The Bulletin of Congregation Ner Tamid, February 2004

Congregation Ner Tamid T Jr , Ton -u n^np -Looking iowards tne future___ February 2004 Vol. XVIII No. 2 9 Siievat/7 Adar .5764 Scholar-in-Residence Weekend February 27-29 ?The Way of Blessing: Understanding and Experiencing The Joy of Jewish Spirituality? Join us February 27 - 29, for our Scholar-in-Residence Weekend and you will not only enjoy a unique worship experience, you will come away knowing inspirational tunes and with a spiritual understanding of Judaism highlighted by concepts from the Kabbalah. This year?s Scholar-in-Residence is Rabbi Ted Falcon, who teaches a Kabbalistic approach to Judaism through practices of Jewish meditation and the interpretation of Torah, ritual, and Jewish tradition from a spiritual point of view. With gentleness and humor, he offers unique insight into Jewish tradition as he helps draw a community into celebration. As an added bonus, Rabbi Falcon is bringing his Musical Director, Stephen Merritt, so that his lessons' than taught. Their congregation is Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue in Seattle. The weekend?s programs include Torah study with teachings from the Zohar, a workshop of meditative music, an informal question-and-answer session with the rabbi, and an evening titled, ?The Jewish Spiritual Adventure: An Experience through Music, Story, and Meditation.? A Reform rabbi with a doctorate in clinical psychology, Rabbi Falcon is co-author (with David Blatner) of Judaism For Dummies and author of Journey of Awakening: Using the Kabbalistic Tree of Life in Jewish Meditation. A teacher and student of Jewish meditation for over twenty-five years, he teaches Torah as a paradigm for spiritual awakening, sharing his discoveries of the rich but relatively hidden treasures of Jewish spiritual texts. His path to Spirituality is expressed in the cover story of last summer?s edition of ?Reform Judaism? magazine. (Continued on page 5) be experienced rather I Welcome New Members for 2003! " On January 16th, we officially welcomed our newest temple members for 2003. Take a moment and say 'hello1! Jolie Alhadeff, Jim & Elana Appleyard, Jennifer Barjam, Jaki Baskow, David & Barbara Becker, Jonathan & Francine Bernstein, Robert & Michal Bloom, Randy & Ruth Bolla, James Bowen, Marion Brooks, Steven & Barbara Busch, Todd & Laura Butwinick, Aurelio Carrillo, James Cassatta, Carl Cato, Vinny & Helayne Celano, Jason & Andrea Conklin, Heather Dalrymple, Susan Danto, Arnee? Edgeworth, Jeffrey & Stephanie Eisenhart, Ron & Linda Ellen, David & Caren Epstein, Marshall & Maris Everakes, Edmond & Barbara Frank, Sylvia Franks, David & Lynda French, Jerald & Jean Friedman, Jerene Friedman, Michael & Cynthia Geiger, Phillip & Rhonda Goldstein, Harold & Annette Israel, Wayne & Wendy Jacobs, Cynthia Jensen, Judith Jensen, Mel & Aimee Jose, Solomon & Joan Kamm, Joel & Debbie Karasik, Larry & Helene Karp, Brian & Elissa Katz, Daniel Katz, Q & Sandra Knopow, Arthur & Beila Kunis, Fredric & Ina Lehr, Ira & Mary Levine, Paul & Arlene Liebman, Janet Lobel, Gita Lowell, Ralph & Karen Marano, Christopher Matthews, Jackie McRitchie, Thomas & Andrea Melville, Tillie Merker, Daryl & Patty Nasser, Leonard & Sherri Newman, Sally Nyberg, Marc Oppenheimer, Jerome & Antoinette Osgood, Wayne & Bonnie Palbaum, Julie Pearlman, Sylvia Plotkin, Brenda Pustilnik, Neil & Tracey Robin, Gary & Terri Rosenberg, Leonard & Irene Rudner, Kurt & Rebecca Scheible, Marilyn Schiff, Katherine Selinsky, Alan Shlachter, Brett Shorenstein, Elaine Siegel, Jack & Rochelle Silas, Eric & Vicki Snyder, Stewart & Sybil Stenzel, Ari Stotland, George & Sherri Swezey, Stuart & Ronna Timpa, Ira Tishk, Walter & Rosemary Tuzinski, Somsanai Ubreakanugul, Roseanne Vela, Paul Winard Scholar-in-Residence Weekend \ Schedule of Events Shabbat Services 7:30 pm - Saturday Morning Service 9:30 am - Special Torah Study 11:00 am - Music Workshop w/ Stephen Merrit 1:00 pm - Special Havdallah Program 7:00 pm - Light refreshments served - All these programs are FREE Workshop Sunday morning 9:00 am - Noon ??Three Paths to Jewish Spiritual Expansion.? The fee for this workshop, $36, can be paid in advance at the Temple office or you may pay at the door on Sunday morning. \ Please RSVP to the office so we can expect you. ________y FANFORD D. AkSELRAD "Jennifer C. Weiner Philip Goldstein Scott Stolberg Rabbi Associate Rabbi Cantorial Soloist President IrvDuchowny Jacqueline Fleekop Lois Bergman Laura Bailey Executive Director Education Director Preschool Director Bulletin Editor T h e R e fo r m C ongregation o f L a s V e g a s .......A S p e c ia l P la c e T o B e lo