August/september 2015 5775 / 5776

August/september 2015 5775 / 5776

August / September 2015 • Congregation Beth Ami Shofar • page 2 • bethamisr.org

Congregation Beth Ami4676 Mayette Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 95405

Telephone707/360-3000 Fax707/360-3003

Email [email protected] Website BethAmiSR.org

Please “like” us at facebook.com/CongregationBethAmi

Office, Library, and Gift Shop HoursMon.–Thurs. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Fri. 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Mission StatementCongregation Beth Ami enriches our lives, transforms our hearts, helps heal the world and sustains our Jew-ish heritage. We are deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and welcome all to our community through celebration, learning, education, and prayer.

PersonnelRabbi Mordecai [email protected]

Carolyn Metz, Executive [email protected]

Elizabeth Jarlsberg, Office [email protected]

Diane Lennox, [email protected]

Jenny Levine-Smith Nursery School [email protected]

Mandi Emery-Flynn, NS [email protected]

Rick Concoff, JCC Teen [email protected]

Ben and Tara Winkler, Shofar [email protected]

Anya Concoff Por, Director of Youth [email protected]

Gabor Por, [email protected]

Bonnie Boren, Gift [email protected]

Andrea Nett, Friedman Center [email protected]

Edythe Smith, Invitations707-538-3698

Officers and Board of Directors, 2014–15Laura Alexander, [email protected], 837-8695

Arnold Drake, Past [email protected], 542-1765

Myrna Morse, VP of [email protected] , 539-5457

Russ Gurevitch, VP of [email protected]

Barbara Tomin, VP of Youth & [email protected], 576-1167

Mel Decker, VP of Ways and Means,[email protected], 540-0614

Barbara McGee, [email protected], 953-2526

Betty Boyd, [email protected],537-2211

Members at LargeRichard [email protected], 217-5265

Alan [email protected], 694-6239

Lyla [email protected], 526-7438

Jeff Sheff,Adult [email protected], 539-5346

Leanne Schy,Torah/Haftarah [email protected], 528-4874

Members Ex OfficioCarolyn Metz, 481-3390Jenny Levine-Smith, 360-3030Pnina Loeb, 695-2275Rabbi Miller, (314) 308-3672Andrea Nett, 707-360-3021

Deadline for Oct./Nov. 2015 Shofar is Sept. 15

Jewish Community Contacts

Hillel of Sonoma CountyIlana Stoelting, (707) 795-5464 www.sonomahillel.org

JCC, Sonoma CountyBeth Goodman, 528-4222, www.jccsoco.org

Jewish Community FederationBarbara Levinson, 568-6207, www.sfjcf.org

Jewish Community Free ClinicDonna Waldman, 585-7780, www.jewishfreeclinic.org

Jewish Community Relations CouncilSuzan Berns, 415/957-1551, www.jcrc.org

Jewish Family & Children’s Services

Diana Klein, 571-8131, www.jfcs.org/sonoma-county

August / September • Congregation Beth Ami Shofar • page 3 • bethamisr.org

Summer is on the wane; the daylight hours imperceptibly shorter one by one as the month ticks by, and Earth speeds on in its orbit. Around the meeting point of summer and fall lie our great holidays: Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Sh’mini Atzeret.

Metaphorically, spring symbolizes birth, summer—growth and productivity, fall—the onset of old age, (the harvest of our years), and winter—death. As we transition from summer to fall, these holidays provide an opportunity to reflect back on our lives. In realizing that life’s harvests are fixed in number, we might well ask ourselves basic questions regarding their value.

How have we used the precious time allotted us over the past year or years?

How successfully have we been able to bal-ance what we want and what we need?

How considerate have we been of those around us?

• Have we taken them for granted?• Shown a lack of patience when tested?• To what degree have we put their needs

ahead of our own?

How have we conducted ourselves in the workplace?

• To what degree has the desire for profit obsessed us?

• Have we valued those who put their trust in us—our employer, workers, clients and customers?

• Have we been willing to admit our mis-takes?

In perceiving our individual lives as being a loan from our Divine Creator, to what degree have we:

• Demonstrated our appreciation for the chance to experience this incredible uni-verse?

• Recognized the limits of our own under-standing—despite the amazing achieve-ments especially in the field of technology?

• Found time to gain an understanding of our tradition; expressing a value to those who may no longer be occupy a place in this world, but who have given immeasur-ably to where we are today?

• Used our successes to “give back” to the world in which we live: to relieve the suffering of others in our community and elsewhere?

In spending our time together in meditation and worship, we have the chance to examine and, if need be, redirect the course of our lives so that the coming year will be a true source of joy to others and ourselves!

May you and those around you be blessed with a year filled with sweetness and inner peace! May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life!

Rabbi’s RemaRksRabbi Mordecai MillerPursuing the Inner Life—a Checklist

Please Support Our Advertisers

Contact Congregation Beth Ami Office [email protected]

for details about advertising in the Shofar.

Thank you!


New Members:Roberta Rosenthal

Mashgiach ClassSunday August 23, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Calling all persons interested in donating their time and energy to the CBA kitchen. On Sun-day, August 23rd, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. there will be a mashgiach training for new kitchen volunteers. This is the only training be-ing offered this year. There will be a prep list and reading assignment required.

