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April Calendar of Events
4:00 pm- Hebrew and Tuesday Religious School
April 9: 4:00 pm- Hebrew and Tuesday Religious School
April 13: 10:00 am - Torah study
6:00 pm - Family Shabbat
April 17: 4:00 pm- Hebrew and Tuesday Religious School
April 18: 7:30 am - Back Door Cafe
April 19: Israel Independence Day
April 20: 10:00 am - Torah study
April 21: 9:00 am - Torah chanting
10:00 am - Torah service and study
April 22: 10: am - Sunday School
April 24: 4:00 pm - Hebrew and Tuesday Religious School
April 27: 10:00 am - Torah study
April 29: 10:00 am - Sunday Morning Learning
ON THE HORIZON
April School Activities
All activities at Shalom Bayit unless otherwise noted.
Sunday School 10:00 a.m: - 4/8, 4/22
Tuesday School 4:00 p.m: - 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24
April Torah Study
Weekly-Friday 10:00 a.m. at Evie's: 4/13, 4/20, 4/27
Monthly-Saturday 10:00 a.m. at FPC Library: 4/21
For more details about any TBT events, see our complete schedule of Services, School activities, and Events online:
www.bethtikvahbend.org/calendar
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TBT Highlights
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Fun for the Whole Family
at o
ur Community
Seder
Friday, April 6th at 5:45 at Springhill Suites
We are looking forward to seeing all who have made reservations for our Seder.
Reservations are now closed because we have reached our maximum seating capacity. We apologize that we are unable to accommodate any more guests.
Please remember that all payments for the Seder must be received by Friday, March 30.
We are unable to accept payment at the door. Thank you for your understanding.
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 Holocaust Remembrance Day/Yom Hashoah, Wednesday, April 11th
In Ben
d, the
COCC World Historical Cultures and Jewish Students clubs sponsor an annual lecture or film screening to mark the day in Central Oregon.
This year, the COCC clubs will be screening the documentary film, A Torah Tale, made by our Rabbi Johanna Hershenson and her independent filmmaker husband, Mark Hershenson.
The film documents the journeys of a torah scroll and the last living Jew from the same rural Czech town through World War II, Communism, and the Velvet Revolution. A Torah Tale reveals the stories of how Czech Jews saved over 100,000 Jewish ritual items from Nazi looting and destruction and how one Czech town authentically and generously honors a 500 year old Jewish community that ended when its last Jew died decades ago. These intersecting stories celebrate the resilience and goodness of ordinary human beings.
When: April 11
Time: 4:30 pm
Where: H
itchcock Auditorium in Pioneer Hall, COCC
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Havdallah with a Purpose
Saturday, April 14th
For the second quarter, the Social Action Committee is partnering with the Humane Society of Central Oregon. HSCO will be introducing a new program called Tales for Tails, which has children ages 8 - 18 reading to the animals at the shelter. Come with your children to learn more about how your family can participate in this innovative volunteer activity.
Date: Saturday, April 14
Time: 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Place: Tracy and Hallie Smith
2824 NE Red Oak Drive, Bend
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10th Anniversary - Save the Date: Sunday, May 20th, 5:00 pm
Come celebrate TBT's 10th anniversary on May 20 with a good ole' fashioned barbecue. You and your family are invited to a casual Sunday night dinner featuring finger-licking fixings catered by Baldy's. There will be lots of yummy food and plenty of stories to share about TBT's 10 year journey, plus more than enough laughter to go around.
It's gonna be a hoot!
Date/Time: Sunday,
May 20th, 5:00 pm
Location: Springhill Inn & Suites
Watch for your invitation coming soon!
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Divrei Tikvah 
From Rabbi Johanna Hershenson
The month of April embraces us with warm winds, gentle rains, and spring buds. This year it also ushers in the redemptive hope of Passover. As the ancient Hebrews experienced redemption from their bondage in Mitzrayim, so too, each of us (to the extent we take on the archetypal mindset) experiences redemption whenever we initiate and integrate change in our lives.
For some of us that change is that we've just arrived in Bend and are reinventing ourselves. For others change may be about finishing high school and preparing to go off to college in the Fall. Still others are tending to new family constellations, to sobriety, to the physical and mental limitations that emerge with aging. The cumulative list of changes that are new and changes that are in early stages among us, our families, friends and neighbors, is endless.
Passover calls on us to perform a ritual (the Passover Seder) that invites us to reflect on our constricted places (Mitzrayim means Egypt, and narrow straits) and branch out - stretch towards our own freest and most fulfilled selves - wander towards our own Promised Lands, encountering our own doubt and regret along the way.
How do we generate the courage to make the changes we believe will most benefit our lives and relationships? What draws our attention to our own role in inflicting pain and suffering on ourselves? How do we change those behaviors? What new behaviors do we adapt? From where do we draw support for our success?