n g Worship Services Conducted By Rabbi Sanford Akselrad, Rabbi Jennifer Weiner, Cantorial Soioist Philip Goldstein Friday February 6 6:30 pm Tot Shabbat 7:30 pm Shabbat Services Oneg Sponsored by the Sisterhood Saturday February 7 9:00 - 10:00 am Bible Study 10:00 - 11:00 am Minyan and Torah Study Friday February 13 6:00 pm Potluck Shabbat Dinner 4-8 Grades 7:30 pm Family Service with Shabbatones Oneg Sponsored by 4-8 grade Families and the Sisterhood Saturday February 14 9:00- 10:00 am Bible Study 10:00 - 11:00 am Minyan and Torah Study Friday February 20 7:30 pm Shabbat Services Oneg sponsored by the Sisterhood Saturday February 21 9:00- 10:00 am Bible Study 10:00 - 11:00 am Minyan and Torah Study Friday February 27 7:30 pm Shabbat Services Scholar-in-Residence with special guest Rabbi Ted Falcon Oneg sponsored by CNT Saturday February 28 Scholar-in-Residence Weekend Continues 9:30 am Morning Service with Rabbi Falcon 11:00 am Torah Study with Rabbi Falcon 7:00 pm Havdallah Program Light Refreshments served Rabbi Akselrad's Message ?In Search of God: The Meditative Process? There is an ancient midrash found in our tradition that discusses a theological discussion between a rabbi and a king. The king challenges the rabbi to prove that there is a god since the Jewish God can not be seen or heard. The rabbi tells the king to come back the next day with a new set of clothes. The king, puzzled, nevertheless obliged. The rabbi asked the king, ?So who made the clothes that you wear today?? The king replied, ?The tailor.? The rabbi, replied, ?How do you know? After all you did not see him make the clothes.? To which the king replied, ?Yes, but who else makes clothes other than the tailor?? ?Ah? replied the rabbi, ?And who else could make the world if not God!? This simple midrash defines God at the heart of creation. From nothing came everything. And God has His divine hand in this creative process. But it also reminds us of something else: That ?God talk? is very old. Sometimes we think that those who lived before us had a much clearer idea of God than we do today. After all we have inventions today that would seem ?godlike? to our ancestors. No longer do we need a view of God as a way of explaining the weather or illness or other events in our lives that were once unexplicable. Nonetheless, we still need God. Taking a brisk look at the plethora of books about God and spirituality that are published each year, it would^fc seem that Jews especially are interested in not only learning^^ more about God, but in furthering their relationship with God. The new ?buzzword? if it were, is ?spirituality?. And this could be summed in the question, ?So tell me Rabbi how God enters my life daily?. In other words we want God to be an ever part of our lives but we aren?t certain how to achieve this. For some, traditional study of texts is the ath. For others, it is prayer. For others it is through deeds. But for a growing number of Jews, it is to seek out God in alternative ways, through a meditative process that is designed ultimately to bring about a greater sense of well-being, and connectedness to faith. We are fortunate to have as our guest scholar this month, Rabbi Ted Falcon. I can recall attending his worship services when I was an undergraduate student at UCLA Since then he has developed his practice and skills and moved to Washington State. He was the feature of a recent lead story in Reform Judaism magazine which was sent throughout the reform movement in North America. If you have been curious about the integration of prayer, music, meditation and hasic/midrashic wisdom as a means to further your own search for God, then you will surely want to attend this month?s scholar-in-residence program to be held February 27-29th. After all, the tradition reminds us to ?aseh I?cha rav?- to find yourself a teacher. And like you, I am eager to listen and learn from this marvelous teacher and scholar, Rabbi Ted Falcon. Rabbi Sanford Akselrad C o n g re g a tio n F T e r T a m id F e b r u a r y 2c>o/\ I Temple Board Members I Scott Stolberg scott_stolberg@yahoo.com President Alan Mann bamjom@aol.com VP Administration Michael Unger pmomike@aol.com VP Ways & Means Hillary Torchin htorchin@aol.com VP Education and Youth Maxine Molinsky mmolinsky@theriviera.com VP Ritual David Shapin david@vegasvoiceover.com VP Membership Recruitment Jordie Primack closings3@yahoo.com VP Membership Retention David Stahl stahllv@cox.net VP Social Action Debbie Levy dlevy1107@aol.com Treasurer Yvonne Gordon tobeach@hotmail.com Corporate Secretary Cecilia Schafler cecilia@jwzunino.com Trustee Marla Letizia mletizia@aol.com Trustee