UPCOMING CHRONICLE HIGHLIGHTS Congregation Neveh Shalom July/August 2010 No. 7 Tammuz-Elul 5770 Supported by the Sala Kryszek Memorial Publication Fund JULY 16 — FROM THE PRESIDENT FROM THE PULPIT Cantor You will never find yourself on the backside of change at Neveh Shalom. Deborah The fiscal year ended in a flurry of committee activities and important board actions. Not to be dra- Bletstein’s matic, but the reverberation of some of these deci- sions will last for years, and help shape who we are AN OPEN INVITATION TO OUR ENTIRE NEVEH First as a Congregation in the future. I’d like to review a few SHALOM FAMILY TO SHARE IN OUR SPECIAL JOY of these with you and set the stage for the continued Shabbat activity you are sure to experience in the coming year. As is our tradition our Perhaps the most anticipated board action was daughter, Marissa, along with Services the search and selection of our new Cantor. The ex- her beshert, Daniel Wald, will citement of Cantor Bletstein’s arrival in mid-July adds be called to the Torah for a new energy to our Congregation, and we look forward blessing at Shabbat morning to seeing and hearing Cantor Bletstein amongst the services, July 10, in honor of WELCOME Congregation as she joins us. Rich Meyer led a hard their forthcoming marriage. We CANTOR working search committee in making an enthusias- would be most honored if you, BLETSTEIN! tic recommendation for Cantor Bletstein. The Board our Neveh Shalom family and accepted the committee’s recommendation and ap- friends, would help us set a jubilant mood for the wed- proved it. ding with your presence. We want to shower bride and (see page 3 for At its May meeting, the Board established a groom with sweetness and serenade them with song. Cantor’s unique Performance Review/Contract Renewal proce- My, how time passes! Our family arrived in article) dure for our Clergy and Senior Staff. The unanimous Portland just weeks after Marissa’s Bat Mitzvah. She vote to accept all of the Clergy/Staff Process Review is now very much in love with a terrific young man of Committee’s recommendations with only one amend- whom we only have the highest praise. They bring out ment is a great credit to the Committee’s members the best in each other. Marissa, who very much grew and its Chairman Dan Rubin. This committee put up at Neveh Shalom, reading Torah and participating in many hours refining our current review/renewal in USY, is our last child to get married. process for our Clergy and Staff. The new process An Aufuf provides the opportunity to share our AUGUST increases transparency and provides more data to Simkha with the entire community and we are delight- reviewers and reviewees during the review/renewal ed to be able to do so. 29 — periods, to set goals, identify issues, and provide We look forward to greeting everyone feedback. As part of their work, the committee dis- at a kiddush lunch following services in Birn- Back to Shul covered that few if any Congregations around the bach Hall. Please assist us by sending your country have a working review process for their RSVP to [email protected], so that BBQ & High Clergy. We should be proud of the manner in which Allen Levin will know for how many to prepare. this issue was addressed by our Congregation and “This I Believe”: Share Your Thoughts about Holy Days the resulting product from the committee. Faith, Basic Principles, Convictions, Ethical Tenets, Lastly, the finance committee developed and Justice and Mercy Usher the board approved next year’s budget of $2.55 What is it that motivates us to believe what we million. Our Annual Giving campaign is beginning believe? What provides the greatest joy or devastates Training to take root as we enter our second year, with a us the most? What mandates drive us to action, to goal of increasing the participation percentage celebrate or to tear our hair out? What ideas make our and giving levels. heart sing? (see page 7 for With a Congregation of our size, change “This I Believe” was originally a radio series complete details) is constant, with one change leading to anoth- moderated by Edward R. Murrow, encouraging the er. This is why I don’t think we can ever expect famous and the individual-on-the-street to synthesize to be on the backside of change. The board what s/he considers the most significant driving forces continued on page 3 continued on page 4 page 1 Chronicle July/August 5770 BAR MITZVAH B’NAI MITZVAH TOVA KRUSS ABBY DIEBOLD SUIT CLOSET JULY 9 & 10 JULY 23 & 24 Mazel Tov to Tova Jillian Mazel Tov to Abby Diebold, Yossi’s Closet is Kruss, the daughter of Mi- the daughter of William chelle-Shari and Steven Diebold and Deborah Freed- ready for Kruss, sister of Noah Tay- berg