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Week of December 11, 2017 / Kislev 5778
Happy Chanukah! The first night is Tuesday. Watch for our special Chanukah newsletter,
arriving soon in your inbox.
 
Save the Date
for our
Building Dedication Weekend
December 7-9, 2018
 
Don't buy theater tickets, plane tickets or sporting event tickets!
Join us for our Building Dedication Weekend
and celebration of Kehillah's 10th anniversary.
It will be a weekend of events with something for all ages...  
inspirational, joyous, and meaningful as we celebrate our past  
and look forward to our future.
 
Event Chairs are Paul and Margie Stein
 
Watch for more information!

THIS WEEK____________________________________
Shabbat candles
CHANUKAH KABBALAT SHABBAT
Friday, December 15

5:30 p.m. - Chanukah candle lighting and Latke Nosh (for those who have RSVP'd)
6:00 p.m. - Services, starting with a processional to welcome our Torah to our new home


Join the entire congregation, including YEP! families, for delicious potato latkes, lighting candles for the 4th night of Chanukah, a special Torah processional, and Chanukah music with YEP! students.
We look forward to seeing you at this special Chanukah Kabbalat Shabbat!
Reminder: Please bring your new, unwrapped pajama and book donations to
services for our holiday Social Action Pajama/Book Drive. 

(Or to make a monetary donation, make checks payable to Pajama Program, AZ Chapter and mail to Congregation Kehillah, 21001 N. Tatum Blvd., Ste. 1630 #439, Phoenix, AZ 85050. Your donations are tax-deductible.)

For more information about the Pajama Program, visit   www.pajamaprogram.org , contact Kehillah member Lesli Friedman at 602-577-8355, or see this flier. Thank you in advance for your generous donations!
TORAH TALK
Saturday, December 16, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon
at the home of Ilene Riffle

Relationships, leadership, a blueprint for life .... it's what Torah is all about. Become part of an ongoing 4,000-year-old conversation when you join us for Torah Talk, one of Kehillah's most-loved traditions. It's a morning filled with questions, conversation, and laughter. Best of all, no prior knowledge is needed. All are welcome. Please RSVP by Thursday, December 14 to Ellen at [email protected]
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MOVIE TIME
Sunday, December 17
late morning/early afternoon
Save the date, and watch for details!

We get together to see a movie the third Sunday of most months, and we'd love you to join us!
The movie, time and location are chosen closer to each date. 

You are always welcome to come even without an RSVP, but if we expect you we can let you know if there are any changes and try to save seats. To receive final details for our movie plans, and to offer your suggestions, get on our Movie Time email list by sending your name and email to Marilyn Morris at [email protected]; or call her at 602-494-2800.
UPCOMING_____________________________________
GIRLS' NIGHT OUT
Monday, December 18
6:00 p.m.
Isabella's Kitchen
8623 E. Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
 
Join us on the patio (dress accordingly) as we celebrate the seventh night of Chanukah. Please bring your chanukiah and eight candles; we will light them together before dinner. If you wish to give a gift, please make a donation to Congregation Kehillah's General Fund and we will put the funds towards items needed for the
kitchen or building. RSVP to Renee by Friday, December 15, at [email protected]. 
YEP!
Sunday, January 7
9:30 a.m.-12:00 noon
 
The next YEP! session after this one is Sunday, January 21.   
BOOK GROUP
Sunday, January 28
10:00 a.m.
at the home of Ellen Lerman
 
All Kehillah adults and their friends are welcome to attend.
We will discuss Another Country, by James Baldwin.

Read ahead:
February 25: the subject is Winston Churchill - read anything about him or written by him
March 25: The Garden of Evenings Mists, by Tan Twan Eng
For general questions about the Book Group and to RSVP for any meeting, please contact Sherry Siegel at [email protected].
WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS
Please help us welcome new members  
 
Justin and Tiffany Whalen and their children, Finley and Lily
 
We look forward to getting to know you!
DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS and ANNIVERSARIES
Corrections and Additions
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YOM HULEDET SAMEACH!

December 8 - Ilene Malka
December 22 - David Fabricant
YEAR-END PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
For a year-end update
from Kehillah President Rich Goldman,
please click here
Rich Goldman
YOUR YEP! QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Some congregants have recently asked,  
"What is YEP!, and what do the children do?"  
 
