Yahrzeits May 2019

We will update this section shortly. 

News of Our Congregants May 2019

Mazel Tov to Flora Jean and Merkel Weiss upon the birth of their new granddaughter, Anastasia, to their son David and his wife, Genevieve!

We also send get well wishes to Judy Knigen, Merkel Weiss, and Alan Wolfe. We hope they are doing better soon!

We know there are always a number of congregants who are battling illness or have suffered other health issues.  We send you wishes of a return to good health.

We also want to know of your happy news, be it an anniversary, wedding, birth of a child, or anything else you may wish to share with the congregation.

(Please let us know if you, or a fellow congregant is infirmed so that we may send prayers and wishes for a return to good health).

Torah Fund May 2019

This year is winding down and we are closing our records for the year.   We haven’t received Torah Fund pledges from many of Valley Beth Israel congregants.   Please check your records and send your check if you overlooked making a contribution.

The goal of The American Jewish University, AJU, is to become a national resource for Jewish values through teaching, outreach, and scholarship.   By engaging children at summer camp, teaching students in undergraduate and graduate programs, preparing the next generation of rabbis and Jewish educators, or creating meaningful opportunities for the community to connect with each other, with our shared heritage, and with the world around us we achieve our goal.

Again, thank you for your Torah Fund contributions and your help to make this a very successful year.

For those who have not sent in your pledges, please write a check to Valley Beth Israel Torah Fund.

Bobbie Cohen (818)764-7952

Torah Fund V. P.

President's Message May 2019

Shalom Everyone,

I think we were all shocked as we heard the news of the shooting at the Chabad synagogue in Poway on Saturday, April 26th. What a horrible way for the Passover holiday to come to an end. As a Jew I am saddened by this senseless killing at a synagogue just as I am by the same thing that happened in Pittsburgh six months ago.  But we are not the only ones suffering attacks as evidenced by the Sri Lanka massacre on Easter Sunday and the killings at a mosque in  New Zealand prior to that. Whatever you call the people who perpetrated these shootings/bombings their acts of terror are despicable.

Security is always on my mind at the synagogue. I used to think we were a small blip in the overall scheme of things and that no harm could come to VBI. Not true any longer. I am terrified at the prospect of something like this happening here. Our budget just can’t support the hiring of full-time security and we can’t build a big enough wall around our property to keep those wanting to harm us out. So what do we do? Internally here is our plan: instead of the front door being open all the time we plan to keep it closed and locked even for services. We are working hard to get the system in place and it will require everyone’s cooperation. As we implement it you will receive more information. However, do not be deterred from attending services at the synagogue. We need you. We will continue to have services and special events as in the past so your support is very important.

I hope your Passover was wonderful and that you were able to enjoy a Seder with family and friends. The Seder at the synagogue was attended by over 30 people and as far as I can tell from the comments everyone enjoyed the service and meal. Thanks to Rabbi for the service and Mona for the meal. There is always a lot of work that goes on prior to the actual Seder night itself but everything seemed to go off without a hitch.

For several months I have reported on a very important and exciting fundraiser that will be held at the synagogue on Sunday, May 19^th. We’re hosting a Mah Jongg tournament. If you’re a player or know a player please SEE THE FLYER and get registered. The cutoff date for signing up is May 10^th. If you’re not a player you are still needed because we must have sixteen people to assist in the events of the day: serving food, ushering people around, assisting in drawings, etc. – it takes a lot of people. Please call the office if you are interested. If you have a sturdy card table(s) that we could borrow for the tournament we would appreciate the use of them.

Our Religious School is losing students to Bat/Bar Mitzvahs and we need your help in building it up again. A synagogue member is offering up to five (5) fully paid scholarships for the next school year. Call Mona at (818) 983-8176 for details. Help VBI continue to grow.

I have much more to report but you’ll have to wait until next month.             Ron