The Shofar Shaare Tefila Congregation

Celebrating our 65th year Vol. 65 #5 January 2016 —Tevet/Shevat 5776

קול השופר

FROM THE RABBI’S STUDY… Will the New Year Be Better? 2015 was a most difficult and trying year for the human race. ISIS continues to massacre people in its demented dream of establishing an extremist Muslim caliphate. In its wake, inno-cent civilians in Paris and other parts of the

world have been killed. Climate change continues apace – as articles continue to show how species are becoming extinct, ocean levels continue to rise and average temperatures con-tinue to increase. The environment – both natural and human – is becoming increasingly dangerous and we wonder whether we will ever see a day of peace and tranquility. Every day we pray for such a world. Three times a day we beseech God to bring peace to the world; we conclude the mourner’s kaddish with a prayer for peace; and we hope for the day when all people on earth will live by the same values of love and harmony. Since the world hasn’t changed yet, we might wonder at the efficacy of these words. Why bother praying for peace when our prayers aren’t answered? The goal of Jewish prayer isn’t to ask God to do things for us. Though the words of the liturgy might lead us to believe that we are petitioning God, we are really motivating our-selves to be agents of change. When we pray for peace we need to understand that we have to do everything in our power to effect change and to bring harmony into our lives. We don’t have the power of the president of the United States, but we do have the power within our own communi-ty. If everyone took the words of the prayer book literally and acted as morally and ethically as possible, then there would be peace in our lives. If we tried our best to be good people, if we attempted to lead our lives with humility and respect for others, then there would be peace. If we could encourage our family and friends to act in similar fashion then our waves of influence would increase and more people would be acting peacefully. As 2016 begins, let us resolve to make these prayers come true. Let us be motivated by what we pray so that we can bring peace to the world one person at a time. It may not solve all the world’s problems but it will help make our cor-ner of the world a better place to live. With blessings for the new year,

Rabbi Jonah Layman; rjlayman@shaaretefila.org

From the President

One of my patients was showing me pictures of his three sons. I asked “what do your boys do for a liv-ing?” “Well, my youngest is a neurosurgeon and my middle is a lawyer.” I then said “what does the oldest do?” He replied “he’s the plumber that put them through school.” Sooner or later, we will all be

paying for a plumber. We’ve been in our Olney building since August 2011, four and a half years. It seems like yesterday. As with your home or any phy-sical asset, sooner than later things will need fixing. Those of us who live in condos and co-ops know how important it is to have something in reserve and those in our own homes also know full-well how critical it is to provide for future maintenance of our pro-perties. Your Board of Directors has started the process of determining our long-term building needs for maintenance and refurbishing. Our Administrative Vice President Stuart Carroll asked several members who are engineers and mathematicians to analyze our major building systems and infrastructure to determine each sys-tem’s life-cycle, assess what could go wrong and provide an esti-mate of what it would cost to fix. Shaare Tefila has a Reserve Fund. Prior to constructing our new building, we had both restricted and unrestricted funds. We only used our unrestricted funds because of our members’ generous con-tributions, the sale of our Lockwood Drive building, and the loan we obtained. However, our Reserve Fund was drawn down and we anticipate it will need to be augmented based on results of a reserve study. A reserve study is a long-term capital budget planning tool which identifies the current status of a reserve fund. It incorporates a sta-ble and equitable funding plan to offset ongoing deterioration. The result should be sufficient funds when those anticipated major com-mon area expenditures actually occur. I have asked the Finance Committee, under the chairmanship of Shawn Miller, to conduct a reserve study. It will provide a reserve recommendation only after analyzing the results of the building requirements study, our annual budgetary requirement over several years, and the status of our funds. The Committee will recommend alternatives to financing future maintenance and refurbishment re-quirements. This process will take some time and will be vetted by the House/Capital Improvement Committee, the Finance Committee and the Board of Directors. Fortunately, we have some time for this analy-sis. We will be thorough and will report to the congregation in the future. Hope you and your families had wonderful time celebrating Ha-nukkah, and wishing you a Happy and Healthy 2016! Hyman J. Grosberg; President

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THE SHOFAR, Shaare Tefila Congregation, 16620 Georgia

Avenue, Olney, MD 20832. Vol. 65 No 5, January 2016, Pub-

lished 10 times a year. Opinions expressed herein are not neces-

sarily representative of the Shaare Tefila Congregation, the edi-

torial staff of this newsletter, its employees or membership. Ko-

sher and non-kosher supervised establishments advertise in the

Shofar.

