TEMPLE BETH HAM ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS WE PRINT • VOL. 19, NO. 2 • Adar/Nisan 5779 • March/April 2019

Slightly Nasal Voice of

the People

The atmosphere on Ziering Field that

Sunday afternoon was both festive and

sacred, punctuated by the sounds of ululation

and clipping scissors.  It was the culmination

of Temple Beth Am’s first Adult Upsherin

program, and for the proud participants, it

was a momentous, if delayed, rite of passage. 

Traditionally, Jewish boys undergo their upsherin— their ritual first haircut—

at age three.     But sadly, due to various circumstances, many adult Jews in our

kahal have never experienced an upsherin as a young child. “I always felt privately

embarrassed and uncomfortable in shul,” said program participant Mike Cohn,

“looking at the other heads around me, seeing their neatly shorn locks shimmering

and bouncing about the edges of their kippot in that special Jewy way that only an

upsherined Jew’s would, wondering if they noticed my shame.” 

Sensing a desperate need in the community, Rabbi Matt Shapiro launched

the Adult Upsherin program as a volunteer in early 2016.  For the next three

years, participants abstained from all haircuts and studied intensely in

spiritual preparation for the big event.  “We plunged into the great texts,” said

Rabbi Shapiro, “argued and debated Rashi and Ibn Ezra, Vidal Sasson and Jheri

Redding, exploring the real meaning behind, ‘If you don’t look good, we don’t

look good.’    Then we devoted two weeks to the awesome hair bands of the

1970s rock scene.”  The 23 participants, aged 28 through 85, had fascinating

back stories.  Some came from families who could not handle scissors properly,

while the two female participants grew up at a time when uphserins for girls

were frowned upon.

When the big day arrived, Ziering Field was packed with family and friends

who took turns snipping locks with the beautifully ornate, two-foot shears

designed by Wanda Peretz for the occasion.  Yet there were some hitches to

the program, as it was difficult to coax some of the Adult Upsherin participants

out of the Moon Bouncer when it was their turn to sit in the barber chair. “I

found it helpful to make goo-goo faces at them during the haircutting to

keep them from squirming too much,” said Cantor Rabbi Hillary Chorny, who

opened the festivities with a medley from the musical “Hair.”

The program was so well-received that several remaining, non-upsherined

adults have already expressed interest in joining the next class.  Nevertheless,

some remain reluctant.  “I have never had a haircut in my life,” said longtime

Temple Beth Am member Barry Rosenblatt, “and I’m not going to start now.”

K LD HAMSacred snips at

TBA Adult UpsherinBy Scott Taryle 

Meditation Plus will not be able to meet in Whiteman

Conference Room and will instead be meeting in the Library.

The Library Minyan, which has not met in the Library for decades,

will not meet as usual in the Chapel, but will meet half in Adelson Hall

and half in the Ballroom to try a new “arbitrary mechitza” experiment.

Shir Hadash, the Sanctuary service which has not met in the

Sanctuary for a year and is usually either in Adelson or in the

Chapel, will meet on Ziering Family Field, because it’s nice outside,

no? In case it’s raining, they’ll also meet half in Adelson and half in

the Ballroom, and displace the Library Minyan to the parking lot.

That wouldn’t go over too well, so please pray “mashiv ha’ruach u’morid ha’gashem” very, very quietly.

Children’s programming will be held in the Chapel, because of

the pretty animal drawings on the ceiling.

Hama’alot will meet in Whiteman Conference room, because it’s

the highest location possible (except for the roof, and that didn’t go

so well last time [refu’ah shlema, Cantor Stone!]).

Please note that after all services are completed, each service is

legally required to have kiddush on a different level than the level

on which the service actually took place. Please pay close attention

to the “kiddush ushers” at the top and bottom of each staircase to

avoid getting trampled by roving hordes of guacamole hunters.

As usual, Beiteinu will meet in Pilch.

Daily MinyanChanges Name

By Monica Kramer  

In order to attract members to its daily minyan, TBA has decided

to brand  the  service  Daily Minion. The congregation has been

struggling to ensure a quorum of ten people  each  evening and

is hoping to boost attendance by jumping on the popularity of

the  media  franchise  Despicable Me,  whose main character  Gru  is

surrounded by diminutive yellow henchmen known as

“minions.”  The  series of films featuring these nonsensical,  barrel-

shaped  creatures has grossed over $3.7 billion, proving that the

word “minion” is all the enticement audiences need. The synagogue

is  banking  on the same strategy. Yellow attire and goggles are

encouraged but not required. 

Location Changesfor this coming

Special TBA Gift Opportunity!For the low, low price of $18, get a bound copy of “Rabbi Kligfeld’s Sabbatical

Emails, Vol. 3: November-December 2017”! This 300 page volume contains

most of our senior rabbi’s writings from the last two months of his time abroad;

the remaining emails will be available in another volume, coming soon!

Hail-Preparedness Seminar: Are you ready for the “BIG” one?

By Monica Kramer Last month’s five-minute hailstorm has

reminded us that we can never be too

prepared for precipitation. Hail in the city of Los

Angeles has brought about disillusion and fear

among its people and has troubled many young

children and even parents. Why did this happen?

Will it happen again? What can we do to protect

ourselves? The idea that LA is a sunny place has

been quashed. And if  it  can happen here, it can

happen anywhere. A community task force has

been created to ensure that people never get

lightly pummeled again. Weather experts will

give tips on how to keep you and your family dry as well as discuss ways to prepare

to your children for the next “big one”. After all, by the time it happens again our

children might have their own children. In the meantime, safety kits are available

for purchase at endoftheworld.com. Or you can just get a rain jacket at Target.  Kold Ham 2

It was a moment that would have made Beverly Hillbillies Jed

Clampett and Granny proud. Oil has been discovered beneath

Ziering Family Field!

