This Week At Beth Or

Your guide to upcoming programs,

activities and news

November 11, 2014

Veterans' Day

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In This Issue

Rabbi Mark Kram

Shabbat Service

Rabbi

Mark Kram

Click here to meet
Rabbi Mark Kram

D'Var Torah

November 15, 2014

Genesis 24:10 - 24:52

(using the Triennial Year 2 calendar)

Haftarah

I Kings 1:1 - 1:31

Beth Or Links

Other Links

Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

What is Reconstructionism?

Ma Nishma: The latest news from JRF

Alper JCC

Rabbi Rami Shapiro: Our Founding Rabbi

Greater Miami Jewish Federation

Center For The Advancement of Jewish Education

Contact:

Kathy Fisler
bethortemple@aol.com

Temple Beth Or

305-235-1419

Office Hours:

Tuesday 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday: Noon - 3:00 pm.

Thursday: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

What's Happening This Week at Temple Beth Or

Tuesday, November 11

Wednesday, November 12

Chit Chat 10:00 a.m.
Executive Committee 7:15 p.m.
Board of Directors 8:00


Thursday, November 13

Weight Watchers 10:00 a.m.

Friday, November 14

Kabbalat Shabbat 8:00 p.m.



Saturday, November 15

Sunday, November 16

Monday, November 17

My Promised Land Book Discussion,

    Part 1   7:30 p.m.



Tuesday, November 18

Wednesday, November 19

Chit Chat 10:00 a.m.
Thursday, November 20
Weight Watchers 10:00 a.m.



Friday, November 21
Kabbalat Shabbat 8:00 p.m.

Temple Beth Or
Events

Save the Date!

November 22
Beth Or's Global Day of Jewish Learning

December 1

Book Discussion, Part 2: My Promised Land,
by Ari Shavit

December 6
Bazaar Setup volunteers needed!

December 7

Holiday Bazaar

January 13, 2015
Positive Psychology 2 begins

January 31-February 2, 2015
Jews in the Woods I Camping Trip

March 28, 2015
Jews in the Woods II Day Trip

Temple Beth Or

Community Notices

Shabbat Shalom

Friday, November 14

Join us this Friday evening at 8:00 as Ellen Siegel leads us in the Kabbalat Shabbat Service.

The Oneg Shabbat will be provided by Celia Belsky and the Spector Family, in honor of Celia's birthday!

Mazel Tov!

Thank You, Thank You

to all who have generously contributed to Temple Beth Or...

Molle Grad

, for ongoing support of Beth Or
Terri Pearson, in memory of Leo Zutler
Ellen Siegel, in memory of Penina Turner, and in memory of
Matti Gershenfeld
Ossie and Harry Hanauer, in memory of Irma Hanauer
Celia Belsky, in memory of Arlene Harris
Ilien and Keith Hechtman, in memory of Arlene Harris
Amy Lomaskin and Mel Tenen, in memory of Herschel
Rosenthal

Red Tent Women's Reading Group

The Red Tent had a thought-provoking discussion of Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline, highlighted by the model train and theme cake at the home of Janie and George Emerson.

The Share-A-Simcha funds from this meeting will be donated to the National Fragile X Foundation in Walnut Creek, California, in memory of Arlene Harris, mother of RT member Marti Gammon.

Beth Or Annual Holiday Bazaar

Our annual bazaar is just one month away, Sunday December 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We have wonderful new vendors and our favorites, Hudson Girl, Uniquely Stoned, The Chosen, Carlos Pereira, Tesserot Pottery, Ellen's Treasures, and Dixie's Jewels, traveling all the way from Maryland, just to name a few.

April and Rhoni are ready to make their lists and check them twice!!!

We are still in need of a candle vendor and children's accessories.

Please e mail or call us if you can help set up for the bazaar Saturday December 6, 1:00 p.m. Come on guys, we need your muscles!

On Sunday we need help with the raffle, trouble shooting and then the breakdown of everything.

Promising to be the best bazaar EVER!!!

We need a raffle chairperson and a few people to work that day.

Save all your gelt and plan to do your holiday shopping with us, proceeds benefit TBO.

Flyers are available for you to post in condo or apartment bulletin boards, to give out to groups, or to ask the businesses you patronize to post in their windows.

