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January Calendar of Events
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'A Taste of Judaism' Sessions Begin Monday, January 13th
First of Three Series to Focus on
Rhythms of Jewish Living
Join Rabbi Johanna Hershenson for "A Taste of Judaism", three series of lectures with discussion. Each of the series consists of three consecutive Monday evening classes. The first series "Rhythms of Jewish Living," begins on Monday, January 13th. The second series "Mechanics of Jewish Sacred Literature" starts on Monday, February 24th, and the third and final series beginning Monday, April 21st is entitled "The 'G' Word."
The courses can be taken independent of each other. The classes are open to the public at a cost of $6 per lecture, payable at the door, cash or check only. Admission is free for TBT members and for students (through high school.) Presentations are on Monday evenings from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. at St. Charles Medical Center event room.
Series One: Rhythms of Jewish Living
Discover the rhythms embedded in Jewish practice for the purpose of making our time on the planet more meaningful: special days of the week, month, and year; life cycle passages, and the thematic structure of the Jewish prayer service. January 13 - Seasonal wisdom January 20 - Life passages January 27 - Patterns in prayer
Series Two: Mechanics of Jewish Sacred Literature
Explore the dynamic evolution of Jewish literary interdependence in order to grasp how it is that the "study of Torah" is the key to Jewish continuity. February 24 - Mechanics of Jewish Sacred Literature March 3 - You be the Judge - Exercises in Jewish Case Law March 10 - Legendary story-telling
Series Three: The G Word
Grapple with the diverse array of God concepts posited in Jewish theology: biblical, rabbinical, philosophical, and mystical. April 21 - Biblical and Rabbinic God concepts April 28 - Medieval God concepts May 5 - Modern and Postmodern God concepts |
Divrei Tikvah
From Rabbi Johanna Hershenson
Just like Rosh Hashanah, January First invites us to imagine ourselves living life better in the New Year. Resolutions abound: This year I will eat better. I will exercise more. I will commit more time to the relationships that matter to me most.
As 2013 waned, I joined Temple Beth Tikvah's president, Mark Schindel, and the chair of our community religious school, Kathy Schindel, in attending the URJ Biennial convention in San Diego. It was a fertile ground for inspiration about synagogue life in the New Year.
The buzz-word of the convention was the title of an old friend's latest book, RELATIONAL JUDAISM. Ron Wolfson, the author, has worked in the field of Jewish education for thirty plus years. In the eighties and nineties he pioneered a "family" approach to Jewish learning and most recently he has been exploring out-of-the-box approaches to Jewish living in communities all over the world.
Wolfson's message is simply this...in synagogue life we've worked so hard to make great programs, we've forgotten to focus on getting to know the people and helping them to know each other. Good programming is important...but good programming should facilitate deepening relationships among members of our congregation.
Synagogues were once the only place to find a rabbi for a life cycle event, or a community to say Kaddish, or a Jewish education for our children. But the internet has completely changed that reality. Families can rent a rabbi for a Bar Mitzvah in their own backyard. There are on-line learning programs that children can engage with to discover what it means to be a Jew.
So what does the synagogue offer that can't be found elsewhere? I think this is the question for us to ponder in 2014. What about Temple Beth Tikvah is unique to Temple Beth Tikvah and can't be obtained elsewhere?
I believe the face-to-face community we've built over the past five years makes us special. The challenge for us is to catch up with the latest best practices in Jewish community building and to create a few more of our own. Temple Beth Tikvah is like a child just before the Bar/Bat Mitzvah year. We are a solid Jewish entity. We care. And now we are reaching the age of personal responsibility. We get to decide now who and what it is we are to become.
I look forward to engaging with folks in an ongoing conversation about who we are as a synagogue community and what we might become as a synagogue community. It's the start of another new year. Now is the time. |
~~ Rabbi Hershenson's office hours are by appointment. If you would like to set up an appointment, please contact her by email at: johannahershenson@me.com, or by phone at 541-213-9880. |
 President's Message
From TBT President Mark Schindel
First, a very Happy New Year's wish to everyone. December started with our fun Chanukah celebration on the 2nd and ended with a snowshoeing adventure with the Rabbi on the 28th followed by a Chili and Havdallah social. In between, we had another fabulous Adult Education, weekly Women's hikes, our monthly Men's Gathering, an inspiring Munch and Torah Study, Sunday & Hebrew School, a Family Shabbat Celebration & potluck dinner, our annual "Dec 25th" dinner that had a great turnout at Taj Palace (Vindaloo with the Jews), and a beautiful Erev Shabbat Service. And we practiced Tikkun Olam - healing the world - and Gemilut Chasadim - acts of loving kindness - when a group served Breakfast for those in need on Christmas morning for the Back Door Café sponsored by the Church which also included distributing donated jackets, gloves, and other winter items for those in need. When you step back and look at all those events, that is quite a lot to pack into a month for a small congregation! We need to be proud and grateful to all the organizers, hosts, and participants that help make these events so special for all of us.
