July 2012 1

Connections

CONGREGATION ETZ CHAYIM RABBI ARI CARTUN 4161 ALMA STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94036 (650) 813-9094 WWW.ETZCHAYIM.ORG JULY 2012 TAMMUZ/AV 5772

Contemplating Tish’ah b’Av Tish’ah b'Av, the Fast of the Ninth of Av, is a day of mourning to commemorate the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon. (Zech. 7:5, 8:19) According to tradition, it was on this same date in 70 CE that the Romans under Titus destroyed the Second Temple. So Tish’ah b'Av has come to stand for national calamity in general, and it is appropriate to consider the many other tragedies of the Jewish people, which have been associated with this date, including the beginning of World War I, the Holocaust and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.

The date that the Alhambra Decree ordered all Jews to leave Spain coincided with Tish’ah b’Av.

Beginning in the 8th century, Muslims had occupied and settled most of the Iberian Peninsula. Jews, who had lived in these regions since Roman times, were given special status and thrived under Muslim rule. By the 14th century, the Spanish had retaken most of the Iberian Peninsula by from the Moors.

Overt hostility against Jews became more pronounced, finding expression in brutal episodes of violence and oppression. Thousands of Jews sought to escape these attacks by converting to Catholicism, while privately adhering to their Jewish practice and faith.. At first these conversions seemed an effective solution and many converso families met with social and commercial success. But eventually their success made them unpopular. The uncertainty over the sincerity of Jewish converts added fuel to the fire of anti-semitism in 15th-century Spain.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain took seriously the reports that some conversos were not only privately practicing their former faith, but were secretly trying to draw other conversos back into the Jewish fold. In 1487, King Ferdinand established the Spanish Inquisition. In 1491, the Treaty of Granada was signed

by Emir Muhammad XII, protecting the religious freedoms of the Jews and Muslims there. But, in 1492, Isabella and Ferdinand chose to replace the Treaty of Granada's Jewish protection terms with the Alhambra Decree and persecution.

Scholars disagree about how many Jews left Spain as a result of the decree; the numbers vary between 130,000 and 800,000. One of those may have been Christopher Columbus, who some researchers have postulated was of Iberian Jewish origins. Columbus occasionally included Hebrew in his writing, and referred to the High Holy Days in his journal during the first voyage across the Atlantic. Today, the number of Jews in Spain is estimated at 50,000.

Go to page 10 for information about Etz Chayim’s Tish’ah b’Av commemoration and page 8 for Ari’s 9 Positive Things About Jews for the 9th of Av.

August Connections Deadline

The eBulletin provides a quick notice. To give more information, put your event in Connections. Send a write-up to connections@etzchayim.org with details and links. Deadline for August Connections is 5 pm July 19.

July 2012 2

In This Edition Contemplating Tish’ah b’Av

A Message from the Executive Director: Synagogue Searching. Shul Shopping. Community Connecting.

Board of Directors Staff

Bar/t Mitzvah Profiles

Todah Rabahs

Committee/Group Chairs

Volunteer of the Month: Art Sklaroff

A Message from the President: A Job Too Important to Farm Out

Friendship Quilt for Linda Wittlin

A Message from the Rabbi: 9 Positive Things About Jews for the 9th of Av

Tish’ah b’Av Commemoration

A Message from the Education Director: Kol haKavod! (All Honor to You, or Well Done!)

Adult Immun Class Celebrants

2012 Graduates

Rabbinic Student Intern Wrap Up: Observations on Etz Chayim

Adult Education

Etz Chayim Social Groups

I Just Wanted to Say . . . : And There Was Light

Oneg Sponsors

Simchas

Kvelling

Donations

Yahrzeits

Printable Calendar --------------

Connections Staff Editor: Elissa Wellikson Assistant Editors:

Jessica Bernhardt JoAnne Goldberg Tatiana Granoff Sheri Morrison Sue Weber

Synagogue Searching. Shul Shopping. Community Connecting. A Message from the Executive Director It must be summer. The phone is ringing in the office. “What exactly does it mean that you’re an independent congregation?” Or people new to the neighborhood walk in the front door. “I like how this feels,” they say. “What kind of congregation are you?” People who think that maybe they might want to join a congregation often think they should do it before the fall holy days. I tell them all about who we are and what we do and how nice we are. I explain we’ve written our own prayer book and show them the mixed cart of Torah commentaries. Studies show that the most likely new members of any synagogue are the friends and colleagues of the current members. People who like people, who like Etz Chayim are likely to like Etz Chayim, too. And what’s often the biggest barrier to affiliation? No one has asked them. People like to be invited. So, please look around. Do you have friends who you’ve brought to Fifth Fridays or to seders or to the Purim carnival? Are there people in your life with children ready to start religious school? Maybe they’re wondering how they could become part of this congregation. If they didn’t grow up in a synagogue or if it’s been a long time since they’ve been to one, they might not know how to take a first step toward exploring membership. I am available to give people tours of the building, to describe our various programs and to sit with them to understand what they’re looking for in a community. Melissa and Ari are happy to meet with potential members, as well. While we have standard dues, no one is ever turned away for inability to pay the full amount. Every year, some people move away or find that Etz Chayim no longer meets their needs. New members create financial stability and creative vitality for our community. So while you’re barbecuing that chicken or sitting on the lawn at Shoreline or riding your bike up Alpine, please bring up the question. “Have you ever thought about joining Etz Chayim?” You’ll probably hear, “I thought you’d never ask.”

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Committees and Groups

Committee Chairs Adult Education: Margaret Golden Bar/t: Elissa Kaplan/Susan Kay Capital Campaign:

Robert Berman/Judy Rattner Design: Paula Elster Emergency Preparedness:

Joan Starreveld Facilities: James Baloun Festivals: open Finance: Art Sklaroff Fundraising: open High Holy Days: Karen Bergen Library: Tatiana Granoff Marketing: Ken Bauer Membership: open Mitzvah Chavurah: Liz Shane/Sue Weber Oneg: Evelyn Merritt/Karl Sonkin Rabbinic Resources:

Wendie Bernstein Lash Religious Practices: Marc Rossner Shabbat: Sue Weber/Amy Bayersdorfer Social Action: Mark Lee/Jeremy Siegel Volunteer: open Webmaster: Ted Schachter Youth Education: Leslie Matlof

Group Chairs AdventurEtz: Stephen E. Branz People of the Books:

Susan Gold/Linda Wittlin Film Club: Joan Sperans Handworkers: Jessica Bernhardt Israeli Folk Songs: Dahlia Blech Men’s Group: Eric Savitz Neshama Women’s Group Professional Networking

Chavurah: Dennis Maine Check out Committees and Groups for more information. Have a new group? Send information to office@etzchayim.org.

