s High Holidays were full and really felt like everyone was FINALLY back together – in our newly remodeled sanctuary. In recent months Temple Etz Chaim has added more than 30 new families. We are incredibly blessed to be growing and thriving at a time when many Conservative congregations cannot say the same.

Why are we thriving? There’s no doubt our award-winning Religious School and bursting-at-the-seams Early Childhood Education Center play a huge role in our appeal to families. Certainly, our position as the largest shul of any kind from Calabasas to Ventura and Thousand Oaks to Simi Valley also plays a part. I would also like to think our very active community with lots of diverse programming attracts and engages people.

Of course, the work to keep TEC thriving is never done. Now that we have Chaplain Benny in place to support the Rabbi and all of us in our clerical needs, our Clergy Search Committee will continue its work to find us a musical leader, most likely in the form of a Cantor. Having a new musical face to TEC will be an important part of our appeal, growth, and future.

Programming-wise, we have a few big things to watch for including

the next of our Global Thought Leaders Series: Lori Gottlieb, author of Maybe You Should Talk To Someone who will be coming to our campus on November 12th. Tickets are now available at TEC-TO. ORG/LORI-GOTTLIEB.

On Sunday November 19th we will also have the first in a series of courses offered to us by our new Sister Synagogue in Hania, Crete – Temple Etz Hayyim. The incredible people who restored this synagogue after the complete annihilation of Crete’s Jews in 1944 will be teaching classes on culture, Cretan Judaism, Jewish history of the Eastern Mediterranean and more. Tuition goes to benefit Temple Etz Hayyim who unlike us has a limited membership base of only 100 congregants, most of whom do not live in Crete year-round. Our partnership involves TEH educating us and TEC supporting a congregation recovering from Holocaust. Contact Cindy Goldberg (cindy@templeetzchaim.org) to learn more or sign up.

One stark difference between TEH and TEC is that they have no children, and we are blessed with more than 500 of them between our two schools. Next time you hear the noise of kids in our hallways, classrooms, lawns, and playgrounds – remember that’s the sound of Jewish life. That’s the ultimate sound of thriving.

Gideon Manzur, Executive Director

gideon@templeetzchaim.org

As we close out Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we swiftly move into Sukkot – one of my favorite holidays. Also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths, Sukkot celebrates the harvest and commemorates the Israelites’ 40-year journey through the desert.

As did our ancestors see a generation change while wandering in the desert, my family too has changed. We have seen the birth of a new generation with my nieces and daughters. We have been through the losses of patriarchs and matriarchs, but no matter the simcha or yagon (sadness), we carry on the traditions passed down from generation to generation (l’dor v’dor) of building and decorating, sharing meals with family and friends, laughing, and sometimes even crying as we remember those whose seats are empty.

For the first 15 years of my life, our Sukkah was a 10’x10’ structure. As kids, aside from eating every meal in our Sukkah, my father, brother, and I would sleep in it in our Star Wars and Transformer

sleeping bags. As time passed, it transformed into a 21’ x 10’ Sukkah that would house over 30 people. The sukkah was adorned with hand-crafted decor. What started as gluing colorful construction paper together to make rings that my dad would hang around the perimeter was soon replaced by old magazines pages stapled together. Over the years, artwork that my brother and I created at Hebrew or public school was happily replaced by our kids’ artwork or a yearly photo of each grandkid showing the progression of their ages as they helped build the Sukkah each year.

As I turn my gaze to the next generation here at Temple Etz Chaim, I hope our Kehillah will actively participate in the events taking place in our sukkah here at TEC. I encourage everyone to bring artwork to help decorate the walls of the Sukkah and attend the weeks’ worth of meaningful events taking place. I look forward to shaking the lulav and etrog with you.

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot is one of our favorite festivals around the preschool. The children love to hear the stories of how the Israelites traveled far and wide and how they built their huts in the desert as they traveled towards the Promised Land. Next to hearing the stories of the huts, they love to build and decorate their own sukkot.

