Temple News
Rabbi's Message
Shalom Chaverim,
I had such a great time celebrating Chanukah with you all last month. What a joy it was to be in a room filled with all of the generations of Temple Beth Solomon! I especially enjoyed the excitement that all of the children brought to the evening.
Now that Chanukah is behind us, its time to have a Seder! Actually TWO Seders! We all know that in April we will have a Passover Seder to celebrate our liberation frorm Egypt. But before then, we will have a special Tu B'shvat Seder together on Friday night February 6. Tu B'shvat, which literally means the fifteenth day of the month of Shvat is the Jewish new year celebration for trees.
Tu B'shvat is a truly "green" holiday. On this day, we thank God for creating everything in nature and we challenge ourselves to treat nature with respect by not overusing the produce that God has provided. We all know how important it is to keep up with this challenge throughout the year.
In the 17th Century, the Kabbalists, Jewish mystics in the Land of Israel, created the Tu B'shvat Seder as a special way to celebrate this often overlooked day. At the Seder, we will read different Jewish traditions and stories about trees and nature and we will taste fruits and nuts that symbolize the different fruits from the land of Israel. (but make sure that you have dinner plans for before or after services. We won't be having matzo ball soup or brisket at this Seder!)
The Tu B'shvat Seder is certain to be a fun and unique family-friendly experience. I am looking forward to sharing it with you!
L'Shalom, AronPictures from Chanukah Potluck
Lilly & Rose
Crisman light their menorah at the TBS Chanukah potluck
Daniela &
Lauren Maucere, winners of the gift basket raffle celebrate at
the Chanukah potluck
LIFE CYCLE EVENTS
In Memoriam 1929~2008
TBS mourns with Carl Wildhagen on the passing of his beloved wife, Betty Wildhagen.
Elizabeth Winifred "Betty" Wildhagen passed away on December 30, 2008 in San Pedro where she was a 42 year resident. Betty was born on October 23, 1929 in Queens, New York. She was greatly involved in the deaf community and had many friends and neighbors who loved her and will dearly miss her. Betty is survived by her loving husband of 35 years, Carl and her stepson Johan. May her memory be for a blessing.
Mazel Tov to Bess Hyman and family on the December east-coast
wedding of grandson Michael Katz-Hyman to Sarah Johnson. The
chuppah was made of scotch plaid, the material of Sarah's
mother's Scottish clan.
Happy 70th birthday to Joyce Linden and many more to come!
Wishing good health and quick recovery to:
Lotte Friedman
Cindy Glick
Ezra Levy
Helen Krakover
Linda Bodnar
Welcome New Student Rabbi: Aron Klein
This year TBS welcomed a new student Rabbi: Aron Klein. We have asked Aron to tell us a little about himself for the website.
Shalom Chaverim,
It is both a privilege and a pleasure to have the opportunity to serve as your Rabbinic Intern during 5769 (2008-09). I have heard great things about this community from the past interns and I am very excited to meet each of you. I look forward to experiencing the openness, warmth, and commitment to the Jewish community that I have heard make Temple Beth Solomon so special. Allow me to share a little bit about myself.
Student Rabbi Aron Klein
After growing up in Central New Jersey, I lived just outside of Boston where I attended college at Brandeis University and worked at the Cohen Center, an institute for Jewish communal research. I spent the past year living in Jerusalem while studying at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion for my first year of rabbinical school. The single most important thing that I learned during all of these experiences is how to respect the wide variety of ways that people connect with Jewish identity. Not only is every person different from each other, but a single person might connect differently at different stages of life or even from moment to moment. As your Rabbinic Intern and a participant in the Temple Beth Solomon community, I will strive to help each of you along your individual spiritual path.
However, living our lives along our individual paths is only half of what living a Jewish life is all about. (It might even be the smaller half!) Last month, when my wife, Keren, and I got married in New Jersey, we were surrounded by family, friends, and even friends of family. Just like a full Jewish prayer service cannot happen without a minyan, a Jewish wedding cannot happen without witnesses. The ceremony requires at least two witnesses who are responsible for paying attention and ensuring that the ceremony is conducted correctly. It is not enough to have just one witness, because Jewish tradition recognizes that each individual's capacities to observe the ceremony is limited. In the same way, each of us brings our own experiences, talents, and skills to the Temple Beth Solomon community. We all depend on each other and must be responsible to each other and the entire community.
Tradition teaches "Kol yisrael arevim, zeh l'zeh. Every Jew is responsible to one another. As we reflect on the year that is ending, may we all think of our relationships and how we have fulfilled our responsibilities to each other and to the community. May we renew these commitments in the new year.
As my commitment to the Temple Beth Solomon community begins on November 7th, 2008, I look forward to meeting each of you throughout the year.
Bess Hyman Turns 90
From Temple Administrator~Jan Seeley
When Bess Hyman told me she was going to be 90 this October of 2008, I was stunned; Impossible!! I've worked very closely with Bess since 1990 and to me that just seems like a couple years ago. And then I started to count....
I began to think of all the things we have done together over these almost 20 years. Many of the times we shared were mundane sorts of things, but are imbedded with such palpable smells and images. We spent many hours in the kitchen laughing while cutting up fruit for the potluck dinners and setting the tables. Many Shabbat dinners and conversations about temple difficulties and successes. These simple times spent together created such deep affection and trust and are profoundly connected to my soul.
Dear Bess,
I love you madly, I always will, You make me laugh, you're such a
thrill.
We both adore our Tigger and Pooh, And can't live without our
Su-do-ku.
I know you get down, when your body's a pain,
And you have every right to simply complain,
But then Ari pops up on the videophone,
And your aches and owies are overthrown,
And life becomes once more a joy, and not just something to
annoy.
We will always be joined, of this I am sure
You are the bomb, on a one-hundred year tour!
Milestones
Lucille Hazan, beloved wife of Isadore Hazan, Charter Member of TBS, passed away July, 2008. Lucille was an active member of the Sisterhood in the early days of TBS, participating in the choir and their fashion shows. She moved to Las Vegas and was a great supporter of the Las Vegas Charter School, sitting on their board for more than 6 years working toward its opening. She was a friend and supporter of interpreters and an active member of RID in both California and Nevada. May her memory be for a sweet blessing.
Mazel Tov to the Robinson Family on the August 2008 marriage of Dawn Robinson and Eric Duguin. May you go from strength to strength.
Wishing Bess Hyman a very happy 90th birthday, October 25th, 2008. You served TBS with your tender love for 40 some years. We love you!