As we look to the New Year, January will be even busier. Besides our regularly scheduled set of monthly events, starting this month there will be a three-part educational series from Rabbi Hershenson on a "Taste of Judaism". The first part in this series will be three sessions on the "Rhythms of Jewish Living". You can get more details on this special educational opportunity elsewhere in this Newsletter and in our reminder e-mails. This event is free for members and a nominal charge of $6 per lecture for non-members. Because of the value and importance of the information being presented, all students (through High School age) will also be admitted free. We hope you all will be able to attend.
One other significant event in December was the URJ's Biennial Conference in San Diego. Rabbi Hershenson, Kathy Schindel and I were privileged to attend on behalf of TBT. This URJ Conference brings together approximately 5,000 attendees from congregations throughout North America. With the many conference sessions we attended and contacts from other congregations, we brought back a wealth of information, materials, and ideas that we will be sharing with the Board and TBT congregation that will help us improve and grow.
At the Biennial, we were also able to be part of extraordinary services on Erev Shabbat and Shabbat Morning. There is an amazing feeling and energy when 5,000 people worship together led by inspirational musical artists and religious leaders. This unique experience reinforced for me a feeling of how lucky we are at TBT to be able to have our own inspiring services with exceptional music. For those interested in getting a taste of what went on at this URJ Biennial, there are a number of videos available though links on the URJ Biennial website (http://urjbiennial.zerista.com).
While there is a lot of information to sift through and important discussions that will take place on how best to utilize these ideas to help TBT become even better, let me just share an important theme from the URJ Biennial Conference that you will likely be hearing more and more in the coming months - Relational Judaism, or as Rabbi Rick Jacobs, URJ President, said in his Keynote Address - "Audacious Hospitality".
The challenge for congregations to truly succeed in the 21st century is to go beyond "warm and welcoming." We need to strive to build strong relationships and connections with prospects, members, and others in the community, through our Jewish values, celebrations, traditions, and culture. Although we may not have known it as "Relational Judaism", we are fortunate that TBT is actually in the forefront of this new model. We still have room for improvements, but clearly we have been able to create strong connections and friendships through our mission and conduct. As we move forward, we will build on our strong foundation to help us reach even greater heights and achievements.
B'Shalom and Happy New Year,
Mark Schindel
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Save the Date!
TBT's Community Passover Seder
Monday, April 14th, 2014
St. Charles Hospital Event Center in Bend.
Watch for more information coming soon!
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TBT Board Notes
Next Board Meeting: Sun. January 12th, 7:00 p.m
Location: Wesley Room, FUMC
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. |
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Religious Committee Report
Ann Rosenfield, Committee Co-Chair
We started December off with a great Hanukkah party! We appreciate and want to thank all the people involved with making the wonderful potato latkes and other great food, as well as leading the fun activities for the kids. The Chanukah theme was continued with December adult education with Rabbi Hershenson. Most of us thought we knew everything about the holiday of Chanukah, yet found that we learned a lot that evening that we had never read about before.
We had a great family Shabbat celebration and potluck dinner with an Italian theme in December. We also had a very interesting Torah study and Torah service the following day. Other enjoyable December events were the Shabbat service on Friday, December 27th and snowshoeing with the Rabbi, Havdallah and chili on Saturday, December 28.
We want to encourage all of you to sign up for the first series of classes in the Taste of Judaism Series that begins on Monday, January 13th. The topic for the first session is Rhythms of Jewish Living. The three classes will be taught at 7:00 p.m. at St. Charles conference room on Monday, January 13th, 20th and 27th.
We hope you will also attend our regular series of services and classes including adult education on Tuesday, January 7th, at the Schindel's home, family Shabbat celebration on Friday, January 10th, Munch and Torah on Saturday, January 18th and a Kabbalat Shabbat service on Friday, January 24th. We look forward to seeing you in January at our many events.
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Social Action Projects
Burt Litman, Committee Chair
Layers of Warmth and Kindness
 Winter isn't officially here yet and already the nighttime temperatures have dipped below 0 degrees - and some of the days have been just as cold. TBT and the Methodist Church are collecting gently used coats and jackets and also new socks, winter hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves to give away at the Back Door Café beginning now and continuing on into January, or longer as needed. If you would like to participate in this "Keeping Warm for the Winter" project to provide a bit of warmth via clothing, please bring your clothing donations to one of our next Friday or Saturday Shabbat Services (1/10, 1/18 and 1/24). Of course items can be left at the church anytime. Donations can be left in the bins in the fellowship hall storage closet. Thank you for your generosity in supporting those in need. Bethlehem Inn Bethlehem Inn is Deschutes county's largest emergency shelter, serving more than 1,000 individuals - men, women, and families - annually, providing both shelter for the homeless and opportunities to improve their circumstances. TBT supports the Inn by providing and serving dinners on a regular basis. Our next dinner is scheduled on Thursday, January 30th. If you are interested in cooking or serving please contact Naomi Chudowsky at naomic@bendbroadband.com or Linda Brant at lindybrant@aol.com. Back Door Café TBT continues to give ongoing support of the Back Door Café, which provides breakfast to those in need each Wednesday morning. One Wednesday each month our TBT members cook and serve to between 30 and 90 individuals. Thanks to Linda & George Brant, Seana, Ron and CJ Jollo, Ann & Michael Rosenfield, and Kathy & Mark Schindel who cooked and served Christmas morning breakfast while our friends from the Methodist church gave out coats, hats and gloves to those who needed them. If you'd like to participate, contact Burt Litman at blitman@bendbroadband.com. |
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Oneg Hosting
Vivian Freeman, Committee Co-Chair
 Many have expressed they like the idea of Shared Oneg Hosting following the regularly scheduled Shabbat Service on Friday night. For those of you who have already hosted, we appreciate your contributions and thank you for making this such a lovely event. For those of you who haven't had the opportunity yet, we welcome you to join us.