For more information and to sign up, please contact Barb Brust-McGee at 525-8620 or Ja-net Stein-Larson at [email protected].

Beth Ami Choir Startup!Do you wish to sing praises to the Lord in song? Can you carry a tune, but not in a buck-et? Well, here is your chance. Anyone inter-ested in participating, please contact Jonathan Friedman directly at [email protected] or leave a message at (707) 583-1812.

Getting ready for High Holy Days at CBAThe High Holy Days are a time of gathering as a community to reflect on the past year. We are pleased that Yael Krieger will again be with us to serve as cantor for the services.

Preparing for the High Holy Days involves a lot of tasks—some large and some small. If you have just an hour or two or can make a greater time commitment, let me know and I will find something that fits your interests. We particularly encourage you to serve as a greeter for an hour during one or more of the services.

As we have done in the past, we will be sending you an invitation to participate in the services. Opening the ark or reading a prayer or poem in English are ways to make yourself part of the service.

If you have any questions, please contact Betty Boyd at [email protected] or (707) 537-2211.

events & announcements

Centenary Lunch For Florence Metz

Born September 18, 1915Brooklyn, New York

Please join us on Saturday September 19, 2015

following Shabbat Services f or a hosted lunch to celebrate

the 100th birthday of our remarkable mother, grandmother,

and great-grandmother

We are also pleased to honor the birthday

of Beth Ami’s estimable Ahuva Simon-Sa’ar.

Congregation Beth Ami4676 Mayette Avenue

Santa Rosa, CA

RSVP Elizabeth Jarlsberg707 360 3000

[email protected]

Florence has requested donations in lieu of birthday gifts:

Seniors at Home: www.jfcs.org or

Congregation Beth Ami: www.bethamisr.org


Israeli Folk Dance—Dance circle dances to songs from Israel, and other places too—with varied speeds, moods and styles.

6:30–9:30 p.m.

Aug. 5 & 19

September 2, 9 & 30

Friedman Center, $3 donation to Beth Ami

Israeli Art at Israel FairCan You Loan Your Art For a Day?

At the county-wide Israeli Fair on August 30 from 10-2:00 at Beth Ami and Friedman Center (See article in this Shofar), we plan to have a gallery showcasing art from Israel.

Do you own any piece or pieces of Israeli art, paintings, sculpture, pottery, drawings and/or prints that you feel comfortable loaning to us?

Letting us display your Israeli art during the fair would be most generous and appreciated.

Please contact Caryn Fried, 707-538-2554 or [email protected]

Silent Auction at Israel FairCan You Donate Items?

Please consider donating to the Israel Fair Silent Auction an item, gift certificate, service or check made out to CBA, with Israel Fair on memo line.

Donations are tax deductible and much ap-preciated.

Please contact Judy Gunnar, Auction Chair, 707-889-4830 or [email protected]

events & announcements


In June 2014, I sat nervously at the Member-ship meeting waiting to be elected to our Board of Directors. Nervously you ask? Why? I have to admit I was not sure how much I would be able to be involved and what it re-ally meant to be on the Board. But I eagerly agreed and luckily for me the Congregation elected me for a 2 year term as a member at large. Ok, no big deal, what next you ask? I attended my first Board meeting on July 22nd, again not really sure what I had gotten myself into but there I was. New to the Board and completely uneducated about how our Board operates, I sat through the meeting listen-ing and learning…finally, the last item on the agenda, was deciding who would serve as President. Frankly, it was a long meeting and Arnold gently explained that we couldn’t leave until we had our next President. We waited and waited and waited…In my naiveté I raised my hand and asked, what’s involved in being President? After reviewing the list of duties, I suggested that I could do it. After a lot of discussion and making my pitch, the Board elected me for a one year term! Imagine my family’s surprise when I told them! Now one year later, I’m raising my hand again and volunteering to continue as Beth Ami’s Presi-dent for 2 more years. As many of you already know I also have been the Chairperson for the RS Committee and helped in the RS for many years, so being involved has always been important to me. However, my level of com-mitment and striving to serve our community

has only deepened over the past year. It has been a pleasure to serve in this capacity and I have learned a lot this past year! I owe a deep debt of gratitude to the Board, Rabbi, Carolyn, Lizzie and all of you for making my first year such a success! I would like to take a moment to recognize our Board and thank them for all of their dedication to our community. Without a supportive and experienced Board, my first year wouldn’t have gone as well as it has. I would also like to take a moment to recognize all of our volunteers and committee members that dedicate their time and skills to help our shul feel like a home away from home for all of us. Thank you for all that you do! We rely on everyone to add a little something to shul life, so if you haven’t considered joining a committee or volunteering to help at an event, please consider joining one!

