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AUGUST 2016/TAMUZ - AV 5776

RELIGIOUS SERVICES

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 7:30 pmShabbat ServiceMusic: Bob Pollack and Marilyn Zelcer

SATURDAY, AUGUST 69:30 am – Torah Study10:30 am – Shabbat ServiceTorah Portion: Matot-Mas’ei, Num. 30:2-36:13

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 7:30 pmFAMILY Shabbat ServiceMusic: Orin Reynolds

SATURDAY, AUGUST 139:30 am – Torah Study10:30 am – Shabbat ServiceTorah Portion: D’varim, Deut. 1:1-3:22

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 7:30 pmShabbat ServiceMusic: Bob Pollack and Marilyn Zelcer

SATURDAY, AUGUST 209:30 am – Torah Study10:30 am – Shabbat ServiceTorah Portion: Va’et’chanan, Deut. 3:23-7:11

FRIDAY, AUGUST 267:00 pm - Open House 7:30 pm - Shabbat ServiceMusic: Friday Night Live

SATURDAY, AUGUST 279:30 am – Torah Study10:00 am – Tot Shabbat10:30 am – Shabbat ServiceTorah Portion: Eikev, Deut. 7:12-11:25

1 August 2016

Men’s Club provides hamburgers & hot dogs...

Please bring your favorite family picnic

side dish to share.

PROSPECTIVE MEMBER OPEN HOUSE

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26

7:00 pm Tour7:30 pm Shabbat Servicefeaturing our Friday Night Live Band Prayers are set to contemporary music

Bring prospective members or call us with info to invite them to this service.

BE A STAR —A WEBSITE STAR

Thursday, August 4, 6:30 pmat the Temple

Participate in a video staging of a serviceto be used on our website.

Wear Temple clothes and join us for this special event.

Help us show how special Valley Temple is.

2 August 2016

FROM THE RABBI ...Sandford R. Kopnick

In memory of Elie WieselOur people lost the most effective voice for remembering the Holocaust last month. We mourn with the world the death of Elie Wiesel. Our prayer is that he is at peace in death in a way that life could not allow. Wiesel’s life’s work began with the unimaginable, and saw his incarceration and survival as the beginning of a journey that no one should have ever made.

So many of us learned about Elie Wiesel’s torment through reading the book, Night. The book remained a best seller for more than 45 years after it was first published in 1960. That memoir of a young boy’s horror became standard reading in many American classrooms. Elie Wiesel’s relentless pursuit of “memory” for this catastrophic event made him, as the New York Times said, “…an eloquent witness for the six million Jews slaughtered in World War II and who, more than anyone else seared the memory of the Holocaust on the world’s conscience.” (NYT July 2, 2016)

Elie Wiesel was a gifted author and a renowned professor. In addition, he figured out how to speak to Presidents with an insistence of remembering the Holocaust appropriately. Elie Wiesel had the courage to insist to President Carter that phrasing matters when defining the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel had the courage to publicly rebuke President Reagan prior to the President’s visit to a concentration camp. Wiesel’s legacy insists that we both remember, but also ensure that we live in a world where the rights of minorities are protected and perpetrators of crimes are punished, not the groups from where they originate. And while others, especially Simon Wisenthal, competed for the title of chief Holocaust spokesman, Wiesel combined his ability to be a master story teller with a compelling approach to eye-witness testimony.

As we go forward in a world without Elie Wiesel, our task is to be vigilant about the phrase, “never again.” Elie Wiesel was not the only survivor of World War II who lost family and friends to hatred as a scapegoat for a society’s problems. We Jews were not the only victims of the Holocaust, and have a sacred responsibility to ensure that no one will be treated as we Jews (and Gypsies, and the disabled, and homosexuals) were treated by Nazis.

As long as you and I are vigilant in remembering the past so that it does not repeat, we need not fear a world without Elie Wiesel. May his memory, and the memories of all the victims he insisted we not forget, be for an eternal and abiding blessing.

