VBI - President's Message

Shalom everyone and Happy New Year.

Hanukkah is over and I hope you were able to enjoy all the “joys” of the season with family and friends. The fact that Christmas eve fell on the first night of our Hanukkah holiday was unique. Before Hanukkah was over we were able to shop all of the after-Christmas sales to give a few gifts during our eight days of holiday (that’s if you dared to set foot into a mall at this time of year!).

So that this next statement does not get lost in the body of this newsletter message I am going to insert it in bold type, all caps:

AS OF JANUARY 1^st, 2017, IF YOU USE YOUR CREDIT CARD TO CHARGE ANYTHING AT THE SYNAGOGUE, WE WILL ADD A 4% SERVICE FEE. Ever since we started taking credit cards we, the synagogue, has been absorbing the fee charged to us by the bank for every credit card transaction; and you, the user of the card who has received perks from your bank, have been charged nothing by VBI. Think about what I have said: many places that you shop and use your credit card extract a service fee for that privilege.

During December the Religious School had its annual Hanukkah program and although I got sick with a terrible cold the night before and couldn’t attend I understand it was an overwhelming success. Some of the students played instruments while others did readings. Everyone had a wonderful time and learned a lot in the process. Thank you to all who were involved in this tremendous effort.

Following the school program the Men’s Club led by the cooking skills of Ed and Miriam Kasman provided a “latke feast” that filled everyone’s tummy. According to Richard Nadel who did a yeoman’s job frying all the latkes 20 pounds of potatoes disappeared before you could say delicious. Again thanks to all who helped. As I’m writing this I can hear the latkes being fried in the hot oil and the smell wafting through the synagogue. Boy am I sorry that I was sick and unable to be there.

 For those of you who come to the temple on a Friday night or Saturday morning (or actually anytime) and bring money to turn into the office I ask that you not give it to me as there have been many times when I put it in my pocket and forget about it for a week or longer. Now there is a small black metal box on the outside wall of the office to the left of the door and you can take a pink envelope and deposit it through the slot on top. That way the office can receive it faster.

Make reservations soon and join us for a traditional Shabbat dinner as we welcome our new members. The cost is very reasonable and you get a lot of food. See the flyer elsewhere in this newsletter.

Have a blessed, happy and healthy new year filled with peace. May all your dreams come true and every tomorrow should be better than the previous one. Let us see you more often during the coming year. Take full advantage of your membership and invite your friends to come. Committees are planning a lot of activities so keep watching this newsletter. We’re still working to make hard copies.

Ron
Ron Trachtenberg
VBI Temple President

VBI - Shabbat Dinner

Torah Fund - January 2017

Torah Fund is the dedicated philanthropic cause of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, supporting higher level Conservative/Masorti Jewish education around the world. 

Our abiding love for Israel and our passion for prayer inspires our support of third year Ziegler School of Rabbinic students along with Israeli scholars at the Conservative Yeshivah in Jerusalem.  These scholars develop a deep appreciation for the innovations of Israeli culture and the challenges Israelis face. These future rabbis bring this love of Israel to their new leadership roles.  

Torah Fund enters its 75^th year with wonderful opportunities for our future clergy and leaders to make a real impact on the next generation.   Please join us and plant a seed for our future. 

 

100% of the monies pledged to Torah Fund supports and sustains the needs of the multifaceted community of our Jewish institutions, the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles and the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem, the Seminario in Argentina, and the new Zacharias Frankel College in Potsdam, Germany.    

To learn more, click here:  Torah Fund

Again thank you for your support of Torah Fund.

Bobbie Cohen

Torah Fund V. P.

Jews News and Book Reviews

Mrs. Sarah Feldman has published Jerusalem vs. Athens:  Unfinished, the important work of her late husband, and our beloved friend, Rabbi Lou Feldman, zt’l.  

In this book Rabbi Feldman simply and clearly identifies the moral and ethical principles which underlie some of the biggest decisions many of us will ever have to make, issues about which there is much confusion and controversy in today's society. 

He traces the fascinating history of  two opposing sets of values -- the biblical and the Greek -- and how they have played out in the events of the past 2000-plus years.  He then applies these values to some of the most difficult medical ethics issues of our time, such as abortion, pain control, beginning-of-life abuses, how we treat our disabled, the AIDS epidemic, CPR and the frail elderly, food and hydration for the ill and dying, organ transplants, healthcare, and physician-assisted suicide.  Finally, his recommendation follows for each of us to place a medical care directive on file reflecting our beliefs and wishes BEFORE we are in a position in which we are unable to communicate them effectively, and cautions us all to consider carefully the choices we make as a society. 

            Jerusalem vs. Athens:  Unfinished can be purchased on Amazon for $15.95.*  It is a compelling and hard-to-put-down book -- and feels like a visit with a dear, old friend. 

 *  If you would like to be part of a group order (with NO charge for shipping), let Kim McGarry know by January 18th.  (A message may be left in the Temple office)

Birthday, Anniversaries, and Celebrations

MAZEL TOV  to Rebecca Goldman upon becoming a great-grandmother, and Dr. Herbert Goldman, on becoming a grandfather to baby REN ETHAN.  Ren is the son of Rebecca's granddaughter (and Herb's daughter) Michele and her husband Marat.

