ETZETERA - March 2024

Clergy

Rabbi Ari Averbach

Interim Cantor Kenny Ellis

Associate Chaplain Benny Sommerfeld

Rabbi Emeritus Richard Spiegel

Rabbi Emeritus Simon Paskow (z”l)

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, At-Large Rachel Carmona

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

Noam Fields-Meyer Gould is a musician, scholar, and community builder based in Southern California who strives to create musical experiences that are engaging, accessible, and joyous. A current PhD candidate in music theory at UC Santa Barbara, Noam was raised in the Los Angeles Jewish community as part of a family that sang constantly—around the Shabbat table, on long walks to and from shul, even on hikes. His love of Jewish communal singing has led him to serve in multiple leadership roles in Jewish organizations, including as choir director at Camp Ramah in Ojai and as a prayer leader at Congregation Shaarie Torah in Portland, Oregon.

As an undergraduate at Emory University, he led High Holiday services for Hillels of Georgia in Atlanta. From 2021 through 2023, he served as the High Holiday Chazzan for Mishkon Tephilo in Venice, California, directing the choir, and creating multiple new music arrangements for it.

He has also worked as a Teaching Associate and Assistant in UC Santa Barbara’s Department of Music, primarily teaching the fundamentals of music notation and composition to non-music majors. He lives in the Santa Barbara area with his wife Kelly, their cats Arnie and Oslo, and their blue heeler Kaldi.

Join Noam for a singing session prior to his visit, to help orient whomever in the congregation would like to hear some tunes and feel comfortable with melodies. Date to be announced.

Letters from Our Leaders

rabbiaverbach@templeetzchaim.org

You learn a lot about a culture by its vocabulary.

Some believe that the Inuits have fifty words for snow. (This is not true, but no matter.) Hebrew has a dozen words for joy, as we are a people constantly trying to seek it.

There is an old rabbinic saying, “When Adar begins, our happiness increases.” This year, because it is a leap year on the Jewish calendar, we have an extra month of Adar – two straight months of joy!

Now, I know, realistically, we live lives in a world that doesn’t allow two straight months of back-to-back celebration. We all have heartbreak and struggles, illness and too many hours watching the news.

But maybe these months allow us the chance to seek happiness in

our broken world.

A ski trip, a Shabbaton, inviting kids to lead Friday night services, and (of course) Purim, the greatest joy of all. So many of our holidays wallow in the sadness of the calendar, of our history, but Purim is 25 hours of merriment.

Comedian Alex Edelman remembers his grandfather teaching him that Judaism means never feeling joy. These two months – we actively pursue it, knowing that it is not easy to find, but that we depend on it.

I hope you join us as we find reasons to celebrate in our synagogue – and out in the community.

Gideon Manzur, Executive Director

gideon@templeetzchaim.org

While I cannot begin to consolidate everything that happened in the seven days in Israel during the NAASE Solidarity Mission, I want to share a few things that stood out the most.

First, I want to personally thank all the families that donated to Coins of Courage. Your donations went to both Friends of IDF in Los Angeles, but also directly to a front-line IDF unit who has, as of this morning, returned to Gaza to fight. To those who donated funds and supplies to me when I left, these were donated to organizations who will give them to families and soldiers in need. And lastly to the TEC Religious School. Your letters to soldiers and families were a bright light in a time of darkness.

During the first days of the trip, we met Barak, a father of two who is currently living in Tel Aviv and is from Kibbutz Netiv Ha’asara. He and his family have lived there from more than 20 years, and all throughout has lived through and is accustomed to the life of being within 4 KM of the Gaza boarder.

Barak spoke of the constant incursions, campaigns, and wars between Israel and Hamas across the border. How they watched as fences were built and then fortified with underground concrete footing of 30m and sensors every few centimeters. Never did he think that paragliders would be what they needed to be secured from.