Volunteer of the Month Art Sklaroff

Art Sklaroff jokingly calls himself “The Refi King” when it comes to refinancing his home in Palo Alto, but negotiating a new mortgage for Congregation Etz Chayim as a recent volunteer was a whole new kingdom for him to challenge.

“I think I’ve spent maybe fifty hours involved in this process over the last several months, but we’re very, very close to closing” says Sklaroff, who is this year’s volunteer treasurer of the congregation, and a long-time member of Etz Chayim.

“My family joined Etz Chayim in 2000. Both of my children had their bna’i mitzvahs here. But regular volunteering for me here at Etz Chayim was a recent thing,” says Sklaroff.

Like all bar/t parents, the Sklaroffs spent time in the kitchen or the library-cum-oneg room during the years their children were having their ceremonies. But taking a leadership volunteer role at the synagogue wasn’t on Art’s radar until after he took early retirement as a software engineer.

“I saw this as an opportunity to make a real contribution to Etz Chayim,” says Sklaroff.

In fact, he was volunteered for the treasurer’s role by past president Judy Rattner, who asked him to take the post.

“Art said yes, without hesitation,” says Rattner.

Refinancing the mortgage was already on the congregation’s radar. The original note on the building was coming due in 2014, and interest rates were at historic lows.

“This was an area that I was interested in,” says Sklaroff, who indeed had refinanced his personal castle several times.

But commercial mortgages can be a lot more complicated than home mortgages, as Sklaroff learned over the several months and many hours he worked with banks and private lenders to arrive at a soon-to-be-signed new mortgage on the Etz Chayim building.

“It has been an interesting volunteer project,” says Sklaroff, “but one that will bring lots of benefits to Etz Chayim.”

He expects that the new mortgage will bring tangible benefits to Etz Chayim: it will free up money that can be used to accelerate the retirement of the debt and to enhance and expand congregational programs.

Which, for a relatively new volunteer leader at Etz Chayim, like Art Sklaroff, is a great achievement──for him and for Etz Chayim.

Karl Sonkin

July 2012 5

Starting a Job Too Important to Farm Out A Message from the President As promised, this is the full text of Preeva’s speech abbreviated at the Annual Meeting, edited for print. Now that the new board has been elected, what happens next? After refreshments, we will have our June board meeting. The board will approve the new officers: myself as president, Bart Hechtman as executive vice president, Celia Stern Aufdemberge as secretary and Art Sklaroff will be continuing as treasurer. JoAnne Goldberg will advise us as past president. I’m excited to be working with them. They are great people, and talented.

On July 1, we will have a retreat where the board members will get to know each other and the heads of the committees, and set goals. I am in the process of planning that right now. Here are my personal goals ─ more transparency, greater involvement and a stronger commitment to the future. I want to keep Etz Chayim great, because Etz Chayim people are great.

Etz Chayim is a congregation for people who want to know how things work, who know what things mean, and who like knowledge. They are people

who want to participate rather than just watch, who enjoy things more if they have a contributing role. They are people like my mother-in-law.

My father-in-law founded a typewriter repair business that became Commodore Business Machines. My mother-in-law was the caterer for many Commodore managers’ meetings, which were held in her house. She could lay out a nice cold buffet meal for 30 people on a day’s notice, sometimes less. I have the china to prove it. And she made Shabbat dinner for her boys every week she could.

When the company started growing very fast in the late ‘70s, my mother-in-law stopped cooking lunch for the managers, but she kept cooking for the family, especially on Shabbat. One day one of the managers came to her house on a Friday afternoon while she was cooking. He said to her, “You have so much money, why don’t you hire someone to cook for you?” And she said. “Listen, the money is in the bank, not in my head.”

When my in-laws started out in the US, they lived in a cold water walk up on the lower east side of New York, but my mother-in-law, who survived the ghetto and the concentration camps, said they were never poor, just short of money. My father, who was a survivor also, taught me something similar: if you have two cents more than you need, you are rich.

I think my mother-in-law told me that story so I would know that if it is important, do it yourself. “There are some things,” she told me, “too important to farm out to hired help.” And she liked that she could keep on doing things, and still is doing things.

That is what I think Etz Chayim people are: people who like doing more than they like having. They like to make the music, instead of just listening to it.

Here is my vision for Etz Chayim: that we continue to be independent, liberal and proud ─ proud to believe in science; proud to believe in co-existing

July 2012 6

with the rest of the world; proud to know the difference between the laws of nature and the laws of people; proud to be Jewish, without being religious; happy to learn more about it, and able to do what needs doing when it needs to be done.

I’m going to end with a quote from Rebecca Goldstein, an author, philosopher, and MacArthur Fellow, who is one of the smartest people I know. I was in a tizzy and wrote her just after I agreed to be executive vice president, which I knew would lead me to this day. I had doubts about whether it was the right thing to do. Rebecca is a freethinker and does not believe in God, but considers herself Jewish. This is what she wrote to me:

I tend to think of an attachment to Jewishness, which I have, as something quite different from an attachment to Judaism, which I don’t have. Judaism as a religion suffers from the same problems, as far as I’m concerned, as all religions; true, it doesn’t go in for the nasty habit of forced conversions of the other Abrahamic religions, but that’s just because of its unpleasant tribalism. But Jewishness, as a culture, is kick-ass.

There might seem to be a contradiction between Jewishness without religion, (and atheism) but one of the things about Jewishness is that it’s respectful enough of the many facets of human nature that it blithely ignores the contradiction. Centuries of secular Judaism, going back to the Haskalah, prove that, contradiction or not, many people stubbornly cling to Jewish identity even if they’re atheists. Are you going to chase them away, brandishing the contradiction?

I’m not going to chase anyone away. Etz Chayim is, and always will be, looking for new members. And when they join us, we ask them “What does Jewishness mean to you?” We are a congregation that questions; that knows that certainty is the realm of mathematics and science. And we are a congregation that is open to all beliefs that are respectful, but not enslaved by our traditions. We love to laugh. And we love to sing.

Thank you for this honor.

Preeva Tramiel

.