Rabbi Sandford R. Kopnick

Record Number Participate in Jewish Camps From Valley

We are proud to report that 40 Valley Temple kids participated at Goldman Union Camp Institute this summer. 30 campers, 10 staff, and one rabbi! Given the size of our congregation, a greater percentage of our kids participated than any other congregation in the region! We are also glad that we had a camper at Camp Livingston, and four students in Israel this summer.

We are grateful to the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati for helping with first and second year Jewish camp scholarships, and for matching our scholarships dollar for dollar for GUCI campers attending after their second year. Our Sisterhood provides a significant portion of the 8,000/year we send in scholarship money to the camp.

We are grateful, also, to the Temple members who give to our scholarship fund every year. If you would like to help support this wonderful way of insuring Jewish identities into the future, or if your child or grandchild has benefited from participating in a Jewish camp over the years, please consider a generous donation to our scholarship fund.

New Prayerbooks for the High Holy Days

We are grateful to all those families who sponsored new Mishkan HaNefesh High Holy Day Prayerbooks. The new books will be given book plates with dedications to sponsors’ friends and family. In addition, a significant number of the books will be dedicated in memory of Helen and Marty Levy, long time Temple members. Marty was our shofarist for more than 30 years and Helen was very active in many ways over the years in our congregation.

There will be a “get to know the prayer book” session in September, prior to Rosh Hashanah. Please watch the September bulletin for details.

GUCI Valley First Session Campers & Staff & Rabbi

3 August 2016

Youth Group Begins Year With NFTY-OV Summer Kallah

and Opening EventStudent in grades 9-12 are invited to participate in the North American Federation of Temple Youth-Ohio Valley region (NFTY-OV) summer gathering August 19-21 at GUCI. The Youth Group will host a local opening event on Sunday, August 28. For more information about both events, contact our youth group advisor, Brian Meeron at brian.meeron@gmail.com, or Rabbi Kopnick at the Temple.

New Five Part Introduction to Judaism Series

Rabbi Kopnick will facilitate a five-part Judaism 101 for Temple members and their guests on Sunday mornings beginning Sunday, October 16. Watch for the Adult Education brochure coming in September for details of this and the other wonderful adult learning opportunities for our Fall Semester.

Open House to Feature New Members of Friday Night Live Band

Bring a prospective member and show them our beautifully remodeled building, and attend services on August 26. The open house will begin at 7:00 p.m., followed by a service featuring the Friday Night Live Band at 7:30 p.m.

The Friday Night Live Band has added Alex Woosley, vocals and Orin Reynolds, guitar and vocals to the group. Charlene Gubitz will make her last scheduled appearance with our group during the early Rosh Hashanah service, and will lead music for the family services on the High Holy Days. She and her husband Jeff are moving to New Orleans.

Alex and Orin join Alex Kopnick, Alberta Hemsley and long-time band members Ernie Waits, Jr., Tim Gruenhagen, Dorian Naveh, and Sarah Singer Nourie who all help us worship with a ruach (spirit) that is both inspiring and contagious.

Help us sign-up some new members and celebrate Shabbat together on August 26.

New Board of Trustees Members

Congratulations to Jon Hoffheimer, newly elected to President of the Board of Trustees as well as Alberta Hemsley as Secretary. Welcome to new Board members Barry Goldhoff, Alberta Hemsley, Michael Mannheimer, Allison Schneider, and Marty Schrager. Continuing as Trustees are Neil Berman, Rita Clark, Gail Lewin, Laura Lobar, Dan Perlmutter, Bernice Pollack, Aron Schneider, Beth Schwartz, Elliot Spieler and Elizabeth Woosley, Kathy Schlaeger as Vice President and Michael Shayeson as Past President .

We also thank retiring members David Feldstein, Marvin Fischbaum, and Craig Hoffheimer for their years of dedication and service.

Jars of honey can be mailed to friends and family to wish them a happy and sweet New Year. Info has been mailed to you to make this easy – help Sisterhood raise money by returning your list and check to Toby Ruben by August 19.

Honey Jars for Rosh Hashanah

Look for Religious School Registration materials to arrive this month in your email. If you would prefer to receive paper copies, please contact Alison in the office.

First Day of Religious School is Sunday, September 11!

