The Bulletin from Temple Beth Sholom, August 2002

TEMPLE BETH SHOLOM Temple Beth Sholom THE BULLETIN August 2002 Av-Elul 5762 Vol. 2, No. 8 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Warsaw Memorial 2 Executive Director Rabbi's Message President's Message Cantor's Message Under the Dome Women's League Men's Club B'nai Mitzvah Musical Notes Preschool News USY News Book Review Donations Calendar of Events Schedule of Services 10 20 Temple Beth Sholom is a Conservative Congregation affiliated with The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Register by August 16 to Secure Your High Holy Day Seats Registration for High Holy Days 5763 is progressing smoothly, with approximately 250 families registered thus far. The Temple staff wants to thank everyone for their patience and politeness during this process?you've all been terrific! We know that it is difficult to wait sometimes, but staff members are performing their regular office duties while conducting registration, and we truly appreciate your understanding. For those of you who have not registered yet, there are many good seats left?both upgraded and non-upgraded. It is very important, however, that you return your registration as soon as possible to secure the closest seating while it is still available. Deadline to secure your seats?and for the Kol Nidre Book and Book of Memory?is Friday, August 16. Ticketing hours are from 9 to noon, and 2 to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 9 to noon, on Friday. We would also like to ask that anyone willing and able to usher this year, please send in your purple card right away. Many members have already responded positively, but many more ush-ers are still needed. Ushers are vital to the High Holy Days experience. They will deal with seating issues and help check tickets and identification in an effort to keep services comfortable and safe for everyone. Some questions and issues have come up during this year's registration that we would like to address in an effort to streamline the process and make it easier for those who have yet to reg ister: It makes us very happy to seat friends and family together, but you have to help us. Many members come in way ahead or way behind friends or family and request to be seated with them. It is impossible to put people together if they don't register at or near the same time. We cannot save seats or move other people to accommodate friends or family who register much earlier or later than those with whom they wish to sit. If you have special seating preferences, please contact the people you wish to sit with and coordinate with them by mailing your registra-tion forms together?indicating that you wish to sit together?or by coming in as a group to reg-ister in person. Many members have come in without their registration materials or with these materials not filled out. Having your completed registration materials with you saves time and money?you and the people behind you don't have to wait as long, and the Temple does not have to print ex-tra forms. If you do not have your completed forms with you when you come in, you will be asked to complete them before you can start the registration process. We appreciation your co-operation. Please understand that we cannot take registration over the telephone. We have a limited number of people answering the telephone, so we have a limited amount of time to spend per call in order to provide the maxi-mum amount of service to a congregation of over 600 fami-lies. Our wish here at Temple Beth Sholom is to register everyone as smoothly, quickly and hap-pily as possible. If you have special issues or questions that need to be addressed, please call us, and we will do our best to resolve them. Erev Rosh HaShanah is Sep-tember 6?we look forward to seeing everyone there and in the days to follow. SCHEDULE OF SERVICES ROSH HASHANAH Friday Evening September 6 8 p.m. Saturday Morning September 7 9 a.m. Saturday Evening September 7 8 p.m. Sunday Morning September 8 9 a.m. YOM KIPPUR Sunday Evening/Kol Nidre September 15 5:45 p.m. Monday Morning September 16 9 a.m Yizkor Service September 16 11 a.m. * Neilah Service September 16 5 p.m.* * denotes approximate tune 2?Warsaw Ghetto Memorial/Executive Director Warsaw Ghetto Remembrance Garden Construction Begins Work has begun on the Warsaw Ghetto Remem-brance Garden. This unique memorial to those who lived and died within the walls of the Ghetto in 1943 will feature actual stones from the streets of the War-saw Ghetto. When completed, this will be a place of meditation and memory. It will be a tribute to all who defend their right to live as Jews. Under the guidance of Mark Scheiner and Irwin Goldberg, with architect Brad Friedmutter and consult-ants Jim and Bill Mason of Taylor Construction, and using the construction expertise of Jim Lukasiewicz and Ken Scholl, this garden will serve as a serene re-minder of those terri-ble days and as a t e a c h i n g guide for A backhoe breaks through ground and con- those who crete to prepare the way for the memorial. Wish to know more about the W a r s a w Ghetto up-r i s i n g , which be-gan April 19, 1943. It is hoped that the construction will be com- Workers survey the site of the Warsaw , , , Ghetto Remembrance Garden, pleted in time for the anniversary of Kristallnacht, November 9. A formal dedication is being