For 2012, as of the end of April, 162 Etz Chayim participants generated $1396.59.

Register, Renew or select AutoEARN now.

You need to renew annually and keep your credit card info up to date.

July 2012 7

Friendship Quilt for Linda Wittlin To support Linda Wittlin ─ who is suffering from ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease ─ and her husband Bud, our Etz Chayim congregation made a lap quilt for Linda. You know Linda as the friendly face at the Welcome Table on the High Holy Days for many years. Linda also has made extraordinary contributions to our community through her leadership of the membership committee and the People of the Books group. The quilt is a small token of our appreciation and concern, which we hope will lift Linda’s spirits.

Jessica Bernhardt cut 4.5 inch white cotton squares for the members to use to write messages for Linda. On Sunday June 10, at the Annual Meeting, 42 Etz Chayim members used fabric markers to decorate squares with words and designs for the quilt, to carry the good wishes of the congregation to Linda.

Jessica designed a quilt around the squares, using fabric previously donated to Etz Chayim. The evening after the Annual Meeting, members of Etz Chayim Handworkers spent several hours assembling the squares. Further work was done by the Handworkers throughout the week, and the quilt was finished by Friday. The quilt was hung in the Etz Chayim lobby for Shabbat, so all could see it before it was delivered to Linda. Thanks to Melissa Rogoway for providing fabric markers from the Etz Chayim school supplies. The Handworker crew included Jessica Bernhardt, Melissa Rogoway, Tatiana Granoff, Bonnie Shipper, Carolyn Siegel, Preeva Tramiel and Lisa Bernard.

The quilt was delivered to Linda the following week. To show your support and send your good wishes to Linda and Bud, go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lindawittlin.

July 2012 8

9 Positive Things About Jews For The 9th of Av A Message from the Rabbi

he 9th of Av is a dark day in the Jewish calendar, where we mourn the loss of our political and

religious independence, along with the enormous death toll and suffering by the entire populace, many of whom were sent into slavery, at the end of the revolt against Rome (70 CE).

According to our tradition, this destruction was caused by the baseless hatred of Jews by Jews, for there were several armed Jewish factions who, when not fighting the Romans, fought each other.

The Babylonian destruction and exile (586 BCE) was caused, according to the prophets of the Bible, by the lack of justice and morals of our political and financial elite, who led the rest of the people astray into murder (the death of innocents allowed/perpetrated by the government and citizenry), idolatry (worshipping the objects of power of the empires around Israel) and general immorality, with a large dose of sexual immorality.

As our Bible and Talmud condemn our own actions, our classical sources have been used by other nations and religions who wished to prove that our people as a whole, for all time, were evil.

As an antidote to that, and as a way to focus our personal, familial, congregational, state, and national t’shuvah/rethinking (repenting) and remaking ourselves over the summer until Rosh haShanah (Sunday night, September 16), here are nine positive things about Jews said by prominent non-Jews. They are beyond anything we would, in all humility, say about ourselves.

Reading these statements, I am reminded of what Tom Hanks said to Matt Damon at the end of Saving Private Ryan: “Earn this!”

9 Positive Perceptions of the Jews* by Renowned Non-Jews

(*I find it strange when people, including Jews, say, the Jews when just Jews will do. You will see this in each quote.)

1. “Some people like the Jews, and some do not. But no thoughtful man can deny the fact that they are, beyond any question, the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has appeared in the world.”

Winston Churchill (statesman) 1920 2. “The Jew is that sacred being who has brought down

from heaven the everlasting fire, and has illumined with it the entire world. He is the religious source, spring, and fountain out of which all the rest of the peoples have drawn their beliefs and their religions.”

Leo Tolstoy (author) 1891

3. “It was in vain that we locked them up for several hundred years behind the walls of the Ghetto. No sooner were their prison gates unbarred than they easily caught up with us, even on those paths which we opened up without their aid.”

A. A. Leroy Beaulieu (19th c French historian) 1842 4. “The Jew gave us the Outside and the Inside - our

outlook and our inner life. We can hardly get up in the morning or cross the street without being Jewish. We dream Jewish dreams and hope Jewish hopes. Most of our best words, in fact - new, adventure, surprise, unique, individual, person, vocation, time, history, future, freedom, progress, spirit, faith, hope, justice - are the gifts of the Jews.”

Thomas Cahill (author The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed

the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels) 1999 5. “One of the gifts of the Jewish culture to Christianity is

that it has taught Christians to think like Jews, and any modern man who has not learned to think as though he were a Jew can hardly be said to have learned to think at all.”

William Rees-Mogg (newspaper editor-in-chief and a member of the House of Lords) 2004

6. “It is certain that in certain parts of the world we can see a peculiar people, separated from the other peoples of the world and this is called the Jewish people. . . This people is not only of remarkable antiquity but has also lasted for a singular long time. . . . For whereas the people of Greece and Italy, of Sparta, Athens and Rome and others who came so much later have perished so long ago, these still exist, despite the efforts of so many powerful kings who have tried a hundred times to wipe them out, as their historians testify, and as can easily be judged by the natural order of things over such a long spell of years. They have always been preserved, however, and their preservation was foretold. My encounter with this people amazes me.”

Blaise Pascal (French mathematician) 1670 7. “The Jewish vision became the prototype for many

similar grand designs for humanity, both divine and man made. The Jews, therefore, stand at the center of the perennial attempt to give human life the dignity of a purpose.”

Paul Johnson (author The History of the Jews) 1987 8. “As long as the world lasts, all who want to make

progress in righteousness will come to Israel for

T

July 2012 9

inspiration as to the people who had the sense for righteousness most glowing and strongest.”