During the weeklong holiday, the classes will enjoy decorating the sukkah and eating lunch in the huge Temple Etz Chaim sukkah. Miss Bobbie is sure to teach us many songs about hanging fruit in the sukkah and waving the lulav and etrog. This holiday of Sukkot will help to reinforce friendship, outdoor nature experiences, and enrich our Jewish education.

Some other fun activities in the month of October will include but not be limited to a school-wide field trip to the Underwood Farms, a Simchat Torah celebration, fall curriculum, nature walks, gardening, music with Miss Bobbie, and much more.

On Friday, October 20th, our Pre-K children will sing at our

ECE Tot Shabbat service starting at 6:00 p.m. Dinner will be offered for $36.00 per family. Look for registration information on brightwheel.

Parent & Me classes have started! If you are interested in meeting other parents with young children, enjoying fun music and stories, developmentally appropriate play, and discussions on parenting topics, call the school office at 805-497-6852 for more information.

The Parents of Temple Etz Chaim (PTEC) also has activities planned this month for parents and families. On Wednesday, October 4th from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. there is a Coffee and Chat opportunity for everyone to stop by to have a morning snack and chat with other ECE parents.

On Thursday, October 12, a Paint Night is planned at Tarantula Hill. Lastly, this month there will be a PTEC Family Movie Night here at Temple Etz Chaim on Sunday, October 15th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

joyce@Templeetzchaim.org

While attending High Holiday services this year, I was surprised, pleased, and extremely moved by the many former Religious School students who shared with me their positive memories of their years growing up at Temple Etz Chaim. Each one smiled from ear to ear as they reminisced about their days as students in the Religious School. They loved the remodeled sanctuary, but where was the counter where the girls would hang out in the women’s restroom? These students, now professionals, continued to tell me many stories, which I loved listening to. Many have their own families, and I enjoyed meeting their spouses and kvelling over their children. Seeing so many of these families returning to this area and joining TEC is fantastic. L’Dor V’Dor.

In November, we look forward to being part of Mitzvah Day. We will collect specific school and art supplies to benefit the children at Casa Pacifica. In addition, we sincerely ask TEC families to donate

money to offset the cost of the school backpacks we purchase for these supplies. On Mitzvah Day, Religious School students in grades k-7 will fill the backpacks with the new school supplies. Students will also create and decorate cards for the children receiving the backpacks. Ultimately, 60 filled backpacks will be donated to children at Casa Pacifica. This project is unique because it is handson and actively involves all our students. Watching students’ faces as they participate in this Mitzvah project is very moving.

I am proud of the dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm our students and parents demonstrate as they participate in this Mitzvah Day Project —everyone’s efforts to reach out to the community and help others reflect our Jewish values. Let us always remember to participate in Mitzvot and help others. Assisting others creates wonderful feelings inside each of us. Please participate in this worthwhile and important Mitzvah!!!

Debbie Blumenthal, Early Education Director

Joyce Bronstein, Religious School Director

Goldberg, Programming & Youth Director

Shana Tova! It was so great to see so many of you throughout the holidays! Thank you to all who helped make September so special!

We are in the home-stretch of the High Holiday season. To help our community members cope with all the feelings that come with holidays, and to build our overall mental health, we are beginning a new program on October 4 at 11 AM.

Wellness Wednesdays is a series of 4 sessions designed to help build connections and skills to improve overall mental wellbeing and facilitated by Lori Oberman, MA, MFT, License #45608. Funded in part by a grant from the USCJ, this 4-week group experience is free for our congregants.

Ice Cream brings us together! On October 7, join us for a Simchat Torah Ice Cream Social at 5:15 PM, fun and flag-waving services at 6:15 pm and followed by Havdalah. Please RSVP and select your Little Calf Creamery ice cream flavor. RSVP HERE: http://tec-to.org/simchat-torah-2023.

October 15, at 9:45 AM, join Rabbi Averbach for a Taste of Judaism. Drop your students off at Religious School (or join after minyan). Come for coffee, stay for the conversation.

