Well January has gone by in the blink of an eye, and here we are in February. We would like to thank our Programming Vice Presidents, Efrat Yakobi and Karen Jaye for bringing such great programming to us this year. In January, Rhonda Mayer was wonderful with her program on Growing Old Gracefully, and we are eagerly looking forward to the next events.

Our February event will be held on the 20th and is a bit of a departure for Sisterhood. Are you a fan of CSI, Criminal Minds or NCIS? Well, we are going to have our very own forensic psychologist, Jasmine Tehrani speak to us about what it’s really like in her field. She works with the Board of Parole Hearings, Forensic Assessment Division, and will be sharing with us some real-life stories about challenges she faces in the world of forensic psychology. It should be a fascinating evening. The event is February 20, 2020 at 7pm in the Social Hall. Free to Sisterhood Members and Friends. $5 for Guests. Click here to view the flyer.

Then get ready for March!

Violins of Hope will be coming to TAS on March 19. 2020. Cost is $20 for Sisterhood Members and Friends; $25 for guests. Please click here to purchase tickets online, or drop off your check at the Temple office. Sponsorships are available.

Don’t forget Bingotini. An evening with friends, bingo and a little libation always makes for a great time. March 28, 2020, 7:30pm in the Social Hall. Cost is $30 per person if paid by March 22, 2020 - $36 at the door. You can purchase Bingotini tickets online at tassisterhood.org or again, drop off a check at the Temple office. For more information click here or contact Carol Bizar Morton at carolthebizar@yahoo.com.

Then we roll straight into April with our Annual Women’s Seder on April 2, 2020 at 6pm. The theme this year is Celebrating Passover through the Evolution of Cookbooks. Cost is $40 for Sisterhood Members and Friends, $48 for Guests. This event sells out so be sure to get your reservation in quickly. You can mail your check to Laurie Sher at 18432 Kingsbury Street, Northridge, CA 91326. Please click here to see the flyer or go to the Sisterhood website at tassisterhood.org for additional information.

Other dates to highlight on your calendar:
Thursday February 13, 2020 The Kesher committee is hosting its monthly Lunch and Learn event. The topic is “Voting: How, When, Where and What” facilitated by our own Fran Lapides. For more information click here.

Friday February 14, 2020 Andy and Barry Mann are sponsoring the Oneg Shabbat in celebration of their 40th wedding anniversary.  Let’s help Andy and Barry celebrate by attending services on February 14.

• Who hosts a free pancake breakfast for students and parents on the first day of religious school each year?
• Who purchased a power washer for the school's playground equipment?
• Who helps fund the Avodah and campership programs?
• Who helps families send their confirmation students on the Washington DC L'Taken trip?
• Who purchased new microphones to help improve the sound system on the bema?
• Who is always the first to help TAS with money and manpower when unexpected expenditures occur?
• Who hosts, cooks and serves the TAS Summer Shabbabaques?
• Who (at risk to life and limb) constructs the TAS Sukkah each year?

If you answered "The Men of TAS" to these questions, you would be correct!
Yes, MoTAS contributes much to TAS and is a great supporter of our Sisterhood, its programs and events.

Let's show our support of MoTAS by attending the MoTAS Shabbat, Friday 7:30 pm, January 10, 2020!

We have a lot of exciting things happening this year.

Upcoming Events
Our first event is an evening on How to Age Gracefully, on January 16, 2020 at 7pm in the Social Hall.  The evening will be led by Rhonda Mayer. Rhonda’s company, Community Training Connection helps families and individuals deal with issues of aging, and she will be speaking to us about what to expect as we get older, and how to make the best of it. Admission is free to Sisterhood Members and Friends, and $5 for Guests.

We have a surprise at the January event from our Seder Committee. Since we are always speculating about the theme of the Sisterhood Seder, the Committee has decided on a little game. There will be a 50/50 drawing at the January event and whoever guesses the theme of the Seder will win half the pot of money collected. The other half will go to help with the cost of the Seder. So come early and submit your entry. You never know how much you could win!