There is obvious anger. He feels let down by the government and the IDF. Twelve times they called to the government about explosions and gunfire across the border. Every time they were told, “it’s nothing to worry about, it’s just Hamas training.” Yes, training to attack Israel in a way that no one could have ever imagined. Today he and his family are evacuated to a hotel in Tel Aviv and are making the best of the situation, still trying to get to cope and determine if Netiv Ha’asara is where they will return.

We next met Chen, a longtime member of Kibbutz Kfar Azza. She was raised on the kibbutz, which was founded in 1956. She talked to us about how throughout her life she too, like Barak from Netiv Ha’asara, lived with rocket fire and bombs. How, while even when taking her morning walks with her father, there could be bombs being intercepted by the iron dome.

She told us about how on 7/10 the coordination of the terrorists was so well executed. When they infiltrated the kibbutz, the security teams first goal was to get to the armory and grab the weapons. Weapons were not stored in individual homes due to a prior theft and the army determined an armory was needed. When the team headed for the armory, the terrorists were strategically positioned on roof tops and ambushed them.

She continues by explaining that the terrorist destroyed their border fence in 40 places. How nine terrorists paraglided into the kibbutz and how Hamas killed 63 members of the kibbutz. When Hamas started to attack the housing, they would detonate or shoot through and around the door handles. Many people were killed just trying to hold their doors shut, as their safe-rooms were not designed to lock people out. There are 5 hostages from Kfar Azza still in Gaza. From Chen’s point of view, the way Hamas executed this attack on Israel is the new playbook on terror.

While this is only a fraction of the trip, the immense impact of helping, meeting, listening, and just being in Israel, is something that I will never forget. If you are interested in joining a Mission trip, I am planning a TEC trip on May 6-12, 2024. Please see the email sent on February 28 from me or reach out to me by March 15 to reserve your spot.

Eric Feigenbaum, President

On March 5th, TEC will be changing our provider for security services. Some of you - especially parents - have reached out to me with questions and concerns about our upcoming change in security companies.

Only three years ago I had kids in our Early Childhood Education Center and now both are in our Religious School. I very much understand the premium we place on the safety of our children. In fact, as a Temple, we have no greater duty than the well-being of the roughly 300 small children we are fortunate enough to care for and teach every weekday and the more than 260 bigger kids who come to our Religious School.

Our upcoming change of security services was made for many reasons – all of them aimed at increasing the quality of our security coverage. To be clear, Temple Etz Chaim won’t save a dime from this change. Moreover, since the horrific attack on Israel on October 7th, TEC has spent dramatically more than budgeted on security – and while we lament the necessity of it, we do not regret a dollar spent to keep everyone who is part of our community and campus safe.

The way the Board of Directors and Temple Leadership see it, there is no room for any incidences on our campus and we will continue to invest and spend on security to ensure we have a place in which we can all feel comfortable.

That said, money spent on ineffective security measures is money wasted. For a variety of reasons, TEC has felt we were not getting enough value for our money. The change in security companies will ensure guards are drawn from a local talent pool allowing us better coverage for absences and flexibility to increase staffing on short notice.

Cornwall Security is locally owned and operated and was recommended by Thousand Oaks Chief of Police Jeremy Paris. They have shown incredible attention and responsiveness. Their references say that isn’t just at the beginning of a relationship – but a standard Cornwall

At the end of this month, we will have our first Shabbaton in many years at Camp Alonim, at Brandeis Bardin Institute in Simi Valley. I hope that you are going to be there as part of our kehillah for fun, learning and community building. I will teach a class on Saturday morning after we have had services. I am talking about our unique calendar with its major themes. These themes are not only part of our different holidays but also reflected in our daily prayers. We will discuss redemption, revelation and creation in that order since we are only weeks away from Passover. If you want to learn more about our unique calendar, its holidays, prayers and themes then come and see me at 10:45 am-12:15 pm. We will have a conversation about these different topics and share our common experiences.