SISTERHOOD: Happy New Year!! We hope that the year is starting off nicely for you. 2015 was a good year for selling scrip, although it can always be better. Thanks to your purchase of scrip, and the hard working efforts of Barba-

ra Fink and her able bodied team of scrip sellers, Sisterhood recently donated another $2,000 to our congregation. While you're home during those snow days and contemplating mak-ing a big pot of stew or soup, use scrip to stock up on all your necessary supplies. Please be generous with your scrip pur-chases and let's all help make 2016 more profitable. This is such an easy fund-raiser but we need your support to make it happen. Thank you to Marlene Sandberg (Mazal Tov on the birth of your new grandson) for making those phone calls and send-ing emails reminding us all of our turn to work in the kitch-en. We are busy now making a list for 2016 and we are again asking those who are capable to volunteer 1-2 times during the entire year to help with the set up and clean up of our weekly kiddush. When Marlene calls you, please join us in the kitchen on your scheduled date. If you are unable to serve, please make your own arrangements for a substitute and let your kiddush captain know who will be taking your place. Bar and Bat Mitzvah families have been scheduled 4 times to serve in the kitchen. Everyone is placed on a team and the team can't work unless all the players are there by

Please remember, if a family member or an-

other congregant is hospitalized or needs help

from the Shaare Tefila community, notify the

Office or Rabbi Layman as soon as possible.

Did you know…? Joshua & Mara Lansky, & Jacob & Jordan went to Israel to celebrate Mara’s grandfather’s 100th birthday. Joan Lichtman writes: “Over the holidays Milton and all other Montgomery County volunteer Ombudsmen were honored with a lovely ‘Appreciation” luncheon held

at the Holiday Park Senior Center (Wheaton). A really wonderful, lavish buffet, with a live, jazzy band adding to the holiday spirit was followed by appreciative speeches and special gifts presented to each volunteer, ac-knowledging the efforts of the Ombudmen as advocates for the (non-abusive) treatment of assisted-living residents. If you want to share any family news or other information with the con-gregation please email me at shaarepubs@verizon.net. Jack Teller; Shofar Editor-in-Chief

9:45am. There are 5 ways for you to be made aware of your date to work in the kitchen. 1. Several posters will be on display in the building with lists posted by season. 2. You will receive a phone call and email reminder - thank you Marlene! 3. Sara Miller will include your name in the Daf. 4. There will be a link on the Shaare Tefila Listserv (thank you Ira Levine!) to click to find your volunteer week. 5. Teams will be posted in the Sisterhood article for the upcoming month ** Bonus round . . . . if you are in a Chavurah, your friends will eagerly remind you of all the fun you will have in the kitchen. Please place your order for the new mah jongg cards with Marilyn Pontell. The deadline is approaching in Jan-uary. Thank you to Vivienne Auerbach for her very success-ful, delicious and nutritious Make-One-Take-One soup ac-tivity last month. Not only was Chesed a recipient but we all were able to take soup home with us to share with our families. By the time you read this, Shaare Tefila's kitchen history will have been changed. We welcome our very first (let's all say the Shehecheyanu) male kiddush captain in the kitchen. Kudos to Ken Libby for stepping up to the plate, bowl, platter. . . and leading the kiddush crew once a month. Thanks to Susan Rubenstein for resurrecting our monthly Women's Rosh Chodesh study group. We were treated to a meaningful and spirited discussion session on December 19. Our next group will meet on January 16. All are invited. January Kiddush Teams: 1/2 - Team 1 Cohen (Sherry and Saul), Feinstein, Gold-stein (Bernice and Myron), Levin (Joy and Josh), Manches-ter, Segall, Weinstein 1/9 - Team 2 Haber, King, Kornspan, Perrit 1/16 - Team 3 Gross, Kolmaister, Kraut, Marder, Norken and Temkin 1/23 - Team 4 Abrams, Goldreich, Goldstein (Ina and Morton), Levine (Stacey and Gary), Paynter, Saltz-man, Steckler 1/30 - Team 5 Fink (Steve), Freedman (Lois, Bob and Betty), Hess, James, Miller, Sabbath/Rubenstein, Schwartz (Jamie and Jeff) Sisterhood Shabbat is April 2. Please contact Fran Weiss to see how you would like to participate. The next Sisterhood meeting is on January 11. Keep Warm! Ethel Levine & Fran Kensky, co-Presidents

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The Rose and George Teller PreSchool GATES OF DISCOVERY Look Deep Into Nature and Then You Will Understand Everything Better

