Message from the Rosh

 

Shalom Chaverim,

 

Elul is upon us and Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner! I hope you and your families enjoyed the summer. I also hope you had the opportunity to participate in the Library Minyan art project led by Wanda Peretz. Wanda and her assistants have been preparing art murals that will soon be installed on the ceiling over the Torah Table in the Dorff Nelson Chapel, where they will enhance our High Holiday prayer experience. We are deeply grateful to Wanda for her talents, vision and leadership — and to all those who shared in the coloring, as well as to TBA’s Program Director, Lia Mandelbaum, who helped arrange the screening of “Raise the Roof” and Prof. Thomas Hubka’s visit to TBA in late August. 

 

Our Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre, and Yom Kippur davening are being planned by the Minyan's Ritual chair, Bill Seligman, with an assist from Mayer Brenner. I want to thank them for all the hard work they have undertaken: recruiting daveners, Torah leyners and darshanim; arranging ark openers and aliyot; and the many other details that go into the complexities of the upcoming Yamim No’ra’im. 

 

Due to construction underway in the Main Sanctuary, the Ballroom will serve as the venue for the Shir Hadash service led by Rabbis Kligfeld and Chorny. There will be less seating available in the Ballroom than has been available in the former sanctuary, so we are anticipating that the overflow will bring many new faces to the Dorff Nelson Chapel this High Holiday season. Our prayer space will be opened all the way back to Hersch Hall to accommodate an anticipated large crowd. 

 

Please be sure to extend your warm welcome to those who may seem unfamiliar to you. A new face in the Library Minyan may be someone who usually attends the Main Sanctuary, or one of the almost 60 new members who have joined Temple Beth Am in the last few months! Each and every one of us needs to be a TBA Ambassador in this High Holiday season.

 

I have to admit that I love this time in the Jewish calendar. From Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur we are given the opportunity to reflect on the past year, identify areas for improvement, set some goals for the year ahead, and renew relationships — a spiritual spa experience! As you embark on your preparations for this season, my prayer for you and our community is that we that take the time to pause, reflect and look inward — and then look outward to grow and build on our strengths. I hope that the upcoming holidays are meaningful, satisfying and even joyous. From all of the Berenbaums and Grinblats — Michael, Josh, Mira, Ilana, Tal, Jeremy and Hannah, L’shanah Tovah U’metucah v’G’mar Hatimah Tovah,

 

— Melissa

Library Minyan members Diane and Larry Herman will spend Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in Maputo, Mozambique. The members of Honen Dalim, the synagogue in Maputo (their previous home before moving to LA) asked Diane and Larry to return to lead holiday services as well as provide educational opportunities for the children and adults of the community.

 

The non-profit Friends of the Jewish Community of Mozambique is sponsoring their trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next Library Minyan co-sponsored Kiddush will take place on October 27, deep in the month of Mar Cheshvan — which has no holidays, hence we compensate by affixing "Sir" to its name. This is a great opportunity to celebrate or recognize occasions in you or your family's life. Please contact Carl Sunshine at carl@fastmail.net to explore giving — and eating — opportunities.

One year ago, I truly was a “stranger in a strange land.” After growing up in Cleveland and on the east coast, I had moved to distant Los Angeles to enter the film industry, knowing almost no one. While my priority was finding a job, I also sought a Conservative synagogue, as my childhood shul had always been a central part of my life. Fortunately, my rabbis back home connected me to Rabbi Lucas, who warmly welcomed me to TBA. I first attended services upstairs, and it was perfectly nice — a group of young families even invited me to join them afterward for a Shabbas picnic. But some folks recommended that I visit the Library Minyan too.

 

Attending my first Library Minyan services, I quickly realized that I had found my place. The services were a reasonable length, meaningful without becoming overlong. The drashes, given by someone different each week, were fresh and fascinating, and the morning Mishnah study scratched my itch for Jewish learning. And, perhaps most pleasant of all, regulars made sure to introduce themselves and invited me to holiday and Shabbat dinners despite hardly knowing me. I felt at home. Within a few weeks, I had a regular seat in the chapel (I still don’t know if I took someone else’s spot) and was attending services almost every Shabbat morning.

 

During my stressful months of job-hunting, Library Minyan proved a meaningful source of community and routine, offering the familiar service and surrounding me with caring friends. Now, that I am living the busy life of an assistant, services are a nice change of pace, letting me slow down and feel comfortable. I have started participating in more aspects of the services and have appreciated encouragement from gabbais and other minyan leaders. While I loved my clergy growing up, it is fun to see different friends lead davening each week. And, after eating cholent once a year back home at our synagogue’s annual cholent cook-off, I now have the pleasure of eating it every week with my “corner table crew” at the kiddush.

 

I am so lucky to have found a Jewish home as welcoming and inspiring as the Library Minyan, and I hope to be able to help it thrive in the years ahead. For now, if we haven’t met yet, please come by and say hi! And of course let me know if I took your seat.

 

— Russell Cohen

Library Minyan Hospitality

The members of the Library Minyan Hospitality Committee are looking forward to a New Year filled with activities.

 

Among them will be programs planned by the DPL (Diaspora Pot Luck) committee, with the first likely to come in November or December. Stay tuned!

 

The DPL committee is looking for additional members. Please let Michelle Wolf or Deborah Blum, the co-chairs, know if you are interested in getting involved and helping to organize these fun community events.You can reach them at michellekwolfla @gmail.com & deborahblum12

@gmail.com.

 

Also and importantly: if you need a place for a meal on Rosh Hashanah or a place to break the fast on Yom Kippur, please contact the Ohel Patuach chair, Essia Cartoon-Fredman, or the Hospitality Committee chair, Diane Herman. Similarly if you would be able to host someone at your table for those holiday events, you can contact either of them as well. Essia is at efredman@pressmanacademy.org; Diane is at dnherman@

 

 

Mishna study 9:20

Tefillot begin 9:45

Temple Beth Am

Dorff-Nelson Chapel

1039 S. La Cienega Blvd, 90035