Tuesday, December 8, 2009

It's that time of year

Chanukah begins on Friday and we'd like to invite you to kick it off with a family party on Friday evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The party will be a dinner, with a communal lighting of menorahs (bring your family's!), making sufganiyot and playing dreidal. Call the temple office to RSVP - $5 per person.

We hope to see you there, and wish you a Chanukah filled with light and the spirit of hope.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Noam Katz to come to TBE Jan. 15

I am happy to announce that Noam Katz will be featured at our Synaplex event on January 15th! This Synaplex will be "Shabbat the Musical" and will feature activities auch as art through music, a meditation service, song-writing and Noam Katz. Noam will be helping to lead a service with the NFTY youth, as well a performing after service and the oneg, at 9pm.

From noamkatz.com: "Noam Katz is one of the newest and most exciting voices in Jewish music today. His soulful melodies, high-flying energy and sense of humor have delighted audiences throughout North America, Israel and Uganda. In any setting, Noam remains committed to creating strong Jewish and interfaith communities through the unifying power of music."

Having Noam come to Temple Beth El is a fantastic opportunity for our community. I hope that his performance will give our community a deeper understanding of Jewish music and culture and give us insight into Jewish roots in other nations.

Shabbat the Musical will take place on Friday, January 15 at 5:30pm. There will be noshing, wine and cheese from 5:30-6p.m., followed by dinner at 6p.m. and services at 7p.m. There will be a range of services; traditional, musical meditation and the NFTY musical service with Noam. The costs (including dinner and the evening's events) are as follows:
$18 for adults/children 11+
$10 for children 10 and under

We hope to see you there!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Long time no blog!

Hi there to all of the family and friends of Temple Beth El in Tacoma! Sorry for the lack of blogging ... I am the new Resource Development Coordinator here at the Temple and just wanted to say hello and let you know that I will be trying to update the blog more regularly.

You can also follow us on twitter, username: templebethel18 for news and events!

Meanwhile, in the next few months look for updates on January's Synaplex, family meals, our new website and the Seattle Jewish Film Festival.

Speaking of our website, it is currently under construction but we hope to have it back up soon and better than ever - thank you for your patience!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

DNAWORKS' Dinner & Dialogue comes to TBE


Join us as we learn about DNAWORKS' oral history project with the Jewish community of Sefwi Wiawso, Ghana. DNAWORKS explores the connection between Healing Arts, Ritual and Community. Co-directors Adam McKinney and Daniel Banks, Ph.D. will be on hand to present highlights of their film "We Are All One" and engage us in dialogue which will continue over an African dinner!

Dinner cost is $15 per person and must be paid by the deadline: Monday, June 22nd. For more information, contact Rabbi Bruce Kadden or Abby Cohen at 253-564-7101.

Dinner Menu
Batinjaan Zalud (Eggplant Salad)
Yassa Au Poulet De La Casanance (BBQ Chidken with lemon & oniions over yellow rice with Koki (white beans)
Banana Mandazi (deep fried banana dessert)



Friday, April 24, 2009

The Seattle Jewish Film Festival comes to Tacoma!


Saturday evening, May 9th at 7:00 p.m.

Washington State History Museum
1911 Pacific Avenue
Tacoma WA 98402
253-798-5895

Director(s): Guy Nattiv & Erez Tadmor

Country: Israel

Year: 2007

Running time: 85 MINUTES

Language: Heberew, Arabic & French w/subtitles

An accidental meeting sparks an improbable romance linking an Israeli kibbutznik and a Palestinian woman in this critically-acclaimed exploration of nationality and the heart. Eyal and Rana (superb improvisation by actors Liron Levo and Lubna Azabal) meet serendipitously on their way to the World Cup soccer finals in Berlin after their bags are mistakenly swapped. A quick magnetic glance on a subway soon becomes an unbreakable bond, even as war in their homeland tests loyalties. Montagues and Capulets, meet Eyal and Rana.

Topics: Drama, Romance, Soccer, Young Professionals, Israel/Palestine. Mature content.

