Your Jewish Home in the South Puget Sound

Our Tacoma Talmud answers - Question 3

2010-11-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? Who is our neighbor?

- You treat yourself nice so treat other people nice.

- I believe to love a neighbor as yourself is simply put, treat others the way you want to be treated. "neighbor" doesn't literally mean someone who lives near your, but is any human on earth.

- Treat your neighbors how you want to be treated. Everyone is your neighbor.

- Loving your neighbor as yourself means that self-love is consistent with neighbor love. Genuine self-love pursues our wholeness, holiness and integrity and flourishing and these are the very things we want for our neighbor. Our neighbor is any human whose face we encounter whether in person or in our mind. Are animals our neighbors?

- The Rabbis might say anybody can be a neighbor. For example: family and friends, pets and other animals, people from other places. When Jewish people say love your neighbor as yourself we mean: treat other people how you would like to be treated. For example, if somebody is being mean to you don't be mean back. If you treat someone mean how would you feel if they did that to you!

- Your neighbor is any other human being and you should treat them as kindly as yourself.

- It means to respect everybody and be kind despite people's differences.

- This law implies to treat everyone with the kindness and respect that you would like to be treated by all people. You must treat everyone in this way no matter how much they may have wronged you..

- Our neighbor is any Jew or good person we meet and we treat them the way we want to be treated ourselves.

- To love your neighbor is to treat them not only as you would yourself, but how you truly should, and everyone is your neighbor.

- Your neighbor doesn’t literally mean your neighbor in the house community. Neighbors are people, human beings. Love your neighbors refers to be nice to everyone until you have a reason not to be nice to 'em.

Our Tacoma Talmud answers - Question 2

2010-11-17T09:46:00.000-08:00

Why be Jewish? What are the reasons for continuing to live a Jewish life in the 21^st century?

- Being Jewish is cool. You're different and interesting.

- There needs to be more than one religion because people have different opinions.

- I like what Judaism teaches, that is why I am a Jew – respecting others, respecting life, respecting nature, respecting earth, loving others.

- Rabbi Kadden says Judaism encourages us to ask the most challenging questions and argue with each other as we respond to the questions. We are a welcoming community without being aggressive in inviting others to join us. Judaism offers a way to live our lives in community and encourages us to improve the world.

- To be "Jewish" you must believe that you are Jewish,. If you don't understand Judaism it's hard to celebrate the religion in your own way .By continuing the lifestyle you get to have new ideas and be different.

- I'm Jewish because we can come together to clean up the world and donate money to poor people.

- Just because the world ages doesn’t mean the path Hashem laid out for us has changed.

- It lets you question and struggle. You are not forced into being Jewish but are given the option to question what it means to be Jewish, which leads back to why be Jewish.

- You should continue to live a Jewish life because you get 8 days of presents on Hannukah, you get yummy food, and because if you go to synagogue you get to learn stuff other than boring math.

- It is good to be Jewish. It can be helpful too. Mitzvahs and more! You also believe in G-d, with all your heart.

- We should be Jewish because G-d chose us to be with him and carry on his dream. We were chosen to be Jewish because we are special and capable of great things. God has talked to us before and has told us to heal our world before we can't . G-d created mitzvahs and commandments for us to do and follow. WE can choose to follow one road or another. We are gien the ability to help and care for others and our earth. We are gvien lives we should live and we were told to tell others who don't see that. Jews were given eyes for the blind,

- To believe in what you want and I believe in Judaism.

- Being Jewish is awesome because it's a deep and interesting religion.

- Because it makes you different. You get to be the one to inform other people about it. Continuing to live a Jewish life in your future is important to keep the religion going.

- I am Jewish because my parents are Jewish and that's what I believe in.

- To be part of a community. Also, enjoy the food.

- So that you may be about to connect with G-d. and help the earth to be a good place to live. In Judaism we learn to help save the earth and other people. Even a small thing, that we may do it may affect the world as we know it. I think we should be Jewish so that we believe in G-d the one true G-d. Thank you.

- To apply old principles to new problems. Judaism has something to say about global warming, technology, and other issues of the 21st century.

- We should continue to be Jewish because our ancestors never gave up. G-d freed us from Egypt, so we should at least continue to thank and praise Him. G-d has done everything to deserve our praise, so why not praise Him?

- We are different in our world with the Hebrew alphabet and living in time. And different places like school, Sunday School on Sunday with different kids than home school. Sometimes that happens.

- If you are deciding on what religion to have, chose to be Jewish. At Temple there is a community that are just like you. You may feel different than colleagues that are Christian, but consider yourself special. It is simple yet complicated to be a Jew, but that is good, for then it takes a lifetime to learn.

- One reason to be Jewish, at least in Reform Judaism, is because Judaism is extremely open and encourages question-asking

- Sandra says be Jewish if Judaism means something to you. Never take it for granted or be Jewish without feeling.

- Because the stereotypes may look good on your resume, and its virtually the only religion who has not committed a massacre in the name of G-d.

- For many generations Judaism is still alive even after all the murder we're still strong and its kept us going but now we have other ??? and we barely pay attention to what we started with. Also in the 21st century we have some more logical thinking of where we came from so people aren't believing.

- Judaism is just another way to get through and live your life. Some people party and others play. You find whatever suits you best eventually.

- I'm Jewish because that is how I was raised/Judaism has unique principles that you do not find in other religions.

- Because we are the best wrestlers! We are encouraged to question, make and remake meaning. We are called to bring the world back to wholeness through our actions.

Our Tacoma Talmud answers - Question 1

2010-11-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

What is Judaism? Is it a religion, nation, race, civilization? Do any of these words adequately describe Judaism?

- Judaism is a religion, however in some context it can be considered a race.

- I think it is a religion because we have one God.

- Judaism is whatever you want it to be to yourself. If all you want from Judaism is a religion, then that is all it is. For it to be more you have to want it to be. Judaism is more than something to be categorized but you are still able to take only a part of it away if a part is all you want.

- Judaism is all of these and more. It is a religion by having worshippers, a nation by owning Israel, a race because of its ancestry and a civilization because of the temples. But none of these describe Judaism enough.

- Judaism is a race and religion. It’s a race because it has its own people.

- Judaism is both a religion and a race. Judaism is always transforming, just like any culture or tradition, it grows and changes. You can be a part of Judaism as both a member of its religion and/or it race. Judaism's origins were racial starting from the nomadic Hebrews and when we lived together w/out connections to the outside worlds in shtetls and ghettoes. In that way Judaism is a race or ethnicity. But Judaism also is a religion that you can convert to and believe in.

- A race and a religion worshiping our God and praying.

- Judaism is a religion because you celebrate Jewish holidays.

- Judaism is a way of life, and a system of beliefs. More than just religion. None of these words describe it.

- Judaism is d: all of the above, none of the words describe Judaism singly, you need all of them to get a good idea.

- Judaism goes back to a time when there was no difference between a nation, a religion and a people.

- It depends on the person. It is different for everyone!

- It is not just one of those nor all of these. It depends on who you are what Judaism is to you in your life.

