Welcome
AS A CONGREGATION AND SCHOOL dedicated to serving the most diverse and vibrant Jewish community on the national scene, Beth Tfiloh offers an extensive calendar of services, programs and events that is truly unparalleled. There is something for everyone at BT — for adults, families, and children from toddlers to teens — to enrich Jewish learning and to foster a sense of community through our “BT CARES!” social action program. From Shabbat services and Yom Tov celebrations to weekly adult classes for the novice and advanced learner alike, to a vast offering of youth and family programs, Beth Tfiloh is committed to embracing your family’s desire to further explore their love of Judaism from generation to generation. We look forward to being part of your extended family again this year. Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg Mrs. Zipora Schorr Director of Education Sandy Vogel MERCAZ Dahan Center for Jewish Life & Learning Cherie Brownstein Beth Tfiloh Youth Center
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Shabbat at Beth Tfiloh
eth Tfiloh’s weekly Shabbat line-up provides a choice of services with a number of “user friendly” enhancements. A full complement of children’s services, babysitting and the glass-enclosed Rynd Family Room adjacent to the Dahan Sanctuary make the Modern Orthodox service especially attractive to families with young children. The addition of a halachically-approved Tzomet sound system, a mechitza, and increased participation by women are innovations which aim to expand the appeal of this unique house of worship. The BT Minyan service on Shabbat morning and Yomim Tovim provides a participatory service in a more intimate setting to enable Beth Tfiloh to serve the broadest cross section of Modern Orthodoxy. Inspiring “talk of the town” sermons by Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, Rabbi Chai Posner, Rabbi Jonathan Gross, and the melodic baritone of Cantor Avi Albrecht, make Beth Tfiloh’s service truly unique on the American Jewish scene.
Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg
Rabbi Chai Posner
Rabbi Jonathan Gross
Rabbi Chaim Wecker
Cantor Avi Albrecht
For Adults SHABBAT SERVICES take place weekly
at 8:45 am in the Dahan Sanctuary and 9:15 am at the BT Minyan in the Epstein Chapel.
SHABBAT MORNING CLASSES RABBI JONATHAN GROSS AND RABBI CHAIM WECKER
Start Shabbat morning off with two in-depth classes led by Rabbi Wecker at 8:10 am, and led by Rabbi Gross at 8:45 am.
SHABBAT COFFEE CLUB Begin your Shabbat morning with a cup of Starbucks coffee, a delicious nosh and schmoozing before joining in one of our spiritual services together. Coffee Club meets every Shabbat morning in the Spector Board Room from 10-10:30 am.
SHABBAT AFTERNOON CLASS Every Shabbat afternoon our rabbis lead a stimulating session of Torah study 50 minutes before Mincha in the Epstein Chapel. Topics range from Jewish thought to the weekly Parsha to Jewish law. The classes are always interactive, lively, and accessible. Texts are available in English, making this class perfect for everyone: young and old, men and woman, experts and beginners. Mincha and Seudah Shlishit (the third Shabbat meal) follow immediately after the class.
ALIYOT & HONORS To request an aliyah or other honor on Shabbat, holidays or during weekday services, please contact Rabbi Chaim Wecker, Ritual Director, at cwecker@btfiloh.org or 410-413-2218.
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Children, Teens & Families
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eth Tfiloh is blessed with a most dynamic and charismatic team of service leaders for children’s Shabbat & Yom Tov services. At our weekly services, children and teens are engaged at their own level. Our leaders are professionals who love working with your children and sharing their enthusiasm for Shabbat. Come often and make each Shabbat your special family time!
PRESCHOOL COOKIE MINYAN
MIDDLE SCHOOL MINYAN
Our PreSchool Service, “Cookie Minyan” brings together parents and tots in an interactive service led by BT PreSchool teacher Marci Globerman. This weekly service begins at 10:45 am for Shabbat and holidays and engages everyone through song, prayer, stories, activities and a tot friendly kiddush. Regular visits by other teachers and our clergy are an integral part of the morning. Babysitting is available beginning at 10:00 am.
Students in Grades 5-8 and Hebrew School classes Hay and Vav spend Shabbat morning at our weekly Middle School Minyan, led by BT alum Adam Hariri in Room 265. This Minyan gives students the opportunity to spend Shabbat and holidays with friends, reinforce their Hebrew reading and davening skills, and an occasional “Ask the Rabbi” session. Each week includes a delicious and varied kiddush. Grade level Shabbatonim will be held throughout the year through our School.
Special "Enhanced Cookie Kiddushes" for participating families will be held on September 19, November 21, January 9, March 12, and May 14, featuring special guest teachers from our PreSchool.
LOWER SCHOOL KID CONG Kid Cong (Junior Congregation) is a highly participatory service for children in grades K-4 and Hebrew School classes Mechina-Daled that is led by the charismatic, Mr. Brian Singer. His creativity keeps kids engaged and active. Services take place weekly and on holidays from 10:00 to 11:45 am. Our themed Kid Cong will be even more special with these wild and crazy ways to connect to the parshah and holidays.
FAMILY SERVICES Four exciting Family Services will be held this year for Lower School and Hebrew School families. Led by the Clergy along with Mr. Singer, the service will provide an opportunity to participate in the davening as a family and share the joy of seeing how much our children know. Each will be followed by a kiddush to continue the connection. September 27 (first day of Sukkot); December 12 (Shabbat Chanukah); February 27 and April 23 (First day of Pesach).
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MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS SERVICE Middle School girls are invited to join Mrs. Miriam Gross each Shabbat at 10:30 am in Room 264 for a girls-only service. The service will include both prayer and discussion of the meaning of prayer, topical investigations and special shmooze time.
BAR/BAT MITZVAH PROGRAM The Beth Tfiloh B’nai Mitzvah Program has been developed to prepare B’nai Mitzvah students for the responsibilities of Jewish adulthood and provide them and their families with a meaningful and memorable Jewish life-cycle experience. Beth Tfiloh’s B’nai Mitzvah students and their parents meet monthly with Rabbi Wohlberg for family education revolving around synagogue life, rituals and life cycle, and topical issues of current interest. Our rabbis meet individually with students to help personalize and enrich a course of learning leading up to their Bar/Bat Mitzvah in consort with the Bar/Bat Mitzvah teacher. Students also participate in a series of hands-on projects that prepare them to take on adult mitzvot in addition to doing their own mitzvah project. Bar and Bat Mitzvah dates are assigned to children of Beth Tfiloh members at least two years in advance of the calendar year of their 13th birthday. Dates for 2017 and 2018 have been assigned to those who have requested them. For more information on getting an assigned date, please contact Eve Steinberg at 410-413-2251. For questions about programming, please contact Cherie Brownstein at 410-413-2220.
TEEN MINYAN
BABYSITTING
Teen Minyan is a student-led service held in the High School Beit Midrash that allows both young men and women to take part in the Shabbat experience. Services are conducted weekly on Shabbat and on holidays. A special kiddush follows each service, prepared especially for this devoted group of youngsters who will no doubt become our future Minyanaires. Mr. Stan Lustman assists with this service together with a rotation of young adults who provide excellent role models for our students.
Babysitting for children (infant-age 4) is available Shabbat and Yom Tov from 10 am until the end of services by trained teens. Cookie Minyan begins at 10:45 am in the babysitting room.
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MINYAN MEYUCHAD Beth Tfiloh sponsors a monthly Minyan Meyuchad service for special needs teens and adults led by Mrs. Susan Coleman and Mrs. Miriam Rosenberg. Participants take part in an adapted meaningful Shabbat service followed by Shabbat lunch. Signing for the hearing impaired is provided.
BT Cares! The Beth Tfiloh Social Action Committee
ince its formation, the BT Cares Social Action Committee has been making a difference in the lives of so many. Hundreds of BT members and school families have served as volunteers for many worthwhile causes under the direction of Lindsay Gaister ‘02. For the upcoming year, BT Cares will, once again, focus most of its efforts on the fight against homelessness. Projects will include donating H.E.L.P. lunches to Beans and Bread, collecting school supplies during the Governor’s Days to Serve, collecting winter gloves for those in need as part of Community Mitzvah Day, and a variety of hands-on projects to different facilities including Baltimore Station, GEDCO, Helping Up Mission, Beans and Bread, and Paul’s Place. BT Cares will sponsor two “Spread the Love Events” that will benefit senior citizens at Weinberg Park and GEDCO, will serve as a Mitzvah Room Partner for Community Mitzvah Day with The Associated, and will support the 2015 Empty Bowls Program, one of Baltimore’s signature events to raise funds and awareness for the hungry and homeless in our community.
