The Bulletin of Congregation Ner Tamid, December 2006

Monthly Bulletin of Congregation Ner Tamid A Special Place To Belonc It was a little over nineteen years ?> that I was asked to become the oi of Congregation Ner Tamid. We were a smaller temple then, about 70 families or so. (No one really knew the exact number). Life has a strange way of creating wonderful anticipation and then... it happens! Just as we waited this year for high holidays, we are now in ardent anticipation for the next BIG event, which is.... The grand opening! Kislev/Tevet 5767 December 2006 Volume XX No. 12 continued on page 2 continued on page 3 Every year between the end of November and the end of December, Jewish people around the world celebrate the holiday of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. Chanukah begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, but the starting date ^pthe western calendar varies from continued on page 4 MENORAH LICHTING AT THE DISTRICT December 16 See page 7 for details SHARING OUR TRADITIONS See page 4 for details JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL January 14 See page 9 for details Inside 2 Rabbi's Message Upcoming Events 3 President's Message 4 Cantorial Soloist's Message 5 Youth News/B'nai Mitzvahs 6 Exec. Dir. Message 7 Adult Education 8 Yahrzeits/Memoriams 10 Birthdays/Anniversaries (ALSO SEE INSERT) 11 Calendar 13 Monthly Programs 15 Sisterhood/Men's Club 16 Tributes 20 Worship Schedule?Our Chanukah gift to Ourselves: Remembering the Ties that Bind? Rabbi Sanford D. Akselrad It was October 1987 during Succot and the leaders of the temple brought me out from Columbus Ohio where I was the associate rabbi of a large 1200 family congregation. One of the concerns of the committee at the time was that I might come to Las Vegas and then leave after a year or two. They wanted stability for the Temple and a person who would call Las Vegas their home. When asked what my intent was I still recall my answer, which is as true today as it was nineteen years ago. "I grew up in a rabbinic household where my father stayed through most of his career. It allowed my Dad to develop long term relationships with people that were meaningful and lasting. He had been able to name babies, and officiate at their weddings. He played a part in every aspect of their lives in a way that allowed him to grow as a rabbi, and the Congregation to know that they had a caring rabbinic leader as part of their family. That is what I would hope for myself." This year in particular I have become especially reflective as my Dad's career takes on an added measure of import. And too, I have officiated this year at the simcha of many of my former students. And even named a baby or two of former students. When people who gather say to me, "I can't believe so and so is a father. I remember when he was just a little boy running through the house." I can nod my head knowingly as well. It is through the establishments of relationships such as these that have given my rabbinate special meaning. But I dare say that such relationships are what give all of our lives true meaning. Sometimes, we can get sidetracked. We rush ahead making a living, and we forget about the importance of making a life. We spend a lot of time planning for tomorrow and today is never truly felt, because we are somewhere else. And as we grow older, we again have to resist the temptation to live only in the past. (2 WWW.LVNER.TAMID.ORG ^ This time of year is often a joyous one. Chanukah fills us with beautiful music, holiday parties and presents, games of dreidyl and the lighting of the menorah. Cherished memories are being formed that will carry us into our future, one generation at a time. This Chanukah when we light our candles, let us recall someone special in our lives. Let us give thanks for that person and acknowledge why they are special to our family. In so doing, you and your children will remember the ties that bind and the relationships that do indeed give our lives special meaning. Time