- Some rebitzens say it is a culture that is passed down from generation to generation. And we still have it today because we learned from our ancestors and it's our job to teach it to our children. It's like a line that never ends. Judaism is a religion, however it doesn't completely define what it is. Judaism can be any race.

- Judaism is more of a civilization. Since it's based on mostly tradition there's no pressure to believe in God.

- Judaism is a 1. Nation in the way that it is a collected group of people with a followed set of laws, 2. Race in the way that our "family" has been able to pass down certain recognizable traits/features, 3. Civilization in the way that it has recognizable and specific culture that ony Judaism provides, 4. Religion in the way that it provides explanation, for things otherwise not understood, in a supernatural way….so all 4.

- None of these words will do! We are a people that transcends national boundaries. Race is a social construct with no biological reality. We have religious and non-religious Jews….SO….We are a people with a common history, religion, language, and ruach!!

- Judaism is all of the above, the meaning of it is whatever it means to you on a personal level.

- We Jews are a religion which has contributed to civilization – so we are a civilization also. Being Jewish often leads to an inquisitive mind.

- Judaism is a religion. That is self-explanatory. I would argue that it cannot be a civilization because there has never been a wholly Jewish land, not even Israel by a long shot. I consider the race to be Hebrew. I would say that in a certain connotation, it can be considered a "nation" of sorts, not in the way like a civilization, but that Jews all over the world represent a scattered nation.

- It is a complete community, not just a religion or a way of life. As a convert in process, I've wanted to be Jewish since age 12. I've always been drawn to the people and how accepting they are. I want to be a part of the Jewish family. Being a Jew is not just a religion, it is a family.

#3 What does it mean to 'love your neighbor as yourself'?

2010-11-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Tacoma Talmud question #3:

What does it mean to 'love your neighbor as yourself'? Who are our neighbors?

What do you think? Respond in a comment.

We request that all responses be respectful. Thank you for participating!

#2 Why be Jewish?

2010-11-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

Tacoma Talmud question #2:

Why be Jewish? What are the reasons for continuing to live a Jewish life in the 21^st century?

What do you think? Respond in a comment.

We request that all responses be respectful. Thank you for participating!

#1 What is Judaism?

2010-11-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

Tacoma Talmud question #1:

What is Judaism? Is it a religion, nation, race, civilization? Do any of these words adequately describe Judaism?

What do you think? Respond in a comment.

We request that all responses be respectful. Thank you for participating!

A Global Day of Jewish Learning

2010-11-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

November 7, 2010
Global Day of Jewish Learning
Tacoma Takes on the Talmud

On November 7, 2010, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz will complete his monumental translation and commentary on the Talmud. His mission has been to give Jewish texts and learning back to the Jewish people. To mark this achievement, communities around the world are joining in a Global Day of Jewish Learning.

On November 7, 2010, members of Temple Beth El will create our own page of Talmud Commentary. You can participate by joining virtually as we discuss Talmudic questions right here online.

We will post questions in a series of blog posts. Give us your response as a comment to help us create our own Tacoma Talmud.

Join my Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Online Team :

2010-09-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Join my Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Online Team :

Join our Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Online team to celebrate 60 years of The Original Kids Helping Kids campaign.

There are 6.7 billion people in the world. About a third of them?2.2 billion?are children.

Half of the 2.2 billion children?1 billion children?do not have access to adequate food, safe drinking water, healthcare, shelter and education.

Over the past 60 years children across America have raised $160 million through Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF to end the needless suffering of their more vulnerable peers around the globe.

Help us continue this tradition?Join our team and raise funds OR make a donation to one of our team members?and be part of the kids helping kids legacy.

Mazol tov from Beth Garden

2010-08-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Shabbat Shalom Tacoma! I want to begin by congratulating the entire congregation on the the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary. Mazal Tov to all of you! I also want to wish my parents Mazal Tov on 50 years of marriage. I want you both to know that I remember celebrating your 25th anniversary here at Temple Beth El like it was last year. I am ready to help you plan #75, because I know that will be right around the corner.

I am honored to have been asked to share my memories and observations of what it was like to grow up at Temple Beth El, with all of you this Shabbat. A milestone anniversary is a time to think about and appreciate our connections to each other and our connection-- to points in time-- which connect us through memory and hope. This can be a time for pride, nostalgia, and taking stock. For gaining a deeper appreciation of the gifts that each day brings, and for planning and dreaming about what is to come.

My family is inextricably, immutably connected to this community, so much so-- that I find when I am here, it feels like I never left.
Every time I come back, I still get the same sense of community and connection that I admittedly took for granted when I lived here some 30-odd years ago.
I often find myself bragging to colleagues and congregants about how the little synagogue of my youth has had an amazing ability to crank out Rabbis, Cantors, Educators, Jewish Scholars and lay leaders, especially given its relatively small membership (but who knows? maybe it happens to be an optimal size). Either way, there is some special connection that happens here. I often wonder if it is just a coincidence-- that this congregation has been able to nurture so many of us who have become compelled to prioritize Jewish continuity?

This is also a Shabbat of connections, because we read parashat Eikev from the book of D’varim or Deuteronomy, which derives its name from the second word in the portion.

Eikev is a word that connotes connection. It is usually translated as "if" or "in consequence of." However, the literal meaning of the word is "heel." Ekev comes from the same root as Ya'akov, Jacob, who was so named because he was holding on to the heel of his twin Esau as the two of them emerged, connected-- from their mother's womb. From this one word, eikev, we learn that nothing in life occurs by itself, nothing exists in a vacuum. Everything occurs eikev--on the heel of, or connected to everything else, and the Torah’s message? The well being of the community is connected to, and dependent on its ability to be God-like, and connected to each other through mitzvot. To remind us that as we strive to achieve our goals, visions and hopes for the future of the community, as so many of you here have been doing for the past 50 years...we will be holding on to the heels of others.

Thinking about this sense of connection on the heels of everything that has happened in the past 50 years led me to wonder about what draws us in to community? What keeps us connected? Why do those of us who go elsewhere look for a similar Jewish connection? Maybe it is because we have experienced authentic Jewish connection here. I know that the hours and hours I spent here as a child and a teen made me the seriously engaged liberal Jew I am today, so today, I am here to share my version of why synagogue life in Tacoma, Washington is viable and and why Jewish bonds and connections created here are so strong.
From the minute our family walked in the doors of Temple Beth EL in the spring of 1974, we were made to feel like this was our Jewish home away from home. We showed up for religious school, services, and especially for Shabbat dinners, complete with Kentucky Fried Chicken! The Union prayer book was still in the pews and The Gates of Prayer was still at least a year away.

As eleven-year-old’s do, I quickly set about comparing Temple Beth El with the congregation we attended in our former lives. The things I noticed were: There were fewer kids in my week-day Hebrew school class. But they all knew each other really well, and they were really interested in me, because I was someone new. We connected right away. My parents also became lifelong friends with the couples they met in their first few weeks here, and with their wonderful hospitality and energy, they have picked up so many more as the years have gone by.