planned for May 18, 2003, a date during the period spanning the 60th anniversary of the uprising. Various opportunities exist for providing funding for this project and for the on-going educational compo-nent, which will consist of using the Garden as a tool for teaching Las Vegas' children and others about this significant historical event. For further information please contact Irwin Goldberg of the TBS Men's Club. "No Complaints" Executive Director Robert Mirisch "No complaints." What a wonderfully ambiguous and flexible phrase that is. It could mean: "Everything is great, and I have nothing to complain about." It might be interpreted as "I refuse to hear any problems from you." If said with an inflection in the voice it could express surprise at the fact that you aren't com-plaining (as in "Nu? No complaints?"). Not too long ago I had a congregant come up to me and say "I'm going to give you your first complaint." (Trust me, it wasn't the first). But what he did was inform me of a condition that quite properly needed attention. To me that wasn't a complaint at all. What this per-son was doing was giving me a piece of information that I was unlikely to otherwise have been aware of. He was acting as my eyes and ears, and by informing me of the condition, he was giving me the opportunity to correct it. I couldn't have been more grateful for the information. No complaint there. I want every congregant to be the eyes and the ears of this synagogue. I can't do it without your help. I don't have children in the preschool or the religious school, so I'm not apt to know of things there that need attention unless someone takes the time to tell me. (Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against kids, but with five of our own fully on their own, I've earned the right to say "been there, done that"). If hearing amplifi-ers go out, I'm not apt to know that as I don't have oc-casion to use them. There are certain, shall we say, gender-specific areas that I don't frequent, and I'm sure you can multiply these examples on your own. In the same vein, if a congregant goes to the hospital for surgery, we can't visit if we don't know they are there. If your son graduates with honors and we aren't told, how can we wish him the mazel tov we would like to? And if you have moved and don't give us your new address, e-mail and/or phone number, don't blame us if (perish the thought) you don't get the next month's copy of the Bulletin, and your regular reading schedule is disrupted. We are one congregational body. We need to use your eyes and ears to keep that body healthy and op-erational. Please keep us informed of important occur-rences in your lives and of matters here on the prem-ises that need our attention. There are no complaints, there's just cooperation. Aug. 2002 Rabbi's Message?3 What I ve Learned from 'Lilo and Stitch' Rabbi Felipe Goodman I recently had the great pleasure of watching the movie Lilo and Stitch with my kids. Perhaps the last three words are redundant. Disney movies, I have felt, are like flying kites, visiting the zoo, or lying down at the top of a hill and rolling to the bottom, a form of recreation requiring the company of children. Never mind. See this movie, with or without kids, if only to hear a little girl say, "Oh, good! My dog found the chainsaw," and mean it. I just wish I had been present at the meeting where this movie was thought up. "Let's make a show about aliens, Hawaii and Elvis." "Okay." There is an awful lot to like about this silly movie. The actress voicing Lilo is especially good, but best of all are the Jewish values in it. In terms of what I feel should be a Jewish approach to what "family" means, I have been waiting for this movie literally for years. I love this film because it corrects some values that our kids receive on television from day to day. Trust me, I have watched my share of Barney and other children's programming. I am tempted to say I have done hard time watching Barney! Now, we all can say a thing or two about Barney. But those of us steeped in the culture of television and relatively unaware of the counterculture that is expressed to us in the Torah may be surprised to learn how difficult to understand some of the moral values brought to us by Barney and the like really are. Along comes Lilo and Stitch to correct those lessons taught by Barney and his grimacing juvenile chorus. For years we have seen on our TV screens a version of a family that hardly exists. Barney transports us to a perfect world where every family is perfect, and they all live in absolute peace and harmony. In Barney's world there are no problems, there is no chaos, there are no underprivileged children! Everyone is great, everyone is smart, everyone has great dreams! No one struggles with anything, all parents love their children, etc. Lilo and Stitch, by contrast, is emphatically to the contrary: "Family means that no one gets left behind or forgotten." Even if that means they are really, really different, even if it means fighting to keep your family together, even if it means that in the midst of your own personal turmoil, you take the time to bring in under your wing someone who is less privileged than you are! For the first time in a long time, or at least in a Disney movie, I saw a family that was not the "norm," and we see the effort one sometimes has to