June/July 2015 5775 Exciting News!! In This Issue: Bonnie Slavitt Moore Fundraising Chair, The Next 50 Building and From the Rabbi Endowment Campaign Page 3 There is major excitement around the Next 50 Building and Endow- ment Campaign. The demolition of the physical building has begun. You can stand in front and look straight through to where the entrance use to be and where the new Mercaz – (center) will be. President’s Perspective Thanks to 259 of you; we have now raised $6,251,190.36, this is 52% of our Page 5 synagogue membership. We need to raise at least an additional $1 million to reach our goal!! Calendar Our incredible Fundraising Team has been setting up appointments and having Pages 18 & 19 Jewish Conversations with our congre- gants. From these conversations, we are learning why you joined Congregation Beth David, what has been meaningful to you and your family as a member of CBD, and what June and July you are seeking from the synagogue. Anniversaries This information is then sent on to Rabbi Alexander, our outstanding Page 26 & 27 Rabbi Of Community Engagement and Outreach, and board repre- sentative Jeff Warwick, Vice President of Membership. Rabbi Alex- ander and her committee are planning new engagement and outreach June and July programs based on what you, our members, have asked for!! Birthdays 50 years ago, our founders invested in Congregation Beth David. As Page 28 & 29 you watch each new remodeling phase, and see an elegant new syna- gogue come into shape, you and the friends you have made at Beth David throughout the years are becoming a vital part of this AMAZ- ING Campaign. Please consider investing in the next 50 years, as 100% club our founders did for us. A gift that is meaningful to you, whatever the amount, is a very important gift. Pages 30 & 31 Thank you for welcoming a member of the Fundraising team to meet with you and have a Jewish Conversation, and thanks for consider- ing investing in CBD’s future, for our children, their children and contributions generations to come. Pages 32 - 33 1 Main Office 408-257-3333 [email protected] Rabbis Philip R. Ohriner Senior Rabbi 408-366-9104 [email protected] Leslie Alexander Rabbi of Community Engagement and Outreach 408-366-9105 [email protected] Daniel J. Pressman Rabbi Emeritus [email protected] Staff Tanya Lorien Dir. of Operations 408-366-9107 [email protected] Barbara Biran Dir. of Ritual 408-366-9106 [email protected] Monica Hernandez Member Account Associate 408-366-9108 [email protected] Jillian Cosgrave Front Office Associate 408-366-9110 [email protected] Lynn Crocker There are so many people to thank for supporting us during our recent Mkt & Comm Associate very difficult time and for making our Passover so special. First, we 408-366-9102 [email protected] want to thank Rabbi Philip Ohriner for his guidance and support during this time, including helping us with all the difficult details, and just be- Iris Bendahan ing there when we needed him. Second, thanks to Rabbi Shoshana Dir. of Jewish Edu. Program Ohriner for coordinating all the food delivery for our Seders, which al- 408-366-9116 lowed our guests and ourselves to fully enjoy them. And that brings us [email protected] to the Beth David congregants who stepped up out of the goodness of Andrea Ammerman their hearts. We wish we could list you all by name, but we know we'll School Admin. Assistant forget someone. Just know that the food got raves, from the charoset to 408-366-9101 the desserts. We would love to get recipes for every dish for future [email protected] use! Once again, thanks to all of you - we are very lucky and proud to be a part of the caring and generous community that is Congregation JET Beth David. (Jewish Experience for Teens) [email protected] - Sandy, Neil and Deborah Shapiro 2 From the Rabbi By Rabbi Leslie Alexander I didn’t plan to write what you will see below. I thought that I would use my column opportunity to write about upcom- ing programs like CBD @ Homes July 12th and Jewish Time Travel- a Night in the 1800’s our event this next Novem- ber 14th at History San Jose and even our formation of new Havurot. After all, outreach and engagement are my responsibility here at CBD and I love this kind of thing. But… as I write this I have just returned from visiting my daughter in London, where she is studying for a semester abroad. It has been a great experience for her and I wanted her to share her temporary home with me. Getting ready to go, I did what I always do, I put on my Hebrew Tefillat HaDerekh necklace and my big Magen David and packed my Siddur. I hate to fly so, OK, I admit it, I see these things as protection, my secret (now not so secret) amulets for travel. My daughter has been going to Jewish student events just about every Shabbat and all holidays while in London. I haven’t asked her if she has ever been afraid to go to those public gatherings or if she has ever had an experience with anti Semitism, because I knew that the questions would annoy her. She did apply for, and attend a week long program in Brussels that enabled students from around Europe to learn about anti Semitism and ways to combat it and meet with EU representatives to discuss and address the issues. So, I wasn’t completely surprised but was only somewhat taken aback when I arrived at our hotel and she looked at my star and indicated that it might be a better choice to re- move it. When I asked about that she said that she didn’t want me to find myself in danger. She was not insistent about it, she didn’t seem too worried, but she had mentioned it, so, for the first time in my life, I removed my star because someone might decide to harass or hurt me. I left my Tefillat HaDerekh circle necklace on. It didn’t scream JEW. I made contact with a Rabbinic colleague in London but we didn’t get to see each other. I want to ask him what things have really been like for him, his synagogue and community. He serves the most active Masorti congregation in London. That conversation is still to come. I did not personally have any bad experience, but then, I literally was not wearing my gold star. I bought challah and some kosher food items at Selfridges department store, however, and nobody bothered me. I know that these things are happening often enough and it did make me uneasy. Fast forward to coming home. Leaving the London hotel, I put back on my star and tucked it under my coat. I flew into LA, went through customs and approached security for my connecting flight to SFO. The TSA security man watching the scanner said (I kid you not) “hello! Have you been travelling a long time today? You must be ready for Shabbes!” I said, “yes!” and asked him how he knew. He pointed to my star. I felt my first “welcome home”. Yesterday, Barbara Biran and I ran into Rubios at Westgate to pick up a quick fish taco. We got up to the register and ordered and the lady behind the counter said “ you know, Tilapia is a cousin of catfish and I don’t think you can eat catfish”. What??? We both thought. ‘Thank you” we said. “We didn’t know that” and Barbara changed her order. “ How did you know we couldn’t eat catfish?” We asked. The lady at Rubios pointed at my star and explained that her daughter was a nanny for an observant Jewish family who became like family to them. Even though Tilapia IS Kosher, we were so grateful for her words, her care, her understanding. I felt my second “welcome home”. I share this knowing full well that there are significant challenges with growing anti Semitism here in our own country, particularly for our students on college campuses, who are facing a well organized, foreign government funded anti Semitic effort couched in anti Zionism. I share these stories with you specifically so that we remind ourselves of two things. First, we must face these attacks on our youth head on with political and social advocacy, and with funding for pro Jewish efforts supporting and Continued on page 4 3 From the Rabbi Continued on page 4 protecting our students wherever they are. Universi- Presentations & Discussions on Judaica ties are the incubators of horrors that can soon per- meate our society at large if we are not vigilant. Everyone is welcome, whether a member of CBD or Second. Let us remember how wonderful our coun- visitor, including non-artists. Meets monthly after try is and can continue to be, if we all ensure a com- lunch at approximately 1:30pm. munal mutual respect. We are so very blessed to "History of Ketubot and Why" live in a nation where our Magen David is a symbol of pride for us that promotes positive engagement, Presented by Charlie Marr th learning and sharing with others. Saturday, June 20 @ 1:30 – 3:00pm Feel free to share your ketubah. So, I guess this turned out to be an article about community engagement and outreach, albeit a dif- "Chagall's Art and Symbolism" ferent kind than I set out to write about.