Sunday school was a place where anything could happen. Israeli dancing, challah baking, learning Haftarah Trope, Shtettle Day, Purim Shpeils and carnivals, Lag B’omer Picnics, boiling bagels, playing Texas Hold ‘em Dreidle...It was social, informal, and educational. In the summer there was Camp Beth El and don’t even get me started with that.

Then there was the Rabbi. He was different too. The Rabbi was among us. This was REALLY a big difference for me. I was used to a rabbi who I only saw in services and even there, he usually talked to the ceiling, and rarely looked at us. We NEVER saw him at religious school. Rabbi Rosenthal, on the other hand, was always around, and he talked to EVERYONE, not just to the grown ups. He knew everybody’s name. It was easy to ask him a question, or maybe he would ask us a question...in any case, he was entirely approachable. He wasn’t the first rabbi I ever met, but he was the first rabbi I ever really knew. It didn’t take long for him to recognize my mother’s talent and creativity and when Temple Beth El hired her to be the Religious School Director, we REALLY started spending a lot of time here.

Now, the music at Temple Beth El took some getting used to. I missed hearing the cantor on Shabbat, but I grew to love our “singers” and learned to appreciate the new music. There was organ from a hidden choir loft, and guitar too. It dawned on me that some of the singers were women. Up to that point, I had never imagined that a woman could be leading singing in front of a congregation.

When I grew older, I had the opportunity to attend camp Swig. I learned so much new music. Modern sounding versions of the same prayers we would sing on Shabbat here. I wanted to share it with the congregation, but Rabbi Rosenthal was rather adamant that camp music, like the Klepper Shalom Rav we just sang, was for camp, and serious music was for services. This became one of our “ongoing” discussions...I wouldn’t let it rest and we did go back and forth about it for years. Eventually, I tortured him with avant garde flute music in the library next to his office before services on erev Shabbat and I think he grew to love the camp music. I can only hope to be as accessible as he was. Temple Beth El has also been fortunate to have lay leaders who worked to continue his legacy, searching with great success for the same accessibility, warmth, and devotion to community in their clergy. Temple Beth El has been and continues to be blessed by the presence of truly gifted Rabbis, and let’s face it, that is one very important point of connection in the Jewish community. And now, Temple Beth EL has reached an amazing new milestone. You finally have a REAL LIVE Cantor!

What an amazing achievement. It makes my heart sing to know that Temple Beth El has made this a priority. The musical and educational connections that Cantor Holland will create can only enhance an already great community. I hope you all know what an amazing anniversary gift you have in Cantor Holland. Please take good care of her. Every segment of the congregation will benefit from her artistry and talent, and her commitment to Jewish education will continue to enhance the experience of Jewish learners or all ages. I feels comforting to know that my Jewish home away from home is as whole and complete as it has ever been, and that it is poised and ready for what the next 50 years will bring.

Achieving 50 years of Jewish connection is no small feat, even if those feet don’t have heels to hold on to. Jewish connection over time isn’t some magical process and it doesn’t often happen by itself. It requires service, devotion, vision and every possible type of support to maintain the Jewish community in Tacoma, and in turn, create necessary connections and relationships that sustain the future of the community.

May Temple Beth El go from strength to strength, and and may God bless you all and shine upon all your endeavors as she has for the past fifty years.
Keyn Y’hi Ratzon.

Cantor Beth Garden
given July 30, 2010

Introducing Amazon.com on our blog

2010-07-14T09:50:00.001-07:00

We have had Amazon.com on our website at www.templebethel18.org for a while now, and now our host, Blogger.com, has made it possible to link to Amazon straight from this page.

What happens?
We can recommend a product to you - from the Mishkan T'filah for Travelers to the Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook. If you click on our recommendation and end up purchasing it, TBE gets a commission from Amazon. This works the same way on our website, only we can recommend products to you.

We hope you like this! Now you can do your usual shopping and, when you checkout, a percentage of your regular cost will come back to temple. What a mitzvah!

TEMPLE BETH EL WELCOMES CANTOR LEAH HOLLAND

2010-07-01T11:58:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, July 6, Temple Beth El will officially welcome Cantor Leah Holland as its new cantor and religious education director.

“Thrilled” to be joining Temple Beth El as the new cantor-educator, Cantor Holland comes to Tacoma with credentials from the American College of Cantors. Having decided to devote her career to Jewish music and the Jewish community, she entered cantorial school at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. During one year in Jerusalem and five years in New York City, she served as a student cantor at Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom in Reading, Pennsylvania, and Moses Montefiore Congregation in Bloomington, Illinois. Cantor Holland earned her Masters of Sacred Music in 2009, and was invested as a cantor in May 2010.

Cantor Holland will be replacing Rabbi Elizabeth Wood, Temple Beth El’s current religious education director and cantorial soloist, who is moving to New York to attend cantorial school in the fall.

Temple Beth El will hold a special welcoming service for Cantor Holland on Friday evening, July 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Before entering cantorial school Leah received her Master’s of Music Education degree from Delta State University in Cleveland and received her Bachelor of Arts in music summa cum laude, at Barat College in Lake Forest, IL. She has worked as music teacher and choral director at the Quest Academy in Palatine, IL. She also worked for two years as a teacher responsible for general and choral music, at Greenville-Weston High School in Greenville, MS as a member of Teach for America Corps.

Cantor Holland grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, where she discovered her love of Jewish music and singing in her home temple's choirs. She was a long-time camper and counselor at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute, a Reform Jewish summer camp in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

For more information on Cantor Leah Holland or Temple Beth El, please contact Rabbi Bruce Kadden at (253) 564-7101 or bkadden@templebethel18.org, or visit our website at www.templebethel18.org.

###

See the Tacoma KOMO news article here

What a fun Jubilee!

2010-04-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came to our Jubilee dinner and to everyone who made it such a success. The evening was sentimental and fun, filled with good food and good friends. We have pictures on our Facebook page but here are a few!

The room

Our new Cantor, Leah Holland; with current president Lisa Sobel; membership chair Dan Rosner; and incoming president Kate Haas

Rabbi David Fine, speaking on behalf of the URJ

Sefirat HaOmer - Angela Warnick Buchdahl

2010-04-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

We are in a special period between Passover and Shavuot called sefirah, meaning "counting." The name is derived from the practice of counting the omer, which is observed from the night of the second seder of Passover until the eve of Shavuot. The counting of seven weeks from the 16th day of Nisan on which the omer offering of the new barley crop was brought to the Temple, until Shavuot, serves to connect the anniversary of the exodus from Egypt with the festival that commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Each day we are to count the Omer. Today is the 11th day of the Omer.

In our culture, when we think of counting, we usually think of bigger and higher as better. Do we have many people in the seats tonight at services? More would be better. How many Facebook friends do you have? Let’s have more. How much money does a person make? In general, the thought is less on how you got to the number, but rather the number itself.

But the counting of the omer is different. Tradition has it that it was announced to the Israelites in Egypt that the Torah would be given to them 50 days after the exodus. As soon as they were liberated, they were so eager for the arrival of the promised day that they began to count the days, saying each time, "Now we have one day less to wait for the giving of the Torah."