flies by too quickly, so cherish every, every moment. Wishing you a Happy Chanukah from my family to yours. MAf. $ January Attractions $ 1/1 New Year?s Day - Office Closed 1/8 Adult Ed Second Mondays 7:00 pm 1/12 Shabbatone Service 7:30 pm 1/14 Jewish Film Festival @ Suncoast 4:00 pm 1/26 Shabbat Unplugged 7:30 pmTemple Board President - Marla Letizia marla@BigT.com VP Administration Harry Sax hairydotcom@cox.net VP Ways & Means - Michael Unger pmomikc@aol.com VP Youth & Education - Beth Falk bcthfl210@aol.com VP Ritual - Del Acosta dacosta6@cox.nct VP Member Recruitment - Jay Poster jaypostcr@aol.com VP Member Retention - Marsha Goldberg decagonl2@aol.com VP Social Action - Cindy Jensen ckjcnscn@cox.net Treasurer - Gregg Solomon gsolomon@intdlcctualgaming.com Corporate Secretary - Yvonne Gordon tobcach@hotmail.com Trustees Michele Fcndell mfenddl@cox.nct Barry Lewisohn blcwisohn@aol.com Jordie Primack closings3@yahoo.com Debra Cohen dcbra.cohcn@wachoviasec.com Stacey Yahraus-Lewis staccy21704@aol.com Daryl Alterwitz daltcrwitz@cox.net Illisa Polls illisa_h@yahoo.com Craig Kurtzman bigk23637@ctol.com Mark Bromberg mrb4651@aol.com Laura Bailey, Sisterhood President CNTSisterhood@cox.net Stu Solomon, Men?s Club President Stuart.Solomon@cntmcnsclub.org Megan Stolberg, NTTY President Meganl22@cox.net Temple President, Marla Letizia And Wow is it as we look at the new wonderful changes and the fabulous new happening to the new to hear the comments from every one of you your spiritual home and In the Temple office are working diligently coming on fast! Daily property, we see the that are taking place developments that are Temple. It is exciting and see the letters as you take pride in make it your own. and on the Board we and efficiently to make this huge move a seamless transition. Additionally, on October 12, 2006 we had our first Board retreat dedicated to finding ways to work as a team. In order for you to understand what comprised the evening I highly recommend that you turn to the article written by Michele Fendell, where you will get a capsulated version of the agenda and the meeting in general. As we take this long step forward we do so with the support of our strong spiritual leader, Rabbi Akselrad and we continue to be blessed with the many of you that are coming forth in caring community to help us with this massive project. If you have not volunteered yet, we encourage you to join one of the committees that are in planning for our incredible Gala. Your help will be appreciated by everyone that is working hard to create splendor. Through the effort of all of us, Congregation NerTamid is becoming a wonderful haven for Jewish Worship and a welcome place from which to grow. I must also extend a heart felt "thank you" to Jerry Gordon who for many years has been spear heading the capital campaign. It is through his unending belief, vision and desire that we have what it takes to build the quintessential campus. Without him, none of this would be possible. I wish each and every one of you a glorious December, filled with love and joy for family, friends and co-workers. As each of us celebrates this wonderful time of year in our own personal fashion, let us be hopeful that the world will find time to embrace our differences and create moments of true peace. Gift Wrap Time is Here! We Need Volunteers Sunday - Thursday Galleria Mall Hours Contact Mike Unger at PMOMike@aol .com -( D ec em b er . 