​Happy Holiday Season!

Here are just a few things going on with Sisterhood this month:

HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE – 11/1/2020 – 12/31/2020

I bet you thought with COVID we would not be able to hold our annual Holiday Boutique. Well, think again!

It is with a ton of excitement that I let you know about the first TAS Sisterhood Virtual Holiday Boutique, chaired once again by the wonderful Robyn Blachman and with the amazing tech wizardry of Jackie Zev. If you are looking for that perfect gift, or shopping for yourself, please log in to: tassisterhood.org/boutique and you will be logged into our amazing shopping mall. Please enter the code TASS when checking out, or simply let the vendor know that you are referred by TAS Sisterhood, and we will earn 20% from every sale. Some of your favorite vendors are represented, such as Jo Schwartz and The Chosen One, The Sheet Guy, Pampered Chef, Tupperware, The Judaica Shop, Ruby Ribbon, and much much more. The Boutique is open through the end of the year. So, happy shopping!

PAID-UP EVENT 11/19/2020, VIA ZOOM 7 P.M.

We do have to make some adjustments for our Paid-Up Event. While we cannot serve brunch, we can still get together and celebrate our new members, our continuing members, and all of our friends. Please see below for the Paid-Up Flyer. You will need to RSVP to Dori Hoffman as per the flyer, in order to get materials for our craft event … sounds exciting, right?

Your membership is your key to attending this event, so if you have not yet re-joined Sisterhood, please do so right away. You can find the link on the Sisterhood website at tassisterhood.org.

Please see the attached flyer for more details.

L.A. FAMILY HOUSING

Every year members of TAS, Social Action and Sisterhood donate time to L.A. Family Housing to hand out meals on Christmas or assist in their Christmas party. This year is a bit different. Social Action and our own Mel Birken are organizing a dessert drop off for the residents of L.A. Family Housing.

Please bake or buy cookies, brownies, or other individual sweets (even unwanted Halloween candy will work), put individual servings of the items in sealable sandwich bags and drop them off at Mel’s house the weekend before Thanksgiving, November 21-22. Mel and Les Birken will take them over to LAFH on the 24th. Any questions, please contact Mel at momel1@aol.com.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE:

"My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent." Ruth Bader-Ginsburg

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes

We have been asked by Ben Tenn from the Membership Committee of the Temple if we would participate in a survey being conducted by CSUN students to assist us with marketing. The e-mail from Ben is set forth below. Please take a few minutes and complete the survey so that we can help our community grow.

Unfortunately, the link to the survey would not transfer to this e-mail, so please check your Friday e-mail from TAS for the direct link.
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A group of students from the David Nazarian College of Business at CSUN has taken on TAS and the issue of membership for this semester as a class project.

They have created a survey and provided a link to it in Friday's email newsletter. Would you please ask families with religious school students, TASTY members and those in Sisterhood to please go to their Friday newsletter and click on the link and take this quick and easy survey? It will be a mitzvah for the students and potentially of great benefit to TAS.

Thank you. The more people or respond, the better for all.
Ben
On behalf of the Membership Committee

      How can we better your TAS community experience?

A team of marketing students from The David Nazarian College of Business and Economics at California State University, Northridge, are conducting a survey of everyone who receives this Temple Ahavat Shalom newsletter. We encourage you to take this survey and share your experience with TAS! 

It is hard to believe it’s October! But we have several fun and educational programs planned for the next couple of weeks.

SUKKOT – 10/08/2020 – 7pm
           First, is our annual Sukkot celebration, being held this Thursday, October 8, 2020 at 7pm via Zoom (see flyer below). Given COVID restrictions we are prevented from our usual celebration at the home of Jo and Jim Schwartz, and we will seriously miss their beautiful Sukkah and the lovely evening it always turns out to be. I have it on good authority, however, that this week’s event will be great. We will be joined by Rabbi Becky and Cantor Ken, for story and song. Refreshments will have to be provided individually. Be sure to check your email for the Zoom link to be provided later this week.