and sister to Joseph. lor Kruss and the grand- Abby will be an 8th grader at sharing. Borrow daughter of Larry and Ann Beaumont Middle School and a boy’s suit for Kruss and Joel and Arlene enjoys playing soccer, watch- Moskowitz. Tova is an honor ing her favorite sports teams, any synagogue student at Winterhaven. She reading, writing, cooking, and occasion. spends her free time volunteering in a vet clinic operating hanging out with friends. room, completing her first novel entitled Spellbound, caring for her six pets, updating the website she created for her Mitzvah Project, reading and training for her upcoming Bat We have TALIA SHERMAN Mitzvah. shirts, pants, AUGUST 6 & 7 shoes, and JACOB COOK Mazel Tov to Talia Sherman, JULY 30 & 31 suits. We the daughter of Allison and Michael Sherman; sister of only ask Mazel Tov to Jacob Cook, the son Zack Sherman; and grand- that you dry of Sherri and David Cook, brother daughter of Ed Sherman to Joshua, Jesse and Jenna, and and Martha Rich and David clean any grandson to Martin and Evelyn and Carole Aiken. Talia is borrowed Eisenberg and Ida Mae Girten. Ja- a 7th grader at Riverdale cob is an honor student who is en- Grade School and enjoys suit before tering 8th grade at Highland Park art and playing lacrosse and basketball. returning it. Middle School. He enjoys camping, snowboarding, video games, playing the clarinet and reading. LAUREN POLICAR AUGUST 16 & 17 Save money CHLOE MLEYNEK-CRAFT AUGUST 13 & 14 and the Mazal Tov to Lauren Maxine Policar, environ- the daughter of Marty Policar and Mazel Tov to Chloe Mleynek- Iris Policar and the sister of Chelsey ment! We Craft, the daughter of Leah & Ari. Her grandparents are Larry accept dona- Craft and granddaughter and Frances Policar and Esther and to Sherryll and Darryl the late Tsvika Zabronsky. Lauren tions of suits Mleynek. Chloe is a 7th is entering the 8th grade at Robert in “like new” grader at Hazelbrook Mid- Gray Middle School. She enjoys dle School and enjoys writ- panache, guitar, skiing and spend- condition, as ing, reading, participating in ing time with good friends and family. Girl Scouts and playing the well as shirts clarinet, tenor saxophone and shoes. and marimba. MATTHEW HEITEEN To donate AUGUST 27 & 28 or to borrow Mazel Tov to Matthew Heiteen, please call the son of Susan Kuznitsky & Steven Heiteen and brother to Stephanie Jacob. His grandparents are Arnheim at Myrna and Marvin Kuznitsky and Pearl and (the late) Al Heiteen. 503.539.2602 or Matthew is a 7th grader at the stephanie@ge- Odyssey Program at Hayhurst. Matthew does Ta Kwon Do, PQO=łP?KI plays baseball and football, enjoys video games, listening CNS SEVENTH GRADE B’NAI MITZVAH CLASS to music and spending time with his friends. 2009-2010 page 2 Chronicle July/August 5770 FROM THE CANTOR Shalom Portland! Sacred Music and Cantorial Investiture in 2007. Having studied I’m thrilled to be writing this piece and been exposed to so many genres of music: pop, rock, jazz, in the Chronicle introducing myself as classical, hazzanut (traditional cantorial music), I believe I bring a your new Cantor! I’m coming to Oregon unique approach to the music experience in the synagogue. from Iowa, where I have spent the past In my free time, I enjoy the outdoors, cooking, movies, three years serving Tifereth Israel, Des attending music, cultural and sporting events, playing cards and Moines’ Conservative synagogue. I board games. My boyfriend, Harold, will be relocating to Portland was born and raised in the Metro Detroit as well. He is a native of Des Moines and is a computer software area and grew up in a small Conserva- developer. We are eager to get to know everyone at Neveh Sha- tive synagogue in West Bloomfield. I lom! In addition, neither one of us has ever lived on the West come from a musical family, and was Coast, so we are looking forward to many opportunities to expe- singing from an early age, heavily influ- rience the beautiful City of Roses. One of the things I am most enced by the Motown sound in the Detroit area. excited about is doing a lot of singing, and I can’t wait to sing with I received my Bachelor of Music from Ohio Northern Uni- everyone in services soon. I begin my work at Neveh Shalom on versity and my Master of Music from Carnegie-Mellon University. July 15th so please call or stop by the office and say hello! A few years later, I attended the H.L. Miller Cantorial School at the B’Shalom, Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, earning a Master of Deborah Bletstein HIGH HOLY DAY CHILDCARE From the President continued from page 1 #=IEHEAO SEPD ?DEH@NAJ IKJPDO Ġ>U 0ALPAI>AN PK łRA UA=NO KB =CA SEHH be receiving information about Childcare in the mail by mid-July.