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Men’s Club NewsChris Block, President(president@tbsmensclub.org)Men’s Club is proud to announce EricBaltuch as our 2021 Man of the Year! Wethank Eric for his hard work and dedicationthis year.We are excited to announce that 2022Men’s Club Shabbat will be held on Shabbatmorning, January 29. We would love to havemaximum participation and attendance. Thereare plenty of Hebrew and English opportunitiesavailable. If you are interested, please contactBarry Schwartz at BMS17@verizon.net.Super Bowl Sunday (February 13) is rightaround the corner, and with it comes theWorld Wide Wrap. Please join Men’s Clubthat morning for breakfast and an opportunityto wrap Teffillin together during the morningservice. We promise you’ll be home in timefor the first commercial.We are always looking for event ideas.For any suggestions or questions, pleasereach out to Chris Block, Men’s ClubPresident (president@tbsmensclub.org) orHoward Berman, Membership Vice President(tbsmensclubmembership@gmail.com).TBS Men’s Club offers fun, relaxingevents and great opportunities to get out ofthe house, meet new people and renew oldfriendships. For a low annual fee of 45, youcan join and participate. Please register atwww.tbsmensclub.org.We welcome the followingnew member family:Ori & Erica Peled, Avi, Eli, and ShaiCANTOR’S COLUMNMusic and memory Perhaps many of you have seen the recent concert performancewith two of the great musical artists of our time, Tony Bennett and LadyGaga. Tony Bennett is in his mid-90s and you may have heard that heis suffering from an advanced stage of dementia. Yet, you wouldn’tknow it, as he was his old amazing musical self, flawlessly performing some of the classics that we’ve come to know and love from thisconsummate artist.Doctors say that music is among the last of the sensory functions toleave us. Perhaps we have seen this phenomenon with our own lovedones, with music touching the soul when other memories have faded.Music is our way of expressing ourselves, tying us to memory andexperience, both individual and collective.We Jews have a strong musical memory going all the way back tothe crossing of the Red Sea upon our liberation from Egypt. Our firstinstinct upon gaining freedom after centuries of servitude was to sing!Miriam HaNivia (the prophetess) sensed that possibility and broughtwith her timbrels and cymbals out of Egypt for just that moment of celebration. After crossing the Red Sea, witnessing God’s miracle, she andthe other women, and Moses and the children of Israel sang with greatjoy a song unto the Lord. This song, one of two in the Torah, has come tobe known as Shirat HaYam, The Song of the Sea. Its most famous verseis part of our morning and evening liturgy.Mi Chamocha BaElim Adonai .Who is like You, Adonai, among all that is worshipped?Who is like You, majestic in holiness,awesome in splendor, working wonders?The tune associated with these verses is among our oldest, and isknown as the Shira melody. This melody, metrical among the Sephardim,more free-composed among the Ashkenazim, is associated with journey and joy. When invoked as part of the Torah reading in ParashatB’Shalach, which will be read sequentially soon, and on the seventhday of Pesach, this tune relives that moment of glorious exultation. Wecelebrate, through song, becoming a free people, standing proud alongthe banks of the Red Sea as our forefathers did millennia ago.As testament to its enduring power, that same melody is invoked atother key moments in our Torah reading tradition, and at other momentsof journey and celebration. But its first incantation is associated with theexodus from Egypt. Shirat HaYam, and the melody associated with it, ispart of our collective musical memory, our collective musical identity!Please join us on Shabbat morning, January 15, for ParashatB’Shalach as we chant this timeless text, and relive that moment of triumph in our own day.Wishing you all a joyous (secular) New Year!With blessings,Cantor Perry FineTBS INCLUSIONTBS supports the full inclusion and participation of all people in religious and communal life, regardless of abilities. Westrive to accommodate all learners and appreciate individual differences so that all members of our congregation can participate together in Torah study and prayer. If you require accommodations, contact us at TBSinclusion@gmail.com.4