Last August the Board met and set goals for the upcoming year. We voted on the following 4 goals to:

• Evaluate Friday night Shabbat activities to increase participation. (Team—Lyla, Laura, Betty Arnold, Myrna, Carolyn, Jeff, Alan and Leanne)

• Establish a lounge area. (Team—Jeff, Myrna, Laura)

• Fix water leaks at CBA. (Team—Russ, Richard, Mel)

• Address risk assessment and security is-sues. (Team—Russ, Carolyn, Pnina, Barb, Jenny)

Here is a brief update on our goals:• Friday Night Shabbat—The committee

sent an in depth survey and the common theme Beth Ami members agreed on is; wanting to expand the Friday night Shab-bat dinner experience. Out of this desire, we started the Guess Who’s Coming to Shabbat program where over the course of a year every member will be invited to

PResident’s PageLaura Alexander, President


PResident’s Pagecontinued…

share Shabbat dinner in another member’s home. The program has been enthusiasti-cally attended and hosted and has brought people together to share Shabbat in a meaningful way with new and old friends.

• Lounge Committee members Jeff Sheff and Myrna Morse have started cleaning up the Library so that we can make room for a lounge area which will include a coffee station.

• Water Leaks—The Facilities and Security committee has been very busy this past year! Richard Kahn and Russ Gurevitch have worked many hours making sure the roof and building leaks were addressed but despite all of their hard work, there is still a lot more to do. Past President Arnold has initiated the Count Me In campaign so that we can begin to address the years of deferred building maintenance.

• Risk & Security—Addressing synagogue security by focusing on the safety of nurs-ery school children, we are in the process

of installing a security gate thanks to gen-erous donations by an anonymous Beth Ami member and a Nursery School Family. Again this is a goal that needs to be fur-ther addressed.

One goal that we achieved that we could have only dreamed of is hiring Rabbi Miller as our full time Rabbi. We are grateful to the Fried-man Family and the Endowment Fund for their commitment to bridge the gap in our budget to offer Rabbi Miller full time status on a full time salary. We are grateful for their generosity and ongoing commitment to Beth Ami.

One of the cornerstones of my first year as President has been to encourage Beth Ami families to become involved and help shape the future of Beth Ami. I’d like to take a mo-ment to ask you to think about your skills and passions and I challenge each and every person to find a committee to sign up for and raise your level of engagement with your Beth Ami friends and family. I promise you, you won’t regret it!

Members of Beth Ami Board and Staff at Annual Meeting


Summer is winding down at Beth Ami Com-munity Nursery School. We’ve had a wonderful summer session. We’ve welcomed new fami-lies, and held on to our oldest kids for as long as we can before saying goodbye and watch-ing them go off to do big things in Kindergar-ten and beyond.

As the summer comes to an end, we turn our heads to the new school year, which is starting two weeks earlier this year, on August 24th, so that we will be more closely aligned with elementary schools. This is a part of our con-tinuing mission to make our school accessible to families with two working parents.

In addition to welcoming our 14 (and count-ing) new families as well as our returning fami-lies, we are excited for the community building that comes with the start of a new school year.

We will be kicking off the year with Back To School Night during the first night. This is an informative evening when all of the parents come together to meet each other, get to know

their children’s teachers, and learn about what the coming year will be.

For Rosh Hashanah, we have our annual Apples and Honey Social. This is a morning event when parents come into our school to celebrate the new year with their children, our staff, and the Rabbi. It is a special introduction to how we celebrate Jewish traditions at the school, welcoming and accessible for our Jew-ish and non-Jewish families alike.

Lastly, we cannot wait for our PJ Library pajama breakfast on Sunday, September 20th. This event is open to the whole community, and will include the nursery school families as well as religious school and congregation fami-lies. Please join us for pancakes, stories and songs, and don’t forget to wear your PJs!

Hope to see you all soon!

nuRseRy school notesJenny Levine-SmithNursery School Director


On June 24th, Assembly member Marc Levine (D-San Rafael) honored Lt. Colonel Robert Ra-ful, USAF (Ret.), saying, “Lt. Colonel Raful had a long and distinguished military career and is much deserving of this recognition. [He] is a role model, not only for Veterans, but for all of us. His dedication to nation, service, family, and community is extraordinary.”

In nearly 27 years of active military duty, Bob Raful rose from a private in Patton’s Army to the rank of Lt. Colonel in the US Air Force. Early on he helped form a regimental band, in which he played saxophone. When his entire Regiment landed at Omaha Beach in France, three months after D-Day, there was no need for a regimental band, so it was split up, and ten band members, including Bob, were assigned as a grave registration team, picking up bodies of fallen soldiers from the battlefield to send them for burial in the US. By December his regiment was trapped in Luxembourg at the Battle of the Bulge.

Bob stayed in Europe until early 1946. While there, two important things happened. The first was that his company became the guards of the famous Austrian Lipizzaner stallions, a great favorite of Gen. Patton. The other, much more important, was his company deployed soon after that to a small town near Volary in what today is the Czech Republic. There, while the re-formed regimental band was playing, Bob met a group of Holocaust survivors, which included Susy—Klara Szussana Taubner. He was sorting out some music, when he was told that there were “some Jewish girls who spoke

English” at the concert. He wrote home about meeting Susy that night, while she told her older sister she planned to marry him. After he returned to the States, Bob and Susy wrote frequently, and in 1947 Susy came to New York City where she and Bob were married on June 20, 1947. They have two children, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

After the war ended, Bob stayed in the Reserves; when the Korean Conflict began,

he was called back to active duty. He’d graduated from UC Berkeley and accepted a commission in the new Air Force as a personnel officer.