H.E.L.P. LUNCHES: By bringing in bagged lunches or sending an extra lunch with your child/grandchild two Fridays per month, the Homeless Extra Lunch Program (H.E.L.P.) will help support needy families in our area. September 18, October 9, October 23, November 6, November 20, December 18, January 8, January 22, February 5, February 19, March 4, March 18, April 1, April 15, May 6, May 20. No peanut butter, please. Hungry Harvest: Produce with Purpose - Subscribe to receive a weekly bundle of surplus produce from farmers and suppliers, which will include delicious fruits and vegetables. Harvests will be delivered and
ready for pick up on Sunday mornings at Beth Tfiloh. For every bag you receive, an identical bag will be donated to Ahavas Yisrael for a family in need. Options include: $15/week – Mini Harvest, $25/week – Full Harvest, $35/week – Super Harvest. BT Cares and the Beth Tfiloh Sisterhood will host a one-day CLOTHING DRIVE on December 13 to benefit Helping Up Mission, Baltimore Station, Paul’s Place, and Beans & Bread. Casual men’s clothing, including shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, jeans, slacks, button-down shirts, unworn undergarments, belts, shoes, and boots will be collected. MEN’S SHELTER VISITS: The Beth Tfiloh Brotherhood will visit different men’s shelters including Baltimore Station and Helping Up Mission to serve meals and connect with residents. DESSERT DROP-OFFS: The Mercaz Dahan Center is once again teaming up with BT Cares Social Action this year to join in the fight against homelessness. As part of our efforts, Mercaz will have ongoing homebaked dessert drop-off dates where members will be able to bake at home and drop off their delicious treats from 8-10 am in the Weiner Board Room: October 12, December 14, February 1, April 4, June 6. All desserts will benefit the children in the after-school program at Paul’s Place. More specific details regarding all BT Cares Social Action events will be available closer to the dates. For more information or to join the Social Action Committee, please contact Lindsay Gaister at lgaister@btfiloh.org.
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MERCAZ Dahan Center for Jewish Life & Learning WEEKLY AND MONTHLY ADULT CLASSES Living Room Learning
Hebrew Reading Classes
RABBI JONATHAN GROSS
MRS. ELANA VOGEL
This study group meets monthly on Sundays at 7:30 pm at the homes of group members* for lively discussion. The theme for this year is “Rabbis That Make Headlines.” No fee. October 18, November 15, December 20, January 17, February 28, April 3, May 15, June 5
BEGINNER’S CRASH COURSE, 7 PM: Feel more comfortable in shul with this crash course in Hebrew reading. By the end of five weeks you will be reading Hebrew! (Co-sponsored by the National Jewish Outreach program) No Fee.
Mercaz Book Clubs MRS. HALAINE STEINBERG FACILITATOR We are pleased to feature an impressive selection of books of Jewish interest. Read and discuss the season’s best, most thoughtprovoking books. This year’s Book Club is being offered on Mondays at 12:15 pm or Wednesdays at 10:30 am and our selections are: • All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen • The Devil in Jerusalem: A Novel by Naomi Ragen • All I Love and Know: A Novel by Judith Frank • The Luminous Heart of Jonah S. by Gina B. Nahai • The Betrayers: A Novel by David Bezmozgis • The Seven Good Years by Etgar Keret • After Long Silence by Helen Fremont • The UnAmericans: Stories by Molly Antopol Mondays at 12:15 pm: October 26, November 23, December 14, January 25, February 22, March 21, April 11, May 2 Wednesdays at 10:30 am: October 28, November 18, December 16, January 27, February 24, March 16, April 13, May 4
ISRAEL HOT TOPICS MR. HAGGAI LAVIE Join Beth Tfiloh’s Israeli Shaliach, Haggai Lavie, for opportunities to discuss Israel through his eyes. Each session will include a “taste” of Israel. Topics include: “IDF – The Most Moral Army in the World?,” “Israel Politics 101 – Making Sense of the Israeli System,” and “How Do I Plan a Trip to Israel: What to Do and See.” No fee. Mondays, October 12, November 9, December 14, 7:30 pm, off site*
“Best of” Talmud Class RABBI CHAI POSNER In-depth study of some of the most noteworthy sections of the Talmud. Gain insight into the eternal wisdom of the Gemara. Open to men and women of all levels. Meets weekly onTuesdays at 7 pm, October 20 – May 31
INTERMMEDIATE, 8 PM: Enhance your Hebrew reading skills using the Koren Siddur so that you can more fully understand and participate in Shabbat services. Meets weekly on Tuesdays, October 20, 27, November 3, 10, 17
The Lunch Bunch A monthly program providing lunch, entertainment, music and speakers in the company of new and not-so-new friends. Meets monthly at 12 :00 pm on Wednesdays: October 21, November 18, December 16, January 20, No February, March 16, April 13, May 18 and June 15. Fee. Advance reservations required.
Challah-luya - Challah Baking for Shabbat Bake challah like a pro! From start to finish you'll learn how to make, braid and flavor your challah with everything from sesame seeds to chocolate chips. Join Mercaz for all four sessions or individual sessions as we knead, braid and bake challah for Shabbat. 7 pm Special Fees. Sponsored by Mercaz, PA and Sisterhood Wednesday, October 7: The Basics of Making Challah Dough Thursday, November 12: Braiding and Easy Pull-Apart Challah Tuesday, December 1: Intricate Braiding Monday, January 26: Artisanal Challah - Different Flavors (Whole Wheat, Cinnamon-raisin, gluten-free, etc.)
The Larry Katz Downtown Lunch & Learn RABBI CHAI POSNER BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! The theme for this year will be “If Abraham Were Around Today…” Abraham was perhaps the single most influential person in history. By studying his life we can glean invaluable insights for ourselves at work and at home. Meets offsite* the first Thursday of the month, 12–1 pm: October 8 (special date), November 5, December 3, January 7, February 4, March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2. (Bring your own lunch, beverages will be provided.)
Tehillim? I Barely Know ‘Em! RABBI JONATHAN GROSS You say Tehillim every single day, but have you ever stopped to think about what they really mean? Now’s your chance! Join us every Thursday night for a literary analysis, a historical perspective, and a spiritual dimension that will transform the way you pray. No Fee. Meets weekly at 7:30 pm on Thursdays offsite* except for Jewish and legal holidays. *Address to be provided to participants
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MERCAZ Dahan Center for Jewish Life & Learning ADVANCED JEWISH LEARNING The Seymour Yaffe Scholars Program for Advanced Jewish Learning Seymour “Siggy” Yaffe, past President of Beth Tfiloh Congregation, was a most beloved and respected member of Beth Tfiloh. This year’s theme is “Responsa that Changed the World.” Special fees apply. Schedule: Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm for dinner (beginning 11/18), followed by the Shiur at 7:00 pm. October 14 - Stanley Z. Penn Lecture, 7:30 pm October 21 - 7 pm, Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, Fall Semester; 8 pm, Ms. Jennifer Grayson (JHU PhD Candidate), “The Social and Political Context of Geonic Responsa, 9th-11th C.” October 28 - 7 pm, Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, Fall Semester; 8 pm, Ms. Jennifer Grayson, “Geonic Responsa from Iraq, 9th-11th C.” November 4 - 7 pm, Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, Fall Semester; 8 pm, Ms. Jennifer Grayson, “Responding to the Heresy of the Karaites, from Spain to Baghdad, 9th-11th C.” November 11 - 7 pm, Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, Fall Semester; 8 pm, Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, “Halachot of Shul Mechitza” November 18 - Rabbi Chai Posner, “Relating to the Other: Non-Orthodox” December 2 - Rabbi Avraham Shmidman (Lower Merion Synagogue, Philadelphia), Topic TBA December 9 - Rabbi Chai Posner, “Relating to the Other: Non-Jewish” December 16 - Mrs. Laura Shaw Frank, “Responsa Affecting Women” January 13 - Rabbi Binyomin Marwick (Shomrei Emunah), “The Use of Timers on Shabbat” January 20 & 27 - Rabbi R. Susan Grossman (Beth Shalom, Columbia, MD), “Partial-Birth Abortion” and “Women Serving as Witnesses and Judges in Jewish Law” February 3 - Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman (National Synagogue), “Breastfeeding in Shul” February 10 - Rabbi Ross Singer (Maale Gilboa, Israel), “Responsa on the Topic of War: Rabbi Shaul Yisrael Contrasted with R. Goren” February 17 - Rabbi Jonathan Gross, “The Conversion Debate” February 24 & March 2 - Rabbi Moshe Hauer (Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion), “Pidyon Shevuyim: Ancient Captives, Modern Criminals, Ransom, Prisoner Exchanges in Israel” March 9 - Rabbi Nissan Antine (Beth Shalom, Potomac, MD), “End of Life and Jewish Law” March 16 - Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt (Schara Tzedeck, Vancouver), “Rabbinic Midconduct and Anticipating a Teshuvah from Beit Din of America on the Status of R. Barry Freundel's Converts” March 30 & April 6 - Rabbi Jonathan Gross, Topic TBA April 13 - Rabbi Menachem Leibtag, “Does God Write Responsa?: The Questions Posed to Moshe that Only God Could Answer” May 4 - Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot (Yeshivat Chovevei Torah), “Civil Marriage in Jewish Law: The American Experience in Responsa Literature” May 11* - Rabbi Moshe Goldfeder (Emory Law), “Animals in Jewish Law” May 18* - Rabbi Steven Exler (Hebrew Institute), “The Next Frontier of Jewish Identity: Contemporary Responsa Wrestling with Transgender Personhood” May 25* - Rabbi Moshe Goldfeder, “Can Robots be Counted in a Minyan?”
