News

Need books, movies, electronics, or just about anything else?
Shop and help raise money for the Temple with just one click! It's easy, quick and completely private. Browse to the Fundraising Page and start your shopping there. The Temple earns up to 8% of every purchase, at no cost to you! You must place your order through the link for Temple Beth El to get the credit. Please help us raise funds for our Temple. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

Raise money for Temple Beth El while you shop!

Heading to Weis or Giant to go grocery shopping?
Purchase Weis or Giant Gift cards from us before you go.
Temple Beth El Sisterhood makes $5 on every $100 Weis or Giant gift card that we sell.
This can really add up if we all participate.
Use it the same way that you would when paying cash.
The only difference is that we will make a profit on every gift card we sell.
Plenty of other retailers to choose from too!
Macy’s, Target, Amazon.com, iTunes are just some of the many cards that we have on hand.
See flyer in bulleting for listing of gift cards.
We make money on every card we sell!

Jill Steigerwald
610-336-7482
steiger1@msn.com

The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley offers scholarships for Jewish residential summer camping and Jewish teen experiences. Teen Experience Incentive Grants/Scholarships are not needs-based and are available to teens who choose to participate in a variety of Jewish experiences, ranging from a trip to Israel to a youth group summer leadership program. The maximum grant is $500 and is impacted by the number of applicants and the respective costs of the program/experience. The JFLV is pleased to renew funding for the Jewish Summer Residential Camp Scholarship. This is a needs-based scholarship for Jewish children and youth who desire to attend a Jewish summer residential camp. Eligible camps are those run by recognized non-profit Jewish organizations. We will coordinate our financial assistance with that of the applicant’s synagogue (if appropriate) and the camp. First time campers may also be eligible for the One Happy Camper incentive of $1000. The camp will have information on that program. There are separate applications for these two scholarship applications. Both applications are available online at: http://www.jflv.org/page.aspx?id=191289.

The application deadline for both scholarships is March 16, 2012.

Save The Date: January 27-28, 2012 (Friday after school until Saturday night)
Eastern Pennsylvania (EPA) Kadima Kallah!!!
A Regional Event Just for Kadima (grades 5-7)
Be the hosts to Kadimaniks from all over the region!
Have an amazing time at Beth El in Allentown!

• Sleepover at the synagogue on Friday Night!
• Great food and snacks
• Phenomenal Programming during the day Saturday
• Fantastic and Fun event Saturday night
• Keep an eye on your mail and email for details, applications and costs!

YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS!!!!
Contact Barbara Sharofsky (regional director) for more information!
267-763-8725    sharofsky@uscj.org

The Officers and Board of Directors of Temple Beth El & The Officers and Board of Directors of the Endowment Foundation cordially invite you to Shabbat morning services on Saturday, April 7, 2012 Nine o’clock in the morning to honor Julian Rappaport and show our appreciation for his fifty years of service to Temple Beth El.

Mah Jongg News

In our 10th year…
Our Mah Jongg Club dates are all Monday evenings at the Temple.
We will begin to play promptly at 6:45 pm.
Please be there by 6:30 pm to register. We play for about 3 hours.

Please mark these club playing dates on your 2012 calendars:

March 12
May 14

$10 per player donation to Sisterhood

NEW FACES ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO PLAY!

Don’t miss out on another year of sisterhood, laughter, and a great bunch of fun!

Looking forward to playing Mah Jongg with YOU !!!

Call with questions and your RSVP to Ilene Rubel
Phone 610-776-1577 or email Ilene either at her office address or irubel@aol.com

USY position: Approximately 10 hours per month plus convention attendance (optional)

Kadima position: Approximately 5 hours per month.

These could be paid positions. Nachas from helping the kids - priceless.
Pass this on to anyone in the Jewish community who you think may fit the bill. Current member’s parents have been the most successful in these positions. These are wonderfully fulfilling positions. I will be a great resource and will help mentor you to become a successful advisor. Recent college graduates who are entering the workforce and are still in town should also apply. It is a great way to give back for the youth movements that shaped their lives.

Contact: Jay Needle 610-434-8749 fourskierz@aol.com with questions or interest. Full job descriptions available on request.

The kids need YOU!

On Jan 27 & 28th, TBE was host to the EPA Regional Kadima Kallah. Twenty seven kids, grades 5-7 from TBE, Bethlehem, Easton, West Chester, Phoenixville, Harrisburg and Lansdale spent Shabbat at our shul participating in services, singing, ruach (spirit), games, snacking and having a wonderful time while enjoying a totally Jewish experience. They slept at the shul, well some of them actually slept, and ate all their meals there. For the Friday night dinner and Saturday lunch, they dined with the Congregation. Thank you to Sisterhood who prepared and sponored the Saturday night dinner, and thank you to Bobbi Needle, Lynn Wiener and Phyliss Milburn for reheating and serving dinner. The kids participated in our Shira Hadasha service, lead by the Cantor & Rabbi and thoroughly enjoyed it. Most of the activities were run by the EPA USY Regional Board with assistance from Molly Haas, our USY Chapter President. Thank you to the synagogue, our Clergy and the staff for being such wonderful hosts.