After the truce, he had an opportunity to stay in the Air Force, as a Captain. Later the Air Force sent him

to Syracuse University for a Master’s Degree, and then to the Pentagon, where he was responsible for deploying personnel for new weapons systems.

In 1961, President Kennedy’s new Secretary of Labor, Arthur Goldberg, encouraged the military to be more aware of America’s organized labor movement. As a result, Bob designed the initial course to teach academy students the importance of understanding the labor movement and how it affected the military’s mission. He taught the first-ever class in labor relations at the Air Force Academy, where he stayed for six years. The three years before his retirement in 1970, he was the chief labor relations officer for the US Air Force at the Pentagon.

In 1990, he and Susy moved to Santa Rosa and joined Congregation Beth Ami.

bob Raful named veteRan of the yeaRTish Levee


Mid-June Shabbat Morning—had a brief talk with new Israeli, Rachel Simkovitz, home for a visit before beginning intensive Hebrew lan-guage Ulpan, near Tel Aviv. The second phase is a move to a Kibbutz, joining a Mechina post-high school Ulpan/Pre-Army training pro-gram. Rachel promised to provide a first-hand report for a future Shofar.

And, just before writing this report, the mail brought a similar story:

“Kibbutz Hannaton, the first and only kibbutz affiliated with the Masorti [Conservative] Move-ment will be welcoming its pioneering cohort of North American high school graduates this coming September in its new Mitzpeh BAGalil, a new gap year program.

Mitzpeh BAGalil has been designed to be a pluralistic post high school framework in which participants will study, tour and do community service in Israel for 10 months.

But what truly sets this program apart from so many others is it is designed from the start to run in parallel to the established “Mechina” post-high school pre-army service program at Hannaton for Israeli teens preparing for the IDF service. This means that Mitzpeh partici-pants will develop friendships with their peers through shared projects and activities, creating a true community between US and Israeli teens within a pluralistic Jewish environment.

The core values of the new program are Jew-ish learning, pluralistic religious expression, developing Jewish leadership, community ser-vice and yedi’at ha-aretz, a familiarity with the Land of Israel. For more information, contact Rabbi Shawn Simon, Coordinator for Mitzpeh BAGalil, <[email protected]>**Source: The Zionists Organization of the Conservative Move-ment-MERCAZ/ USA

And one more story about young people in Israel. From my inside contact at Birthright Is-rael I learned the week of July 12th continued a summer of significant numbers of interna-

tional groups, i.e. 68 Groups from US, Argen-tina, Hungary, Turkey, Canada Russia, Mexico, Brazil and France—total: 2800 participants.

The week of July 19th will find 57 more groups arriving from US, Argentina Ukraine, Belarus, U.K., Hungary, Canada, Russia, Mex-ico, Brazil and France. The season total will reach 30,232.

Israel lives in a tough neighborhood. Life is not easy with stress, threats, incidents and bad international press. So, these stories of young people defying the nay-sayers, finding inspi-ration in discovering the Land of Israel and returning home to tell about the real Israel, gives me some balance in my life and gives me hope for the future. I pray that it does the same for you!

isRael fRom the left coastBob Raful

There are Shofars, Rosh Hashanah cards, Honey Pots and more…When the Office is open so is

the Beth Ami Judaica Giift Shop Door!

M–W 10–4:30 • Th 10–6 • F 10–2

Located in Beth Ami Gift Office

Call Bonnie Boren for special orders—528-1628

Beth Ami Gift Shop


I wrote my first Mitzvah Moments column for the May/June issue of the Shofar eight years ago. I shared ways to help the Living Room, the Food and Blood Bank, how to help online, and how to sign up as an organ donor. By the August issue I was writing about that drought and saving water, energy, and fossil fuels. Over the years, I’ve focused more and more on issues of climate change and sustainability, increasing my readership by writing a longer Mitzvah Mo-ments for the Sonoma County Gazette. Now, it is time for me to move on; this will be my last column in the Shofar.

I’ll continue writing for the Gazette and hope to be branching out to more national media. I’m also putting many of the ideas from eight years of columns (and ones I didn’t use) on a website at www.mitzvahmoments.com. I plan to have it up and running by the time you read this.

Over the years two issues have repeatedly come up—drought and fossil fuel use. For reducing water, my best tips are water outdoors between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. and only water lawns when they need it (tinyurl.com/q785km6). Better yet, take the lawn out. Most water agencies have rebate programs to help you convert to a drought resistant landscape. To reduce fossil fuels and slow climate change, the first thing to do is to stop idling your engine—anytime you idle it for more than 10 seconds (waiting in a drive through, at a construction site, to pick up a passenger, or to warm up the engine), you use more fuel and create more pollutants and greenhouse gases than by restarting it (edf.org/climate/reports/idling).

Toddah rabbah for all the years you’ve been reading this column. I hope you’ll continue to follow my work.