2 0 0 6 3 ) One of the best known symbols of Chanukah is the Dreidel. A dreidel is a four sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side. The four letters are shin, hey, gimel and nun. These letters stand for "A Great Miracle Happened There". In Israel, the dreidel is a bit different in that the letters mean "A Great Miracle Happened Here". Just a Philip Goldstein, Cantorial Soloist year to year. The holiday celebrates the events which took place over 2,300 years ago in the land of Judea, which is now Israel. This Chanukah season we have a couple of special events planned involving our Youth Choir. On December 10th, our Youth Choir will be joined by the Jr. Choir from Adat Ari El to form a Mitzvah Choir to sing at various nursing homes around town. The locations are being finalized as I write. The Youth Choir will also be singing at the Menorah Lighting Ceremony at The District on December 16th. Please join us there for some wonderful music and show the kids your support,. ATTENTION 2008 B?NAI MITZVAH ?We are be?innin? to schedule Bar/Bal Milzvahs for the calendar year 2008. Letters will be mailed on or about the 21st of December. If you have not received a packet by the end of December and are planning to have a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in 2008, please call Karen Levine immediately at the temple office 733- 6292. If you have any questions about the process of selecting your date, please contact Rabbi Akselrad via email at Rabbak@lvnerlamid.or? SHARING HANUKKAH TRADITIONS AT YOUR SCHOOL December can be a tough time for our children who attend public schools, as many times Christmas takes over most schoolwide celebrations. This year our Education Director has purchased a large number of dreidels for students to take and share with their public school friends. These dreidels are free for Temple families. (Parents should check with their public school teachers first before bringing dreidels into class). We also have dreidel rules on how to play the game and would be happy to help you plan a lesson about Hanukkah or to visit a few of your children?s schools to teach about Hanukkah. Requests can be submitted via email to Craig Rosen at crosen@lvnertamid.org and will be granted on a first come, first served basis. a WWW.LVNERTAMID.ORG > Jennifer Cadish December 9, 2006 Hi, I?m Jennifer Cadish. I go to Del Webb Middle School. One of my favorite hobbies is horseback riding and I like to play video games like ?Harvest Moon?. My mom is a lawyer, my dad?s a printer, my brother is a 4th grader at Wolff Elementary and I have 2 cats. For my Bat Mitzvah project, I decided to help out a local animal shelter. HANUKKAH GIFT FOR THE RELIGIOUS SCHOOL We are looking for a new digital projector for the religious school so that we can bring powerpoint and internet into the classrooms. If you'd like to donate one to the school or make a donation towards the purchase of one, please contact Craig Rosen, our Director of Education at crosen@lvnertamid.org. RELIGIOUS SCHOOL PATES TO REMEMBER Dec 1 Dec 3 Dec 5 Dec 8-10 Dec 10 ^ec 16 17-31 Tan 2 Jan 2 4'6th grade Family Shabbat @ King David 6th Grade Family Ed Day - regular Religious School for all others Gesher (10-12 grade) at CNT office Confirmation Weekend Trip 5th Grade Family Ed Day - regular Religious School for all others Hanukkah @ the District No Religious School - winter break Hebrew School resumes @ Gibson Gesher (1012 grade) at CNT office B?nai Mitzvah ~ Religious School Craig Rosen Education Director December is most certainly a month full of celebration, but what is it that we?re really celebrating? What is the true story behind Hanukkah? Is the whole holiday just about the miracle of oil that lasted for 8 days? The word Hanukkah actually means dedication. It was named when we re-dedicated the Temple after its desecration. Under the Syrian King Antiochus in 167 BCE, Jews were forced to accept the Greek culture and were not allowed to practice Judaism. Greek statues were erected in the Temple and Antiochus claimed victory for he thought he defeated the Jewish God. It so happened that in a small town called Modi?in near Jerusalem the Syrian army came in and began to publicly make the Jews demonstrate their loyalty to Antiochus. A man named Mattathias and his 5 sons refused to bow to the Syrian army and a 3 year war began. After Mattathias died in battle, his son Judah Maccabee rose to take his place. This small group of men held of the Syrian army and eventually defeated them reclaiming Jerusalem and re?dedicating the Temple. When we regained our Temple, the Jews lit the ?ner tamid? the