Our adult bnai mitzvah class is moving along and thanks to Betty Zonshine the class is learning the different prayers according to plan. It is a wonderful group of students from all walks of life, and

maintains with their clients. Cornwall has contracts with local school districts, private schools and experience protecting another synagogue in the area. They have their own patrol vehicles which will periodically visit our parking lot, they manage alerts from our alarm system and will have a dedicated campus supervisor. Moreover, ALL of their guards have lethal weaponry. Guards go through extensive training when taking on a new job site and Cornwall will be present on the TEC campus in the weeks prior to taking over.

Here’s some additional context. As TEC’s leadership became concerned that we increase our security precautions, we put together a Security Committee comprised of an experienced local Private Investigator, LAPD Sergeant and a former Air Force officer. These three individuals determined that a change of security providers was a critical step to our campus’ overall safety. They then led a careful and thorough process of selecting a new provider and making recommendations to the Board of Directors as to security changes TEC should be making – both related to guards and not. We are deeply grateful for their leadership.

All of this to say, nothing about the decision to change providers was done hastily or without expert guidance. Cornwall understands the importance of relationships around children and families. You may see some new faces once we transition, but expect to get to know and trust them more than the guards you have known over the past two years.

Most of all, expect to see high standards of professionalism. Guards in the right places at the right times with heads up, not on devices. Expect to be stopped at checkpoints, experience identification checks and observe staffing that is always appropriate to the needs of the time of day and activities on campus.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Gideon Manzur, our Executive Director at any time. We appreciate your understanding as we undertake this transition – it will be worthwhile.

you will follow them in my ETZ column from time to time. They are working with the third section of the Shema. Soon they are ready to embark on the Amidah prayer, our standing prayer where we are communicating with God, one on one.

The month of March has a double feature. In parallel to our Hebrew calendar, the month of Adar appears twice. We are in a leap year and we add an extra month, Adar א. In the second month, Adar ב we celebrate Purim which is a joyous time. Eating hamantaschen and reading the Megillah. I remember last year when I was in Jerusalem, everyone was dressed up, young and old. The street of Agrippa which is parallel to the market (the Shuck) was closed off as an official party street with a stage. Minor parties could be heard everywhere in the city. My hope and prayers are with all of Israelis for bringing the hostages home safely and that all Israel can celebrate Purim in peace. Bivracha

TEC Education

Debbie Blumenthal, Early Education Director

debbieb@templeetzchaim.org

As the month of March begins, the preschoolers are fully engaged in the story of Purim. The classrooms are stocked with crowns, costumes, Purim character masks and of course, groggers. This is a holiday where the children can use their dramatic play skills to celebrate the bravery of Esther, be silly like King Achashverosh, and be a hero to help the Jewish people.

On Friday, March 22nd , the entire ECE Center will celebrate Purim by watching the Purim Spiel performed by our Room A Pre-K class, and we will parade around in our costumes, shaking groggers and finish the morning with a Purim pizza lunch!

The Preschool and Infants will also enjoy a Beat Buds concert sponsored by our wonderful PTEC parents! We look forward to a fun musical experience.

Every Friday in the month of March we are inviting Grandparents and generational friends to visit the classrooms with their grandchildren!

Grandparents and generational friends are a valuable part of our lives. They have so many stories and experiences to share with all of us. We look forward to these intergenerational experiences. Together the family members will participate in activities in the classrooms and will finish the morning at our Shabbat Sing-along.

Towards the end of March, we are introducing the next Jewish holiday Pesach, or Passover. The older preschoolers will visit the Matzah Factory and make their own matzah. We will enjoy the story of Passover, special Passover foods and classroom Seders.

We appreciate all the parent volunteers and those on the committee of the Parents of Temple Etz Chaim for helping us with our school, holiday, and family events! We all value your support!

Chag Sameach!