It happened just as the Pressman Second Graders were

learning how to plant a vegetable garden on the north side of the

Field. After about five minutes of manual soil tilling the students

noticed that the dirt was black in color, gooey to the touch and

stinky. Upon this unexplained discovery Morah Bella Kapp

gently concluded the activity without causing any alarm by her

students (or cause for messy clean-ups.)

Within a few days after the gardening lesson, House &

Grounds VP Aaron Aftergood contacted the USC Department

of Petroleum Engineering. Upon Aaron’s inquiry and invitation

a group of graduate students and professors came to the field

and conducted a thorough inspection of the former vegetable

garden site. They determined in short order that Ziering Family

Field sits over a large reservoir of high quality “sweet” crude oil

containing very low Sulphur content. “This is good stuff!” said

one of the grad students.

“This could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual

royalty income to the school and shul!” exclaimed President

Avi Peretz. “…and contributions to the Endowment Funds for

scholarships too!” extoled Dr. Erica Rothblum. More great ideas

are expected from every facet of the TBA/JPA community.

Very soon a twenty-foot high oil derrick will be assembled

in the middle of the Field. It will be sheathed in white steel

sheets and suitable for art. “We can transform it into the largest

Shamash in Los Angeles as part of a Hanukkah menorah display!”

suggested TBA resident artist, Wanda Peretz. “No candle lighting

or Havdalah ceremonies nearby though,” cautioned Aaron. The

derrick will not operate on Shabbat or holidays.

That oil was discovered did not surprise many TBA members.

Evidence of local oil includes the old well on the Beverly Hills

High School campus and the active well at the intersection of

Pico & Doheny.

As for that defunct JPA vegetable gardening project, there

will be a class on hydroponics introduced as a substitute. As for

TBA and the Pressman Academy, Black Gold and Texas Tea will

enhance our community for years to come.

Black Gold, Texas Tea ForTemple Beth Am!

By Stuart Weiss

Pressman Academy Launches Innovative Work-Study Program

Pressman Academy prides itself on being

a school for the 21st century, teaching

its students the tools necessary to compete

in an ever-changing world: critical thinking,

grit and mental toughness, and, now, basic

construction skills.

After Tanakh, STEAM, or council, 5th through

8th grade students are brought to the site

of the new sanctuary where they engage in

electrical engineering, work on their welding,

and shlep up to 200 lbs of steel at a time. Mark

Samuel, who is helping to oversee the project,

stated “we want to be mindful of not going

over-budget on this project, and we also want

to always look to find ways to integrate the

synagogue side with programs at the school.

What a perfect match!”

“Construction is fine, I guess,” Stevie Schwartz, a Pressman 6th grader, said.

“I get a little sweaty, but it’s better than math class.” Though the primary walls

and foundation were built by seasoned professionals, Pressman students and

faculty have been tasked with the remainder of the project- yes, a challenge,

but also a tremendous opportunity. Dr. Erica Rothblum, head of school for

Pressman Academy, explained: “we consider safety concerns to be paramount

for this project, so we have trained our faculty to yell REALLY loud in case it

looks like something is about to go wrong. We have tremendous faith in our

students, and can’t wait to see how the sanctuary turns out!” She added, “I

might wait to show up for the second Shabbat service, just in case.”

Synagogue president Avi Peretz beamed as he watched the students at

work. “I’m so glad to see the seventh graders using the hard hats I give them for

their B’nei Mitzvah!” When asked about what the kids who have yet to reach

this milestone should do, Peretz shrugged his shoulders and smiled wryly:

“Guess they better learn those Torah readings faster!”

“Two whole days since the last accident!” enthused Dr. Rothblum nearby.

I know this is the Kold Ham edition so I should write something really funny. Maybe get

Howard Nemetz to help me out with joke writing. But alas, there is just too much going at TBA that I need to kvell about. First, our Rabbinic Search has ended with Rabbi Rebecca Schatz being selected. As you likely recall, the Search Committee brought three extraordinarily well-qualified rabbinic

candidates (including Rabbi Schatz) for weekends at TBA. The candidates could not have been more different, but in the end Rabbi Schatz was the preferred choice. Before she became a rabbi, Rebecca was an intern here whose lasting impact really made her a natural for the position. The connection of the Schatz family to TBA goes back decades, and we are delighted that we can again call Rabbi Schatz one of our own. Thank you to Mike Cohn and his amazingly diverse committee for spending hours and hours poring over all the information, and especially the feedback from TBA members, to make their final recommendation. Rabbi Schatz, welcome home! There’s a good chance that when you’re reading this, a contingent of 40 TBA members (including Wanda and me) will be touring Morocco on a TBA-sponsored trip. The trip sold out so quickly that next year we will have to figure out if we can expand the trip to accommodate everyone that wishes to come. Stay tuned. Did I mention that we have a construction project – make that two construction projects – going on right now? We’re beginning to plan for a dedication of the new Ganzberg Sanctuary, so keep your eyes peeled for announcements. We’ll need the practice of the Sanctuary Dedication because shortly thereafter we will have the Gym Dedication. As president, I will insist on being the first person to hit a jumper (of at least twenty feet) in the new Gym. I expect to make it on my first try so no snickering on how long we might have to wait. Our TBA softball team kicked off its season with a come-from-behind 12-11 victory so we expect another championship year from them. If you can, get out there and cheer them on.And, we have our Gala coming on April 7th where we will be honoring Marshall Temkin and Nina Golden, two extraordinary people whom we are so fortunate to have at TBA. Please see details in the next column and make your plans to join us in honoring them. With Passover coming up, all I can say Dayeinu for this column.Although, if you don’t have plans for the 2nd Seder, our communal one at TBA, led this year by Rabbinic Intern Ariel Root Wolpe, is awesome for old, young, singles, and families. Really everyone. These are exciting times at TBA and I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am to each and every one of you. Ultimately everything we do, everything we build, is for you and your families as we create and enhance our larger TBA community.