- Albert Einstein Every day since the first day of school, the Spider class, made up of two-year-olds, has been spending a large portion of its day outside. The first day of school they spent on the playground, snacking, gazing at the clouds and exploring. The second day, and all the days there-after, they have been walking to the area they have named their "reflection area," also known as the Bresler Memorial Garden. From the school door by the play-ground, they walk around the playground, cross in front of the bridge, and the front of the synagogue, and come to the area with the benches and trees. A place to hold morning meetings, talk about their favorite (fill in the blank) and to have Shabbat celebrations with Rabbi Jo-nah. On the way, the children observe their surroundings: "This is a nice walk," says one; "I like the walk," shares another; “We can see the clouds” says a third. When they get to their spot, they go about their day, the same as if they were in their classroom. But there are benefits to being outdoors: they listen to the sounds of nature. They hear birds, flies and the wind in the trees. Some friends are finished with snack and enjoy explor-ing the area and climbing the trees. Some are on a rock hunt. Some are content to sit and chat with friends. Almost since the first day in the reflective area, they have shown great interest in the trees. They have climbed them, shook them, tickled them with twigs, poked them (with twigs) and hung from them. They have played hide-and-seek in them. They have discov-ered berries growing on them (which we do not eat!). As expected, their thoughts, as they explore, are thoughtful and insightful. "I like that one." A child points to the tree the chil-dren enjoy climbing in, "I like to play in it." "I would like a pile of pears in my tree," states anoth-er. He also states, "Trees do not wear shoes!" A third replies, "Trees do not wear socks!" "Trees should have leaves." "They are tall. Higher." "They can be short." "They can be triangle shaped.” "... or they can be a circle." After our discussion, the class decided it would be interesting to pick a tree they liked and follow it - its growth and development - throughout the year. In spending time with their tree, the children have started talking about it as if it were (cont. on P. 4, Preschool)

Chavaya January is traditionally a time to set priorities and a focus for the coming year. This month, instead of sharing our students’ activities and

involvement, let’s discuss our Chavaya parents’ activi-ties and involvement. What are our expectations of the Chavaya community as well as the larger Shaare Tefila Congregation? Our students are well aware that all of Judaism can be found on an iPhone. All our prayer, rituals, traditions, customs, history, and even Hebrew, can be retrieved in seconds. The processing of all this information, putting it in context, sorting through it, is one way we spend time on Sundays. Our families value relationships with our teachers, as well as with the Rabbi. It is this area in which we must invest, because ultimately knowing ad-ditional prayer verses is not going to get us where we want to be in our Jewish lives. And where exactly is that one may ask? What exactly is our Jewish destina-tion? I will answer this question by way of a story. I truly believe each family’s Jewish destination is unique. For some families a trip to Israel, or learning Hebrew is a lifetime goal. Other families are grappling with issues around kashrut, or wrestling with how to make Shabbat special in their home. Let’s take a peek at a Chavaya family’s actively striv-ing towards its own Jewish goal. Last year this family brought its child to religious school late every single session. The child walked into class after our opening circle each week and had a difficult time transitioning to the activity. The parents reported that getting her to the synagogue was a fight at home every Sunday. Let’s contrast that experience with Sunday mornings this year. Now our family arrives more than 35 minutes early each week and the daughter is proud to be the first one in class. She enjoys going downstairs to say hello to her teacher while the teacher is still setting up her supplies, well before other students are in the building. To what do we owe this great change? This family de-cided to make ST a priority on Sunday mornings. The mother began volunteering for small jobs to help at Shaare Tefila. She then took on greater roles and re-sponsibilities. Others count on her Sunday morning and she owns a piece of the success of our program. The mother now has a much more positive attitude and our lines of communication are open - she shares her successes and frustrations about our program. She con-tinues to volunteer her time to improve specific con-cerns. None of this could have happened when this family saw Chavaya and the larger congregation from an outside perspective. Now that they are an active part of our school, they are more(cont on P 4, Chavaya)

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Kiddush Requests Celebrate a birthday, anniversary or just a new sea-son! Sponsor Kiddush at Shaare Tefila. There are many food options and our Sisterhood takes care of it all. To learn more and/or reserve your date and start or-dering, please contact: Jill Goldwater (jgoldwater@shaaretefila.org or 301-593-3410 x101)

