May – June 2011 - Beth Chayim Chadashim
Transcrição
May – June 2011 - Beth Chayim Chadashim
Nisan/Iyar/Sivan 5771 VOLUME 39, NO. 5 May/June 2011 We’re Home! BCC Bids Farewell to 6000 W. Pico, Dedicates New Home at 6090 Larry Nathenson PHOTO: DREW FABER PHOTO: DREW FABER If you look closely at the right column on page 2 of this issue, you’ll see that we’ve changed our address officially to 6090 W. Pico Blvd! An overflow crowd estimated at 220 BCC members, friends, and honored guests marked the occasion on Sunday, April 10 as we celebrated this milestone in our history. We began at 6000 W. Pico with a brief farewell and the singing of the Tefilat HaDerech (“Blessing of the Road”) by Debbie Friedman z’l, led by Cantor Juval Porat and Cantorial Soloist Emerita Fran Chalin. Many of us had The stained glass windows from 6000 W. Pico now adorn the already shed some tears the previous Friday evening for new sanctuary at 6090 W. Pico the building in which we observed so many holidays, z’l. The song tells of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah celebrated so many simchas, and mourned so many of a new home and blessings for a good life there. We losses. When Rabbi Lisa Edwards invited up to light candles affixed one mezuzah at the main entrance with the blessing and proceeded into our beautiful new sanctuary. As we entered we saw that the stained glass windows from our old sanctuary had already been installed. Our memorial board plaques were also there, now grouped by families with space between them for additions. Our new ark was surrounded by the wall containing the Story Lines that many of us wrote on copper strips earlier this year to express our hopes for our new home. As the ark opened to receive our Torahs, we saw for the first time the exquisite solar-powered ner tamid (eternal light) made by Davi Cheng and Jerry Hanson for our new home. BCC President Bruce Maxwell introduced a number of BCC’s torahs proceed down Pico Blvd. under the chuppah, dignitaries who were in attendance. Rabbi Alan Henkin led by members of our band represented the Union for Reform Judaism, of which BCC all who had celebrated personal simchas there (weddings, has been a member since 1974, and Revered Neil Thomas baby namings, bar/bat mitzvahs, acceptance of the offered a blessing on behalf of Metropolitan Community covenant), nearly half those in attendance came forward Church, where BCC had its first meetings in 1972. L.A. to offer their brief memories. On Sunday we took our three County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and L.A. City Torahs from the ark at 6000 for the last time, in the arms of Councilman Herb Wesson also offered their congratulations. BCC members, and marched them down Pico Blvd. to our Also in attendance were our extraordinary architects, Toni new home. Our Torahs were sheltered by a chuppah held Lewis and Marc Schoeplein. up by other members, adorned with tzitzit recently made We heard the moving words of Max Webb, the 94-yearby BCC members under the guidance of Naomi Katz, and old Holocaust survivor from Lodz, Poland who sold us the accompanied with music by the BCC band. building. Mr. Webb was able to carry one of the Torahs for Arriving at 6090, we entered through the back parking a portion of our march down Pico, and brought some of us lot to the sounding of the shofarot and to the song Lechi to tears as he described how this helped fulfill his wartime Lach, also by Debbie Friedman and first sung at BCC in pledge to work for the continued survival and flourishing of 1986 for the 60th birthday of BCC member Savina Teubal Continued on Page 2 (continued from page 1) We’re Home! OFFICE PHOTO: DREW FABER the Jewish people. As always, our welcoming celebration was interspersed with music, selected by Cantor Porat for the occasion. The BCC choir performed Debbie Friedman’s Build This World Together, and Cantor Porat and Cantor David Berger were accompanied by Scott Ferguson on violin and Jeanelle LaMance on piano for Sheyibaneh (“we will build”) by D’varim B’Alma. Cantor Porat also introduced his original composition, with pianist Tamara Kline, entitled House of New Life, performed with vocalists Elissa Barrett, Matthew Corazon, and Estaire Press. Some of Project manager Ira Dankberg, Executive Director Felicia Park-Rogers, architects Toni Lewis and Marc Schoeplein, and BCC President Bruce Maxwell our children, led by Education Director Leah Zimmerman, offered their own ideas for what values and hopes they take with them into our new home. The afternoon concluded with a video montage of photos from BCC’s past in our new library/classroom, tours of the building including our new full kitchen, social hall, and offices for clergy and staff, Israeli dancing in the parking lot, and delectable treats from La Conversation Café and Magnolia Bakery. BCC is extremely proud that our new home is the first synagogue in Southern California to be certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). We have solar panels on the roof, insulation made from recycled blue jeans, carpeting from recycled tires, reclaimed wood and doors, and low 2 water native plants around our parking lot and back entrance (planted by BCC members over the two preceding weeks). This is quite a transformation for a building dating from 1928, which sat vacant for several years before we bought it. Its previous occupants included an auto parts distributor and a church led by singer and actress Della Reese. We have preserved some of the original architectural features including 1920s era windows and grillwork on the Pico Blvd. side. There are many people to be thanked for making this occasion possible, three of whom deserve special mention. Brett Trueman, our capital campaign chair, past president, and current treasurer, had both the vision and the tireless persistence without which our longtime dream of a new building could not have become a reality. Ira Dankberg took on a virtually full-time volunteer job as our project manager. And our supposedly part-time Executive Director, Felicia Park-Rogers, put in countless extra hours to attend to every detail. The planning committee for the April 10 festivities was chaired by Jonathan Falk and Arlene Weinstock and included Michael