B’shalom,Avi Peretz

FROM THE PRESIDENTA CHAMPIONSHIP YEAR

TEMPLE BETH AM AFFILIATED WITH THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM • VOL 19, NO. 2 • Adar/Nisan 5779 • March/April 2019

Voice of the People

OGV KUE

Kol Ha’am 4

YOUTH LEARNING & ENGAGEMENTTo provide dynamic experiences for children, teens and their

families to encounter Jewish life and community, so that they can be empowered to embark on their lifelong Jewish journeys.

SO EPIC From Superheroes, to Jedis, to Wizards, you

never know who you are going to meet at an

Epic Shabbat. This special Shabbat experience

offers families with children in Kindergarten

through 3rd grade the opportunity to

participate in a unique family service, that

includes children’s activities and adult learning

all centered around an exciting pop culture

theme. This year, Epic Shabbat blasted off to a

great launch with Epic “Outer Space” Shabbat,

and went down the yellow brick road with

an exciting “Wizard of Oz” Shabbat tied into

Pressman Academy’s Middle School Musical.

Beyond the overall excitement created by

the costumes, set design and general fun, this

year we have added an Epic lunch thanks to

generous parent sponsors.

“I love going to the beach and the pool” - Romy LV (3rd Grade)

“I love going to the Camp Ramah Sleepover, we even celebrated my birthday there!” - Stella S. (3rd Grade)

“I love Seaside Lagoon, it’s so fun!” - Lia F. (3rd Grade)

“I love GlowZone, there are so many fun things to do there”

- Ella G. (3rd Grade)

TBA Kadimaniks, Jr. and Sr. USYers joined for a Mega Kinnus at Camp Ramah in January for 4th-12th Graders.

“I love doing waterplay and splashing around with my friends in the pools” -Saul K. (ECC)

What’s your favorite activity at Camp Keshet?

“We love going on the giant waterslide amd to get dressed up each week in my costumes”

- Charley and

Sarah G. (ECC)

“I love going on trips, I LOVE all of them!”

- Eliana S. (Kindergarten)

“I love playing with playdough and getting messy with my friends”

- Finley O. (Kindergarten)

“I love playing soccer on the field during sports and group time” - Miles D.

(4th Grade)

Our campers LOVE field trips!

“We love going to Pump it Up and Knott’s Berry Farm”

- Gavin (4th Grade)

and Sollie D. (2nd Grade)

Why We Do YLE

CAMP KESHET REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

For all the details, visit www.tbala.org/camp

Join us on April 13th at 10:00am on Ziering Family Field for Epic “Minions”

Shabbat, the final Epic Shabbat of this school year.

IN MEMORIAMWe mourn the passing of:

Daniel L. Baughman, father of Jeff Baughman

Daniel Aaron Daniel, father of Jeremy Daniel (Farrah Noah), Grandfather of Bella and Chloe Daniel

Joan Guilianelli, sister of Diane Shapiro, aunt of Aleza and Isaac 

Janice Rosenthal, sister of Amy Popkin (Evan Puziss) 

Adele Schloss, mother of Diane Fishman Roosth,

Grandmother of David and Meir Landau

Leonard Smith, TBA past president 

Arnold Stengel, father of Sue Stengel (Steve Wallock)

and grandfather of Noa Wallock

Chaim Abenhaim, Lena Alpert, Michele Antignas, Joseph Bainvoll, Joseph Bajder, Esther Beim,

Tatyana Beregovenko, Sol Bergstein, Tillie Bird, Jerome Borak, Rae Braunstein, Hyman Brooks,

Jetty Chanania, Pearl Chazanov, H. David Cherman, Rabbi Ronnie Cohen, Sandra Cohn, Irving Cole,

Jennie Colker, Ronald Colker, Shlomo Contract, Ida Modiano De Benadon, Martin Drutz, Batya Eisen,

Becky Engle, Herman Feifel, Jacob Feifel, Mildred Fienberg, Mary Fineman, Max Fineman, Milton Firestone,

Helen Frankel, Miriam Frankl, Morris Freeman, Athalie Friedman, Lazar Friedman, Lili Friedman,

Samuel Garber, Ephraim Gelberg, Ester Geretz, Victor Geretz, Zoltan Gerstel, Minnette Gibbons,

Ida Ginsburg, Pearl Glaser, Rochel Glika, Irving Gold, Jenny Gold, Harvey Goldscheider, Abe Goldzweig,

Elaine Goodman, Jessie Gootkin, Sara Gordon, Gerald Greenberg, Warren Grinel, Hanna Grinetz, 

Mahlya Grinetz, Sonya Grinetz, Florence Gritz, Ann Hacker, David Hacker, Gloria Hackman,

Meyer Hackman, Isaac Heffler, Millie Heffler, Gussie Horowitz, Rose Horwitz, Neima Javaher,

Fannie Kaplan, Ida Kaplan, Leo Kaplan, Marjorie Kaplan, Anne Kleinman, Parvin Khoramian,  Sam Korn,

Marie Lasher, Laura Klein, Lena Klein, Isidor Kraushaar, Abraham Kreiner, David Krymer, Henryka Kunstler,