Don’t forget to save the date of March 19 for the fabulous Violins of Hope. More information will be provided soon, along with how to purchase tickets for this wonderful one-of-a-kind event. If you have questions, please contact Diane Levine at levinedp@gmail.com.
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Volunteers Needed
Our Administrative VPs, Judy Stehr and Karen Pelmont are about to begin planning for our Sisterhood Shabbat, which is scheduled for May 8. They are forming a committee to help organize and execute the event, and volunteers are needed. There will be no more than three meetings, starting in March. So, if you’re new to Sisterhood or simply want to be more involved, this is a great way to help make a difference. Please contact Judy at jesterjudy@gmail.com or Karen at pelmontes1@aol.com for any questions or to volunteer to help out.

Spotlight on Sisterhood
It’s been awhile since we highlighted any of our wonderful members, and we wanted to start the new year out by honoring the wonderful Phyllis Bigelson.

Phyllis and her husband Bill have been TAS members since approximately 2004, and she has been a Sisterhood member all that time. She loves volunteering her time and participating in Torah study. Phyllis currently serves as our co-Vice –President of Ways and Means and has been busy coming up with fundraisers to help increase our revenues. She has held numerous positions in other sisterhoods, and has also served on the Board of the Women of Reform Judaism – Pacific District as Treasurer, Area Director, Vice-President and President. She has been a huge presence at WRJ-PD which has only made TAS Sisterhood even more well-known.

Phyllis works as the office manager and bookkeeper at her husband’s CPA firm. She has been married to Bill for 49 years, and they have two daughters and four grandchildren ranging in age from 10-18. Her grandchildren are in San Diego and Sacramento, so she and Bill spend a lot of time traveling to both ends of the State. She has been writing her life story to include in a family history, and stresses that her family is her number one priority.

We are just very glad that she is a part of our TAS Sisterhood family!

SAVE THE DATE – MARCH 19, 2020
We are so thrilled and honored to be the only Temple in the San Fernando Valley to host the Violins of Hope, thanks to Sisterhood’s own Efrat Yakobi and her wonderful committee. Our regular March meeting is being superseded by a concert and dessert reception featuring Violins of Hope that will be performing in the sanctuary.
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For those who do not know, Violins of Hope are 60 violins that were played in the concentration camps during WWII while our people were enslaved. Sometimes, that music was the only bright spot in the daily lives of those captured. The violins have been restored and are touring various venues to share their beautiful music and their history with the world. Our event will be a story of how music is incorporated into Jewish life. Tickets will be on sale after the first of the year.

HANUKKAH PARTY – Thursday, 12/12/19
Don’t forget our annual Hanukkah Party on Thursday. If interested, please bring a new, wrapped gift of not more than $15-$20 for our gift exchange. We are also collecting food for SOVA. The food of the month is tuna. So, be at the Social Hall at 7pm this Thursday, for a fun-filled evening of latkes, sufganyot, and surprises! Please confirm with Robyn Blachman if you are bringing latkes (blachmanj@yahoo.com).

TUPPERWARE PARTY – Thursday, 12/19/19
While this is not specifically a Sisterhood event, it is a fundraiser. Mel Birken and Arlene Stone are hosting at Mel’s house at 7pm. There is a $5 admission which will be returned to you on the purchase of any Tupperware.  This is a unique and very fun Tupperware party, not like any you’ve been to before.

December is here and we're looking forward to two Sisterhood events this month:

• first is the Sisterhood gift exchange and Chanukah party on Thursday, December 12 at 7pm in the Social Hall. Those wanting to participate in the gift exchange please bring a wrapped gift (new) of $15 value (max of $20). If you're willing and able to bring some of your home-made latkes to the party, please coordinate with Robyn Blachman at blachmanj@yahoo.com And while you're thinking about presents and latkes, please take a minute to pick up an item of food for SOVA and bring it to the Chanukah event. SOVA's food of the month for December is canned tuna.
• then on Thursday, December 19 at 7pm there is a Tupperware Party fundraiser sponsored by Mel Birken and Arlene Stone. Mel is hosting the party at her house. Mel and Arlene have booked the amazing Kay Sedia, who makes this a hugely entertaining event. Cost is $5.00 per person, which will be credited toward any Tupperware purchase you make. This is a fundraiser for Sisterhood and should be amazing!

