December 2014

Coming Events at Beit Haverim December 2014 3

Confirmation Class

6:00PM

BH

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Shabbat Service led by Rabbi Berg and Ann Brown and Religious School grades 4/5—Birthday Blessings!

7:00PM

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Religious School Board of Trustees Meeting Hebrew School

2:30PM 2:30PM 4:30PM

BH BH BH

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Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class

7:00PM

BH

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Shabbat Service led by Rabbi Berg and Ann Brown

7:00PM

BH

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Torah Study led by Rabbi Berg

10:00AM

BH

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Religious School Bagels & Blox Hebrew School

2:30PM 3:00PM 4:30PM

BH BH BH

Phone: 503-568-1241

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Confirmation Class

6:00PM

BH

Email : office@beithav.org

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Latke Making Home of Karin Stolz

9:30AM

BH

19

Congregational Chanukah Dinner Shabbat Service led by Rabbi Berg and Ann Brown

6:00PM 7:00PM

BH BH

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Torah Study led by Rabbi Berg

10:00AM

BH

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No Services

Rabbi Alan Berg Cantorial Soloist Ann Brown Shabbat Services Fridays at 7:00 p.m. at Beit Haverim 1111 Country Club Rd. Lake Oswego, OR 97034

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 311 Lake Oswego OR 97034 Rabbi’s Hours: by appointment

Website www.beithav.org

Beit Haverim is an open, inviting, and spiritually alive Jewish community, located just outside of Portland, Oregon in Lake Oswego. We welcome everyone to our Reform congregation of Jews by birth, Jews by choice and Jews at heart.

FROM Rabbi Alan Berg Chanukah Service, Feast and Party Shabbat December 19 The International House Of Latkes and The Great Chanukiah Challenge Dear Friends, Like most of you, I’m ready for a toasty latke, and Chanukah at Beit Haverim promises the greatest latkes and more.

For one thing we have this unique enterprise called the Great Chanukiah Challenge. Children of all ages, young and old –there is no age limit for fun – will create and display in the sanctuary and in the social hall during our party and service on Friday night December 19 – a creative Chanukiah made out of any materials, including latkes, of the artists choosing.

A dedicated group of latke no-sous-all-exec chefs will be preparing and meeting to present to us the greatest latkes in the universe. It’s only humility that keeps me calling Beit Haverim on Chanukah just the international house of latkes, rather than extend that deserved appellation to include the heavens. Though our latkes are heavenly. Thank you to the Latke Squad.

Our service that evening will have a festive feel as well. Ann Brown always brings us a special group of songs for each holiday, and Chanukah songs are among Judaism’s best.

I am still touched year after year by Ma a-Tzor Rock of ages. At the heart of all of our traditions Chanukah is, for me, a spiritual holiday. I identify with the message of religious freedom, and creating light in the midst of darkness. It’s a time of miracles and faith.

I hope there’s a miracle for you this Chanukah.

Warmly, Rabbi Alan Berg.

December, 2014

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Letter From Our President, Sue Greenspan As we enter the holiday season, Jews remember the Macabees, Mattathias and his five sons, who fought against the Syrian troops, repaired and rebuilt the temple, and rededicated the temple. This yearly remembrance is known as Chanukah -- the Festival of Lights, the commemoration of the eight days during which the temple was rededicated.

All through our Jewish History, we have focused on different people who made a difference in sustaining our Jewish religion.

This month and in the coming months I want to focus of members of Beit Haverim who have made a difference in the life of Beit Haverim.

Every Sunday, during religious school Tefillah, the students are lead in prayer and song by both Rabbi Berg and their own cantor, Mark Newman (aka Cantor Mark, as the children refer to him). For years, he has voluntarily given up his Sunday afternoons to teach the students the music that has become one of the cornerstones of our temple. Besides, playing his guitar, Mark has erected our annual Sukkah for the children to decorate and for the congregation to hold Sukkot Shabbat Service.