Danny Landres, Morris Langer, Abram Lebedev, Rivka Lechter, Harold Leon, Joseph Lumer, Rifka Mader,

Oscar Mandel, Robert Melanson, Cecelia Miller, Martin Miller, Meyer Miller,  Helen Milmeister, Izzy Mirkin,

Ida Moed, Rose Molasky, Lulu Navah, Doris Nisell, Dorothy Pearlman, Celia Pellow, Bernard Pflug,

Ruth Pflug, Cecile Pogoda, Charles Post, Nathan Prager, Perle Pregler, Robert Pregler, Mendel Ritter,

Forrest Roberts, Abraham Rosen, Norman Rosenblatt, Zelda Rotwein, Reuben Rubaum, Anne Rubin,

Marcia Rubin, Ted Rubin, Nathan Samborsky, William Schecter, William H. Schloss Jr., Micah Schwartz,

Bella Segel, Jacob Segel, Pearl Serber, Jay Shalmoni, Albert Shain, Esther Shoushani, Shahyar Shoushani,

Hilda Silberschein, Ellen Silk, Eliahu Silon, Bernice Silver, Richard Silvera, Miriam Mitzi Rosenblatt,

Harry Small, Mary Small, Charles Somers, Claire Steiner, Ignatz Steiner, Tanya Snyder, Nessie Swartz,

Miriam Wagman, Selma Wagner, Emmanuel Wasserman, Marjory Waxman, Rivkah Weisdorf, 

Julian Wolkovitch, Edythe Zeichick, Georgette Zerbib 

AYLA RICHLANDDaughter of Jana and Bruce RichlandMarch 2, 2019

Yahrzeit DonationsWe thank those who support the synagogue community in memory of their loved ones named below:

5 Kol Ha’am

Our B’nei Mitzvah

ANINA HART-LEMBERGERDaughter of

Michal Lemberger and Ron Hart

March 9, 2019at IKAR

JOHNATHAN “JJ” STOFFSon of Vanessa and Kenneth StoffMarch 30, 2019

GABRIELLA GILBERTDaughter of

Nancy and Lloyd GilbertApril 6, 2019

NAOMI CHALOFFDaughter of Christy and Alexander ChaloffApril 13, 2019

Bris and Baby NamingsRuby Serafina Salama

Daughter of Melissa & Evan Salama 

Born on December 5, 2018

MARCH/APRIL 2019CALENDAR

MARCHFriday - 5:45 p.m.

COLKER-KLEIN-SHAPIRO SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE

ELIANA LIGHT Special Shabbat Sovev Service,

followed by Community Shabbat Dinner at 7:15 p.m.

For last minute dinner reservations email ashane@tbala.org

Saturday - 7:30 p.m.

SONGS ABOUT G!D WITH ELIANA LIGHT

At a private home; RSVP for location: www.tbala.org/elianalight

Sunday through Monday, March 18

TBA TRIP TO MOROCCO / PORTUGAL

Bon Voyage to our 40 travelers!

Sunday

11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; also Monday at 7:00 p.m.

PRESSMAN ACADEMY MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL

PRESENTING THE WIZARD OF OZ

See left page for details and ticket info

Wednesday

EREV PURIM

PURIM ILLUMINATED

5:30 p.m. - Shir Purim in the Chapel

6:00 p.m. - Purim Illustrated in the Ballroom

7:30 p.m. - Library Minyan Megillah Reading in the Chapel

8:00 p.m. - The Whole Megillah in Pilch Hall

Operation PB&J – after Megillah reading, in Adelson Hall

See back cover for all the Erev Purim details

Thursday

PURIM DAY

7:15 a.m. - Shaharit Megillah Reading

6:00 p.m. - Library Minyan Purim Seudah: The Marvelous Mrs. Megillah! Great food, music, and fun! Come as your favorite

character. Everyone is invited!

Friday through Sunday, March 24

FAMILY SHABBATON AT CAMP RAMAH (sold out!)

Sunday through Tuesday, March 26

TBA DELEGATION AT AIPAC POLICY CONFERENCE,

WASHINGTON D.C.

Sunday

JEWISH WORLD WATCH WALK TO END GENOCIDE

AND GLOBAL FREEDOM FORUM

Join Team TBA! See Page 11 for details

CLASSES OF THE REMBAUM INSTITUTE OF ADULT EDUCATION AND FAMILY PROGRAMMINGFor information and class sign-ups, visit www.tbala.org/rembaum, or email RembaumInstitute@tbala.org, or call Lia Mandelbaum at (310) 652-7354 x 215

HUMASH WITH RASHIWITH RABBI ADAM KLIGFELD8:30 a.m.Wednesday, March 20 and all Wednesdays in April(no class on March 6, 13, or 27)

MINI SIDDUR CLASS WITH RABBI AVI HAVIVITuesday mornings for 20 min after minyan

LIBRARY MINYAN MISHNAH STUDYShabbat Mornings, 9:20 - 9:40 a.m.Rabbis, teachers, and other members of the Library Minyan will take turns teaching a weekly session in Mishnah on Makkot.

MAHLOKET MATTERS: HOW TO DISAGREE CONSTRUCTIVELYFinal class: Tuesday, March 5Join Rabbi Matt Shapiro for the last in this series of workshops about how to engage more constructively with conflicting opinions through texts and concepts grounded in our tradition.

ANTI-SEMITISM: A BRIEF HISTORYA 7- part series with Rabbi Joel Rembaum Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.March 12, 19 and 26; April 2, 9, 30; May 7A blend of lecture, text reading, and discussion will allow us to meaningfully explore this phenomenon that is, once again, in forefront of the minds of Jews around the world.