4 August 2016

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL?

The world recently lost a great teacher. Elie Wiesel, Z”L was a survivor, a writer, an advocate, and a teacher. NPR correspondent Sonari Glinton was Wiesel’s student at Boston University. There, he not only heard his mentor say these words, he also experienced the truth in this statement: The relationship between teacher and student is sacred.

This phrase stood out to me in Glinton’s writing because I believe the notion of a sacred relationship guides the work we do in Religious School. While planning for the upcoming start to the Religious School year, I find myself studying and tweaking our curriculum, meeting with Rabbi Kopnick and the teachers, and checking in with our mission statement:

The Valley Temple Religious School’s mission is to develop in each child a positive Jewish identity through the joy of learning together, inspiring all of them to weave Jewish ideals into the rest of their lives.

Does it still speak to our goals? Does it reflect the importance of the student-teacher relationship? What about the student-student relationship? Our relationship to Jewish content?

In the work we do planning lessons and activities and the time we spend together as a faculty each Sunday, we focus on building relationships. True learning, true growth and change cannot occur without strong relationships. Without them something is compromised.

We accept, with gratitude, the gift and the responsibility of learning with your children. We are deliberate about creating safe spaces for complicated discussions and risk-taking in learning new ideas and a new language.

Look for registration materials in your inbox this month. Please take the time to fill out the forms with as much information about your children as you can. Tell us about your children’s talents and strengths as well as their vulnerabilities. Let us know of learning or behavior strategies that work at home or in everyday school. You know them best and any insight you can share with us will greatly help the teachers form meaningful and lasting relationships that will enhance everyone’s learning experience.

Have a great month and I look forward to celebrating the start of a new year of learning with you in September!

AlisonAlison Weikel, Director of Education

[ To read Glinton’s beautiful piece, see: http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/07/14/484558040/forgetting-isnt-healing-lessons-from-elie-wiesel ]

Religious School Important Dates for September 2016September 1 - 6-9 PM - Opening Faculty MeetingSeptember 6 - 6-8 PM - Madrichim MeetingSeptember 9-10 - VTMC (7th/8th grade) retreatSeptember 11 - Religious School Opening Day and PicnicSeptember 13 - Hebrew for grades 4-5-6September 18 - Religious SchoolSeptember 20 - Hebrew for grades 4-5-6September 25 - Religious School

Attention 3, 4 and 5 year olds. . .You are old enough to join us on Sunday mornings in our PreK class!

Contact Alison (alison@valleytemple.com) to find out more about our wonderful PreK and kindergarten programs in Religious School:• holidays• songs• art• movement• stories• building• cooking• making friends• Jewish values

First Day of Religious

School is Sept. 11!

5 August 2016

The Helen and Martin Levy Volunteer Award is given to a member who exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism and dedication to The Valley Temple that Helen and Marty Levy (of blessed memory) showed over the years. This year’s recipient was Michael Shayeson. This award has never previously been presented to a sitting or outgoing president. However, Michael’s stewardship of the Valley Temple remodel project made him the natural choice, according to Rabbi Kopnick who made the presentation at the Congregational Annual Meeting held in June. “Mike’s unique skill set made our capital project a much greater success than we could have achieved without him. Mike has been a remarkable president” Kopnick said.

Pictured at left: President Jon Hoffheimer, Past-President Michael Shayeson, Rabbi Sandford Kopnick

THE HELEN AND MARTIN LEVY VOLUNTEER AWARD

For membership info please contact Len Elgowsky or Jeff Schlaeger. Dues are $36.

Upcoming Events:

- Congregational Picnic Sunday August 21, 2-5 p.m. Sharon Woods Honeysuckle Shelter

- Please watch for news about fall events, and ushering support for the High Holy Days

Wednesday, August 10 at 8 p.m. Wings & Trivia continues at Buffalo Wings and Rings in Finneytown hosted by fellow congregant Brian Meeron.

MEN’S CLUB

The Valley Temple Men's Club is on Twitter! @vt_men

6 August 2016

Hello Everyone!