Mark is also a very talented wood artist. As you drive by Beit Haverim along Country Club Road, you will notice the beautiful signage, created by Mark, that exhibits the logo of our Congregation. When the Torah is being read, it is placed upon the Torah Holder, again created by Mark. He also crafts beautiful furniture that can be found in many places throughout Portland.

Mark is a long-time member of the Board of Trustees for Beit Haverim, and for many years has headed the Pledge Committee.

Another Board Member that enhances our congregation’s music is Judith Kleinstein. Judith is a very versatile musician who sings in the choir, plays the piano, and has donated recorder lessons at our many fundraisers.

Judith is also in charge of coordinating the Beit Haverim choir – doing a great job keeping in touch with all choir members, recruiting new members, and scheduling rehearsals during the High Holy Days, the All-music Shabbat and other special events.

Judith is also a former teacher, and in her spare time is a substitute teacher, tax preparer, and chaplain in area hospitals.

The blast of the Shofar heard throughout the synagogue during the High Holy Days is from another of our very talented Beit Haverim musicians. Allan Kalik, one of temple’s Shofar blowers, has directed our Beit Haverim choir for many years. He gives of himself not only at the services, but at the many rehearsals that take place before the holidays and other performances so the choir will be at their best.

Allan, an outstanding trumpeter, is also a music teacher and the member of a group that plays venues throughout the Portland area. Not only is Allan a dedicated musician, but when illness struck a several choir members during the High Holy Days, his father and son stepped in to round out the voices of the Beit Haverim choir.

A big thank you goes out to Mark, Judith, Allan, and the other many talented members that have dedicated their time to enhancing the music at our Services.

Don’t forget to make reservations for the Chanukah Dinner! Space is limited, so make your reservations now.

December, 2014

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December Events 4/5 Grade led Shabbat Service and Birthday Blessings Friday, December 5, 7:00PM Please join us when our 4th and 5th grade religious school students will be leading services.

This is a great opportunity for families to participate in a Shabbat service, meet our members and find out more about our programming for children.

All are welcome.

Bagels and Blox Sunday, December 14, 3:00PM This fall, the Beit Haverim Religious School welcomes 2, 3, and 4 year-olds and their parents to a celebration of Judaism through creative arts and play. Please come and join the fun! This free, family program will be held on Sundays during the Hebrew school year from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.

The Toddler program will be brimming with activities including Hebrew and English sing-a-longs with guitar accompaniment, storytelling, art activities, and more. You and your Toddler will experience firsthand the joys of learning about Jewish holidays and events in a delightful, memorable fashion.

For more information about our programs, including our free Toddler program and our once per week K-7 religious and Hebrew school, please contact Heather Kirkbride.

Chanukah Festival Sunday, December 14, 3:00PM The Festival of Lights is almost here.

Join the Beit Haverim Religious School on and learn the story of Chanukah, make a Chanukah craft, play dreidel and feast on latkes and sufganiyots.

Celebrate the spirit! Everyone welcome.

December, 2014

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December Events Latke Making Thursday, December 18, 9:30AM At the home of Karin Stolz Calling all Latke Mavens! Come join the fun. We will be making latkes for the Chanukah dinner and need your help.

Bring an electric fry pan if you have it. Let Karin know if you are able to be there.

Coffee and tea will be provided. Please bring a snack to share.

RSVP: Please email or call 971-219-3484

The Great Chanukiah Challenge & Dinner/Shabbat Service Friday, Dec. 19th, 6:00 PM Dinner followed by Shabbat Service Join us as our community comes together to celebrate the Festival of Lights. Dinner will include roasted chicken, a vegetarian option, salad, and of course, Latkes.

Don't forget to bring your handcrafted Chanukah menorah for the Great Chanukiah Challenge! Put your creativity to work and make a unique menorah out of just about anything. All the wonderful creations will be displayed the entire evening, and everyone who participates -- kids and adults -- will get a prize.

You do not need to be present at dinner to attend Shabbat Service.

Limited Seating - Make your Reservations Today Due to space limitations we are unable to accept walk-ins.