BT in the AM Inspire your thinking and creativity through courses rich with ideas and text study touching on every aspect of modern Jewish life. Enrollment is open to Jewish men and women from all backgrounds and learning levels. This premier Jewish learning program consists of three sessions with a choice of outstanding classes: Choose one class in each time period to attend for the year. Connecting the Haftorah with the Weekly Parsha 9 am - Talented Beth Tfiloh staff will summarize the Haftorah and show its connection with the weekly Torah portion. Are We Coming or Going? The Present Dilemma for Europe’s Jews, Dr. Lester Vogel 9 am - A look at the national histories of various European Jewish communities shows a cyclical ebb and flow nearly everywhere. While postHolocaust Jewish life in Europe feels mounting pressure to leave, the longer 1,500 year view shows we've already been there, done that ... and then came back again and again.
Dr. Lester Vogel
Moments That Matter and Make Us What We Are (Women only) Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg / Mrs. Zipora Schorr 10 am - The first 3,500 years of the history of our people–from the story of creation to the story of Ezra–are related in the Bible. But what has happened since? Explore the many momentous events that make us Jews what we are today. Israel & the Media, Mr. Phil Jacobs, former editor of The Baltimore Jewish Times 10 am - Examine different forms the media takes while covering the very same news event. Participants will be placed in the position of “editor” and asked for coverage strategy. Then they will compare their ideas to actual reports from a wide variety of Israeli and US news outlets. Art as Commentary, Ms. Rachel Levitt-Klein 11 am - We will examine famous works of art based on biblical stories and use these pieces as springboards for discussion about the biblical stories, ourselves and our world.
Mrs. Ziporah Schorr
Mr. Phil Jacobs
Rabbis Talking about Rabbis Talking about… Everything Rabbis Chai Posner and Jonathan Gross 11 am - Discover what the most influential rabbis of modern Jewish history had to say about…everything! The first semester (Rabbi Ms. Rachel Posner) will focus on the two founders of Modern Levitt-Klein Orthodoxy, Rabbis Samson Raphael Hirsch and Joseph B. Soloveitchik. The second semester (Rabbi Gross) will focus on several other famous 20th century rabbis and how they dealt with a variety of hot button issues. Enroll in any Advanced Jewish Learning Program and receive special discounts to many other Mercaz programs and free participation in the Fall Semester classes and Monthly Book Club.
*Tribute to Sheldon Berman 7
MERCAZ Fall Semester A REMARKABLE FALL SEMESTER
FOUR WEDNESDAY EVENINGS - OCTOBER 21, 28, NOVEMBER 4, 11
Session 1, 7-8 pm Are We One? RABBI MITCHELL WOHLBERG For most of the world all Jews are the same. However, within the Jewish world, there are many differences in regard to dress, ritual, practices and beliefs. Let’s explore what unites us … and what divides us: • Misnagdim and Chasidim • Ashkenazim and Sefardim • American Jews and Israelis • Orthodox and non-Orthodox
Session 2, 8-9 pm
Choose one exciting elective course American-Israeli Media and How It Works MR. PHIL JACOBS Examine different forms the media takes while covering the very same news event or feature. Participants will be placed in the position of “editor” or “assignment editor,” given actual stories, and asked for coverage strategy. Then they will compare their ideas to what actually happened in the coverages of media companies ranging from Ha’aretz to Times of Israel to the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNN, Fox and others.
Bridge to Healing: Finding Strength to Cope with Illness MS. ISRAELA MEYERSTEIN Israela Meyerstein, author of Bridge to Healing; Finding Strength to Cope with Illness, will share ancient and modern wisdom informed by a Jewish perspective to help patients, family members, caregivers, friends, and health care professionals during illness, treatment, and recovery. Learning to create a “Practical Spiritual Toolbox” can strengthen coping while facing stress, renew one’s spirit, and improve well-being.
Exemplary and Exceptional Jewish Women MRS. REBECCA SHIMONI-STOIL Doctoral Candidate/Lecturer, JHU Take a close look at the lives and times of eight exemplary and exceptional Jewish women: Bruria in Talmudic Era; Donna Gracia Hanassi and Gluckel of Hameln in Medieval Times; Rebecca Gratz and Mem Cohen in 19th Century America; and Rosa Luxembourg, Golda Meir, and Bella Abzug in the 20th Century. 8
Lost in Translation RABBI JONATHAN GROSS Translations are nothing but commentaries. When people quote the Bible in English, are they telling you what the Torah actually says, or are they just giving you one person’s opinion? This four-part series will provide you with the tools to navigate through different English translations of the Torah, and decide for yourself what is the true Word of God.
Swing Dancing MS. SHERRY BENEDEK Rebellious teens had few outlets in Nazi Germany. With American swing music banned as “decadent,” some teens used jazz music and swing dancing to express their “nonconformity” and “free-thinking.” Join Mercaz for an analysis of the film Swing Kids then learn and enjoy swing dancing with us.
Understanding Human Behavior MR. PAUL BOLENBAUGH How do we explain human motivation for good or evil, for violence or peacefulness? This course explores the philosophical, psychological, social, anthropological, and biological reasons behind human behavior and for the choices we all make. There will be special emphasis on understanding behavior during the Holocaust.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Planning For Parents • October 28: Bar and Bat Mitzvah: A Guide for Making it Mean Something, Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg and Mrs. Zipora Schorr • November 4: A Guide to the Big Day: What Will it Look Like?, Rabbi Chai Posner and Rabbi Jonathan Gross
MERCAZ LENDING LIBRARY: BOOKS AND VIDEOS Through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Frank Silverman (z”l) MERCAZ is able to provide a lending library of both books and videos that reflect the richness of Jewish thought and variety of Jewish experience. Located in the Tuvin Library next to the MERCAZ office, the library offers an array of books – fiction, memoirs, biographies, Jewish history, current affairs, self help, and cooking – and a collection of outstanding Israeli and Jewish films. MERCAZ Library Hours: Monday – Thursday: 10 am–3 pm; Friday: 9–11 am. Closed holidays and weekends.
MERCAZ Registration Form 2015 FALL SEMESTER AND ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES
FEE: $35 for Beth Tfiloh Members / $45 for Non-Member School Parents & 2015 Camp Parents / $50 for the General Public. For one low fee, choose as many classes as fit your schedule! ENROLL ONLINE AT WWW.BETHTFILOH.COM/REGISTER OR MAIL REGISTRATION FORM AND YOUR CHECK TO: MERCAZ/Beth Tfiloh Congregation, 3300 Old Court Road, Baltimore, MD 21208 NAME______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ STREET_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CITY_______________________________________________________ STATE ____________ ZIP CODE ___________________________ HOME PHONE _______________________________________ WORK PHONE_________________________________________________ EMAIL ADDRESS____________________________________________________________________________________________________
q Beth Tfiloh Member/School Parent q Beth Tfiloh Non-Member School Parent q 2015 Camp Parent q General Public
WEDNESDAY EVENING FALL SEMESTER CLASSES: OCTOBER 21-NOVEMBER 11 q Are We One?: Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, 7 pm CHOOSE ONE ELECTIVE COURSE AT 8 pm q American-Israeli Media and How it Works, Mr. Phil Jacobs q Bridge to Healing: Finding Strength to Cope with Illness, Ms. Israela Meyerstein q Exemplary and Exceptional Jewish Women, Mrs. Rebecca Shimoni-Stoil q Lost in Translation, Rabbi Jonathan Gross q Swing Dancing, Ms. Sherry Benedeck q Understanding Human Behavior, Mr. Paul Bolenbaugh q Bar/Bat Mitzvah Planning for Parents, Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg/Mrs. Zipora Schorr, Rabbis Chai Posner and Jonathan Gross
OTHER WEEKLY AND MONTHLY CLASSES - START DATES VARY SUNDAYS q Living Room Learning, meets monthly, 7:30 pm, Rabbi Jonathan Gross, NO FEE MONDAYS q MERCAZ Book Club, meets monthly, 12:15 pm, Mrs. Halaine Steinberg q Israel Hot topics, three monthly sessions, 7:30 pm (offsite), Mr. Haggai Lavie, NO FEE TUESDAYS q “Best of” Talmud Class, meets weekly, 7 pm, Rabbi Chai Posner, NO FEE q Hebrew Reading: Beginners, meets for five weekly sessions, 7 pm, Mrs. Elana Vogel, NO FEE q Hebrew Reading: Intermediate,, meets for five weekly sessions, 8 pm, Mrs. Elana Vogel WEDNESDAYS q MERCAZ Book Club, meets monthly, 10:30 am, Mrs. Halaine Steinberg THURSDAYS q The Larry Katz Downtown Lunch and Learn, meets monthly, 12 pm (off site), Rabbi Chai Posner q Tehillim? I Barely Know ‘Em!, meets weekly, 7:30 pm (off site), Rabbi Jonathan Gross, NO FEE SPECIAL PROGRAM q Challah-luya - Challah Baking for Shabbat, four monthly sessions, SPECIAL FEES (check to receive additional information) For Advanced Learning classes (BT in the AM and Yaffe Scholars) enroll online at www. bethtfiloh.com/register or call 410-413-2321
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Help Us To Serve You!