Hopefully you are having a fun-filled and relaxing summer! Even though we haven't had official meetings, Sisterhood has been doing a lot lately!

The first year of offering Camper Care Packages got off to a great start! Thanks to Allison Schneider and her crew of helpers, lots of campers at G.U.C.I and Camp Livingston received packages from parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, filled and delivered to camp by Sisterhood members.

We recently had our rummage sale, which was a big success due to the efforts of everyone who donated items for the sale, and all the volunteers who worked all week to sort the donated items or helped during the sale.

As summer begins to wind down and thoughts turn back to school and Sunday mornings at Valley, Sisterhood will get back in full swing too. We hope to see lots of familiar faces and some new ones at our monthly meetings and other events. Stay tuned for more information and upcoming dates – and enjoy the rest of your summer!

Chrissy Christine Knarr, Recording Secretary

Remember, whether you shop at Kroger or at Remke, you can help support Sisterhood just by doing your regular grocery shopping. When you link your shopper card to either the Kroger Community Rewards Program or to the Remke Caring Neighbor Program, every time you swipe your card or enter your alternate ID at the checkout, a portion of the sale goes to Sisterhood, which in turn helps to support Valley Temple programming.

For Kroger:https://www.kroger.com/communityrewards

Click to sign in or create an account.

For Remke:http://www.remkes.com/Community.aspx Options to sign in or register are at the

top right corner of the webpage.

If you have any questions, please contact Chrissy Knarr.

Thanks to all the volunteers who made the Sisterhood Rummage

Sale a big success!

7 August 2016

A number of Valley teens headed to Israel for a month this summer on NFTY

trips. Pictured below as they prepare to depart in June are Marcelle Lobar, Steven

Elgowsky. Not pictured: Devon Brandt, Ian Cronin and Rae Nourie.

THANKS TO ALL WHO CAME OUT FOR ICE CREAM!

A happy gathering of Valley Temple members with Rabbi Kopnick on July 14th at the West Chester Graeters.

More than 20 Valley Temple congregants joined Rabbi Kopnick and hundreds of members of the Cincinnati Jewish community on the 2016 Cincinnati Congregation & Community Israel Mission from July 17–28.

SUSTAINING THE GENERATIONS ...

RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND

In appreciation of Rabbi Kopnick; from Jeff & Linda Lazar

In appreciation of Rabbi Kopnick; from Sandy Hatfield

In memory of Jacob R. Hatfield; from Sandy Hatfield

In honor of Aaron S. Hatfield’s birthday; from Sandy Hatfield

In memory of Gilbert Linver; from David & Michelle Steed

In memory of Florence Mitman Rubin; from Diane & Ken Mitman

In memory of Marc S. Buff; from Dr. Jan Rosenbaum Sass & Mark Sass

BRYNA SCHWARTZ MEMORIAL ONEG & HOSPITALITY FUND

In memory of Alice Kuhn Benjamin; from Lois Benjamin

In memory of Howard Engle; from Alan Schwartz

In memory of Dr. Harvey Waxman; from Ernie & Sally Waxman

In memory Agnes Seasongood; from Jon & Susan Hoffheimer

In memory Janet S. Hoffheimer; from Jon & Susan Hoffheimer

In memory Herbert Hoffheimer; from Jon & Susan Hoffheimer

In memory Herbert Hoffheimer, Sr.; from Jon & Susan Hoffheimer

ALLEN AND SELMA WEINER SOCIAL ACTION FUND

In memory of Gladys Heller; from the Habbert Family

CAMP SCHOLARSHIP FUND

In memory of Roslyn Schear and Harry Schear; from Ricki and Stuart Hodesh

We gratefully acknowledge the following contributions:

8 August 2016

RABBI SOLOMON GREENBERG PRAYERBOOK FUNDA gift; from Jim & Cindy Cronin

A gift; from Amy Paul & Jerry Newfarmer

Set(s) of Mishkan Hanefesh HHD Machzor will be inscribed:

In honor of Confirmations of Spencer, Ava Amber, and Brooke Amber Schumacher; from Jean & John Amber