Create the Chanukah menorah of your dreams. Make it out of clay, legos, paper mache, cookie dough, paper towel rolls, stones you find on a hike, tinker toys, or anything else you can imagine or find around your house.

Here’s an idea: make an Israel Menorah with a map of Israel and a candle on each of eight important sites, or make an Airport Menorah and put a candle on top of each of eight planes. Or make a Disney Menorah with a candle in each of eight Disney characters.

Make up anything you think you can make. Simple or complex, it’s all meant to be fun.

Bring your creative chanukiah to the temple’s Shabbat Chanukah service and party on December 19, we will give you a chance to introduce it, to talk about making it, and to display it through the evening.

Please come early so we can display your creation on the great display tables. The evening begins at 6!

December, 2014

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Congregational Meeting Look for Your Congregational Meeting Invitation Dear Friends, The temple is important to all of us.

It’s time for a check-in with our members. In a few weeks you will receive a letter inviting you to one of five congregation meetings that will be held in January and February.

We are interested in learning your thinking about worship, study, education and community at Beit Haverim. Our goal is have a discussion with you in a relaxed setting to consider how our temple can evolve coherently and cohesively.

Thinking about creating a more deeply rooted and Jewishly dynamic Beit Haverim requires us to think of ourselves as servants of a larger mission.

That is the spirit that motivates these congregational meetings What lies ahead for Beit Haverim?

Along with temple leaders, I look forward to seeing you through our discussions, creating that answer together.

What are you seeking at the temple?

These meetings will give you an opportunity to visit with our leadership.

It may be that the most important result of these meetings is just getting to know each other that much better.

Looking forward to great discussions, Rabbi Alan Berg

New Member Corner Diane Lund and Michael Muzikant Diane Lund and Michael Muzikant together have 4 grown children -- and 8 grandchildren scattered across the country -- in Boston, Plymouth, Michigan and Beaverton.

Diane is a health care journalist and currently the editor of The Lund Report, an online news publication that looks into the finances of Oregon's hospitals and insurance companies as well as digging into what's going on behind the scenes in the health care industry.

Michael is a retired pharmacist, having most recently worked for Safeway and earlier ran his own pharmacy on the corner of 28th and East Burnside.

They both love traveling, have an active social life, enjoy classical and jazz music, the theater, the arts and also taking classes at Portland State University. They look forward to meeting new friends at Beit Haverim and becoming an active part of the community.

December, 2014

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Tributes & Memorials In honor of 

Thank you to the Stolz family for your donation in honor of Fred Schwartz’s speedy recovery

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Thank you to the Sahni family for your donation in honor of Dr. Phillip Rothman

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Thank you to Heather Kirkbride for your donation in honor of the 6th/7th grade led Shabbat Donations help your Beit Haverim Community Thrive!

Donations to Beit Haverim can be made in honor of a loved one's simcha (special occasion), in memory of a loved one, or "just because."

Click here to make your on line donation! Thank you!

Community News and Notables Help us share community news and notables. We'll include community members' simchas and acknowledgments of life event struggles and condolences. Let us know if you received an award/honor, earned a promotion, welcomed a new addition to your family, celebrated a special anniversary or occasion, are mourning a special person or healing from an illness or surgery.

Email Gabrielle Williams (photos welcome) or call the office at 503-568-1241. We hope to hear from you!

Pet Loss Support Our member, Sharon Rose, is offering pet loss support for other members of Beit Haverim at no cost. Sharon is certified to do this.

If you need some help, you can just call or email Sharon and she will be happy to talk with you as you go through your grief process. Email Sharon or call her at (503) 352-5045.

Amazon Shopping Earns $'s For Beit Haverim Just use this link here when you make your purchases through Amazon and Beit Haverim earns a percent of your spending. Be sure to share the link with family and friends - it really adds up!