(Preschool, cont from P. 3)human... it has eyes, it has feet, it walks. They have feelings for it – bringing it gifts, worrying about it in the rain and when they can-not be with it. They debated for almost a week and fi-nally decided it was a girl. They have measured differ-ent parts of the tree and taken weekly pictures to record how it changes over the course of the year. "I love our tree so much," one child says. "It has beauti-ful leaves." The more time spent outside, the more the children grow to appreciate nature. While there is great value in letting the children run wild and freely, we also like to have activities for them to participate in structured les-sons while outside, letting them realize the outdoors is part of our classroom; that we can learn outside as well as inside. Research consistently shows that children have a strong preference to be outdoors. Nature sustains us and is an incredible library of knowledge. Children are natu-ral explorers and have an intense desire for knowledge about their surroundings. They need opportunities to explore the natural world for if there are not early expe-riences with nature, a love and respect for nature doesn't develop. It is important that we guide children to dis-cover themselves and the world around them. In the outdoors, children feel a sense of belonging in nature, become more observant, and develop a reverence for life. The outdoors is a developmentally appropriate classroom for children. You can teach children about trees in the classroom, but they must see and experience trees to make trees real to them. Beth Adler, Early Education Director

(Chavaya, cont from P. 3) fulfilled by the relationships they are fostering. This may not seem so earth shatter-ing, but for this family, their entire experience at Chavaya and Shaare Tefila has transformed. This child now loves coming to synagogue and having an active role. She rises to the challenge each Sunday, knowing that others are counting on her. We are all overloaded with lots of priorities. Our worlds are full of commitments and limited resources. I am not asking for additional money, rather a shift of values. Simply put, if we want our children to value their Jewish knowledge, their time at synagogue, their Chavaya friends, we need to demonstrate that we value it too. I ask all our Chavaya families to reach out to another family in your child’s class. Invest in those relationships. Yes, your child has friends in his or her public school, yes you have neighborhood friends, yes you have friends from sports, music, etc. That’s won-derful and of course these should be cherished. In ad-dition your Jewish friends, your child’s classmates and their families will have a big influence as your child reaches his or her teen years and heads off to college. For those students who see ST as a place to grow spirit-ually, they will have a haven. My favorite part of serving as Education Director is forming relationships with our families. We’ve had families cope with major illnesses, divorces, jobless-ness, and numerous other challenges. When our stu-dents come in Sundays, they know we at the synagogue are here for them. My second favorite part of serving as Education Di-rector is watching our students grow year after year. I watch family dynamics shift as the years progress. I am fortunate to work with students from K-12th grade. I believe we are now reaping the benefits of the solid foundation we have laid for our students over the years at Shaare Tefila. I take tremendous pride in watching our older students transition to become competent and trustworthy members of this community. Let’s keep this momentum going and build on it in the coming year. Aviva Janus, Education DIrector

Mr. and Mrs. Gold were worried—All their friend’s children had expressed their wishes about what they were going to grow up

to be… firemen, policeman, plumber, whatever. But their five year lod had said nothing about a future career. “I’ll tell you what

we’ll do,” said Mr. Gold. “We’ll put our boy in a room, all alone with only a bible, an apple and a silver dollar. If he reads the

bible, it means he’s going to be a rabbi. If he eats the apple he wants to be a farmer, and if he plays with the silver dollar, he’s

heading for banking.” So the parents left their boy alone in the room and waited for 1/2 an hour. Then they went in to see what

he was doing. They saw he was sitting on the bible, eating the appleand had put the silver dollar in his pocket! “What does that

mean?” asked Mrs. Gold. “It means he’s going to be a politician,” Mr. Gold replied.

Thanks to Joan Lichtman for this piece of humor.

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Save the Date!

JTS Evening of Learning

Great Debates in Judaism

Join scholars from The Jewish Theological Semi-nary to explore some of the great historical and

contemporary debates that lie at the heart of Jew-ish belief, behavior, and practice.

Sunday, March 13, 2016 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

B’nai Israel Congregation

6301 Montrose Rd

North Bethesda, MD

Sponsored in partnership with Adas Israel Congregation, Agudas Achim Congregation, Temple Beth Ami, Congre-gation Beth El of Montgomery County, Beth El Congre-gation, Congregation Beth Emeth, Beth Sholom Congre-gation, B’nai Israel Congregation, B’nai Shalom of Olney, Congregation B’nai Tzedek, Congregation Har Shalom, Kol Shalom, Congregation Olam Tikvah, Shaare Tefila Congregation, Shaare Torah, Tifereth Israel Congrega-tion, and The Foundation for Jewish Studies

MAH JONGG CARDS Isn't it amazing how quickly a year can fly by!! Well, it is once again time to order your new MAH JONGG CARDS through Sisterhood. Last year we earned $225 through this won-derful fundraiser. I would love to do even better this year. Standard Size $8.00 Large Print $9.00 Orders are due by January 22, 2016 Please make check payable to: Shaare Tefila Sisterhood You may print this notice and use it as an or-der form. Please include: How many cards: What size: Your name and address where you would like the card(s) sent: Please send your order to: Marilyn Pontell 6172 Wooded Run Drive Columbia, MD 21044