SISTERHOOD SPOTLIGHTSusan Rappaport (snadinek@yahoo.com) &Lauren Siegal (LsiegaL1@yahoo.com), Co-PresidentsAlthough we had to make the difficult decision topostpone the joint Sisterhood/Men’s Club event lastmonth, we hope to reschedule it in March, duringMarch Madness. Stay tuned for more details!Sisterhood shabbatSave the date for Sisterhood Shabbat onSaturday morning, February 12, 2022.Please contact Laura Siegel(LaurasiegeL4@gmail.com) or Eve Banilower(evebanilower@verizon.net) if you’d like toparticipate in the service; there will be Hebrew andEnglish parts available. We’d love to see many ofour Sisterhood women join us!Kitchen CrewOn Friday mornings Sisterhood’s Kitchen Crew meets to prepare the Kiddush for Shabbat.This is a terrific opportunity to meet and kibbitz with friends, and help Sisterhood and TBS at thesame time. Volunteers on Kitchen Crew typically work for 90 minutes, and less than one Friday a month,but you are certainly welcome as often as you can attend. For more information, contact Susan Rappaport(snadinek@yahoo.com or 201-532-9261) or Lauren Siegal (LsiegaL1@yahoo.com or 917-992-4336).Torah FundYour contributions strengthen and perpetuate the Conservative Movement. Checks of any amountmust be made out to “Torah Fund.” Credit cards are accepted as well. If you donate a minimum of 180, you will receive a Torah Fund pin, which you can get at the TBS office. We are looking for volunteersto help with this year’s campaign. Once again we are delighted to welcome Lynda Starr and Ruth Hutter to theTorah Fund Committee. For information contact Dee Cohen (deeat109@gmail.com or 973-960-4353).Tribute CardsYou can purchase cards for any occasion: 5 each or 6 for 25. We will send them for you; contactJudy Sackstein (973-992-1691), Lynda Starr (201-320-1752 or Lbstarr@optonline.net), orCarolyn Moses (carolyn moses@hotmail.com). Proceeds support the Ami Cohen Scholarship Fund.We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events. For the time being, we cannot have attendees payat the door, because we need to order individual meals in advance to keep everyone safe.Our Programming Chairs have done a wonderful job planning our events; please contact them with any questions:Allison Ritter (alirbrief@hotmail.com or 201-400-9409) or Brooke Alper (brooke.alper@gmail.com or 703-408-6953).If you are not getting our weekly emails, please contact Eileen Vider (Eileen.vider@gmail.com or 917-670-6389).Contact information as well as information about all of our programs can be found at www.tbssisterhood.org.Please visit the site to find out everything happening in your Sisterhood, and if you have not, please join today!The past year and a half has been anything but normal, and we want to be a resource and an outlet for you.5

TBS UniversityPRESENTSRABBI MARTIN COOPERGold, Silver, COOPER, and Iron in the Bible: An Illustrated HistorySunday, February 13, at 10:00 amAll good things come to he who waits! Well,we have all waited and finally, our program, initiallyscheduled for April 2020, will be taking place nextmonth.Please join us as TBS member, RABBI MARTINCOOPER, introduces us to the complex and fascinating role of metals in biblical society. Focusing onthe uses of metalwork in the Hebrew Bible, he willexamine some of the leading biblical personalities,tribes and nations who were skilled smiths, and discuss the ambivalent attitude toward them and theirproduct.Martin Cooper is the Rabbi Emeritus of GardenJewish Center, Queens, where he had the honor toserve for 16 years. He was Director of Media Education at the Board of Jewish Education in New York,and a principal in Schechter Schools. In addition,he was a volunteer chaplain for the JWV in Queens,recorded for The Jewish Braille Institute, and wasfounding President of the Friends of the FlushingLibrary.Raised in London in an observant home,Rabbi Cooper’s childhood was interrupted by evacuations to other parts of the UK during WWII. Heattended a high school yeshiva and studied Rabbinics and Semitic languages at Jews College, LondonUniversity. Active in Jewish youth and social work,he wrote educational materials for JNF. In 1967, hehelped send 7,500 volunteers to Israel prior to the SixDay War.Rabbi Cooper came tothe US in 1971 and earnedgraduate degrees from Yeshiva University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, aPhD from NYU in Hebrewand Education, and a Masters in Library Science fromRabbi Martin CooperQueens College. He studiedhazzanut and voice in the UK and US, served as acantor in London and New York, and received hisRabbinical ordination from The Academy for JewishReligion.We welcome our new patrons and thank all ofour patrons for your continued support of our programs. If you are not yet a TBS University Patron,please consider joining us. Your support allows us tobring you outstanding programs and allows you toenjoy some special Patrons-only benefits, includingour outstanding short story mini-series and a festivespring brunch. For the modest cost of 75 per personfor the year, you can add your support to continuingeducation at TBS. If you have any questions, pleasedo not hesitate to contact me directly.Sincerely,Deborah Feinberg (feinbergworld@gmail.com)TBS Adult Education Committee ChairI/We would like to support Adult Education at TBS by becoming a TBS University Patron at 75 per person.Please detach and mail to:Adult Education - Temple Beth Shalom,193 E. Mt. Pleasant Ave., Livingston, NJ 07039Name(s): 1)2)Address:Email:Phone:6