December, 2014

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Committee Updates Service Project for Youth Tikkun olam means "repairing the world" or "healing the world" which suggests humanity's shared responsibility to heal, repair and transform the world. A simple way that our youth can “heal� someone less fortunate is through a service project like blessing bags. These are ziplock bags filled with items that will be donated to Transitional Youth, who actively work to reduce youth homelessness in the Portland/Southwest Washington area. The items below are the suggested items for the bags: Chapstick Toothbrush Toothpaste Gloves Small sewing kits Band aides Floss Hand sanitizer $5 gift cards (example: Dollar Tree, Fast food restaurants, Target,etc.)

Please place the items in the bin at the Temple. If you have questions or would like to help on the day of the project, please contact Heather Kirkbride.

Volunteer Opportunity within the Religious School We are in need of volunteers. YOU are very important to our program! The success of our religious education program depends on the dedicated individuals in our congregation willing to share their time, talents and knowledge with our future, the children. We encourage all our members, as well as parents of children in our program to help.

I am looking for members who would be willing to substitute in the classroom on Sundays, help set up snacks on Sunday, and classroom aides for a second set of hands when needed.

Please let Heather Kirkbride know if you are interested in these or the many other volunteer opportunities that are available.

Friday Night Shabbat Clean Up The Congregation is looking for people that would be willing to come a few minutes early to Shabbat Services and help set up for the Oneg and then spend a few minutes after cleaning up. This would entail setting up the Bema, pouring wine, putting cookies on trays, and wiping down the counters.

If you are interested, please call Allison at the Temple Office at 503-568-1241. She will assign you a date and a board member to work with.

December, 2014

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Committee Updates Dear Friends,

As you know, Tikkun Olam is an ongoing attempt to make our community and our world a happier place. To that end, we have a number of important drives going on.

As you will recall, we have been collecting new and gently used toys and gifts for foster kids in conjunction with Jahleel Heath's Bar Mitzvah project. We are also collecting dance shoes of any kind with Matigan Williams for her Bat Mitzvah project.

Now, we are beginning a new project that may be of particular interest to women. In conjunction with our Annual Women's Led Shabbat Service, we are working with our member, Leslie Peltz and the organization she works with, CODA. CODA is a vibrant, community-focused agency committed to forging creative ways to address alcohol and drug dependency as well as mental health issues for the most vulnerable residents of our community. The Gresham Recovery Center includes residential treatment for women. There are 22 women and many have their babies or young children living with them while they are in treatment. Most of these women come to us with minimal personal possessions including clothing. They are able to provide clothing, diapers and baby/child equipment and supplies through Northwest Children’s Outreach, but have no source for the full figure bras that many of the women need. These bras typically cost $45-$50 through retailers like Lane Bryant and Kohl’s, and CODA needs 12 to 14 a year.

Here's where WE come in! Ladies, do you have any gently worn or new plus size bras? If not, would you be willing to make a donation to a special fund for purchasing some? CODA is a 501 (C) (3) organization, so contributions are tax exempt.

Please bring any bras you have to the Women's Service on January 16th.

You may send checks to the office or bring them with you to the service. Make them out to Beit Haverim with the memo "bra fund" or make them out to CODA with the same memo. As women, we know how important this matter is. You can make a donation on the Beit Haverim web page, too. Just specify "bra fund".

Thanks as always for your help.

Barbara Gold December, 2014

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NEWS Save the Date for Beit Haverim's Fundraiser March 14, 2015, 6pm—dinner Venue: TBA Start working on your trivia skills and getting a team ready for Beit Haverim's Trivia Night Fundraiser.

The evening will start with a delicious catered dinner followed by an rousing game of trivia.

Stay tuned, details to follow!

Save the Date B’nai Mitzvah January 10, 2015 April 18, 2015 April 25, 2015 June 20, 2015 August 29, 2015 November 14, 2015

Natalie Goldberg Caden Ellertson Matigan Williams Zack Friedman Gabriel Horwitz Jahleel Heath

Blood drive January 9, 2015, 2-5PM Please consider donating blood at the upcoming Red Cross Blood Drive at Beit Haverim. If you've never donated before, please know that this effort could help save up to three lives. All the money in the world cannot save someone's life who needs blood. Because blood cannot be manufactured -- it can only come from generous donors. The process, including the interview and snack time, only takes about an hour -- an hour that reaps life-saving rewards.

