Temple Beth Tikvah Monthly Newsletter

Rabbi Glenn Ettman will be leaving TBT to assume duties as the full-time Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Palm Desert, California. We are grateful to Rabbi Ettman for the three wonderful years that he served as our spiritual leader and we wish him well as he assumes his new position at his new congregation.

We are so pleased to announce that starting July 1st, Rabbi Johanna Hershenson will begin as our new Rabbi, and she and her family will become part of our TBT family and our Central Oregon community. Rabbi Hershenson, her husband Mark, and their daughters Zoe and Abi, will be relocating to Bend at the end of June. They have most recently been living in San Diego, California. Rabbi Hershenson has previously served congregations in Los Angeles; Orange County, California; Anchorage, Alaska; and Wellington, New Zealand.

Welcome Rabbi Hershenson and family!

Sunday School Mitzvah Project for Bend's Community Center

Our final Sunday school session for this year will be June 9th.

Thank you to our Sunday school families who have contributed to our efforts to help Bend's Community Center. Please continue in your generosity by bringing any of the items listed below to Sunday school on June 9th :

· paper towels ·napkins ·toilet paper ·heavy duty paper plates ·paper lunch bags

· shampoo ·razors for men & women ·band aids ·gauze ·Neosporin ·Aleve ·Tylenol

· laundry soap ·dryer sheets ·gloves ·bleach ·Lysol toilet bowl cleaner ·black garbage bags ·Simple Green cleanser

These are the types of items most needed and requested by Bend's Community Center, who are most appreciative of our efforts in assisting them in their noble efforts to help those most in need.

Our partnership with BCC will culminate on Sunday, June 9th, when all those who wish, both child (10 years and older) and adult, can sign up to volunteer for a shift to help out at the Community Center. The types of help they need and may ask you to do are:

-Sign up those who wish to utilize their showers
-Clean off tables
-Prepare food
-Wash dishes
-Prepare bagged lunches
-"Other duties as assigned"

We will start at 1:00 p.m. Please commit to a one or two hour shift. You may volunteer until as late as 5:00 p.m.

If you would like to commit to this Mitzvah opportunity, please email Ellyce Whalen directly at: ellyce2009@hotmail.com. Let her know what time you will arrive at Bend's Community Center. Depending on their needs that day, they will assign what you will do. Please remember that a child must be at least 10 years old to volunteer. There is no maximum age, so don't let that stand in your way.

Greetings From Rabbi Ettman

Dear Friends,

There is a song that I have been listening to a lot lately and even more so now, since Audrey and Julie played it. It was first sung by Megan Hilty, the broadway performer, and star of the TV show 'Smash'. The song is called 'Crazy Dreams'.

The song was originally written as a pop tune but this version is a ballad that evokes a contemplative mood and thought provoking ideas. It speaks of crazy dreams and those who do the dreaming. Listen to the words:

'Here's to those long shots,
those dark horse runners,
hairbrush singers and dash board drummers...'

It is a song not just of aspiration but of hope. It is a song about life and the heart and strength to keep dreaming and keep going; to daring to have that crazy dream.

I have been listening a lot to that song lately not just because I like the words and message but because the very words and message make me think about the three year journey we have all been on and this past weekend.

There is a feeling that comes over us when we finish doing something for the last time. Sometimes it is one of relief. Sometimes it is one of sadness. Sometimes it is one of joy and accomplishment. Other times, it is hard to describe because there are many emotions running around as we reflect on our journey.

Today I am experiencing something like these emotions and feelings as I am watching the sun begin to set over the cascade mountains as I sit in the airport. Each month, for the past three years, I have visited this place and partnered with you to help create a holy community. We each have grown. We each have learned. We each have changed. And we each have dreamed crazy beautiful and special dreams.

I shared a few weeks ago that I love transitions. I love the power and profundity of the moment when we move from something old to something new. Shabbat is actually the paradigmatic moment of this. When we take time and pause in our lives, we start something new. Perhaps that 'new' is a sense of calm. Perhaps it is a feeling of peace and tranquility. Or perhaps, it is just a break from the everyday running, carpooling and errands that consume us. These moments of transition remind us that we can dream and we can grow. And I can assure each of you, that we can. And we must.

There is great work to be done. And I hope that you each continue to dream on.