A note from the proud great grandma:
Becoming a "great bubbe" is very exciting. Many thanks to my friends at VBI for making donations in honor of the birth of my great grandson - Ren Ethan Volman.  His parents Michele and Marat Volman live in Boston and Michele had her Bat Mitzvah at VBI, the same temple where many years ago, her Dad, Herbert , had his Bar Mitzvah and is also a VBI member. - Rebecca Goldman

We start each month with a Choral Shabbat as the congregation celebrates birthdays and anniversaries.  Join us Friday evening January 6th 2017, as we celebrate together.  Services begin at 7:30pm

Please let Judy Knigin know if you will be celebrating a birthday in the coming month, or if you would like to sponsor an Oneg Shabbat or Kiddush Luncheon. (818) 782-2281.
We love to honor our congregants as they celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or other milestone. If you have reason to celebrate, let us know! 

Better yet, add your birthdays and anniversaries to your contact information in the office or by updating your contact information here.

 

 

BEHIND THE HEADLINES - January 2017

by Selma Alpert

 

SIGN THE PETITION.  World Jewish Congress (WJC) is asking those concerned about anti-Semitism and it's online impact to sign WJC's petition to the CEOs of Google and YouTube — calling on them to live up to their promise and immediately remove all anti-Semitic content from their platforms.  If you have already signed the petition, thank you. But if not, please take action now and make it clear that as Jews, we will not stand for corporations like Google and YouTube to sit idly by while anti-Semites use their sites to spread hatred and incitement to violence.

 

GOOD  REACTION.  The election is over.  Your candidate won or lost. Terrible events were predicted.  What has really happened?  The stock market has broken record highs.  Home sales have increased.  Consumer confidence is booming.  Department stores are packed with customers. Jobs have been saved.  IBM just announced it will create 25,000 new jobs.

A Japanese banker plans to invest billions and hire 50,000 workers.  If this continues, we may actually make America great again.  Let’s wait and see.

 

IRAN ’S  PARK.  A new Iranian amusement park, “The City of Games for Revolutionary Children,” teaches kids to fight America and Israel . Under a military commander guide, children wear military uniforms, launch missiles, fire plastic bullets at Netanyahu, Saudi’s royal family, Israeli and U.S. flags.  The park is very popular and free to children 8-13.  Palestinian terror groups conduct similar camps, training young ones to hate us.  Sad, isn’t it?

 

ADL  REVERSAL.  The ADL withdrew its endorsement of Keith Ellison,  first Muslim Congressman, to be Democratic National Committee Chair, after learning Ellison worked 9 years with notorious anti-Semite Farrakhan. Ellison has ties to radical Islamic groups.  He also charged that little Israel dictates the Middle East policies of the great U.S.  So far he is unopposed.

 

CARTER  AGAIN.   Weisenthal Center says Jimmy Carter is urging President Obama to recognize a state of “ Palestine ” before leaving office. The 800,000 Jews living on the West Bank were called “colonists” by Carter, but Hamas terrorists he described as “legitimate political actors.”  Can you believe this?

 

UK GUARDS.  In 2015 United Kingdom tallied 924 anti-Semitic incidents, UK is spending millions to provide security to schools, colleges, nurseries and synagogues. WINews reports an alarming rise of anti-Semitism in 2016.  Read more from the BBC about this.

 

         

Yahrzeit January 2017

                YAHRZEITS FOR JANUARY, 2017

January 6, 2017

 Herman Empol        David Garber        Frances Schwartz        Beatrice Clark             *Esther Sklar 

  Bessie Gendler        Myron Wise        *Ruth Hochberg         *Celia Zuckerman          *Jennie Stein
*Kalman Milgram   *Isadore Saltz       *Samuel Sklar            *Freda Minz               *Eva Siskind      
*Max Senensieb      *Sophie Gole        *Eleanor Kaplan        *Rose Wahrhaftig    *Leonard Kostin
*Marvin Kozen       *Raphael Myers   *Benjamin Elbling    *Ben Rubinstein     Laura Rosenbloom

January 13, 1017

 Goldie Fish              Sam Levine             Michael Landa          Morris Levin      *Wendy Steinberg

 Rose Orland            Mildred Lieb          Sadie Wilnin              Ida Glass                  *Mary Mednick
*Louis Gorlin         *Esther Manuel      *Morris Pava            *Nathan Sikowitz     *Jerry Sommers
*Ruth Scharf         *Herman DeGraff   *Anna Fitterman     *Robert Dinsfriend    *Herbert Sinclair
*Morris Pearlstein *Miriam Gardetz    *Lillian Weiss         *Alan Saposhnek        *Jacob Epstein
*Phillip Shaffer       *Esther Strassberg  *Celia Frank          *Michelle Antignas   

January 20, 2017

 Abraham Gill         Alex Simon        *Bernard Brodsky       *William Bill Glass   *Beckie Saul

*Helen Sherman   *Max Deutsch        *Anna Dubovis       *Isadore Gerber      *Charles Sklar         
*Blanche Shaffer   *Harry Phillips        *Herman Frank      *Edward Friedman   *Joe Trupp  
*Harriet Drogichen  *Eva Fingerman   *Adolph Israel      *Sheindel Greenberg
*Sarah Drogichen  *Anna Middleman   *Isaac Kasman     *Jacob Shechtman 

                                                                          January 27, 2017

 Joseph Feldman      David Chudner      Jeanette Stein    Samuel  Winer          *Israel Benjamin

*Harry Wolfe           *Albert Appell      *Joe Brooks        *Sylvia Goldsmith     *Carol Grossman
*Louis Tabachnick   *Roy Zola              *Belle Titner      *Anne Simmonds       *Irving Schrag
*Celia Folinsky         *Simon Bush         *Gerald Litwin   *Samuel Zimmerman   *Phillip Cohen
*Rose Weitzman     *Abraham Goldsmith          
 

*Denotes Memorial Plaque