eternal light and although there was only enough oil left for one night, miraculously it lasted for 8 nights. Many miracles are talked about on this festival of lights; the miracles of the victory of a small number of Jews against a large army, and of course the miracle of the oil of ?eternal light? lasting for 8 days. When we light the Hanukkah lights this year, I?d like for us to consider ourselves in the times of the Maccabees. Imagine stepping into the Temple once again and lighting that eternal flame. Soon we will be in our new Temple and we?ll be able to rededicate ourselves to our community then we can all celebrate together! I wish everyone a Happy Hanukkah! ?( D ec em b er . 2 0 0 6 5 ) Where did we come from, Where are we going, and How do we get there? IrvDuchowny, Executive Director Roadmaps - it?s all about roadmaps. You know, when you?re going on a trip, many people like to know where they?re going, the best route to take (be it car, plane or motor coach), approximate time of arrival, and what they?re going to do once they arrive. We are now asking vour help in determining our roadmap for CNT. Our hard-working and dedicated Board of Trustees (and THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR BOARD MEMEBERS) just had our annual Board Retreat, and we had a facilitator from our union (URJ) who helped us along. We, as a board, were asked some of the questions on the title of my article, so that we can determine the proper leadership roles and move us all forward in the right direction. One of the exercises that we did was to answer, first individually and then, as a group, several key questions that all dealt directly with our roles as board members, our strengths and areas to improve. I will now list the questions, but ask that you, our congregants, respond to these questions and get your answers back to me. We know what we came up with (which we?ll share with you at a later date), but we?re very interested in vour responses - you are our congregants, as everyone on the board is, and we want to make sure that we have as much agreement as possible in terms of where are we now and where do we want to take our CNT future, and how to best get there. Following are the 6 questions that were put to the Board: 1- Why did you join Congregation Ner Tamid? 2- Why did you become a leader (or, to rephrase, ?Would you like to become a leader?? 3- What is the most rewarding part of belonging to CNT? 4- What is the most frustrating part of belonging to CNT? 5- What is vour most important role at CNT? 6- What legacy would you like to leave CNT? I would sincerely love to have you respond to these questions - we are very interested in what you have to say, and share. Please know that we wanting to give our congregants what they want and this is a wonderful way for you to share your thoughts with us. SAVE THE DATE! Gala Celebration Weekend! Gala Dinner - February 24 Torah Walk, Brunch and Much More! - February 25 To Volunteer, Contact Roberta in the Temple office 733-6292 Hurry.... Deadline is December 31! Get your photos and memories to Yvonne Gordon at tobeach@hotmail.com fast ! We're still looking for items from the early days so check those files! I______________________________________________________J ^6 WWW.LVNER.TAMID.ORG )---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Second Mondays Are Back! Becember 11 7:00 PM Book club with Tom Friedman?s ?From Beirut to Jerusalem? (please read prior to class) 8:00 pm Moses and Mendelssohn.... Want to remain Jews, but believe that Judaism has to be tailored to better fit the culture at large while remaining unique. Classes will be held at the temple office, are FREE and open to everyone! Pre-registration is appreciated. RSVP to Roberta Unger at 733-6292 or via email runger@lvnertamid.org. Adult Education Judaism 101 Liturgy Series Saturday, Dec 2 @ noon The V'ahavta Join Rabbinic Intern Cookie Olshein and learn the blessing or prayer's meaning and background. NO Hebrew is required, transliterated text provided. RSVP