In honor of our parents; from Carol & Les Appel

In memory of Sanford I. Levy, from Davine/Amy/Scott/Jim Levy & Joel/Breanna Badanes

In memory of Marcus & Aita Goldberg; from Sharon Kollasch & Family

In memory of Renée Romick Goldberg; from Sharon Kollasch & Family

In memory of Sam & Anne Mervis; from Ronn Mervis & Linda Kean

In memory of Art & Ellie Brown; from Mark & Robin Miller

In honor of our children; In honor of our grandchildren; In memory of Helen & Wilbert Rosenthal; In memory of Judge Benjamin & Esther Schwartz; In memory of Rose Shott; from Henrita & John Rosenthal

In memory of Irvin L. Schwartz; from Beth Schwartz and Gene Smiley, Daniel, Monica, and Eve

In memory of Joanne Shuck; from her husband, Stanley

In memory of Joanne Shuck; from her family

In honor of Stuart & Ricki Hodesh; from Dorothy Siegel

In memory of Richard & Margot Springer; from Jerry & Micki Springer

In memory of Joseph & Anna Margaret Velten; from Jerry & Micki Springer

In memory of Milton & Edna Bloom; from Susan & George Trenkamp

In honor of Susan & George’s 30th anniversary; from the Trenkamps

In memory of Arnold & Frieda Weitzenkorn; In memory of Max & Kate Moore; from the Weitzenkorn Family

9 August 2016

High Holy Day Schedule 5777

SelichotSaturday, September 24, 2016 Adult Education at 8:00 p.m. Dessert Buffet at 9:30 p.m. Service at 10:00 p.m.

Erev Rosh HashanahSunday, October 2, 2016 Musical Experience at 6:00 p.m. Regular Service at 8:00 p.m.

Rosh Hashanah MorningMonday, October 3, 2016 Family Service at 9:00 a.m. Tot Service at 10:15 a.m. Regular Service at 10:45 a.m.

Cemetery ServiceSunday, October 9, 2016 Jewish Cemetery of Greater Cincinnati Montgomery – 10:00 a.m. Walnut Hills – 11:00 a.m. Shachnez in Price Hill – 12:15 p.m.

Erev Yom Kippur Tuesday, October 11, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.

Yom Kippur Day Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Family Service at 9:00 a.m. Tot Service at 10:15 a.m. Gates of Repentance at 10:45 a.m. Study Session at 1:30 p.m. Afternoon Service at 2:45 p.m. Yizkor/Concluding at 4:15 p.m. Light Break the Fast follows the Concluding Service

Are you looking for a way to meet new people with similar interests? Join a Valley Temple Connection Circle---Groups are forming now!

Are you a Single Parent, Outdoor Enthusiast, Foodie, Cultural Arts Buff or You Name It? Looking for some other people to get together with for dinner or just to chat? Join with others seeking the same. Send an email to beths306@gmail.com with the subject line Valley Circles to indicate your interest and we’ll connect you with other Valley Members like you.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the recent Soup Kitchen--we did it once again. Thank you to everyone for the brownies, prep work and serving. Bob and I truly appreciate all of you dedicated people--and we had several newbies and returnies. Hopefully you will consider working another time in the future. New volunteers are always welcome and appreciated!

Our next soup kitchen is set for October 9. Mark your calendars and I will be back in touch the end of September to ask for volunteers. Thanks again for your hard work. Bob and Jeannie Hiller

Valley Temple

Connection Circles

Soup Kitchen: Thank You!