Berlin, Robin Berkovitz, Ted Greenberg, Alex Maghen, Rebbetzin Tracy Moore, Estaire Press, Steve Sass, Angela Stubbs, and Sylvia Sukop as well as our clergy and officers. All those who have served on our Board of Directors, Capital Campaign Committee, Building Committees, and Ritual Committee also deserve our appreciation, along with our dedicated BCC staff. As we continue to bask in the glow of this momentous occasion, we look forward to many years of community, learning, and spirituality in our new home. Please see the President’s and Rabbi’s columns on pages 4 and 5 for more on the building dedication, and pages 12 and 13 for more photos and information on viewing Drew Faber’s photos online. B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M Temple Office Hours: Monday–Thursday 9:00 — 5:00 pm Friday 9:00 — 4:00 pm Phone: (323) 931-7023 • Fax: (323) 931-1490 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.bcc-la.org Rabbi Lisa Edwards is available for private appointments. Please call at least a week in advance, if possible, to schedule. STAFF Rabbi . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cantor . . . . . . . . . . . . Executive Director . . . Office Manager . . . . . Education Director . . Bookkeeper . . . . . . . Custodian . . . . . . . . . Lisa A. Edwards, Ph.D. Juval Porat Felicia Park-Rogers Victoria Delgadillo Leah Zimmerman Ralph Cataldo Tim Goad EXECUTIVE OFFICERS President . . . . . . . . . . Vice President . . . . . . Vice President . . . . . Secretary . . . . . . . . . . Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . Bruce Maxwell Lauren Schlau Hannah Theile Allison Diamant, M.D Brett Trueman, Ph.D. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Eric Kamm David Mozes Jerry Nodiff Maggie Parkhurst Robin Berkovitz Ira Dankberg Hon. Donna Quigley Groman Kadin Henningsen Richard Lesse STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRS BCC Live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Capital Campaign . . . . . . . Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fundraising . . . . . . . . . . . . Membership . . . . . . . . . . . Men’s Havurah . . . . . . . . . Newsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . Ritual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tzedakah Council . . . . . . . Virtual Minyan . . . . . . . . . Women’s Havurah . . . . . . Yahrzeit Notices . . . . . . . . 20s/30s Havurah . . . . . . . . . . . . Bracha Yael Ira Dankberg Brett Trueman, Bill Resnick Kadin Henningsen Lauren Schlau Richard Lesse, Carol Saragossi Mark Miller, Neal Weisenberg Larry Nathenson Davi Cheng Robin Baltic Bracha Yael Donna Quigley Groman Sue Terry (no chair at this time) G’VANIM G’vanim “Hues (of the rainbow)” is the monthly newsletter of BETH CHAYIM CHADASHIM 6090 West Pico Blvd., L.A. CA 90035 Founded in 1972 as the world’s first gay and lesbian synagogue, today BCC is an inclusive community of progressive lesbian, gay, bi, trans, and heterosexual Jews, our families, and friends. Everyone is welcome to attend weekly Friday evening services at 8:00 p.m. Editor: Larry Nathenson. Graphics & Layout: Lentini Design. Articles submitted should be typed, emailed or attached as Word documents to [email protected], by the 15th of the month before publication. To subscribe to G’vanim, send name and address and a check or money order for $18 per year, attention: Subscriptions. Free to members. BCC is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism, World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Jews: Keshet Ga’avah and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. May/June 2011 Humanitarian Awards Brunch Celebrates “the Year for Building” PHOTO: KENNA LOVE 3 Diane and Nicolasa met in 1978 while members of the ACLU gay rights chapter, where they both worked to defeat Proposition 8 (the “Briggs initiative”) that would have barred lesbians and gays from employment as teachers. In 1980, Diane was appointed by Mayor Bradley to the LA City Commission on the Status of Women, serving for ten years, with one term as President. While Diane attended law school, Nicolasa helped found the Harvey Milk Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club. In 1985 she founded an organization for collectors of Disneyana and has served on the board and as President. Diane joined BCC in 1977 and Nicolasa a year later. Both have served as vice president and in other positions and were very involved in our early children’s programming. This year’s Presidents Award goes to Ira Dankberg, a professional architect and founder of Urban Strategies Real Estate Consulting. His extensive project management experience includes the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, Warner Bros. Studios, and Tribune/KTLA Broadcasting. He has worked on several LEED® certified residential Ira Dankberg, A.I.A., and commercial buildings and in LEED® AP BCC Presidents Award 2008 he became a LEED® Accredited Professional with the United States Green Building Council. He is a member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Jewish Federation Real Estate Cabinet and a Board Member of the non-profit Hollywood Community Housing Corporation. When Ira joined BCC in 1993 he immediately joined the Building Committee as well as the “Prettee” Committee designing and managing the remodel of 6000 W. Pico for the 25th Anniversary in 1997. Over the last year he has served as BCC’s volunteer project manager for our new home. He worked on a daily basis to help select key building contractors and acted as liaison between the architect, construction manager, and BCC building committee. In celebration of our new building we will also offer special recognition this year to several others whose contributions were crucial to its successful completion: Brett Trueman, BCC treasurer and past president, for his vision and years of hard work as chair of our capital campaign; Felicia Park-Rogers, our executive director, for her dedicated service to the new building project; Marc Schoeplein and Toni Lewis, our extraordinary architects; Howard CDM, our general contractor; Glenn Melnick, our real estate broker; and Mark Randall, our capital campaign consultant. There will be additional surprises and entertainment, so