Social Action

Harmony Hills ES Social Action Project

I am pleased to report that for the second year in a row our community has helped con-siderably to brighten the holiday season for families living in the Aspen Hill area. We were able to buy gifts for children in ten families, 28 children total, with the average gift cost of $20. We were also able to give several of the families $20 Giant gift cards. Yes, of course we used scrip to buy those gift cards! Thank you to the shoppers and to the wrappers, including some of our teens. Thank you to the members who didn't attend our Sisterhood Dinner but still found out about our program and contributed generously. Harmony Hills, where I teach school, is so thrilled to have our support, along with several churches, and I promised to let you know how grateful the community is. Cathy Plotkin

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Successful Cantor Levin Tribute

Many thanks to the Cantor Levin Tribute Committee and to the

donors who made the day possible. The following list of contribu-

tors were omitted from the last Shofar issue.

Seth & Ellen Zarny; Zisel & Lydia Sansanowicz

Apologies from the Shofar Editor and the office staff

Your photos needed The Arts and Interiors Committee will be collecting and displaying photographs of the Shaare Tefila com-munity working, playing and praying. Depending on the response, this will be an ongoing display where we would periodically cycle through the photos. If you have any photographs that would be of interest, please forward them to photos@shaaretefila.org.

Potosky Thank you:

Maury and Charlotte Potosky wish to thank our Shaare Tefila family for their support for their team, Ben's Brigade and Sam's Club, at the Autism Speaks walk, in Washington DC, on October 3, 2015. Dona-tions are still coming in and the Potoskys raised over $12,500 out of a total of almost $500,000 for the walk. Maury is the second largest individual fund rais-er in the DC area, and their team, Ben's Brigade and Sam's Club, is the fourth largest team raiser in the DC area. Charlotte and Maury have two grandsons with severe autism and have been involved with autism fundraising for about 19 years.

Landscapes: Abstract and Familiar New show opens at Winer Family Gallery in January. Artists Judy Gilbert Levey and Edith Sievers will show their paintings from January 4 through February 28 in the Winer Family Gallery. A reception to meet the artists will be held in the gallery on Sunday, January 10 from 2 - 4 pm. Both artists paint land-scapes, but with strikingly different approaches. Judy Gilbert Levey, a Bethesda resident, works in oils on can-vas to create landscapes and still lifes. She paints locally year round and summers in Maine. Judy works at Studio B, located at the end of a tunnel at the Bethesda Metro station. Its location pro-vided the inspiration for the Metro Series of paintings included in this exhibit. Her daily observation of the riders on the Metro re-vealed the differences in: posture when riders are going in or exit-ing Metro; the changes from station to station; the effects of the seasons; and the impact of the construction on already claustro-phobic spaces. In these works, she explores the glow of color in the underground, the transition from outside space to the confines of a tunnel and the solitary experience of commuting in a crowd. Her work is available at www.judygilbertlevey.com. Throughout her career as an early childhood educator, Edith Sievers, also of Bethesda, has challenged young students to ex-press themselves creatively and explore the world around them through art. She painted recreationally until 2006 when she suc-cumbed to an old friend’s prompting to join her again at the ea-sel. She began a process of documenting her ideas with the use of colorful oil and acrylic paint and other materials. Having grown up in Tel Aviv, and lived in Hong Kong, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and Turkey, her work is influenced by the visual distinctions of these varied terrains. Her true passion is driven by her exploration of the abstract, juxtaposing lines, shapes, color and light. Edith finds painting outdoors exhilarating and a great opportunity to capture nature and its magnificent colors. Her work can be viewed at www.edithsievers.com.

Downtown- Judy Gilbert Levey

Grazing Home- Edith Sievers

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Last Month’s SISTERHOOD “Soup Meisters:”

The make two, take one Soup Fest

And here are some of the results of their labors.! .

Come and Join Shaare Tefila for a wonderful morning of Praying, Singing and Learning at our

Monthly Participatory Family Shabbat Service (For all families, especially those with children in Elementary or Middle School)

Saturday Mornings at 10:15 am

Dates for 2016 Calendar February 20, 2016, March 12, 2016, April 16, 2016, and May 21, 2016

For Children Age 2 thru Preschool, Join us for

Saturday mornings 10:30-11:30 am, Grosberg Baumgart Chapel

Shaare Tefila * 16620 Georgia Avenue * Olney, Maryland 20832 * 301-593-3410 www.shaaretefila.org

Turn your Friday night into an evening of spiritual happiness with good friends,

community, great conversation, and a delicious Kosher dinner

at

Shaare Tefila Monthly Shabbat Dinner Program (usually the first Friday of each month)

Shabbat dinners this year.....