Kol Ha’am 6

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7 Kol Ha’am

MORNING MINYAN:

Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m.

Sunday & Federal Holidays:

8:00 a.m.

Daily Minyan Times

FRIDAY NIGHTSMarch 1, 8 at 5:45 p.m.March 15, 22, 29 at 6:15 p.m.April 5, 12 at 6:15 p.m.April 19, 26 at 6:30 p.m.

Saturdays: 90 minutes before the end of Shabbat

EVENING MINYAN -Sunday – ThursdayMarch 3-7 5:30 p.m.March 10-14; 17-19 6:30 p.m.March 20 6:00 p.m. Erev PurimMarch 21 6:45 p.m.March 24-28 & 31, April 1-4 6:30 p.m.April 7-11; 14-18; 20; 22-25; 29-30 7:00 p.m.

APRILWednesday - 7:00 p.m.

TALK BY RABBI GERSHOM SIZOMU

Pre-Pesah program on the 100-year History of the Abayudaya Jewish

community in Uganda, and the marking of 40 years since their exodus

from their own Pharaoh, former ruler, Idi Amin. 

Friday

6:15 p.m. - Shabbat Sovev followed at 7:30 p.m.

by Pre-Pesah Shabbat Dinner

RSVP for dinner at: www.tbala.org/communityshabbat

Sunday - 9:00 a.m. – Noon

KASHERING FOR PESAH

10:00 a.m.

JEWISH CARTOONING WORKSHOP

WITH JORDAN GORFINKEL

Friday

EREV PESAH – 1ST SEDER

Saturday

7:30 p.m. - 2ND NIGHT COMMUNITY SEDER

with Rabbinic Intern Ariel Root Wolpe

RSVP at www.tbala.org/seder

Sunday

PESAH – 2ND DAY

9:30 a.m. - Combined Services

Friday

PESAH – 7TH DAY

9:30 a.m. - Combined Services

19

March 1 5:31 p.m.

March 8 5:36 p.m.

March 15 6:42 p.m.

March 22 6:47 p.m.

March 29 6:53 p.m.

April 5 6:58 p.m.

April 12 7:03 p.m.

April 19 7:09 p.m.

April 20 8:13 p.m.

April 25 7:13 p.m.

April 26 7:14 p.m.

March 2 Vayakhel

March 9 Pekudei

March 16 Vayikra

March 23 Tzav

March 30 Shemini

April 6 Tazria

April 13 Mezorah

April 20 1st Day PesahApril 27 8th Day Pesah

Torah PortionCandle Lighting

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21

14

26

20

Saturday Morning Services

Meditation Plus9:15 a.m. Whiteman Conference Room

Shir Hadash9:15 a.m.

On March 9: Shir Hadash welcomes 6th Grade Shabbat

This Service will not be held on March 16Combined with Beiteinu on March 2 and 23

Beiteinu9:45 a.m. in Pilch Hall

Combined with Shir Hadash on March 2 and 23

Beiteinu Lab March 9: Meditation Plus Beiteinu

April 6: Diving into the Siddur through Text and Music

Library Minyan 9:20 a.m. Mishnah Study

9:45 a.m. Services; 9:30 a.m. start time during Pesah

(no Mishnah study on these early dates)

DURING CONSTRUCTION, PLEASE CHECKTHE SIGNS FOR EXACT SERVICE LOCATIONS.

SPECIAL SERVICES

March 2: Artist in Residence Eliana Light

Shir Hadash & Beiteinu Combined

March 16: Hama’alot at 10:30 a.m.

Hashkama (early) Minyan at 8:00 a.m.

April 13: Epic Shabbat

Gesher - 3rd grade and families at 10:00 a.m. on Ziering Field

April 13: Kadima Shabbat

(4th - 6th grade) at 10:30 a.m. in the Ganzberg Building

POST-KIDDUSH TALKS

Saturday, March 2

G!D talk with Scholar-in-Residence Eliana Light

Saturday, April 13

Jordan Gorfinkel speaking about:

Passover Haggadah as Graphic Novel

10

Kol Ha’am 8

The Pressman Academy UnGala is our annual celebration

across all of our schools celebrating our amazing faculty and

staff! This year, we celebrated Miriam Dimant, ECC Assistant

Teacher, and Eric Hartung, Middle School Science Teacher. Plus a

special thank you to Rabbi Yechiel Hoffman for making Pressman

Academy and Temple Beth Am a 24/7 Jewish learning experience

for our families with his work with the YLE Department.   

Under the Big Top

Youngest donor makes a big impact!Dr. Erica Rothblum was handed an envelope

with the hand-written note (pictured

below) in morning carline. The Pressman

student who delivered the note is arguably our

youngest donor and is on the shy side and wishes

to be anonymous.

There are over 290 donors to the Campus

Expansion & Renovation Project. Each gift we

receive in support of the Campaign is meaningful

and tells a story.

Dr. Rothblum was overcome by the gesture.

“We ask everyone in our community to help build and sustain this

community. I was completely overwhelmed and inspired by a child

taking those words literally and giving his own money.” The project is

on schedule to be completed in late Spring 2019.

We took the opportunity to ask this young man how he came

the decision to support the project. He said, “I will really use it a lot

especially on Tuesdays and Wednesday when I have PE”. “It will be good

for rainy days too!” He loves to play soccer, basketball and baseball.

His mother shared that her son came up with the idea on his own

and was pleased that he was able to help support the school. When

asked how he had the cash to donate he said that he won the money

gambling from his sister on Hanukkah. We confirmed that the money

was won fairly during a family dreidel game.

As we watch the construction progress with great anticipation

we thank our latest donor and all of our donors for their inspiring

support.