The middah, the character trait, we are exploring during the month of April, is trust. I think that trust is an essential component of redemption. Trust in ourselves, trust in natural laws of the universe, trust in humanity, trust in the institutions that contain our social concerns and needs.... Practical faith is so much richer than rote faith between an individual and a god-head.
Rabbi Bachya ibn Pakuda (11th c., Spain) taught:
The essence of trust is the tranquility of the soul enjoyed by the one who trusts.
Cultivating trust is not about taking leaps of faith. Cultivating trust is about acquiring information and skills, setting up a support system and/or environment conducive to the thriving of the individuals involved, and practicing not worrying. Cultivating trust is a tall order.
It is my hope that as I complete my Institute for Jewish Spirituality Tikkun Middot training (a character trait development study and practice curriculum rooted in the Jewish wisdom tradition) and launch a middah (character trait) study and practice group in Temple Beth Tikvah, we will begin looking at our congregation as a safe environment, fertile for cultivating personal growth through the lens of Jewish values about character and decency.
Meanwhile, take some time this Passover to reflect on changes you've made over the course of your life. What led to them? What supported them? What efforts at change have been difficult to maintain? Why are they difficult? Where do we go for inspiration to make tough choices every day?
The Passover Haggadah instructs us to remember we were slaves in Egypt, too. We all have our Egypts, our Mitzrayim, our places of restricted freedom. We all have our Promised Lands, our places of satisfaction and safety and trust. Passover calls on us to take notice...
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~~ Rabbi Hershenson's office hours are by appointment. If you would like to set up an appointment, please contact her by email at: [email protected], or by phone at 541-213-9880.
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 President's Message
From TBT President Jeanne Freeman
It's almost Passover, the time of year that we remember that it was we who were slaves, once strangers in Egypt. And we are admonished not to oppress a stranger.
Here at Temple Beth Tikvah, 37 former strangers are now part of our synagogue. They represent 11 new families who joined as members this year. These 37 men, women and children are now a part of our community, here to meet us all. In turn, we get to know them and make them part of our community, our family. For that is what we are - an extended family - a group of people who care for each other, connected in so many ways.
Please, welcome our newest members when you see them at Hebrew or Religious School, at Shabbat services, an Adult Ed or Havdallah program. Let us each make sure that they feel embraced, part of our synagogue and no longer a stranger.
Passover is one of my favorite holidays. I love the ceremony. I love the storytelling. I love the food - okay, not the matzoh so much, but the haroset and matzoh ball soup, yum! I enjoy the sense of community that comes with the holiday. We sit together as an extended family, telling the story of Exodus, sharing wine, learning, singing, laughing.
One of the great pleasures of Passover is working as a part of the Seder committee, an amazing group of volunteers - Jan Freeman Bauer, Rose Jackman, Liz Levinson, Janet Lichtenberg, Terry Reynolds, and Marilyn Shattuck are organized, thorough, fun, and a pleasure to work with. At our 2nd and final meeting before the Seder, it was said that this event will look seamless to anyone entering - and no one will know the details and the effort that went into creating that seamless appearance. My thanks to each of these hard-working women for volunteering to create what we are sure will be an enjoyable evening.
Temple Beth Tikvah thrives because of the good work of our volunteers, who donate their time, their effort and their creativity to make our synagogue a place of learning, spirituality, and connection. If you want to help craft the direction of our synagogue, to help make decisions that allow us to continue to grow, then please, consider becoming a member of TBT's Board of Directors. Every TBT member will soon receive a letter from the Nominating Committee asking for members to submit nominations for the board. Please consider sharing your experience for the benefit of our community.
B'shalom,
Jeanne
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TBT Board Notes
Next Board Meeting: Tuesday, April 3rd, 3:30 pm
Location: Stonebriar Apartments Clubhouse
Y
our TBT Board meets monthly and everyone is invited to attend. Dates and times of Board meetings are on the TBT calendar at:
bethtikvahbend.org/calendar
If you would like to read minutes of previous board meetings, you can request a copy from Board Secretary Mary Jane Eisenberg:
[email protected].
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Facebook: TBT Members Group
During the last year and a half, we have witnessed breakdowns in communication between people on all sides of the political spectrum. This communication chasm has even touched our own community and we chose to censor those posts on our Facebook members' page that might be construed as political, argumentative or disrespectful. The past months we have worked hard to learn and practice "compassionate communication" to help us to bridge our differences. With that in mind, we want to open our Facebook page to conversations that might challenge us, but will also allow us to practice our compassion and civility. Thank you for being considerate of all of our members.
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Social Action Update
Lynne Connelly
Our partnership with Mt. Star Family Relief Nursery for the 1st quarter of 2018 was a great success i
n
addition to heightening our awareness of this wonderful organization dedicated to supporting families in crisis all over Central Oregon who have kids from infancy through age 5. For the year 2017 99% of Mt. Star's kids remained free from confirmed cases of abuse and neglect. Feel free at any time to call Mt. Star and take a tour of the wonderful Bend facility to learn more about their program.