Stacey Yahraus slymom620@aol.com Trustee Bill Yaffe byaffe@lvcm.com Trustee Bernie Matusow globern@lvcm.com Trustee Beth Bromberg fystee2@aol.com Trustee Beth Falk bethf1210@aol.com Trustee Joe Cracraft jcracraft@earthlink.net Trustee Fern Percheski fernp2003@cox.net Sisterhood President Howard Layfer Iayf16@lvcm.com Men's Club President Kelly Chenin shortstuff4evr05@aol.com NTTY President Dr. Stewart Blumenfeld Drew Levy Bob Unger,Esq Jerry Gordon, Esq Cal Lewis Eileen Kollins Kenneth Schnitzer Dr. David Wasserman Dr. Steve Kollins Hon. Michael Cherry Dr. Bernard Farrow Eugene Kirshbaum * David Goldwater * Rabbi Sanford Akselrad Rabbi Jennifer Weiner * Deceased Past President Past President Past President Past President Past President Past President Past President Past President Past President Past President Past President Past President Past President Ex Officio Ex Officio This month there are two topics that I would like to write about. Neither is enough to write a whole column and at first they did not seem related. But on further reflection I realized that not only are they related, you can?t have the first without the second. Our congregation is moving to a new facility and I would like to bring you up to date about our progress. With the location now set, we are raising the funds to build the facility. Those funds come from a variety of sources. First there is the major donor campaign (gifts of $5000 and above). This campaign will provide about 2/3 of the funds we need. Our campaign is moving along well with new gifts coming in all the time. By the time you read this, we will be over 50% of the way to our goal. The second source is regular building fund assessments. The board of trustees approved an increase in the assessment for new members to $2500 over five years. In addition, all current members are being assessed up to the same level. That means what ever you have paid in the past will be credited and you will only be responsible for the difference over the next five years. If you have made a pledge in excess of this amount your assessment will be deemed fulfilled. Another source of funds is the equity we have in our current facility. The board has approved the listing of our facility and because of the unique nature and limited uses of our facility, it was necessary to do so now so it can be sold by the time we move in 2006. Do not panic, we will not end up in the street. Any offer we receive would be contingent upon our having use of the facility until we are ready to move. The asking price was determined after an independent appraisal. When a buyer is located the terms will be presented to the congregation since our bylaws require a vote of the congregation to sell our current facility. Now for that second thing I want to write about. When I went to the Union for Reform Judaism (formally UAHC) biennial in Minneapolis in November the president of the union, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, put out a challenge. To study torah just ten minutes a day, five days a week. These lessons would be delivered to you each day via e-mail. There are five subject areas, one for each day of the week. By the time of the next biennial in 2005, if you started from the beginning, you would have studied 100 hours of torah. Sandy and I, as well as several others, have already signed up. I have to tell you that it is changing the way I live each day. When I get to work in the morning and open up my e-mail I scan it like most of you looking for what is important, who sent the latest joke, and what is spam. I now find myself looking for today?s torah study, looking forward to the next installment of each of the five areas of study, and not answering my phone or talking with co-workers while I read the lesson of the day. It only takes me ten minutes but I think about the lesson all day. You can get more information or join many others and myself in our congregation by signing up at www.urj.org/torah/ten. The study of torah is one of the three fundamental responsibilities of all Jews. So as we go through the next couple of years working together to build a wonderful campus to serve all Jews in southern Nevada, lets do it while meeting our responsibility as Jews and studying torah. B?Shalom Scott Stolberg A S p e c ia l P l a c e T o B e lo n g Executive Director's Message Give Until It... Feels Good As I write this, it?s late December ?03 and we are at the end of another secular year. I?ve got three quick ?sharings?, of additional Mitzvot that I have observed here at CNT. Sustaining Members - We are blessed to have wonderful, generous Congregants. As of this date, we have 17 