Well, we thought we would share some insight as our first semester wraps up before winter break.  
 
"YEP!" stands for our Youth Education Program. Each YEP! session has been filled with teaching Hebrew to our youngest of students all the way to those preparing for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah (we have five b'nai mitzvot scheduled for 2018/19 already); learning about the High Holy Days, Shabbat and Havdalah; discovering how a Torah is made; and exploring Jewish values, Torah stories, and gemilut chasadim/acts of lovingkindness .  
 
Our oldest students learned about Jews in America and about the "First Wave" of immigrants that came mainly from Germany between 1830 and 1860. Our sanctuary is filled on Sundays with beautiful voices during all-school music. We really hope you will be at the Chanukah/Kabbalat Shabbat this coming Friday night so you, too, can hear these beautiful voices and see how hard our students have worked.
 
We extend a special thank you to YEP! dads Marshall Price and Craig   Scheinerman, for volunteering their time and skills to hang up our whiteboards in the classrooms; and to YEP! parents Becky and Jeff Kirchler, for organizing volunteers for parking lot duty and set-up/tear-down duty during YEP! sessions. 
"GELT WITHOUT GUILT" and MORE CHANUKAH NEWS
Here's a special chocolate-flavored message  
from Rabbi Bonnie:  
 
We are proud and excited to share with you that we are spending more money this year on our Chanukah chocolate gelt, and we encourage you not to save money, either!
 
Kehillah gelt this year will be certified 'Fair Trade.' You heard me talk about this at Passover, and it's so important that I want to share it again. After all, who doesn't love chocolate (even if it doesn't love us back)? When you come to realize how that chocolate got to your store and into your home, you'll find it less tasty. 

Why do we need Guilt-Free Gelt as we celebrate the Festival of Lights? Child and forced labor have been well documented in the cocoa industry. But purchasing fair-trade products ensures that the supply chain is free of forced labor and that farmers were paid a sustainable price for their cocoa. I'll talk about this more on Chanukah.
 
In the meantime, here's a link to help you:    Order Guilt-Free Gelt from Divine Chocolate, which is certified Fair Trade and carries an OU heksher. 

Kavannah Before Eating

Shared by Dasi Fruchter, Director of Tav/Food Justice Community Engagement, Uri L'Tzedek
 
God, the One who does justice in the world and promotes a world of justice, may it be known that I am consuming something that was produced through just means, as I strive to obey the Torah law of "do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord" (Deut. 6:18).   
 
In the same way that this food item was prepared according to the upright tenets of Jewish law and tradition and in just and ethical working conditions, may the rest of the world eventually prevail with justice as it is written, "To repair the world under the sovereignty of the Lord".
 
I appreciate and acknowledge those workers who have labored to bring this food to my table. May it be known that I commend those who have made conscious efforts to produce or buy this food in an upright way.
 
May they be blessed with the ability to do many more upright deeds and be partners with the Creator in making the world a more just place, as it is written, "The wicked man earns illusory wages, but he who sows righteousness has a true reward". (Proverbs 11:18)
   
May your Chanukah be full of light, and may your actions help bring light to others!
Love,
Rabbi

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ONLY 25 SONORA MENORAHS LEFT!  
Contact Paulette Fraenkel at [email protected] to purchase yours.

 
Chanukah is coming to Carefree! 
A 6 ft. Chanukah menorah will be lit at 5:30 p.m. each night of Chanukah. If you're interested in attending or leading the lighting ceremony and reciting the blessings (except for the Sunday night of Chanukah), please let Renee know and she will give you more details.
HELPING HEARTS and HANDS
Our Caring Committee's new name is Helping Hearts and Hands. Co-chaired by Judith Clancy, Ilene Riffle, and Davie Glaser, Helping Hearts and Hands is available to help with the needs within our community. Several people have already volunteered to help, and we welcome any additional volunteers. Initially, we will be addressing these needs:
 
o   Developing a Virtual Medical Equipment list  
     to be made available for loan
o   Visitations/Calls at home, hospital or rehab 
o   Providing meals 
 
If you have any durable medical equipment (wheelchairs, canes, walkers, crutches, etc.) at your home that is not being used and would let someone in need borrow them, please contact Ilene Riffle ([email protected] or 480-338-9790). We are compiling a list of equipment that members can borrow. The equipment will not be housed at the synagogue but rather stay in your home until a need arises. When a need arises, the person in need will be matched with a person who has the equipment to borrow. We can help facilitate the transfer of equipment as well.
 