PTA NEWSPRESCHOOL NEWSDecember was a busy month for our Preschool andReligious School students. We celebrated Hanukkah withour Preschool families by inviting the parents from eachclass to enjoy an in-school celebration with their children! The children sang songs, created a Hanukkah craft,and enjoyed treats with their parents. We also sponsoreda bubble party for the children, and everyone had a blast!The children were given Hanukkah stickers and bubblesas a gift from the PTA.The Religious school children went home with delicious sufganiyot to get a taste of Hanukkah. Thank you toall of our volunteers who helped make this happen.We stocked the teachers’ lounge with coffee, tea, andan assortment of snacks for the staff to enjoy throughoutthe coming month.Thank you to everyone who supported our Book Fair.We hope you enjoy all of your new books.We wish everyone an enjoyable holiday season andHappy New Year!If you have any questions or would like to get involved,please reach out to us.The preschoolers had a blast trying to catch bubbles!Happy New Year! I would like to extend a hugewelcome back to all of our families!Time flies when you are having fun! It is hard to believe that winter break is over and we are in 2022. Theteachers and children are all slipping back into familiarroutines. It is amazing how much the children havegrown over the break.We are excited to welcome our newest classof Transition Twos. This class is for children whoturned 18 months old since last October and will helptransition students into the routines of our school. Theclass serves as a bridge to help children separate fromtheir caregivers for the first time to becoming studentsin our preschool.Last month, each age group had their own Hanukkahcelebration. I hope you all enjoyed your child’s concert! The PTA sponsored a fabulous bubble show as atreat for the preschoolers, as well as some wonderfulmeals for the teaching staff during Hanukkah. Thankyou so much to our PTA and our parent volunteers forall their help!Wendy Haft (haft.wendy@gmail.com)Anne Weisenberg (glasser110@yahoo.com)PTA Co-PresidentsWith Shalom,Mindy RossmanPreschool DirectorReligious School students were so excited to go homewith sufganiyot for Hanukkah.THE CONGREGATION THANKS The following members for supporting the Congregational Kiddush:Ayal and Allyson Steinberg in honor ofRaphael’s Bar Mitzvah.Yitzchak and Cirla Yaari in honor ofAlan’s Bar Mitzvah.Noam and Donna Kritzer in honor ofSammy’s Bar Mitzvah.Scott and Hayley Prochazka in honor ofBraden’s Bar Mitzvah.Sheldon and Sharon Fleishman in honor of theauf ruf of Margo and Brett.7

Tikkun Olam(Social Action Committee)WINE OF THE MONTHThe Tikkun Olam Committee has been going strong asthe weather gets colder. Wehad an amazing turnout inNovember and our congregants made 1,248 cheesesandwiches in just a fewshort hours, which were sentto the various soup kitchensin Newark. Thank you to allwho came out and madethe sandwiches and donated the supplies.We also partnered withthe Met Council and packedVolunteers made and packagedtoiletry boxes that were dis1,248 sandwiches!tributed to their clients.Our Cooking for the Community Program returned onDecember 12 with our Guest Chef, Sammy Kritzer, who ledus in making fried rice as part of his Bar Mitzvah project.Please reach out to Kara Baltuch (kara baltuch@yahoo.com)if you would like to be a Guest Chef for January.Hanukkah gifts and turkeys thathad been collected were distributedand greatly appreciated by the recipients. Thanks to everyone who donated toys and turkeys.Year Round CollectionsOur collections continue yearround. We will collect food items (noperishables or glass accepted) for thelocal food pantries.Food insecurity is a term we haveheard more often as families struggleto put food on the table. There areso many people in need right now.During the winter months, when youshop the supermarket sales, pleaseconsider buying extra items that canbe donated.There are collection bins in theCohen Center hallway for food, eyeglasses, hearing aids, cell phones,and toiletries (regular-sized and travel-sized).Kara BaltuchPhil CrystalTikkun Olam Co-ChairsOur Hanukkahtoy collection wasdonated toJewish organizations.LivingstonPhilanthropiesdelivered ourThanksgiving turkeycollection tofamilies in need.8Nat’Ah Karem(She Plants a Vineyard)HAJDU PETITE SIRAH 2019 isa massive red wine from SonomaCounty, California, and nothingabout this wine is petite.The petite sirah grape, knownas Durif in France, is now primarily grown in California, but it isstill considered to be a Rhonevarietal, and not related (or at best, a distantcousin) to syrah. My attention was drawn tothis bottle because of its unusual label of astylized line drawing of an elephant on a unicycle! As a rule, I do not “do” cute labels ornames, but this had creativity and a wonderful, somewhat obtuse factoid on the back. Youwill have to check it out; I’m not spoiling it.If you are curious about what petitesirah should taste like, this is a very classic,and beautifully crafted example. It is a deep,purple vision, full of big, jammy, intense fruitwith fine tannins and a long, peppery, fullbodied finish. Given a few minutes in yourglass, these bold individual flavors becomewell integrated. Enjoy the long lingering aromas of dried fruit and vanilla as they practically explode out of the bottle.I would have guessed that the alcoholpercentage was high, but it feels more restrained than its actual 14.8%. That’s a prettyhefty percentage for wine. I think it worksbecause everything, the color, aroma, themouth-feel and finish, is big.The price point of the Hajdu PetiteSirah is a little higher than most of the kosher wines we frequently see, but there mustbe something in January that is worth thesplurge. If not, makesomething up. Becauseyou’re worth it!Always BeCelebratingLaura GreifCertified, SommelierSociety of America