Congregants who have come forward and responded to our request for them to become Sustaining Members. I want to thank all of you who have stepped up to the plate, and continue to help CNT financially, morally and spiritually. Your generosity helps us fund programs, and allows those who cannot afford full Annual Commitments to remain members and partake of all our services and programs. Generosity - We have a wonderful Congregant family who, unfortunately, will be moving away for work- related reasons. They?ve been members for less than 2 years and have become part of our CNT family. The other day, one of these wonderful, nice people came into my office to discuss their timetable with me. They had received our letter discussing the Annual Commitment 5% increase, and the Building Fund Assessment increase. Although only part of the family will be leaving, and part of the family staying for several months, they feel strongly about paying their dues until they are all together in their new city. While that is certainly fair, the part that continues to amaze me is that this same family, who had paid their Building Fund in full in less than 2 years, also paid for the increased assessment of $700, in full. When asked why, the family mentioned that they want to help their temple, and while they?re moving away, they feel connected, have always felt welcome into our CNT family and want to share that with others. Gift Wrap - I have just spent several fun and fulfilling evenings at Gift Wrap, and my hat is off to all of our hard working volunteers who work so hard, both up front in ?sales? and behind the scenes, in ?production?. Flours upon hours are spent on your feet, and I must commend each and every congregant who volunteers to do this wonderful and timely Mitzvah. Wonderful Mitzvot, Wonderful People. These generous acts of giving are so important to share with you, so that everyone can have more of a full picture of some of the wonderful Mitzvot that we have happen at CNT. Please consider, in your own way, with your own energy, doing your own Mitzvah - and please consider the expression "Give Until It.... Feels Good?. Thank you and to be continued. Irv Leadership Workshop Series Presented by Sisterhood Sharpen your skills, network, learn from others. March 21 "Lighten the Load with Laughter" 2:00 pm June 11-12 Weekend Retreat Open to ALL Sisterhood Members! See Newsletter for more Information! CNT STAFF Email Addresses: Rabbi Akselrad, Sr. Rabbi Rabbak@lvnertamid.org Rabbi Weiner, Assoc. Rabbi Rabbijen@lvnertamid.org Philip Goldstein, Cantorial Soloist PGoldstein@lvnertamid.org Irv Duchowny, Exec. Director IDuchowny@lvnertamid.org Jackie Fleekop, Ed. Director JFIeekop@lvnertamid.org Lois Bergman, Preschool Director LBergman@lvnertamid.org Karen Levine, Rabbi A's Admin. Asst. KLevine@lvnertamid.org Roberta Unger, Admin. Asst. RUnger@lvnertamid.org Mary Zone, Receptionist MZone@lvnertamid.org Angie Coleman, Bookeeper AColeman@lvnertamid.org C o n g r e g a tio n I C e r T a m id F e b r u a r y 200^ Come one, come all. Get ready to be silly and dress funny... It?s ,r Purim time!! Dress to make people laugh and point at you, as we?ll be ^ JUST A -si/* 'O' doing the same. Purim is March 5th and the festivities start at 7:00pm, not 7:30. This will allow more time for fun and merriment. It will be extra special this year as we?ll be able to hear and see MY interpretation and the rest of the office staff, offer a FAIR and impartial (ha!) reading/singing version of the classic story of a king and a beautiful LADY who becomes queen. Any guess what the Purim Shpiel might be [Or 'tjjfOJ the viHain and be a part of the fun. (Scholar-in-Residence cont.) Stephen Merritt?s remarkable talent enables him to encourage folks to enter into the spirituality of niggunim - wordless music popular in Jewish spirituality. He has a CD of his own Jewish music called ?Journey to Katriel,? as well as two CD?s by Tiferet, a Jewish chant group he and Rabbi Falcon founded in Seattle. The Scholar-in-Residence Weekend will begin at Shabbat services Friday evening. Rabbi Falcon and Stephen Merritt will guide the congregation through a meditative worship service unique in the Las Vegas Jewish community. They will continue the weekend with Shabbat morning services on Saturday, which will be followed with a meditative Torah class on Parashat Terumah, the weekend?s Torah portion, which Rabbi Falcon says ?draws some extremely important passages in the Zohar.? He teaches a psycho-spiritual approach to Torah, seeking to understand the deeper teachings relating to spiritual development. Following kiddush, Stephen will lead a workshop on