©Tish Levee 2015

mitzvah momentsTish Levee

Buy Your Rosh Hashanah groceries at Safeway & Oliver’s

while supporting Beth Ami!Supporters of eScrip earned over $900 for Beth Ami from January - May 2015. This generous donation was achieved by every-day shopping at Oliver’s, Safeway (or Von’s in SO CAL) and other merchants. Welcome Davis & Diane Brown and the Rosenthal family to the Beth Ami eScrip program. We appreciate your efforts to sign up and contribute through shopping!

If you shop at Oliver’s Markets in Santa Rosa or Cotati, remember to get your Com-munity Card at the store and choose BETH AMI to get the eScrip proceeds. Also re-member Safeway purchases paid for with a credit card DO NOT earn eScrip contribu-tions. Safeway accepts cash, checks, debit cards & Safeway gift cards (which can be purchased with a credit card) for purchases to earn eScrip contributions.

Anyone can participate in eScrip and contribute; you do not have to be a CBA member & you do not have to live in Sonoma Coun-ty. Invite your friends & rela-

tives to join us! Just go to escrip.com and put in ID# 136921119. For sign-up help or any eScrip questions, contact Nancy Sherman at (707)538-9388 or [email protected].



Big Changes, Fresh Curriculum and New Schedule!Start of classes on Friday, September 4th! New Religious school hours: Fridays and Tuesdays, 4–6 p.m. Keep reading to learn about our new schedule and completely redesigned curricu-lum.

Back to school dinner and Shabbat, after classes on September 4th! All religious school families are welcome to be our guests at the Beth Ami Shabbat dinner and services follow-ing our opening day of classes. Please be sure to RSVP by August 31st. Classes start at 4 p.m., with student Kabbalat Shabbat (families wel-come) at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. in the social hall. Community services follow at 7:30 p.m.

Registration packets due by August 21st. Return them before July 31st to be entered in a drawing for an incredible mystery prize. We are hiring new teachers and redesigning our classes so we need to know exactly who is learning with us. We will continue to accept new students throughout the year, so spread the word about our new and improved sched-ule and curriculum!

Help us in our search for inspiring teach-ers: Many of our beloved teachers have retired since last year and they will all be missed. We have a unique opportunity to hire a whole new staff! Applications are being accepted and hiring decisions will be finalized in August. The positions vary in hours, required skills and responsibilities, and the compensation is gen-erous. If you know someone to recommend, please contact me right away.

I’m thrilled to be here—thank you all for such a warm welcome! As a CBA RS parent and longtime Jewish educator, I was elated each week when my daughter Stella came

home bubbling over with knowledge and en-thusiasm after class. I am honored and excited to be able to work to continue the incredible legacy of learning at CBA. My goals this year are twofold: to fill your kids’ hearts and minds with ruach and Torah, and to release your precious Sundays back to you to use as you desire!

Why the new schedule? Shabbat is a natu-ral vehicle for teaching children about Jewish life and imparting Torah. We are piloting this cutting-edge Shabbat immersion curriculum which I believe will enrich our students’ Jew-ish experiences and connections while con-tinuing to impart excellent Jewish literacy and Hebrew skills. As an added bonus, the new schedule frees up our Sundays for family time and deeper community involvement. Imagine, sleeping in on Sunday. Waffles and the news-paper! Leisure!

New program—I am also pleased to intro-duce skill building intensives for the upper grades, monthly on a Sunday. This will allow us to provide another way for our students to succeed—a way to catch-up if they’ve just joined us or have had to miss class, to develop select skills and to learn in an alternative for-mat. They will be free for enrolled CBA stu-dents and open for enrollment to the greater community, to foster connections for our students with other Jewish kids and to increase access to high-quality Jewish learning.

Thank you all so much for entrusting us with this leg of your child’s Jewish education. We’re pioneers in a new era of Jewish educa-tion and together we will learn, celebrate and grow as Jews. For those CBA members who do not have children in the school, there are ways to get involved and support us. My door is open—please come see me in the religious school office or email me at [email protected].

Religious school RePoRtAnya Concoff Por—Director of Youth Education


AN INVITATION

to continue to gift your child a Jewish education

Special Offer!

Due to the generosity of a Beth Ami donor: All BACNS families who are new to the Pre-K,K,1 class will have all tuition fees waived and will be offered a FREE one-year family membership to Beth Ami.

Enroll Your Child In Our Religious School We have great things planned for our developmentally appropriate Pre-K-K-1 class for next fall at Beth Ami Religious School and we look forward to this next phase in your child’s Jewish Education!.

• Immerse your child in the love of Jewish learning with old and new friends in a familiar and safe place.

• Art projects—fun and messy stuff—to decorate your home for the Jewish holidays • Learning through movement, music, stories as we learn our Alef Bet • T’fillah-Jewish prayer for the youngest with Rabbi Miller • Special programming for young families

Please join us as we create an easy and comfortable transition from nursery school to religious school Let us know your interest, ask questions, contact: Barbara “BT” Tomin, [email protected], 576-1167.

Congratulations to Anya Concoff Por, who has accepted the position of Director of Youth Education at Beth Ami. We encourage all members to welcome her. Pleae visit the Religious School Report page in this issue of The Shofar to learn more about her plans for the upcoming school year here at Beth Ami., and contact Anya with any questions or ideas.


Happy 90th Birthday to Susy Raful (right) & Edit Torok (left)!