Please join us in the Wolfson and on the Warren Lawn on Sunday, October 29 at 9:45 AM for an Inclusive Schmooze. The TEC Inclusion Committee would love for you to share your thoughts on ways TEC can be a more inclusive, more welcoming community to all of our members.

And at long last, Adam and Sammy have planned great kickoff lounges for our Machar, Kadima, and Middle School (MS) TECY/ USY this month:

• October 10 Kadima from 6:15 – 7:45 PM

• October 15 Machar from 11:30 AM– 1 PM

• October 22 MS TECY/USY 11:30 AM – 1 PM

All lounges will be held immediately following Religious School. Lunch or dinner will be served as part of the events.

Cindy

Tashlich at the Beach, Sunday, September 17th

TEC Community

Linda Hutchings, President, Women of TEC

We had a wonderful time at our Torah Fund Ice Cream Social Event and are looking forward to having you join us at our upcoming events. Please make sure to have wotecnews@gmail.com set as a safe sender so you can receive our Constant Contact updates.

Please note that Membership Dues are free to all first year temple members. All Membership Dues for returning members are due to be paid in full by end of September: $43 for regular members and $30 for Seniors (age 62 and up).

If you are not receiving our Constant Contact updates, please email me directly to be added to the email list. Also, if you have any changes you want noted in our membership booklet, please let me know.

If you want to get involved, have suggestions for events or ever have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. Also, please help us prepare for our Membership Luncheon Raffle—we need the following types of donations: gift cards (any denominations for things like Starbucks, Nordstrom, manicure, massage, etc.), new wallets, handbags, clothing, home decor (new items that have not been used) that we can use to create the beautiful gift baskets for our membership luncheon raffle.

WOTEC Calendar of Events

10/3 Womens League of Conservative Judaism, Pacific Southwest Region Sukkah Event @ Temple Ramat Zion.

Tuesday, 10/3 at 11:30am

11/7 Guest Speaker, Cheryl Wolf. Tuesday evening, 11/7

12/3 Paid Up Membership Luncheon — Save the Date!

Sunday, 12/3 at 12:00pm

1/20 Havdallah & Wine Tasting & Appetizers.

Saturday,1/20 at 5:30pm

2/27 Babka Bake. Tuesday, 2/27 at 6:30 pm

3/24 Volunteer @ Purim Carnival. Sun morning, 3/24

4/14 Beach Sunset & Games Day (Bring your own dinner) Co-Sponsored with Men’s Club. Sunday 4/14

5/5 Friendship Tea (bring a mother/father, daughter/son, sister/brother, niece/nephew, aunt/uncle friend).

Sun, 5/5 at 11:30am

I hope that you had a meaningful and enjoyable High Holiday season. As part of the season, the Men’s Club and WOTEC coordinated services for Shabbat Shuvah on Friday, September 22 and Shabbat Saturday,September 23. Approximately 50 people participated in various parts of the services. Yasher Koach to our Religious Chair Jon Hops for leading this meaningful and important effort and to Cindy Koepcke for her support from WOTEC.

The Men’s Club continued its annual tradition of building the TEC Sukkah on Sunday, September 24. It was a morning of camaraderie and fun. As always, it involved the broader TEC community. The Men’s Club is coordinating an evening of Steak, Scotch, and Torah

study in the Sukkah on Tuesday evening, October 3. Bring your own kosher steak, fish, or parve veggie burger for grilling. The Men’s Club will provide Scotch and other beverages. Rabbi Averbach will guide our Torah study. We invite the entire TEC community to participate.

Our first speaker brunch is scheduled for Sunday, October 22. Be on the lookout for the details in a forthcoming flyer.

As you can see, the Men’s Club has had a busy two months. We have at least one activity or event planned for each month through June of 2024. I hope that you took home one of our bookmarks provided during High Holiday services that identify the various programs and dates.

Irwin Barney, President, Men’s Club

Pam Friedman, VP, Social Action

This year’s Mitzvah Day will be held on Sunday, November 5th. Come together with your Temple family and friends to help those in our community who are in need. The Social Action Committee has planned a variety of activities for you to choose from.