go through to bring together into "our family" people who are completely different from us. For the first time I saw not a dismissal of people's differences but a REAL embracing of REAL differences! It reminded me of the mitzvah in our Torah that says that we must be kind to strangers because we were once strangers in the land of Egypt. Lilo and Stitch - its plot, characters and dynamics - are the embodiment of Gemilut Hasadim as should be taught to children! "Family means that no one gets left behind or forgotten." When do they first say that? Someone wants to send an animal back to the pound, but she's reminded that the animal is now part of her family and so she must keep it. She doesn't love it. By Barney's standards she could throw it away. But in this movie she's not allowed to. It's part of her family because she promised to take care of it, and because no one gets left behind. Kids are better served by the truth, and in this case the truth is not bad. It is that families don't have to be just right, that they can weather through bad times just by being good and struggling to accentuate the positive in the differences of each one of its members.This is the message of Lilo and Stitch, where one of the characters reflects on his family: "It's small, and it's broken. But it's still good, it's still good." And we come away believing that this family will never be large, and will never be whole, but that it's going to make it.These are truths that our kids need to hear. And not just kids. Everyone can learn from this movie about aliens, Hawaii, Elvis, dogs and chainsaws. You should definitely go see the movie, whoever you are. Because after all, it's a family show, and family means that no one is left behind. You probably are asking yourself why on earth did I choose to write about Lilo and Stitch? Well my son Yoshua has never cried in a movie before. This time he did, when I asked him why, he simply responded: "I am sad that Stitch didn't have a mommy and a daddy." Sometimes it is good to learn how fortunate we are, how lucky we are to have one another and to have the possibility to make others feel welcome! Aug. 2002 4?President's Message/Cantor's Message Behind the Blurbs Temple President Jeff Zucker (As hard as it is to believe while we swelter, the High Holy Days are al-most upon us. This is a time for re-flection and resolution, a time when our Temple community comes to-gether in its diversity, variety and multitude. It is also the time when I the hope is expressed that there will be more such occasions. Usually the focus is on services, but I would like to talk about a different, and perhaps overlooked, part of our Temple. You probably have noticed the many little blurbs in the Bulletin and weekly handouts an-nouncing this or that activity. Many of them are what you would expect at any synagogue ? Hebrew classes, the weekly parsha and prayer studies ? but just because they are traditional doesn't mean that they aren't interesting, worthwhile and enjoyable. Furthermore, the adult education program often in-cludes other classes which appeal to the most eclec-tic of interests. This year we have again received a grant from Ron and Jackie Turshinsky for the Sha'arei Binah lecture series. I have to admit that before I attended the first lecture I had doubts as to whether the program could live up to the promise. Those who attended are wit-ness that the program not only lived up to the prom-ises; it exceeded them. I challenge anyone to find a better lecture program anywhere. Our programs are not limited to the Temple grounds. On Selichot, we will be holding services in the Summerlin community. In addition to our own Cantor we will be joined by Gerard Edery. Those of us who had the opportunity to hear Gerard last year as part of the Sha'arei Binah series can't wait to do so again. For those who missed his performance last year, now is your chance. Finally, for something totally different, on August 27 the Men's Club will be sponsoring a night at the Las Vegas 51s game at Cashman Field. The opening ball will be thrown out by Rabbi Goodman. This is a twofer because not only will you have the opportunity to spend a night out at America's pastime with friends new and old but also a part of the price of each ticket sold through the Men's Club will be do-nated to the Jewish Family Services Agency, an or-ganization which needs our help more than ever in these troubled economic times. This is not the menu of all our activities but merely a sampler of what's currently planned that I can re-member. The only way to know for sure is to spend a few seconds to read those blurbs. To paraphrase an old slogan, if you find something that seems inter-esting, try it. I expect you'll like it. Cantor's Corner Cantor Daniel Friedman S'lichot is here! S'lichot is here! S'li-chot is here! Throughout the month of Elul the Shofar is sounded on week-days after the morning service to re-mind us of the coming Holy Days. The / Days of Awe are upon us, and to fur- / / ther inspire a mood of penitence we sound the Shofar in preparation. S'lichot services will be held late Saturday night on the 31st of August, when the stillness of the hour creates the atmosphere of solemnity suited to this penitential period. I can hear the clarion sound of the Shofar ringing through the night air fresh from being blown on Friday morning. The