For more information on the Renovation and Expansion Projects, contact Hilary Hellman, Director of Advancement at hhellman@tbala.org

9 Kol Ha’am

TEAM ISRAEL

We had an incredible turnout for our January

Film Series screening of the documentary,

Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel. Some even

showed up in baseball caps and uniforms! The film

documents the journey of Israel’s underestimated

national baseball team, competing for the first time

in the 2017 World Baseball Classic among the top

16 teams in the world. The story had us laughing and

cheering, but also witnessing the profound journey

of these ten American baseball players of Jewish

heritage not only visit Israel, but come to understand

what it means to be a Jewish baseball player. There

were several great moments in the film, such as when

the game happened to fall on Purim, and several

people with the team read from the Book of Esther

in the dugout; watching their mascot, Mensch on a

Bench, become a superstar; and watching the team

wear their kippot during the national anthem. You also

saw more poignant moments as the players shared

their experiences with stereotypes and struggles

with identity. During the post-film discussion, we

had our own in-house film and baseball aficionado,

Dr. Michael Berlin, in conversation with our guest of

the evening, Team Israel’s third baseman and former

Mets and Phillies player, Tyler Patrick “Ty” Kelly. Ty

grew up in a home with an Irish-Catholic father, and

a Jewish mother, who also traveled with Team Israel.

The evening concluded on a great note, when Michael

cryptically said to Ty that “your past can never escape

you”, and Ty responded, “wait, what did I do??” And

then TBA member, Bill Seligman, walked up to Ty

wearing a Team Israel baseball cap and carrying a

bag, and said, “It was St. Patrick Day of 2017, and only

48 hours after the World Classic, and you managed

to somehow not only make it back to Port St. Lucie

Florida, but to play five innings.” He then reached into

his bag and shared “you also managed to autograph

my hat,” and reached into his bag to share the signed

cap with Kelly.

this is sisterhood

Please join us for a lively, fun and interactive evening learning about

the Jewish Folk-Art of the 1700s that covered the walls and ceilings

of Poland’s Lost Wooden Synagogues. Led by Wanda Peretz, on May 6th.

For more info please email Ann Istrin- amsi79@aol.com.

We are looking forward to our new KNITTING CLASSES and CANASTA

CLASSES!   If you are interested and know someone who would be

interested in teaching knitting or canasta,, please email Ann Istrin-

amsi79@aol.com.

Don’t forget to join us for our monthly Mahjong, Book Groups and

Rosh Hodesh Discussions!

TBA Sisterhood Rosh Hodesh Evening with our guest speaker Havi Kligfeld, LCSW. What an inspiring evening!

TBA Sisterhood at The Skirball’s Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Docent Tour. Fantastic exhibit! Wonderful afternoon and lunch!

TBA Sisterhood Baking Class with Paula Shoyer! We made Chocolate Babka and Rugelach! Yum!

Left to right: Michael Berlin, Ty Kelly, Bill Seligman

Kol Ha’am 10

GENERAL FUND IN HONOR OFTemple Beth Am Mark & Rosa Bernstein Christy & Alex Chaloff Jean Huang Susan & Ofer Hetsroni’s home hospitality Sarah & Ted Schachter Cantor Chorny, Rabbi Kligfeld, Rabbi Schatz  Allie & Mark Divine& Cantor Stone’s amazing leadership    of the Kol Tefillah 2.0 Conference  IN MEMORY OF Gertrude Bacharach Sandra & Bob Braun Judith Kaplan Collazo Joshua Katzan Abraham Cohen Sherri & Mike Cohn, Josh Metzger & Dina Hellerstein Daniel Aaron Daniel Judy Alban Marina Gelfand Josh Metzger & Dina Hellerstein Morris Istrin Kimberly Gordon, Holly Toplitzky Jeanne Kranhold Janet Halbert Janice Rosenthal Hilary Hellman  BILL STRICK MEMORIAL HELPING HAND FUND IN MEMORY OFGertrude Bacharach Vivian & Ron Alberts Ann Gorrin Natalie Roberts Joan Guilianelli Vivian & Ron Alberts, Janet Metson Urman & Harold Urman Angie Bass’ Father Janet Metson Urman & Harold Urman Morris Istrin Vivian & Ron Alberts  DAILY MINYAN Scott Shapiro & Jacqueline Redner  CAMPUS RENOVATION & EXPANSION PROJECT IN HONOR OF The Clergy Barbara & David Bagley  CANTOR SAMUEL KELEMERz”l MUSIC FUND IN MEMORY OF  Roger M Goodman Milton Goodman  PRESSMAN ACADEMY DAY SCHOOL IN HONOR OF Avital Becker Victoria & Stuart Kelman Sasha & Jeremy Kutner  Rochelle & David Zohn Deena Messinger Michelle Fellner & Paul Lerner Birth of Frances Weber-Pelcovits Janet Halbert  IN MEMORY OFMax Fried Sherri, Mike, Rebecca & Josh Cohn Miriam Hoberman Janet Halbert Morris Istrin Mark Drooks, Andrea & Matt Pearlman  PRESSMAN ACADEMY ECC IN HONOR OF Noa Kligfeld being elected as Monica, Gabriel, Nina & Jesse Kramer USY International President Birth oF baby girl Kupchan Monica, Gabriel, Nina & Jesse Kramer Marriage of Eliana Bass to Josh Monica, Gabriel, Nina & Jesse Kramer  IN MEMORY OF Morris Istrin Rachel Borkow  PILCH SCHOLARSHIP FUND (JLC) IN MEMORY OF James Farley Mike, Sherri, Rebecca & Josh Cohn, Rebecca, George & Oliver Greenberg Roger M Goodman Milton Goodman Rose Pilch Goldie Altman; Mike, Sherri, Rebecca & Josh Cohn  CAMP RAMAH SCHOLARSHIP FUND IN HONOR OF The birth of identical twin grandsons for Ronna Sundy Ariella Moss Peterseil In appreciation of the Daily Minyan and in honor of his parents,   Jeff BernhardtRuth and Henry Bernhardt   IN MEMORY OF Marina Gelfand Mike, Sherri, Rebecca & Josh Cohn  YOUTH DEPARTMENT SCHOLARSHIP FUND IN HONOR OF Noa Kligfeld as new USY International President Judy & Lou Miller  SCHOLARSHIPS FOR TEEN PROGRAMS IN ISRAEL IN MEMORY OF Sandra Cohn Mike, Sherri, Rebecca and Josh Cohn 