General admission: $11, Seniors and students w/ID: $8

Tickets available from www.brownpapertickets.com or at the temple office during regular business hours. Tickets can also be purchased at the theatre, 1/2 hour before the screening.

For more information, please call Abby Cohen at 253-564-7101


Thursday, April 16, 2009

Come for a Laugh


This Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m., please join us for Temple Beth El's Film Festival screening of "Funny Girl". Barbra Streisand won a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar for her performance as the legendary comedienne Fanny Brice. Refreshments and discussion to follow the film. Free and open to the public. For more information, call the Temple office at 253-564-7101.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Here Comes the Sun


Please join us for a once-in-a-lifetime event as we celebrate Birkat HaHammah, the Blessing of the Sun. This ritual occurs only once every 28 years, and it falls on the Eve of Passover. Temple Beth El will hold a siyyum; a Torah study session and breakfast celebration.

Date: Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 Time: 8:30 a.m.

If you miss this event, you will have to wait until the year 2037 to get another chance!

For more information about Birkat HaHammah, here are some interesting links:
Wikipedia
Shalom Center
A truly beautiful poster is available at "Blessing of the Sun"

Questions? Call the Temple office.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Trip to Petra, Jordan





Before the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, young Israelis would sneak across the border, make their way to Petra, send a postcard to prove it, and make their way back. Occasionally they would get caught and the government would have to intervene to get them home safely.

Now, one crosses to Jordan through the Yitzchak Rabin crossing just north of Eilat and takes a two-hour drive through beautiful mountainous desert terrain. Although the population of the area is sparse, the presence of Bedouin is scattered throughout the area. Although they still herd goats, most now live in permanent homes rather than tents (at the insistence of the government) and it is not unusual to see a satellite dish on their homes. The same is true of the Bedouins who populate the Negev in Israel.

Petra is an ancient Nabatean city, which most of us are familiar with from Raiders of the Lost Ark. But seeing the carved facades in person is incredible. We spent about four hours walking through the area that contains these carvings. Although much was preserved through the centuries, a lot has been restored. After the Nabateans, the area was home to the many other groups, including the Romans, Byzantine Christians (who built a church with a Mosaic floor that reminded me of the synagogue floor from Bet Alpha), and Ottomans. While each group left its mark on the area, an amazing amount of the original Nabatean carvings remain. Seeing them was an experience Barbara and I will never forget.

Tomorrow it is off to Jerusalem.

Bruce Kadden

Rabbi

Shabbat on the Kibbutz


Barbara and I spent a very restful Shabbat at Kibbutz Yahel. We went down to the fields which currently have onions and peppers. The date and pomelo seasons are over.

The fields go right up to the Jordanian border. In fact, the land they are on was originally Jordan. The border had been secretly moved back a number of meters so that the most fertile land was in Israel. This didn't seem to be a problem since there are no Jordanian settlements on the other side of the border. However, in 1993, when it came time to finalize the peace agreement, the Jordanians insisted that they be compensated for the land that was taken. So, just south of the fields of Yahel, the border was changed in an exchange of territory.

At the end of Shabbat we watched the loading of trucks with onions and peppers from the region for delivery to stores in northern Israel.

The kibbutz has changed signficantly since its early days, and even since we were here in 1990-1991. Like all kibbutzim, it was founded on the principle of eqaulity and sharing of expenses and income. All meals were eaten together in the dining hall and there was a great emphasis on the community.

Just as socialism was not able to sustain itself in much of Eastern Europe it has not been able to sustain itself in Israel. Adults now earn different salaries based on the work they do although they do pay a significant "tax" to the kibbutz to cover community costs. Families get a monthly food budget and each time one eats in the dining hall one is charged for the meal. While many commentators have lamented the demise of the kibbutz movement, others see a natural evolution as the kibbutz matures and faces new challenges.

We are looking forward to visiting Petra, in Jordan tomorrow.

Rabbi Bruce & Barbara Kadden

Friday, February 20, 2009

Rabbi Kadden Blogs from Israel!