music for Jewish meditation while Rabbi Falcon will be available to meet informally with those who have issues concerning Jewish meditation, spirituality, and meditative practice in general. Saturday evening, experience a special Havdallah program! Rabbi Falcon and Stephen Merritt will focus on ?The Jewish Spiritual Adventure: An Experience through Music, Story, and Meditation.? Light refreshments will be served. The weekend concludes on Sunday morning, with a special workshop entitled ?Three Paths to Jewish Spiritual Expansion? which will focus on meditation, intentionality (kavanah), and writing. Through gentle processes, participants will come to appreciate fuller aspects of their own identity as they learn techniques they can use to enhance their spiritual journey. There is a fee for this extra special experience. Rabbi Falcon and Stephen Merritt?s appearance is made possible by our annual Scholar-in- Residence program sponsored by the Oscar Alterwitz Memorial Fund. The fund was established by Mr. Alterwitz? family and friends to pay tribute to his long-standing concern and interest in adult education for the Jewish community. Please contact the Temple office at 733-6892 for more information and to make reservations for Sunday?s workshop. In addition copies, of Rabbi Falcon?s books and Stephen Merritt?s CDs are available through the Temple office. All of the programs are free except for a three-hour workshop Sunday morning. this year? I?ve given you a hint, so now it?s up to you to cheer the heroes and booReligious School News It?s a Mitzvah To do a Mitzvah is to follow the commandments. We can try but none of us can do all 613. Some of the laws in the torah are for men, some for women and some deal with the Temple in Jerusalem, which doesn?t exist any longer. So what are the mitzvah?s we can do? We can remember the Sabbath by lighting candles and attending services. Each one of us can reach out to help the less fortunate. We can collect food, clothing, toys and baby necessities. Making a call to a sick friend or just sending a card to let someone know we are thinking of him or her. Offering a job to someone so they might be able to have the dignity to care for themselves is a Great mitzvah. Helping someone to read or learn a trade will allow him or her to be less dependent on society. There is an old saying ?When you give someone a fish you may be able to feed them for a day, but if you teach them to fish, you will be feeding them for a lifetime.? On February 29th, during religious school we will be separating clothing, food and toys donated by you and our students. We will be making up emergency boxes for the homeless that will contain a cup, washcloth, comb, brush, toothpaste and toothbrush. Students will make cards for the homeless as well as sick congregants. We will pack take along lunches in decorated bags for the people who are fed only one meal a day in shelters. Young people will donate money to be used for Chesed (Caring Community) in our congregation and the purchase of gel mattresses (UMC needs these for low weight babies). Respect for each other and for God is also a mitzvah. Things for ritual use as well as things with God?s name should not be disrespected. Old, torn kippahs and tallits need to be buried along with papers and prayers books with God?s name. Where I grew up in Pennsylvania, it was common for the funeral director to ask a bereaved family if they wished to do a mitzvah. If they agreed sacred items would be buried along with their loved one. The Board of Rabbis has a flyer in this months bulletin explaining the process, time and place for the book burial. Please read this carefully and I hope you will come on the afternoon of February 29th and experience this mitzvah. CNT students can use your help?Do a Mitzvah!! Donate items or money mentioned in this article so our students can do a Mitzvah too. Dear God: May those who help people who feel alone, children and all less fortunate receive God?s blessings. May those who respect you God and your name and the creatures you have created to blessed. Amen. Jackie Fleekop Sunday Tuesday Thursday 1 R/S 3 R/S 5 R/S 8 R/S 10 R/S 12 R/S 15 No R/S 17 R/S 19 R/S 22 R/S 29 R/S 24 R/S 26 R/S Explanation 15th President's Day Weekend 29th Mitzvah Day CHESED COMMITTEE The CHESED (Caring) Committee has been reconstituted under the direction of Elaine Burke and the active involvement of Rabbi Weiner. The emphasis of this committee is on one-on-one, hand-in-hand (Yod b? Yod) relationships between I'i committee members and congregants in / need. Help is needed to: telephone shut- ___z_?I ins; picking them up for services once