Both TEC and Adat Elohim will be sponsoring our annual Blood Donation Drive. This is truly a life-saving gift to those in need. Please look out for the flyer for information to make an appointment.

Religious School students will be putting together backpacks of school supplies for Casa Pacifica. Casa Pacifica is a non-profit organization that provides residential services and mental health services to children and youth who need support.

Make “Homeless Care Kits” for Harbor House. We will be filling our care kits with items that will provide comfort to those in need of our care. Each kit will have socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, lip balm and more. We will be sending out a Sign Up Genius with a complete list of the items that are needed soon.

Crochet granny squares to make baby blankets. If you do not know

how to crochet, yarn, hooks and loving teachers will be provided. Social Action will donate the baby blankets made at Mitzvah Day to James Store House who supports foster families.

Make lunches for “Feed the Hungry” with WOTEC and Men’s Club. Once again, this year WOTEC and Mens Club will be working together to help you make a PB&J sandwich and lunch for those in need. We need a total of 70 lunches so bring your friends. All the lunches will be dropped off at Harbor House for those who are unhoused and food insecure.

No-sew blankets are a favorite each year. Come join the fun and make a blanket for Senior Concerns and the Conejo Interfaith Refugee Team. Each of these organizations provides wonderful support, the blankets we donate give just a little bit of extra comfort to our senior and refugee families.

We have more surprises waiting for you on Mitzvah Day. Come by and join us for a wonderful day.

Susan Kane, Chairperson, Inclusion Committee

The newly formed Inclusion Committee is committed to making Temple Etz Chaim a safe, welcoming, caring, and inclusive Jewish community for all people, with special respect and understanding for varied religious upbringing, education, level of observance, ethnic origin, skin color, physical or mental limitations, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Our committee is a diverse group of TEC members who care deeply about ensuring that Temple Etz Chaim is welcoming and inclusive of all, both those who are currently connected to our community and those who wish to be connected.

Areas of specific focus for this committee include: Interfaith and Differing Backgrounds, Accessibility Communication, Gender and Sexuality, and Racial Justice.

At Etz Chaim we are grateful for the diverse journeys that bring people to our community which includes those who have been Jewish their whole lives; those who have chosen to join the Jewish people as part of their own spiritual journeys; and interfaith families. We strive to make participation in education, worship, cultural and social activities welcoming and accessible to all. We believe that we are strengthened by the gifts that all members of our community bring, and we extend a warm welcome to those

who are part of our family and fellow travelers in our work to make the world more filled with caring, love and responsibility. We hope that you too will find a place in our community.

Upcoming events include:

Sunday Schmooze: October 29th 9:45 am. Share your thoughts on inclusion at TEC

Jews of Color Shabbat (celebrating Black History Month): February date TBA

Jewish Disability Month Awareness : February programming and dates TBA

Pride Shabbat: June 7th – 8th, 2024

The Inclusion Committee seeks to expand the opportunities for full participation and support by listening to congregants’ needs and experiences so we can advocate for positive changes. We certainly don’t have all the answers, so we are leading with curiosity and welcome your thoughts and suggestions... Where can we improve and what are we doing well...

Email us at Inclusion@templeetzchaim.org

Simchas

Olivia Devine

Congratulations to the Schwager family on the birth of Charlotte

Born on September 15, 2023

Parents: Rachel and Jacob Devine

Grandparents: Nancy and Charles Schwager Eve and Sean Devine

August Riss

October 14

Hi, my name is August Riss, and I am in the 7th grade at Redwood Middle School. I have been at TEC since preschool, which makes this my eleventh year. Besides school and Confirmation, I am a percussionist in the Symphonic and Jazz Bands at Redwood. I also like spending time with my friends and family, and coding and playing various games on my computer. Some people who have helped me through my journey to being a Bar Mitzvah are my parents, my sister Emma, my grandparents, Religious School teachers past and present, Cantor Kenny Ellis, Rabbi Averbach, Joyce Bronstein, and friends. I could not have done it without you all. As I become a Bar Mitzvah, I look forward to being surrounded by my closest friends and family.