don’t miss this exciting event! B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M PHOTO: KENNA LOVE BCC’s annual Humanitarian Awards Brunch will take place on Sunday, May 22 at the beautiful oceanfront Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. The theme this year will be “the year for building,” in commemoration of our new shul at 6090 W. Pico and of the continued building of our very special community. The festivities will commence at 10:30 am with a champagne reception and fabulous silent auction filled with a variety of offerings for every taste and budget. Previous silent auctions have included entertainment and travel packages, food and clothing, a variety of personal services from massages to landscaping, and gorgeous works of art. This year’s auction promises to be just as amazing, but we need your help! Please contact the businesses you patronize and ask them to donate goods or services for the auction; they’ll consider it a great PR opportunity. If you haven’t received the donation forms, please contact the BCC office soon, as we need them by Monday, May 9. The brunch and program, beginning at 12:00 noon, will include our two annual awards. The Rabbi Erwin and Agnes Herman Humanitarian Award was established in 1985 and named for two Jewish leaders who were instrumental in helping BCC gain acceptance as a Reform congregation in 1974, only two years after its founding as the first GLBT synagogue in the world. It is given annually to deserving individuals or organizations for outstanding service to the Jewish and LGBT communities. The Presidents award was established in 2003 specifically to honor BCC members for their contributions to BCC and the wider community. This year’s Humanitarian Award goes to Diane Goodman and Nicolasa Cecilia Nevarez. Diane has been a practicing lawyer for twenty-six years. She is a member and Past President of the Academy of California Adoption Lawyers, and serves on the California State Bar Family Law Executive Committee. She lectures and teaches throughout the U. S. and Canada on law related to adoption, assisted reproduction and parentage, and has written a chapter in a family law reference book on parentage law. Diane helped found and served as President of the Diane Goodman & Nicolasa Cecilia Nevarez Special Children’s Herman Humanitarian Award Art Foundation, which creates murals with special needs children. Nicolasa has been an elementary school teacher for thirty years and a math coach and is currently a Title 1 coordinator. She has served as UTLA chair at her prior school. May/June 2011 President’s Column A Few Words from Bruce… 4 support from Rabbi Lisa Edwards and Executive Director Felicia Park-Rogers. The Story Lines workshops were led by Bonnie Kaplan, Leslie Tuchman, Renee Lamkay, Sylvia Sukop and others. And the final installation of the wall was completed by hand by our woodworking artists Peter Vogel and Edmund Griffin and our architect Marc Schoeplein. We have other artists too working hard to create future additions and these will be unveiled over the next months. So stay tuned for future additions! Finally, I would like to thank three specific individuals for their dedicated and ongoing efforts to making our new building complete. Ray Eelsing has led a committee to oversee the design, selection, subcontractor hiring, purchase, installation and testing of all the technological systems, including audio, visual, video streaming, internet, media, information, security alarms, entrance/egress systems and other systems that are all essentially integrated together. Richard Lesse has been of invaluable assistance on many of these items, and without his help we would not have had any sound system whatsoever on April 10. Lastly, please join me in thanking Eldon Tepper for his many hours of committee work and research in overseeing so many key decisions regarding the interior furnishings and fixtures. Eldon has brought to BCC his years of experience and helped to make this process so much easier and more fun. Thank you again to Ray, Richard and Eldon. If you are reading this issue of G’vanim and are not yet a member of BCC, or perhaps if you have been thinking about joining our growing family, now is the perfect time to do so. Not only are we celebrating each service in our lovely new space, but we are continuing to provide the beautiful music of Cantor Juval Porat and the spiritual and uplifting leadership of Rabbi Lisa Edwards. Come join us! PHOTO: SYLVIA SUKOP Recently, I was helping with the final planting in the back at 6090, and when I finished my work, I walked through the sanctuary to check on a few things. Wouldn’t you know it, Cantor Juval Porat and several musicians were there rehearsing for our upcoming building dedication. I was very moved by these first sounds of music in our new home. Until that day, even though I had known that this was soon to become our spiritual and religious space, all I had heard were the sounds of construction. And then, suddenly and powerfully, when juxtaposed against the banging of hammers and machinery, the music was just so moving and wonderful and uplifting. I wrote to Cantor Juval that afternoon telling him of my reaction and how even though it was not yet finished, our sanctuary finally did feel like a sanctuary. For those of you who were able to attend our April 10 building dedication, or perhaps one of the services in our new building since, you know how stunningly beautiful and spiritual our new sanctuary feels. If you have not been yet, please do come to join us for a service soon. This feeling of beauty and spirituality comes to us through the work of so many. You will all recognize our unique stained glass windows, handmade by BCC members, and now we all appreciate them even more as they are installed as part of wall of glass separating the sanctuary from the lobby area. Light is positioned to travel through the windows day and night so that we can appreciate these works of art at all times. We have some key people to recognize for creating the art that is and will be shortly encompassed within our walls. Davi Cheng and Jerry Hanson were two of the original stained glass artists who helped to create the windows, along with our office manager Victoria