Joyce Bronstein, Religious School Director

joyce@templeetzchaim.org

Havdalah and Hotdogs was a great success last month. We are so grateful to our anonymous donor family for their generous yearly sponsorship of Havdalah and Hotdogs, which allows us to offer families this fun-filled evening of food, crafts, and activities at a reduced cost. Todah Rabah, thank you to Cantor Kenny and Mariano for leading a beautiful Havdalah Service! We missed Rabbi Averbach and are thankful he is feeling better.

Thank you to Karen Garelik for brainstorming the activities and projects with me. A huge thank you and much appreciation to everyone who volunteered, from setting up the day before to cooking and serving hot dogs, participating in our community art activity and adding a Social Action project benefiting our senior community. Of course, the incredible art activities and hand wax figures were the highlight among the children. I appreciate the many positive comments, which made the evening more memorable.

An extravaganza of this nature could not have taken place without the many outstanding and hardworking individuals. From conception to fruition, all those involved in Havdallah and Hotdogs work diligently to make this evening successful.

Purim will be celebrated in a few weeks. At Temple Etz Chaim, there is so much for your family to participate in. Please take a breath and enjoy these special days with your precious children. Together as a family, these moments will be treasured always.

I look forward to sharing many more happy times at Temple Etz Chaim. May our scrapbook of memories continue to grow...

Happy Purim –Chag Purim – Enjoy

Cindy Goldberg, Programming & Youth Director

It’s the all-important, allencompassing March to Purim!!!

Please join us - and help us - make this year’s carnival another one for the record books of fun. Come for the adult oriented Shpiel on March 23, and come for more merriment on Sunday, March 24. If you can volunteer a bit of your time that day, we promise you won’t regret it.

TEC Community

Linda Hutchings, President, Women of TEC

WOTEC had a terrific Babka Bake in February! It was a fantastic team effort with Jen Sonnenberg Rhim, Phyllis Dankberg, Cynthia Koepcke and Elissa Lazarus all helping out together to make the event such a fantastic success! And a big Thank You to Leo Bronstein for volunteering to make the rolling pins! Thank you to Joyce Bronstein for her guidance as well and big thank you to all of our volunteers!!!

WOTEC is eager to welcome volunteers to serve on our WOTEC Board. We have several board positions available and it is a great way to get involved and have fun! Please contact me if you have interest. The time commitment is not overwhelming and it is truly a rewarding experience.

Every year WOTEC is delighted to fund scholarships going towards Jewish Overnight Camps and Israel Trips for our young Temple Members up to age 22. Please review the flyers that have been circulating in the temple emails and contact Cynthia Koepcke for more details: ckoepcke@templeetzchaim.org or visit: https://www.templeetzchaim.org/connect/women-of-tec/wotecscholarship/ for a direct link to apply.

March 24th is the Purim Carnival and WOTEC will be hosting an Arts and Crafts Activity and we would love volunteers to help host this booth. Please let me know if you would like to volunteer.

April 4th we will be having a Beach Outing and Family Games with Men’s Club. This event is open to all congregants as well. May 5th will be our Woman of Valor Luncheon honoring the fabulous Bonnie Rothman!

If you have any ideas/requests for upcoming events, please let us know. We would love to bring your ideas to reality.

WOTEC Calendar of Events

3/24 Volunteer @ Purim Carnival. 3/24

4/4 Beach Sunset & Games Day (Bring your own dinner)

Co-Sponsored with Men’s Club.

5/5 Woman of Valor Luncheon (bring a mother, daughter, sister, niece, aunt, friend). 11:30am

Irwin Barney, President, Men’s Club

Each February the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs sponsors the World Wide Wrap to try to have all Jews everywhere put on tefillin. This year’s World Wide Wrap was held on Sunday February 11. Our club participated through the regularly scheduled Sunday morning minyan. After the minyan, students from our Religious School learned about the mitzvah of putting on tefillin including the opportunity to put them on. Jonathan Hops led the session with support from Rabbi Averbach and volunteers from the Men’s Club.