2016 (all on Friday night) February TBA, March 4th, May 6th,

June 3 (End of Year BBQ)

So join us for this wonderful monthly Shabbat experience,

without it Friday is just another day! Interested in joining us? Please contact Jill Goldwater, Shaare Tefila Executive Director at jgoldwater@shaaretefila.org or phone at (301)593-3410, ext 101. We look forward to meeting you and hosting you and your family at a monthly Shabbat program/dinner. Shaare Tefila * 16620 Georgia Avenue * Olney, Maryland 20832 * 301-593-3410 www.shaaretefila.org

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Membership Shaare Tefila-ites had a wonderful time at this year's Pre-Hanukah dinner and festivities which was held on Friday, December 4, 2015. Young and seasoned congregants came togeth-er to be entertained by family improv entertain-

er Mike Read, prior to enjoying a delicious holiday dairy dinner (catered by Milk and Honey, Baltimore, MD ) com-plete with a delicious latke bar and yummy jelly donuts. Thank you to all our guests who attended and made this such a wonderful event. It's special times like this that makes Hyman and me and our family so thankful for our wonderful Shaare Tefila family. Holidays at Shaare Tefila are truly so meaningful and joyful. Shaare Tefila Membership Committee participated at this year Olney Holiday Market on Sunday, December 6, 2015. Membership volunteers Deborah Letow, Bess Teller, Fran Weiss, Melissa Felzenberg and VP Cilla Grosberg sold yummy potato latkes ( thank you Trader Joe’s for donating some of the latkes for this program) to help celebrate the start of Hanukah. Special thank you to Jeff Weiss and Hy-man Grosberg for their help with set up, tear down and de-livery of hot latkes for this event. Handouts on upcoming family programs like ST Friday night musical program with Sally Heckleman and congregants Josh Levin and Stacey Lynch, Family Shabbat Sevices, ST 5th annual Comedy Night (Saturday, February 6, 2016), and of course infor-mation about Gates of Discovery Pre-School and Chavaya Religious School. Our booth was hopping with good food, holiday spirit and old and new friends visiting the booth. Thank you to all who volunteered and those congregants who came by and visited our table to make this event so suc-cessful and memorable. The new secular year has arrived. It's hard to believe it is 2016. Take the time to reflect on the past year and make positive changes for the coming year. Shaare Tefila Mem-bership Committee is gearing up for several events in the coming year. For example a New Member Shabbat in Feb-ruary, a Chavurah/friendship group brunch in March, and several Prospective Open houses in March, April and May. Check upcoming Edaf newsletter for specifics dates to these programs. If you are outgoing, enthusiastic about your ST communi-ty, and enjoy meeting new people, then consider volunteer-ing on the ST Membership Committee. Membership is the life line of our synagogue. There are many components to our committee...outreach, welcoming committee and reten-tion programs (ie: Cafe ST, Chavurah coordinators). Sounds interesting...it is and quite rewarding. Contact Cilla Gros-berg, ST Membership VP at drgmrs@aol.com or phone at 301-384-8788...I will be happy to talk to you about the vari-ous volunteer opportunities on ST Membership committee. Wishing you and your families a very Happy and Healthy 2016. Cilla B. Grosberg, VP Membership

JEWISH CAMPING SHABBAT

At Family Shabbat Services

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Youth Speakers Hear from our Shaare Tefila youth about their

personal experiences at summer camp!

Camp Style Kiddush Enjoy camp food favorites

as we give Shabbat Kiddush a new twist!

Camping Games & Fun Come have some “fun in the sun” on a cold winter day

with indoor camp games and activities.

For more information contact:

Stefanie Levy, Youth Chair, at ssmdlevy@comcast.net

Lisa Arber, Youth Director, at arberld@aol.com

Family Havdallah & Games Night

Saturday, January 16th, 2016, 6 pm

Havdallah, Pasta Dinner and

Interactive Family Gaming!

For families with children K-12th

Don’t miss all of the fun! Cost: $ 12.00 adults $6.00 for Youth

Registration through Chaverweb

For more information, contact Lisa Arber: larber@shaaretefila.org

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Shaare Tefila Congregation

ISRAEL ON OUR MINDS

Presents

ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL

January 31, 2016, 3:00 pm

In “GETT”, an Israeli woman (Ronit Elkabetz) fights for three

years to obtain a divorce from her devout husband (Simon Abkari-

an), who refuses to grant his permission to dissolve the marriage.