Twin sisters Susy (at Beth Ami) and Edit

(in Budapest) cele-brated their 90th birth-

days on July 30. The Raful family celebrated

by conducting the Shabbat service on July 25 and hosting

lunch. Thank you Susy, Bob and entire Raful family!

Coming Events:High Holidays conclude in October with Shemini

Atzeret (inclduing Yizkor)

Mon., Oct. 5

Simchat Torah Tues., Oct. 6

Thank you to Tish Levee, who has written the Mitzvah Moments column

at The Shofar for eight years! This is-sue will be the last for Tish’s column, but we hope to see many more mitz-vahs that Tish has planned to bestow on us at Beth Ami through the com-

ing years. Please read Tish’s last Mitzvah Moments in this Shofar.

Welcome to our new advertiser, Martin A. Levy! And, thank you to all our

current advertisers!


General FundIn memory of Harry Hankin —Barbara Tomin

Happy Birthday to Susy Raful —Edith Newman

In memory of Harry Hankin —Edythe Smith

Congratulations to Sherrill & Elaina Golemb on their 50th wedding anniversary—Edythe Smith

In memory of my good friend, Harry Hankin—Ivan Barta

In honor of Sylvia Sucher’s 103rd birthday—Ivan Barta

Thanks to everyone for the over-whelming outpouring of get well emails, phone calls, texts, donations and other means of support during my recent bout with surgery. I’m truly grateful for the amount of love and support I’ve received from so many people. You’ve all touched in more ways than I can ever tell you. With gratitude; Judi—Judi Hyman

In memory of Harry Hankin —Judi Hyman

In honor of the birthdays of the twins, Susy and Edit. Very, very Happy Birthdays—Juli Scherer

In memory of my wife, Marlene Jones—Maurice Jones

A generous donation —Nicole Whittington

Speedy recovery to Judi Hyman —Richard Kahn & Anne Brown

Best wishes for a complete recovery to Judy Dzik —Richard Kahn & Anne Brown

Israel Programming FundSpeedy recovery to Arnold Drake —Bob & Susy Raful

Speedy recovery to Jan Urdzik for your knee—Bob & Susy Raful

In honor of Judy Dzik with best wishes for her recovery

Todd & Fara Elizalde

Malk FundIn loving memory of Abraham Louis Shapiro from Phyllis Shapiro and Family—Phyllis Shapiro

Nursery School DonationIn memory of Norman Abramowitz —Evey Abramowitz

Rabbi’s Discretionary FundIn memory of Benny Friedman —Bill & Suzie Friedman

In honor of Rabbi Miller’s son’s wedding—Bob & Susy Raful

On the occasion of a wonderful Shabbat with Rabbi Miller and Beth Ami—Lauren Buchsbaum

In honor of my first aliyah—Sue Bell

Religious School DonationSpeedy recovery to Judy Dzik—Howard & Ronit Glickman

In honor of the marriage of Micah Miller & April Honer—Richard Kahn & Anne Brown

In memory of Fredric Zuker, father and grandfather to the Elizalde family—Todd & Fara Elizalde

geneRous contRibutions to ouR congRegationThe next time you are looking for a meaningful way to celebrate a joyous occasion, remember a loved one, or comfort a mourner, please consider a donation to Congregation Beth Ami. When you make a gift, a card is send to the honoree or the family and your donation is proudly acknowledged in the Shofar. The minimum donation for each occasion is $7.50. Congregation Beth Ami truly appreciates your support.

Shabbat Dinner:❑ Friday, August 7

❑ Friday, September 4

# of Beth Ami Member Adults @$18 =

# of Non-member Adults @$22 =

# of Youth (ages 6–17) @$10 =

# of Families @$46 =

Please return payment and forms to:

Congregation Beth Ami 4676 Mayette Ave. Santa Rosa, CA 95405

Name

Phone

I want to volunteer for (indicate which event)

Total amount enclosed

❑ Check ❑ Visa/MC

Credit Card #

Expiration Date /

Billing Zipcode

shabbat dinneR RsvP


Services at Beth AmiPlease join us for services. For additional information or to verify the times, call the office at (707) 360-3000.

August Shabbat and other Services

Aug. 1—9:30 a.m. Shabbat morning service followed by dairy potluck

Aug. 7—6 p.m. dinner* and Shabbat evening service


Aug. 14—7:30 p.m. Shabbat evening service






September Shabbat and other Services (exact times may change, verify with office)

Sept 4—6 p.m. dinner* and Shabbat evening service

Sept 5—9:30 a.m. Shabbat morning service followed by dairy potluck

Sept 5—8:30–11:30 p.m. Selichot study program and service

Sept 11—7:30 p.m. Shabbat evening service


Sept 13—8-9:30 p.m. Rosh Hashanah evening service (in Friedman center); reception after service

Sept 14—8 a.m.–1 p.m. Rosh Ha-shanah first day service (in Friedman center). Children and family services—time to be determined. 4:30 p.m. Tashlich service with Shomrei Torah at Lake Ralphine in Howarth Park, fol-lowed by picnic

Sept 15—8 a.m.–1 p.m. Rosh Ha-shanah second day service followed by a light lunch. Children and family services—time to be determined