Please contact Vivian nanaviv@bendbroadband.com or Lorraine lorbigsur@gmail.com. We look forward to everyone sharing and enjoying celebrating their special dates with us.
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Bikkur Holim
Evie Lerner, Committee Co- Chair
The last quarter of 2013 saw
the loss of my Mom, Pauline Lerner, Ruth Baser and Ray Kilpatrick, and the community help for meals and visits for Ceil Hermann and Terry Reynolds as they recover from surgery. I am awed by our community, especially with the way so many people mourned with me during my Mom's final days and during the my first week of Shiva.
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Are You On Facebook?
 Look for our (members-only) Temple Beth Tikvah Members Group and ask to join. If your kids are old enough to be on, please ask them to join too. We would love to hear from our teens! And if you haven't already done so, please "Like" our public TBT Facebook page. This is the one that helps the public find out about us. |
February Newsletter Deadline: January 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
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TBT Men's Events
Gents,
You are invited, encouraged and welcome to attend the following two Men's Gatherings scheduled for the first month of the New Year:
Ski Adventure!
 For many, Bend is partially defined by its outstanding local skiing at Mt. Bachelor. All interested TBT men are invited to a day of downhill Skiing on MLK Day, January 20th. Since this is a school holiday, feel free to bring kids, family members, etc., as you please. All skiers should meet with their gear and lift tickets at the base of the Pine Marten lift at 10:30 a.m. Please feel free to email Michael Rosenfield, michael@rosenfieldonline.com, or Larry Barker, joannray@bendnet.com if you have questions. You can also email Michael or Larry to RSVP or just decide to go and have some fun at the last minute and show up. (Pray for snow!) Happy Hour  Our monthly happy hour will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 23rd at Crux Fermentation Project, 50 SW Division St. Crux is a sure bet for great food and, of course, great beer and other beverages. All men of TBT are invited. We hope you can make it. For more info, contact Lawrence at susarch@bendbroadband.com, or Fred at fred@iosolutions.org. |
Friday Women's Hike
 This week we will be hiking the Badlands East of Bend. Meet at the Barnes & Noble parking lot by 9:15 a.m. We will carpool out to the trailhead and return to Barnes & Noble between noon and 12:30 p.m. This will be a relatively easy hike with little elevation gain. RSVP to Kathy Schindel if you can join us: schindelke@aol.com. |
Taizé Service 
Next Taizé: Thur. January 9th
All TBT members are invited to Taizé - an Evensong of Interfaith prayerful meditation, peace, and silence.
In January, the service will be held on the second Thursday of the month, Jan. 9th, 7:00 p.m., at the Jewish Community of Central Oregon, 21555 Modoc Lane, east of Bend. Everyone is invited to attend and participate.
Sponsored by the Sacred Art of Living Center and the Interfaith Community of Central Oregon.
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Hanukah Dog Wins Christmas Contest!
Here is Angel at the Under 20 lb. Dog "Christmas" party. Angel belongs to Eileen, Steven, and Eliana Katz of Sunriver. Eileen made the outfit and Eliana did the Stars of David. Amazingly, Angel won first place! |
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 including Adopt-a-Musician, the Library Fund, the Rabbi 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 Paul and Liz Levinson, in memory of Loren Davis.
- From Paul and Liz Levinson, in memory of Ray Kilpatrick.
- From Paul and Liz Levinson, in memory of Mary and Annie Solomon.
- From Paul and Liz Levinson, wishing a speedy recovery to Terry Reynolds.
- From Paul and Liz Levinson, wishing restored health to Corrie Grudin.
- From Paul and Liz Levinson, wishing restored health to Ceil Hermann.
- From Paul and Liz Levinson, wishing restored health to Marcia and Sid Garon.
- From Larry Barker, in memory of Celia May Barker.
- From Paul & Liz Levinson, in memory of Ida B. Levinson.
- From Gary & Terry Reynolds, in memory of Wolfe Nichols.
- From Gary & Terry Reynolds, thank you to all the people who have provided food & company while Terry is healing.
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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.
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