While "Gett" makes unsettling points about what it means to be a

woman in a religiously conservative country, it also proves to be a

comedy-drama about the complexity of people and the elusiveness

of truth.

February 14, 2016, 3:00 pm

In “THE MATCHMAKER” Arik, a teenage boy growing up in

Haifa in 1968, gets a job working for Yankele Bride, a mysterious

Holocaust survivor matchmaker. Arik lives through a summer that

changes him forever. Avi Nesher's film mixes comedy with drama

as it tells a coming-of-age story unlike any you've ever seen before.

Cost: $6.00 w/popcorn Registration through

Chaverweb

For more information contact: Lisa Arber at larber@shaaretefila.org

Shaare Tefila Congregation

TU B’SHEVAT WITH A TWIST

FINDING YOUR ROOTS & CLIMB-

ING YOUR FAMILY TREE

Sunday, January 24th, 3:00 pm

Join your Shaare Tefila family to find out

how you can get started on the process of

exploring your own family genealogy.

Please bring along a photo/s of your family

to share and be displayed in our

Genealogy Museum. Lecture, Discussion,

and Workshop

Followed by: Tu B’Shevat Tasting

Cost: $12 Registration through Chaver-

web

Contact Lisa Arber, Special Programs Coordinator

for more information at:

larber@shaaretefila.org

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January Tributes

Andrea Z. Tilles Memorial Chesed Fund In Honor Of:

Adriana Sandler Jay & Joyce Feinstein Milt & Sue Goldsamt's

50th Anniversary Hal & Elaine Stein Milt & Sue Goldsamt's

50th Anniversary Jay & Joyce Feinstein Michael & Stefanie Levy Joe & Amy Federman

In Memory Of: Gil Beiser Milton & Susan Goldsamt Gil Beiser Ira & Ethel Levine

Gil Beiser Jay & Joyce Feinstein Gil Beiser Lionel & Charlotte Shapiro

Gil Beiser Maury & Charlotte Potosky Speedy Recovery To: Jacob Weiss Jay & Joyce Feinstein

Building Fund In Honor Of: Paul Tilles & Sheryl Sternberg’s Andrew & Marlene

engagement Sandberg In Memory Of: Gil Beiser Max Kantzer &

Patricia Greene Gil Beiser Robert & Audrey Haber

Speedy Recovery To: Gilda Kuritzky Bill & Barbara Harkaway Chumash Dedication In Memory Of: Gil Beiser Jill Wollins

Education Fund In Honor Of: Cantor Levin Tribute Committee Sherry Cohen & Patricia Greene

Fran Kensky - Kallat Torah May Savage Howard Horowitz Eric & Kathleen Greenberg

Marilyn & George Kessler

25th Anniversary May Savage

Milt & Sue Goldsamt's

50th Anniversary Jack & Bess Teller

Milt & Sue Goldsamt's

50th Anniversary May Savage

Milt & Sue Goldsamt's

50th Anniversary Samuel Klausner

Milt & Sue Goldsamt's

50th Anniversary Saul & Sherry Cohen

Milt & Sue Goldsamt's

50th Anniversary Stan & Judy Baldinger

Milt & Sue Goldsamt's

50th Anniversary The Fuchsberg Family Saul Cohen's 70th Birthday May Savage

Shaare Tefila Benson & Ellen King Stan Kensky—Chatan Breishit May Savage

Tal Arber's Bar Mitzvah Lionel & Charlotte Shapiro In Memory Of: Albert Edelstein Yvonne Edelstein