Sept 19—9:30 a.m. Shabbat morning service (Shabbat Shuvah) followed by dairy potluck

Sept 20—11 a.m. Kever Avot. Service at Santa Rosa Memorial Park Cemetery

Sept 22—4:30–5:45 p.m. Pre-fast din-ner (in Social Hall) Reservations neces-sary.* 6–9 p.m. Kol Nidre and Mincha service (in Friedman center)

Sept 23—9 a.m. start of Yom Kippur

service (in Friedman center). Chil-dren and family services—time to be determined. Break-the-fast—time to be determined (Reservations* necessary)



Sept 27—6:30–7 p.m. Sukkot Day 1 evening service

Sept 28—9:30 a.m.–12 p.m. Sukkot Day 1 morning service

Sept 28—6:30–7 p.m. Sukkot Day 2 evening service

Sept 29—9:30 a.m.–12 p.m. Sukkot Day 2 morning service

*Reservations necessary by the pro-ceeding Wednesday. Call the office at (707) 360-3000 to make your reserva-tion. Service may proceed the dinner.

Daily Daven

Sun. & National Holidays—8:30 a.m. Morning Minyan in the Chapel, followed by a light breakfast on the 1st and 3rd SundayMon.–Fri.—7 a.m. Daily Daven in the Chapel except for Yom Tov (holidays)Sun.–Thurs.—6:30–6:50 p.m. Daily Daven in the Chapel except for Yom Tov (holidays)


August YahrzeitsSecular dates correspond to Hebrew date of death. Observance of yahrzeit begins at sundown the previous day. All yahrzeits observed at Beth Ami.

Announced on July 31 & Aug. 1

Aug. 1 Sylvia Goldman, Mother of Ben Goldman

Aug. 1 Sylvia Williams, Mother of Lenore Holloway and Bonnie Gee

Aug. 3 Pearl Nathan, Mother of Asher Nathan

Aug. 5 Louis Abramowitz, Husband of Evey Abramowitz

Aug. 5 Anita Herman, Mother of Donald Glickman

Announced on Aug. 7 & 8

Aug. 9 Will Cohn, Father of Henry Cohn

Aug. 9 Sarah Pelta, Aunt of Esther Pilch

Aug. 9 Julian Streitfeld, Brother-in-law of Ricki Streitfeld

Aug. 10 Alice Miller, Mother of Susan Miller

Aug. 10 John Rosenbach, Husband of Rhonda Rosenbach

Aug. 11 Rose Volpert, Friend of Ahuva Simon-Sa’ar

Aug. 13 Vladimir Zelichenok, Brother of Rimm Rivkin

Aug. 14 Oscar Pinsky, Father of Dorothy Gerstein


Aug. 15 Josephine Sherman, Mother of Edward Sherman

Aug. 19 Joseph Raful, Father of Bob Raful

Aug. 19 Emil Tsipan, Husband of Malvina Tsipan


Aug. 23 Myrna Drake, First Wife of Arnold Drake

Aug. 23 Joyce Vrobel, Mother of Laura Alexander

Aug. 25 Dorothy Drain, Grandmother of Janet Stein-Larson

Aug. 26 Elie Negrin, Father of Ronit Glickman

Aug. 27 William Hahn, Father of Edith Newman

Aug. 27 Martin Klein, Brother of Ricki Streitfeld

Aug. 28 Selby Morse, Husband of Myrna Morse


Aug. 29 Susan Yelin, Mother of Francie Rogovin

Aug. 31 Audrey Schoen, Sister of Phyllis Shapiro

Sept. 1 Angela Kupperberg, Wife of Michael Kupperberg

Sept. 2 Dan Ben Hershel, Nephew of Evelyn Gurevitch

Sept. 3 Barbara Wallace, Sister of Arnold Drake

Sept. 4 Joshua Cohen, Father of Leonard Cohen

Sept. 4 Morris Marks, Grandfather of Myrna Morse

August Birthdays1 Tad Shapiro4 Suzie Friedman4 Frederic Schloner7 Mortimer Weiss8 Howard Moss8 Mark Rosen10 Ivan Barta10 Marilyn Salsman-Stockfleth11 Dr. Mark Sutter12 Lyla Nathan14 Francie Rogovin14 Stuart Schy15 Michael Shapiro21 Gabor Por24 Signe Minuskin25 Susan Miller26 Marc Bernstein29 Larry Klapow

August Anniversaries5 Arnold & Mieneke Drake11 Michael & Lauren Newman11 Justin & Shacharit Rosenthal12 Brian & Fredrika Gross12 Dan & Blair Pleasant14 Jeff Richman & Pnina Loeb16 Bill & Kim Cordell19 Arnold & Karen Herskovic25 Sanford & Jo Anne Bressick25 Len & Elly Cohen

Honor thy mother...also thy aunt, uncle, cousin, child,

best friend, teacher with an engraved leaf on our Simcha Board, commemorating any

joyous occasion, bestowal of an honor, or cause for

thanksgiving.

Leaf—$360Small Stone—$1000Large Stone—$2500

We also provide the opportu-nity for you to memorialize loved ones.

