Nisan 5779/April 2019

Nevada County Jewish Community Center
Congregation B'nai Harim


Dedicated to the preservation, continuity, and enrichment of the
spiritual, communal, ethical, and cultural teachings of Judaism
Spring Newsletter - April & May 2019
It’s that time of Year...
You Won’t Want to Miss the Many Exciting Opportunities to
Be Together as Family, as Friends, as Community


  • Looking forward to seeing you at our Annual NCJCC Community
Pesach Seder 5 pm Saturday April 200

  • Jewish Learning Series with Rabbi David Saturday April 27 11:30
( watch in next Schmooze for more details )


Sunday May 5 at 1:00 pm
Annual NCJCC Membership Meeting
Election of Board Members for 2019 - 2022 Term of Office
( Watch your “US Postal Snail Mail for Announcement with Agenda
and Names of Members running for Open Seats and Ballots for Voting )


Major Agenda Items
Light Lunch to be Served

  • Celebrating our own Action Heroes
  • Rabbis Words of Wisdom
  • Accomplishments and Challenges
  • Financial Update
  • Landscaping in Action “Property Design and Development’
  • Kick Off Matching Fund Drive


  • Sisterhood Community Havdalah Service Saturday May 11 5-7 pm
( See Information Below for this very special Service you won’t want to Miss)

  • Annual Community Picnic Sunday May 19 11:30 am - 2 pm
Youth Fund Raising “Car Wash” and Men’s Club Bar b Que
( watch for Flyer with more Details )

  • Local Neighborhood Block Party Sponsored by Interfaith NC June 2
( watch for Flyer with more Details)



President's Message

‘Ways to interpret the Transformational Meanings of the Passover/ Exodus Story

Rabbi David Azen and Rabbi Alan Greenbaum officiated a beautiful, meaningful, musical Interfaith Passover Seder this past Tuesday evening.

As members of three local Catholic and Jewish Congregations (St Patrick’s,St Candice Churches & Nevada County Jewish Community Center / Congregation B’nai Harim ) the Rabbi’s led us in recounting and participating in the historical story of the Exodus.

The Passover Story is one that can be understood and related to irrespective of ones religious birth-rite, background and training...The Exodus Story is one that no matter your Spiritual belief, study and practice .... is one that brings a powerful meaning. Though it is a Story of those who have been stripped of their rightful heritage, as slaves under the cruelty of others....it is a story of suffering continuing to be experienced by others today.

From the depth of darkness facing overwhelming challenges the Hebrews struggled, fought for their lives ..finally coming into to the light ...Over time... the Jewish People whom we had become came to understand that this painful and Joyous way of being ...... that to grow from “strength to strength” required continuous transformational experiences that demanded action. Action we would come to know of today as Tikun Olam...

Tikun Olam ... The commitment we would be dedicated to throughout eternity. Having at one time been Hebrew slaves in Egypt who’s survival and Transformational Journey led to our becoming the Jewish People has led us to understand , the truth manifested in the humanity of “the Other...“. An understanding of struggles to survival that clearly us to take Actionto the responsibility to make Our World a better Place. ..


We enthusiastically Welcome Allison Kalt as our
New Administrative Assistant Allison Kalt

We are pleased to welcome Allison Kalt to our Team of service to our Community. Allison and her family have been actively involved with the NCJCC, Congregation B’nai Harim since their move to Grass Valley from the Bay Area seven plus years ago.

Allison began her tenure as our Administrative Assistant in late March working in the Office and from home using her savvy technical skills to assist with the creation and dissemination of the many forms of written and electronic communications with our members and greater business community. She has been learning and assisting with the many diverse tasks of managing the day to day tasks of a small business. She is very enthusiastic, creative and motivated in giving us 100+ percent of her talents and growing in her abilities in serving in this role . It has been a pleasure getting to know, teaching and serving as a mentor to Allison and look forward to “growing from strength to strength”.

Allison will be working part time beginning with 10 hours per week with more hours as she takes on more areas of responsibility. We have been introducing her in this new role to members of the Board, School, Sisterhood/ Men’s Club, Task Group’s etc. Please rake a moment to say hello and introduce yourself when you see her at an event.