To schedule a time to donate blood, click here and enter the Sponsor Code: BeitHaverim. Sign up early to get the time that works best for you. If you have any questions or need help with sign up, email Dena Gutterman.

December, 2014

April, 2014

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Community Events A Clear Choice for a Better Future: A discussion on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Tuesday, Dec 9, 7:00PM Mittleman Jewish Community Center, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland These are challenging times for the pro-Israel, pro-peace community. But peace if vital, and there is no viable alternative to a two-state solution. The Gaza conflict this summer underscored a harsh reality: the lack of a political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict means a never-ending cycle of death and destruction, providing neither long-term security for Israel nor freedom and justice for Palestinians. The status-quo cannot be maintained.

Is It All Bad News? Israel and the International Media Wednesday, December 10, 7:00 PM Mittleman Jewish Community Center, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland Col. Miri Eisin explains the dynamics of the news coverage in Israel and provides an inside account of working with the international media outlets, editors and correspondents. Is Israel really losing the PR war? Should Israel have a different approach?

FREE / NO RSVPs Eisin served in the Israeli intelligence community, retiring from active duty at the rank of full colonel in 2004. After retiring, Miri served as the Israeli Prime Minister's international media advisor until 2007. She is a senior fellow at at Bar Ilan University and works extensively with the media, student groups, and diplomats. Questions? Contact us at bob@jewishportland.org or call 503-245-6496.

Israelian Dance Troupe Yossi Berg & Oded Graf December 11-13, 8:00PM Lincoln Hall, Portland State University White Bird Dance is bringing the Israelian modern dance troupe Yossi Berg & Oded Graf to PSU as part of their Uncaged series.

Naomi Angier and Leslie Bratschi are attending on Sat. Dec. 13. Click here for more information on the troupe and how to purchase tickets.

April, 2014 2014 December,

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In the Beit Haverim Community Yarzheits

Birthdays Deanna Wiegler

December 1

Emily Steingrebe

December 3

Mark Lewinsohn

December 4

Michael Prozan

December 5

Lester Deasis

December 7

Gabriel Langhaus Moss

December 7

Daniel Greenspan

December 8

John Moss

December 9

Adam Muzikant

December 10

Kyle Alan Landskroner

December 13

Barbara Brady

December 18

Brian Schwartz

December 18

Edyn Pilkington

December 20

Steve Sherman

December 20

Mary Maxwell

December 24

Mitchell Blatt

December 27

Sidra Leah Cohen-Mallon December 29 Cathy Newman

December 29

Logan Spear

December 31

Anniversaries Jo-Ann & John Moss

December 9

Judy & Bob Silverforb

December 30

Gail & Joe Greenman

December 31

August, 2014

Adolf Newman December 1 Grandfather of Constance Dorreman Norman Greenspan December 2 Father of Dan Greenspan Harry Newman December 4 Father of Mark Newman Ruth Boro December 5 Mother of Leslie Bratschi Jesse Levine December 6 Father of Gail Feinstein Paul Wiegler December 6 Father of Barry Wiegler Sarah Berkowitz December 7 Mother of Hannah Berkowitz Sarah Abrams December 8 Mother of Barbara Gold, Grandmother of Janet Sahni Norman Cohen December 10 Father of Carol Cohen Leonard Yospe December 10 Husband of Florence Yospe Wayne Hamilton December 13 Remembered by Barry & Deanna Wiegler Leela Donley December 14 Mother-in-law of Constance Dorreman Harry Muzikant December 17 Michael Muzikant & Diane Lund Irene Olson December 17 Mother of Brian Olson Marlen Rabiroff December 17 Father of Robin Rabiroff Sandra Kalik December 19 Mother of Allan Kalik David Trosty December 24 Son of Francia and Ronald Trosty Mildred Siegel December 25 Mother of Diane Lund Ruth Macovsky December 30 Louis & Jamie Macovsky

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