For our part, TBT members donated between 1000 and 1500 diapers to them. Our wonderful Tully Ellsberg donated a generous gift certificate for their use. Let's keep this Diaper Drive going throughout the year. When you are in a store, please occasionally drop a box of diapers in your cart and then call Lynne at 541 408 6720 to arrange pick-up from you to take to the Daggett facility. And a HUGE thank you to the teens in BBYO for enthusiastically taking on the Birthday Bag program to benefit the 24 kids at the Madras facility of Mt. Star. They will be putting together and delivering throughout the year beautiful bags full of goodies for the kids and their parents including cake mix, pan, party cups and plates, stuffed animals, little books, etc. Thank you, BBYO.
For the 2nd quarter of this year the organization with which we are partnering is the Humane Society of Central Oregon. They have just begun a fun and rewarding Tales for Tails program, for which we have volunteered to participate. In it kids ages 8 through 18 will be able to read to the dogs and cats. This accustoms the animals to a human voice helping to socialize them. Equally rewarding to the kids, they will test their reading skills while relaxing with the animals (inside the get acquainted room with the cats and outside the kennels for the dogs).
For this program, we are looking for volunteers, both kids and adults. The groups of up to 8 kids will need 1 or 2 adults to supervise. Adults are 18 years old or older. We will be forming groups to read once or twice a month. For more information - and to volunteer - please call Lynne at 541 408 6720 or email at
[email protected].
PLAN TO ATTEND THE HAVDALLAH WITH A PURPOSE AT HALLIE & TRACY SMITH'S HOUSE ON 4/14 WHICH WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO THIS PROGRAM. INVITATIONS TO COME SOON.
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Membership News
Vivian Freeman
The Membership Committee has been very busy this year, not only welcoming ELEVEN New Families/Members to our Congregation but engaging them and other members to get to know each other. Our goal is to CONNECT those with similar interests and encourage all to attend more TBT events. We are planning a gathering soon.
If you have a skill, expertise, or strength that will benefit TBT, we hope that you will join one of our committees and share your experience with us.
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May Newsletter Deadline: April 24th
This newsletter is emailed to both members and non-members each month. If you have something you want to include in the newsletter, please e-mail it to Marilynn Jacobs:
[email protected]
no later than the 24th of each month for the following month's publication. As always, you will continue to receive "e-minders" before important events take place.
Shalom,
Marilynn
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Taizé Service
Next Taizé: April 5th, 7:00 pm
All TBT members are invited to Taizé - an evening of Interfaith prayerful meditation, peace, and silence. Taizé services are held the first Thursday of each month, October through May, 7:00 p.m. at St. Clare's Chapel, St. Francis Catholic Church, 2450 NE 27th St. in Bend, OR. Everyone is invited to attend and participate. Sponsored by the Sacred Art of Living Center and the Interfaith Community of Central Oregon.
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Temple Beth Tikvah gratefully acknowledges the following contributions:
- Vivian Freeman: In memory of my parents Obie and Helen Cohen Malorius
- Mel Siegel: In memory of Moses Siegel
- Terry & Andreas Hoogstede: In memory of David Senescu, father of Terry
- Bev and Jeff Adler: In celebration of TBT's 10th Anniversary
- Mark and Kathy Schindel: In memory of Nathan Bernstein
Donations listed above were made to the Temple's general purpose fund unless otherwise specified.
You may honor the lives and achievements of friends and relatives via a tribute with a donation to TBT. You can do this online, or by sending a check and the name and address of the person being honored to TBT at P.O. Box 7472, Bend, OR, 97708.
Donations may be designated to a specific fund, including:
- the Youth Education Fund,
- the Music Fund - including Adopt-a-Musician,
- the Library Fund,
- the Rabbi Fund,
- the Rabbi's Caring Fund,
- the Social Action Fund,
- the Corrie Grudin Memorial Fund,
- or to the General Fund.
(The youth group is a separate entity. Donations for the youth group should be made out to "Central Oregon Jewish Youth" and mailed c/o Naomi Chudowsky.)
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About Temple Beth Tikvah
Temple Beth Tikvah is a growing Jewish congregation based in Bend, Oregon. We are affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism and are excited to be the first Reform synagogue in Central Oregon.
Our members come from a range of Jewish backgrounds including Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Renewal. Temple Beth Tikvah welcomes interfaith families and Jews by choice. We are committed to providing a Jewish education for our children as well as stimulating educational activities for adults. We value social action and strive to provide a Jewish cultural, social, and religious experience in Central Oregon.
Temple Beth Tikvah is a warm and enthusiastic community that includes families, singles, and "empty nesters." We are a mix of long-time Bend residents and newcomers from around the country who moved here to enjoy Central Oregon's beauty, active lifestyle, and quality of life.
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