Introducing Allison Kalt..
. “Administrative Assistant”
in her “Own Words”

“I've been a member of the congregation since I moved to the area in 2012. The NCJCC has become a second home. Since then I've regularly attended Sunday school, had my bat mitzvah, and participated in youth group activities. As an emerging adult whose beginning to explore my Jewish identity, I cherish engaging conversations and using my passion for photography to document events and touching moments here at the Center. I'm eager to be involved with events and incorporate my artistic eye into the visual communications of our organization.”
Men's Club
The Men's Club meets the second Sunday of each month at 9:30am. We feature interesting speakers and presenters from the community. The activities include monthly meetings with stimulating speakers, and events such as a scotch and BBQ, wine and beer tastings, golf, and Poker games to prepare for the next Poker Tournament. We will be co-hosting the Fifth Friday Film Shabbats in November, March, May, and August.

The Men's Club is open to the entire congregation and community, men and women alike. Speakers and events are scheduled on Sundays as well as in the evenings and we'll share the upcoming opportunities in the weekly and monthly announcements, as well as the website.

We appreciate your interest and support of our activities and look forward to seeing you. Our annual dues are only $20. When we meet on Sunday mornings, we serve lox and bagels, coffee, and orange juice for only $5.00 (such a good deal your mother would be proud).

Contact Gordon Mann at sharkmann@suddenlink.net for more information, to suggest an interesting speaker, or to schedule an event.
Sisterhood
The Sisterhood holds its meetings on the first Thursday of the month beginning at 12:30 pm at "Our Shul on the Hill" (NCJCC, Congregation B'nai Harim) 506 Walsh Street ,
Grass Valley.

Please join us. We provide fun, food, drinks, and friendship. Following our general meeting, we host a Speaker who never ceases to provide interesting information on a special topic: our speakers may be dedicated leaders and volunteers of local non profits organizations, or they may local writers, artists or historians sharing their expertise. We tap into the amazing diversity of expertise in our community.

We are pleased that Rabbi David will be our guest speaker following our regular meeting on April 4. He will be speaking on Liberation Theology in Judaism (aka social activism.) Please join us at 2 p.m. in the social hall.

Our Chinese New Year dinner in February was a great success, with over 30 people in attendance. This fundraising activity raised money that will go back into supporting activities at the NCJCC.

Sisterhood’s Book Discussion Group will meet on Monday, April 4th at the home of Carol Brown. We will be discussing the novel Eternal Life by Dara Horn. If you are interested in checking out our book discussion group please contact Arlene Waxman for more information ( arlene@arlenewaxman.com ). Our books generally have a Jewish related theme (sometimes not) and our discussions are always lively. The next meeting is on Monday May 6.

On April 27th, Sisterhood is joining with Friendship Club for a day of interaction with Friendship Club participants and their Mentors . For those who are unfamiliar with Friendship Club, it is a local non-profit that works with at-risk girls in our community. The day will include a luncheon, intro. to yoga, personal growth exercises and crafts. Sisterhood sponsored a similar activity two years ago and it was so successful, that Friendship Club asked for it to be repeated.

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE OF MAY 11th. Sisterhood will be hosting a Havdalah Service. (Include Poster) This will be a very special event that will be open to the community, sharing the special time of Havdalah.

For any questions...to be a guest at an upcoming meeting or event (checking us out to learn if it’s really true that we're as fun and wonderful as this message is telling you) and/or if you're Ready to Join Now .... Contact Membership Chair Ruth Goodin at  goodin.ruth@gmail.com.
Sisterhood Book Club
To those women who love to read, the Book Club provides a stimulating and interesting discussion each month. Our choices include both fiction and non-fiction books. We meet on the second Monday of the month at 1:30 p.m. Your only requirement is that you be a Sisterhood member.

T he April meeting of the Sisterhood Book Club will be held on Monday April 8th at 1:30 PM. The book for April is “Eternal Life” by Dara Horn.


Arlene Waxman, Book Club Chair.
Religious School News
Hello!

The month of March at the Hebrew and religious school has been busy. We were getting ready to celebrate Purim with a new Purim spiel that the students chose based on the super heroes movie "The Descendents". We were spending an appreciable amount of time rehearsing and practice dance moves. We all got to bake Hamentashen together and to send some to the families as one of the main Jewish Mitzvoth pf Purim is Mishloach Manot (gifts of food). We were also spent time celebrating our Mock kid's Seder and to learn the story of Passover.