10 August 2016

AUGUST BIRTHDAYSBobby Reynolds 08/01Stacey Spivak 08/03Leslie Waltman 08/04Jacob Lazar 08/04Allie Weiner 08/05Phyllis Bossin 08/06Marcelo Niedermann 08/06Eli Shupe, Jr. 08/06William Pinsky 08/07Norman Wasserman 08/07Sarah Reynolds 08/07Gail Lewin 08/08Les Appel 08/08Stuart Hodesh 08/08Susana Niedermann 08/09Juddy Solomon 08/11David Deutsch 08/11Buz Stewart 08/11Ginny Myer 08/15Jay Price 08/15Jay Brandt 08/16Shannon Clark 08/16Robert Deutsch 08/16Barbara Katz 08/17Marvin Fischbaum 08/17Daniel Friedberg 08/18Barbara Guggenheim 08/18Cody Blatt 08/18Naomi Codd 08/19Laurel Fischbaum 08/20Kim Stark 08/21Sandra Green 08/21Rachel Cusack 08/22Adam Brown 08/23Joanna Jones 08/23Craig Hoffheimer 08/24Barry Goldhoff 08/25Kevyn Carmody 08/25Marcia Deitsch 08/25Adam Heines 08/25Michael Blumenfeld 08/25Monroe Blatt 08/26Jackie Yeazell 08/26William S. Magnus 08/27Monya Brandt 08/28Lee Freedman 08/28Mark Apseloff 08/29Steven Elgowsky 08/29Marsha Kuhr 08/29Sharon Feldstein 08/30Alan Schwartz 08/30Evelyn Kabakoff 08/30Hildie Reynolds 08/30Sarah Davis 08/30

AUGUST ANNIVERSARIESPhilip & Melissa Hoffheimer 08/02/2008Phillip & Jaimie Levinson 08/02/2015Larry & Mara Wolf 08/04/1985Michael & Karin O’Neill 08/06/2000Aaron & Emma Bernay 08/08/2004Bob & Jeannie Hiller 08/11/1979Mark Raider & Miriam Raider-Roth 08/13/1989Mark & Jan Sass 08/17/1980Tom & Bette Sherman 8/17/1969John & Helen Habbert 08/18/1974Donald & Nancy Dornheggen 08/18/1978Ivan & Kathie Tamarkin 08/20/1977Bob & Sylvia Maltz 08/24/1958David & Andrea Knarr 08/24/1966Ron & Carol Spritzer 08/28/Laura & Steven Connock 08/29/1998Katie & Lee Freedman 08/31/2014

MISHEBEIRACH

Jay PriceHarold BlattBernice BlattJoan ReckseitJohn Schwab

Colin Nourie on the death of his sister, Christine Nourie

Randi Solomon on the death of her mother, Gladys Heller

OUR SYMPATHY

There is still time to send in your info for the memorial book to be

distributed during the Yom Kippur Memorial Service.

If you have questions, call the Temple office, 761-3555.

11 August 2016

Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile

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Support Valley Templeby starting your shopping at

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TORAH STUDYALL AUGUST

Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. followed by Shabbat Service at 10:30 a.m.

No experience necessary

Jason Knarr on his marriage to Kate StargerAndrea and David Knarr on the marriage of their son, Jason to Kate Starger

Paula Braverman on her engagement to Larry Bauman

Bob and Jeannie Hiller on the engagement of their son, Cody to Clea Stalmaster.

SPONSORING AN ONEG SHABBAT

Sponsoring an Oneg Shabbat (the reception following services) is a lovely way to celebrate a special occasion or honor the memory of a loved one or “just because.” Please help us maintain this tradition by calling Wendy at the Temple office.

Our thanks for sponsoring a recent oneg, a wonderful way to celebrate the joy of the Sabbath.• Sandy Hatfield in memory of Jacob Hatfield• Sandy Hatfield in honor of Aron Hatfield’s birthday• Jenny Broh in memory of Bob Broh and Dolph Broh• Jon and Susan Hoffheimer in memory of Janet S. and Herbert Hoffheimer

Sandford R. Kopnick, Rabbi Solomon T. Greenberg, Rabbi Emeritus Wendy Walsh, Temple Administrator Alison Weikel, Director of Education Jon Hoffheimer, PresidentLaura Beasley, President, Women of Reform JudaismJeff Schlaeger, President, Men’s Club

513-761-3555WEB SITE: www.valleytemple.com E-MAIL: wendy@valleytemple.com or use links at valleytemple.com

NON PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDCINCINNATI, OHIOPERMIT NO. 2333

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Tot ShabbatSaturday, August 27,

10:00 amJoin us for puppets, prayers, songs and

a story for children birth to 6Parents and grandparents welcome!