הספר - סקירת חדשות בית RELIGIOUS SCHOOL IN REVIEWJANUARY 2022 SCHOOL CALENDAR:Saturday, January 1 thru Sunday 2 . New Year’s Day . No ClassesMonday 3 . Classes Resume . Regular Session Sunday 9. Hey Family Program . Regular Session2nd Grade Havdallah Workshop Wednesday 12 . Kadima (after class time, 5:30 pm) . Regular SessionSaturday 15 thru Monday 17. Martin Luther King Weekend . No ClassesTuesday 18 . Classes Resume . Regular SessionSunday 23 . Daled Family Program . Regular SessionWednesday 26 and Thursday 27. Parent-Teacher Conferences . No ClassesKITAH ALEPH MEZUZOTOur Aleph (3rd grade) students participated in a hands-on Mezuzah Workshop and designed their own,unique mezuzah cases. They learned about the mitzvah of hanging a mezuzah on our doorways. We alsotalked about the prayer, Shema, and the passage of the Torah that the mezuzah contains. The students willreceive their mezuzot to take home at a very special Shabbat service. Watch for more information!FIRST GRADE OLIVE PRESSIn honor of Hanukkah, our First Graders participated in a workshop in whichthey actually got to squeeze oil out of olives! They learned about the process,as well as the historical context for the miracle of the oil on Hanukkah.The Hanukkah miracleof the oil was relayedto our First Gradersthrough pressing olives!TBS MAKES SANDWICHESIn support of our Tikkun OlamCommittee, our students pitched in to helpmake sandwiches to feed our neighbors inNewark. It brings us joy to see our studentsput their Jewish values into action!JUNIOR CONGREGATIONWe have welcomed our students back to Junior Congregation,from our older students leading the service to our younger studentsengaging in it. A HUGE todah rabbah to Morah Ruti for all of the workshe has done in helping our students prepare!Aleph studentscreated their ownmezuzah cases.Our students helped make sandwichesfor area soup kitchens.THANK YOU, PTA!From lessons to songs to decorations, our school went all out in celebrating the Festival of Lights! We want to thankPTA Co-Presidents Wendy Haft and Anne Weisenberg for making this Hanukkah especially bright. Our PTA generouslyorganized the class parents to bring in sufganiyot (jelly donuts) for the students (with an alternative for those with allergies);provided gifts for all the teachers and staff; and stocked the teachers’ lounge full of snacks and warm drinks for us all!We want all the parent volunteers who picked up and bagged the donuts for our students to know how very much weappreciate their help and time! Thank you to Marisa Bershad, Lisa Brodsky, Renee Covitt, Sara Elsky, Lauren Netburn, andMichele Ozarow.In addition, we want to thank our AMAZING PTA for sponsoring all of our interactive workshops, which most recentlyincluded the Aleph Mezuzah Workshop and the First Grade Olive Oil Press. This month, we are looking forward to theSecond Grade Havdallah Workshop, as well as all of the other interactive workshops to come.continued on page 109

DALED AND HEY EVENTSWith thanks to our generous clergy, we have nowrun several successful Daled and Hey Family Programson Sundays. These are required elements of our MiddleSchool curriculum. In each session, parents and childrenare given the opportunity to learn from a member of ourclergy and have their questions answered. These programshelp support the families by providing information both forupcoming b’nai mitzvah, and for the transition to Templeengagement beyond the Religious School.Daled parents and students should stay tuned for ourfuture workshop dates on Sundays, January 23, February 6,and March 6.Hey parents and students should be sure to attend ourfinal workshop on Sunday, January 9.Our annual Purim Carnival will be held on Sunday,March 20. Hey students are expected to help with the eventpreparations and to volunteer at the Carnival. Performinggemilut chesed instills in them a sense of pride and serviceto our synagogue community.Be a Dream WeaverINCLEMENT WEATHERAs a general rule, whenever Livingston Public Schools areclosed, Religious School will also be closed. Cancellationof Religious School classes due to snowstorms developingduring midday will be announced, if circumstances permit,through the public schools’ public address systems.Otherwise, please look out for an email from me for anyannouncement of school closings.Cantor Sharon Knoller wove herself a newtallit in honor of her milestone birthday. Sherecounts,“I was so excited to weave my own tallit!However, I was also a bit nervous. I don’t see myself as overly artistic, and I worried that I wouldn’tbe any good at weaving. After weaving I realizedthat the few mistakes I made are a part of whatmakes it a truly special, one-of-a-kind, tallit. And I

Jan 1, 2022