In a similar vein, Maimonides points out that the counting of the omer is suggestive of one who expects his or her most intimate friend on a certain day. That person counts the days, and even the hours. Each day is precious and counts. And in the act of counting each day, we become more aware of the value of each unique day. The Omer teaches that more is not better, but that we are to make each day count. If Jews counted the House, we would have given up as a religion long ago. We’re a tiny minority of the population—but when we count each day, each person, and value each one individually, then we are leading to a redemptive time.

I learned this early on from my experience growing up at Temple Beth El. A Jewish community that I was fortunate enough to call home from age 5. When I arrived from South Korea with my family, we were embraced by Rabbi Rosenthal and the synagogue. It may have helped that I was from a large extended Warnick clan that had been involved in the synagogue for many years. But it was more than that. Rabbi Rosenthal and the community felt that we each counted. That my mother, a non-Jewish Korean woman, counted in the community, though she never converted. We were part of the community and that was never questioned.

This community has never been large, but I grew up feeling that this was its strength. In my Religious school class there were 12 of us my Bat Mitzvah year. But aside from my one friend, Hillary Pallat, we all went to different schools. Hillary, my sister Gina and I were the only 3 Jews in my High School. I was the one who fought to move Student body elections off Yom Kippur. And I was frequently called upon to talk about Jewish holidays at our Holiday assemblies. I felt a sense of responsibility. That if I wasn’t doing it—maybe Judaism wouldn’t carry on, that no one would no about it.

I felt a sense of care from older peers and members of the community who helped make up the community and became its teachers. I looked up to the aids in Hebrew school, who were just a few years older than me, or my counselors at the summer camp. And then enjoyed becoming one of the big kids a few years later. I knew my community, across the ages.

Having smaller numbers meant that we needed to use the gifts and talents of every person. If you could teach, you taught, if you could play guitar, you songlead, if you had a lot of patience, you taught in the preschool. Sometimes people played multiple roles: A RS teacher was also the Youth Group advisor. The head of the sisterhood ran the gift shop and also always brought the most amazing mini cheesecakes for the Onegs for everyone’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah. There was a great deal of investment and ownership that is often missing in much larger community where everything is farmed out to professionals who don’t belong to the community.
It is surprising that Tacoma has had a disproportionate number of its community go onto Jewish professional work—as rabbis, cantors, Jewish communal workers. But also not surprising. So many of us were given our starts here and given a taste of what it meant to contribute to the Jewish community. I first felt really connected to the Jewish world through a music teacher named Ruthie, I finally understood my place in the community. I was about 9years old. I was singing my heart out in her choir, and my sister and I sang the songs in the car and around the house. When Ruthie left 3 years later for Chicago, we had no one to replace her and for a while, there was no music instruction at Temple Beth El. I thought this was terrible and complained to Joan Garden, the head of the RS—“how can we have no music!”. So Joan Garden, shipped me off to Camp Swig the next summer and said, go learn guitar and as much Jewish music as you can and then you’ll be our music teacher. That was my start. I was 14, and I counted. I was needed and my offering was appreciated and supported by the community.

I have chosen to live and raise my family in a city with much bigger numbers, as far as the Jewish community goes. I live in NYC, where we are proud that we have the biggest population, the largest Jewish community. I work in a synagogue with 2000 member families, over 6500 members. I live in a large high rise apartment and there are likely more Jews in my single building than there are in Tacoma. I remember being amazed that all the public schools closed on Jewish holidays, that there were entire aisles of every grocery store filled with Passover foods, that Yiddish was spoken on the street corners by the hot dog vendor. And my children attend a wonderful Jewish day school, the Abraham Joshua Heschel school, where they are becoming fluent in Hebrew and where Judaism is, in Heschel’s spirit, about praying with your feet—living through righteous actions—speaking out for those who are oppressed. I will never forget when my son Eli asked me, “Do non-Jews celebrate Martin Luther King Day?” My 5 year old daughter Rose recently asked me, “who do we know who is not Jewish?” I struggled to think of people in her immediate world, outside of our babysitter, that was not Jewish. It’s a very different Jewish upbringing than that of Tacoma, Washington.

However, I struggle with how they take their Judaism for granted. That we have a wonderful, large community in which almost all of the Jewish education and communal programs are run by professionals who often move in and out of the synagogue and are not invested in the particular community. I struggle with the fact that if they didn’t want to sing in the youth choir, or help out in Religious school as an aid—that hundreds of others could just fill their place, and they know it. How do I teach them, in a Jewish community of such big numbers that each one of them really counts?

I hope to make an impact on my community that recognizes the lessons I have learned from my experience in Tacoma, and from the wisdom of our tradition of counting the Omer—that each day counts, each one of us counts. I learned another insight from My son Gabriel, when he was about 2 years old, who had just accomplished learning to count to ten. We had a counting book—with pictures of bears and lollipops to count on each page. The funny thing about Gabriel was that no matter how many objects were on a page, he would always count up to ten. Sometimes he had to point to the same object more than once or twice to get there, but he reached a triumphant 10 every time!

As I tried to correct him, pointing out that there were really only 6 shoes on this page, or 3 cookies on another, he insisted on getting to ten. I reflect on this now as a lesson that relates to this period of Sefirah, of counting. Ten, is a special number in Judaism, a minyan—a community. Gabriel was teaching me that if you count with passion, with determination and resolve, that even if your numbers come short, you can get to ten—to a minyan. It may mean in some cases, like in Tacoma, you might have to count people more than once, giving them extra tasks to do, more roles to play, but if you count each one, in their multiple roles, you create a community.

I hope that as we are in this period of counting, that we learn to make each one of us count—whether we are in a large or small community. That we count each person—including the ones with whom we disagree, including the ones who might think of themselves as outside the community, including the ones who do not yet know themselves that they have something essential to offer. If we do that, then we can travel from Passover, the period of our slavery, to Shavuot—the period of receiving Torah, and feel this is a true revelation.

Cantor Angela Warnick Buchdahl

The March Bulletin is here

2010-02-25T14:21:00.000-08:00

Why do I like the Bulletin? Because even if I only skim the contents when it lands on my desk at the beginning of each month, I feel instantly informed about everything that is going on. I, like so many of you, often forget the exact date or lose the registration form for the next event, but no one can tell me it's not a handy thing to have around. The Bulletin gives me an inkling, in the back of my mind, as to the basics of the month and I can double-check it later, as needed. And even I, sitting in the temple office three days a week, usually feel it necessary to read the articles from our different lay leaders and staff. Frankly, it's good to hear from them. And every once in a while, I hope you read mine.

In March and the beginning of April, we begin Passover. I now know that there are three seders during Passover. Now, reasonably, since knowing our calendar is part of my job description, I've cheated a little bit. However, even I use this handy newsletter to double-check.

So here it is, this fantastic little monthly-reference book, in digital form. Now, go forth and feel informed.

You can view the entire March 2010 Bulletin on our website, here.

Making hamantaschen?