Matthew Arnold (British poet and critic) 1876 9. “Indeed it is difficult for all other nations of the world

to live in the presence of the Jews. It is irritating and most uncomfortable. The Jews embarrass the world as they have done things which are beyond the imaginable. They have become moral strangers since the day their forefather, Abraham, introduced the world to high ethical standards and to the fear of Heaven. They brought the world the Ten Commandments, which many nations prefer to defy. They violated the rules of history by staying alive, totally at odds with common sense and historical evidence. They outlived all their former enemies, including vast empires such as the Romans and the Greeks. They angered the world with their return to their homeland after 2000 years of exile and after the murder of six million of their brothers and sisters. They aggravated mankind by building, in the wink of an eye, a democratic State which others were not able to create in even hundreds of years. They built living monuments such as the duty to be holy and the privilege to serve one's fellow men. They had their hands in every human progressive endeavor, whether in science, medicine, psychology or any other discipline, while totally out of proportion to their actual numbers. They gave the world the Bible and even their ‘savior.’ Jews taught the world not to accept the world as it is, but to transform it, yet only a few nations wanted to listen. Moreover, the Jews introduced the world to one God, yet only a minority wanted to draw the moral consequences. So the nations of the world realize that they would have been lost without the Jews. And while their subconscious tries to remind them of how much of Western civilization is framed in terms of concepts first articulated by the Jews, they do anything to suppress it. They deny that Jews remind them of a higher purpose of life and the need to be honorable, and do anything to escape its consequences. It is simply too much to handle for them, too embarrassing to admit, and above all, too difficult to live by. So the nations of the world decided once again to go out of ‘their’ way in order to find a stick to hit the Jews. The goal: to prove that Jews are as immoral and guilty of massacre and genocide as some of they themselves are. All this in order to hide and justify their own failure to even protest when six million Jews were brought to the slaughterhouses of Auschwitz and Dachau; so as to wipe out the moral conscience of which the Jews remind them, and they found a stick. Nothing could be more gratifying for them than to find the Jews in a struggle with another people (who are

completely terrorized by their own leaders) against whom the Jews, against their best wishes, have to defend themselves in order to survive. With great satisfaction, the world allows and initiates the rewriting of history so as to fuel the rage of yet another people against the Jews. This in spite of the fact that the nations understand very well that peace between the parties could have come a long time ago, if only the Jews would have had a fair chance. Instead, they happily jumped on the wagon of hate so as to justify their jealousy of the Jews and their incompetence to deal with their own moral issues. When Jews look at the bizarre play taking place in The Hague, they can only smile as this artificial game once more proves how the world paradoxically admits the Jews uniqueness.

It is in their need to undermine the Jews that they actually raise them. The study of history of Europe during the past centuries teaches us one uniform lesson:

That the nations which received and in any way dealt fairly and mercifully with the Jew have prospered; and that the nations that have tortured and oppressed them have written out their own curse.”

Olive Schreiner (South African novelist and social activist) 1966

Rabbi Ari Mark Cartun

July 2012 10

Tish’ah b’Av (Catastrophe Day) the 9th day of Av, the fifth Hebrew month

Etz Chayim commemorates the end of the 9th of Av

with a minchah service followed by a break-the-fast

Sunday July 29 7:30–9 pm

including the chanting, reading and discussion of the

Megillah (Book) of Lamentations (Aychah/ “How?!!”)

a social and theological response of that time by the prophet Jeremiah to the wholesale slaughter of our people and destruction of our country and national shrine.

We learn of this fast from Zechariah 8:19: So says haShem: The fast of the fourth month (17th of Tammuz, when Jerusalem's walls were breached by the Babylonians in 586 BCE), and the fast of the fifth (9th of Av, when the Temple was captured and burned), and the fast of the seventh ("the fast of Gedalia" the day after Rosh haShanah, when the Babylonian governor of Judah was assassinated), and the fast of the tenth (the 10th of Tevet, when the walls of Jerusalem were encircled and the siege began), will be times of joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.

We will be doing the minchah (afternoon) version of the service at 7:30 pm instead of the ma'ariv (evening) version because sunset isn't until 8:30 pm.

July 2012 11

Kol haKavod! (All Honor to You, or Well Done!) A Message from the Education Director It is now officially summer ─ the grades are mailed, the teachers are off to their summer plans, and I’m in the midst of planning programs. But, before I leave the last school year behind, I think that it is important to recognize some key folks in our community. Therefore here is a list of students, teachers and parents who deserve a “Kol hakavod!” for their contributions or achievements. A big thank you to: Our talented teachers: Rabbi Ari Cartun, Mimi Greisman, Peri Baloun, Rabbi Elisheva Salamo, Joanna Zimmerman, Tammy Broner, Hilit Kletter, Nechama Degany, Marlene Horwitz, Rabbi Rachel Solomin, Jen Wakefield, Sooze Protter, Ayla Miller and Ellen Stromberg.

Our wonderful volunteer madrichim: Alex Baer, Ethan Davis, Michaela Gold, Ethan Gordon, Zach Helifinstein, Erica Keer, Gabriela Rossner, Alex Merritt, Ben Bauer, Reene Paley, Maya Kandell, Ashley Helfinstein and Noah Hoffman. We could not run our school without you! And the dedicated members of our youth education committee, who do everything from program planning to cooking pancakes: Chair Leslie Matlof, Scott Thurm, Elisabeth Rubinfein, Elizabeth McCracken, Laura Wingard and Jennifer Mutz. We have 14 students who achieved perfect marks in Hebrew this year. I think that this is remarkable given that our

teachers really make them earn their good grades. In light of this I invited our high achievers out to Rick’s for ice cream. The honor roll: Leigh Bauer, Eric Epstein, Ian Jacobs, Blake Kancigor, Evan Kandell, Aaron Kim, Nathan Kim, Ruby Lyon, Sophie Matlof, Sam Mutz, Eli Priwer, Jolie Rosenzweig, Amalya Salamo and Noah Thurm. Also a big thank you to Lea Sandoval Kingsbury, my assistant, who helps everything to run smoothly. Kol hakavod, everyone!

Melissa Rogoway

Registration is open for school year 2012 - 2013. Click here for the registration form.

Contact the office if you have any questions.

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Adult Immun Class Celebrates Affirmation

In 2011, ten adults began a year-long Immun (“Saying Amen”/Affirmation) class, meeting once a month with Rabbi Cartun to explore the philosophical implications of the questions they had, and to find their own way to affirm themselves as Jews. The Immun/Affirmation service traditionally takes place around Shavu’ot each year, as Shavu’ot celebrates our receiving the Torah, and Immun celebrates how our students both receive and affirm their understanding of Torah today.