My prayer for each of you, as I leave my tenure of being your Rabbi is this. May we each find a moment of calm and pause in our lives. And may we dream big crazy dreams. When we each do this, I am confident that we can realize many great things in the lives of our families but even more, the lives of our Temple family.

I am sending love and prayers to each of you where I will miss you. You have changed me and for that, I thank you for letting me dream with you. I truly look forward to hearing about so many more moments of holiness in the future.

With love, hope and dreams,

Always,

President's Message
From TBT President Mark Schindel

TBT Members and Friends,

In looking back at this past year, my first year as a Board member and President and TBT's fifth anniversary, we have had a very successful year. Our experiment with a combined Jewish Community Sunday School went exceedingly well. We plan to build on this success with further improvements. Through prudent spending and management we had a very good year financially. Our Social Action efforts of preparing and serving dinners at the Bethlehem Inn and breakfasts at the Back Door Café at the Church, greatly help benefit our broader community. With the generosity of our congregation and some strong dedication and perseverance, we will soon have a beautiful new Ark to house our precious Torahs and inspire our worship. We took the time to openly put together a clear, documented process for our Rabbi Search, which resulted in attracting and hiring our first resident Rabbi, Johanna Hershenson.

I do not believe that our good fortune was an accident. When we are willing to live up to our strong Jewish values with openness, honesty, caring, and consideration, great things happen. But, we cannot rest on our laurels. With less than 70 members at present, it takes everyone doing their part to continue the success and push us to greater heights - working together, supporting and respecting each other, caring for our community, and willingly contributing time, money, ideas, and effort. With a resident Rabbi, we begin a new and exciting chapter in our history. I look forward to being part of the leadership ready to take us into that future. As a reminder, I include the heart and soul of who we are and where we want to go - our Mission and Vision statements:

Our Mission:

Temple Beth Tikvah is a Reform Jewish congregation that is warm, welcoming, and built on a foundation of trust. We strive to be a beacon for the diverse Jewish community of Central Oregon that honors and respects the values and traditions of Judaism:

Community (Gemilut Chasadim) -- We are especially supportive of our Jewish community; we value our friendships, our diversity and the social enrichment of Jewish life.
Education (Torah) -- We greatly value life-long learning of Judaism, Torah, Jewish holidays, our Jewish heritage and culture, and the Jewish experience.
Religious (Tefilah) -- We provide uplifting religious experiences in Jewish observances and events, enriched by musical participation.
Social Action (Tikkun Olam) -- We provide support for a diversity of non-profit organizations through social action. Our care for the well-being of our broader local community helps to heal the world.

Our Vision:

Temple Beth Tikvah is a Reform Jewish congregation that envisions long-term growth, which enriches us and our community spiritually, educationally, and socially. Our goals include:

Community (Gemilut Chasadim) -- Provide an inviting facility (rent or own) in which to worship, educate, socialize and display our Jewish artifacts.
Education (Torah) -- Have weekly Religious & Hebrew School classes for children, full preparation training for those wishing to become a Bat/Bar Mitzvah, stimulating programs that attract all our teens, and a wide range of Jewish education for adults.
Religious (Tefilah) -- Have a Rabbi who can challenge and stimulate the congregation spiritually, religiously, educationally, and emotionally. Ideally, the Rabbi will be a resident of our community and serve at least half-time.
Social Action (Tikkun Olam) -- Have greater involvement and participation by our congregants of all ages in Social Action events that make a meaningful impact in our local community, and beyond.

B'Shalom,

Mark Schindel

Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare - with Q&A Panel at Tower Theater June 8th

TBT's Dr. Lisa Uri will participate in panel discussion after the screening.

On Saturday, June 8th, the Tower Theatre will be showing a special screening of "Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare" at 7:00 p.m. This is a powerful documentary examining our current unsustainable healthcare system and contrasting it with some realistic, cost effective solutions. It was shown on CNN in March. Tickets for this event are on sale at the Tower Theatre. There will be a panel discussion following the film which will include Erin Martin, MD, an Oregon Family Practitioner who is featured in the film.

Volunteers in Medicine is the beneficiary of proceeds from this event. VIM provides an important, and necessary safety net of healthcare services, support and care to those members of our community falling into the "healthcare gap" - making too much money to qualify for government assistance programs, but unable to afford their own healthcare.