BALLOT MEASURES – 10/18/2020 – 2pm
           In conjunction with the TAS Social Action Committee we are pleased to have our own Fran Lapides, representing the League of Women Voters with us once again. Fran will be reviewing the ballot measures on November’s ballot to give us insight into the issues, the pros and cons and the impact of each of the ballot measures. Please feel free to share the link that will be provided with any of your friends or family who are interested.

WRJ-PD CONVENTION – 10/24 TO 10/25 – VIA ZOOM
           As a reminder, Women of Reform Judaism, Pacific District Convention is being held via Zoom from 10/24/20 – 10/25/2020. Registration is free, although they are requesting donations. Here is the link to the WRJ-PD website which provides registration information and an idea of the programs being offered. I encourage all of you to attend as much of the convention as you can. It is a very worthwhile experience. Registration is at www.wrjpacific.org. Registration is open until 10/19/20.

A Final Thought
“We have no understanding of the energy that God planted within our souls. Therefore, God has to test us to bring forth those treasures that are buried deep within ourselves and make us unique.” Rebbeztin Esther Jungreis
Take Care and Stay Safe,

Labor Day has come and gone, so technically summer is over. That means the High Holy Days are right around the corner. Sisterhood wants to usher you into 5781 with a little food, a little fun and a lot of community.

ROSH HASHANAH

Our next meeting will be Sunday, September 13 at 7pm. We will be discussing "preparing for Rosh Hashana" – with recipes, songs, traditions. It will be a fun, revitalizing meeting focused on the Jewish new year. We do have a little business to attend to – we need to approve our Sisterhood budget for the coming year. We will get through that early on though, so the rest of the evening will be more enjoyable. Log in at 6:45 and we will have the proposed budget so you can review it and formulate any questions you may have. The Zoom link will go out via e-mail later this week.

HONEY WISHES

If you want to send sweet honey wishes to the clergy and staff for Rosh Hashana, there's still time to do so. Each clergy and office staff member will receive a jar of honey with a letter saying who is wishing them a sweet new year. If you have not yet sent in your $36 to participate and wish to do so, send an email to honey@tassisterhood.org saying that you want to send sweet honey wishes to the clergy and staff and include how your name should be listed on the letter.
 
To pay for honey wishes, either 1) Send in a check for $36; 2) Pay online using the "Honey" button on the Donate page on the Sisterhood website: (https://www.tassisterhood.org/donate.html); or 3) call Jackie Zev, Honey Chair, at 818-832-9099 and give her your credit card information. (Do not email credit card information!) Questions? Send an email to honey@tassisterhood.org or call Jackie at 818-832-9099. Honey wishes ordering deadline is Tuesday, Sept 15.

Information about our annual Sukkot celebration and the purchase of Lulav and Etrog will be sent out in our next e-mail blast.

Spiritual Thought:
People often avoid making decisions out of fear of making a mistake. Actually the failure to make decisions is one of life's biggest mistakes.   
- Rabbi Noah Weinberg

Have a great week! See you on Sunday.
Take Care and Stay Safe,

SISTERHOOD NEWS – COMING EVENTS
AUGUST 30, 2020

And so it begins . . .
School has started, the High Holy Days are just around the corner, and we are still coping with Covid-19, social distancing, civil unrest, and a hotly contested presidential election. It is a lot to deal with all at one time, and can feel overwhelming. We are so very lucky to be a part of Temple Ahavat Shalom, where activities are planned for almost every day and we have a caring and generous community. Our Sisterhood is moving forward, as well.

LEADERSHIP DAY
As you know, our annual Leadership Day was held on August 16, 2020. Many thanks to the committee responsible for a fun and educational experience: Judy Stehr, Karen Pelmont, Diane Levine, Efrat Yakobi Gafni and Jackie Zev. The activities were fun and the morning moved quickly. It’s hard to believe we spent over three hours together and the time just flew by.

SEPTEMBER EVENT – 09/13/20
Getting Ready for Rosh Hashana – our new Programming Vice Presidents, Dori Hoffman and Karen Jaye have put together a terrific program to get us in the spirit of the High Holy Days. Please join us on 09/13/2020 (Sunday) at 7pm for an evening of song and community to get us in the mind set for Rosh Hashana. Please RSVP to Dori Hoffman at dhoffman10@socal.rr.com by 09/06/20. A flyer will be sent out shortly.