before the Thursday prior to each class and receive a CD containing the prayers/ blessing to be discussed. You can RSVP to Mary Zone at the temple office or email her at mzone@lvnertamid.org. YIDDUSH CLUB Remember listening to your parents and grandparents talking to each other, and everyone P^lse, in Yiddish? The expression and passion of Yiddish as a language compares with nothing else. Thinking about those days brings back such loving memories for many of us. Wouldn?t it be wonderful to pass these memories on to the next generation? If your interested in being part of a Yiddish Club (we?ll begin with meeting once each month) please contact Roberta Unger in the temple office 733-6292. Mak *?ongg Car? 7?M?! It's time to get your new cards! Regular size are $6.50, Large are $7.50. Deadline to order is February 12,2007. Please remember to make checks payable to CNT Sisterhood. Separate checks for each person's cards will insure that they are mailed directly to their home. Pend checks to Sandy Stolberg, 1904 Plantea Ct., Las Vegas, 89117. Questions? Call her at 228-6863. RSVP not required but appreciated. If not, we will not have a CD for you to take home. Come watch as we light the Menorah Saturday, December 16 at the District In Green Valley at 6:30 pm. Our very own Youth Choir will be singing too! Join In the celebration and be a part of a new tradition! I ? ^ ---------------------------------------- ( D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 6 7~) Yahrzeits Dec 1 Joseph Brodsky Phillip Brown Sanora Charon David Cooper Valyrie Corben Bruce Marshall Dunn Arnold Edland Hazel Ewan Richard Ewan Louis Feldman Louis Gale Jean Granich Goldie Henkin Harold Joelson Bonnie Layfer Anne Light Charles Maurer Cecelia Mitchel Ida Molinsky Barbara H. Ramoy Leonard Rankow Sybil Rosenman Mollie Rosenthal Marvin Rubenstein Joseph Smoler Pearl Stenzel Florence Helen Stone Terri Tobman Shirlee Waxier Yetta Weiner Dec 8 Dec 15 Dec 22 Dec 29 Sylvia Aaron Irwin Appel Sam Blattstein Pat Alpert Shaun Michael Bell Joseph Barasch Rose Bumbaca Jenny Aronoff Ralph Wilkens Brill Sidney Barkan William Cohen Til lie Bromberg Eva Podwell Bronstein Robert Beigelman Leo Diamond Annie Brown Charles Charnis Dr. Sidney Boyers Rose Dunn-Orlofsky Elizabeth Buffman Eli Cohen Regina Charon Florence Ellison Samuel Bumbaca Ruth Falk Irving Chasnick Abe Fox Vincent Cavaretta Abraham Funk Mike DiCiero Thomas Frankl Sarah Goldstein Abraham Goldberg Minnie Etkind Eric Glichouse Henry Harrison Mary Gottlieb Melvin Goldberg Morton Green Marty Kleiman Charlotte Halpert Gustav Golding Mickey Johnson Harry Kolber Sarah Heit Louis Gottlieb Bernice Kaplan Barr Ethel Kubey Rose Herman Thelma Kaplan Rachel Kinsler Gladys Miller Tami Hogaboam Bernard Layfer Sylvia Landun Sassoon Jack Paiewsky Davin Jones Robert Levy Fannie Laufbaum Susie Press Roz Katz William Levy Daniel Liebman Abraham Raizin Rose Kern Joann Mauriello Deena Liebman Marga Roberg Gertrude Kirshbaum Dora Morningstar Rose Molasky Avram Roitman Charlotte Kishner Adele Nathan Dorothy Pearl man Esther Rosen Milton S. Klaw Betty Nathan Ethel Peresman Murry Rubin Alan Meyers Walter Nathan Dr. Gerald L Plant Meyer Sachs Leo Perelman Sophie Palbaum Frieda Pokroy Selma Schneiderinan Erven Peresman Sylvia Presser Jacob Rosenthal Aaron Seltzer Arthur Pokroy Ann Reichlin Dennis Sabbath Philip Serling Nathan Rockoff Herman Roberg Allan Unger Max Sholkoff Irving Roitman Sarah Sendrow Rose Unger Benjamin Spector Albert Morton Rumley III Miriam Shiroff Mariel Verlander Raymond Spector Rose Sendrow Rose Stahl Dean Webb Ronald Stark Hyman Silver Betty Ratner Trubenbach Rosaline Sterman Bertha F. Stone Gertrude Weil Michael Tashman Charles Tesser Barbara Weiss Anna Weinberg Annette Waterman Rae Winnick Ruth Wikler Adeline Wexler Marcia Wolfe Alice White Leon Yanofsky IN MEMORIAM: Paulina Trupp, beloved mother of Mirta Dreiman, beloved mother-in-law of Claudio, beloved grandmother of Nicholas, Matthew and Stephanie Joaquina Alvarez, beloved grandmother of Bessie Levy Fred