March is almost here - It is sure going to be busy!  There's the Purim service and carnival this weekend (BTW, the Judaica shop will be open during the carnival), the ECEC luncheon the following weekend, the Sisterhood seder on the 15th, the Author presentation of the book The Food Explorer on the 22nd, the MahJongg cruise on March 22-26 and the Women of the Wall speaker on the 24th!  Whew!  How many of these events have you signed up for?

If you haven't signed up for something you want to do, here are links to webpages or flyers.  Please help out the event planners by not waiting until the last minute to sign up!

Purim volunteer (please consider helping!): http://signup.com/go/oUdGaWA
Pre-sale Purim wristbands: https://www.tasnorthridge.org/purim/
ECEC luncheon: https://www.tasnorthridge.org/ecec-brunch-and-boutique/
Sisterhood Seder: https://tassisterhood.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/9/0/109022497/2018_seder_flyer.pdf (print and send in to the Temple)
The Food Explorer: https://tassisterhood.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/9/0/109022497/author_flyer.jpg (no signup necessary)
MahJongg Cruise: https://tassisterhood.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/9/0/109022497/mahjongg_cruise_flyer.pdf (call Sharon if interested)
Women of the Wall Speaker: https://tassisterhood.weebly.com/wowevent.html

Went looking for humor about being busy and this one resonated:
    I wanted to figure out why I was so busy, but I couldn’t find the time to do it!

​We're so glad you weren't too busy to read this post, we decided to put in an extra reward.  Here are some cute pictures to make you smile:

​See you at an upcoming event!

Tuesday is our Gender Identity meeting, about how gender is not a binary matter.  We are starting at 7pm sharp, so come at 6:30 or 6:45.  To tease your interest, we went looking for stories of non-binary or gender-fluid individuals.  We came across the story of Rabbi Denise Leese Eger who is not (as far as we know) non-binary or gender-fluid.  She is lesbian, and was the first openly lesbian President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR). But we decided to tell her story - read on and you will see why!

Rabbi Eger was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised by Jewish parents in Memphis, Tennessee.  She studied religion at USC and graduated from there in 1982. After earning a  master’s degree from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1985, Rabbi Eger  went on to study for the rabbinate. In 1985-86, as part of her studies, Denise Eger interned at Temple Ahavat Shalom under Rabbi Kleinman.

When Rabbi Eger was ordained in 1988, she was not totally out of the closet but her sexual orientation was known, and the only congregation that would hire her was an LGBT congregation in Los Angeles, Beth Chayim Chadshim, the world's first gay and lesbian synagogue recognized by Reform Judaism. Because of the advocacy of Rabbi Eger and others, in 1990 the CCAR voted to welcome openly gay and lesbian individuals to the rabbinate, a decision that opened the door for gays' acceptance on the bimah of mainstream Reform synagogues.

Rabbi Eger is the founding rabbi of Kol Ami, a reform synagogue in West Hollywood. Eger believes that activism is an important part of her work as a rabbi, and she is living that belief. She has a history of involvement with organizations that aid, support and advocate for equality of rights and opportunity of LGBT individuals. She has worked with the AIDS/HIV community, chaired organizations that support AIDS drug research, helped organize the Southern California Gay and Lesbian Professionals Group, and advocated for the acceptance and full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the rabbinate.

In addition to her contributions to the LGBT community, Rabbi Eger  has worked on a variety of issues, including women’s rights, anti-racism, the farm workers movement, civil rights for all, and fair treatment in the work place.

Rabbi Eger is head rabbi of Kol Ami. She lives with her wife, Rabbi Eleanor Steinman in Los Angeles.

We are proud that Rabbi Eger got part of her start with us!

On a completely different note, we've attached the 2018 Sisterhood Seder flyer so you can print it and send it in with your check, or forward it on to a friend if you have already RSVPed.  It's also available on our website tassisterhood.org - click on Programs, then Sisterhood Seder.

THINGS I LEARNED IN HEBREW SCHOOL
     1.    The High Holidays have absolutely nothing to do with marijuana.
     2.    Where there's smoke, there may be salmon.
     3.    No meal is complete without leftovers.
   4.    According to Jewish dietary law, pork and shellfish may be eaten only in Chinese restaurants.
     5.    Never take a front row seat at a Bris.
We hope to see you Tuesday!

Bingotini last Saturday was fantastic! We had a record turnout and lots of fun!  Kudos to our chairs, Sue Cohen and Carol Bizar-Morton for doing a fabulous job.  Thanks to everyone who made it a success, especially those like Ana Rofe and Sue Cohen who invited their non-Temple member friends to participate.  Also to our excellent caller, Brian Hatkoff, to our drink mixers, Jim Schwartz, Jay Sculler, Howard Miller, & Sally Lax and to Jackie Zev for running our Flashboard.  Much gratitude to our setup crew and to everyone who helped clean up.
Our next event, our meeting about Gender Identity, is coming up fast - it's on Tuesday, February 20.  Do terms like non-binary, gender-fluid, gender-non-conforming, and gender-queer have you confused?  You are not alone!  Come to our event to learn what this is all about.  We are starting promptly at 7pm, so come at 6:30 for schmoozing and snacks.
If you have friends who aren't in Sisterhood with teenage kids, please forward this email to them, as this meeting, more than most, may be of interest to them.  Being a joint event with adult education and the religious school, it is free to all.

Bingotini is this coming Saturday (at 7:30 pm)!  We (your presidents) don't have the RSVP list, so we don't know if you are coming, but we hope you are.   You should definitely come!  It's amazing that a silly little game can be so much fun.  If you haven't sent in your check, reply to this email right now, and we will hold a  spot for you.
We forgot to put the time of our Gender Identity panel in our most recent email about it.  Sorry about that!  Remember, the Gender Identity meeting is on Tuesday, Feb 20.  It starts at 7pm sharp.  No 20 minutes of schmoozing, like most Sisterhood meetings.  You should come at 6:30 or 6:45, and then we can schmooze.
Hope to see you Saturday, and if not, on the 20th!