During Shabbat evening services on Friday, June 1, 2012, each participant gave a short introduction to a prayer that was personally meaningful. We congratulate the adult Immun class participants for completing this spiritual journey:

Chanah Anderson James Baloun Lynn Rabin Bauer

Brian Burns Naomi Burns

Peter Levin Vanessa deMarchi Schreve Ellen Siminoff

Gail Slocum Mitch Slomiak

July 2012 12

2012 Graduates

High School Graduates Ellie Baer, daughter of Jon and Lois Baer, is graduating from Los Altos High School. She will attend Boston College Mya Ballin, daughter of Arleen Ballin, is graduating from Los Altos High School. She will attend Oberlin College. Jake Bercow, son of Michelle and Doug Bercow, is graduating from Menlo Atherton High School. He will attend Georgetown University. Shira Burns, daughter of Brian and Naomi Burns, is graduating from Gunn High School. She will attend Smith College. Nathan Curtis, son of Gary Curtis and Karen Gruebel, is graduating from Gunn High School. He will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Audrey Davis, daughter of Chris and Rebecca Davis, is graduating from Gunn High School. She will attend Whitman College. Zachary Freier-Harrison, son of Susan Freier and Stephen Harrison, is graduating from Gunn High School. He will attend Northwestern University.

Michaela Gold, daughter of Barry Gold and Cindy Carpien, is graduating from Gunn High School. She will attend George Washington University. Zoe Greene, daughter of Amy and Jonathan Greene, is graduating from Palo Alto High School. She will attend Tufts University. Sam Hain, son of Sandy Hain and Janet Chaikind, is graduating from Palo Alto High School. He will attend University of Puget Sound. Ethan Hausser, son of Wynn Hausser and Amy Balsom, is graduating from Gunn High School/Middle College He will attend Chapman University. Jackson Horwitz, son of Roger and Sandra Horwitz, is graduating from Menlo-Atherton High School. He will attend Tufts University. Joshua Kirsch, son of Marcie Levine and Carl Kirsch, is graduating from Mountain View High School. He will attend Western Washington University. Nicole Kliger, daughter of Barry Kliger and Gabriela Marchevsky, is graduating from Mountain View High School.

She will attend University of California, Davis. Ben Krasnow, son of Ellen and Ron Krasnow, is graduating from Palo Alto High School. He will attend New York University. Jake Lee, son of Mark Lee and Lisa Giefer, is graduating from Monte Vista High School. He will attend University of California, Santa Cruz. Elise Levin-Guracar, daughter of Sharon Levin and Ismayil Guracar, is graduating from Sequoia High School. She will attend University of California, Berkeley. Jeremy Macaluso, son of Sarah and Edmund Macaluso, is graduating from Los Altos High School/Middle College. He will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Riki Rattner, daughter of Judy and Jonathan Rattner, is graduating from Palo Alto High School. She will attend Vanderbilt University. Simon Rosenbaum, son of Dusanka and Amir Rosenbaum, is graduating from Los Altos High School. He will attend Pomona College.

July 2012 13

Rachel Rosenberg, daughter of Larry and Robin Rosenberg, is graduating from Homestead High School. She will attend University of Pittsburg. Rebecca Shipper, daughter of Bonnie and Ron Shipper, is graduating from Mountain View High School/Middle College. She will attend Smith College. Illana-Mahmea Siegel, daughter of Carolyn and Jeremy Siegel, is graduating from Waldorf School of the Peninsula. She will attend Brandeis University.

Ben Sneider, son of Elisabeth Rubenfien and Daniel Sneider, is graduating from Palo Alto High School. He will attend Trinity University. Lauren Sohn, daughter of Sue Sohn, is graduating from Mountain View High School. She will attend Mt. Holyoke College.

Mao Mei Sonkin, daughter of Karl Sonkin, is graduating from Menlo-Atherton High School. She will attend Foothill College. Rachel Vershel, daughter of Mark and Terisa Vershel, is graduating from Palo Alto High School. She will attend Lewis and Clark College. Daniel Wolfert, son of Robert Wolfert and Lisa Flores-Wolfert, is graduating from Gunn High School. He will attend University of Puget Sound.

College Graduates

Ilana Cartun, daughter of Joy and Ari Cartun, is graduating from University of California, Santa Cruz, with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Erika Fiekowsky daughter of Peter and Sharon Fiekowsky, is graduating from Kalamazoo University with a Bachelor of Arts in French and International Area Studies.

Emily Kennan, daughter of Karen and Wayne Kennan, is graduating from University of Southern California. Hallie Kennan, daughter of Karen and Wayne Kennan, is graduating from Bucknell University.

Joshua Kramer, son of Rochelle Lefkowitz and Felix Kramer, is graduating from George Washington University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Sam Lee, son of Lisa Giefer and Mark Lee, is graduating from University of California Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics/Business Management, minor in Information Systems Management.

Post-Graduates Becky Bob-Waksberg, daughter of Ellen Bob and David Waksberg, is receiving a degree from Mills College, Masters of Education, with emphasis on Teaching.

Aaron Kaye, son of Dianne Gershuny, the late Ken Kaye (z’l’), and the late Mary-Lou Aufhauser Kaye (z’l’) is receiving a Masters of Business Administration from Yale University School of Management.

Debbie Miller is receiving a Masters of Fine Arts from JFK University Transformative Arts Program.

July 2012 14

Rabbinic Student Intern Wrap Up

Observations of Congregation Etz Chayim “As a teacher, if you leave the classroom without having learned something yourself, you haven’t done your job.” This is the philosophy of one of my teachers, Reb Mimi Feigelson. I was already an experienced teacher when I studied with Reb Mimi, but I didn’t really get what she meant until I came to Etz Chayim. Etz Chayim member Ted Schachter told me, “People here question more openly.” It is that unfettered questioning, and the insights it awakens, that made my internship so rich. The internship has ended, and in this spirit of mutual learning. Rabbi Cartun asked me to share with you some of my observations of our Etz Chayim community.

What enables openness? Crucially, it is safe to be different at Etz Chayim. As a synagogue, we are by definition a community of Jews, and yet a substantial percentage of our membership is not Jewish. We are a liberal congregation, the kitchen is not officially kosher, and yet I never felt uncomfortable explaining that I keep kosher or that I do not drive on Shabbat.

Equally crucial, we foster creativity. The Fifth Friday service and the megillah reading are some of the zaniest, most creative Jewish expressions I’ve ever seen. These events are fun, and they also impart a message: bring your whole self, because there is no one right way to be Jewish. Isn’t it amazing that Wendie Bernstein Lash’s contemplative service belongs in the same community as the Fifth Friday service? But then, many of us want to be contemplative sometimes and loud and fast other times.