stars, like glitter on the backdrop of humanity, re-verberate with Shofar sound thousands of years old, lifting our souls into the night air. I can feel my spirit rise with hope. It is a time of renewal. A time of return. A time of supplication and reflection. It is S'lichot. Hear our voice, You, our God, protect us, have mercy upon us; accept in mercy and with favor our prayers. Do not cast us aside, as we grow old, as strength has waned, do not desert us. Year after year, I am transported, I return to days of old. I can picture our ancestors gath-ering to begin the time of renewal through repentance and forgiveness, forgiveness of ourselves and forgive-ness of others. This is the beginning of the time we must gather to say special prayers for forgiveness, s'li-chot. This year we will gather together under the stars at 9:30 p.m., at Tree Top Park, 600 Sageberrry Dr., off Far Hills, and pray Bemotza-ai menuchah - "as the Sabbath departs we come early to Thee; turn Thine ear from on high, Thou who dwellest among the prayers of Israel, and hearken unto our song and prayer." We will sing, we will pray, we will open our hearts to the Days of Awe. I hope you will join us on the 31st. Aug. 2002 Under the Dome?5 # 1 A Lunch <S Learn Break Downtown?On Thursday afternoons, from noon to 1 p.m.. Rabbi Goodman and Rabbi Jeremy Wieder-horn will lead Torah Study Sessions in the Crockett and Myers Law Building, 700 S. Third St., at Garces. Up-coming sessions are: August 8 and 22. Everyone is wel-come to attend. Bring your own dairy lunch. Do a Mitzvah?For yourself and others. Join us at TBS's Evening Minyan. By doing so you will find comfort and quiet in the Mincha-MaarivService and will be help-ing make it possible for those who have to say Kaddish to remember their loved ones. Services are held at 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel. Women's League Update?The Women's League's Z'Hava group is holding regular meetings throughout the summer. For next season we are adding additional Special Interest Groups such as cooking classes, book reviews and "Crafty Wednesdays" to our format to meet the needs and interests of our members. Mem-bership forms are out in the mail. Please respond now. Our f i r s t meeting of the new season will be on Wednes-day, September 25, from 7 to 9 p.m., in the Sukkah, when we once again will choose our Secret Sister. We are also planning a fabulous Paid-Up Membership Brunch on Sunday, October 13. More to come! Adult Education Opportunities?Registration has once again begun for TBS's exciting program of Adult Jewish Studies. Among the diverse classes that are offered for the 2002-2003 school year include Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Introduction to Judaism, Hebrew Reading and Conversational Hebrew. Please join us in our pursuit of Jewish learning. To receive more information about these or other courses that are available?or to regis-tei? please call the school o f f i ce at 804-1333, ext. 115. TBS in Cyberspace! - Techies, teens, teen techies, journalists, photojournalists, graphics mavens, anyone interested in web-sites? TBS wants you. We are putting together a team with imagination, vision and a "today" slant on things to make the TBS website the most exciting place for Jew-ish Las Vegas in cyberspace. Be part of it! Let Bob Mirisch know if you would be willing to attend an initial meeting to discuss the launch of our new and active website. Call him at 804-1333, ext. 133, or e-mail him at rmirisch@bethsholomlv.org. The 13 Mitzvot Program?The "13 Mitzvot Program" is a comprehensive, hands-on, experiential journey through the Pirke Avot (Ethics of our Fathers) study of Torah (Study), Avodah (Religious Practice) and Gemilut Chasadim (Loving Acts of Kindness/Community Service). The program is family based, takes 13 months to complete and is a series of 13 "learning by doing" ex-periences. These projects involve the Bar/Bat Mitzvah student, as well as their parents and family, in mitzvot that become part of their Jewish lives. B'nai Mitzvot who complete this special program are awarded the "13 Mitzvot Pin." The "13 Mitzvot Pin" (shown in photo) is made of silver and was designed and hand-crafted by Aaron Lelah, of Original Creations, exclusively for Tem-ple Beth Sholom. At this time we are proud to announce that Adam Ruderman, who became a Bar/Mitzvah on July 20, is the first student at Temple Beth Sholom to com-plete the 13 Mitzvot Program. Mazal Tov and congratulations to Adam and his family! "Under the Dome" is an ongoing column of general information. Read "Under the Dome" to find out the latest tidbits about people and events at Temple Beth Sholom. Aug.2002 6?Women's League/Men's Club The Women's League of Temple Beth Sholom Blanche Meisel Join us at the Women's League Biennial Convention, to be held November 17-20, at the Adam's Mark Hotel, in Philadelphia, Pa. We have gained so much from our affiliation with the Women's League for Conservative Judaism. It has given us the tools for the strength to lift up our voices and to become involved, contemporary Jewish women. The leadership training, programming and educational materials, conferences and conventions service the women of over 200 Sisterhoods throughout the world and link us together. Through our affiliation we are vi-tal participants in the deliberations of the international Jewish