In Hebrew class we are learning Hebrew from an Israeli children's book titled "The way it is in Hebrew" by Datya Ben Dor. We also were practicing the Torah portions of two up coming Bar and Bat Mitzvah students.

I hope you all enjoy the beautiful colors of spring and have a happy Passover!!!

Our Rabbi’s Kids supported by the Sisterhood and under the Supervision of Rabbi David and Dan Kalt, Youth Advisor will be traveling on a Field Trip Tom San Francisco on Sunday April 28th


Yours,
Kinneret Vinitzky                        
April Birthdays
Name

Shirley Barsky
Lisa Kirshbaum
Wendy Rosky
Jill Karas
Winni Loesch
Judith Kenedi
Stephn Lewis
Peyton Eckerling
Lee Nold-Lewis
Nadine Brown
Daniel Geffner
Eva Lamm-Ruben
Linda Baran
Jeremy Kirshbaum
Kaitlyn Woerner
Day

2
3
4
5
8
10
10
15
18
20
20
20
20
22
28
May Birthdays
Jakob Woerner
Judy Goldman
Ann R. Mitchell
David Karp

5
24
25
26
April Anniversaries
Jerry & Bea Pressler                           16
Michael & Ernestine Gaynor               29
May Anniversaries
Stephn & Lee Nold-Lewis                   24
Yahrzeits Honored in April
Yahrzeits Honored in May
Friday, May 11
 
Morris Gottlieb Stan Gottlieb
Hannah Allen NCJCC

Friday, May 18

Susan Kenedi remembered by Judi Kenedi
Jack Leeds remembered by Holly Leeds
 
Friday, April 19
 
Harold Kopp remembered by Una Kobrin
Sol Waxman remembered by Jerry Waxman

Friday, April 26
 
Esther Adicoff remembered by Arnold Adicoff
Gussie Kroot remembered by Bill and Ruth Kroot
Mishebeirach- Prayers for Healing
Harper Faith Browning
Iola Gold
Meghan Rose Havery
Lawrence Katz
Ruth Kroot
Judith Kenedi
Nancy Maxwell
Dan Geffner
Pat Bennett-Schwartz
Eva Florsheim
George Ruben
Manon Ruben
Jane Bass
Andrea Frankel
Joni Gold
Charles Morgan Havery
Elijah King
Bob Levine
Jim Anderson
Charlotte Moore
Deborah Ruppert
Nadine Brown
Marilyn Salomon
Abigail Weissman
Gloria Livingston
Beth Marchio
Sally Hines
Richard Klein
Keith Ott
Melissa Nixon-Lingk
Jeff Lulla
Leah Chava
Eveline Lamm
Marselle Schwartz
Anthony Russo
Laura McIntosh
Robin Parisse
Walter Gitlin
Donations

To the NCJCC Religious School

  • In Memory of Bill Kroot by: Harriett Kroot, Joyce and Bruce Bresler, Mel and Rita Kroot

We always welcome and appreciate donations to the many funds which are used to enhance
our community. If you would like to give, or just take a look at the list of funds, please CLICK HERE.
         
RABBI
David Azen

LAY CANTORS
SharonJoy Jahoda
Iola Gold

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: OFFICERS
President: Iola Gold
Vice President: Garrett M. Eckerling
Secretary: David Cohen
Treasurer: Ed Strongin

DIRECTORS
Eva Lamm-Ruben (past president)
Eli Okrent
Kinneret Vinitzky
Dan Kalt
Anita DuPratt. Sisterhood President
Gordon Man, Men's Club President
YOUTH GROUP
Advisor: Dan Kalt—GROOVY/NFTY
 
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
Principal: Kinneret Vinitzky
Rabbi David Azen
Cece Karp
Mya Russell
Lori McClintic
Dana Valensky

HEBREW TEACHERS
Kinneret Vinitzky
Dana Valensky
Mya Russell

ADMINISTRATION
Allison Kalt, Administrative Assistant
Mike Atlas, Bookkeeper
Danny Klopfer, Webmaster
Nevada County Jewish Community Center and Congregation B'nai Harim
506 Walsh Street Grass Valley, CA 95945
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 1426 Grass Valley, CA 95945
Telephone: (530) 477-0922
www.ncjcc.org