The creativity of our membership finds expression in an astounding range of activities. The Neshama women’s group, AdventurEtz, the People of the Books book group, Torah study, Hebrew songs, mitzvah chavurah, tikkun olam, Connections (edited not by a staff member, but by a board member, Elissa Wellikson) ─ the list goes on and on. The commitment of our lay-leadership in maintaining these activities is inspiring. They depend on everyone to pitch-in. Finding volunteers can be frustrating; in all the communities I’ve known, few people step forward unless personally asked. What makes Etz Chayim special is that when asked, people say “Yes!”

Etz Chayim is blessed with a top-notch staff. Ellen Bob has taken an essential role as community builder that is rare in an executive director, but is natural to who she is. Donna Munic and Lea Kingsbury, each in her own area, support everything we do with a thoroughness and professionalism. Melissa Rogoway runs a school with unusually high standards. She positions her teachers for success. Melissa is actually balancing two positions: in

many synagogues, an assistant rabbi has responsibility for family programming. By holding both these roles, Melissa maintains a deeper level of connection with our school families. And of course, Rabbi Ari Cartun, through his charisma, knowledge and sincerity, took this community from 26 member units to nearly three hundred. For so many of us, he is essential to our connection to the synagogue and to Judaism.

I could write pages on Etz Chayim’s strengths, but I’d also like to mention two areas that could use attention. I’d like to see more interactions between religious school families, the Shabbat community, and other communities within the synagogue. A synagogue is like an organism: healthiest when all the parts are in regular communication. One of my favorite aspects of the camping trip ─ new this year ─ was the obvious pleasure of adults who came without kids and took time to read, star-gaze or bird-watch with children a decade or more younger than their own.

I’d also like more community building among school-aged families themselves. Our school and bar/t mitzvah programs are extraordinarily demanding, and I am proud of our graduates for their accomplishments. Through the stress of the preparation, the most essential component must remain strong: a community that loves and supports each other. We also need more opportunities for school-aged families whose children are not in the religious school to plug-in to our nurturing Etz Chayim community.

Rabbi Cartun gave Etz Chayim a tremendous gift by announcing thoughts/intentions of retiring well in advance, for that transition will be an adjustment for us as a community and as individuals. Now is the time to strengthen all ties within the community, so that we stand strong on our own. From all I have seen of this community ─ the enthusiasm, the commitment, the creativity, and the openness ─ I have full confidence in the future of Etz Chayim.

Ilana Goldhaber-Gordon

July 2012 15

Adult Education All events are at Etz Chayim unless otherwise indicated

Torah Study Every Saturday—9 to 10 am

Read the portion of the week on Shabbat morning and discuss the many different translations and commentaries. All in English. No preparation or experience necessary.

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Conversational Hebrew Mondays—7 to 8:30 pm Instructor: Joanna Zimmerman

Learn the basics of engaging in a modern Hebrew dialogue, emphasizing vocabulary, useful phrases, practical grammar and trying to acquire an Israeli accent.

Chanting Class Thursdays—7 to 8:30 pm by appointment

If you would like to learn how to chant Torah, have a portion you’d like to practice, or just want to hang out in a trop-inspired space, call or email Jonathan at 408-245-6901 or jonathan@albanyconsort.com in advance. No prerequisites, no stress, just have a wish to engage in something enjoyable.

Etz Chayim Social Groups All events are at Etz Chayim unless otherwise indicated

People of the Books –the Etz Chayim Book Group Usually meets third Sunday of the month 10:30 am to noon

Begins again in September

Any questions, please email Linda Wittlin or Susan Gold at bookclubchair@etzchayim.org.

------------------------- Film Club: joansperans@gmail.com

Usually shown the second Tuesday of the month 6:30 pm

Begins again in September

------------------------- Handworkers: Jessica Bernhardt

Usually meets first Monday of the month 7 pm Handworkers group is an opportunity for Etz Chayim members to practice handcrafts while getting to know one another. It is open to everyone.

------------------------- Men’s Group: Eric Savitz The men’s group invites male members to develop friendships, serve the community, explore surroundings and talk about important issues. Contact Eric at eric.savitz@gmail.com for information about upcoming events. AdventurEtz: Steve Branz AdventureEtz had a great time on an Earth Day hike at Hidden Villa Ranch in Los Altos Hills. Led by hike leader

Steve Branz, they hiked about approximately 3.5 miles and 930 foot vertical gain. Contact Steve Branz at stephen.branz@sjsu.edu to find out about our next hike.

------------------------- Neshama Women’s Group Neshama Women’s Retreat is the weekend of July 6. Neshama strives to create a community of women exploring Jewish spirituality through a variety of experiences at occasional events and an annual summer retreat. The group focuses on spiritual growth, Jewish learning, and creating experiences together. Neshama welcomes all women to our events, including women who are not members of Etz Chayim.

------------------------- Israeli Songs: Dahlia Blech

Usually meets twice a month-Sunday 3-4:30 pm Next meetings: July 15 and 29

Gather at Dahlia’s house to learn some of her favorite Hebrew songs. The group is open to anyone who likes to sing, whether an Etz member or not. New singers are always welcome! You do not need to know Hebrew. For more information, to RSVP or if you would like to join the group, please contact Dahlia.

------------------------- Professional Networking: Dennis Maine Building Etz community using LinkedIn. Contact linkedingroup@etzchayim.org for more information.

July 2012 16

I Just Wanted to Say . . .

And There Was Light I’ve been studying Torah, or more precisely been exposed to Torah study, for more than five decades. So I’m familiar with much of the content, especially the more well-known parts, like the story of creation. But sometimes you study Torah more or less by accident. Recently, when I decided to create a series of silk tallitot based on the days of creation, I had the occasion to consider these verses in some detail. I have often thought this portion was both repetitive and contradictory. On the first day the darkness is separated from the light, but the sun, moon and stars aren’t created until the fourth day. How did that work? In the midst of this process, I encountered Rabbi Ari one day at the synagogue and I mentioned this question to him. Ari said that

what happened on the first three days:

Day 1: light is divided from the darkness; Day 2: a firmament (the sky) divides the waters above from the waters below; and Day 3: the waters below (seas) are gathered and dry land appears with grass, plants and trees;

prepared the environment for what was created on the next three days:

Day 4: the sun, moon and stars are put in the sky; Day 5: the seas are populated with fish, the sky with birds; Day 6: dry land is populated with man and beasts.

I wonder why I had never seen these parallels before. It was as though a light bulb went on “. . . and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3)

And there was Torah study in the hallway and it was good.

Elissa Wellikson

For a better view, go to scarvesbyelissa.com.