If you wish to volunteer to be contacted to make a meal or to provide visits/calls to those in need, please contact either Ilene Riffle concerning meal preparation or Judith Clancy (602-524-2750) concerning visitations/calls.  
 
Thank you!
Ilene Riffle
Judith Clancy
Davie Glaser

OUR KEHILLAH FAMILY

Kehillah's "Helping Hearts and Hands" volunteers are ready to assist you with life's complexities. Contact Renee at [email protected] or 
602-369-7667.  

HIPAA PRIVACY RULE: Hospitals won't notify us about your stay, nor will Jewish chaplains visit or share your information with us unless you specifically give permission and request that they do so. Rabbi Sharfman and Congregation Kehillah want to support Kehillah members - so many emotions and issues arise during illnesses requiring hospitalization. Please call the office and give us your name, hospital name/room number and any health details you can share to enable us to be responsive to you and your needs.

We send prayers of healing to . . .
Davie Glaser
Meir ben Chanah 
Ethan Miller
Joe Ettinger
Gail Harkavy (Tova bat Shoshana)
Kimberlie Rich
Jeff and Denise Noll
Gary MacMilla
Marsha Joffe
Shmuel Ben Chaim
Mary Beth Pratt (Miriam Elisheva)
Mark Engelsman
HaRav Shlomo ben Rut   
Kitty Nagy  
Bonnie Karfeld 
David Stern
Howard Glick
Gittel bat Deborah

Tom Bartkus   
Sandy Myslis
Colleen Carney
Shoshanna bat Phyllis
Gedalya Nachum bar Bayla Rivka
Olivia Adair Steele
Stisha Steigmann
Rose Sobel,
    mother of Bruce Sobel
Judy Sahid, 
    sister of Cathy Michel
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I am available to all Kehillah members in times of joy and sadness. Please let me know when I can extend support and comfort to you and your family.

                                                                                                   ~ Rabbi Sharfman
THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS
General Fund
Anonymous, for our building
 
Trees Have been Planted in Israel
by Marsha Joffe and Renee Joffe, in honor of Robin and Scott Rudin's first grandchild 
by Marsha Joffe, Renee Joffe, and Tom Hrlevich, in honor of Francine Ebersman's birthday  
Your donations in any amount are genuinely appreciated. 
You can help support Congregation Kehillah and express your core values by making donations to Kehillah's various Funds - to celebrate, honor, remember, give thanks, to assist . . . or simply to do tzedakah.
General Fund 
Caring Fund 
Torah Fund 
Social Action Fund
Gottlieb Music Fund 
Education Fund 
Oneg & Hospitality Fund 
Rabbi's Discretionary Fund 
Adopt a Prayer Book  
Memorial Plaques 

You can also plant trees in Israel directly through Kehillah, and Jewish National shiny-tree-button.jpg Fund will send a certificate out on your behalf. Each tree is $18 and a portion of your donation stays with Kehillah. Contact Renee for more information or to place your tree order.

Supporting Kehillah and expressing your Core Values is easy! You can donate on our website in any amount or send a check. Congregation Kehlllah is a 501(c)(3) organization; your donations are tax-exempt to the fullest extent allowable by law. Please consult with your tax adviser.
Oneg celebrations

Sponsoring an Oneg is a great way to celebrate your lifecycle events and other wonderful news. To reserve your oneg, please contact Renee at 602-369-7667 or [email protected]
OF INTEREST ELSEWHERE
We Remember: A Home For The Holocaust Art of Robert Sutz
The Arizona Jewish Historical Society has launched a capital campaign to establish a permanent gallery for the artwork of Robert Sutz, whose award-winning work includes life masks, portraits, and recorded testimonies of Holocaust survivors, liberators, and righteous gentiles. (A portrait of Kehillah founding member Irma Gottlieb is among Sutz's work.) For information about the project or to make a donation or pledge, click here or contact AJHS at 602-241-7870.

