A joyous community of Jewish women e ngaged in
prayer, study and spiritual growth  

June 2016
Summer is almost here...
As we enter June, we know the summer is almost upon us.  We have the holiday of Shavuot, as we celebrate the giving of the Torah and enjoy blintzes and other dairy dishes with family and friends.

The summer months are here for renewal, restoration and vacations. Enjoy your time and find meaningful moments.  Please send us pictures of yourself with your Lev bag from your travels.
 
We will see everyone in September to welcome in the High Holidays.

Join us at Lev Eisha on Saturday, June 4.   Services begin at 9:30 am, led by Rabbi August and Cantorial Soloist Cindy Paley.  Readings are from the book of Leviticus.

Be sure to stay for a delicious kiddush luncheon, sponsored by Toni Glick, Janis Biederman, and Marion Klein, in honor of their birthdays, by Lillian Laskin to honor her husband and granddaughter's birthdays and her grandson's graduation, and by Robin Winston in honor of her birthday and the birthdays of Rabbi August and Joan Spiegel.

Now is the time to get your reservations in for kiddish sponsorships for next year. September is a good month to celebrate summer birthdays, anniversaries, and yarzheits, in addition to those events in September.  Contact Lynn Beliak at catering@leveisha.org

In This Issue
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Lev Eisha
2016-17 Calendar
 
Breakfast & Study 8:15am - 9:25am

Services: 
9:30am-12:00pm 

Kiddush immediately following services  

WE WILL BE SENDING OUT A SUMMER NEWSLETTER IN JULY WITH OUR NEW DATES.
A Warm Welcome to Renewing Member

We are so pleased to welcome Barbara Haberman back into our community.

Donors Make it Happen

Thank you to Barbara Brown who made a donation in
honor of Judy Fishman's son, Daniel, who graduated law school, and wishing  re'fu'a sh'lema  to  Shirley Hirschberg's husband, Jack.
Message From the President

Dear Lev Eisha Community,

We have big news - we are moving to a new venue in September!  Due to extensive renovation plans at Vista del Mar, our last service here will be on June 4.

The Lev Eisha Board of Directors has already begun searching for a new venue.  Our past president, Susie Yuré, who led the search when we found Vista, is spearheading this new venue search.  We are looking at shuls, churches, meeting places, schools - any acceptable venue that will guarantee us the space we need the first Shabbat of each month.  We are
confident we will find a wonderful new home in time for our September service, which will mark the beginning of our
17 th season.  

We will keep you updated on our progress during the summer. Please be on the look-out for Lev Eisha email and postal updates.  We will also have info on our website.  In addition to moving to a new venue, we will have some new programming that I know you'll enjoy.

I would like everyone to start the new Lev season with a new membership jewel on your name tag.  Please go to www.leveisha.org, click on "JOIN" and select your membership level to join now. 

Wishing you an enjoyable, adventurous summer!
See you in September,
Janis
Lev Goes to Hungary
Lynda Malerstein visited The Great Synagogue in Budapest,  also known as the Dohány Street Synagogue. It is the largest synagogue  in Europe and one of the largest in the world, with a seating capacity of 2,964.

Creating Sanctuaries in Time
by Rabbi August
         This year we inaugurated a "With the Rabbi" series at my temple in Hermosa Beach. My interviewer asked me what I liked to do, and I told him that Alan & I loved bike riding and doing yoga together. In addition, I swim and like to take hikes when I can. I am an avid reader, love going to the movies, am grateful to be a rabbi with work that moves me deeply, and enjoy spending time with family and friends.  This is the short list, and it was not hard to identify what I like to do when I am not working. We followed up with "Ride with the Rabbi" and "Movie Night with the Rabbi" activities, which were a lot of fun!
         In contrast to my sharing what I like to do in my spare time, in his May 24th editorial about "Why is Clinton Disliked?," David Brooks, writer for the New York Times, asserts that part of Hillary Clinton's unpopularity is because she is a workaholic and the public does not know what she does for fun. The former secretary of state projects a formal, career-oriented persona in contrast to our social media age, Brooks explains, which is about being intimate, revealing and vulnerable.
         There is nothing wrong with being dedicated to your job and making your career your priority. In fact, having a vocation you love is very fulfilling. Yet, Brooks continues, "Maybe it's doubly important that people with fulfilling vocations develop sanctuaries outside them: in play, solitude, faith, hobbies and leisure."
         I wonder about myself and how, although I have many outside interests and activities, I too, get swallowed up by commitments and late nights in my new office.
         I was pleasantly surprised when Brooks quoted one of my favorite rabbis, Abraham Joshua Heschel, who wrote in his famous book about Shabbat: The Sabbath is "a place in time which we build." It's not a day of rest before work; you work in order to experience this day of elevation.
         Also quoted in Brook's editorial was Josef Pieper, who wrote that "leisure is not an activity, it's an attitude of mind. It's stepping outside strenuous effort and creating enough stillness so that it becomes possible to contemplate and enjoy things as they are."  Brooks concludes that even successful lives need these sanctuaries and that it appears we don't really trust candidates who do not show us theirs.
          Let me bless us all with opportunities to visit our sanctuaries over the upcoming holiday of Shavuot, and in the summer months ahead, and make time for play, solitude and renewal with ourselves and those we love. 

Milestones

MAZEL TOV to Judy Fishman on her son Daniel's graduation from law school.

RE'FU'A SH'LEMA to Jack Hirschberg, husband of Shirley Hirschberg.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY  to the following June birthdays: 
Gail Barton, Janis Biederman, Janis Cohen, Melanie Gutterman, Marion Klein, Judy Rosenzweig.

I f you have a milestone to share please send it to Rose Ziff at
editor@leveisha.org.  Birthdays, weddings, graduations, Bat or Bar Mitzvot, births, special awards/honors, and exotic vacations are some of the simchas that are fun to share with our community. 

This is also the place to ask our community to join you in prayers of healing for those who are ill or in memory of those who have passed away. 
Map & Directions
Lev Eisha Shabbat Services are held at Vista Del Mar  
3200 Motor Ave., Los Angeles 90034

Click on the map for directions.

THIS WILL BE OUR LAST SERVICE AT VISTA DEL MAR!  Stay tuned for our new location, which will be announced this summer.
 

Welcome to Lev Eisha, a spiritual prayer service by and for women.  B'ruchot Ha'baot - we invite you to join us with great blessing.  We provide a joyous environment with opportunities for soulful prayer, energetic song and dance, deep Jewish study, and meditation.  Each person, in their own way, finds what they need for their personal and spiritual growth at Lev Eisha.

  

What makes our community so unique? The answer is reflected in our name. "Lev" means heart, and "Eisha" means woman.  When women come together with open hearts, we figuratively hold each others' hearts in profound acceptance, understanding and love.

  

Join us and support Lev Eisha. By attending you are giving yourself the greatest gift; time for yourself, a "spiritual fix" to keep you balanced and centered for the month. Lev Eisha will transform your Jewish  soul.