community as members of all the coalitions of major Jewish organizations. Our voice is loud and clear. Every Women's League member is invited to attend convention. Pre-convention events will include a tour of this famous city's Jewish heritage and a Shabbaton where we will celebrate Shabbat as we never have be-fore. At Sunday's Judaica Fair we will explore the booths of over 100 artists and vendors, and cap the day with a rousing concert by the renowned Safam group?a real treat. Together we will be enriched by Chancellor Ismar Schorsch of the Jewish Theological Seminary and by Rabbi Brad Artson, dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinics. Author Letty Cottin Pogre-bin will lead us in an interactive, creative workshop; we will honor women of distinction; we will learn new skills at workshops; we will party, communicate, make friends and have a wonderful time. This is my promise to you. Several of our members have already registered. We want you to join us. Need more information? Check of the center of the most recent Outlook Maga-zine, call me at 243-3090, or do both. I will be very glad to help you. Men's Club Irwin Goldberg and Jerry Katz There's no summer vacation this year for the Men's Club. Our list of activities and sponsored events con-tinues to grow. We began the summer with the Men's Club sponsorship of the annual Religious School End-of- School-Year Barbecue. In June came a proposal for long needed revisions of our By-Laws. The By- Laws, developed by our Parliamentarian, Bob Dubin, will be voted on at the August meeting. The entire congregation was invited to attend the "Volunteers for Israel" program featuring Nevada Gov-ernor Mike O'Callaghan as the guest speaker on Sun-day morning, July 21. George Brookman, a TBS con-gregant, also participated in the event. Volunteers are needed more than ever in Israel to take over the jobs of the men and women who are serving in the military during this critical period in Jewish history. Congre-gants who are still interested in receiving information about this program should contact Jerry Katz. We're not stopping there. On August 13, the Men's Club is sponsoring a family fun night at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino where prizes for bowling will be awarded while we eat pizza. And what's a summer without baseball? Join us on August 27, as the Men's Club sponsors the Las Vegas 51s Baseball Team in its game against the Nashville Sounds. Your entire family is invited to this special event being highlighted by our own Rabbi Goodman throwing out the first pitch. For only $7 per person, you'll receive a reserved seat and a 51s' ball cap. Ko-sher food will be served at extra cost. The 51s will be donating $1 to the Jewish Family Services for each congregant who attends. Midbar Kodesh Men's Club will also participate in this, our first joint activity. With the High Holidays just around the corner, the Men's Club is busy working on recruiting volunteers to serve as Greeters. This is a very important project that is necessary to insure the smooth running of services. Time slots are still available and more volunteers are needed. To join the Greeter Corps, or if you have any questions, please contact Larry Brown, Committee Chairman. And the biggest adventure ever to be tackled by the Men's Club is the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial. We've raised enough money to start construction at the southeast corner of our TBS property and hope to see real progress being made soon on this meaningful and historical project. We still, however, are not yet half-way towards reaching our financial objective and we will continue to need your support. For more informa-tion, contact Irwin Goldberg. As you can see, the Men's Club is continuing on a course of providing a variety of programming that's in-tended to attract a diverse group of members. All men are invited to attend one of our general meetings and try us out before joining. There are a lot of programs in the works for the rest of this year and into the next. We're more than just poker. Come and see! Aug. 2002 B'nai Mitzvah/Musical Notes?7 B'nai Mitzvah On August 3, Jordan Kyle Hoff-man will be called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah. He will be surrounded by family and friends from all over the United States. Jordan's association with Temple Beth Sholom goes all the way back to preschool, Solomon Schechter Day School, and now Jor-dan has the privilege of being a Bar Mitzvah in our beautiful new sanctuary. Jordan will be going into the eighth grade at Rogich Middle School, in Summerlin, this fall. He enjoys making things with his hands, watching mov-ies and playing video games. His career goal is to be an architect. ? H p Musical Notes D.J. Sinai, Musical Director Surprise! Never thought you'd I actually be reading a Bulletin ar-ticle from me, did you? Well, be-ginning in July, I have taken the role here at TBS as Music Direc-tor. And now that I have your at-tention, I must give you just a lit-tle taste of what will be new. There will be so much going on with the con-gregation? both children and adults. Once re-ligious school begins in September, we will start up not one, not two, but three choirs?a children's, teens' and adults' choir. Times of rehearsals and performances are yet to be de-termined, but get ready to sing. Even if you