Kabbalat Shabbat   <>    Torah Talk   <>    YEP!

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KABBALAT SHABBAT

Kabbalat Shabbat begins on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
      
December 15 - THIS WEEK - Nosh (5:30 p.m.) followed by Chanukah Kabbalat Shabbat at 6:00 p.m. 
January 12 - Pre-Oneg  
(5:30 p.m.) followed by Kabbalat Shabbat at 6:00 p.m.  
January 26
February 9 & 23
March 9 & 23
April 13 & 27
May 18  
June 8
 
TORAH TALK
 

Torah Talks are held Saturday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon at congregants' homes. Please RSVP to Ellen Lerman at [email protected] by the Thursday before each Torah Talk so hosts can prepare. 

December 16
- THIS WEEK
January 20
February 17
March 17
April 17
May 20 (Sunday) -
Congregational Shavuot 
YEP!  
  Youth Education Program 

YEP! sessions are held on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon unless otherwise noted. Schedule listed below is subject to change. 
    
 
December 15 - THIS WEEK - YEP! participates in Chanukah Kabbalat Shabbat
January 7 & 21
February 11 & 25
February 28 (Wednesday) - Picnic and Purim, 6:00 p.m.
March 4 & 25
April 8 & 22
May 6
May 20 - Shavuot for YEP! and Congregation 
   
IN EVERY ISSUE

QUICK-LOOK CALENDAR
 
For details, please see the corresponding items on the left.        

Tuesday, Dec. 12
First night of Chanukah

Friday, Dec. 15
Chanukah Kabbalat Shabbat - 4th night

Saturday, Dec. 16
Torah Talk

Sunday, Dec. 17
Movie Time

Monday, Dec. 18
Girls' Night Out

Tuesday, Dec. 19
Last night of Chanukah

Sunday, Jan. 7
YEP!

Sunday, Jan. 28
Book Group

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Do you have information for Connections?

Please send your news or photos to Renee in the Kehillah office before
Shabbat for the following Monday's issue. 

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Need a hand?
The Kehillah Brotherhood
is here to help you. 


Need a ride to services or to an event? Have an odd job that might need an extra hand or two? Give the Brotherhood a shout! Email Rich Fox at [email protected]

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Information for Seniors

The Senior Concierge Project (through Jewish Family and Childrens Service) can provide information and help with socialization, education, transportation, home care, living facilities, legal assistance and more for those over age 60. Contact Janet Arnold, Senior Concierge, at 480-599-7198 or [email protected].


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Congregation Kehillah Leadership 

Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman
Rich Goldman, President
Renee Joffe, Administrator

Board of Directors:
Rich Fox,
  Member at Large and
  Brotherhood President
David Goldfarb,
  Member at Large and
  New Building Chair
Leslie Goldman,
  Programming Chair and
  Girls' Night Out Co-Chair
Arlene Maletta,
  Hospitality Co-Chair
Ilene Malka,
  Education Chair
Jane Neely,
  Hospitality Co-Chair
Paul Stein,
   Member at Large

Additional Support:  
Paulette Fraenkel,
  Social Action
Stephanie Kirklin,
  OLC Director 
Paul Lavin,
  Finance Manager
Vicki Mardell,
   Membership Co-Chair
Elaine Schiff,
   Membership Co-Chair
Judith Clancy, Davie Glaser,
Ilene Riffle,
    Helping Hearts and
    Hands Co-Chairs
Ellen Lerman,
  Torah Talk and Special  
  Projects
Marilyn Morris,
   Movie Time
Sherry Siegel,
   Newsletters and Book
   Group

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We love hearing from you!

If we don't respond to your email within 24 hours, it means that we did not receive your message.
Please call us at 602-369-7667.
 
Please note that our staff takes a technology break for Shabbat and Yom T ov...except for emergencies.If your email is of an urgent matter, please call the Congregation Kehillah phone. O therwise, we ask that you please call or message us after the Shabbath or holiday ends.







































































































































Congregation Kehillah   |   602-369-7667 
5858 E. Dynamite Blvd.
Cave Creek, AZ 85331
MAILING ADDRESS: 21001 N. Tatum Blvd., Ste. 1630 #439, Phoenix, AZ 85050