************ Sponsor an Oneg Thank you to our oneg sponsors in the past month: Carla and Jon Kirschenbaum and family; Sheryl Klein; Tatiana Granoff, Evelyn Merritt, Sarah Schachter, Emily Allen and Ruth and David Helfinstein and the parents of the 7th grade class, in honor of all the graduates; the family of Joanna Falla, in honor of her becoming a bat mitzvah; Bob and Evelyn Merritt, in memory of Bob's mother, Hannah Merritt; Preeva Tramiel, in memory of her father Samuel Adler on his yahrzeit; Margaret Golden, in memory of

her father Edmond Golden on his yahrzeit; the family of Henry Poskanzer, in honor of his becoming a bar mitzvah; the family of Elise Epstein, in honor of her becoming a bat mitzvah. It’s easy to sponsor an oneg. All the information is on our website. We are now scheduling into August. You can sponsor an oneg to celebrate a simcha (a birthday, an

anniversary or a graduation), to commemorate a yahrzeit, or just because you plan to come to services. And

don’t forget to tell your friends you are the oneg sponsor so they can join you. Want to know who is sponsoring this week’s oneg? Look for the names of the oneg sponsors in the eBulletin along with the service information.

July 2012 17

Simchas

July Birthdays 7/1 Sophia Anderson 7/9 Shulamit Rubinfien 7/18 Deborah Miller 7/2 Bobby Edelman Arthur Sklaroff 7/19 Sylvia Banks Sylvia Pollak 7/10 Mitchell Finkelstein Seth Wiesner Bruce Richmond Deborah Rosenberg 7/20 Zachary Freier-Harrison Marlin Wallach 7/11 Tom Watzka Mark Goldstein 7/3 Elani Gitterman 7/12 Linda Brownstein Eliot Lash Eve Klein Andrew Hammer 7/21 Sandra Carrico 7/5 Isabelle Henig 7/13 Noah Hoffman Steven Russell 7/7 Jeff Abramowitz Sam Lysaght 7/22 Lauren Stein Shira Burns 7/14 Tracey Barrett 7/23 Shanna Gerson Gilfix Aaron Olson Jennifer Dyer-Friedman 7/25 Emily Allen Frieda Poskanzer Samara McCracken Sarah Macaluso Nathan Sherman Michael Tramiel 7/26 Paula Elster Gail Slocum 7/15 Tory Bers 7/28 Ron Freeman 7/8 Cole Hechtman Naomi Burns 7/29 Gary Ackerman Jonathan Kaplan Diana Gruber Jasper Dean Corinne Keer Jon Stone 7/30 Carol Finkelstein Jack Krasnow 7/16 Sandra Horwitz Eric Tracy-Cohen 7/9 David Helfinstein Robin Rosenberg 7/31 Zachary Helfinstein Aviva Maine 7/17 Amy Bayersdorfer Marcie Levine Greg Matza George Goer Laura Rubinstein-Salzedo Oren Gazit

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Kvelling: Other Celebrations Mazel tov to Pnina Griss. She won first prize in the Challenge Quilt competition at the San Mateo County Fair. The challenge was called Buttons & Bumps. Each contestant was given a round piece of green felt the size of a quarter that looked like a button and was asked to incorporate it into a quilt. Pnina made them into cat's eyes in her quilt.

Mazel tov to Lee Miller and Ayla Protter Miller on the birth of their son Lev Neor. Lev is the grandson of Sooze Protter. Ayla teaches It's a Girl Thing and Sooze teaches 8th grade at Etz Chayim religious school.

To kvell about your anniversaries, births, engagements, graduations, successful surgery, new job or other accomplishment, send the information to connections@etzchayim.org.

July 2012 18

Donations

OPERATING FUND Karl Sonkin

Preeva and Leonard Tramiel, in memory of Sheryl Klein’s father Amy Berson and Frank Smith, in memory of Sheryl Klein’s father

Shirley Hines, in honor of Elise Epstein’s bat mitzvah Cindy Carpien and Barry Gold, toward the graduation Shabbat dinner

Amy Berson and Frank Smith, in memory of Barry Katz’ mother Ron and Bonnie Shipper, in memory of Preeva Tramiel’s father-in-law Jack Tramiel Jonathan and Elissa Kaplan, to defray the cost of printing additional greeting cards

Selix Acquisition, LLC, in honor of Michael Goldstein and Rosalie Toren Jeff and Marcy Abramowitz, in memory of Sheryl Klein’s father Bernie Nowitz, Preeva Tramiel’s

father-in-law Jack Tramiel, Barry Katz’ mother Syma Katz and Bud Wittlin’s mother Evelyn and Bob Merritt, in honor of Ellen Bob and Karl Sonkin for their kindness, understanding and forgiveness

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Ari and Joy Cartun Barry Kliger and Graciela Marchevsky Ron and Bonnie Shipper, in memory of Barry Katz’ mother Syma Katz,

Bobby Edelman’s father and Sheryl Klein’s father Bernie Nowitz Elissa Wellikson and Tim Shroyer Bob Wolfert and Lisa Flores-Wolfert

Adam and Rachel Paley Preeva and Leonard Tramiel Alan and Carole Kushnir

RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND

Andrew Palay and Cindy Lyon, in memory of Sidney Palay Howard and Gloria Levin, in memory of Ida Schall

Celia Aufdemberge¸ in memory of her mother Helen Stern Lilian and Charles Trilling, in memory of Barry Katz’

mother Syma Katz Michael Stern, in memory of Joshua Stern

2011/2012 Tichon Class

YAHRZEIT Satya Reddy and Paula White-Reddy, in memory of

Paula’s father Jack White, Satya’s father L. Krishna Reddy and Paula’s sister Zelda White

Edith Molton, in memory of Stephen Molton Evelyn and Bob Merritt, in memory of Hannah Merritt

MEMORIAL LEAVES

Preeva and Leonard Tramiel, in memory of Jack Tramiel

SIDDUR BOOKPLATES

Sheryl and Tony Klein, in memory of Sheryl’s father Bernie Nowitz

L’ETZ CELEBRATE Judy and Jon Rattner

2012 BAR/T CLASS TZEDAKAH

Carrie and Bart Hechtman, in honor of Joanna Falla’s bat mitzvah

IN-KIND

Ari and Joy Cartun, food for Israel trip class Crescent Park Child Care Center, dreidels

and Chanukah set Wendy Bernstein Lash, books for the library

GREETING CARDS Satya Reddy and Paula White-Reddy, in memory of Sheryl Klein’s father Bernie Nowitz

Judy and Jon Rattner, to congratulate the Goers on the birth of their new baby Jen Wakefield and Greg Matza in memory of Syma Katz, mother of Barry Katz

Jonathan and Elissa Kaplan, in memory of Sheryl Klein’s father Bernie Nowitz and in honor of Linda Wittlin

Kepler’s, a local independent book seller, includes Congregation Etz Chayim in their Community Partners program, resulting in a contribution of over $100 for 2011. Just mention Etz Chayim when you pay for your purchases.