As you see elsewhere in this bulletin, our USY & Kadima chapters are looking for adult advisors. In the meantime, I am working on arranging a Kadima activity for March. If anyone wants to volunteer to help, please give me a call.

Six of our USYers attended the EPA USY Regional Winter Convention which was held in Wynnewood PA. The Philadelphia & South Jersey USY Regions were included this year due to a special appearance by the singing group PIZMON, who performed at TBE a few years ago. The singers worked with the kids during the convention and performed a show for the public Saturday Night.

Purim will be a busy time for our local USY chapter. Besides the usual Kidnapping Purim eve event, the teens will be judging the young kids at the TBE Carnival as well as having a booth at the JCC Purim Carnival. Watch TBE Listserve and Shabbat bulletins for future activities. If your kids are not signed up for our youth groups, please join us as soon as possible and join the fun.

Thank You

B'Shalom
Jay Needle
fourskierz@aol.com

Features

IT’S A SIMCHA MAZEL TOV

Pearl Brooks on the birth of her great-grandson, Asher Mason, born to Lindsay & Drew Schulte.
Jerry Farris on the publication of her story “In Command” will be published late Spring 2012 in the Hadassah’s special edition book: Thin Threads: Real Stories of Hadassah Life Changing Moments.
Donna Black on her “special” birthday.
Irwin Greenberg on his “special” birthday.
Arlene & Al Herling on the Bat Mitzvah of their granddaughter, Lauren Wasserman, daughter of Jan & Mark Wasserman.
Rebecca Levy Stahl, daughter of Linda & Herb Levy, on receiving the National Unsung Hero Award from Communities in School.
Rusty & Nate Schiff on the B’nai Mitzvah of their grandchildren, David and Addy Stearns, children of Tammy Schiff & John Stearns.
Marsha & Al Abrams on the birth of their grandson, Matthew Kessler.

The mosaic Tree of Life has found a beautiful new home in the hallway adjacent to the Social Hall. Leaves on the Tree commemorate happy occasions in the lives of our congregants and memorialize loved ones. The rates for leaves on the tree are $600 for those leaves in the center on the trunk of the tree, and $500 for those on the branches.

A limited number of pew seats are still available. If you made a pledge of $10,000 or more ($5000 for single members) to the capital campaign, you may become a pew seat holder by committing to an additional $125 per seat per year over annual dues. Please contact the synagogue office for more details.

Keruv means “Bringing Closer.” Another word from the same Hebrew root (krv) is kerovim, family.

The Temple Beth El Keruv Committee was formed in the fall of 2005 with Henry Luftman as Chair in order to better address the needs of our interfaith families.  Click here for more detailed information about this very important Temple effort.

The Keruv Committee warmly welcomes new members, programming suggestions and feedback on its efforts. We invite you to contact Henry or Pat Luftman (610-966-0167) or luftman@ptd.net to become involved in this program.

Please Let us Know! 

We Need Your Help

The synagogue is not always notified when congregants are admitted to the hospital. HIPAA laws prevent hospitals from releasing the names of patients.  If you know of a friend or relative in the hospital, please E-mail or phone the Temple so that the Rabbi and Cantor will know.

Another way of notifying the Rabbi or Cantor is to give the hospital our code which is 017. A member of the Temple staff phones the local hospitals every day to check if any of our members are in.

Our Rabbi and Cantor also make many visits to members who are in hospitals, rehabilitation centers or nursing homes.  Please notify the temple office when you or someone you love is in one of these facilities (or is ill and homebound.)

When admitted through Emergency Room, please have your family member or friend notify the Temple Beth El office.

If you have lost a relative, please notify the Temple office so you will receive Yahrzeit notification.

You are cordially invited to help us "Burn the Mortgage."  Join fellow members who share your passion for Temple Beth El as we work hand in hand to ensure the future of Conservative Judaism and our synagogue for many years to come.

We welcome the opportunity to speak with any interested congregant. A new pledge may be added to your previously paid pledge and/or commitment to equal a larger gift, perhaps one that will enable you to dedicate a plaque on our beautiful glass donor wall in the temple lobby. Please contact Amy at mahol@aol.com or Rance at ranceb1@gmail.com to discuss your participation.