Interfaith Panel on Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 7 pm in the Social Hall. We will have speakers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon), Hindu and Sikh faiths present to share their experiences and the challenges of practicing their beliefs in our society. The evening will be hosted by our own Rabbi Kalfus, and should prove to be very enlightening.
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Holiday Boutique is happening on November 24, 2019. Doors open for shoppers at 10 a.m. The vendors on hand have something for everyone … there will be jewelry, bedding, clothing, food products, accessories, children’s items, Judaica and tons more. Don’t forget our Bake Sale, and the Judaica Shop will be open with special items on hand. Stock up for Chanukah and special occasions for the coming year and you won’t be sorry.

Our annual Paid-Up Brunch is this Sunday, November 10, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in the Social Hall. This event is always lots of fun and is a way for Sisterhood to say thank-you to our loyal Members and Friends for your support and commitment. IF YOU HAVEN’T REJOINED SISTERHOOD YET, NOW IS THE TIME! YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT AND THE ONLY WAY TO GET IN IS TO BE A PAID-UP MEMBER OR FRIEND (hence the name of the event – lol). . Please be sure to RSVP to Joann Averill at DRJSAVERILL@YAHOO.COM or Tammy Singer at tsinger630@gmail.com  Reservation deadline is November 5, 2019. 

And, as November sneaks up on us, don’t forget our Interfaith Panel on Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 7 pm in the Social Hall. We will have speakers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon), Hindu and Sikh faiths present to share their experiences and the challenges of practicing their beliefs in our society. The evening will be hosted by our own Rabbi Kalfus, and should prove to be very enlightening.

And then, for a little shopping therapy. Our annual Holiday Boutique is happening on November 24, 2019. Doors open for shoppers at 10 a.m. The vendors on hand have something for everyone … there will be jewelry, bedding, clothing, food products, accessories, children’s items, Judaica and tons more. Don’t forget our Bake Sale, and the Judaica Shop will be open with special items on hand. Stock up for Chanukah and special occasions for the coming year and you won’t be sorry.

PLEASE NOTE: Volunteers are needed at the Holiday Boutique for the Bake Sale and Cashiering. If you wish to volunteer please sign up on Sign-Up Genius through the following link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0545a5ac23abfe3-holiday
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Wasn’t Sukkot wonderful? Many thanks to Jo and Jim Schwartz for opening their home to us again this year for our annual Sukkot event. Additional thanks to Efrat Yakobi and Karen Jaye for planning such a fun time, and to Roseanna Sculler for providing the lulav and etrog.

November is fast approaching and we have several fun and inspiring events in store for Sisterhood. First up is our Paid-Up Brunch. This is our annual event where we acknowledge all our Members and Friends who help make our Sisterhood what it is. The date is November 10, 2019 at 10 a.m. in the Social Hall. Your membership is your entry to this event. Click here to view the flyer.
 
Our regular November meeting is on the 21st at 7pm in the Social Hall. The topic is Interfaith Conversations. We will have speakers from three different faiths who will share the philosophies of their faiths and how they are similar and different from our own. The evening will be hosted by our own Rabbi Kalfus. Click here to view the flyer.

And our last event of November is probably the biggest of all! The Holiday Boutique is back on November 24, 2019.  Shopping doors open at 10 a.m. – bring your friends, family and your disposable income. Click here to view the Holiday Boutique flyer.

Spotlight on Sisterhood
This month let’s get to know Cheryl Hatkoff. Cheryl recently took over the job of Extended Kiddush Chair following the untimely passing of Sharon Janis. We are incredibly grateful for her willingness to step up. But that is what our Sisterhood members do. We step up where needed, and Cheryl is a great example of that commitment and dedication. She initially joined Sisterhood to make friends and support TAS functions, and she has certainly done that.

Cheryl is no stranger to involvement. Not only are she and her husband Brian very involved in Temple matters, Cheryl has previously served on the Sisterhood Board in chairing the Mother/Daughter Tea, and has been involved in Camperships and VP of Education.

The Hatkoffs have been members of TAS for 33 years and have been incredibly active members of TAS as a whole, Sisterhood and MoTAS. They have three children: Daniel, age 35 who lives in Brazil; Esther, age 32 who works in post-production; and Lewis who is 30, a videographer, and the only married one of the bunch.

When she is not travelling with her husband, or hanging out at TAS, Cheryl enjoys mah jongg, water aerobics, dancing of all kinds including competitions, and musical theater.

We are extremely grateful to have Cheryl as in integral part of our Sisterhood community!