PRAYERBOOK FUND IN MEMORY OF Selma Daye Janet Halbert Morris Istrin Angela Shoushani & Shawn Saeedian  MARCY COLKER KLEIN/BARRY SHAPIRO  MEMORIAL FUND IN HONOR OF Avi Peretz’ complete & comfortable recovery Dvorah Colker Shoshi Wilchfort’s complete & comfortable recovery Dvorah Colker IN MEMORY OFJames Farley Dvorah Colker & Family Joan Guilianelli Dvorah Colker & Family, Jacqui & Alex Jacobs,  Janet Halbert, Judy & Lou Miller, Kathe Pilch, Natalie Roberts Miriam Hoberman Dvorah Colker Barbara Rabin’s Yahrzeit Natalie Roberts  EMILY GREENSTEIN MEMORIAL FUND IN HONOR OF Tamara Greenstein’s 80th Birthday Marlene & Harvey Glaser, Myrna & Howard Singer  RABBI KLIGFELD’S DISCRETIONARY FUND IN HONOR OF Ashkelon Rosa & Mark Bernstein, Rebecca & Leonard Friedman, Judy & Lou Miller, Marshall Temkin Refuah Sh’lemah to David Kaplan Melissa & Michael Berenbaum, Rosa & Mark Bernstein, Alisa Shudofsky & David Cohen, Lisa Feldman & Brian Greene, Fran & Joel Grossman, Miriam Prum Hess & Mark Hess, Marshall & Hannah Kramer, Fran & Robert Malina, Natalie Roberts, Jessica & Mark Samuel, Dianne Shershow Our trip to Israel Karen & Steve Grey  IN MEMORY OF Bates Metson Jeanne & David Herman Petty Metson Jeanne & David Herman Marina Gelfand Lilia Gelfand-Hirshhorn Adele Schloss Norm & Rachel Green,   Diane & Bob Roosth,  H.Diane Roosth Isaac Heffler H. Diane RoosthMillie Heffler H. Diane Roosth  RABBI MATT SHAPIRO’S DISCRETIONARY FUND IN HONOR OF 9 Adar Project Norm Green  RABBI CHORNY’S DISCRETIONARY FUND IN HONOR OF Tyler’s Bar Mitzvah Ken Firtel & Jana Posalski Ashkelon Ilanit & Daniel Brook Rabbi Chorny’s support for the Pilch family Lloyd & Bethe Pilch Rabbi Chorny’s teaching on Dec. 8 Rosh Chodesh TBA Sisterhood Support for Mitch Cohen and his family Mitch, Pam, Gaby & Seth Cohen  IN MEMORY OF Adele Schloss Susan Laemmle & John Antignas,  Michael & Linda Checkley, Norm & Rachel Green  DR. ERICA ROTHBLUM’S DISCRETIONARY FUND IN MEMORY OF Muriel Scotto Michelle & Alain Bonavida  LIBRARY MINYAN FUNDBirth of granddaughter to Cathie Lippman & Jules Kamin Cathie Lippman & Jules Kamin, Debbie RichBirth of granddaughter to Sara & Myron Hecht John Antignas & Susan Laemmle, Essia Cartoon Fredman & Howard Fredman, Myron & Sara HechtBirth of grandson to Sharon & Brad Grob Essia Cartoon Fredman & Howard Fredman, Brad & Sharon Grob, Myron & Sara Hecht, Melissa & Michael BerenbaumBirth of grandchild to Bob & Sandra Braun Melissa & Michael Berenbaum, Bob & Sandra Braun, Janet HalbertBirth of grandchild to Paula Pearlman & Mark Shapiro Melissa & Michael Berenbaum, Paula Pearlman & Mark ShapiroBirth of our grandson, Fox Alexander Lovering Avi & Wanda PeretzBirth of our grandchild Alan & Sheila SpiwakBirth of grandchild Susan Grinel & Laurence Rubin2 grandchildren born in 2018 Dale & Mark Bodenstein  BJE 2019 honor of Michael Berenbaum Cheryl Patack & Chris SchenkerShabbat Services at Library Minyan Kenneth Goss99th birthday of Abe Berman Melissa & Michael Berenbaum, Allan & Laraine Kokin, Judith & Lou Miller, Judy Yaras

