THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF
TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM
JANUARY 2026
ISSUE 1
Inside This Issue
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PAGE 4
PAGE 10
Scholar in Residence
Letters from Our Leaders
Meet Our B’nai Mitzvah
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Letters From Our Leaders
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TEC Education
Rabbi Ari Averbach
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TEC Community
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B’nai Mitzvah
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Simchas
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January Calendar
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Birthdays and Anniversaries
Early Childhood Education Director Debbie Blumenthal
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TEC Tributes
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Upcoming Events
Hazzan Noam Fields-Meyer Gould Chaplain Benny Sommerfeld Rabbi Emeritus Richard Spiegel
Executive Director Cindy Goldberg Religious School Director Joyce Bronstein Early Childhood Education Asst. Director Keri Loventhal Office Manager Shane Silverstein
20 Kids’ Corner
ECE Administrative Assistant Jessica Jacoby
22 Memorial Receptions Available
Clergy Assistant Jill Rosenberg
RS Administrative Assistant Sarah Karamas
23 Memorial Plaques & Digital Memorial Library
Musical Director Mariano Dugatkin
23 Hearing Assistance Network Support Our Community: 23 Small Business Highlights
President Felicia Toporoff
Vice President Dan Lubetkin Immediate Past President Eric Feigenbaum
WANT TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS? Space is available in our Etzetera. If you are interested in placing an ad, please send an email to: communications@templeetzchaim.org
Treasurer Arnie Blitstein Secretary Brianna Abrams Trustee, Bingo Michael Roberts Trustee, Building and Grounds Steve Plotkin Trustee, Early Childhood Education Josh Atlas Trustee, Endowment Jeff Landau Trustee, Financial Consideration Neal Arons Trustee, Inclusion Paula Lefko Trustee, Membership, Sarica Klein Trustee, Personnel & Legal Affairs Josh Hopstone Trustee, Programming Evan Robichaud
Join TEC on Social Media!
Trustee, Religion and Worship Cheryl Math
Stay up-to-date with community events, news and happenings. Follow us on your favorite social platform.
President, Women of TEC Phyllis Dankberg & Elissa Lazarus
Search for @templeetzchaim across all platforms. On Facebook search for Temple Etz Chaim as well as Temple Etz Chaim Preschool.
Trustee, Religious Education Adya Riss Trustee, Security Paul Dryman Trustee, Social Action Pam Friedman Trustee, Ways & Means Donald Zimring President, Men’s Club Mark Goldstein
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, Board Member Shari Mark Past President, Board Member Wendy Margolis
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Rabbi Ari Averbach
rabbiaverbach@templeetzchaim.org
Benny Sommerfeld, Chaplain benny@templeetzchaim.org
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Debbie Blumenthal, Early Education Director debbieb@templeetzchaim.org
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Joyce Bronstein, Religious School Director joyce@templeetzchaim.org
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Phyllis Dankberg & Elissa Lazarus, Co-President, Women of TEC
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Mark Goldstein, President, Men’s Club
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Pam Friedman, Trustee, Social Action
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Sydney Torgan
January 10
Hi, my name is Sydney Torgan. I’m a 7th grader at Medea Creek Middle School. In my free time I enjoy doing art, spending time with family and friends, and sailing. Sailing is one of my favorite pastimes and I am part of a competitive sailboat racing team, which is an incredible experience. I would like to thank my parents, my sister Brinley, and my friends in helping me with my studying. I also really appreciated the help of Joyce Bronstein, Rabbi Averbach, my wonderful tutor Betty Zonshine, Hazzan Noam, and all the other teachers and staff at TEC. I am so grateful to have had the very generous support of everyone listed above in helping me prepare to be a Bat Mitzvah.