Delgadillo and Haim Ainsworth. Now Davi and Jerry have also created a beautiful “ner tamid” (eternal light) that we unveiled for the first time on April 10. They are both also responsible for making the mezuzah mounted by our main entrance and the stained glass memorial board yahrtzeit markers, and are still at work creating other soon-to-follow pieces for us to enjoy. Also unveiled on April 10 was our “Story Lines Project” wall surrounding the ark. This concept was brought to us by our architects Marc Schoeplein and Toni Lewis, and was further refined by our Sanctuary Design Committee including almost 15 BCC members providing input over several months. The project was led through its completion by Kadin Henningsen, with ongoing input and Warmest regards, Bruce Maxwell B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M Jerry Hanson and Davi Cheng with the new ner tamid they created for our new ark May/June 2011 From the Rabbi’s study… Living with, and through, our New Home Rabbi Lisa Edwards PHOTO: SYLVIA SUKOP PHOTO: KENNA LOVE Excerpted from remarks at the dedication of BCC’s new building, April 10, 2011. I remember a few years ago when Bill Resnick and I first began to talk about a new building for BCC. We had a conversation about why architecture matters, and we spoke of the way a building becomes a home, a safe haven, by being an inviting space, one that people want to walk into, and want to be in once they do. And that is architecture’s importance – that it draws people in, embraces them, and then once they are gathered in that space, it is up to us – together — to make the gathered crowd into a community, ready to go back out in to the world and make a difference. As we now move into our new space together, strengthening our community, is it a coincidence that Jews the world over begin the annual study of the Torah portion Acharei Mot, in which we read not only of the original scapegoat – literally a goat released into the wilderness, carrying on its back Rabbi Edwards on the bimah in all the whispered our new sanctuary, with the ark framed by the Story Lines wall transgressions of the Israelites – but also the first of the two verses that we often refer to as our community’s “dreaded verses”? The two that have been interpreted for generations to condemn LGBT people, too often making us into scapegoats and outcasts from the rest of the community. And this Torah portion – Acharei Mot – also contains the Hebrew words va-khai ba-hem – “you shall live by them.” The verse reads, “You shall keep My laws and My rules, [says God,] do them and live by them va-khai ba-hem.” 5 [Leviticus 18:5]. Our sages take that term, va-khai ba-hem, literally – you must live by them and not die by them. And our teacher and friend Rabbi Benay Lappe taught us within the walls of our other synagogue – what does it mean “live by them”? It means you can only live by them when you choose to live true to who you are – when you live true to your own nature, true to the person God created you to be. Who better than the members of Beth Chayim Chadashim – the House of New Life – to understand that teaching? Who better than us – the beneficiaries of that small intrepid band of gay and lesbian Jews who very nearly 40 years ago decided too many had already lived through (or died because of) scapegoating or oppression? Nearly 40 years ago already our founders decided to create a place where people could instead live ourselves into a sacred community – a community of people being the people and the congregation God intended us to be. And that is how we arrived here today – together — in our new home – a place filled with light and shadows, beauty and more than enough to inspire us —- a place already filled with memories and dreams of the future and our firm commitment to the present – to our lives and the lives of each other. A place already made sacred by the offerings of our hearts that have gone into building it, and by our commitment to live our lives within these walls as a vital part of this congregation, of this Jewish community, of this city and this state and this country and of God’s world — the world we share with every other one of God’s creations. Let us together continue here – in our new home — our commitment to live every day with the values we’ve already embedded in these walls and suspended (in solar panels) over our heads and poured into each of our hearts: our firm commitment to be partners in helping protect and heal and enjoy and celebrate God’s creations . . . and our own. Let us fill this incredible space with the teachings of our tradition and the passion of our hearts, that all who enter here might find the comfort and strength and encouragement and joy of living in community. And let us continue — all of us together – va-khai ba-hem – let us continue to live by those passions, to thrive on those teachings, in this – our new house of new life. Welcome home Lisa B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M May/June 2011 The Festival of Freedom as Ritual and as Practice On a Friday afternoon, as part of a pro-active plan to put myself out there, I found myself taking a chakra breath workshop in a bright yoga studio surrounded by good to very good-looking men and women. I kept my eyes closed and my mind halfway open for about an hour, as I followed the instructions and explanations given by a very enthusiastic coach. “Before we start,“ he said, “allow me to illustrate for you a little bit about the human experience and what this session is all about.“ The determined instructor laid a hoodie with spread out sleeves on the wooden floor and continued: “We come to this world in an open state. We’re free and innocent. Then there comes a point in our life where we experience difficulties, and we get slightly wrinkled.“ With his feet, the coach pushed one side of the hoodie towards its center, creating little creases. “Affected by these circumstances we carry on with our lives and face more challenges, more difficulties, more heartbreak.” With every word the coach deformed the hoodie a bit more with his feet, until it looked like an unrecognizable piece of thick cloth. “In this coming hour we’ll try to untangle our inner knots, to smooth our spiritual wrinkles. Because – it is true what they say, you have a super-hero inside of you and you have the power of your mind to heal yourself. All you need is already inside of you.