My Promised Land

by Ari Shavit

A Temple Beth Or Book Discussion, led by Rabbi Mark Kram, to meeto on Monday, November 17, and Monday, December 1.

Excerpt from the book's summary on Amazon.com:

"We meet Shavit's great-grandfather, a British Zionist who in 1897 visited the Holy Land on a Thomas Cook tour and understood that it was the way of the future for his people; the idealist young farmer who bought land from his Arab neighbor in the 1920s to grow the Jaffa oranges that would create Palestine's booming economy; the visionary youth group leader who, in the 1940s, transformed Masada from the neglected ruins of an extremist sect into a powerful symbol for Zionism; the Palestinian who as a young man in 1948 was driven with his family from his home during the expulsion from Lydda; the immigrant orphans of Europe's Holocaust, who took on menial work and focused on raising their children to become the leaders of the new state; the pragmatic engineer who was instrumental in developing Israel's nuclear program in the 1960s, in the only interview he ever gave; the zealous religious Zionists who started the settler movement in the 1970s; the dot-com entrepreneurs and young men and women behind Tel-Aviv's booming club scene; and today's architects of Israel's foreign policy with Iran, whose nuclear threat looms ominously over the tiny country.

As it examines the complexities and contradictions of the Israeli condition, My Promised Land asks difficult but important questions: Why did Israel come to be? How did it come to be? Can Israel survive? Culminating with an analysis of the issues and threats that Israel is currently facing, My Promised Land uses the defining events of the past to shed new light on the present. The result is a landmark portrait of a small, vibrant country living on the edge, whose identity and presence play a crucial role in today's global political landscape."

The book is available for purchase through Amazon and other sources and is also available at the Miami-Dade Public Library.

Global Day of Jewish Learning, Beth Or Style

Beth Or's participation in the Global Day of Jewish Learning program will take place on Saturday, November 22, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

This year's theme is "Heroes and Villains, Saints and Fools: The People in the Book."

We'll have a lunch provided for $7.00 per person. Please let us know in the Temple office if you will participate, and if you'll join us for lunch. 305-235-1419 or bethortemple@aol.com

Positive Psychology 2 Starts in January

An 8-week open event facilitated by Dr. Nancy Kirsner. All are welcome!

Positive Psychology has ushered in an

era of well being and happiness by focusing on what works and is strong in you.

Research and reality teaches us that we are at our best when we live in our strengths and in relationships. Our Jewish fundamentals and Positive Psychology converge, creating a rich context of meaning, purpose and pleasure -- the main ingredients of Happiness and Wellbeing.

Class session dates: Tuesday evenings
January 13 and 20,
February 3, 10, 17, and 24,
March 3 and 10.

To register, please email nancykirsner@gmail.com.

For any questions, call Dr. Nancy Kirsner at 305-274-8283.

Suggested donation of $10 per class or $60 for all 8 classes, if paid at the first session.

Jews in the Woods --

times two!

Two chances to experience the marvel of this unique natural setting...

Friday, January 31 - Sunday, February 2: camping at Flamingo Campground
Sunday, March 28: Easy Day Trip at Shark Valley
(but more about that one later!)

Friday, January 31 - Sunday, February 2, 2014
At the exotic, bayside Flamingo Campground in Everglades National Park

Activities (will be decided based on weather and wind conditions):

Friday evening, 8:00 PM: Kabbalat Shabbat under the stars.
Saturday morning, 10:30 AM: Sweet and simple Sabbath service.
Saturday and Sunday during the day: Cruise on a mangrove adventure canoe trip, brave a swamp tromp, see the feathered wildlife on a bird walk, and make plaster castings of animal footprints.
Saturday evening, 6:00 PM: Potluck and Havdalah under the stars. We will also have a patriotic flag burning ceremony just before bed after the s'mores!

Housing: TENTS ONLY! You must make your own standard non-electric site reservation. Reservations ($16 per might) can either be made at
http://www.recreation.gov/campsiteFilterAction.do?sitefilter=STANDARD+NONELECTRIC&startIdx=0&contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70976 or by calling 1-877-444-6777.

Food: All food is bring your own. For Saturday evening we are having a potluck, so please have enough to share with others. Bring your own dishes and utensils. There is a convenience store and a modest food trailer in Flamingo so you can buy food, but the selection is very limited.