O Beth Tfiloh Professional Network All Beth Tfiloh members, school parents, alumni and faculty members are invited to connect with the many outstanding professionals in the Beth Tfiloh community, both online through our LinkedIn group, and at networking meetings held at BT throughout the year. This dynamic, growing group provides a forum for networking, professional resources, and sharing of connections. September, November, January, March, May - Dates TBA. To join our online group, go to www.linkedin.com, search for “Beth Tfiloh Professional Network” and click “Join.” Look for news of upcoming meetings this fall. For details, contact the Mercaz Office at 410-413-2306 or mercaz@btfiloh.org.
Beth Tfiloh Website Visit the Beth Tfiloh website for the most upto-date schedule of services, calendar of events and programs, with the convenience of online registration plus sermons, online donations, news, photos, videos and more!
SHABBAT SPONSORSHIP OPTIONS: Full Kiddush: Beginning at $1,500 Wine: $500 Flowers: $300 Seudah Shlishit: $300 Simcha plaque: $360
OTHER OPTIONS: Brotherhood brick: $90
Gifts of $18 and above to these funds will be acknowledged in the Bulletin:
Dues Assistance Fund Youth Services Fund
Mercaz Dahan Fund Scholarship Funds
Please contact Eve Kresin Steinberg, Executive Director, at 410-413-2251 or esteinberg@btfiloh.org for more information.
NEW - Mercaz classroom conversations will continue online on our newlyupdated BT website.
BT on Facebook and Twitter Follow Beth Tfiloh on Facebook and on Twitter — with the very latest updates including school news, photos and videos, posts and sermons by Rabbi Wohlberg, timely articles, and upcoming events. Visit our social media sites below and be sure to “like” us on Facebook and “follow” us on Twitter. • facebook.com/BethTfiloh • facebook.com/BethTfilohCongregation • facebook.com/BethTfilohAlumni • facebook.com/MitchellWohlberg • twitter.com/RabbiWohlberg 10
ur tradition teaches that it is customary for us to honor meaningful occasions in our lives, be they joyous or difficult times, by giving tzedakah (charity). Giving tzedakah is a tangible way to show gratitude for the blessings that we all have in our lives. In Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers 3:7) it states, “Rabbi Elazar of Bartosa would say: Give Him what is His, for you, and whatever is yours, are His.” I encourage you to consider honoring your smachot and yahrzeits by making a gift to Beth Tfiloh in one of the following ways. -Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg
MERCAZ Committee Shelley Kaye and Anne Pfeffer, Co-Chairs Sandy Vogel, Director Debbie Leibowitz, Administrative Assistant Louis Baer Devorah Brooks Robert Brooks Amy Caplan Jack Dembowitz Steven Feldman Teri Gitlitz Stanley Haas Norman La Cholter
Marcia Leavey Loryn Lesser Sonia Maltinsky Sheila Mentz Ellen Miller Searle Mitnick Sheldon Polun Steven Pruce Rena Rank Betty Reichenberg Josef Rosenblatt Eve Kresin Steinberg
HOLIDAYS @ A GLANCE Monday, September 14 – Tuesday, September 15 Rosh Hashanah
Monday, December 7 – Monday, December 14 Chanukah
Wednesday, September 16 Fast of Gedaliah
Tuesday, December 22 Fast of Tevet
Wednesday, September 23 Yom Kippur
Monday, January 25 Tu B’Shevat
Monday, September 28 – Sunday, October 4 Sukkot
Wednesday, March 23 Fast of Esther
Sunday, October 4 Hoshanah Rabbah
Thursday, March 24 Purim
Monday, October 5 Shemini Atzeret
Saturday, April 23 – Saturday, April 30 Pesach
Tuesday, October 6 Simchat Torah
Thursday, May 5 Yom HaShoah
Wednesday, May 11 Yom HaZikaron Thursday, May 12 Yom HaAtzmaut Thursday, May 26 Lag B’Omer Sunday, June 5 Yom Yerushalayim Sunday, June 12 – Monday, June 13 Shavuot Sunday, July 24 Fast of Tammuz 17 Sunday, August 14 Tisha B’Av
Holidays begin on the prior evening at sundown.
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SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER | NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY | FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL | MAY | JUNE | SUMMER
The Year @ Beth Tfiloh
September
ADULTS ONLY
Saturday, September 5
Wednesday, September 9
KUMSITZ & SELICHOT A Musical Welcome to the High Holiday Season with the Chazzan & the Kol Fusion
Thursdays, September 3, 10, 17, 24 n "Tehillim? I Barely Know 'Em!" n High Holiday Workshops n BT Professional Network
Thursday, September 24 n Challah Baking Course
Wednesday, September 30 n Sisterhood’s Opening Meeting “Sushi and Sake in the Sukkah” with Miriam Gross
SCHOOL & YOUTH Friday, September 4 n High School Activity Fair
Thursday, September 10
Wednesday, September 9
Rosh Hashanah Workshops:
“No More Excuses - Navigating the Holidays and Making them a High Point in your Life” 7-7:45 pm: Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg – Repentance, Prayer, Charity: Do They Really Help? 7:45-8:15 pm: Choose One Workshop to Attend Rabbi Jonathan Gross – Understand the Machzor in One Half Hour! Rabbis Chai Posner & Chaim Wecker – Birkat Kohanim/Duchaning Primer
Sunday, September 20 n Sunday Sports: Soccer Begins n All-School Block Party, E-cycling, Recycling, and Paper Shredding 1-4 pm
Sunday, September 27 n Sunday Sports: Soccer
BT CARES Friday, September 18 n H.E.L.P. Lunches - Bring an extra bagged lunch for needy families, sponsored by the PS Tikkun Olam Committee, and LS, MS & HS Student Governments
FIRST FRIDAYS BALTIMORE:
Wednesday, September 9
On the first Friday of every month, start off your Shabbat at the CHAZZAN’S “TISCH” (table) here at BT to enjoy festive singing, noshing and camaraderie, together with an uplifting, musical Kabbalat Shabbat in the Epstein Chapel. Invite family and friends over for an intimate Friday night dinner and be a part of the community-wide First Fridays Baltimore Shabbat initiative! Check website for times.
Thursday, September 10
A monthly community-wide Shabbat Celebration
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n MS Back to School Night
n 2016 B'nai Mitzvah to Weinberg Park for Bingo n 2016 B'nai Mitzvah "Stuff-It" Program during Lunch
Sunday, September 20 n School Supply Donation Collection at BT Block Party
SEPTEMBER
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS Friday, September 4
Saturday, September 19
n Chazzan’s Tisch/1st Friday Shabbat
n Shabbat Shuvah Drasha
Saturday, September 5
n PreSchool Cookie Minyan Special Guest: Morah Emily Levin, followed by a Special Cookie Kiddush
n “Welcome Back” Teen Minyan n Kumsitz, Selichot Program - A Musical Welcome to the High Holiday Season with the Chazzan Avi Albrecht & Kol Fusion
Tuesday, September 22
Wednesday, September 9
Wednesday, September 23 - Yom Kippur
n Rosh Hashanah Workshops: “No More Excuses - Navigating the Holidays and Making them a High Point in your Life”
n Babysitting & Youth Services / PreSchool Family Service/ Minyan Miyuchad
Saturday, September 12 n 2016 B’nai Mitzvah Program with Rabbi Wohlberg
Monday, September 14 - Rosh Hashanah n Babysitting & Youth Services n PreSchool Family Service n Family Shofar Blowing n Young Adult “Shmooze” with Rabbi Wohlberg
n KOL NIDRE
Saturday, September 26 n Kid Cong: “Bring a Friend to Shul”
Monday, September 28 - Sukkot n Family Service (LS) n Petting Zoo (PS & LS)
Tuesday, September 29 - Sukkot n Lower & Middle School Sukkah Hop
n Tashlich at the Rabbi Wohlberg’s home
Wednesday, September 30
n Minyan Miyuchad
n Sukkkot Welcome BBQ for B’nai Mitzvah 2017 & 2018
Tuesday, September 15 - Rosh Hashanah n Babysitting & Youth Services
n Hebrew School Sukkah Hop
n PreSchool Family Service n Family Shofar Blowing
Shabbat & Yom Tov Home Hospitality
Sunday, September 20
Beth Tfiloh is our home for Shabbat and Yom Tov services. Opening your home or being a guest in someone’s home for a Shabbat or Yom Tov meal is a way to make and strengthen relationships between fellow congregants. Please consider Sharing Shabbat with members of our Beth Tfiloh community for the holidays or Shabbat all year round.