“ Labeling the coach’s words as very LA I decided to go with it. Fast forward - about a week later I found myself in Israel, making my way up north to visit my parents for seder night together with my older brother who came all the way from Norway. We passed by green fields, saturated with wildflowers that got us into the spirit of renewal and change that springtime brings. During the seder – that night that is filled with traditions and symbolism that are different from any other night - I realized that setting yourself free, untangling yourself from whatever life has challenged you with, is easier ritualized than practiced. I found out that when one meets and interacts with those who are the closest to you (on a night like Passover, for example), one begins to realize the actual weight of baggage of whatever dislikes (guilt, fear, grudge, unmet expectations, tension, etc.) you still carry around, just like unwanted chametz during the seven days of Passover. One begins to realize so much of the baggage, but one 6 doesn’t necessarily set oneself free from it. These dislikes were like the unnoticed layers and rooms that are constantly being discovered in the diggings in the old city of Tsfat — always there, but turned to ruins by an earthquake and covered again by new structures erected on top of them. I asked myself on my way back from Tsfat, what one can do with all of these emotions that seems to refuse to go away. Then I thought of the slow and rhythmic inhales and exhales that turned into a flow of uncontrolled sounds towards the end of that breathing workshop back in LA. The instructor encouraged us to let go, to set ourselves free, and somehow the class was Cantor Juval Porat and the BCC band able to do so, cross Crescent Heights Blvd. in an ahead of the BCC torahs amazing way. It felt comforting to know that states of minds change, that a state of freedom is not so far out of reach, and that with practice one can make that state of mind last a bit longer than before, even if uncomfortable emotions linger on. I liked the idea of practicing freedom. I liked the idea of discerning what I assumed to be my needs, of figuring out what I wanted for myself and those around me, rather than looking at what I thought I needed to release myself from. I thought how liberating it would be to see all that surrounds me as opportunities rather than things I needed, wanted, or rejected. In a very untangling way, even though this year’s Passover might not have made me a more liberated human being, I was reminded of my freedom to hold on to my intentions, rather than being led by my likes and dislikes that would probably always be there, no matter how much symbolic chametz had to burn for them. And so, despite it all, I reached a sense of freedom and spring began to show its effect. B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M May/June 2011 PHOTO: SYLVIA SUKOP PHOTO: KENNA LOVE Cantor Juval Porat B CC Live to Begin in June Funded by an incubator grant from the Union for Reform Judaism (a grant to encourage innovative synagogue programming), BCC Live will use cutting-edge technology to allow you to access BCC services, classes, and other events when you cannot be physically present. BCC Live is on schedule to come Women’s Havurah Keeps Busy this Spring Donna Quigley Groman The Women’s Havurah will keep busy in May and June with the following new events: Saturday, May 14, 8:00 pm – midnight. Dance Night! Everyone is welcome (women and men) to dance and socialize at Oil Can Harry’s in Studio City. Our hosts are BCC dancing machines, Sylvia Weisenberg and Irene Nunez. Please RSVP to [email protected]. Sunday, May 22, 11:00 am – 2:00 p.m. We will have at least one Women’s Havurah table at the BCC Humanitarian Awards Brunch. Let me know if you would like to sit with other Women’s Havurah members. Please RSVP to [email protected]. alive on June 10th for Pride Shabbat! You’ll be able to enjoy our Friday night services through streaming video and audio via your computer or telephone. If you miss it, no worries, you can watch or hear Rabbi Lisa Edwards’ sermons and Cantor Juval Porat’s music on our YouTube channel or by podcast. Bracha Yael Are you a techie, YouTube enthusiast, social media lover, website maven, writer or some other cool cat? Join our BCC Live crew! Whether you want a leadership role or a “one-and-done” task, we want you! Make a difference and contact the BCC office or Bracha Yael at [email protected]. Open All Night! Shavuot at BCC, Tuesday June 7, 7pm until ? Question: What did God say to the Israelites when they gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai? Answer: Can you hear Me now? We’re called to answer the same question every Shavuot, when Jews traditionally gather to read the Ten Commandments and study all night in celebration and commemoration of receiving them. And with the new wi-fi boosters in our new home (see the “BCC Live” article above), this year “reception” should be pretty good! This year’s theme is “the prayers of Shabbat.” On our first Shabbat service in our new sanctuary on Friday, April 15, we introduced our “new” transitional Friday night siddur to the congregation. Which begged a few questions: what’s in it? what’s not? and why? Come join us on June 7 for an evening of learning, discussion, and music as we consider not only the content of the prayers, but also how to offer them. We’ll play with some of the newer delivery systems such as video projection, meditation, maybe even movement/dance. We’ll begin at 7:00 pm with the chanting of the Ten Commandments followed by a brief Yizkor (memorial service), some refreshments, and then our studies. They say at midnight on Shavuot the heavens open to receive our prayers — we’ll take some time outdoors right at midnight. The evening will also include a vegetarian/dairy potluck; please bring something to share. Saturday, June 4, 7:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. Women’s Havurah Game Night at BCC. Women Only! Bring a beverage and snacks to share. Please RSVP to [email protected]. Sunday, June 26, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Women’s Havurah at the Annenberg Community Beach House, a five-acre public facility in Santa Monica. This is also for women only. Bike, walk, relax, swim,play! www.beachhouse.smgov.net. Please RSVP to [email protected]. 