On February 25, the Men’s Club sponsored a brunch with a presentation on the topic “An Insider’s View of the TV Industry”. The guest speaker was our Men’s Club member, Ryan Winthrop, who is a TV Producer.

The Men’s Club is sponsoring three events this month: Cocktail Making on March 16, Photography Adventure in Learning on March 17, and a Beer Garden at the Purim Carnival on March 24.

As a reminder, the Men’s Club annual Scholar in Residence program will take place the weekend of April 5-7. This year’s speaker is Shira Telushkin who is a religion writer and reporter living in Brooklyn. We are honored to debut a speaker with intergenerational appeal who has an engaging and charming approach to a wide range of relevant contemporary topics that touch our lives today. Thanks to Mark Zucherman, our Scholar in Residence chair, who is coordinating the program.

Pam Friedman, VP, Social Action

Social Action participated in Havdalah and Hotdogs this year. With a Community Outreach project for Hillcrest Royale Retirement and Assisted Living Facility. Joyce Bronstein suggested a wonderful project for us, pens decorated with silk flowers. Our goal was to make 100 decorated pens and notepads.

Families came and made beautiful pens with a silk flower and decorated a notepad. The pens were attached to the notepad with ribbon. This project was so heartwarming to watch as the pens, flowers and notepads came together as a gift. What a mitzvah.

This project allowed us to come together as a temple community to help those living at the Hillcrest Royale. This project would not have been possible without the leadership of Judy Gindi and Merrill Kaminsky. They put together a great team of volunteers who helped families construct the flower pens.

After the event they took all the lovely pen and notepad sets to the

Hillcrest Royale. The Pens and notepads were happily accepted by Miriam Rubinstein.

Add April 1st -7th to your calendar for the dates of our Manna Food Pantry drive. You will be able to drop off your donation in the main Temple building. Join us, it’s a mitzvah.

Manna food donation list

canned spaghetti sauce

canned pasta- raviolis, spaghettiOs

canned soup

canned fruit

dry/uncooked rice or pasta

box instant potatoes

canned tuna

shelf stable drinks- almond milk hot cereal or cold cereal fruit juice any flavor

Susan Kane, Chairperson, Inclusion Committee

The 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.

Check out the newly added listing of Community Resources under the ‘CONNECT’ tab on the TEC website. Among these are organizations that provide information and/or support in the areas of addiction, medical crises, special needs, social services and for the LGBTQ+ community. If there is an organization that you think should be included as a Community Resource, please let us know.

Magnifying sheets are now available to support those with vision impairment. They will be available in the lobby to be used during services. Please return them to the lobby at the conclusion of services. Should you need them for any other temple related activity, please notify the office in advance to make arrangements.

Mark your calendars and join us for these upcoming events:

Monday, March 18th 7:00 – Screening of the award winning documentary, SPELLERS which challenges conventional wisdom regarding nonspeakers with autism. “What if we’ve been wrong about every single one of them?” the film asks. What if we have grossly underestimated each nonspeaking autistic’s cognitive abilities; and worse, what if we continue to miss out on the contributions of these beautiful minds–millions of them? Spellers not only asks this of the viewers, the film provides undeniable proof the world is now moving towards the answer through the work being done by trailblazing spellers who are able to communicate their thoughts for the first time in their lives. After the screening, we will be joined by local spellers to share their experiences and answer questions from the audience.

June 7th – 8th Pride Shabbat. Stay tuned for details.

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

Dates to Remember March

B’nai Mitzvah

Maya March 9

Hi, I am Maya. I have grown up in Los Angeles. When I was small, my family used to attend Shomrei Torah synagogue. As I got older, we moved away from that area and did not find Etz Chaim until about a year before Covid started. I am a 7th grader at Lindero Canyon. I love animals, playing soccer, surfing, basically anything in the water, and spending time with my family. I want to thank my Religious School teachers, Tobi, Cantor Kenny, as well as Joyce, and Rabbi Ari, and my Bat Mitzvah tutor, Betty, for helping me learn the prayers that my ancestors have learned for many generations before me. I am proud to be a part of the Etz Chaim community.