Get Back in to the Groove at the annual Block Party featuring a fabulous barbeque, games, rides, arts and crafts projects and activities for all ages, a silent auction and sale by local craftsman and vendors, an environmentally supportive electronics/metal recycling and paper shredding drive and more.
BLOCK PARTY
Please contact Holly Venick, hvenick@btfiloh.org if you would like to be a part of this ongoing program to meet and share a special meal with other Beth Tfiloh members. This program is brought to you by the Synagogue Life Committee and Sharing Shabbat chairs Bess Gilden and Sonia Maltinsky. 13
October
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS
Wednesday, October 14
Friday, October 2
STANLEY Z. PENN MEMORIAL LECTURE
Rabbi Dov Lipman: “LIKE DREAMERS: A Maryland Boy Reflects on his Experience in the Knesset” Dov Lipman served as a member of the 19th Knesset with the Yesh Atid party. He was the first Americanborn Knesset member in nearly 30 years and Israeli law required him to renounce his American citizenship to serve in the Knesset. Rabbi Lipman, an educator, author, and community activist, lives in Bet Shemesh with his wife and four children. He has rabbinic ordination from Ner Israel Rabbinical College and a masters in education from Johns Hopkins University. He has been at the forefront of combating religious extremism in Israel and is a leader in efforts to create Jewish unity both in Israel and around the world. Free and open to the public.
MERCAZ Fall Classes Wednesday, October 7 - Challah-luya: Challah Baking for Shabbat - Bake challah like a pro! This four-part series continues monthly through January. Thursday, October 8 - Larry Katz Downtown Lunch & Learn presented by Rabbi Chai Posner - This year’s theme is “If Abraham Were Around Today …” Tuesday, October 20, 27 – Hebrew Reading Crash Course - Led by Elana Vogel, this five-week class focuses on teaching the Aleph Bet and basic reading skills to adults with little or no Hebrew background. Wednesday, October 21 – Mercaz Fall Semester Begins - Discover how the American-Israeli media work, learn coping skills with personal or family illness, examine the lives of exceptional Jewish women, explore the reasons behind human behavior or learn basic swing dancing! 14
Thursday, October 1 n Sushi & A Slice for PreSchoolers n Chazzan’s Tisch/1st Friday Shabbat
Saturday, October 3 n Minyan Meyuchad n PreSchool Mini-Sukkah Hop
Monday, October 5 n Shemini Atzeret - Yizkor, “The Frisbee Show” n Erev Simchat Torah - “We’ll Be Dancing, Dancing in the Streets,” Dairy Dinner
Tuesday, October 6 n Simchat Torah - BBQ Kiddush
Saturday, October 10 n 2016 B’nai Mitzvah Program
Saturday, October 17 n Noach Shabbat with Animal Show n Kindergarten Kiddush
Friday, October 23 n PreSchool Shabbat Dinner with Rak Shalom
Shabbat October 23/24 n Shabbat Project - Moshav Band’s Yehuda Solomon davens and Special Programs n High School ShabbatFest Dinner with Rak Shalom
Saturday, October 31 n Lunch, Laugh and Learn: Shabbat lunch with the hilarious comedy of Joel Chasnoff
JUST FOR ADULTS Thursdays, October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
SCHOOL AND YOUTH Sundays, October 4, 11, 18, 25
n Sunday Sports: Soccer
Wednesday, October 7
Wednesday, October 14
n Challah-luya: Challah Baking for Shabbat
n 2016 B’nai Mitzvah to Weinberg Park for Bingo
Thursday, October 8
Tuesday, October 20
n Larry Katz Downtown Lunch & Learn
Monday, October 12 n Israel Hot Topics
Mondays, October 12, 19, 26 n BT in the AM
Wednesday, October 14 n Annual Campaign Acharai Dinner preceding Penn Lecture n Rabbi Dov Lipman, Stanley Z. Penn Lecture
Sunday, October 18 n Living Room Learning
Tuesday, October 20
OCTOBER
n “Tehillim? I Barely Know ‘Em!”
n Grandparents’ Art Painting Event
BT CARES! Monday, October 12 n Drop Off Home Baked Desserts in the Weiner Board Room, 8-10 am
Wednesday, October 14 n 2016 B’nai Mitzvah to Weinberg Park for Bingo
Fridays, October 9, 23 n H.E.L.P. Lunches
Sunday, October 25
n Boscov’s Shopping Day benefitting Sisterhood
n Brotherhood Social Action Volunteering at Helping Up Mission
Tuesdays, October 20, 27
Monday, October 26
n Beginner’s and Intermediate Hebrew Reading Classes
n Wolfe Street Clothing Drive Begins (through November 5)
n “Best of” Talmud Class
Wednesday, October 21 n Lunch Bunch
Wednesdays, October 21, 28 n Mercaz Fall Semester n Yaffe Scholars
Thursday, October 22 n Brotherhood Men’s Night Out
Monday & Wednesday, October 26 & 28 n Mercaz Book Club: All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen
Tuesday, October 27 n Sisterhood Game Day
Shabbat, October 23-24
The Baltimore Shabbat Project Beth Tfiloh is an official participant in the Baltimore Shabbat Project, an international event that was launched in South Africa in 2013 bringing together Jews from across the globe in more than 465 communities. Beth Tfiloh joins in celebrating ONE Shabbat as ONE people with ONE heart. Check our website to see a detailed list of activities at Beth Tfiloh and in the community including a community challah baking, BT PS dinner and HS dinner, Share Shabbat Meals, Davening Friday night and Shabbat morning with the Moshav Band lead singer Yehuda Solomon, special Shabbat program after Kiddush, “Pardon the Interruption: with Rabbi Wohlberg and Mrs. Schorr,” and community Havdallah service with the Moshav Band. 15
November Sunday, November 1
BETH TFILOH BLOOD DRIVE
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS Saturday, November 7 n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah Program n Minyan Meyuchad
Saturday, November 14 n 2016 B’nai Mitzvah Program
Saturday, November 21 n 2nd Grade Chumash Kiddush n Cookie Minyan Special Guest Morah Cindy Stein & Cookie Kiddush
Friday, November 6 n Chazzan’s Tisch/1st Friday Shabbat
Save a life. Protect your family by becoming a blood donor or volunteering. Co-sponsored by the Brotherhood, Youth Center and BT Cares!
Saturday, November 28
Wednesday-Saturday, November 25-28
BT CARES!
ALUMNI WEEKEND
n Alumni Shabbat
Sunday, November 1 n Brotherhood Red Cross Blood Drive
Thursday, November 5 n Wolfe Street Academy Clothing Drive Ends
Fridays, November 6, 20 n H.E.L.P. Lunches
Sunday, November 8 n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah Volunteering at Helping Up Mission
Monday, November 16 Wednesday, November 25: Alumni Visiting Day Alumni Reunion at Mt. Washington Tavern Saturday, November 28 Alumni Games and Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2005, 10 Year Reunion Class of 2010, 5 Year Reunion
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n Glove Collection for Community Mitzvah Day Begins
JUST FOR ADULTS
SCHOOL AND YOUTH
Mondays, November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Sunday, November 1
n BT in the AM Program
n Sunday Sports: Soccer Ends
Tuesdays, November 3, 10, 17
Sunday-Tuesday, November 1-3
n Beginners’ and Intermediate Hebrew Reading Classes
n High School AIPAC Leadership Conference
n “Best of” Talmud Class
Wednesdays, November 4, 11 n Mercaz Fall Semester
Wednesdays, November 4, 11, 18 n Yaffe Scholars
Thursday, November 5 n Larry Katz Downtown Lunch & Learn
Thursdays, November 5, 12, 19 n “Tehillim? I Barely Know ‘Em!”