Alissa Fireman October 21

Hello, my name is Alissa Fireman, and I am in the 7th grade at La Reina in Thousand Oaks. I have a passion for many activities including art, swim team, basketball, and softball. Most of all, I love socializing with family and friends. At TEC, I enjoy attending confirmation classes and volunteering as an aide. Thank you to Rivka, Rabbi Averbach, Joyce, and all my Religious School teachers for helping me prepare for my Bat Mitzvah.

Emily Katz

October 28

Hi, I am Emily Katz. I was born in Thousand Oaks, and I’ve lived here since I started attending TEC Religious School where I have made so many memories and friends. I am now a seventh grader at Los Cerritos Middle School. I want to thank all my Religious School teachers, Joyce, Sarah, Rabbi Ari, and especially my Bat Mitzvah tutor Cantor Kenny Ellis. My one last big thank you goes to my parents for always being there for me and preparing me for this big day.

Tributes

Barbara & Harvey Scherr Memorial Fund

In Memory of Jacob Pourdavoudi

Behrouz Pourdavoudi

Early Childhood Education Fund

In Memory of Evelyn Levin

Joyce Goldberg

Elisa Feldman Memorial RSSF

In Memory of Annie Rebecca Dubinsky

Jeff Schoenwald

In Memory of Maurice Silverman

In Memory of Rose Axelrad

In Memory of Rose Silverman

Kevin Axelrad

In Memory of Sarah Lederich

Larry & Judy Mayer

In Memory of Eugene Reiser

In Honor of Larry Slomowitz’s Birthday

In Memory of Jerry Kaye

Patricia Kaye

In Memory of Hardy Warren

Richard & Lisa Eidman

Fienberg-Lerner Chapel Minyan Fund

In Memory of Cynthia Lerner

Elinor Fienberg

Jotkowitz Camp Ramah Scholarship Fund

In Memory of Sarah Kern

Harvey Kern

Lipnick RSSF

In Memory of Meyer Levin

Barbara Shannon

Men’s Club

In Honor of Benny Sommerfeld’s Birthday

Patricia Kaye

In Honor of The Marriage of Jonathan Katz and Allison Rapundalo

William & Cynthia Koepcke

Rabbi Averbach’s Discretionary Fund

In Honor of Rabbi Averbach

Bob & Jane Bickerman

In Memory of Dennis Stern

Charles & Terri Stern

In Memory of Carl Shaff

Daniel & Andrea Weiss

In Memory of Jason Hammer

Elliott & Lynne Smith

In Appreciation of Everything Rabbi Averbach did in assisting in George’s conversion.

Forever a wonderful experience for both!