2010-02-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

As we prepare for Purim, many of us are whipping out our Jewish cookbooks and our bubbe's old recipes and remembering the perfect technique for folding out those sweet little hats we call hamantaschen. In honor of this baking tradition, we have found a recipe to share with those who may need one. Do you have a favorite hamantaschen recipe?

* 1 stick of sweet butter, softened
* 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
* 2 egg yolks
* 3 tablespoons ice water
* 1l/2 cups flour
* jam, apricot or prune
* butter to grease the cookie sheet
* flour to roll the dough on

Directions

1. Cream the butter and sugar together in the large bowl. Add the egg yolks and continue to mix well.
2. Add the ice water. Gradually stir in flour until a ball of dough is formed. Place the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight.
When ready to continue, take dough out of refrigerator
3. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Grease the cookie sheet with the butter.
5. Divide the dough in half. Wrap the extra half in the plastic and put back in the refrigerator.
6. Roll out the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface to a 1/4" thickness. Cut it into 2" circles (use the top of a glass to "press out" the circles)
7. Place 1 teaspoon of the jam in the center of each circle and fold into three-cornered cookies:
start by pressing two sides together, then fold the third side over and press the ends together.
8. Place the Hamantaschen about an inch apart on the greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned along the edges

Makes about 12 Hamantaschen

(Recipe by Purim on the Net)

J Street: Is it good for the Jews? Sermon February 5th

2010-02-09T15:08:00.000-08:00

There is a relatively new kid on the block of Jewish organizational life which is creating a great deal of controversy. The new organization –founded in April 2008-- is J Street, which describes itself as “the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement.” It is attempting to create a strong, dynamic organization which represents Jews (and some non-Jews) who support Israel, while at the same time are often more critical of Israel government policy and actions than most pro-Israel organizations.

Its website explains that “J Street was founded to change the dynamics of American politics and policy on Israel and the Middle East. We believe the security and future of Israel as the democratic home of the Jewish people depend on rapidly achieving a two-state solution and regional comprehensive peace. Our mission is to promote meaningful American leadership to achieve peace and security in the Middle East and to broaden the debate on these issues nationally and in the Jewish community.”

J Street was developed to challenge AIPAC as the primary voice of the organized Jewish community on Capitol Hill with regard to Israel, and to provide a meaningful organization for many particularly younger Jews who have felt disenfranchised by the Jewish establishment. Its name is a play on words, with the J standing for Jewish; the lobbyist corridor in Washington DC is K Street and there is no J Street in the District. Now there is.

J Street is actually comprised of three independent organizations:
--a registered lobby and non-profit corporation;
--a political action committee to support candidates for office;
--an educational fund and education/outreach organization.
(It is not unusual for organizations to be structured like this for legal and fundraising purposes.)

Israel is quite often an emotionally charged issue and J Street has been met with much controversy. It has been fairly criticized by some who support it, such as Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the President of the URJ who spoke at the J Street inaugural conference this past fall. It has also been unfairly vilified by others who perceive it as a threat to Israel and to the pro-Israel efforts of AIPAC.

I speak this evening as a supporter of AIPAC and its mission, but one who believes that there is room for other voices in the Jewish community. I have not yet decided whether I can support J Street as one of those voices, but hope that it develops into an organization I can support.

The questions we, as a Jewish community, should address regarding J Street are:
--Do we need an organization like this?
--Will it complement the efforts of AIPAC on Capitol Hill or undermine them?
--What are the limits of criticism of Israel from a pro-Israel organization?

J Street claims that it is filling a need in the Jewish community of a prominent organization representing the pro-peace, pro-Israel community. While this community has always existed in the form of organizations such as Breira in the 1970s and Brit Tzedek v’Shalom more recently, they have generally been small groups with relatively limited impact. J Street was started by a small group of activists who are well financed, but is working to build a national grassroots organization. In fact, last night they held their first local kickoff events in 21 cities across the country including Seattle.

The J Street leadership recognizes that there are many Jews, particularly young Jews, who are conflicted about Israel and feel disenfranchised. They care about Israel, or at least did so at one time, but have been turned off by some of Israel’s actions. They do not want to be part of the Jewish establishment which they perceive as being uncritical of Israel, but want to have their voices heard. J Street hopes to draw these people back into the world of Jewish engagement with Israel.

If J Street is able to accomplish this goal and provide a significant voice for these Jews it will do a great service to our community which continues to struggle at reaching the 20 and 30 somethings who have drifted away from active Jewish life. Birthright Israel is one attempt to engage the younger cohort with Israel and Jewish life. And there are many independent minyanim which have cropped up across the country, but each of these efforts has only reached a limited number of Jewish young adults. It remains to be seen whether J Street will be able to develop significant grassroots support, which –in the long run—will go a long way to determining the ultimate success and impact of this organization.

The second, and perhaps most important question, is whether J Street will complement or undermine the important work that AIPAC does on Capitol Hill. AIPAC is unquestionably one of the most effective lobbying organizations on any issue and in large part responsible for the overwhelming support which Israel receives from Congress. While there are other groups that lobby on Israel issues, including at times the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, none approach the ability of AIPAC to influence Congress. It has been said that when AIPAC speaks, Congress listens.

AIPAC is very concerned about J Street; AIPAC’s supporters have offered some of the strongest criticism of J Street. The primary concern is that there will no longer be a unified voice coming from the Jewish community. AIPAC’s effectiveness has been due in great part to the perception that it represents the vast majority of the Jewish community and that for the most part we speak with one voice.

Now members of Congress will see that the Jewish community does not always speak with one voice and that at the very least there is a minority within the community that has a different take on some issues, is willing to openly criticize Israel and will encourage Congress and the United States to take a more active role in the pursuit of peace. Of course, most members of Congress know this; but unless they directly see an organized effort to present another voice, they are not likely to pay much attention.

So there is good reason to believe that J Street will –to some extent—undermine the work that AIPAC does. However, I do not think that it will have a serious impact on AIPAC’s efforts as long as AIPAC continues to enjoy the support it does in the Jewish community.

The third important question concerns criticism of Israel within the Jewish community. AIPAC does not face this issue because it is committed to supporting actions and positions of Israel’s government, whether it is a more left leaning Labor or Kadima government, or a more right leaning Likud. When Israel made the decision a few years ago to withdraw unilaterally from the Gaza Strip, AIPAC supported the effort, even though some of its members did not.

J Street has indicated that it is not afraid to criticize Israel and to encourage the United States to pressure Israel toward returning to the peace talks. Now, there are some within the Jewish community who oppose all public criticism of Israel because, they argue, it plays into the hand of Israel’s enemies and therefore serves to undermine Israel. There is a certain amount of validity to this argument.

However, Israel’s enemies will continue to say what they want and do what they do regardless of criticism of Israel from the Jewish community. Furthermore, we certainly are not afraid to criticize Israel when it fails to support the rights of Reform Jews or the rights of Women of the Wall to worship freely. We should similarly be free to offer words of criticism on other matters in an appropriate manner.