TAS SMALL GROUPS
As you know, TAS began forming small interest groups so that we can all get to know one another a little better. That effort is continuing. If you are interested in joining a small group, please read the following from Laraine Miller:
New Interest Groups are being developed for TAS Members. During our restrictions due to COVID -19, groups are encouraged to get creative with using Zoom to discuss, share, view, and talk more about your topics. Safe in person distancing is allowed per area guidelines. Down the road when more direct contact is allowed, your groups will be able to expand ways of getting together. Groups will determine their own schedule and facilitate personal Zoom accounts. Please contact Laraine Miller at tzlady@socal.rr.com to sign up and receive more information. Ideas for a group with a focus area not suggested are welcome for consideration. Hrre is a list of some of our current and forming groups:

Jews Celebrating Together: Creating Community & Finding Joy in Jewish Holidays.
The Business World: Discuss the News of the Day, Big & Small Business, the Who's Who in Business, Mergers, Acquisitions, Investments and more!
Sports as a Window into US History & Society: Women's & Men's Professional Sports, Negro League Baseball, Anti-Semitism in Sports, Olympic Highlights, Sports Gambling & Cheating, Dangers Inherent with Sports and more!
Sporting Book Club: Select sports themed books and engage in discussion.
Pirke Avot: Studying the Wisdom of our Jewish Sages. (Our Clergy will assist with start -up).
The First Act: For families with Toddlers through High School Children: Parenting Styles, Raising Menschs, How to Stay Sane. (Our Clergy will assist with start- up).
The Second Act: The Kids Have Moved Out or Maybe Moved Back Home, Now What? Finding Meaning and Purpose. (Our Clergy will assist with start- up).
The Third Act: Wise Aging & Living Fully in Your Senior Years. (Our Clergy will assist with start- up).
Bubbies & Zaydes: The Joys & Challenges of Grandparenting in today's world.
In Pursuit of Music: Share and discuss music of the Divas, Crooners, Blues, Jazz and Other Genres, Male Groups, Female Groups and Favorite Singles.
Trivial Pursuit: A group just to schmooze and enjoy each other's company.
The Curious Eaters (from a Safe Distance): Virtual and Eventual Dining Experiences! Share favorite places to dine, local and far away. Share photos, YouTubes from around the world and personal food stories.
 Break A Leg: Virtual and Eventual Live Theater Performances! Select a performance to view independently and arrange time for talking points. One play, several Jews, a multitude of opinions and perspectives!
Explore Jewish History Through Historical Fiction Book Club: Select books to read and engage in group discussion
Jewish Cooking Around the World: Share recipes, discuss ingredients and unique ways to cook different foods.
Hiking/Walking: Grab your mask, hat and water, and within safe distancing walk with a few friends in neighborhoods or public access trails.
Movie Club: Select movies to watch independently and meet online or in safe distance to discuss the characters, the plot, the ending, the cinematography, the actors and directors.
Photography Club: Virtually share your photos and discuss the location, the reason for the photo, the techniques and camera used to take the photos. Safely meet at locations to take photos and enjoy the experience.
Current Events: Pick a date, read the headlines, and engage in the talk of a town, state, country, and world.
Travel Bug: Select a travel destination, share its history, its highlights, share photos and stories. Relive your favorite places and inspire others.

INSPIRATION
At Leadership Day it was suggested that we do something spiritual to provide comfort to our members. I will try and come up with a meaningful quote for the end of our Newsletter to share with all of you. If you have a special quote or saying that means something to you, please feel free to share it with me, and you may see it printed in an upcoming newsletter. I believe this first quote says it all:

“The highest form of Wisdom is Kindness”
The Talmud

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REMINDER: A Morning of Sisterhood Leadership is this Sunday - August 16, 2020
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If you haven't RSVP'd yet, please contact Diane Levine at levinedp@gmail.com and you will be given the Zoom code to experience and enter the Re-Imagination Kingdom (or Queendom) from the comfort of your home.

It promises to be an enjoyable morning with much information and Sisterhood.

Can't wait to see you there!