Fee: There is a $10 at the park entrance fee plus your $16 per night park service campsite fee - see Housing above.

Bring:
All food, tents, all cooking gear (pots, pans, stove, utensils), toiletries, towels, sleeping bags/pillows, sun protection, binoculars, cameras, folding tables and extra chairs, rain gear, jackets, bug repellent, bikes

Email Ellen Siegel, gladesgirl1@bellsouth.net with the number of campers and your contact information. You can also reach her at (305) 332-5544.

Green Stuff!

Beth Or's ORGANIC GARDEN

ontinues to grow!

Put the 'Or' in 'Organic"

H&G thanks Glenn Patron for illuminating our monument sign with solar-powered spotlights.

Beth Or's

Minipark is the mulched area between the gravel parking lot and our main building. Still under construction, it

provides safe passage walkways from parking lot to building on a mulch bed instead of rough terrain, tree roots and encroaching vegetation.

Watch for additional improvements as we add sitting area, etc.~ House & Grounds

Certified Florida Master Gardeners Wilfredo and Candy Candelaria will support

Beth Or's Organic Garden and Campus Edibles Program for 2014-15.

They will help train volunteers and provide education for Green Thumb congregants

who want to practice organic, sustainable vegetable, fruit and medicinal cultivation.

Watch for opportunities to cultivate your own plot at Beth Or or help our next communal crops of: bananas, papayas, other edibles, herbs and medicianals!

We're also submitting a grant proposal to improve the irrigation for many edibles on campus!

Do's and Don'ts:

Don't step on a bed. Your weight compresses the soil, reducing "friability."
If you don't know what to do, ASK!
Learn as much as you can about organic-veganic methods- Rodale's magazine is a good resource

Check out this site: Derek Fellows Grows

Kavanah by Rabbi Mark "...to help build up our people, our institutions and our strength so that we continue to l'takein olam b'malchut Shaddai, 'repair the world under the kingdom of heaven.' Let's get our hands deliciously "dirty" in this endeavor as we grow and sustain our beloved community."

Story: We are Shomrei Adamah, Guardians of the Earth or Keepers of the Garden of Eden. To start off we will be practical and do whatever works- but we aspire to the highest standards of earth ethics summarized by Organic/Veganic Gardening. We will carefully select the veggies and herbs to maximize output, balanced cultivatino, companion planting, insect control, etc. With today's high prices for quality veggies and herbs, a garden is economically desirable. Plus it is part of a healthy lifestyle, good education, and a social communal experience. All those with green (or any color) thumbs are welcome to cultivate with us.

Weight Watchers at Beth Or

Weight Watchers continues its meeting series on Thursday mornings at 10:00 a.m. at Beth Or.

New members should arrive at about 9:45 and enter by the back door at the top of the ramp.

For more information, please contact Ilien Hechtman at ilienh@aol.com

Chit Chat

Chit Chat meets on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 at the Temple.

Chit Chat will not meet Wednesday, November 26,

the day before Thanksgiving.

We've picked up several interesting articles from reputable sources -- BBC News and the New York Times among them -- and we're ready to launch into topics of local, national and international interest with a distinctly Jewish approach. We talk about cultural, legal, educational, social, political, religious and secular subjects, with a text usually from the media to start us off.

There's always room for more, so please don't hesitate. If you're available, so are we.

If you want to be included on the Chit Chat email list, please contact Mike Leslie at hebrewnatl@aol.com.

TBO Members' Page

Social Action

Please consider donating movies on DVD or BluRay for Noli and Keke. They care for our campus, help care for them.

Bring donations to the office, in care of Jeff Tucker.

In and For Our Local Community

Mental Health Programs Open to the Public

...at Temple Beth Am, 7-9 p.m. as follows:

Wednesday, November 12: Honest Talk on Issues: Ourselves and Our Community: A timely conversation on the spectrum of mental health problems highlighted in our news headlines and hidden in our personal lives

Wednesday, December 3: Honest Talk on Treatment Options: Discussions regarding psychiatry, psychology and the status of treatment in Miami-Dade County

Wednesday, December 10: Honest Talk: Innovative Approaches to Treatment: Groundbreaking new approaches to mental health

All events are free and open to the community.

For more information, visit www.tbam.org/mentalhealth