Temple Beth El's E. G. Scoblionko Religious School is currently searching for an ideal candidate to fill the position of Religious School Director. This part-time position will become available starting on May 1st, 2012. Interested applicants are requested to forward their resume and cover letter to Peter Fisher, School Vice President and Search Committee Chair, c/o Michelle Rohrbach, Synagogue Administrator. Please mark your envelope "Personal & Confidential" and all applications will be handled in the strictest confidence.

The weekend of April 27, 2012
Temple Beth El Scholar in Residence
                   Dr. Eitan Fishbane.
Come join us for a fun weekend, and discover what you may have always wanted to know about Jewish mysticism.

For more information click here.

Wine Sale Pick-up:  Sunday, March 25
Donor Dinner: Wednesday, May 23

More info can be found on the Sisterhood main page!

We are in the process of planning our calendar for this year.  We are looking for ideas for brunch topics and events.  If there is something you would like to see, just email me at . 

Visit the Men's Club Page for more information.

If you haven't already, make sure to return the Membership form that you received in the mail.  If you've misplaced it, you can download it here.

Come and feel the spirit of Shira Chadasha (music Shabbat), on Friday, March 30, 7:30 p.m. Sing along with the beautiful music (and the Rabbi's guitar) and give Shabbat a real welcome.

March 2 – Shabbat Across America
March 30 – Cultural Weekend
April 27 – Scholar In Residence Weekend
June 29 - Outdoor Service following dinner

Dinners: 6:00 pm Services: 7:30 pm

At 7:10 pm, all families with young children are invited to join the Rabbi and Cantor for Shabbat Songs, a story and cookies!

Hey kids! Shabbat is a special time for getting together to pray, sing, and be with your friends at Beth El! Did you know that our Temple has Shabbat services just for YOU?

Tell your parents that you want to come and Celebrate
Shabbat with your friends! We’ll see you there! More information can be found here.

We will hold a healing service on Thursday March 1, 1-2 PM, in the Temple Beth El Chapel. We will be creating a safe space to bring our pain and our questions and our yearning. This one-hour service will include music, silent meditation, traditional prayers and Torah study. For more information, please contact Rabbi Re’em or Cantor Wartell at (610-435-3521).

We always welcome contributions to the Kiddush Fund. Please contact Melanie May, Life Cycle Event Coordinator for more information at (610) 435-3521 or email Melanie.

Passover is coming!!!
Let us help you with your Passover needs!
Shop our gift shop for Passover seder plates,
Matzah holders and covers, hostess gifts
And most important
AFIKOMEN GIFTS!!!
Gift shop hours:
Sundays and Fridays 10-12
Tuesdays 4-6
Or by appointment.

See you at the shop!
Andy and Jill

We need 10 people each day to make the minyan. If you can commit to coming one day a week, more or less often, you will be performing an important mitzvah.

Minyan meets on weekdays and holidays at 7:45 a.m. and on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. Come daven with the Rabbi. He’ll be very happy to see you there.

The Chesed Committee has reinvigorated the synagogue's "sick & welfare" group.
The new name for the volunteer group is EZRA and it will be maintained under the umbrella of the Chesed Committee.

The group's focus is matching congregants in need of some assistance with others in our Temple family who are willing to lend a hand. For example, some of these needs include preparing and delivering meals, visiting a congregant who is stuck at home, helping to run errands with congregants and bringing a congregant in need of a ride to services.

If you might be interested in receiving these types of assistance or you are willing to be on the Ezra list of potential helpers please contact:
Stu Horowitz sphlcsw@yahoo.com or Ruth Nathanson rnathans@rcn.com

Read more about the Chesed Committee.

Sherri Bassner and Rich Morse, Co-Chairs
chesed@bethelallentown.org

Administration

Monday - Thursday:  9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
         Friday :            9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

The Temple office closes at 3:00 p.m. for Shabbat now that Daylight Standard Time is in effect.

We are organizing a "Provide-a-Ride" service to help congregants who wish to attend services on Friday evenings but cannot drive at night. Many of our older congregants who wish to observe a yahrzeit, or to just enjoy sharing Shabbat services with their Beth El family, can no longer drive at night. We are in the process of compiling a roster of congregants who attend Friday evening services, even if only occasionally, and would be willing to make it possible for a fellow congregant to attend with them. Please call the Temple office at 610-435-3521 to register as a driver if you can provide this valuable service.

Honor or memorialize our loved ones by endowing a tree for $1000 at Beth El Memorial Park.  A permanent marker will be erected by the tree chosen.

Contact Ivan Schonfeld at 610-395-8770.  Other items also available to endow.

As an egalitarian conservative synagogue, Temple Beth El warmly welcomes interfaith families.  Click here for more information about our current policies.