Congratulations to the Scherr family on the birth of Kaia Bentley Scherr

Born on January 31, 2024

Congratulations to the David family on the birth of Ezra Joseph

David

Born on February 19, 2024

Barbara & Harvey Scherr Memorial Fund

In Memory of Esther Block

Barbara Ungar

In Memory of Morris Moskowitz

Harvey Moskowitz

Dunaier Music Fund

In Memory of Esther Block

Barbara Ungar

Early Childhood Education Fund

In Memory of Morris Rosen

Stan & Lynne Rosen

In Memory of Joan Seltzer

Steven Sturman

Elisa Feldman Memorial Religious School Scholarship Fund

In Honor of Les & Debbie Feldman’s Anniversary

Patricia Kaye

In Memory of Theodora Aronson

In Memory of Jack Borgen

Eileen Sachs

In Memory of Gertrude Atlman

Nomi Freed

In Memory of Sarah Orlin

Jeff & Sheri Schoenwald

In Memory of Sarah Orlin

Les & Debbie Feldman

In Memory of Benjamin Barney

Irwin Barney

In Memory of Betty Wechsler

Ilene Barney

In Memory of Rosalyn Gleimer

Ellen Hustead

Inbar Israel Travel and Education Scholarship Fund

In Memory of Bernard Mezey

In Memory of Lillian Mezey

Gail Simpson

In Memory of John (Yonni) Tollman

Lisa Tollman

In Memory of Sophie Goldenberg

Merrill Goldenberg

Jotkowitz Camp Ramah Scholarship Fund

In Honor of Marilyn Feldman’s Bat Mitzvah

Mark & Amy Scop

In Memory of Pearl Witkin

Rabbi Jack & Leah Shechter

Lipnick RSSF

In Memory of Walter Michelson

Barbara Shannon

In Memory of Samuel Smith

Ron & Sybil Goldstein

In Memory of Sylvia Rothman

Bonnie Rothman

In Memory of Dorann Bunkin

In Memory of Mollie Bunkin

In Memory of Harriet Corn

In Memory of Esther Lipnick

Michael Bunkin

In Memory of Bertha Winterstein

Susan Goldberg

In Memory of Katie Goldberg

Susan Goldberg

Men’s Club Scholar-in-Residence

In Memory of Anne Henry Kaufman

Joel Shrater

In Memory of Rabbi Shimon Paskow

Marc & Carole Firestone

In Memory of Bella Lewin Varkel

Frank Lewin

Men’s Club Silverstein Humanitarian

In Memory of Joseph Mason

Claudine Marx

In Memory of Julian Robert Saly

Richard Saly

In Memory of Nanci Lewin

Frank Lewin

Rabbi Averbach’s Discretionary Fund

In Honor of Rabbi Ari & Vanessa Averbach’s Anniversary

Patricia Kaye

In Memory of Noel Sterling

In Memory of Vivian Sterling

Randi Cohn

In Memory of Tania Pfefferman

Arthur Pfefferman

In Memory of Alfred Agranoff

In Memory of Samuel Agranoff

Eileen Sachs

In Memory of Lorraine Dennis

Jessica Dennis

In Appreciation of Rabbi Averbach.