a month; doing emergency shopping; and other one-on- one activities. Only a small commitment in time is needed, which will make a big difference in improving the lives of those in need. If you are interested in getting involved with the Chesed Committee, please call Elaine Burke at 658-9834 or e-mail her at MrsLaineyB@aol.com. C o n g re g a tio n N e r T a m id Task Force on Adult Learning Seeks Members! We are forming an Adult Learning Task Force to explore the creation of a dynamic ?learning environment? at Congregation Ner Tamid. If you would like to help guide the future of Adult Education in our congregation, please contact Katherine Selinsky, the Task Force chairman, at Keshet913@aol.com, or call her at 433-6407. The next meeting will be held February 22nd, so if you have anything you might be able to contribute please get in touch with Katherine right away. We are looking for voices, thoughts and ideas! F e ll r u a r y 200^ New NTTY Advisors Originally from New York, Yvonne Weiss has been in Las Vegas for the past eight years. She and her family joined the temple in 1997. She has experience in Early Childhood Education as well as been an advisor for TNT here at Ner Tamid, taught various grades of religious school, and Kadima Youth Advisor for Mid Bar Kodesh. She currently works at the Hebrew Academy as the acting Director and teacher of the Preschool. The combination of her love of children, energy and dedication to the youth of our synogogue will help to bring exciting new experiences for our NTTY youth group. Scott Yahraus is 25 years old and a lifetime resident of Las Vegas. He and his family have been members of CNT since 1991. Scott holds a Bachelors of Science degree in economics from Creighton University in Omaha, NE, where he played baseball for the Bluejays and became an All-American. Scott has long been associated with high school students in the Jewish Community including leading the CNT Teen High Holiday services in 2002 with much acclaim. Later, he moved to Nashville, TN, to attend graduate school at Vanderbilt University. Scott was the USY advisor for Middle Tennessee leading many fun events. Currently, Scott is working as a realtor in Southern Nevada. Scott is looking forward to working with the teens at CNT. As We Say Goodbye, We Also Say Thank You On January 9th, CNT said farewell to Abbie and Jason Burk. The Burks have been youth advisors for NTTY for the past 5-1/2 years. Prior to that, Abbie taught in our religious school for more than 5-1/2 years. With two wonderful daughters, Hannah and Emily, Abbie has been very busy. Jason is an involved Dad, participating in his family?s lives as well as his profession as an attorney. Their love for children and teens will carry over to help them with their own daughters when they become teenagers. We wish them success in all their new endeavors. They have touched our children?s lives and believe that a life?s value is judged by how many people we affect. Are you a Jewish Teen in 9-12th grade? If so, NTTY is the perfect group for you!! NTTY (Ner Tamid Temple Youth) is the senior youth group at Congregation Ner Tamid. Jewish teens in grades 9-12 are eligible to join. NTTY is part of NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth), which is a national organization. NFTY-SW is the region that NTTY participates in, which consists of Las Vegas, NV, Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso, TX. We travel to regional events several times throughout the school year. NTTY offers friendship, fun, social programming, religious/educational programming, Social Action, and fund-raising. Each month, NTTY has a Social Action drive, where we collect items from the community and donate them to local charities. ^ For more information e-mail NTTY at: nttyorg@aol.com Our New 8th Grade Teacher Shari Schaeffer has lived in Las Vegas for 4 years. She is a 1998 graduate of Arizona State University and former ASU Hillel Teaching Scholar. She loves working with students, has taught 5th grade Hebrew at Temple Chai in Phoenix, and served as Program Director for Hillel at UNLV. While living in Arizona, she directed the UJC campus campaign in Greater Boston teaching the benefits of local and overseas fundraising to Jewish students from Boston University, Wellesley, Tufts and Brandeis, led 3 exciting college student missions to Israel and credits her parents, long-time religious school teachers, for inspiring her to keep learning and teaching! She looks forward to teaching 8 grade comparative religion. A .S p e c ia l P I ace T o B e lo n g Congregation Ner Tamid Preschool/Kindergarten January went by so quickly and we are already