7 B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M May/June 2011 BCC Book Group Larry Nathenson For more than fifteen years, BCC members and friends have gathered in private homes for monthly potluck brunches and discussion of books selected by the group. Fiction and non-fiction, historical and contemporary, American and Israeli, GLBT or not, the books read by the group include something for everyone’s tastes and interests. We welcome new members to the group, as well as occasional visitors who may be interested in discussing a particular book. Our next two meetings are: Sunday, May 29, 10:00 a.m. Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible, by David Plotz The subtitle says it all! Reviews call it a humorous and insightful look at the Hebrew Bible and its many idiosyncrasies. Sunday, June 26, 10:00 a.m. Friendly Fire: A Duet, by A.B. Yehoshua This Israeli novel (in English translation) deals with the power of memory, as a contemporary death brings back to mind a long-dead son who was killed by “friendly fire” in one of Israel’s many wars. Part of the novel also takes place in Africa. BCC members and non-members alike are invited to attend. Because the discussions are held in members’ homes, space is limited. Please RSVP to the BCC office early to guarantee your seat at the table, or contact Larry Nathenson at [email protected]. Men’s Havurah Fills Out Spring and Summer Calendars BCC’s Men’s Havurah sponsored the following very successful events during March and April 2011: Purim Brunch & Hamentaschenmaking Party, March 20th Hosted by BCC’s Membership Committee Chair Richard Lesse, there were sixteen people who enjoyed a scrumptious brunch prepared by Chef Richard before embarking on our hamentaschen-making using a variety of fillings including the traditional poppy seed or “mohn” in Yiddish. Fully- baked hamentaschen were enjoyed by all. Member Moving Day on March 27th About ten of us joined members from the Women’s Havurah to help pack up and schlep boxes of supplies and materials from 6000 to 6090 and help set up filing cabinets and bookcases. An event such as this never fails to bring the community together and this day was no exception. Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk on April 14th About ten of us braved L.A. freeway traffic on a weeknight and ventured to downtown Los Angeles for its renowned L.A. Art Walk – a monthly showcase and celebration of the best galleries, artists, photography, restaurants, and shops in downtown L.A. We first enjoyed a very nice dinner at Pete’s Café (right in the thick of the Art Walk scene) and then 8 meandered through the streets of downtown between Broadway and Los Angeles Streets from 4th to 9th Streets visiting a variety of venues. We had a great time and LAPD and private security personnel on every corner made it a very safe environment for all as well. The Men’s Havurah Planning Committee is working on many events in the next several months. Here’s a thumbnail sketch of these upcoming events: • Architecture and garden tour at the Getty Center on Sunday, May 15th • Movie night at Outfest 2011, the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, held July 7 - 17 • Hollywood Bowl production of the Broadway musical Hairspray on Sunday, August 7th • Pool Party in September hosted by a BCC member As soon as details are finalized, event announcements will be sent out via e-mail, the BCC e-bulletin, and Friday evening seat bulletin. There are two ways you can stay in touch with us: • Through e-mail: [email protected]. • Through our Facebook page (“BCC Men’s Havurah”) where we post event details and share pictures from events We can use everyone’s help and very much encourage • Your ideas for additional types of events that would be of interest to the Men’s Havurah, and • Volunteers to plan and host events naturally tailored to the size of your home. BCC Men’s Havurah Planning Committee: Mark Miller and Neal Weisenberg (Co-chairs), Mark Brown, Ira Dankberg, Jay Jacobs, Adam Kulbersh, and Richard Lesse BCC Hosts Jews and Islam Course Come learn about Jews and Islam with world-renowned scholar Rabbi Reuven Firestone, professor of Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College and co-director of the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement. Rabbi Firestone is a sought-after, entertaining teacher, and we are excited to welcome him to BCC. The course began on Wednesday, April 27 and continues on May 4 and 11 at 7:00 pm. It is free to BCC members, but bring friends too ($45 for all 3 sessions, $20 per class). Our first class in our new building! B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M May/June 2011 B CC ’s Virtual Minyan Keeps us all Connected Bracha Yael The Virtual Minyan is a primarily lay led unique BCC ‘meet-up’ that provides support and connectedness for people who are ill, homebound, out of town, living elsewhere (including abroad), unaffiliated or just looking for a small, welcoming community no farther away than their phone. Except for the Coffee ‘n’ Schmooze, our activities are via conference call, which is free—excluding any long distance charges from your personal carrier. To join in just dial 702-851-4044, when prompted punch in 2, then our pass code, 22252#. We feature weekly Torah study on Thursday afternoons from 4:00 to 5:00, sometimes with guest lecturers in our monthly Torah scholar series: On Thursday, April 21st, at 4:00 pm, we studied with Maggie Anton Parkhurst, BCC member and author of the very successful Rashi’s Daughters trilogy. Maggie is currently writing Rav Hisda’s Daughter, a historical novel that takes place during the Talmudic period. “What’s bothering Rashi?” was the focus of her talk. On Thursday, May 5th, 4:00 pm, we’ll hear from Petra Verwijs, a native of the Netherlands and a linguist with a Ph.D. in Religion (Hebrew Bible) from the Claremont Graduate University. Currently Petra works as translator and interpreter in both ancient (inc. pre-Hebraic Semitic languages) and modern languages. Linguistic nuances in the Torah will be the discussion topic. On Thursday, June 9th, 4:00 pm, we’ll be joined by Rabbi Laurence Edwards (the other Rabbi Edwards), brother of our Rabbi Lisa Edwards. He has a Ph.D. from the Chicago Theological Seminary (which houses the LGBTran Religious archives) and is the rabbi of our sibling congregation in Chicago, Or Chadash. We’re looking forward to Rabbi Edwards’ take on that week’s Torah portion, Behaalotecha (Numbers 8:1-12:16). Our other events include: Monday, May 2nd, 2:00 pm, Yom HaShoah service. Through a specially prepared siddur, we’ll remember relatives and others lost in the Shoah. Monday, May 9th, 9:30am, Coffee ‘n’ Schmooze. Moving from ‘virtual’ to ‘reality’ we’ll kibitz again at a café in West Los Angeles. For additional information on how to participate or lead a Virtual Minyan event please contact me at [email protected]. 