Thank you for Torah Commentary

Marsha Roberts

In Memory of Albert Shipow

Robert & Stephanie Shipow

In Memory of Irwin Gollub

Michael Gollub

In Memory of Harold Gilbard

Steven Gilbard

In Memory of Sara Litmanovich

Miriam Carmona

In Memory of Richard Manes

Randy & Deborah Manes

In Memory of Abe N. Kessler

Gilbert Kessler

In Memory of Rachel Sender Fine

Lila Oberman

Tami Podell

In Appreciation of Benny Sommerfeld

Linda Ludin

In Memory of Kari Munowitch

David Munowitch & Emily Habib

In Memory of Shirley Davis

Jay & Debra Levine

In Memory of Shirley Davis

Robert Freinberg & Ricki Averbach

In Memory of Jane Mendelson

Alan Mendelson

In Honor of Nicole and Max’s Wedding

Steven & Lenore Greenman

In Memory of Abraham Shain

Tobi Love

Religious School Education Fund

In Honor of Joyce Bronstein’s Birthday

Patricia Kaye

In Memory of Blanche Bozarth

Richard Engler

In Memory of Fred Kunin

Ricky Dennis

In Memory of Sarah Orlin

Frank & Sarah Karamas

In Memory of Don Rennick

Stacy Borsuk

Ritual Fund

In Honor of Gail Simpson’s Birthday

In Honor of Marshall Rosen’s Birthday

Patricia Kaye

In Memory of Earl Lutzker

John & Sandra Lutzker

Tributes

Sandee Tischler RSSF

In Honor of Marco Cohen’s Bat Mitzvah

Michael James Cohen

In Memory of Frances Levine

In Memory of Samuel Carlin

In Memory of Natalie Freidman

Jerome and Dawne Ratzan

Social Action Fund

In Honor of Steve & Pam Friedman’s Anniversary

In Honor of Ken & Laurel Warner’s Anniversary

In Honor of Jessica Dennis’ Birthday

In Honor of Susan Pierce’s Birthday

Patricia Kaye

In Honor of Feed the Hungry for Harbor House

William & Cynthia Koepcke

In Honor of Feed the Hungry for Harbor House

Myles & Gail Simpson

In Honor of Feed the Hungry for Harbor House

In Memory of Kari Munowitch

David Munowitch & Emily Habib

In Honor of Feed the Hungry for Harbor House

Susan Pierce

Temple General Fund

In Memory of Sonia Chester

Iris Chester

In Memory of Kenneth Solovy

Murray & Karen Riss

In Memory of Phyllis Nathanson

Jay & Debra Levine

In Memory of Phil Marko

In Memory of Betty Marko

Reuben Finkelstein

Sidney & Sheryl Gutmann

In Memory of Irving Malchicoff

Sheldon Malchicoff

In Memory of Phyllis Nathanson

Tom & Barbara Freeman

Tzedakah Fund

In Memory of Cecil Moll

Francine Finkelstein

In Memory of Lawrence Oberman

Robin Oberman

Women of TEC

In Honor of The Birth of Kaia Bentley Scherr

William & Cynthia Koepcke

Women of TEC Scholarship Fund

In Memory of Lena Lipkin

Alan Lipkin

Women of TEC Torah Fund

In Honor of Harriet Shrater’s Birthday

Patricia Kaye

In Memory of Theodore Fleser

In Memory of Miriam Fleser

In Memory of Robin Sales

Holly Seery

In Memory of Sidney Reuben

Sandra Reuben

In Memory of Jack Chadroff

In Memory of Florence Brookstein

Edward Chadroff

Announcing our 2023-2024

Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh Campaign

All the people of Israel are responsible for one another

We strive to make a significant impact through scholarships and programs that benefit students at The Jewish Theological Seminary, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, Schechter Institutes, Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano and Zacharias Frankel College.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we help committed Jewish students become the rabbis, cantors, educators, synagogue administrators, social workers, scholars, researchers and lay leaders of tomorrow.

When you support Torah Fund, you help educate students in New York, Los Angeles, Israel, Latin America and Europe—and you align with those who value learning, knowledge and providing the future generation with relevant skills to fortify the Jewish people.

GIVE NOW: INSPIRED.JTSA.EDU/TORAHFUND

This pin highlights the word ‘arevut,’ responsibility. It corresponds to the theme from the Babylonian Talmud, Shevuot 39a, that all the people of Israel are responsible for one another, and we assume that responsibility through our support of the five Conservative/Masorti institutions of higher education.

MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO GIVE TO TORAH FUND

TORAH FUND GIVING LEVELS

Click on GIVE NOW above.

Under "Affiliates," write: Temple Etz Chaim.

Under "City" and "State," write: Thousand Oaks, CA You can also make a donation in honor or in memory of someone for any amount ($5 or more)

FOR CHECKS: Make out to "Torah Fund" and leave in Temple Main Office Torah Fund box, or mail the check to TEC and indicate Torah Fund on the envelope.

Let Esther or Phyllis know when you make a donation so we can make sure it goes to the correct place and you and TEC are credited. Although all donations are very appreciated, with any donation of $180 or more you will be gifted with this year’s beautiful pin.

Esther Pullan: (818) 585-6890, esthercolor49@gmail.com or Phyllis Dankberg: phyllis@dankberg.com

The Mitzvah Committee

is here to help...

and remember your loved ones.

We will provide:

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.

• 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

After

Family provides:

• 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.

2 Players will win 6 months of FREE Bingo

($75 each week... a $1,800 value)

1 Player will win 3 months of FREE Bingo

($75 each week... a $900 value)

1 Player will win 1 month of FREE Bingo

($75 each week... a $300 value)

Winners possible each game night. $100 will be put into the sock each night, plus $1.00 for each player present.

The maximum for each sock is $1,199. When a sock reaches $1,199, a new sock will start. Each sock has a separate number. SOCK $350 EST. AS OF 3/7/24

Stand in solidarity with Israel. Here is your opportunity to support and gain an invaluable perspective on their experiences and stories of resilience from the events of October 7th. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience you will always remember — that you were there helping in Israel’s time of crisis.

The mission will be led by Gideon Manzur. Participants will have the chance to volunteer within local communities; hear moving stories from families of survivors and hostages, and front line soldiers; and witness firsthand what Israel faced on October 7th. This trip is not just a tour — it is a profound engagement designed for people of all ages and abilities.

Click on the link below for more details and to secure your reservation.

APRIL

57,

Join us as we spend the weekend looking at some of the most powerful stories in the

tradition that tell our human story, and explore together what it can tell us about being a Jew in Today’s Modern World.

Shira Telushkin is a producer, an editor, a journalist, who is passionate about our understanding and telling of Jewish Stories in modern times. She writes about religion, fashion, and culture. Her writings have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and many other publications. Shira has a BA in Religious Studies from Yale University, and a Masters of Divinity from the Harvard Divinity School, where she studied early Egyptian Christian monasticism. She teaches at the Newmark Journalism school at CUNY.

FRIDAY EVENING Delivered during Services

Should Moral Differences Ever End a Friendship? A Jewish Perspective of stories that can help us unpack friendships that go awry.

SATURDAY MORNING Delivered during Services

Being Holy Does Not Mean Being Good A look back at strange stories about the power of holiness and seeking divine devotion among our saints, mystics and heroes in a world where being useful and serving others all the time can seem like the only way to live a meaningful life.

SATURDAY EVENING Havdalah with refreshments and Q&A

7:00 PM | $18 (no charge for SIR Sponsors any level, and students

Why do Jews Believe in Demons? How do we understand superstitions, angels, and fantastical stories that don't make sense in our modern world.

SUNDAY MORNING BRUNCH (Roundtable and Q&A

10:00 AM, $10 ($8 for Men’s Club members, no charge for SIR Sponsors)

God, Intermarriage, Antisemitism. What 1920s Jewish Advice Columns Can Teach Us Today! Join us for a fun look at historical ways that stories from the 1920s through advice columns and cries for help really resonate with who we are.

Temple Etz Chaim Conservative Synagogue in Thousand Oaks, CA

Please visit our Scholar-In-Residence website often for updated agenda information, details and sponsorship opportunities.

RSVPs are appreciated.

Join Rabbi Averbach and other community leaders to celebrate Passover and partake in all Camp Ramah has to offer.

Cut on dotted line