Saturday, November 7 n Sisterhood/Brotherhood Bingo
Sunday, November 8 n Shop ‘til You Drop Boutique sponsored by Sisterhood (Food purchases benefit the PA)
Wednesday, November 11 n High School Leadership Trip
NOVEMBER
Tuesdays, November 3, 10, 17, 24
Thursday, November 12 & Sunday, November 15 n Fall High School Production
Saturday, November 14 n Alumni Reunion: Bethesda/Potomac
Sunday, November 22 n Sunday Sports: Basketball Begins
Sunday-Tuesday, November 22-24 n Dreidel Shop
Thursday-Sunday, November 26-29 n Alumni Weekend
SCHOOL OPEN HOUSES
Monday, November 9 n Israel Hot Topics
Thursday, November 12 n Challah-luya: Challah Baking for Shabbat
Sunday, November 15 n Living Room Learning
Wednesday, November 18 n The Lunch Bunch
Wednesday & Monday, November 18 & 23 n Mercaz Book Club: The Devil in Jerusalem by Naomi Ragen
Monday, November 30 n Big Screen Ravens Game
Thursday, October 29 & Wednesday, December 2 n Lower School Tour with Principals, 9 am
Tuesday, November 17
n Middle School Open House, 7 pm
Sunday, November 22
n High School Open House, 10 am 17
December
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS
Sunday-Sunday, December 6-13
n Weiner Tournament Shabbaton
CHANUKAH
Saturday, December 5 n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah Program n Hoops and Havdallah
Tuesday, December 8 n Chanukah Bingo & “Beit Tefilah Israeli” Concert
Friday, December 11 n Spirit of Shabbat: Chanukah Shabbat Family Dinner
Saturday, December 12 n Chanukah Shabbat & Family Service n Minyan Meyuchad
Saturday, December 19 n Ravens Shabbat
Saturday, December 26 n “Hot Chocolate” Shabbat
Celebrate Chanukah with us on many days and many ways…. Tuesday, December 8: Beit Tefilah Meets Beth Tfiloh. Our friends from the Israeli singing group Beit Tefilah fspend the second day of Chanukah at Beth Tfiloh entertaining our students, working with Kolenu, and performing at a concert preceding Chanukah Bingo. They are known for their uplifting pre-Shabbat musical Kabbalat Shabbat performances at the waterfront in Tel Aviv. Friday night, December 11: The Spirit of Chanukah Shabbat Dinner. Give yourself the gift of Lighting the 6th candle and sharing a sumptuous and spirited Shabbat dinner with your family and friends. Entertainment, programs for the kids, relaxing conversation and a night of joy and meaning. Shabbat morning, December 12: Our HS a cappella group, Kolenu, brings us the joy of Chanukah music. 18
SCHOOL AND YOUTH Wednesday, December 2 n Weiner Tournament Pep Rally
Wednesday-Sunday, December 2-6 n Weiner Tournament
Wednesday, December 9 n PreSchool BT Plus Fall Classes End
Sundays, December 13, 20 n Sunday Sports: Basketball
Tuesday, December 22 n Asarah B’Tevet Kaddish for the Unknown
Thursday, December 24 n Chinese Food & Movie Night
JUST FOR ADULTS
BT CARES!
Tuesday, December 1
Dates TBD
n Challah-luya: Challah Baking for Shabbat
n BT Puppeteers Chanukah Puppet Show Performances
Tuesdays, December 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 n “Best of” Talmud Class
Wednesdays, December 2, 9, 16 n Yaffe Scholars Program
Thursday, December 3 n Larry Katz Downtown Lunch & Learn
Thursdays, December 3, 10, 17 Mondays, December 7, 14, 21 n BT in the AM Program
Monday, December 14
n Toy Collection at Family Chanukah Bingo
Wednesday, December 9 n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah to Weinberg Park for Bingo
Sunday, December 13 n BT Cares Closet - Sisterhood Men’s Clothing Drive
Monday, December 14
DECEMBER
n “Tehillim? I Barely Know 'Em!”
Monday, December 7
n Drop Off Home Baked Desserts in the Weiner Board Room, 8-10 am
Wednesday, December 16
n Israel Hot Topics
n End of Glove Collection for Community Mitzvah Day
Monday & Wednesday, December 14 & 16
Friday, December 18
n Mercaz Book Club: All I Love and Know by Judith Frank
n H.E.L.P. Lunches
Wednesday, December 16 n The Lunch Bunch
n Book & DVD Collection at Chinese Food & Movie Night
Sunday, December 20
Friday, December 25
n Living Room Learning
n Mitzvah Room Partner at Community Mitzvah Day
Thursday, December 24
Wednesday-Sunday, December 2-6
WEINER BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Beth Tfiloh hosts the premier basketball tournament for Jewish high school teams throughout the country. Now in its 29th year, students from across the U.S., Canada and Israel will come to BT to play competitive ball, develop friendships, and share Shabbat traditions with our special community. Join us at the games, and watch our terrific BT teens play and host other Jewish teen athletes. We are particularly excited to host the team from the Boyar High School in Jerusalem, home school of our Shaliach, Haggai Lavie. 19
January Saturday, January 23
SPIRIT OF SHABBAT: SHABBAT SHIRA LUNCH
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS Saturday, January 2 n “Bless Your Child” Shabbat Friday, January 8 n Chazzan’s Tisch/1st Friday Shabbat Saturday, January 9 n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah Program n “PJ” Shabbat n Cookie Minyan with Special Guest Terry Alpert & Cookie Kiddush
n Minyan Meyuchad Saturday, January 23 n Spirit of Shabbat: Shabbat Shira Family Lunch n Kid Cong: “The Torah and Martin Luther King, Jr.” n High School Pearlstone Shabbaton Saturday, January 30 We will celebrate with a beautiful meal and musical Shabbat Shirah. Shabbat Shirah is the Shabbat that falls on or before Tu B’Shevat, and is called Shabbat Shira because the week’s parashah, Beshalach, includes Shirat Hayam, the song the Israelites sang after they crossed the Red Sea. It’s a Shabbat so joyful that the melodies of it will continue to ring in your ears for days after.
n All-Star Shabbat n Special 1st Grade Kiddush n PreSchool Havdalah
BT CARES! Fridays, January 8, 22 n H.E.L.P. Lunches
BIRTHDAY PARTIES AT BT
We Do it All!
Hold your birthday party at Beth Tfiloh and leave the planning to us! We provide the space, the food, the cake, and several party packages to choose from including sports, arts and crafts, and cooking. You may also bring your own entertainment if you choose. For more information, please contact Jen Postal at 410-413-2224.
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Sunday, January 10 n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah Volunteering at Baltimore Station
JUST FOR ADULTS Tuesdays, January 5, 12, 19, 26
Saturday, January 30
ALL-STAR SHABBAT
n “Best of” Talmud Class Thursday, January 7 n Larry Katz Downtown Lunch & Learn Thursdays, January 7, 14, 21, 28 n “Tehillim? I Barely Know ‘Em!” Wednesdays, January 13, 20, 27 n Yaffe Scholars Program Sunday, January 17 n Living Room Learning Wednesday, January 20 n The Lunch Bunch Monday, January 25 Monday, January 25
BETH TFILOH CAMPS
JANUARY
n BT in the AM Program
Enjoy true BT “nachas” (joy) as an All-Star team of Beth Tfiloh High School teens will lead the Shabbat Service in the Dahan Sanctuary. This is a wonderful opportunity to see the impact that our High School is having on the future of Jewish leadership.
n Challah-luya: Challah Baking for Shabbat Monday & Wednesday, January 25 & 27 n Mercaz Book Club: The Luminous Heart of Jonah S. by Gina B. Nahai
SCHOOL AND YOUTH Friday-Saturday, January 8-9 n 8th Grade Shabbaton Sundays, January 10, 17, 24, 31 n Sunday Sports: Basketball Monday, January 18
Learn about our outstanding BT Camps, with programs for children ages 2 through 14. Visit btcamps.org or call 410-517-3451.
n Red Cross Babysitting Course (School Closed) Tuesday, January 19 n Lower School BT Plus Winter Classes Begin for Extended Day Students
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February
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS
Saturday, February 20
Saturday, February 6
KID CONG: RED, WHITE, AND BLUE SHABBAT Come dressed in your red, white and blue and salute our founding fathers in a U.S. history trivial pursuit.