into the swing of this new semester at the Preschool. We have more wonderful children who have joined our CNT family. Martin Luther King Day was a holiday all of the boys and^ girls enjoyed. We also held our annual Bike-a thon. We learned about Bike safety and collected money for Cystic Fibrosis. The children at our school are very busy and always having fun and delight in the learning process. The youngsters will be celebrating Ground Hog?s Day (hope he sees his shadow) and Lincoln?s and Washington's Birthdays as well this month. Tu B?shevat (the new year for the trees) will also be interesting experience for our boys and girls. We will do our annual spring planting and enjoy some time playing in the dirt. We will also be baking Challah and making Challah covers. Next month we will celebrate Purim, we are in the process of learning fun songs and working on our Purim play. We are very proud of our students? accomplishments during these last few months of school. The children are learning and thriving in our loving Preschool environment. The work of our dedicated teachers certainly is apparent on the faces of our students. We will continue our on-going mitzvah projects and find time to just have fun along the way. They are a delightful group of youngsters who enjoy their friendships with their fellow students and teachers. We have only two spots left in our program for new students so if you are interested, please give us a call at the office 733-6292. Lois Bergman Early Childhood Director 4th, 5th, 6th 7th & 8th Grade SAVE THESE DATES!!! Potluck Dinner/Shabbatone Night Friday, February 13, @ 6:00 pm In the Social Flail Students bring your families! 4th-7th grade: Bring a dairy dish for 10 people 8th grade: Bring a salad EVERYONE: Please bring a dessert for Oneg RSVP to temple office 733-6292 by February 8th TOT SHABBAT SERVICES The Tot Shabbat program is open to all members of the community with children ages 2-6. Services are the first Friday of each month, geared toward our younger members, held in the Beit Tefillah 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. (including craft and snack time in room- 12). We encourage all parents and grandparents to enjoy this FREE, worthwhile program. Spread the word....the entire community is welcome! For more information, contact Jana Pleggenkuhle at 733-7252 (evenings). Upcoming dates and themes: Feb 6 (Tu B? Shvat) March 5 (Purim) April 2 (Passover) Last Service- May 7 (Israel Ind. Day) i Purim Carnival^ Coming March 7th! Fun, food, games! To volunteer or for more information on how you can help, contact Temple office. The Gong Show is Back! March 20th @ 7:30 pm Grab your friends and neighbors and start rehearsing! LAST CHANCE to Order Your New Mah Jongg Cards! Flowers, cracks, bams, east, jokers and other words that mean something if you're a Mah Jongg player. Take action - the new cards will be here soon! Regular size is $6.00 Large size is $7.00. Sisterhood earns money on all cards sold! Mail your check by February 5th payable to: Sandy Stolberg 1904 Plantea Ct. Las Vegas, NV 89117 Deadline for March 2004 Bulletin^ Monday, January 26th @ 5 PM Please e-mail articles to CNTBulletin@cox.net or drop them by the temple office y Congregation NTer T a m id F e b r u a r y 200^ CNT Sisterhood Many Voices, Many Hands? Today?s Women Embracing a Shared Vision There is quite a bit happening in Sisterhood in this and the next few months. Make sure you check out our newsletter insert to get details on all of our upcoming events, including an afternoon of beauty featuring Mary Kay cosmetics, Tot Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, Rabbi A?s Book Review and Luncheon (Pick up your copy of Snow in August for $6.40 in the gift shop?limited quantities available), the annual All Women?s Seder, and the next installment of our Leadership Workshop Series, Lighten the Load With Laughter, presented by Connie McFarland. This month I?d like to focus my article on leadership development. What do you suppose that means? I think many people are intimidated when they hear the word ?leadership?. But, the way I see it, we are all leaders on one level or another. The skills used by leaders are used by all of us to some degree - we organize our households and our families, prioritize our tasks and activities, delegate when we can to others. We all make difficult decisions and choices on a daily basis. We communicate with family members, vendors, customers, business associates, colleagues, friends... Leadership encompasses all of these skills. Sometimes we even get so wrapped up in all of the things we need to accomplish that we forget to take care