Temple Beth Tikvah Monthly News

wine and chocolate image Rabbi Ettman will be with us for a full weekend of services and activities May 4th - 6th. Friday evening's Kabbalat Shabbat service begins at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday morning, Torah study begins at 9:00 a.m., with the Saturday morning Torah service beginning at 10:30 a.m.

On Saturday evening, May 5th, please join TBT at Bend d'Vine from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. for an evening social. Bend d'Vine is now under new ownership of our very own members David Kalov and Jolie Fiore, and we want to support them in their new venture. Have a glass of wine with chocolate, cheese or lite food plates, and enjoy lively conversation with the Rabbi and your TBT family. Bend d'Vine is located at 916 Wall Street next door to Joolz.

Rabbi E's always thought-provoking Adult Education class will meet on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. at the Olanders. We hope to see everyone this weekend! The Sunday School has classes at 4:00 p.m.

Nutrition: Fact vs. Fiction

Dr. Lisa Uri to speak May 17th

dinner plate with question mark

Dr. Lisa Uri, family practice doctor from High Lakes Health Care, will be presenting a Nutritional Therapy lecture on Thursday, May 17th. The Standard America Diet (SAD) is contributing to the deteriorating health of our nation. The nutrition recommendations presented to us are often overwhelming and confusing. Dr. Uri will discuss how food contributes to health, illness and weight gain, how to use food to get healthy and lose weight, how to decide which foods to choose and which to avoid, and what the food labels mean. Please join us for an informative evening on May 17th at 7:00 p.m. in the Wesley room at the First United Methodist Church.

Musical Artist-in-Residence Weekend May 18th - 19th
Cantor Bruner Returns to Share Music & Spirit

colorful musical notes Once again we have the wonderful honor of hosting Cantor Margaret Bruner when she joins us in Bend May 18-19 for a beautiful weekend in song. Friday, May 18th we will have a Shabbat in Song starting at 6:30 p.m., followed by a hosted dinner and oneg. On Saturday morning, Torah service will begin at 10:30 a.m.

On Saturday Night we will hear the melodic sounds of Sephardic music during a Musical and Social Event at the Depot at Village Wiestoria starting at 7:00 p.m. We will be blessed with the musical accompaniment of Julie Geveshausen on harp, Jo Booser on fiddle and Mark Barringer on guitar. Wine and dessert will be served. Please join us for this amazing musical experience.

put this on your calendar Save the Date - June 5th

TBT's Annual General Meeting

Coming Soon

TBT's annual General Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 5th. It is very important that as much of our membership attend as possible, so please mark it on your calendars now and plan to be there! Details will follow in a separate email when it gets closer.

Volunteers Needed for Bethlehem Inn Dinner bethlehem inn logo

TBT Serves on Thur. May 17th

TBT will be cooking and serving dinner for the Bethlehem Inn residents on Thursday, May 17th. Volunteers are needed to cook: Chicken, Rice with vegetables, Salad, Rolls & butter, and Desserts. A few volunteers are also needed to serve the meal. If you can help with cooking or serving, please contact Beverly at fiber12@gmail.com.

Greetings From Rabbi Ettman
Rabbi Ettman Photo

Dear Friends,

Right now, the buds outside my office window are blooming. It is beautiful. Spring seems to have awakened. Flowers are blossoming and butterflies are floating in the air. Winter has ended and the longer days have restored our senses. Yet, I find myself also reflecting on the fact that it is already May! Where did the last five months of our year go? How did we get here? What are we to do?

I then came across these words attributed to Rabbi Maurice Lamm which provided me some insight...and I hope it will do the same for you. Take a look at what he writes:

"We must not only hope for realistic results, but to change, sometimes, the things that we hope for."

Each one of us has hopes and dreams. Sadly, many of us have had these aspirations tempered by the realities of life. The month to month path that we tread can be a painful reminder of this. But these words of Rabbi Lamm can give us a new perspective. Sometimes what we need to do is to alter our dreams to fit the reality in which we live.

We must begin our journey towards living with a purpose and with defined hope. Perhaps this is the month to plan on taking that vacation you have been hoping to take? Perhaps this month is the one where you commit to spending more quality time with your family? Perhaps this is even simply the month where you begin to just see the blooming world of flowers and trees around you? No matter what it is you attempt, I challenge you to heed Rabbi Lamm's suggestions. You may surprise yourself!

May this month of May be one of hope, promise and awakening.

Sincerely always,

Rabbi Ettman is available via email. If you want to set up an appointment, please email him at: glennettman@gmail.com. His office hours are Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

President's Message
From TBT President Lisa Uri

My daughter asked me the other day what my favorite word is. I thought about it for a few seconds and said "peace." Just the sound of the word creates a feeling of serenity for me. I looked it up on the internet to see how it was specifically defined. One definition was "a state of tranquility or quiet".....that is my initial thought when I think of the word. There were several others but one that really stood out to me was "harmony in personal relations." It occurred to me that we often strive for tranquility in our lives, but until we have harmony in our personal relations, true inner peace is difficult to achieve.

We often sing Shalom Rav on Friday nights, (which by the way is my favorite prayer.) Every time we sing it, the words are more powerful. "Grant us peace, Your most precious gift, O Eternal Source of peace, and give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth. Bless our country, that it may always be a stronghold of peace, and its advocate among the nations. May contentment reign within its borders, health and happiness within its homes. Strengthen the bonds of friendship among the inhabitants of all lands, and may the love of Your name hallow every home and every heart. Teach us, O G-d, to labor for righteousness, and inscribe us in the Book of Life, blessing, and peace. Blessed is the Eternal G-d, the Source of Peace." I wish for all of us to find a place in our daily lives where we can honor these words, not only within ourselves, but in our relationships with others. I hope that we can all truly embrace the meaning of tranquility, quiet, serenity and harmony.