George & Lois Hampton

In Memory of Bernard Axelrad

Kevin Axelrad

In Memory of Lillian Kramer

Linda Natlin

In Honor of Joel & Harriet Shrader’s Anniversary

In Memory of Myron Ross

Patricia Kaye

In Honor of The Birth of Samuel Hanono Dugatkin

In Memory of Yaakov Moscovitch

Rivka Moscovitch

In Honor of The Birth of Samuel Hanono Dugatkin

Robin Oberman

In Memory of Laurie Lacob

Ron & Ellen Stein

In Memory of Kenneth Solovy

Susan Solovy

In Memory of Hardy Warren

Ron & Shari Mark

In Honor of The Birth of Samuel Hanono Dugatkin

William & Cynthia Koepcke

Religious School Fund

In Appreciation of Cindy Goldberg for her Compassion

Brett Molotsky

In Memory of David Novogrodsky

Jessica Dennis

In Memory of Sender Orlin

Sarah Orlin

In Memory of Sender Orlin

Lorne Label

In Memory of George Leshnov

Michael & Janis Leshnov

In Memory of Melvin Wolf

Gary & Randee Paller

Ritual Fund

In Appreciation of Our High Holiday Aliyah

Larry & Judy Mayer

Sandee Tischler RSSF

In Memory of Isaac Edelman

David Wank

Frances Friedman

In Memory of Gladys Ratzan

In Memory of Ben Ratzan

Jerome & Dawne Ratzan

Social Action Fund

In Honor of Feed the Hungry for Harbor House

David Munowitch & Emily Habib

In Honor of Feed the Hungry for Harbor House

Myles & Gail Simpson

In Honor of Feed the Hungry for Harbor House

William & Cynthia Koepcke

In Honor of Feed the Hungry for Harbor House

Patricia Kaye

Temple General Fund

In Honor of Susan Cohen & TEC

David & Diane Wender

In Memory of Frances Portnoy

Ed Portnoy

In Memory of Arlene Levenson

Ellen Zucker

In Honor of The Marriage of Jonathan Katz and Allison Rapundalo

Irwin & Gloria Katz

In Appreciation of the Zelevinikoffs

In Honor of The Marriage of Jonathan Katz and Allison Rapundalo

Jay & Debra Levine

In Memory of Sol Jaffe

Larry Jeffe

In Memory of Sara Zimmerman

Sofia Kobrin

Continued Support of TEC

Russell & Lori Nishimua

In Memory of Ina Levine

Jay & Debra Levine

USY Youth & Scholarship Fund

In Memory of Esther Feldman

Bruce Cohen

Women of TEC Torah Fund

In Honor of Phyllis Dankberg’s Birthday

Patricia Kaye

In Memory of Thelma Smith

Stan & Lynne Rosen

In our evolving world, seek out new tools to better yourself and diminish loneliness in the new year.

Hosted by Lori Oberman, MA, MFT, License #45608.

This free*, four-part series takes place Wednesdays in the Chapel. Please plan to attend all four classes to take advantage of the benefits of the program.

RSVP TODAY

https://tec.shulcloud.com/event/wellness-wednesdays

Secure your spot by Wednesday, 9/27. Seats are limited.

*This event is funded in part thanks to a grant by USCJ's Pacific Southwest Region.

Each night you play, you will be elligible to win a month of FREE bingo. Attend every game night in October to increase your chances to win. To claim a prize, you must be present on the 26th.

IS EQUIPPED WITH WI-FI

SUNDAY SCHMOOZE

Sunday Stick Around and Schmooze with TEC’s new Inclusion Committee

Join

We welcome your thoughts and suggestions on making Temple Etz Chaim a more inclusive and welcoming community by expanding opportunities for full participation. Please join the important conversation around the topic of inclusion at the next Sunday Stick Around and Schmooze. Listening to your experiences and needs will guide us toward advocating for positive changes in areas including:

• Interfaith and Differing Backgrounds

• Gender and Sexuality

• Communication

• Racial Justice

• Accessibility

Questions? Email us at inclusion@templeetzchaim.org

BEGINNING 11.19.23

TEC is connecting with our sibling shul in Hania, Greece - Temple Etz Hayyim – and members of its clergy, leadership (including college professors and historians) and congregation will be teaching an interactive Zoom course to members of our community. This is a 4-part course offered only on Zoom.

Cost for the entire course $180/person

Dates:

Cost for each individual course $54/person

• 11.19. 23: Jewish History of Crete

• 12.3. 23: Jewish Music of Greece

• 12.10.23: Jewish Food in Greece

• 12.17.23: Visual Arts and Memory

Each course will take place 10:30am-11:30am

If you would like to participate but also attend Minyan, please let us know and we will provide a private room on TEC’s campus for you to join via Zoom.

SIGN UP TODAY

http://tec-to.org/hania

Adult Education

Adult Hebrew Class

Starting in October

Join us on Sunday mornings to continue your Jewish journey of adult education. Re-learn read Hebrew from Alef Tav (ת-ﬡ).*

Adult B'nai Mitzvah

Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class

Starting in January

Prepare for a Meaningful Experience, Adult B’nai Mitzvah program classes begin on Sunday mornings January.

Note: The Hebrew class a preparation for the

B’nai Mitzvah program

How Many? I Spy

Fall Fun

Word Scramble

Color by Numbers

Spot 5 Differences