Shalom from Israel. Three flights and 22 hours later we arrived safely in Eilat. The flights were uneventful; after arriving we learned that Three El Al planes had to land in Cyprus because flights to Israel were backed up due to a dust storm which closed one of the other airports.

It is wonderful to be back at Kibbutz Yahel, where we lived from 1990-1991. Yahel was the first Reform kibbutz, founded in 1976. Barbara and I were at the dedication because it was during the year we were studying at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. We chose to spend a year there when our children were young, making life-long friends.

The first members of Yahel were Reform Jews from the United States and other English-speaking countries as well as Israelis who had some connection to Reform Judaism. Over the years, others have joined the community.

Yahel is located in the Arava, the rift that runs from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akaba. It is about 30 miles north of Eilat, on the border with Jordan. The kibbutz has dairy cows, sending the milk to Yotvata, a nearby kibbutz, where it is turned into a variety of the tastiest dairy products in the world. It also raises sheep that are sold for their meat, date orchards, fields of peppers and onions and pomelos, a citrus fruit similar to a grapefruit. In addition, they have guest houses for those who are visiting the area.

We are looking forward to tonight's Shabbat service which will be lead by students from Netzer, the international Reform youth movement, followed by Shabbat dinner in the dining hall.

The exciting news in the country is the decision to give Benjamin Netanyahu the opportunity to form a government and become Israel's next Prime Minister. It is not clear if he will form a government with the other right wing parties or will be able to create a coalition with the centrist parties.

Shabbat Shalom,

Bruce Kadden

Rabbi

Thursday, February 5, 2009

International Film & Food in Tacoma

The Seventh Annual Tacoma - Pierce County Sister Cities International Film & Food Festival begins today. Tacoma has "sister cities" in Japan, South Africa, Taiwan, Korea, Cuba, the Philippines, China, Norway and ISRAEL.

Please join the Temple Beth El community at the event honoring our Israeli sister city Kiryat-Motzkin, on February 19th at the Blue Mouse Theatre, 2702 North Proctor. The evening includes music, a slide show from our sister city, dinner and a movie. This year's film is "Ushpizin". Here are some excerpts from the New York Times review:

"The Israeli film "Ushpizin" is groundbreaking on more than one count. It is a rare collaboration between secular and ultra-Orthodox Israelis and one of the first movies filmed in the insular Jerusalem neighborhood Mea Shearim with ultra-Orthodox actors. Stylistically "Ushpizin" belongs to a classic tradition of raucous Yiddish comedy that is easy to enjoy..."

Tickets are $18.00 and can be purchased at the box office or at Temple Beth El. For more information, please visit www.TacomaFilmFood.org

Friday, January 16, 2009

Synaplex Shabbat: Jews and Comedy! January 30


Don't miss our next Synaplex Shabbat! Our theme is "Jews and Comedy, and we guarantee you'll have fun. We begin the evening with kids' crafts and an adults' wine & cheese reception at 5:00 p.m. There's a special kids' meal at 5:30 featuring kid friendly foods. At 6:15, choose from three different services, followed by a delicious catered dinner at 7:15. FREE childcare available starting at 7:00 p.m. and kids who eat early can watch "The Muppet Movie" while their parents have a leisurely meal.

After dinner, come and clown around with the improv group The Tokens, or if you prefer, watch a "Seinfeld" mini-marathon. Finally, join us for Temple Beth El's first-ever Joke Slam, hosted by the ever-funny Herb Gelman. Prizes will be awarded for the best (and possibly worst) jokes, so be prepared!

DINNER MUST BE RESERVED AND PAID FOR IN ADVANCE. ALL OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE FREE.
Contact Abby at 253-564-7101 or acohen@templebethel18.org for more information.




Friday, January 9, 2009

Show your solidarity for Israel



Join the Jewish community as we rally together in support of and solidarity with Israel

Sunday, January 11, 2009
3:00 - 4:00 pm
(Doors open at 2:30 pm)

Temple De Hirsch Sinai
1441 16th Avenue, Seattle
(between Pike and Union on 16th)

All are welcome!

For security reasons, no backpacks, large purses or signs attached to posts will be allowed inside.