9 Tzedakah Council News Robin Baltic In response to the massive earthquake and devastating tsunami that hit Japan in early March, the BCC community joined with the larger Los Angeles Jewish community to offer help and support to those directly affected by this horrific natural disaster. On behalf of the BCC congregation a $1500 donation was made to the Los Angeles Jewish Federation’s Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. 100% of the donation was given to Federation partners working on the ground in Japan assessing need and coordinating resources. Our communal BCC donation came from two sources: $500 from a pass-the-hat collection during Purim and a $1000 allocation from the semi-annual tzedakah coin drive coordinated by the Tzedakah Council. Please help yourself to one of the new BCC pushkes now available in the lobby area of our new shul. One thing is certain about the new pushke design — no coin fallout from the bottom! The next semi-annual BCC tzedakah coin drive will conclude following Sukkot. BCC Co-Sponsors French Jewish Film BCC will be a co-sponsor at the LA Jewish Film Festival of the fabulous French Jewish/gay comedy “He’s My Girl” (“La Folle Histoire D’Amour de Simon Eskenazy”). This intelligent and uplifting film tells the very funny story of a divorced gay Jewish klezmer clarinet player, his hypochondriac Holocaust survivor mother, the ex-wife he has not seen in years and ten-year-old son he has never met, and his transvestite Arab lover. Ultimately, the story is one of redemption brought about by kindness and caring. The film screens at the Music Hall Theater in Beverly Hills on Sunday, May 8 at 7:00 pm. Go to www.lajfilmfest.org for more details. B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M May/June 2011 BCC’s Last Purim at 6000 W. Pico Features “Jew Directions” Larry Nathenson PHOTO: DAVI CHENG BCC’s last Purim celebration at 6000 W. Pico Blvd. on Saturday evening, March 19 was filled with exceptional music and costumes and a pervasive spirit of hilarity. The theme was “Jew Directions” (from the “New Directions” of the TV show “Glee”), and our traditional megillah reading was interspersed with musical numbers by our cantor Juval Porat, our choir, and other BCC members anxious to display their talents. A video of the evening’s highlights can be seen on the BCC website. The evening began at 6:00 with a “bring your own” dinner and various activities for children and families. At 7:00 we brought Shabbat to a close with a hilarious Havdalah ceremony featuring Cantor Porat and some of BCC’s children. Rabbi Lisa “Zsa Zsa” Edwards then served as emcee for the remainder of the evening, introducing our multilingual megillah readers and our various musical interludes. Cantor Porat was in rare form, making several costume changes during the evening including Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez. Words cannot adequately describe it; if you weren’t there you have to watch the video. He also conducted the choir in a more traditional Purim song, accompanied by Jeanelle LaMance, and performed a Purimthemed rap duet with our Education Director, Leah Zimmerman. Other musical performances, with audience participation, included Elissa Barrett as song leader and Tamara Kline on piano for “Esther Day” (to the tune of the Beatles’ “Yesterday”) and “Shushan for Purim” (to the tune of Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana”). The chapters of the megillah were read by 15 people in 12 different languages, ten real and two fictional: Hebrew Dave Parkhurst, Jeff Bernhardt, Cantor Porat English Rebecca Weinreich (very rapidly) French Danny Miller Spanish Elissa Barrett Italian Richard Seltzer German Jay Jacobs Arabic Henry Wudl Cantonese Davi Cheng Japanese Ray Eelsing, Steve Brumbaugh Tagalog Melissa de la Rama Klingon Maggie Parkhurst Sheen Latinus Chris Marshall Cantor Porat leads the choir in a Purim song Of course, no Purim would be complete without groggers to drown out Haman’s name, hamentaschen to munch on during the evening, and many imaginative costumes worn by BCC members. See the video and the photo spread in this issue for some examples of how silly we all looked that night! On a more serious note, we collected $500 that evening for the Japanese relief fund for victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami. Thanks to all BCC members and friends who contributed. As we settle in to our new home, it’s hard to see how next year’s Purim will top our last one at 6000! Ma z el To v Please join the BCC community in wishing the following individuals a big “mazel tov” on their recent accomplishments or good news. Elizabeth Savage received her Executive MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. Yetta Howard completed her Ph.D. and, beginning in Fall of 2011, will be Assistant Professor of English and Affiliated Faculty Member, LGBT Studies Minor at San Diego State University. Mark Farber has a new job as director of major gifts for ADL. Steve Sass is one of the first two recipients of the Local Jewish Heroes Award from KCET and Union Bank. A program about the heroes will broadcast on KCET during May! BCC couldn’t agree more — Steve is definitely one of BCC’s local heroes! Donna Quigley Groman was featured in an episode of “In the Life” on KCET on March 27, 2011, concerning