Sherman, beloved husband of Esther, beloved father of Sharlene Flushman and Lou Sherman, beloved grandfather of Amy and Travis Ernestine Wiesenfeld, beloved mother of Bill Feldman, beloved mother-in-law of Sally Elaine Primack, beloved mother of Jordie, beloved mother-in-law of Debbie, beloved grandmother of Brett and great-grandmother of Austin and Ashley Katherine ?Kitty? Blatchford, beloved mother of Julie Torchin Rabbi Sidney Akselrad, beloved father of Rabbi Sanford Akselrad, beloved father-in-law of Joni, beloved grandfather of CJ and Sam Melvin Sernoe, beloved father of Susie, beloved grandfather of Kurt, Angela and Sara 8 WWW.LVNER_TAMID.ORG Jewish Film Festival Sunday, January 14th Suncoast Hotel 4:00 pm Tickets - $10 The movie's plot explores the Middle East conflict through lives fractured by the region's harsh political realities. Most of the cast of the Arabic-language film is Palestinian-Israeli, as is the screenwriter. It's about a Druze family in the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory the Israelis have occupied since 1967. Since then, the Druze in Golan have been cut off from the Druze in Syria. The religion is an 1 lth-century offshoot of Islam. When the family arranges to marry its daughter to a Druze from Damascus, the wedding must be held at the border. Read more about the movie, the actors and the director/writers at V www.syrianbride.com/ english.html For ticket information, contact Roberta Unger in the temple office at 733-6292. Co-sponsored by CNT, Men?s Club and Sisterhood Renewed and Refreshed: Reflections from a Temple Board Retreat ^ By Michele Fendell, Trustee Like any retreat or start of a journey or new path, one begins with a mixed bag of feelings. As you leave the outside world and travel towards the inner sanctum of a group of people whom you will be spending a period of time with for a common goal, you can?t help but feel excited and uncertain at the same time. These feelings materialized for your temple?s board on Thursday, October 16,2006. At this board retreat, which was designed to help move us forward with vitality and get us ready for an exciting yet challenging year of change, we focused on several important issues. Our agenda included clarifying our roles as board members, where we are now and where we want to be as we transition and our next steps as we look towards the future. Our keynote speaker was Dale Glasser, Director for the URJ, who shared his expertise on the different types of congregations and on understanding congregational growth. These important topics gave us background to help us know where we are as a congregation and where we might be headed. With our new facility at our footsteps, we need to be prepared to handle the challenges which lie ahead. From this great knowledge, we engaged in many brainstorming and reflective exercises. My favorite part was when we engaged in a question session. Mr. Glasser asked us to reflect on base questions that any temple would want to know about how their members are thinking. During our share time, we found that we had many commonalities. We all want a temple which will strongly support our Jewish heritage and spiritual growth while fulfilling our current needs as the times rapidly change. From this we set goals and began an action plan to achieve what we feel will benefit the entire congregation. As the evening came to a close, the feeling of community grew. We ended with a sense of accomplishment and exhilaration. We all felt better equipped to take the next steps forward in developing our congregation :ther as ?A Special Place to Belong.? So, get ready to experience a bigger, better temple where all of us share the same vision. We are a community of Jewish people with a quest for knowledge and a desire to belong in a special place. That place is CNT. ?( D ec em b er . 