Albert Kisliuk Bernice Kisliuk Alex Federman Milton & Susan Goldsamt

Anna Sanders Michael & Stefanie Levy Anne Katz Larry & Ellie Alpert

Bradley Goldstein Morty & Ina Goldstein Cecile Bornstein Sandra Balsam

Clarence Kuritzky Gilda Kuritzky David Shein Linda Shein

Ecille Shapiro Ralph Shapiro Esther Sokolowsky Gilda Kuritzky

Fannie Waganheim Zelick & Carol Waganheim Gil Beiser Al Kliman

Gil Beiser Alan & Judith Gann Gil Beiser Amy Alvord

Gil Beiser Ann Loeb Gil Beiser Barbara Feldman

Gil Beiser Beverly Greenberg Gil Beiser David Richardson &

Marcia Cohn Gil Beiser Edwin & Adele Cohen

Gil Beiser Elizabeth Exler Kemp Gil Beiser Ellen Meyerson

Gil Beiser Fran Olson Gil Beiser Jack & Bess Teller

Gil Beiser John & Irma McNelia Gil Beiser Judith Izenberg

Gil Beiser Larry & Ellie Alpert Gil Beiser Larry & Rochelle Abramson

Gil Beiser Linda Agranov Gil Beiser Marvin Schneider

Gil Beiser Morty & Ina Goldstein Gil Beiser Rhoda Baron

Gil Beiser Robert & Rochelle Lowenthal

Gil Beiser Sandra Greer Gil Beiser Saul & Sherry Cohen

Gil Beiser Sylvia Glaser Henry Goldman Philip Goldman

Herbert Samuel Jacqueline Samuel Ira Brookner Elaine Schenberg

James Ebert Helen Sandler Joe Golfer Anne Golfer

Julius Marcus Charles & Barbara Marcus Leonard Tracer Harvey & Judy Peritt

Louis Shapiro Ralph Shapiro Max Sokolowsky Gilda Kuritzky

Michael Waganheim Zelick & Carol Waganheim Phyllis Kuritzky Gilda Kuritzky

Raymond Waganheim Zelick & Carol Waganheim Samuel Friedman Lila Rosloff

Sidney Shein Eugene & Joan Bardach

PAGE 12

The Shofar

Speedy Recovery To: Gilda Kuritzky May Savage

Rita Rubinstein Ila Swartz Rita Rubinstein Lee Lunden

Harold Fink Israel Quest Fund In Memory Of: Gil Beiser Barbara Fink Steven Porton Barbara Fink

Gil Beiser V.J. Roux Machzor Dedication In Honor Of: Abby Marshall's Bat Mitzvah May Savage

Milt & Sue Goldsamt's

50th Anniversary Rita Rubinstein

Tal Arber’s Bar Mitzvah May Savage Tal Arber's Bar Mitzvah Rita Rubinstein

In Memory Of: Cantor Gershon Levin Rita Rubinstein Gil Beiser Allen & Sondra Hochhouser

Gil Beiser Audrey Hatry Gil Beiser Bill & Barbara Harkaway

Gil Beiser Julian Rosenberg & Zella Shabasson

Martin S. Halpern Adult Education Fund In Memory Of: Gil Beiser Rose Halpern Steven Porton Milton & Susan Goldsamt

Speedy Recovery To: Rita Rubinstein Rose Halpern Wendy Abraham Rose Halpern

Nathan Rubinstein Youth Fund In Memory Of: Gil Beiser Rita Rubinstein Speedy Recovery To: Rita Rubinstein Bill & Barbara Harkaway

Rita Rubinstein Maury & Charlotte Potosky Rita Rubinstein May Savage

Rabbi's Discretionary Fund In Honor Of: Eytan Layman May Savage Eytan Layman Peggy Slade

Rabbi Layman Judith Beiser Rabbi Layman Max Kantzer &

Patricia Greene Rabbi Robert Layman May Savage

Robert Layman Andrew & Marlene Sandberg

In Memory Of: Bess Gerzog Peggy Slade

Gil Beiser Howard & Fredi Leisersohn

Gil Beiser Johann & Kenneth Dretchen

Gil Beiser Liane Lunden Gil Beiser Paula Kirwan

Gil Beiser Peggy Slade Louis Shapiro Ralph Shapiro

Speedy Recovery To: Biddie Ginsberg Peggy Slade Rita Rubinstein Peggy Slade

Shabbat and Yom Tov Fund Speedy Recovery To: Rita Rubinstein Liane Lunden Siddur Dedication In Honor Of: Charles Futrovsky Jack & Bess Teller

Ira Kolmaister Jack & Bess Teller In Memory Of:

Shaare Tefila Congregation

6th-8th Graders Going Out on the Town!

Registration being handled through Chaverweb to take advantage

of $20 early bird pricing. Shaare Youth do not have to be mem-

bers of regional Kadima to attend this program, but please register

by January 4th!

For more information contact Lisa Arber, Youth Director,

larber@shaaretefila.org.

The Shofar Shaare Tefila Congregation

301-593-3410

www.shaaretefila.org or info@shaaretefila.org Rabbi Jonah Layman Rabbi Emeritus Martin S. Halpern, Z”L Cantor Emeritus Gershon E. Levin, Z”L President Hyman Grosberg Executive Director Jill Goldwater Education Director Aviva Janus Early Education Director Beth Adler Family, Youth and Special Programs Director Lisa Arber Shofar Editor-in-Chief Jack Teller Shofar Editor Wendy Abraham Shofar Office Staff Sara Miller

SHAARE TEFILA

16620 Georgia Avenue

Olney, Maryland 20832

301 593 3410

Click here for our Calendar