Focus on TBA Musicians
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Volume 30,Volume Number 30, Number 4 • 6December • February 2011 2010 • Shevat/Adar • Kislev/Tevet 5771 5771 Focus on TBA Musicians directory TEMPLE BETH ABRAHAM Services Schedule is proud to support the Conservative Movement by Services/ Time Location affiliating with The United Synagogue of Conservative Monday & Thursday Judaism. Morning Minyan Chapel 8:00 a.m. Friday Evening (Kabbalat Shabbat) Chapel 6:15 p.m. Advertising Policy: Anyone may sponsor an issue of The Omer and receive a dedication for their business or loved one. Contact us for details. We do Shabbat Morning Sanctuary 9:30 a.m. not accept outside or paid advertising. The Omer is published on paper that is 30% post-consumer fibers. Candle Lighting (Friday) The Omer (USPS 020299) is published monthly except July and August February 4 5:17 p.m. by Congregation Beth Abraham, 336 Euclid Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610. February 11 5:25 p.m. Periodicals Postage Paid at Oakland, CA. February 18 5:33 p.m. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Omer, c/o Temple Beth February 25 5:40 p.m. Abraham, 336 Euclid Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610-3232. © 2010. Temple Beth Abraham. The Omer is published by Temple Beth Abraham, a non-profit, located at Torah Portions (Saturday) 336 Euclid Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610; telephone 510-832-0936. It is February 5 Terumah published monthly except for the months of July and August for a total of February 12 Tetzaveh ten issues per annum. It is sent as a requester publication and there is no February 19 Ki Tissa paid distribution. February 26 Vayakhel To view The Omer in color, visit www.tbaoakland.org. GENERAL INFORMATION COMMITTEES & ORGANIZATIONS All phone numbers use (510) prefix unless otherwise noted. If you would like to contact the committee chairs, please contact the synagogue office for phone numbers Mailing Address 336 Euclid Ave. and e-mail addresses. Oakland, CA 94610 Hours M-Th: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Adult Education Women of TBA Fr: 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Bet Sefer Subcommittee Lisa Fernandez Office Phone 832-0936 Chesed Warren Gould Office Fax 832-4930 E-Mail [email protected] Development Laura Wildmann Gan Avraham 763-7528 Dues Evaluation Marshall Langfeld Bet Sefer 663-1683 Endowment Fund Herman Pencovic STAFF Finance Dan Finkelstein Rabbi (ext. 213) Mark Bloom Gan Avraham Parents Lauren Kaplan & Mala Johnson Cantor (ext. 218) Richard Kaplan Gabai David Gallant & Jay Goldman Gan Avraham School Committee Jenny Michaelson Executive Director (ext. 214) Rayna Arnold House Murray Davis Office Coordinator (ext. 210) Virginia Tiger Israel Affairs David Marinoff Bet Sefer Director (ext. 217) Susan Simon Membership Stacy Margolin & Gan Avraham Director (ext. 219) Wendy Siver Jill Rosenthal Bookkeeper (ext. 215) Christine Tripod Men’s Club Phil Hankin Custodian (ext. 211) Joe Lewis Ritual Eric Friedman Kindergym/Toddler Program Dawn Margolin 547-7726 Schools Stacy Margolin Volunteers (ext. 229) Herman & Agnes Pencovic School Building Steering Sandy Margolin OFFICERS Social Action Bryan Schwartz President Stephen Shub 339-3614 Torah Fund Anne Levine Vice President Mark Fickes 652-8545 Tree of Life Open Vice President Steve Glaser 531-6384 Web Site Jason Swartz Vice President Stacy Margolin 482-3153 Women of TBA Judith Klinger Vice President Bryan Schwartz 350-7681 Secretary Laura Wildmann 601-9571 Youth Steve Fankuchen Treasurer Dan Finkelstein 428-2849 i what’s happening TBA’s Youth Services Shabbat Mishpacha: February 5 & 19 T’fillat Y’ladim: February 12 Junior Congregation: February 5 (All youth services start at 10:15 a.m.) WTBA Presents: WineWine && SchmoozeSchmooze Women on the Move aka Girls’ Night Out Sunday, February 13, 9:45 a.m. WTBA hikes happen the second Sunday of every Thursday, February 3 month. We meet at 9:45 and depart promptly at 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. 