Temple Beth Sholom – In the Center of the Action – Orange County's oldest Reform Jewish Temple

Have you ever wondered how to find an actual portion in the Torah?  Join Cantor Reinwald for a workshop on what to look for and how to build the skill of identifying a starting place in any portion.  Bring your Hebrew thinking cap and a sense of curiosity, and you will get hands-on experience in how to do this.  Please RSVP to Cantor Reinwald at dreinwald@tbsoc.com.

Please join us for a lively discussion of My Russian Grandmother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner: A Family Memoir, by the acclaimed Israeli author, Meir Shalev on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Library. Rabbi Donnell and Soni Sanberg will be the facilitators.

Let us introduce you to Grandma Tonia who arrived in Palestine from Russia in 1923. Armed with her ever present cleaning rag, Tonia takes on all dirt-bearing intruders with ferocious intensity and a threat to “…take chunks out of you!”  She is an obsessive-compulsive warrior, battling chaos, change and dirt. Yet beneath the humorous narrative lies a touching tale of the pain of disconnection and the challenges involved in creating a new and meaningful life.
Please remember Grandma Tonia receives her visitors outdoors and “…allows only the most privileged guests to enter her spotless house.” Be on your best behavior…

The book is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kindle and Nook.

PLEASE RSVP FOR THE BOOK REVIEW HERE!

10:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. (Social Hall)

Back by popular demand!  Many of us spend our leisure time in front of the television.  But not all of that time is wasted as much can be learned from an hour of quality viewing.  In each of the two sessions (January 6 & 13, 2013) of this course we will view an episode of a popular program and analyze its Jewish content.  Using rabbinic texts we will also discuss the ethical issues presented in the particular story.  Of course, we will have what every good couch potato needs, coffee cake, fresh coffee and food for thought! We hope to see you there. The cost of the class is $7.00 per class/members and $14.00 per class/non-members, included for FLC famlies. RSVP Online or call Marla in the TBS office at 714-628-4620.

The Hebrew alphabet is the essence of the art of Mordechai Rosenstein. “The flowing forms of the letters have been an inspiration to me since my youth.” Mordechai’s love of these forms is evident in every piece he creates. His vibrant shapes and colors enhance synagogue interiors, tapestries, paintings, murals, and silk screen prints.

His unique style evolved as a result of various influences. He was a member of the first graduating class of Akiba Hebrew Academy. While studying at The Philadelphia College of Art, Abstract Expressionist professor Franz Kline profoundly influenced Rosenstein. By uniting his interest in Judaica and painting, Rosenstein has given a contemporary meaning to the art of Hebrew calligraphy. View more samples of his artwork on his website.

Mordechai Rosenstein will be with us at TBS, December 12-16. Please see the schedule below, and mark your calendar with these dates and events

Wednesday, December 12

• Noon-1:00 p.m. – Talmud Lunch and Learn with Mordechai Rosenstein

Friday, December 14

• 11:00-Noon:  Preschool Activities with Mordechai Rosenstien
• 6:15 p.m.: Chanukah Dinner and Shabbat Service (7:30 p.m.)
  Mordechai Rosenstein will participate in our Shabbat Service with special storytelling through his art.

Saturday, December 15

• 9:15 a.m.: Torah Study – Art as Text
  Join us to hear our Artist in Residence discuss how his art depicts and represents Jewish text.
  
• 4:30-6:30 p.m.:  Art, Wine and Cheese Reception at Chemers Gallery
  (17300 17th Street # G  Tustin, CA 92780)
  Meet artist, Mordechai Rosenstein and browse a selection of his finest pieces. Artwork will be available for purchase. This event is Free and open to the public. Bring a friend, and stop by for a glass of wine, a nosh and great conversation!

Sunday, December 16

• 9:30-noon: Religious School Activities with Mordechai Rosenstein
  Religious School students, their parents and grandparents are invited to create a take-home artwork co-signed by the artist.

Scholar in Residence – Rabbi Amy Scheinerman
Friday, October 19 – Sunday, October 21, 2012
Rabbi Amy Scheinerman is an energetic, engaging speaker and teacher who brings her unique insight to Talmudic and Jewish texts alive for everyone. Join us for a series of programs with Rabbi Amy Scheinerman during the weekend of October 19-21.

Friday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Shabbat Evening Services at TBS
What is Talmud? (Come see!) What’s in it for us? (Everything!)

Saturday, October 20 at 9:15-10:15 a.m.
Torah Study in the TBS Library
Human dignity: reality or lip service?
The term “human dignity” is frequently bantered about, yet civility in the political realm is in short supply. Our Sages struggled with these same issues in their lives and found solutions we can use.

Saturday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Dessert and Coffee at the home of Len and Susan Silberman
Cost: $5
Can Leaders and Politicians Play Nicely in the Sandbox?
Competition, political ideology, ignited tempers, conspiracy — not only in 21st Century American politics, but also in the 1st Century House of Study. What wisdom can we glean for our own time?
RSVP Required, space is limited.

Sunday, October 21 at 10:00 a.m. in the TBS Social Hall
Sisterhood Brunch
Radical Women Behind the Scenes in Egypt
Rabbi Amy Scheinerman will be the keynote speaker at Sisterhood’s Member Brunch on Sunday, October 21. By joining Sisterhood, you will get a FREE fabulous brunch AND have the opportunity to hear Rabbi Scheinerman.
Download the RSVP Form here.

Sermons:
July 06           Parashat Balak – “On Free Speech and Speaking Freely: Lessons from the Hafetz Haim”
July 13           Parashat Pinhas – “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice: Was Goldwater thinking about Pinhas perhaps?”
July 20           Parashat Matot/Masei – “When the Journey Comes to the End:  What is Your Promised Land?”