her judicial work in the L.A. Superior Court. If you have an achievement or good fortune to share, please send your good news to the BCC office. We want to celebrate with you! 10 B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M May/June 2011 PHOTO: DAVI CHENG PHOTO: DAVI CHENG Purim Photos by Davi Cheng and Richard Seltzer Maggie and Dave Parkhurst, officer and pirate Melissa de la Rama reads the megillah in Tagalog PHOTO: RICHARD SELTZER PHOTO: DAVI CHENG Cantor Porat lets out his inner diva PHOTO: RICHARD SELTZER PHOTO: RICHARD SELTZER Jay Jacobs, Jeff Bernhardt, David Wallenstein Jonathan Falk, child of the 60s PHOTO: DAVI CHENG PHOTO: RICHARD SELTZER Richard Seltzer, Italian professor Ray Eelsing prepares to read the megillah in Japanese 11 Elissa Barrett reads the megillah in Spanish, accompanied by Eliana Berkovitz-Newman B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M May/June 2011 More Photos of the New Building Dedication on April 10, 2011, PHOTO: DREW FABER PHOTO: DREW FABER by Drew Faber and Sylvia Sukop Cantorial Soloist Emerita Fran Chalin and Cantor Juval Porat sing Debbie Friedman’s Tefilat HaDerech as we say goodbye to 6000 W. Pico PHOTO: DREW FABER BCC’s three Torahs leave 6000 W. Pico under the chuppah PHOTO: DREW FABER Banner on the 6090 building, corner of Pico and Alvira PHOTO: DREW FABER PHOTO: SYLVIA SUKOP BCC’s Torahs and the members’ procession arrive at 6090 W. Pico Rabbi Edwards affixes the mezuzah at the entrance to our new building Donna Quigley Groman, Steve Sass, and Steve Hochstadt hold BCC’s torahs as they arrive in the lobby at 6090, with the stained glass windows behind them (Continued on page 13) 12 B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M May/June 2011 (continued from page 12) More Photos of the New Building Dedication on April 10, 2011, PHOTO: DREW FABER PHOTO: DREW FABER by Drew Faber and Sylvia Sukop Rabbi Edwards and President Bruce Maxwell listen to Max Webb, the Holocaust survivor who sold us the building at 6090 PHOTO: DREW FABER PHOTO: DREW FABER The Torahs are placed in the new ark at 6090, containing the new ner tamid and framed by the Story Lines wall The BCC choir performs on the new bimah during the dedication ceremony PHOTO: SYLVIA SUKOP PHOTO: SYLVIA SUKOP City Councilman Herb Wesson and Rabbi Lisa Edwards with the certificate given to BCC by the City of Los Angeles Tamara Kline at the piano during the dedication ceremony Israeli dancing in the parking lot following the dedication More of Drew Faber’s photos may be viewed at http://albums.drewfaber.com/2011/bcc/a/ 13 B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M May/June 2011 May 2011 Nisan/Iyar 5771 Sunday Monday 8:00 am cook, 1 11:30 deliver Project Chicken Soup 3975 Landmark YOM HASHOAH (Holocaust Remembrance Day) 7:00 pm LA Jewish Film Festival (BCC co-sponsor) Music Hall Theater 8 Tuesday 2 Wednesday 3 9 10 15 16 8:00 am cook, 11:30 deliver Project Chicken Soup 3975 Landmark 11:15 am Men’s Havurah Getty Center Garden and Architecture Tour 22 23 4:00 pm Virtual Minyan Torah Study 7:00 pm Torah Study Rabbi Edwards 18 24 10:30 am Silent Auction 12:00 Humanitarian Awards Brunch Loews Hotel Santa Monica 4:00 pm Virtual Minyan Torah Study 7:00 pm Torah Study Rabbi Edwards 25 4:00 pm Virtual Minyan Torah Study 7:00 pm Torah Study Rabbi Edwards 7:00 pm Board of Directors Meeting 29 10:00 am (private home) BCC Book Group Good Book (David Plotz) 4:00 pm Virtual Minyan Torah Study Petra Verwijs 7:00 pm Torah Study Rabbi Edwards 11 17 30 Friday Saturday 6 5 7:00 pm Jews and Islam Rabbi Reuven Firestone 7:00 pm Executive Committee Meeting YOM HA’ATZMAUT (Israel Independence Day) MOTHER’S DAY 4 7:00 pm Jews and Islam Rabbi Reuven Firestone 2:00 pm Virtual Minyan Yom Hashoah Service 9:30 Virtual Minyan Coffee ‘n’ Schmooze West LA Thursday 6:00 pm Pre-Shabbat Dinner 8:00 pm Shabbat Service Cantor Porat Rabbi Heather Miller 12 13 8:00 pm Shabbat Service Rabbi Edwards Cantor Porat 19 26 7 10:00 am Ohr Chayim 12:00 pm Family Shabbat 14 9:15 am Parent and Me 10:00 am Ohr Chayim 12:00 pm Family Shabbat 8:00 pm Women’s Havurah Dance night (all welcome) Oil Can Harry’s 20 6:00 pm Ohr Chayim dinner 7:00 pm Shabbat Service (note early time) Rabbi Edwards Leah Zimmerman 21 10:00 am Shabbat Morning Service and dairy potluck Ruach Chayim 27 7:00 pm Refreshments and schmooze 8:00 pm Shabbat Service Rabbi Edwards Cantor Porat Guest Musicians 28 31 MEMORIAL DAY (BCC Office Closed) All events at BCC's new home at 6090 W. Pico Blvd. unless otherwise noted Iyar/Sivan 5771 June 2011 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 1 4:00 pm Virtual Minyan Torah Study 7:00 pm Torah Study Rabbi Edwards All events at BCC's new home at 6090 W. Pico Blvd. unless otherwise noted 5 6 7 7:00 pm Leil Tikkun Shavuot (all night study) Dairy/vegetarian potluck 12 13 8 7:00 pm Executive Committee Meeting SHAVUOT (BCC Office Closed) 14 19 20 21 15 22 7:00 pm Board of Directors Meeting FATHER’S DAY 26 10:00 am Women’s Havurah Annenberg Beach House (women only) 10:00 am (private home) BCC Book Group Friendly Fire: A Duet 27 28 2 9 4:00 pm Virtual Minyan Torah Study Rabbi Laurence Edwards 7:00 pm Torah Study Rabbi Edwards CHRISTOPHER STREET WEST 8:00 am cook, 11:30 deliver Project Chicken Soup 3975 Landmark Friday 29 4:00 pm Virtual Minyan Torah Study 7:00 pm Torah Study Rabbi Edwards 4:00 pm Virtual Minyan Torah Study 7:00 pm Torah Study Rabbi Edwards 4:00 pm Virtual Minyan Torah Study 7:00 pm Torah Study Rabbi Edwards Saturday 6:00 pm Pre-Shabbat Dinner 8:00 pm Shabbat Service Rabbi Edwards Lay leader 3 10 11 9:15 am Parent and Me 8:00 pm Shabbat Service 10:00 am Ohr Chayim Pride Shabbat 12:00 pm Family Rabbi Edwards Shabbat Cantor Porat CHRISTOPHER STREET Drash by Ginger Jacobs WEST 16 17 8:00 pm Shabbat Service Cantor Porat Lay leader 23 4 10:00 am Ohr Chayim 12:00 pm Family Shabbat 7:00 pm Women’s Havurah Game Night (women only) 18 10:00 am Shabbat Morning Service and dairy potluck 24 25 Ruach Chayim 7:00 pm Refreshments/schmooze 8:00 pm Shabbat Service Rabbi Edwards Cantor Porat Guest Musicians 30 See B C C - L A . O R G for updates and changes. 14 B E T H C H AY I M C H A D A S H I M May/June 2011
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