Would you like to make a contribution? Here’s how: Donating to Congregation Etz Chayim!

July 2012 19

Yahrzeits

Tammuz July 1, 2012 Tammuz 11, 5772 Helen Stern, mother of Celia Aufdemberge Matthew Koppel, father of Karen Bergen July 4, 2012 Tammuz 14, 5772 Sophie Brownstein, mother of Neill Brownstein Harry Shoub, father of Deborah Ju July 5, 2012 Tammuz 15, 5772 Sadye Lewis, remembered by Heather Levy July 6, 2012 Tammuz 16, 5772 H. Christopher Medbery, father of John Medbery July 9, 2012 Tammuz 19, 5772 Harry Powerstein, grandfather of Kaaren Powers Bertha Goldspinner, mother of Linda Wittlin July 10, 2012 Tammuz 20, 5772 Rose Levin, mother of Howard Levin Leah Buckler, aunt of Lisa Rogers July 13, 2012 Tammuz 21, 5772 Lori Benaron, remembered by Dodi Benaron Mary Berkowitz, grandmother of Sue Weber July 14, 2012 Tammuz 22, 5772 Melvin Krauss, father of Sharon Fiekowsky July 15, 2012 Tammuz 23, 5772 Lenore Bernhardt, mother of Jessica Bernhardt Cyrille Friedman, father of Sam Friedman Sam Goldstein, father of Mark Goldstein Siegfried Mueller, father of Edith Molton Charlotte Scherz, step-mother of Debbie Rose Jack Stein, father of Lauren Stein July 17, 2012 Tammuz 27, 5772 Mordecai Solomon, father of Edward Solomon Hazel Wolfert, mother of Robert Wolfert

Tammuz July 18, 2012 Tammuz 28, 5772 Fran Schloss, aunt of Bob Merritt July 19, 2012 Tammuz 29, 5772 Norma Levitan, mother of Rita Giles Aaron Wolkovitz, father of Fred Wolkovitz

Av

July 22, 2012 Av 3, 5772

Tina Lent, mother of Aiyana Lent July 23, 2012 Av 4, 5772

Jack Duchowny, father of Irv Duchowny July 26, 2012 Av 7, 5772

Edith Beck, aunt of Debbie Rosenberg Gene Slater, father of Susan Slater July 28, 2012 Av 9, 5772

Rudolph Bergwerk, father of Judy Bergwerk Herman Freund, father of Elissa Kaplan Margot Wissbrun Nassau, grandmother of Laurie Pennington July 29, 2012 Av 10, 5772 Richard Sneider, father of Daniel Sneider July 30, 2012 Av 11, 5772

Richard Barrett, grandfather of Laurie Biros Clara Sprung, mother of Sheri Morrison July 31, 2012 Av 12, 5772 Joan Abramowitz, mother of Jeff Abramowitz Greta Brandeis, mother of Erika Ammirati Milton Roth, grandfather of Mark Roth Joel Sperans, remembered by Joan Sperans

***************** “Say not in grief: ‘He is no more,’ but live in thankfulness that he was.” Hebrew proverb

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We’re only human and we make mistakes. Forgive us and correct us, please.

Our birthday, yahrzeit and todah rabah lists are only as good as our database and the updates you give us. If you see a listing that is wrong or information is missing, we hope that you will let us know. We want to get it right, so please email office@etzchayim.org and we will correct our records. And if you let us know the date of your anniversary, we’ll join you in celebrating that as well!

Rent Space at Etz Chayim for Your Next Event

Do you have a family simcha coming up? A business conference or organization that needs a place to meet? Have the celebration or meeting at Etz Chayim! Contact Ellen Bob for all reservations and rental needs.

Reach a select audience by advertising in Connections

Let your friends, retailers and service providers know. We offer very reasonable rates to advertise to the families and friends of Etz Chayim—more than 400 households.

July 2012 20

July 2012 / Tammuz - Av 5772

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 11 Tammuz 2 12 Tammuz 3 13 Tammuz 4 14 Tammuz 5 15 Tammuz 6 16 Tammuz 7 17 Tammuz

7 pm Conversational Hebrew

7 pm AZA

Independence Day Office Closed

4 pm Neshama Women’s Retreat weekend begins

7:30 pm Lay-led Shabbat Service led by Mark Goldstein

Sunset 8:24 pm

9 am Lay-led Torah Study 10 am Contemplative Service with Yeshaya

Ballon 10 am Lay-led Shabbat Service led by

Erika Ammirati

8 18 Tammuz 9 19 Tammuz 10 20 Tammuz 11 21 Tammuz 12 22 Tammuz 13 23 Tammuz 14 24 Tammuz

7 pm Conversational Hebrew

7 pm Handworkers

7:30 pm Shabbat Service

Sunset 8:21 pm

9 am Torah Study 10 am Shabbat Service and bar mitzvah of

Josh Brigel

15 25 Tammuz 16 26 Tammuz 17 27 Tammuz 18 28 Tammuz 19 29 Tammuz 20 1 Av 21 2 Av

7 pm Conversational Hebrew

3 pm Breaking Bread (First Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto)

7:30 pm Shabbat Service

Sunset 8:17 pm

9 am Torah Study 10 am Shabbat Service

22 3 Av 23 4 Av 24 5 Av 25 6 Av 26 7 Av 27 8 Av 28 9 Av

7 pm Conversational Hebrew

7:30 pm Lay-led Shabbat Service led by Karen Bergen and Jon Kaplan

Sunset 8:12 pm

Erev Tish’ah b’Av 9 am Lay-led Torah Study 10 am Lay-led Shabbat Service led by

Sheri Morrison

29 10 Av 30 11 Av 31 12 Av

Tish’ah b’Av 7:30–9 pm Tish’ah b’Av

service - chanting, reading and discussion of Lamentations

7 pm Conversational Hebrew