Friday, February 5 n Chazzan’s Tisch/1st Friday Shabbat n B’nai Mitzvah Program n Minyan Meyuchad
Saturday, February 13 n Kid Cong: Mishkan Shabbat & Bring a Friend
Saturday, February 20 n Kid Cong: “Red, White, and Blue” Shabbat
Saturday, February 27 n Family Service n 3rd & 4th Grade Kiddush
JUST FOR ADULTS Saturday, February 27
FAMILY SHABBAT SERVICE This is one of our four exciting Family Services for Lower School and Hebrew School Families. Led by the clergy along with Mr. Singer, the service will provide an opportunity to participate in the davening as a family and share the joy of seeing how much our children know. It will be followed by a kiddush to continue the connection. The last one will be April 23 (First day of Pesach)
OUR DAILY MINYAN The daily minyan, led by our dedicated Minyanaires, has daily morning, afternoon and evening services with a rabbi’s class between Mincha and Maariv. For further information about weekday or Shabbat services, contact Rabbi Chaim Wecker, our Ritual Director. A schedule of services is available at www.bethtfiloh.com/services. 22
Mondays, February 1, 8, 22, 29 n BT in the AM Program
Tuesdays, February 2, 9, 16, 23 n “Best of” Talmud Class
Wednesdays, February 3, 10, 17, 24 n Yaffe Scholars Program
Thursday, February 4 n Larry Katz Downtown Lunch & Learn
Thursdays, February 4, 11, 18, 25 n “Tehillim? I Barely Know ‘Em!”
Monday & Wednesday, February 22 & 24 n Mercaz Book Club: The Betrayers by David Bezmozgis
Sunday, February 28 n Living Room Learning
SCHOOL AND YOUTH Sunday, February 7
February 9, 11 & 14
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
n Sunday Sports Basketball Ends
Tuesday, February 9 n PreSchool BT Plus Winter Classes Begin
Tues., Thurs., & Sun., February 9, 11 & 14 n High School Musical
BT CARES! Monday, February 1 n Drop Off Home Baked Desserts in the Weiner Board Room, 8-10 am
Fridays, February 5 & 19 n H.E.L.P. Lunches
Sunday, February 7
Our talented High School students will return to the stage to perform another spectacular show, directed and producted by the award-winning Beth Tfiloh Creative Arts Department.
n BT Cares! “Spread the Love” Mitzvah Crafts Event
Wednesday, February 10 n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah: Empty Bowls at Hot Pots
BT Cares! “Spread the Love” Mitzvah Crafts Event Parents and children are invited to make special projects that will be donated to seniors at Weinberg Park Senior Assisted Living and GEDCO to help brighten up their days and rooms.
Beth Tfiloh offers a variety of Tribute Gifts to honor of memorialize a friend of family member. Gifts may be acknowledged by a letter to the recipient, and gifts of $18 or more are listed in the monthly Beth Tfiloh Bulletin. A variety of congregational and school funds are available for Tribute Gifts. Gifts may be made online at bethtfiloh.com/donate or by calling 410-486-1900.
FEBRUARY
February 7
TRIBUTE GIFTS
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March Wednesday-Thursday, March 23-24
PURIM @ BT
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS Friday, March 4 n Chazzan’s Tisch/1st Friday Shabbat
Saturday, March 5 n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah Program n Minyan Meyuchad
Saturday, March 12 n Special Cookie Minyan Guest Morah Lyn Traub and Cookie Kiddush
Saturday, March 19 n Shabbat Zachor - A Shabbat to Remember
Wednesday, March 23 n Fast of Esther n Purim Megillah Reading & Shushan Street Carnival
Wednesday, March 23 n Fast of Esther n Purim Megillah Readings n Shushan Street Carnival
Thursday, March 24 n Purim Megillah Readings n Purim Seudah with Howl at the Moon - No snow this year!
Thursday, March 24 n Purim Seudah
Saturday, March 26 n “Take Two Tablets” Shabbat
SCHOOL AND YOUTH Tuesday, March 8 n Cultural Arts Night
Sundays, March 13, 20, 27 n Sunday Sports: Lacrosse & T-Ball Begin
Friday-Saturday, March 18-19 n 11th Grade Shabbaton
Sunday, March 20
Spread the Love: Mishloach Manot Making Event Join the BT family for a fun-filled Purim, with a complete schedule of services and festivities for young and old alike. 24
BT families are invited to assemble more than 700 Mishloach Manot bags to be delivered to Jewish nursing homes, hospitals, and alternative living units during Purim.
JUST FOR ADULTS Tuesdays, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 n “Best of” Talmud Class
Wednesdays, March 2, 9, 16, 30 n Yaffe Scholars Program
Thursday, March 3 n Larry Katz Downtown Lunch & Learn
Thursdays, March 3, 10, 17, 31 n “Tehillim? I Barely Know ‘Em!”
Mondays, March 7, 14, 21, 28 n BT in the AM Program
Wednesday & Monday, March 16 & 21 n Mercaz Book Club: The Seven Good Years by Etgar Keret
Wednesday, March 16 n Lunch Bunch
Sunday, March 20 n Dahan Lecture: Natan Sharansky
Sunday-Tuesday, March 20-22 n AIPAC Conference
BT CARES! n BT Puppeteers Purim Performances
Fridays, March 4, 18 n H.E.L.P. Lunches
THIRD ANNUAL DAHAN MEMORIAL LECTURE: Natan Sharansky No one has been more passionate about securing the continuity of Jewish education to both children and adults than Beth Tfiloh’s most generous benefactor, Haron Dahan, of The Beth Tfiloh family and the Haron Dahan Foundation blessed memory, and cordially invite you to the Inaugural Dahan Lecture his beloved Rachel, of featuring blessed memory. To help perpetuate all thatCharles Krauthammer pulitzer prize-winning the Dahans have stood american syndicated columnist, for, an Annual Dahan political commentator and physician Memorial Lecture takes International Affairs: An Overview Sunday, May 4, 2014 place every spring. 7:30pm Dahan Sanctuary Beth Tfiloh Congregation 3300 Old Court Road Baltimore, Maryland 21208
Sunday-Tuesday, March 20-22
Special presentation to commemorate Yom HaZikaron, Israel Remembrance Day
AIPAC CONFERENCE
We take great pride in the leadership role that both our students and synagogue members take in AIPAC, and look forward to their attendance again this year at the national policy conference in Washington, D.C.
MARCH
Dates TBD
Sunday, March 20
Wednesday, March 9 n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah to Weinberg Park for Bingo
Sunday, March 20 n Mishloach Manot Making Event
Wednesday, March 23 n Pasta Graggers Collection on Purim - Bring in boxes of pasta to use as graggers during Megillah reading which will then be donated to GEDCO.
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April
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS
Sunday & Tuesday, April 3 & 5
Saturday, April 2
MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL
Friday, April 1 n Chazzan’s Tisch/1st Friday Shabbat n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah Program / Minyan Meyuchad
Saturday, April 9 n Kid Cong: Special 4th Grade Shabbat
Saturday, April 16 n Shabbat HaGadol Drasha n Kid Cong: “Superhero” Shabbat
Saturday, April 23 n Family Pesach Service
Saturday, April 30 n Kid Cong: “Farewell to Matzah Shabbat”
Our talented Middle School students will return to the stage to perform The Liong King, Jr., directed and producted by the award-winning Beth Tfiloh Creative Arts Department.
GRANDPARENTS’ & SPECIAL FRIENDS’ DAY
SCHOOL AND YOUTH Sunday & Tuesday, April 3 & 5 n Middle School Musical
Sundays, April 3, 10, 17 n Sunday Sports: Lacrosse & T-Ball
Wednesday, April 6 n PreSchool BT Plus Winter Classes End
Thursday, April 7 n Lower School BT Plus Winter Classes End
Friday-Saturday, April 8-9 n 6th Grade Shabbaton
Thursday, April 14 n PreSchool Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day
Friday, April 15 n Lower School Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day
Thursday, April 14 n PreSchool Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day Friday, April 15 n Lower School Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day 26
JUST FOR ADULTS Sunday, April 3
Friday-Saturday, April 22-30
PESACH
n Living Room Learning
Mondays, April 4, 11, 18 n BT in the AM Program
Tuesdays, April 5, 12, 19 n “Best of” Talmud Class
Wednesdays, April 6, 13 n Yaffe Scholars Program
Thursday, April 7 n Larry Katz Downtown Lunch & Learn
Thursdays, April 7, 14 n “Tehillim? I Barely Know ‘Em!”
Monday & Wednesday, April 11 & 13 n Mercaz Book Club: After Long Silence by Helen Fremont
Wednesday, April 13 n The Lunch Bunch
Make this year’s Pesach the most meaningful ever, as we celebrate the festival of freedom. Look for the newest edition of Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg’s inspiring “10 Questions for the Pesach Seder” as well as updates to his “UnHaggadah” at bethtfiloh. com/Pesach. Join us for our Siyum for the first born on Friday, April 22 and our Family Service on the first day of Pesach.