Torah Tuesdays at Twilight:
July 3
Ecclesiastes and the Meaning of Life: The Book of Ecclesiastes is rich in wisdom and beautiful poetry.  Its ancient questions about the meaning of life are as relevant today as they were when they were first composed millennia ago.  Our first Tuesday will be spent looking at this often misunderstood great Jewish philosopher whose work ranks him among the great sages of the ancient world.

July 10
Lamentations: Why Now?
It is traditional to read the book of Lamentations on Tisha B’Av which falls on July 29^th this year.  In preparation for the sacred and solemn observance we will take a look at this book mourning the destruction of Jerusalem and exile of the Jews during the days of the prophet Jeremiah.  We will explore its poetry and plumb the depths of its message.  We will also discuss the relevance and centrality of Jerusalem for Jews and Judaism today.

July 17
An Evening with a Good Book 2: To the End of the Land, by David Grossman (The book is available on iBooks, Nook Books, and Kindle)
A reprise of our acclaimed literary evening with Soni Sanberg and Rabbi Donnell reflecting on a novel by a significant Israeli author. Here are some excerpts from the review in the New York Times:

This novel is, on the one hand, a retelling of Truffaut’s “Jules and Jim,” in which two guys, best friends, fall in love with the same girl. Ora, the girl in this novel, is emotional, introspective, filled with an ability to notice and an ability to love. As for the boys, Ilan is rational, vulnerable, brittle, oddly needy and nerdy; and Avram is impulsive, brilliant, super­intelligent, larger than life. Having loved them both, Ora finally decides to marry Ilan, and they have a son, Adam; a few years later, made pregnant by Avram, she has a second son, Ofer, who is brought up as though he were Ilan’s child.

With her husband and elder son away in South America, Ora arranges to go on a hike with Ofer when his time with the military is up. Instead, he re-enlists. Ora must again live in fear of the “notifiers” from the army, who might call in the night, knocking on her door to deliver bad news.

Rather than staying at home and waiting, however, Ora settles on an almost magical way of keeping her son safe: she will not be there for the notifiers if they call. She will go to the north of Israel without a phone, where no one can notify her of anything, and she will hike south and not listen to news. She will find Avram, the boy’s father, and she will make him come with her.  The novel traces what happens as they walk and talk.

In a note at the conclusion of his somber, haunting new novel, “To the End of the Land,” he [Grossman] explains that he began writing it in May 2003 — around the same time he wrote that introduction, six months before the end of his older son’s military service and a year and a half before his younger son, Uri, enlisted. “At the time,” he writes, “I had the feeling — or rather, a wish — that the book I was writing would protect him… On Aug. 12, 2006,” Grossman continues, “in the final hours of the Second Lebanon War, Uri was killed in Southern Lebanon.” By that time, most of this book “was already written. What changed, above all, was the echo of the reality in which the final draft was written.”

By COLM TOIBIN (Published: September 23, 2010)

Lunch N’ Learn:
July 16 (Mon):  “The Upcoming Elections in Israel.  What Happened to Them?  What Does the New Coalition Portend for the Prospects for Peace and the Confrontation with Iran?”

5:00 p.m. – Erev Shavuot and Yizkor Service
6:00 p.m. – Shavuot Dinner
6:45 p.m. – Shavuot Learning with Rabbi Cohen, Cantor Reinwald and April Akiva

Join us on Saturday, May 26 at 6:00 p..m. for a Shavuot dairy dinner (think cheese fondue and gourmet mac and cheese!!), and an evening of learning.

RSVP for Dinner here.

by Wendy Mogel, Ph.D

Monday, May 14, 2012
7:00-9:00 p.m. | Library

Sponsored by the TBS Sisterhood
Co-led by April Akiva and Lori Glasky

Social-clinical psychologist Mogel concentrates on the hidden blessings of raising teenagers in this engaging follow-up to The Blessing of a Skinned Knee. Intermingling wisdom and guidelines from Judaism and adolescent psychology, Mogel compares the teen years to the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. As kids wander in the “desert” of adolescence, she advises parents to offer counsel and guidance, demonstrate empathy without entanglement, and resist the urge to intervene or rescue. In chapters peppered with true-to-life examples and humor, Mogel examines the blessings of a B minus, staying up late, hangovers, breaking the rules, and a variety of other teen topics, urging parents not just to look on the bright side, but to help kids benefit from the learning opportunities inherent in difficult situations.

1 FLC Credit

Jewish Hollywood Heritage Bus Tour
9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Join us for a great day of fun and learning about the history of Jewish Hollywood. Our day will begin with at the historic Saban Theater in Beverly Hills with guest speaker Marc Wanamaker, author of History of the Jewish Presence in Hollywood. Marc will give us great insight into the beginnings of Hollywood, and share the contributions of the Jewish people that helped create this empire. We will then make our way over to West Hollywood for Lunch at Canter’s Delicatessen, which is also rich in Jewish history (and great food). Following lunch, we will take a walking tour of the famous Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where we will explore the lives of the Jewish residents interred there. Highlights include Garbo’s agent, Charles Feldman, Mobster Bugsy Siegel, Michael Kanin, The Ritz Brothers and the Anne Frank Memorial. We will be back in time to be home for the Oscars, which airs at 5:30 p.m.!

Cost: $36.00 (Adults)
RSVP ONLINE TODAY

The bus will depart promptly from TBS at 9:00 a.m. and return at 5:00 p.m.