2 0 0 6 9 ) December Birthdays 1st - Mrs. Goldie Aberman 2nd-Mrs. Nicholle Goldstein 3rd-Mrs. Nicki Klein-Richter Dr. David Wasserman 4th-Mrs. Judy Lugo Jacob Skoll 5th - Alexandra Epstein Alyssa Fisher Mrs. Susan Lang Alice Shapiro 6th -Mr. Jim Appleyard Dr. Steve Glyman Mr. Ralph Marano Mr. Mayer Schlesinger Michael Shapiro Alexander Solomon 7th - Mrs. Ada Feldman Mr. Martin Fessler Mrs. Lori Frankl Mr. Brad Torchin 8th- Sean Berman Mr. Alan Chenin Adam del Valle Mr. Ike Epstein Mr. Paul Finkelstein Hanna Goldstein Mr. Steven Tarnow Rebecca Weiss 9th - Mr. Anthony Milton Mr. Gavin Pelham Mr. Jeffrey Sloane Mr. David Wachs 10th- Mr. Todd Butwinick Jennifer Cadish Hon. Michael Cherry Mrs. Beth Falk Mrs. Gloria Fine Mr. Cal Lewis Mr. Herman Steiner 11th-Jordon del Valle Mrs. Mary Fox Ashley Frankl Mr. Brian Greenspun Mrs. Gale Husney Dr. Michelle Lewis Mrs. Melody Tashman 12th- Corey Cohen Makenzie Coon Bailee Rounds Brandon Rounds Mr. Paul Seidman 13th- Mr. Jeffrey Heit Mrs. Helen Krauss Mrs. Madelyn Nitzkin Mr. Lawrence Sandell Marcelo Werner 14th - Mr. Morton Friedlander Mrs. Fern Percheski Mrs. Nancy Sloane 15th -Mr. Jason Gorov Samuel Grant 16th - Mrs. Barbara Frank Mr. Philip Goldstein Austin Green Judge Gilbert Yarchever 17th- Samantha Dias Mr. Michael Rayburn Jonathan Sabbath Ms. Shelley Solomon Mrs. Sherri Swezey 18th - Mr. Fred Saperstein Chance Tashman December Anniversaries 19th-Dr. John Anson Hallie Appleyard Alex del Valle Mrs. Georgiann Hechter Ms. Gina Polovina Mrs. Carol Raizin 20th- Anthony Brill Mrs. Laurel Lardent Mr. Thomas Melville 21st- Mr. Arthur Goldberg Mrs. Myra Greenspun Mrs. Debbie McDermott Mr. Howard Strong Mrs. Deena Weinberg 22nd- Dr. Juia Barto-Fisher Mr. Bobby Boyer Lisa Katz Mrs. Jodi Mehr Mr. Kyle Moss Jerry Solane 23rd- Mrs. Annette Israel Mitchell Polasky Steven Polasky Mrs. Roberta Sabbath 24th- Ms. Adele Meyer Samuel Raimist Mr. Robert Sharp 25th - Rachel Mason 26th- Dyana Bowman Jeffrey Einsohn Katierose Epstein Mr. Ken Falk Mr. Robert Hirsh Mrs. Phyllis Jacobs Alec Milton Ms. Barbara Tarbet 27th- Mr. Roger Cooper Daniel Goldstein Jessica Marshall 28th- Mr. William Budin Eric Frankl Mrs. Annette Friedman Jessica Meyers Michael Meyers Zachary Scheele 29th- Noelle Bailey Ms. Deirdre Felger Mr. Jerry Fox Mrs. Sonja Saltman 30th- Liza Abrams Mr. Robert Brill Ms. Alene Waxier 31st-Kimberly Bailin Kyle Bailin Jordan Carter Mr. Marshall Everakes Mrs. Anita Moody Ms. Lisa Skurow Mrs. Candace Yuman WE'RE MOVING!!! Yes, the Birthday's and Anniversaries are moving.... to an insert! Sisterhood is offering a new opportunity for you to acknowledge the birthdays, anniversaries and special milestone anniversaries of your CNT family members - SIMCHA CARDS! It's quick, it's easy and best of all your donation supports Sisterhood, which allows Sisterhood to financially help the temple. So check out the insert for JANUARY in this month's bulletin and happy checking! More details in the Sisterhood article on page 15. TELL & KVELL Mazel Tov to Judy and David Applebaum on their sixth grandchild, 4ft Kelii DeMello. Born October 10, he weighed 7 pounds. Proud parents are Julie and Herb. Mazel Tov to Norman and Helene Laefer, on the birth of their grandson, Aidan Joseph, on Oct. 7, 2006 in Dublin, Ireland. He weighed 7lbs 8 oz and was 20 inches long. The proud parents are Debra Laefer and her husband, Holger Falter. Big sister is Alana Juliet. Mazel Tov Cari Marshall and daughter Dana, for co'chairing the very successful Crohn?s and Colitis Foundation of America?s ?Guts and Glory 5K Walk? in November. Mazel Tov to our Education Director, Craig Rosen who was selected to chair the Budget Oversight Committee for the National Association of Temple Educators (NATE) and also asked to be on the program committee for the upcoming Symposium on Gender for the URJ Biennial in San Diego next December 2007. "Dec 3 "Dec 19 "Dec 26 'efine ?j T^er'nar'd Devifjcher' A^mina 6 "J"odd JHan^en T^e^ie & ^Joel Levy 3ybil "Dec 26 CaKole & "Br\jce 3hapir'o Dec 7 T^eLecca ?j 3co^ ^Jack^on "Dec 27 ^Joanne & Elliof fHarYi^ Li^a & Michael T^oe Myr'a & "Br'ian Cr'een^pvjn "Dec & ^Janef 6 Mayer'3chle^in^er/ "Dec 2a ^Jodi & Michael Mehr' "Dec 22 JMancy & 3cof3ilher' "Dec !A ^Jean & ^Jer'ald F/iadman "Dec 29 Elaine FKank Miller' Isabel & IrVing Gold^lem AHene aJMeil K^LdneK "Dec IS Yvonne & ^jerYy Gor'don l^ehecca ?j ^Jeffr'ey 3kcll ^Jayn & Ar'fhvjr' Marshall 3^an & Michael T^odin "Dec 30 "Dec IS "Dec 23 Fay & Leo 3choenfeld Ahhy & C^eg CoKpodian l^ona & "Donald ZeHin Anisia & T^oger' Wr'oohel nfoineffe & ^JeKome A;>good "Dec 24 "Dec 31 "Dec 16 "Dolor'e^ ?j l^ichar'd l^ale T^ochelle ?j ijack 3>L? J^ancy & J-lowar'd Layfer' Linda & T$\jr4on Cohen "Dec la "Dec 2S Loi^ & "David Cfeen ClaKice ?j Alvin ^ir'nhavjm ( k[ WWW.LVNERTAMID.ORG > December 2006 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 Saturday 2 Gr. 4-6 Shabbat Family Service 7:30 pm Bible Study 9 am Minyan 10 am Torah Study 11am Tot Shabbat @ GV Library 10:30am Chanukah How-To ????? 9 R/S 9:15 am Confirmation 1:00pm NTTY Movie Day 3pm Hebrew 6:30 pm Adult B/M 7:30 pm Conversion 7:30 pm R/S East 4:30 pm Gesher HS Program 6:30 pm R/S West 4:30 pm JACS 6pm lO 1 1 12 13 14 Women?s Study Group 6:45pm Shabbatone Family Service 7:30 pm 15 Bible Study 9 am Minyan 10 am Torah Study 11am Jennifer Cadish Bat Mitzvah 16 R/S 9:15 am Sisterhood Board Meeting 10 am Youth Mitzvah Choir Conversion Class Chanukah Party 6:30 Adult Ed 2nd Mondays 7pm R/S East 4:30 pm R/S West 4:30 pm JACS 6pm Shabbat Services 7:30 pm Visiting Nursing Homes Conversion 7:30 pm Bible Study 9 am Minyan 10 am Torah Study 11am Menorah Lighting at District 6:30 pm 17 18 19 20 21 22 n 23 NO R/S OFFICE CLOSED NO CONFIRMATION New Year?s Day I R/S East 4:30 pm Gesher HS Program 6:30 pm R/S West 4:30 pm JACS 6pm Shabbat Services 7:30 pm Bible Study 9 am Minyan 10 am Torah Study 11am t ?( D e c e m b e r . 2 0 0 6 l l ) Choice or Chosen? My J ewish J oumey By: Leslie Jensen My journey to Judaism started at 12 years old with the flu and spending three days at home reading ?Exodus?. Until that time I never thought of the Jewish people as contemporary - to me they were always ?Bible people?. After reading ?Exodus?, I became fascinated with both Jews and Israel. I saw in them something I never found in myself - a commitment and passion for their heritage and reli?gion. Over the following years, I remained deeply interested in the Jewish people but I wasn?t ready to join them; to do so would have broken my mother?s heart. I fell away from organized Christianity and I was not sure where else to go - I wasn?t even posi?tive that one could convert to Judaism. Not long after both of my parents had passed away, my sister and I had the chance to go to Israel - my dream trip. During those two weeks our tour guide taught us about the land, the history and, in?evitably, a bit about Judaism. On one of our last days in Jerusalem, I was reading on the terrace of our hotel, which looked out over the Old City, while Cindy went for a walk. I heard a voice, not my own, but one I recognized, tell me that ?this is what you need?. I never questioned that voice, I accepted that it was right and from that moment I was on the path to becoming a Jew. When we got home, I found an ad for ?ATaste of Judaism? taught at Congregation Ner Tamid. I took that class and knew that my becoming Jewish was just a matter of time - my heart was already there. One friend told me that yes you can convert to Judaism and another reminded me that Judaism is much more than a religion; it is a way of life, a way of interacting with your fellow man and with G- d. My sisters both supported me completely in my decision; they stood beside me every step of the journey. Now I understand the people of ?Exodus? just a little better - I am one of them and I have found the passion and commitment I lacked for so long. Tot Shabbat December. 2 Green Valley Library (Sunset <v GVP) 20:30 am to Noon Open to parents and their children ages 2-7 Half-hour Service, Craft, Dessert Bring a Brown-bag Lunch Free and Open to Everyone! Sponsored by Sisterhood for Information, contact the temple office Read A New Journey Every Month! To Share Your Journey, Contact Roberta Unger at the Temple Office GL WWW.LVN