10:00. Hikes end by 11:30. at Temple Beth Abraham’s For the remainder of this year, we will meet at the Newest Meeting Spot Skyline Gate on Skyline just south of Snake and hike in Redwood Regional Park. “341 MacArthur” For details, contact Deena Aerenson at Wine & Schmooze is a casual, monthly [email protected] or (510) 225-5107. event WTBA is kicking off this year. Drop in on the first Thursday each month, for an enjoyable social time where TBA women can chat, laugh, debate, have a glass of wine and some light goodies, and get to know each other better. This Want to Play Music event is open to new friends and old. Together at TBA? Drop in, join us and Are you interested in joining Len Nathan and other TBA meet someone new! members to make music together? If so, please let Len know. We are planning an explor- Contact Jeanne Korn with questions: atory meeting on a Sunday morning in March, at TBA, [email protected]. exact date and time still to be determined. Here’s how the idea came about. Len’s sister-in-law belongs to the local Unitarian church, which has something they call A Band without Borders. What in Purim Katan Celebration G major is that? With the Rock & Roll Purim Band Every three months or so the call goes out, and an ever February 17, 6:15 p.m. expanding and contracting group of people, some of whom play instruments, (guitar and the like) some who In the Sanctuary sing, different abilities—get together to make music. The group, under the direction of their talented music leader, then chooses three or four songs which the group TBA Women - Save the Date practices—and then they perform periodically at services. In our case, we would likely play at other venues than Vashti's Banquet Shabbat services. An Afternoon of Let’s make something like that happen at TBA. Please contact Len Nathan at [email protected] or Middle Eastern Food and Delights by phone at (925) 945-4821 (day) or (510) 658-6671 March 13, 3-5:30 p.m. (evening). 1 from the rabbi Purim Katan Musicfest This year, on Thursday, February 17, at 6:15 p.m. in the sanctuary TBA will be celebrating the little known holiday of Purim Katan with our Rock & Roll Purim band. It will feature the usual spoofs on classic and pop hits backed by the electric instruments. We will dress up in costumes of all sorts. Hopefully, we will all have a lot of fun. But what is Purim Katan? Purim Katan literally means “little” Purim. Its existence has to do with a quirk in the Jewish calendar. In the Jewish calendar, which is based on the lunar cycle, a leap year occurs seven out of every nineteen years. Rather than adding a day, the Jewish calendar adds an entire month. During those years there are 13 months instead of 12. The extra month that is added is called simply Adar II. Purim takes place on the 14th of Adar. When there are two months of Adar, Adar I and Adar II, Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar II. However, there is still a 14th of Adar I, and it is called Purim Katan. While there are no specific observances associated with it, it is considered a day of joy in the Jewish tradition. Because I will be on sabbatical during the regular Purim holiday, we have decided to make Purim Katan into a joyous songfest this year. Purim itself will feature the megillah reading and some sort of spoof, but the band will play only on Purim Katan. I am sure I will come out dressed as Sergeant Pepper, and look for songs from Bruno Mars and probably Katy Perry to work their way into this year’s repertoire. I look forward to seeing many of you there, and now, we have all learned about yet another celebra- tion in the Jewish tradition. L’shalom, Rabbi Mark Bloom Welcome Virginia Tiger By Lisa Fernandez As the TBA office says goodbye to Aliza Schechter who left after four years to spend more time with family, our synagogue com- munity welcomes a new office coordinator who takes over this month. Virginia Tiger was hired out of a pool of 80 applicants. “She was the most capable,’’ said executive director Rayna Arnold. “I loved the fact that she was active in her church.’’ Virginia applied for the position after hearing about it from TBA congregants David and Judy Stein. Virginia was a vet tech at East Bay SPCA, where David retired as a veterinarian. In addition to her animal skills (she’s a proud cat owner), the 50-something Hayward resident also has experience running the office of an advertising agency and doing some proofreading and editing. She edits the newsletter for her church, Castro Valley United Methodist. “I like the fact that this job is in a spiritual environment,’’ Virginia said. And she even knows a little Hebrew, as she studied the language a bit in college during a comparative religion course. Virginia is also a singer. She sings in her church choir and also occasionally joins up with Judy Stein’s Harmony Fusion chapter of the Sweet Adelines a capella group. 2 president’s message Music/Getting in Tune One good thing about music – when it hits, you feel no pain.* One of my very first impressions at some point shortly after joining TBA was listening to Allison Kent Weiss leading a musical service in the sanctuary. I don’t remember the date or event, but I remember thinking how spiritual I felt at that moment. More than 15 years later, I’m glad to say that TBA is more musical than ever.