Koleinu Vol. 18 , Issue 3 January February 2020 Tevet Shevat Adar 5780 MLK Day Weekend See all the projects at cbisacramento.org/mitzvah. Sign up by emailing [email protected]! Projects for all abilities! Religious School will participate with their classes. Bagel breakfast begins at 8:30 am in the Social Hall. Kickoff led by Rabbi Alfi and Cantor Steinberg! Purim Carnival Sunday, March 8, noon Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Purim Dinner, Union for Reform Judaism, will give a drash: “Faithfully Pursuing Justice.” We will also Megillah Reading honor the recent installation of our own Jennifer Kaufman as Chair of the Board of & Purimspiel Trustees, Union for Reform Judaism. This special service is part of our 170th Monday, March 9, 5:00pm anniversary celebrations. Please see page 16 for more 170th events. Worship SERVICES AND TORAH STUDY FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 7:30 pm Shabbat Service FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 7:30 pm Shabbat Service 9:00 am Torah Study 10:30 am Mini Minyan SATURDAY, JANUARY 4 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service 9:00 am Torah Study Bar Mitzvah of Morrison Pereira 10:30 am Mini Minyan 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 7:30 pm Shabbat Shirah Service FRIDAY, JANUARY 10 6:00 pm Tot Shabbat Service with 3rd grade SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 participation in the service 9:00 am Torah Study 6:30 pm Second Shabbes Dinner 10:30 am Kavanah Shabbat Morning Service 7:30 pm Shabbat Service with 6th grade participation in the service FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 6:00 pm Tot Shabbat Service with Pre-K and SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 Kindergarten participation in the service 9:00 am Torah Study 6:30 pm Second Shabbes Dinner 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service 7:30 pm New Member Shabbat Service Bat Mitzvah of Miriam Zerbo SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 FRIDAY, JANUARY 17 9:00 am Torah Study 7:30 pm Social Justice Shabbat Service 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service with Rabbi Rick Jacobs FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 SATURDAY, JANUARY 18 7:00 pm Shabbat Meditation 9:00 am Torah Study 7:30 pm Shabbat Service 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service Bar Mitzvah of Ben Pellman SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22 9:00 am Torah Study FRIDAY, JANUARY 24 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service 7:00 pm Shabbat Meditation Bar Mitzvah of Aaron Grijnsztein 7:30 pm Shabbat Service FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 7:30 pm Shabbat Service 9:00 am Torah Study 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29 Bat Mitzvah of Vida Wisham 9:00 am Torah Study 10:30 am Kavanah Shabbat Morning Service In This Issue of the Koleinu... 170th Anniversary ……………..…14-16 Education ……………….…….….9-11 Brotherhood…………….…..........6 Mourning Our Losses……….……18 Calendars ……………………..…..22-23 President’s Message……….…....4 CBI Bulletin Board………….........17-18 Social Action ……………….…….12-13 Community Bulletin Board……….20-21 Women of B’nai Israel…….……..6-8 Donations…………………………..19 Worship …………………………...2-3 2 Our B’nai Mitzvah MAZEL TOV TO OUR B’NAI MITZVAH STUDENTS All are invited to attend Shabbat Morning Services. Miriam Zerbo, January 11 Hi, my name is Miriam Zerbo. I’m 13 years old and in the 7th grade at Cal Middle School. I’m on the Beastie Bears, Sacramento Roller Derby’s Juniors team, and my Derby name is “JINX.” Come out and see us play sometime! I also run cross country and track. I have an older brother, Noah, and a younger birth sister, Aubrey. I have two cats, Ivy and Domino. My hobbies are art, fashion, and the video game Roblox. I also enjoy bike riding, and I ride to Cal every day. For my mitzvah project, I am supporting Rebuilding Together, an organization that helps older people live safely in their homes by installing grab bars, handrails, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. I made thank you bags for volunteers who worked at Rebuilding Together’s annual Rebuild Day in April. I hope to see you all at my bat mitzvah on January 11. Ben Pellman, January 18 Hi, my name is Ben Pellman. I am a 7th grader at Sutter Middle School. I enjoy playing soccer, listening to music, playing video games, and hanging out with my friends. I have two sisters, one older and one younger, and a dog. For my mitzvah project I will be spending my time at the American River Parkway over the spring, volunteering to pick up trash. I would love to see you at my bar mitzvah. All are welcome to join us. Vida Wisham, January 25 Hi, my name is Vida Wisham and I am in the 7th grade at Leonardo da Vinci K-8 School here in Sacramento. My bat mitzvah is on January 25, and I have been studying hard to get ready since last spring. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer, reading, drawing, and hanging out with friends. At school I play clarinet and trumpet in the LdV band, and I just started participating with our Mathletes team. My Torah portion is Va’eira from Exodus and it describes Moses asking the Pharaoh to let the Jews leave Egypt. This made me think a lot about how people all over the world are currently trying to leave countries where they are persecuted, and I wanted to plan a mitzvah project that would help these refugees. So, for my mitzvah project I am collecting new and gently used water bottles for the refugee children who attend Camp Nefesh here at B’nai Israel. That way each camper will have their own water bottle to use at camp and they won’t need to use plastic one-use bottles or paper cups. I hope you’ll join my family at my bat mitzvah on January 25. (B’nai mitzvah students continued on next page) 3 Worship MAZEL TOV TO OUR B’NAI MITZVAH STUDENTS All are invited to attend Shabbat Morning Services. Morrison Pereira, February 1 Hello, my name is Morrison Pereira and I am in the 7th grade at the California Montessori Project in Elk Grove. In my free time I like reading, playing video games, and hanging out with my friends. For my mitzvah project I donated money and food to Wind Youth Services. They are an organization that deals with youth homelessness in Sacramento, and they provide help and services for young people ages 12 to 24. They provide free food, housing, and access to much-needed resources like counseling, medical, laundry, and other needed support. They are dedicated to helping homeless youth – regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity – find housing and get the services they need. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at my bar mitzvah on February 1! Aaron Grijnsztein, February 22 Hello, my name is Aaron Grijnsztein and I am a 7th grader at Merryhill Midtown School. When I am not at school or spending time with my family, you can find me on the basketball court. For my mitzvah project, I volunteered with the Fly Brave Foundation, helping local teens with disabilities complete a fitness program, and I also volunteered with the Special Olympics Basketball program. My family and I will be participating in the Special Olympics Polar Plunge at the Sac State Aquatics Center on February 8. BRRRR!! I hope to see you at my Bar Mitzvah on February 22! Kavanah Shabbat Services on February 8 and 29 Come join us for Kavanah Shabbat services on Saturday mornings, February 8 and 29, at 10:30 am in the Harry M. Tonkin Memorial Chapel at Congregation B’nai Israel. Kavanah Shabbat is a contemplative and joyous Shabbat service designed to help you explore a deep- er relationship with the Divine. Kavanah Shabbat blends traditional communal prayer and chanting of the weekly Torah parsha with song, Jewish chants, silent prayer, and moments of meditation and reflection. Services are led by rabbinical student Deni Deutsch Marshall, with guitar player and singer Elizabeth Landsberg, accompanied by Miriam Joffe-Block, Ariel Knaff, Sandy Lee, and Steve Marshall. Kavanah Shabbat services draw on teachings from Torah, Talmud, Mussar, and Jewish meditation and mysticism to fully express Jewish spirituality on Shabbat morning. Mark your calendar for the remaining Kavanah Shabbat services scheduled for Hebrew year 5780: March 21, April 11, May 2, June 20, and July 18. Kavanah Shabbat services are open to the entire community. For more information, contact the Congregation B’nai Israel office at 916-446-4861, or Deni Marshall at 916-803-5699 or [email protected]. 4 President’s Message received, and the rest from SAFE funds. Our goal is Celebrations and Security always to have an inviting campus, but with a focus on safety as well. We will provide plenty of The celebration of our 170th advance notice before we begin using the new anniversary is contributing to a fence. Even after we begin using it, we will make very special year at B’nai Israel. I adjustments as we learn how to best utilize this was overjoyed to participate in the new security feature. It will make our campus much special Shabbat service on Friday evening, easier to monitor as we continue to refine our November 15, as we kicked off our Gala weekend. safety efforts. Rabbi Alfi, Rabbi Emeritus Frazin, Cantor Finally, we greatly appreciate the Gifts of th Steinberg, Luann Higgs (our choir director), and Tzedakah that we have received in this 170 year. the CBI choir did an incredible job of helping us Please consider giving if you have not already done embrace our history. It was so delightful that so.