It is best, for example, when these criticisms are voiced within the Jewish community, in the Jewish press for example, rather than “washing our dirty laundry” in public so to speak. But sometimes these issues have their way of going beyond our community and often there is very little that we can do about it. We can certainly discuss the appropriate parameters of such criticism, but we should not attempt to stifle such criticism since such efforts are bound to fail.

In this regard, J Street has a particular challenge in that it is attempting to reach out to a broad range of Jews, some of whom are more willing to openly criticize Israel than others. Every time J Street takes a particular position or fails to take a particular position it will please or displease some of its potential constituents. Some will continue to support the organization, but others will walk away.

In order to navigate this challenge, J Street has to clearly articulate its basic principles, as it attempts to do on its website and in other materials, and recognize that it cannot represent the entire “pro-peace, pro-Israel” community. There will be those who think J Street is not critical enough and those who think J Street is too critical. J Street needs to accept this fact of Jewish life and recognize that there are enough Jews between these positions to support their efforts.

So, is J Street good for the Jews? I am not ready definitively to answer that question because it is really too early to do so. I cannot agree with those who have already rejected J Street, but I am not personally ready to embrace it. I believe that it can be good for the Jews if it is able to mobilize and energize young Jews who otherwise would not find a voice on the issue of Israel, if it is able to consistently articulate a “pro-peace, pro-Israel” position without being co-opted by some who might want to lead it in other directions, and if it is able to offer its criticism in appropriate ways. If J Street is able to meet these challenges in the long run, it will indeed be good for our community.

Rabbi Bruce Kadden
February 5, 2010/22 Sh’vat 5770

J Street: Is it good for the Jews?

2010-02-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

There is a new kid on the block of Jewish organizational life which is creating some controversy. The new organization is J Street, which describes itself as “the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement.” It is attempting to create a strong, dynamic organization which represents Jews (and some non-Jews) who support Israel, while at the same time are often more critical of Israel government policy and actions than most pro-Israel organizations.

Its website explains that “J Street was founded to change the dynamics of American politics and policy on Israel and the Middle East. We believe the security and future of Israel as the democratic home of the Jewish people depend on rapidly achieving a two-state solution and regional comprehensive peace. Our mission is to promote meaningful American leadership to achieve peace and security in the Middle East and to broaden the debate on these issues nationally and in the Jewish community.”

J Street was developed to challenge AIPAC as the primary - and at times only - voice of the organized Jewish community on Capitol Hill and to provide a voice for many particularly younger Jews who have felt disenfranchised by the Jewish establishment. Its name is a play on words; the lobbyist corridor in Washington DC is K Street and there is no J Street in the District.

J Street is actually comprised of three independent organizations:

--a registered lobby and non-profit corporation;

--a political action committee to support candidates for office;

--an educational fund and education/outreach organization.

The questions we should address are:

--Do we need an organization like this?

--Will it complement the efforts of AIPAC on Capitol Hill or undermine them?

--What are the limits of criticism of Israel from a pro-Israel organization?

I will be sharing my answers to these questions at Shabbat services tomorrow night, February 5th at 7:30 p.m. and will post a link to the sermon here next week.

What do you think?

To learn more about J Street you can visit their website at: http://www.jstreet.org/.

Here is a link to an article strongly critical of J Street: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/pollak/48751

Bruce Kadden

Rabbi

FYI - Purim's almost here!

2010-02-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

Tacoma's Interfaith Service

2010-01-27T13:57:00.001-08:00

Last Monday, January 22, Rabbi Kaden participated in an interfaith service at the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Tacoma. The service included Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious leaders. These leaders came together to offer unified prayer in response to the recent police shootings in Pierce County, as well as for the victims of the earthquake that shook Haiti last week.

To see the full article in The News Tribune, go here.

Our new website!

2010-01-21T11:57:00.001-08:00

I'm pleased to announce that our wonderful new website is now online! Visit www.templebethel18.org to check it out. Keep coming back for updated news and information!

2010-01-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

Synaplex is only 1 week away!

RSVP by Tuesday, January 12th!
$18 for Adults and children 10 and over
$10 for children under 10

The night includes dinner, your choice of shabbat services, musical activities, FREE childcare for children under 6 and Noam Katz in concert. We hope to see you there!

Contact Petra Masellas in the temple office at (253) 564-7101 for more information, or e-mail pmasellas@templebethel18.org for a registration form.

It's that time of year

2009-12-08T11:35:00.000-08:00

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.

Noam Katz to come to TBE Jan. 15

2009-11-18T09:47:00.000-08:00

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!

Long time no blog!

2009-10-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

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!

DNAWORKS' Dinner & Dialogue comes to TBE

2009-06-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

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)

The Seattle Jewish Film Festival comes to Tacoma!

2009-04-24T13:18:00.001-07:00

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

Come for a Laugh

2009-04-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Here Comes the Sun

2009-04-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Trip to Petra, Jordan

2009-02-23T12:08:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-23T09:40:00.001-08:00

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

Rabbi Kadden Blogs from Israel!

2009-02-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

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

International Film & Food in Tacoma

2009-02-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

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

Synaplex Shabbat: Jews and Comedy! January 30

2009-01-16T12:54:00.000-08:00

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.

Show your solidarity for Israel

2009-01-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

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.

What's So Funny?

2008-12-29T13:46:00.000-08:00

Henny Youngman, Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Lewis, Jackie Mason, Adam Sandler, Fran Drescher, Howard Stern, Joan Rivers, Bert Lahr, Soupy Sales, Lenny Bruce, Sandra Bernhard, Pee Wee Herman, Jack Benny, Fanny Brice, Sid Caesar, Roseanne, Shelley Berman, Woody Allen, George Burns, The Three Stooges, Richard Lewis, Milton Berle, The Marx Brothers, Larry David, Rodney Dangerfield...the list is endless. Jewish comedians are ubiquitous.

Jews comprise less than one quarter of one percent of the world's population, yet it has been estimated that fully 70% of comedians are Jewish. Why? Who knows? There are many theories, but what is known for sure is that Jews have a special relationship to comedy.

We invite you to comment here on why YOU think Jews are so connected to comedy, or just share a joke with us. I'll start:

Manny and Isaac found themselves sitting next to each other in a New York bar. After a while, Manny looks at Isaac and says, "I can't help but think, from listening to you, that you're from Israel." Isaac responds proudly, "I am!" Manny says, "So am I! And where might you be from?" Isaac answers, "I'm from Jerusalem." Manny responds, "So am I! And where did you live?" Isaac says, "A lovely little area two miles east of King David's Hotel. Not too far from the old city" Manny says, "Unbelievable! What school did you attend?" Isaac answers, "Well, I attended Yeshiva University." Manny gets really excited, and says, "And so did I. Tell me, what year did you graduate?" Isaac answers, "I graduated in 1984." Manny exclaims, "Amazing! This is Berschert. Hashem wanted us to meet! I can hardly believe our good luck at winding up in the same bar tonight. Can you believe it, I graduated from Yeshiva University in 1984 also." About this time, Moishe enters the bar, sits down, and orders a beer. The bartender walks over to him shaking his head & mutters, "It's going to be a long night tonight, the Goldberg twins are drunk again."