B'shalom,

Lisa Uri

Taizé Service May 3rd Taize candles

Please join us for an hour of ecumenical prayerful music at the Taize service on Thursday, May 3, 7:00 p.m., at St. Clare's Chapel at the St. Francis Catholic Center on 27th Avenue in Bend. All members of TBT are invited.

B.E.A.T. Presents "And A Child Shall Lead" May 10th - 13th at CTC

Bend Experimental Art Theater presents the powerful, heartrending and yet, heartwarming full length play entitled: And a Child Shall Lead, written by Michael Slade.

The play is based on true events and is the story of the brave children (ages 7-17) held in the Terezin, Czecheslovakia ghetto by the Nazis during World War II. These children defied their captors by secretly conducting a school where they created art, music, and poetry, and wrote an underground newspaper that documented life in the ghetto. The young actors will lead the audience through their captivity by sharing the deep relationships, life-threatening challenges, and simple joys experienced by the inspirational children of Terezin.

This BEAT production is directed by Denice Hughes Lewis, and TBT's own Jared Charney Cohen is one of the talented cast. Public performances are May 10, 11, and 12 at 7:00 p.m. and May 13 at 2:00 p.m. at CTC. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for youth, and can be purchased online at http://cascadestheatrical.org or at the Greenwood Playhouse box office located at 148 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. For more information, see the BEAT website, or contact Sara Charney Cohen at sarrava@gmail.com or 360-606-4124.

TBT Board Notes
Next Board Meeting: Tue. May 8th, 7:00 p.m

Your TBT Board meets monthly and everyone is invited to attend. Dates and times of Board meetings are on the TBT calendar at http://bethtikvahbend.org/calendar.

If you would like to read the minutes of previous board meetings, you can request a copy from Board Secretary Kathy Schindel: schindelke@aol.com.

Committee News

silver seder plate
Many Thanks from the Seder Planning Committee

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 4th annual Temple Beth Tikvah Passover Seder. The Seder was well attended, with almost 140 people, TBT members and non-members alike. Rabbi Ettman led the lively service, which included adults and children with readings, and the parade of plagues was a lot of fun.

It takes many people to organize this Seder. There are a huge number of people to thank, including the set-up and clean-up crews, the wonderful dessert bakers, charoset makers, our plague costume designer, and Tate & Tate for catering our delicious buffet.

Please consider volunteering to help with other TBT holiday programs, social action and social functions! Watch our newsletter and emails for information on upcoming events. We look forward to seeing you again.

Please call TBT if you have any questions.

The Passover Committee

Terry Reynolds

Bonnie Ruby

Jolie Fiore

Mickey Freundlich

Jill Muinch

Pam Hamilton

Suzanne Schlosberg

Jeanne Freeman

Casino Night Fundraiser Postponed

Leslie Conley

The fundraising committee is postponing the fundraiser until fall for several reasons. A significant portion of our active members are out of town the first weekend in June. The up-front expenses for the casino night require a large turnout in order to make the fundraiser successful. The committee is rethinking an event for fall. Please stay tuned. If you have any questions, thoughts, concerns or want to help, please call Leslie Conley.

June Newsletter Deadline: May 20th

This newsletter is emailed to both members and non-members at the end of each month. If you have something you want to include in the newsletter, please e-mail it to sarrava@gmail.com by the 20th of each month. As always, you will continue to receive "e-minders" before important events take place.

Shalom,

Sara Charney Cohen

TBT Men's Night - May 15th

The TBT monthly Men's Night is generally held on the third Tuesday of each month. The next TBT Men's Night will be Tuesday, May 15th, 5:30 p.m. at Brother Jon's Alehouse located at 1051 NW Bond Street, Bend, Oregon 97701, 541-728-0102. (It is at the corner of Bond and Greenwood.) All men of TBT are invited. For more info, contact Lawrence at susarch@bendbroadband.com.

Just A Reminder

Please be aware that our member email list is to be used for Temple Business only. We want to respect the privacy of our members. Thank you for understanding.

TBT Tributes

You may honor the lives and achievements of friends and relatives via a tribute with a donation to TBT. You can do this online or by sending a check and the name and address of the person being honored to TBT at P.O. Box 7472, Bend, OR, 97708. Donations are made to the Temple's general purpose fund unless otherwise specified.

Temple Beth Tikvah gratefully acknowledges the following contributions:

From Ralph & Marcia Uri, in memory of Burt Litman's brother.
From Ralph & Marcia Uri, Get well soon, Ed Chernoff.

About Temple Beth Tikvah

Temple Beth Tikvah is a growing Jewish congregation based in Bend, Oregon. We are affilliated with the Union for Reform Judaism and are excited to be the first Reform synagogue in Central Oregon.

Our members come from a range of Jewish backgrounds including Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Renewal. Temple Beth Tikvah welcomes interfaith families and Jews by choice.

We are committed to providing a Jewish education for our children as well as stimulating educational activities for adults. We value social action and strive to provide a Jewish cultural, social and religious experience in Central Oregon.

Temple Beth Tikvah is a warm and enthusiastic community that includes families, singles and "empty nesters." We are a mix of long-time Bend residents and newcomers from around the country who moved here to enjoy Central Oregon's beauty, active lifestyle and quality of life.

Please contact us at 541-388-8826 or info@bethtikvahbend.org for more information.