For more information, visit the Tower Theatre web site.

Camp Gesher Jewish Day Camp in Ashland, August 12th - 16th

Camp Gesher offers a fun Jewish experience for all children entering Kindergarten through 7th Grade. Anyone wanting to come to camp will be provided with home hospitality. Judy Shupack will be participating at camp as an Art Specialist. For more information about the camp, please contact Judy at judyrushu@juno.com, or visit the camp web site at CampGesherAshland.com.

Let's Dance!

Want to learn Israeli Dance?

Sara and Charly Charney Cohen are interested in organizing an Israeli Dance session/class over the summer. The class would be an evening class and would meet weekly for about 7-8 weeks. Instruction would be geared toward beginners, with no prior experience necessary. Details are still to be determined, but right now, we are trying to gauge interest. If you would be interested in participating, please contact Sara at sarrava@gmail.com. And if you know friends who might be interested, please let them know and have them indicate their interest as well. We would need enough interested people in order to make the class viable.

TBT Board Notes

Next Board Meeting: Sunday, June 9th, 3:00 p.m

Location: Wesley Room, FUMC

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 Diane Dober: dobersbend@gmail.com.

Committee News

Social Action Report

Burt Litman, Committee Chair

Back Door Cafe Compassionate Care Ministry

Back Door Café

TBT is serving breakfast on Wednesday, June 26th, at the Back Door Café located in the social hall of the First United Methodist Church. It's a wonderful opportunity to provide hands-on help to those in need. We begin prepping and setting up at 7:30 a.m., then serve breakfast from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. And we leave knowing that we have made a difference in someone's world.

On Wednesday, May 15th, we served breakfast to more than 50 people. Many thanks to those who cooked and served: Jeff Adler, Vivian Freeman, Jeanne Freeman & Burt Litman, Joe Jezukewicz, Ann & Michael Rosenfield, Kathy Schindel and Ralph Uri.

Contact Burt Litman to sign up or for more information: blitman@bendbroadband.com or 541-504-5368.

Bethlehem Inn

Thank you to those who participated in cooking and serving dinner for the residents of the Bethlehem Inn: Beverly Adler, Leslie Conley, Jeanne Freeman & Burt Litman, Liz Levinson, Jill & Kim Muinch, Lorraine Schechter, Kathy Schindel, Terry Reynolds and Shari Winicki.

The residents are so very appreciative of the food we bring. They were all in line for seconds and many came back for thirds. More than one resident told us that most of their meals are "ground meat of some sort" and having chicken is a rare treat.

On Thursday, July 18th, the TBT Men's Group is planning a barbecue for the residents.

Join Team Heal the World

August 10-11th at High Desert Middle School

For American Cancer Society's Relay for Life

Temple Beth Tikvah is joining the fight against cancer by participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life for our fourth year. Relay for Life is being held on August 10 - 11th at High Desert Middle School. We have again registered our team, Team Heal the World, to represent our commitment to the Jewish values of tikkun olam, the Hebrew phrase that means "repairing the world," and gemilut chassidim - "acts of loving kindness."

You can register today to join our team at: http://www.relayforlife.org/

Find us by typing Bend, OR in the "Sign up for an event" box. On the next page click on Sign Up (under 'Relay for Life of Bend/Redmond/Sisters'); then click "Join an Existing Team" and click on Team Heal the World in the dropdown. Join as a 'member of an existing team' and complete your registration.

Social Committee Thanks

Diane Dober, Committee Chair

Thank you to my Social Committee for a job well done. Everyone who attended the Fifth Anniversary Celebration seemed to enjoy it.

A special thank you to my husband, Lester, for all the hours he spent doing the invitations, programs, slideshow, photos, and placecards.

Thank you also to Steve Katz, who took pictures at the event, and was gracious enough to share them.

Again, thank you all for your help and cooperation.

July Newsletter Deadline: June 24th

This newsletter is emailed to both members and non-members each month. If you have something you want to include in the newsletter, please e-mail it to sarrava@gmail.com by the 24th 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 - Tue. June 18th

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, June 18th, 5:00 p.m. happy hour at Crossings at the Riverhouse, located at 3075 N. Business 97 (behind the Riverhouse Hotel,) 541-389-3111. Seating on the patio along the river, weather permitting. All men of TBT are invited. For more info, contact Lawrence at susarch@bendbroadband.com.