January 30, Temple Beth El celebrates and explores the connection between Jews and comedy at our Synaplex Shabbat. We will feature a choice of services, catered dinner, improv workshop and more. Stay tuned to this blog for details, or call the Temple for more information: 253-564-7101.

SNOW DAY!

2008-12-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

Dictionary.com defines miracle as: "an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause."

Maybe we can call our recent extraordinary weather a miracle. All I know is, I have never lost my childhood love for and wonder at snow. I still can't resist going out and playing in it, making snowballs, snow seraphim and generally acting silly.

I hope you are enjoying the snow, too, despite some inconveniences it brings. Let's view it as a reminder that we are about to celebrate Chanukah, which commemorates another miracle.

In the Talmud, the rabbis ask "What is Chanukah?" and then recount the tale of the military victory of the Hasmoneans over the Greeks which resulted in the reclamation of the Temple. The Hasmoneans (of which the Maccabees were part) cleaned out and rededicated the Temple. Chanukah means dedication. Because the Temple had been under the control of the Greeks, the Jews did not have a chance to celebrate Sukkot that year. So they choose to celebrate the rededication of the Temple for eight days because Sukkot is eight days long. The miracle comes when there is only enough oil to light the Menorah for one night. Miraculously, the Talmud tells us, the oil burned for eight nights.

So don't forget to get your Chanukkiah out, get the candles, queue up Adam Sandler and start lighting on Sunday night, December 21st. For more information, visit the Temple website, or call us! Happy Chanukah.

Film Festival December 13th: Hester Street

2008-12-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

Temple Beth El's film festival continues with the December screening of "Hester Street". The New York Times called this film by Joan Micklin Silver "an unconditionally happy achievement" and called star Carol Kane a "triumphant bonfire", "magnificent" and "extraordinary". Not a typically commercial film, director Silver described "Hester Street" as "a classic example of something Hollywood would run from as rapidly as possible." After many struggles to get the film made, it emerged as both a critical and commercial success, and also served to re-open the Hollywood door to women filmmakers.

It is no accident that our screening takes place just eight days before Chanukah begins. Among other things, Chanukah commemorates the triumph of the Hasmoneans over the forces of Greek assimilation. "Hester Street" explores the choices Jewish immigrants made at the turn of the last century on the Lower East Side of New York City. The struggle to maintain a Jewish identity, and the lure of assimilation are still with us today, as they were 100 years ago and long ago in the time of Alexander the Great.

Please join us for this poignant and funny film. Refreshments and discussion to follow. Free and open to the public.

Shopping, Anyone?

2008-11-18T16:46:00.000-08:00

In last Sunday's New York Times, Thomas L. Friedman, writing about the financial crisis, said: "...now is when we need a president who has the skill, the vision and the courage to cut through this cacophony, pull us together as one nation and inspire and enable us to do the one thing we can and must do right now: Go shopping." We couldn't agree more! That is why Temple Beth El has just opened our new Chanukah Shop. We encourage you to support the economy, support Temple Beth El, and enhance your Chanukah celebration. Our shop is open Wednesdays 11-2 and 4-7, Fridays 11-2 and 7-7:30, and Sundays 10-1 from now until Chanukah. We guarantee you will find items that you love and have not seen before, and we're making it easy for you to do all of your Chanukah shopping right here.

Everything is Illuminated at TBE Jewish Film Festival

2008-11-11T17:28:00.000-08:00

What are you doing Saturday night? How about joining us for a great movie, intelligent conversation, tasty refreshments and an opportunity to meet an emerging artist? On Saturday, November 15th at 7:30 p.m. Temple Beth El hosts a screening of the acclaimed 2005 film "Everything is Illuminated". Based on Jonathan Safran Foer's popular novel, Liev Schreiber adapted and directed this film, which stars Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings) and Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello. Roger Ebert said the film "...">begins in goofiness and ends in silence and memory. How it gets from one to the other is the subject of the film, a journey undertaken by three men and a dog into the secrets of the past.” Rabbinic Intern Amy Rossel will lead a discussion after the film. Refreshments will be served. Special bonus: meet Giddon Chotzen, an Israeli artist whose beautiful pastels depicting scenes in Israel currently hang in our social hall. Free and open to the public.

Exercise Your Power

2008-11-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

An Eclectic Menu for Synaplex

2008-10-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

Enjoy dishes from the countries of our ancestors. Temple Beth El Synaplex celebrates the Immigrant Experience on Shabbat Lech L'cha.

In this week's Torah portion, God instructs Abraham to leave his homeland for the unknown land of Canaan. It seems that Jews have been wandering ever since. Our "immigrant" menu consists of foods both Ashkenazic (Eastern European) and Sephardic (Western Europe, Middle East and Northern Africa):

We offer dishes for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. The delectable menu includes:

Moroccan Tomato and Green Pepper Salad
Bandoora Fresh Tomato/Basil Salad
Apple Glazed BBQ Chicken
Moroccan Brisket
Sweet Carrot Tzimmes
Rice Pilaf with Lentils
Potato Kugel
Challah

Special discount for college students: dinner is half price, only $6.00! Click here for reservation form. See you at Synaplex!

How to celebrate Shabbat -- your way

2008-10-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

Synaplex Shabbat is almost here. If you don't know what it is, think about your local multiplex movie theatre. You know that you can choose from a wide variety of movies, and pick the one that fits your mood and/or your interests. That's the idea behind Synaplex Shabbat. Come as you are and find the activities that interest you. It's that easy! On November 7th, we are happy to offer you the following programs:

4:30 p.m. - Cookie baking with Jeri for small children
4:30 p.m. - Wine & cheese reception for everyone
5:30 p.m. - Shabbat songs for small children and their parents
6:40 p.m. - *Delicious catered dinner for everyone, featuring foods from the Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions
7:30 p.m. - Your choice of services: Teen Service, Chanting and Meditation Service or Tradional Sanctuary Service, also available: Movie for children: "An American Tail"
8:45 p.m. - Dessert/Oneg Shabbat for everyone
9:15 p.m. - Listen or dance to live music by the band Jewbilee -or- enjoy a screening of "The Frisco Kid"

All activities are free and open to all, except for dinner, which must be reserved and paid for in advance. To access an online reservation form, click here. If you plan to attend the wine & cheese reception, or bring your child to cookie baking, an RSVP would be appreciated, but is not required.

We also offer FREE child care with RSVP from 7:30 to 10:30 for children ages 6 and under.
For more information, please call 253-564-7101, or visit our website at www.templebethel18.org

Be Happy, It's Sukkot!

2008-10-13T12:08:00.001-07:00

On Sukkot, the Torah tells us to "be happy". And why shouldn't we be? It is the time of year when the harvest is gathered in, when we literally can "reap the fruits of our labor". While most of us are not farmers, we are fortunate to live in a leading agricultural state, and Washington apples and other produce are renown throughout the country. Still, if you have spent any time in a sukkah, you know that it is not the most confidence-inspiring structure! The rain gets in, the wind threatens to sweep the entire sukkah away, and around here, it's cold.