claim to have no pitch or to be tone deaf, come in and sing with everyone else. We are all about having fun and getting together to make Jewish music. If you have any questions, please don't hesi-tate to call me at 804-1333, ext. 127. I'm look-ing forward to making music with you all. REGISTRATION for the High Holy Days 5763 is going on now through August 16th as follows: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon & 2 to 4 p.m.; and Fridays, 9 a.m. to noon If you have questions or did not receive your registration materials, please call Mary Ann in the Temple office at 804-1333, ext. 103. Please fill out and mail back your registration. If registering at the Temple office, please bring materials with you and have them filled out ahead of time. Aug. 2002 8?Preschool News Summer Camp is "Bursting With Fun!" Pictured are scenes from 2002 Temple Beth Sholom Summer Camp. Temple Beth Sholom's Early Childhood Center is bursting with fun. The children are having the time of their lives! We are observing the sky, looking into the depths of the sea, exploring the desert and using our imagination. Our special visitors have brought extra enjoyment into our days. We are kicking in karate, cheering in cheerleading, rid-ing ponies and even touching exotic pets. Our older groups have been traveling around Las Vegas to see what our exciting community has to offer. They are cooling off by swimming, going to interesting museums, seeing eye-opening shark reefs and friendly dolphins and so much more. There is endless fun to be had at TBS camp. Come and see what all the kids are up to. You can find our teachers happily singing, gracefully dancing and even jumping in the "bounce house." We are all really enjoying this hot, hot summer together. Getting to Know You: Danielle Friefeld Those of you who have children in the preschool already know Danielle Friefeld. You know her as a teacher, as a Mom, and as the Assistant Director of the Early Childhood Center. For those of you who don't have connections to the preschool, it's important that you too get to know Danielle. As announced in last month's Bulletin, Danielle has been designated as the Director of the Early Childhood Center during the 2002-2003 program year. She comes to the position with impressive credentials. She got her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Florida, where she specialized in Reading for grades K-6 and Psychology. She taught in the Florida elementary school system for 14 years, is certified as an English as a Second Language teacher and for the past two years she has been teaching pre-school here and acting as Assistant Director to DJ Jen-sen. Danielle was born in New Jersey but was raised in Cooper City, Fla. That's in the Fort Lauderdale area. Her interests include fitness, travel and reading. "But I doubt I will have any time in the foreseeable future to do any of these things," Danielle said with a smile. She is married to Craig, who is in the residential con-struction business. They have two daughters, Sydnie (no - that's not a typo), age 7, who attends Ober Ele-mentary School and TBS's Religious School, and Ty-ler, age 3, who just happens to attend the TBS Pre-school. "I am so excited to be taking on the larger responsi-bilities of the preschool directorship, and I look forward to working even more with the parents and the chil-dren." The Bulletin asked Danielle how she felt about con-tinuing to teach while she will also be the Director of the program. "Teaching has always been in my heart and, for now, I don't want to get completely away from it. I feel confident that with the support of the staff and personnel here at TBS I will be able to effectively teach and supervise the Early Childhood Center." We agree, Danielle. We welcome you and know you will do a wonderful job. Aug.2002 Youth Activities/Book Review?9 Join USY and Kadima David Frydman, TBS's new Youth Director, is in the process of contacting all members and mem-ber's children who have an interest in working with him to energize our USY and Kadima programs. But don't wait for him to call you. You call him. Let him know that you want to be a part of his ex-citing plans for our young people. He will be put-ting together a Board for both groups, planning ac-tivities that are fun and building a group spirit that reinforces the importance of our youth in our syna-gogue community. Get in on the planning stages. Let your voice be heard early on. Find friends, fun and, of course, food at TBS Youth events. Get to know what USY and Kadima are all about on Sun-day, August 25. Watch for the flyer. Don't miss it. Book Review: Jacob Pressman's 'Dear Friends' By Robert Mirisch "DEAR FRIENDS" by Jacob Pressman (Published by Ktav Publishing House, Inc.) For the past 60 years Jacob Pressman has been a Conser-vative pulpit rabbi, serving 50 of those years at Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles. During that time he delivered some 4,000 sermons. Dear Friends (the phrase with which he invariable began his sermons) is a publication that presents selected sermons touching on the events and per-sonalities that have had major impacts on Ameri-can Jewry during that time span. The book is unique in several respects: it serves as a history of the 20th Century juxtaposed with related events from Jewish history as commented on by Rabbi Pressman at the time the event