A Toast for TBT's 5th Anniversary
Given by Terry Reynolds at the Gala Celebration 6/1

champagne toast

This toast is dedicated to those of us that had the vision & determination to found a reform congregation in this small town of Bend in Central Oregon - not exactly the hot bed of Judaism. But as they say, we've come a long way baby. We had a dream.

We are a strong, thoughtful group of people from diverse backgrounds, who, in my opinion, did not believe in taking small baby steps in our infancy. We hit the ground running.

Think back. Before we ever had our affiliation with the URJ, before we were six months old, before we had a Rabbi, we had our first, over-the-top High Holy Day services, in a beautiful room at Touchmark, that was standing room only. Some of you who know me know that I could not turn anyone away. We had two highly regarded Rabbis for our HH services, Rabbi Rose for Rosh Hashana, and Rabbi Berg for Yom Kippur. And the wonderful voice of Cantor Saxon for both services, and violinist Aaron Meyer for Kol Nidre. Folks, we were dreaming BIG.

We began TBT life without a name and without a board but soon had both. I was honored and humbled to be our first president. What a year that was. Everything we did was a first. We did not always agree and we had a few rough patches along the way, but we were able to keep our eye on the prize, which is to have a thriving Reform congregation in Central Oregon - with a group of people who have the strength of compassion for one another, who can work through disagreements with one another, who can cook for those in need in our fold and in the community at large. People who believe in tikkun olam.

People who can give each other that sense of community that so many desire.

During those first few months there was an air of excitement as we pulled more people in to join us, and look where we are now. We started with 22 households in May 2008, and by December of that first year, we had our 40 founding members. Our first Rabbi, Rabbi Kominsky, was with us quarter time for two months as we were getting our feet on the ground. He gave us some good insight that helped us look ahead.

Then Rabbi Berg, from Portland, was with us quarter time for one and a half years. He taught our first adult b'nai mitzvah class of 10 adults. Then Rabbi Ettman, who came to us quarter time and has graced us with his knowledge of Judaism, is completing his third year with us. Each Rabbi to date has had their own set of strengths to help us grow in our knowledge of Judaism and strenghten our vision and dream of a strong Reform congregation. Each Rabbi has put his own mark on us.

At this fifth year celebration, as we say goodbye to Rabbi Ettman, we are ready to embark on a new and exciting adventure with our new Rabbi Hershenson, who is helping advance our dream of a resident Rabbi.

As we go forth from this moment, I pray that each and every one of you will do your part to keep that dream alive. Don't let mishegas get in your way. We are a warm and welcoming congregation with a vibrant future.

So here's to you founding members, and to new and future members. Keep the dream alive.

5th Anniversary Gala Photos

Diane speaking

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 may be designated to a specific fund, including the Youth Education Fund, the High Holy Days Fund, the Music Fund, the Library Fund, the Rabbi's Caring Fund, or to the General Fund. Donations listed below were made to the Temple's general purpose fund unless otherwise specified.

Temple Beth Tikvah gratefully acknowledges the following contributions:

From Neil & Cheryl Schlackman, in honor of the birth of grandson, Gil, to Judy and Robert Uri.
From Paul & Liz Levinson, in memory of Michael Levinson.
From Paul & Liz Levinson, in memory of Harry Solomon.
From JoAnn Ray & Larry Barker, in memory of Dinah Goberg.
From JoAnn Ray & Larry Barker, in memory of Harold Barker.
From Mark & Kathy Schindel, in memory of Aaron Jack Schindel.
From Gary & Terry Reynolds, congratulating Jesse Fishkin on his Bar Mitzvah.
From Gary & Terry Reynolds, in honor of Rabbi Ettman.
From Gary & Terry Reynolds, to Corrie and Shelley Grudin - thinking of you.
From Gary & Terry Reynolds, welcome to Rabbi Johanna Hershenson & Family.
From Paul & Liz Levinson, in honor of Ceil Herman's 95th Brithday.
From Paul & Liz Levinson, wishing a return to good health to Corrie Grudin.

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.