Perhaps the Torah is telling us that we can be happy despite being "insecure". That's not a bad lesson to take to heart these days.

So be happy, and enjoy this bountiful recipe from the URJ website. You can find more recipes and information about Sukkot here. Chag Sameah.

Vegetarian Couscous

This Moroccan-inspired dish is a perfect way to reap the bounty of wonderful vegetables available during the Sukkot season. It also makes a beautiful, edible centerpiece for your dinner table in the sukkah.

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
3/4 cup dark raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock, divided use
2 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 small (1 pound) eggplant, sliced into 1-inch cubes
2 yellow crookneck squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds, or 1 cup asparagus cut into 1-inch lengths
4 ounces of mushrooms (any type), caps cut into quarters (portabellas cut into 1-inch cubes)
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained
4 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup fine couscous
1 or more Tablespoons of finely minced parsley for garnish

Heat a large frying pan or 4-quart saucepan for 30 seconds, add the olive oil, and heat for 15 seconds. Sauté the garlic and onion until lightly golden. Do not allow the garlic to brown.
Add the carrots, tomato sauce, raisins, salt, cumin, and 1 cup of the stock. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the carrots are crisp tender--thoroughly cooked but firm and not mushy.
Add the zucchini and the eggplant and cook for 10 minutes. Spoon in the crookneck squash or asparagus pieces, mushrooms, and chickpeas and stir to combine. Cook for an additional 10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 1 1/2 cups of stock along with the butter or margarine. Add the couscous. Cover, remove from the heat, and allow the pan to sit for 5 minutes.
To serve, spoon the couscous into the center of a large rimmed dish, and surround with the cooked vegetables. Pour the sauce evenly over all, and sprinkle with a little parsley for garnish. Serves 4 as a main dish or 8 as a side.

Film Festival: "The Band's Visit" this weekend

2008-10-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

Join us this Saturday night, October 11th at 7:30 p.m. for this award winning film.

Director Eran Kolirin perfectly navigates this film's slice-of-life tone, blending comedy, drama and poignancy. A group of Egyptian musicina sarrives in Israel to perform at an Arab cultural center. Stranded at the airport, the musicians take teh wrong bus and end up in a remote Israeli town in the middle of the desert. Townspeople and band members must learn to co-exist for one very unusual night. The Band's Visit is funny, lonely, inspiring, sad and beautiful all at once. Winner of over 35 awards, including Israel's "Oscar" for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Music. Discussion and refreshments to follow the film. Free and open to the public.

Regrets Only...

2008-10-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

As we prepare for Yom Kippur, we reach the depths of the self-examination which is the focus of our spiritual activity of the high holy days. This year, UW Hillel has provided an interesting way for us to express our regrets. It is the Postregret Project, based on the popular Postsecret Project. Anyone in the community can participate and post (anonymously) something they regret. I encourage you to try this exercise and see what it does for you. There are many ways to do teshuvah, and you might find this method brings you closer to where you would like to be this holiday season. Feel free to comment on your experience here on our blog.

Wishing you a g'mar hatimah tovah and an easy fast.

Synaplex is coming!

2008-10-03T15:56:00.001-07:00

Save the date: Friday, November 7th, for a Shabbat experience you don't want to miss. Watch this blog for details, but we can tell you now that highlights include:

Choose your service: teen, traditional or meditation/chanting
Dance to live music by Jewbilee
Kids' cookie baking
Delicious catered dinner
Movie choices for kids and adults
Festive oneg/dessert
Free child care
and more....

It's easy: Come as you are and be prepared for fun, friendship and something new!

Apples and Honey

2008-09-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

Why do we dip apples in honey on Rosh Hashanah?

When we pray on the High Holy Days, we repeatedly ask God to grant us a good, sweet year. By dipping the (already) sweet apple in honey, we create a tangible ritual that expresses our hopes and wishes. If you google "apples and honey" you will find a variety of mystical and esoteric explanations for the choice of an apple, but one obvious reason is that apples are coming into season right about now.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are blessed with many local sources of this most popular fruit. This season, why not treat yourself to a trip to one of our local orchards, where you can pick your own apples? This supports our local farmers, saves energy, and gets you the freshest fruit possible. Not only that; it is FUN!

Here is a list of nearby picking orchards and apple farms:
High Meadow Orchards
16003 High Bridge Rd.
Monroe, WA 98272
Snomohish County, Washington

Lattin's Country Cider Mill & Farm
9402 Rich Road SE
Olympia, WA 98516
Thurston County, Washington
Phone: (360) 491-7328
http://www.lattinscider.com/

Rosabella's Garden Bakery
8933 Farm to Market Road
Bow, WA 98232
Skagit County, Washington
Phone: (360) 766-6360
www.rosabellasgarden.com

Wishing you a very sweet and good New Year 5769.
Shanah Tovah u'm'tukah.

Honoring our Ancestors

2008-09-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

Dress for working outside, and join us, rain or shine, as we beautify the Home of Peace Cemetery. Discover a new mitzvah, make new friends and see how easy it is to make a difference. Date: Sunday, September 28th, 2008 Time: 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Location: 5421 Steilacoom Boulevard SW, Tacoma, WA. Need more information? Call the Temple office at 253-564-7101. Sponsored by Temple Beth El's Temple Teens in collaboration with the Jewish Student Organization of University of Puget Sounds. All ages welcome! Snack provided.

Wow! We had Fun!

2008-09-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

Members of all ages came, ate, played and geared up for the new year at our Open House. The morning began with bagels and live music from the debut performance of the "Beth El Klezmer Orchestra". By the afternoon kids were playing, making tye-dye shirts and enjoying a barbecue hosted by Sisterhood. In between, more than 100 students attended religious school and adult education classes.

We had perfect weather, and welcomed quite a few new faces to our community. If you were there, please share your comments. If you weren't there, we're sorry we missed you. Share a comment anyway.

Getting Ready for 5769

2008-09-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

With Rosh Hashanah fast approaching, Temple Beth El is gearing up for the holidays with an OPEN HOUSE.

When: Sunday, September 14th, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Where: Temple Beth El, 5975 South 12th Street, Tacoma WA

What: Fun, friends, live music, free snacks and bagels, plus a barbecue at noon!

Rabbi Kadden, Trustees and members will be on hand to greet you and share our excitement about upcoming events and activities. For more information, please call 253-564-7101 or email info@templebethel18.org

Join us at the Tacoma Ethnic Festival

2008-07-22T17:38:00.000-07:00

Come schmooze with us this Sunday at the Tacoma Ethnic Festival in Wright Park. Enjoy the great food and entertainment while learning about the many cultures who contribute to the many flavors of Tacoma. Come take a quiz and see how much you really know about Jewish food!

Celebrating Israel's 60th Birthday

2008-07-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

Temple Beth El hosted a major celebration this past May, when when the State of Israel turned 60 years old. A good time was had by all, as you can see. We were even honored with a visit and proclamation by our Governor, Christine Gregoire.