BT CARES! Fridays, April 1, 15 n H.E.L.P. Lunches
Monday, April 4 n Drop Off Home Baked Desserts in the Weiner Board Room, 8-10 am
Sunday, April 10
n Brotherhood Social Action Volunteering at Baltimore Station
Wednesday-Wednesday, April 13-20 n Canned Food Drive to benefit GEDCO. Donations can be made in the division lobbies and at the administrative entrance.
APRIL
n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah Volunteering at Helping Up Mission
Join us for our annual Chametz Burning on Friday, April 22 in the BT parking lot. Bring chametz that can be donated to our partner organization GEDCO.
Friday, April 22 n Canned Food Donations to benefit GEDCO at Chametz Burning 27
May Saturday, May 7
BLUE & WHITE SHABBAT
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS Thursday, May 5 n Yom Hashoah Commemoration Honoring Survivors
Friday, May 6 n Chazzan’s Tisch/1st Friday Shabbat
Saturday, May 7 n Blue and White Shabbat n Spirit of Shabbat Family Lunch for Yom HaAtzmaut and Blue & White Shabbat n Honor Seniors in Shul n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah Program n Minyan Meyuchad
Wednesday, May 11 n Yom HaZikaron
Thursday, May 12 n Yom HaAtzmaut
On this Shabbat before Yom HaAtzmaut, we dedicate our prayer and passion for the State of Israel. Our student choirs will share Israeli melodies in celebration of the holiday. Wear blue and white to shul. Following services there will be an Israeli lunch (by reservation) and a lively political debate.
Saturday, May 14
Thursday, May 19
Saturday, May 28
HIGH SCHOOL ONE-ACT PLAYS
n Special Cookie Minyan Guest Morah Alicia and Cookie Kiddush
Thursday, May 26 n Family Lag B’Omer Fun Night at BT Camps n Kid Cong: “The Best of...” Shabbat
SCHOOL AND YOUTH Monday, May 9 n Lower School BT Plus Spring Classes Begin for Extended Day Students n PreSchool BT Plus Spring Classes Begin
Thursday, May 19 n High School One-Act Plays
Tuesday, May 31 n Middle School Spring Band Concert
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JUST FOR ADULTS Monday, May 2, 9, 16, 23 n BT in the AM Program
Monday & Wednesday, May 2 & 4 n Mercaz Book Club: The UnAmericans: Stories by Molly Antopol
Thursday, May 17
SISTERHOOD GENERAL MEETING: Presenting “History Alive: Golda Meir” This one- person historically accurate play on the life of Golda Meir will be coming to BT May 17 sponsored by the Sisterhood.
Tuesdays, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 n “Best of” Talmud Class
Wednesdays, May 4, 11, 18, 25 n Yaffe Scholars Program
Thursday, May 5 n Larry Katz Downtown Lunch & Learn
Thursdays, May 5, 12, 19, 26 n “Tehillim? I Barely Know ‘Em!”
Sunday, May 15 n Living Room Learning
Tuesday, May 17 n Sisterhood General Meeting presenting “History Alive: Golda Meir”
Started by a former history teacher in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., the ensemble was originally conceived to be costumed historical impersonations for history classes. The play has toured nationally before a wide range of audiences across the US including Crown Heights, the History Channel, and in Los Angeles on KTTV-TV’s Midday Sunday show always to rave reviews.
Wednesday, May 18 n The Lunch Bunch
BT CARES! Fridays, May 6, 20 n H.E.L.P. Lunches
Wednesday, May 18
Thursday, May 26
LAG B’OMER FAMILY FUN Celebrate with us at Beth Tfiloh Camp with a BBQ, Slide into the Kinneret, Climb the Hermon, bonfire on the “beach.” A taste of Israel right here at BT!
n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah to Weinberg Park for Bingo
Monday-Friday, May 23-June 3
MAY
n Camp St. Vincent Summer Collection: As you prepare to send your children to camp, please buy an extra bathing suit, beach towels, pair of swim shoes, or bottle of sunscreen to benefit homeless children in Baltimore at Camp St. Vincent.
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June SHAVUOT
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS Friday, June 3 n PreSchool BBQ Shabbat Dinner n Chazzan’s Tisch/1st Friday Shabbat Saturday, June 4 n 2017 B’nai Mitzvah Program n Minyan Meyuchad Saturday, June 11 n Spirit of Shavuot Dinner n Tikun Leil Shavuot Sunday, June 12 n Shavuot - Installation of Officers Monday, June 13
Saturday, June 11 n Tikun Leil Shavuot Sunday, June 12
n Shavuot - Yizkor n Spirit of Shavuot Lunch
n 1st Day of Shavuot / Installation of Officers / Kiddush
JUST FOR ADULTS
Monday, June 13
Thursday, June 2
n 2nd Day of Shavuot / Spirit of Shavuot Lunch / Yizkor
n Larry Katz Downtown Lunch & Learn
SCHOOL AND YOUTH
n “Tehillim? I Barely Know ‘Em!”
Thursday, June 2
Sunday, June 5
n PreSchool and Lower School BT Plus Spring
n Living Room Learning
Classes End
Sunday & Tuesday, June 5 & 7 n Lower School Production Wednesday, June 8 n High School Graduation Monday, June 20 n BT Camps Begins
BT CARES! Monday, June 6 n Drop Off Home Baked Desserts in the Weiner Board Room
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Thursdays, June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Wednesday, June 15 n The Lunch Bunch
Sunday & Tuesday, June 5 & 7
LOWER SCHOOL PRODUCTION
Summer Monday, June 20
FIRST DAY OF BT CAMPS
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS TBA n Family Shabbat Picnic Lunch n Family Shabbat Afternoon Play Dates
Sunday, July 24 n Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz
Saturday Night-Sunday, August 13-14 n Tisha B’Av
JUST FOR ADULTS TBA n Brotherhood Orioles Big Screen BBQ n Beth Tfiloh Community Theatre Production
Saturday night-Sunday, August 13-14
TISHA B’AV
SCHOOL AND YOUTH TBA n Beth Tfiloh Arts Camp Production n Alumni Barbecue
Date TBA
ALUMNI BARBECUE
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JUNE/SUMMER
We will mark this day of mourning beginning Saturday night, August 13 with the recitation of Eicha (Book of Lamentations) and a film related to the theme of the day. Our Tisha B’Av program continues on Sunday, August 14 with explanatory Kinot (elegies), special classes, and concludes with Maariv and a break fast.
Beth Tfiloh Congregation and Schools
BETH TFILOH CONGREGATION Roz & Marvin H. Weiner Family Campus 3300 Old Court Road / Baltimore, MD 21208
Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1262 Baltimore, MD
switchboard: 410-486-1900 fax: 410-653-0603 Schedule of Services: Dial 6, 2 Information Hotline: 410-413-2345 mail@btfiloh.org www.BethTfiloh.com
beth tfiloh congregation
Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg 410-413-2215 Hazzan Avraham Albrecht 410-413-2212 Rabbi Chai Posner 410-413-2219 Rabbi Jonathan Gross 410-413-2213 Rabbi Chaim Wecker Ritual Director, 410-413-2218 Eve Kresin Steinberg Executive Director, 410-413-2251 Patti Chandler Chief Financial Officer, 410-413-2210 Holly Venick Director of Synagogue Life, 410-413-2244 Wendy Farley Cemetery Coordinator, 410-413-2241 Lowell Herman, President Fran Pruce, Board Chairman Richard Goldsmith Brotherhood President, 410-413-2238 Consortium of Past Presidents Sisterhood, 410-413-2239 Evelyn Gross & Shirley Miller Sisterhood Gift Shop, 410-413-2227
beth tfiloh dahan community school switchboard: 410-486-1905 Zipora Schorr Director of Education, 410-413-2305 Deborah Rapoport High School Interim Principal, 410-413-2235 Rabbi Yehuda Oratz Middle School Principal, 410-413-2407 Nina Wand Lower School Principal, 410-413-2508 Melissa Lebowitz PreSchool Director, 410-413-2303 Brian Singer Hebrew School Coordinator, 410-413-2523 Laurie Kott Director of Admission, 410-413-2308 Harriet Rosen School Administrator, 410-413-2310 Joan Feldman Director of Communications, 410-413-2312 Mandi Miller Development Director, 410-413-2399 Allison Magat President, Board of Trustees Vered Taylor Parent Association President, 410-413-2314
beth tfiloh youth center
Cherie Brownstein Director 410-413-2220
mercaz dahan center for jewish life and learning Sandy Vogel Director, 410-413-2306
beth tfiloh camps 410-517-3451 David Schimmel Director
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bt cares!
Lindsay Gaister Leader, 410-413-2224