Yahrzeit Board

Plaque—$450

Simcha Board Tree of Life


Announced on Sept. 4 & 5

Sept. 5 Vivian Frye, Friend of Ellen Mundell

Sept. 7 Emil Judd, Husband of Lillian Judd

Sept. 8 Naftali Morse, Father-in-law of Myrna Morse

Sept. 9 Ida Mann, Grandmother of Judith Helman

Sept. 10 Irving Nathan, Father of Asher Nathan

Sept. 11 Frances Spiegleman, Grandmother of Ronit Glickman


Sept. 12 Sylvia Golemb, Mother of Sherrill Golemb

Sept. 14 Arthur Levine, Former husband of Gussie Levine

Sept. 14 Rose Zittin, Grandmother of Bill Friedman

Sept. 15 Myer Brust, Grandfather of Barbara McGee

Sept. 15 William Colton, Brother-in-law of Evelyn Gurevitch

Sept. 16 Avar Metzger, Mother of Joslyn Metzger

Sept. 16 Henry Tausk, Father of Gloria Glickman

Sept. 17 Jenny Wiesenthal, Mother of Natalie Friedman

Sept. 18 Yechezkiel Rivkin, Father of Adolph Rivkin

Sept. 18 Helene Senzer, Mother of Adrea Moss


Sept. 19 Susan Dove, Niece of Betty Franks

Sept. 19 Max Lachman, Father of Vivian Salmon

Sept. 20 Frances Brust, Grandmother of Barabara McGee

Sept. 20 Lillian Kahn, Mother of David Kahn

Sept. 20 Raymund Mundell, Father of Michael Mundell

Sept. 21 Jennie Klein, Mother of Ricki Streitfeld

Sept. 21 Hilda Meyer, Mother of Jane Meyer

Sept. 22 Joseph Diamond, Father-in-law of Marilyn Diamond

Sept. 22 Shulamit Sapojnkikov, Mother of Ahuva Simon-Sa’ar

Sept. 25 Carl Connors, Father of Tish Levee

Sept. 25 Carolina Gordon, Grandaughter of Marjorie Gordon

Sept. 25 Ruth Hess, Mother of Barbara Tomin

Sept. 25 Ester Pekker, Mother of Semyon Pekker

Sept. 25 Harold Ross, Father of Stuart Ross


Sept. 26 Joaquin Boadella, Brother of Lillian Judd

Sept. 27 Florence Zivin, Mother of Edee Sternfield-Squires

Sept. 29 George Barta, Father of Ivan Barta

Sept. 30 Dorothy Yelin, Grandmother of Francie Rogovin

Oct. 1 Mollie Raful, Mother of Bob Raful

Oct. 2 Dean Darby, Husband of Audrey Darby

September YahrzeitsSecular dates correspond to Hebrew date of death. Observance of yahrzeit begins at sundown the previous day. All yahrzeits observed at Beth Ami.

September Birthdays2 Myra Thomas-Stern5 Phil Weil6 Bonnie Boren8 Leanne Schy11 Jane Meyer13 Barbara Boren13 Brian Gross13 Adrea Moss15 Esther Pilch16 Ethel Schy18 Elaine Golemb18 Dr. Gary Herzberg18 Florence Metz18 Carol Newman18 Sherri Weinstein20 Randy Weinstein22 Ahuva Simon-Sa’ar25 Susanne Batzdorff26 Leonard Cohen30 Blair Dub30 Gerald Lakins

September Anniversaries3 Todd & Fara Elizalde7 Daryl & Joan Schloss10 Howard & Ronit Glickman14 Adolph & Rimma Rivkin14 Phil Dwight & Jane Rogan15 Ross Jones & Jane Paul25 Russ & Terry Gurevitch29 Ira & Ruth Rosenberg

Address service requested

August Shabbatot

August 1

Parshat Va’etchanan: Deut. 4:41–6:3 (Page: 1014) Candle Lighting: 8:04 Havdalah: 9:05

August 8

Parshat Ekev: Deut.9:4–10:11 (Page: 1042) Candle Lighting: 7:57 Havdalah: 8:57

August 15

Parshat Re’eh: Deut. 12:29–14:29 (Page: 1068) Candle Lighting: 7:49 Havdalah: 8:47

August 22

Parshat Shofetim: Deut. 18:6–19:13 (Page: 1094) Candle Lighting: 7:39 Havdalah: 8:37

August 29

Parshat Ki Tetse: Deut. 23:8– 24:13 (Page: 1123) Candle Lighting: 7:29 Havdalah: 8:26

September Shabbatot

September 5

Parshat Ki Tavo: Deut. 26:12–28:6 (Page: 1165) Candle Lighting: 7:10 Havdalah: 8:15

September 12

Parshat Nitzavim: Deut.29:9–30:20 (Page 1165) Candle Lighting: 7:08 Havdalah: 8:04

September 19

Parshat: Vayechi: Deut. 31:1–29 (Page 1173) Candle Lighting: 6:57 Havdalah: 7:52

September 26

Parshat Ha’azinu: Deut. 32:1–52 (Page 1185) Candle Lighting: 6:46 Havdalah: 7:41

Documents

August/september 2015 5775 / 5776