Mason Kaplan
January 17
My name is Mason Kaplan, and I am in the 7th grade at Colina Middle School. I have been a proud member of TEC since 4th grade, which would make this my third year being part of the community. TEC has become a very special place for me, and I have made many friends there during my time as a student. My hobbies are playing baseball, mountain biking, and hanging out with friends. I also like to spend my time with my family. I would like to thank Rivka Moscovich, Rabbi Ari, my parents, my friends, and all my Religious School teachers. I would not be able to finish this journey without all their useful guidance. As I become a Bar Mitzvah, I look forward to celebrating and being around my family and friends.
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Eli Katz
January 24
My name is Eli Katz, and I’ve been at TEC since 4th grade. I really love being outside and going to Jewish camps like Camp Alonim and Camp Tawonga in the Bay Area. At Tawonga I spent a week camping in Yosemite--it was amazing. I’m also into aerospace. I love flying on planes, watching rocket launches, and going to airshows whenever I can. This past summer, I went to Israel and got to see a lot of incredible and historic places. It was special to meet family I had never met before and learn more about my roots. I am thankful to everyone who helped me get ready for my Bar Mitzvah.
Benson Bear Murphy Born: November 28, 2025
Mila Layne Toveg Born: November 25, 2025 Parents: Amy and Michael Toveg
Parents: Kelly and Sean Murphy Grandparents: Shari and Ron Mark & Kiersten Murphy and Joe Stubbs
Grandparents: Harriet and Robert Sarto & Marilyn and Nathan Toveg
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Dates to Remember
January SUN
4
11
MON
5
12
TUE
6
13
WED
7
Book Club via Zoom
14
THU
FRI
SAT
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2
3
8
9
10 Sydney Torgan Bat Mitzvah
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16
17 Mason Kaplan Bar Mitzvah
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19
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Feed the Hungry
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22
23
24 Eli Katz Bar Mitzvah
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Men’s Club Brunch for the Entire Community
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26
27
WOTEC Tu B’Shevat Garden Event
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Board Meeting
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Havdalah & Hot Dogs
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January 1 Nasser Moradian 2 Tyler Abrams Michelle Lawrence Catherine Michaels Howard Rutten Charlie Shrum Amanda Sissman Jeanne Weiss 3 Stephen Grosslight 4 Ean Kleiger Tova Lubetkin David Michaels 5 Pamela Friedman Suzanne Plotkin Barbara Rosenberg Elliot Weiner 6 Jeremy Scharf Danielle Starr 7 Dorothy Charnaw Frank Lewin Sydney Torgan 8 Layla Anderson Reece Friedman Natalia Staneva-Yankevich 9 Joel Balbien Noah Finn Zachary Finn Ava Freund Rachel Harris Eli Schwartz Mia Schwartz 10 Scott Levin Maia Wolf 11 Parker Blutter David Borla Katie Mitchell Owen Urbach 12 Andrew Booth Danielle Herrera Wyatt Katz Beth Perel Marilyn Schneider
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13 Helene Calhoun David Schwartz Andy Smith
23 Isabella August Kevin Pugh Joshua Tenenbaum
14 Jacob Adler Kayitz Finley Asher Mehr Marshall Rosen Spencer Silverstein Inez Zucherman
24 Joshua Adler Micaela Allsbrook Benjamin Harris Melissa Spiegelman
15 Natasha Gold Mika Hoffmann Abigail Morgenstern Adrianne Pasternak Andrew Pevsner Asher Sklar 16 Mika Abramovici Erika Field Sheena Gelfound Katie Werner 17 Joyce Bronstein Cindy Goldberg 18 Lila Evans Brandlyn Kitzman Sunni Kopilevich Susan Pierce Rob Silverstein Mia Sonnenberg-Rhim 19 William Jacobs Jillian Kroytoro Sam Reed 20 Andrew Freedman Asher Isaacs Shawn Moradian Matthew Savalas Zachary Warren 21 Andrew Glodowski Jessica Jacoby Ariane Katz Eli Katz Michael Katz Eli Perlmutter Melissa Reed Alane Shechter 22 Jessica Ashcraft Heidi Birnbaum Stephen Fienberg Julie Goldstein Brooke Mostman Robyn Shrater Seemann Barbara Shannon