Temple Beth Am Gratefully Acknowledges Donations through February 11, 2019

11 Kol Ha’am

Dale & Mark Bodenstein, wonderful life events Del & Sandey FieldsAliyah to the Torah Baruch LinkCantor Robert Pflug Jeff GottesmanRita Cofsky Ted CofskyBaruch Hashem Edward Miles-ArnoldBirthday of Jules Kamin Jules Kamin and Cathie-Ann LippmanLibrary Minyan Mishnah Study Group; Russell Cohen, Howard Fredman, completing Mishnah Tractate Makkot Norm & Rachel Green, Diane & Larry Herman, Herbert Kleinman, Hannah & Marshall Kramer, Henry Morgen, Zwi Reznik, Barry Rosenblatt IN MEMORY OF Mother of Sandra Braun, Miriam Hoberman Essia Cartoon Fredman & Howard Fredman, Lloyd Gilbert, David & Elanine Gill, Arthur & Susan Mishler,  Debbie Rich, David Cohen & Alisa ShudofskyMy father, Hyman Weiss Jackie WeissMother of Lilia Hirschhorn Essia Cartoon Fredman & Howard FredmanMother of Sandra Brenner, Selma Daye Sandey Fields, Arthur & Susan Mishler, Natalie RobertsMother of Diane Roosth, Adele Schloss Anita HappelYahrzeit of father, Rabbi Chaim Grossman Joel GrossmanFirst Yahrzeit of mother, Helen Frankel Judy Gottesman

SISTERHOOD DONATIONSTo place a Sisterhood Tribute, contact Marlene Glaserat (310) 550-1738 or email: hagesq@aol.com

MAZEL TOV! Rabbi Adam & Havi Kligfeld Agnes and Semyon Emert  Noa Becoming USY International President  Noa Kligfeld Agnes and Semyon Emert Becoming USY International President  Ronna Sundy & Family Agnes and Semyon Emert  Birth of Twin Grandsons Marlene and Harvey Glaser Jessica, Mark, Chason, Eleanor & Sienna Samuel  CONDOLENCES  Michael and Sharon Bacharach Agnes and Semyon Emert     Loss of Mother, Gertrude Tsilah Burman & Ron Solomon Marlene and Harvey Glaser  Loss of Mother & Grandmother,  Elaine Gross  Adinah Solomon Ollie Istrin & Family Marlene and Harvey Glaser  Loss of Father, Morris Gabriela & Elie Litov  George, Rebecca & Oliver Greenberg Jessica, Mark, Chason, Eleanor & Sienna Samuel Alex Kay & Family Audrey Cohn  Loss of Wife, Susann Dr. Reva Gershen Levy & Family Gabriela & Elie Litov  Loss of Mother, Adele Schloss Diane Shapiro Agnes and Semyon Emert  Loss of Sister, Joan Rebecca, George & Oliver Greenberg Gabriela and Elie Litov Shelly Szwalbenest & Family Agnes and Semyon Emert  Loss of Father, Sol Ida Ann & Harold Zweig Marlene and Harvey Glaser  Loss of Cousin, Mel   SPECIAL  Sandra Braun & Family Ivy & Faramarz Azizi  Loss of Mother, Miriam Hoberman Sherri & Mike Cohn  Dorit & Joel Cooper Hilary Hellman The Vaakil Family

Temple Beth Am Programs Helping Our Community

at Home and Abroad  

Temple Beth Am is

partnering with a

variety of organizations to

help refugees and people

without a safe home in our

own community and in

trouble spots throughout

the world.  

Last year, Temple Beth

Am and Tiyya were

awarded a grant from

Islamic Relief USA to fund

our Building Bridges and

Crossing Barriers project,

which includes a number

of joint events between

the TBA and Tiyya communities. Our first event was a Holiday party

at the SOLAR recuperative interim housing facility operated by The

People Concern. Members of the TBA and Tiyya communities served

lunch (prepared by a Flavors From Afar caterer who came to the US as

a refugee from Somalia), played bingo, and dined with the residents.  

In addition, TBA members helped homeless people in the Los

Angeles community in a variety of ways during the holidays,

including events with The Giving Spirit, PATH and People Concern

shelters, Midnight Mission, and One Voice. TBA also participated

in Big Sunday’s MLK Day Clothing Drive. 

Our next event with Tiyya will be on March 31. The day will begin

with a joint TBA/Tiyya Team at the Jewish World Watch Walk to End Genocide, which raises awareness of, and funds, to combat the

devastating consequence of genocide and mass atrocities in Sudan,

the Congo, and Syria. Last year TBA had a large and generous team

– we hope the 2019 Team will be even larger, in person or in spirit.

Register at WalkToEndGenocide.org/LA; contact Dianne Shershow,

Team Captain, at dfshersh@aol.com if you have any questions.  

After the Walk, the Temple Beth Am Refugee Taskforce will

host a 3rd Annual Global Freedom Forum, An Outstretched Arm: Experiencing the Stages of the Refugee Journey. Participants will

begin the program by walking through stations that convey what

refugees and asylum seekers go through as they seek refuge. After

this journey, a lunch catered by a refugee caterer from Tiyya’s

Flavors From Afar will be served. During lunch we will hear stories

from local refugees, asylum seekers, and Dreamers – accompanied

by music from their home countries – and will discuss these

experiences with the help of materials that can be used at Seder

in April. The program will be appropriate for older children and

alternative programming for younger children will be available.

Write to socialaction@tbala.org if you have any questions. 

Donations (continued)

Temple Beth Am members Mia Pardo, Dianne Shershow and Sandra Barber and Adja Victor from the Tiyya Foundation community serve lunch, catered by Malia Hamza, at the SOLAR facility in Compton. 

Pressman Academy is proud to have been selected to be part of the first cohort of the Institute for Day School Excellence and Sustainability program (IDEAS). Shown here at the recent Dallas conference: Jennifer Elad, Dr Erica Rothblum, Sarah Tannenbaum and Hilary Hellman.

IDEAS in Dallas

Periodicals Postage Paid at Los Angeles, California and additional mailing offices.

Kol Ha’am (USPS 008-599)Temple Beth Am1039 S. La Cienega Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90035-2507