25 Alistair Berg Andrew Cowan Aleece Kaiser-Durkee Matthew Nordahl Harriet Shrater Maurice Solomon Jennie Winderlich 26 Cynthia Abrishami Peggy Barukh Laura Dugatkin Samantha Fein Oliver Leunis Jeanne Mitchell Benjamin Rosenblatt Megan Slomowitz Logan Stein 27 Kimberly Bader Jackie Blitstein Joshua Garelik Heather Nordahl Susan Simowitz Morgan Ratzan-Wank Jonathon Wolfson Colin Zwicker
4 Kenneth & Linda Leon Eugene Yankevich & Natalia Staneva-Yankevich 9 Alan & Melissa Reed 12 Steven & Pamela Friedman 14 Jason Schwartz & Jennifer Flam Robert & Lynne Zuckerman 16 Daniel & Danielle Wachs Adam & Jessica Lerner 17 Jeremiah McDole & Michelle Adelman Kenneth & Laurel Warner 18 Max & Navy Honigsberg
28 Lee Kaplan
20 David & Rachel Carmona
29 Cole Levinsohn Roee Rubinstein Pam Rudman
21 Les & Debbie Feldman
30 Jonathan Gold Cynthia Schein 31 Julian DeSalay Jeff Greenberg Michele Margolis Joshua Schwartz Ryan Winthrop
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24 Justin & Aiken Eakins 27 Carl & Judith Weiss 28 Arnold & Diane Rudman 31 Bradley Kraus & Sharon Meiselman
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templeetzchaim.org
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Winter Word Search Puzzle
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Help these animals find their way home
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The Mitzvah Committee is here to help... and remember your loved ones.
MEMORIAL RECEPTION Services offered by Women of TEC Mitzvah Committee
What to Expect We will be at your house a day or two before the funeral, or as time permits, for planning and any questions. We will arrive at your house half hour to one hour before you leave for the cemetery to receive any last-minute instructions. Our volunteers will be there to accept all deliveries and complete the set-up.
We will provide:
Family provides:
• Handwashing station to be set up outside, in front of the door, including water pitcher, paper towels, TV tray and trash bag • Hard-boiled eggs (12) • Challah, wine and mini wine cups • Large and small paper plates, napkins, and cutlery • Hot and cold cups • Ice cubes in a cooler • Large coffee maker, coffee, tea bags • Sugar, sweeteners, mocha mix • Large plastic trash bags
• Tablecloth, serving platters and utensils • Cold drinks, water bottles • Folding chairs
Have the deli/bakery deliver: • Platters of food, bread, salads, cakes, etc.
Special Instructions for the deli/bakery:
• Be sure to schedule these items to be delivered at the same time the funeral is scheduled to begin. • Remind them not to mix meat and dairy on the same platter.
To ask questions or make arrangements Contact the Temple Office at
805-497-6891 or inquire via email at Shiva@templeetzchaim.org After hours, please contact Roni Rosen at 818-585-9449
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January 2026 | Tevet - Shevat, 5786www.
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TEC Has a Hearing TEC Has a Hearing Assistance Network Assistance Network Improve your hearing when being in services, using your own smartphone and earbuds, headphones, or compatible hearing aids. To Access the network, do the following: 1. Download the ListenWIFI app from your app store or scan the QR code 2. When you arrive at TEC, go to your phone settings and go to Wi-Fi connections. Scroll down your list and select TEC Listen Everywhere 3. Password is: TEC24680! 4. Join the network (Note: you will be connected to an internal Wi-Fi system, not to the internet) 5. Open the ListenWIFI app 6. If permission is asked by app, please answer "Allow" 7. Click on the venue scan button 8. Click on the top button of the screen. You are now connected to the hearing assistance network. Please adjust the volume on your phone to control the sound in your ears.
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HEARING ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE
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Dental treatment from a compassionate team dedicated to quality and comfort. Our goal is to assist each patient in achieving and maintaining long-term oral health and a beautiful smile.
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See more community ads on page 23!