Monday Night Torah

with Phil Lazzar

“Ivdu et Hashem b’Simcha”

Monday, March 4, 2024

6pm-7pm PST

Zoom Room

Tetzaveh (part 2)

Tonight we plan to look at a few things:

1. What is the difference between charity and tzedakah?
2. To get oil from olives takes using a lot of pressure. It is very hard to get the oil out of them. So?
3. One of the 7 blessings said at a wedding includes that G-d says that everything He created, He created for His honor. ״שהכל ברא לכבודו״ What does this mean?! How does it tie into tzedakah, Purim, and the reason for creation???

The Angel's Wings: Music and Tales for the Soul

Sunday, March 10, 2024 7:00-8:00 pm

Venue: The Sanctuary, 1301 J Street, Arcata [Map]

On Sunday March 10, at 7 pm, Rabbi Naomi Steinberg and singer Berel Alexander will present The Angel’s Wings: Music and Tales for the Soul, an evening of music and storytelling.  Colorful figures of folklore and deep teachings spring to life as mother and son duo offer original mystical tales with theatrical embellishments and beautiful singing.  

At each performance Steinberg and Alexander rotate their repertoire of songs and stories; returning audience members will enjoy both familiar and new material.
 
“The Angel’s Wings” is appropriate for adults and older children.
 

Berel Alexander serves as a liturgical soloist while pursuing a career as a singer-songwriter. He was a featured performer in Allen Ginsberg in Song at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco and the tenor lead in Di Megileh with the New Yiddish Theater in Berkeley.  He has been collaborating with his mother since childhood.
 

Children 12 and under are free.

Price: $15.00

Saturday Morning Torah Study

Saturday March 16th at 8:30 am via Zoom

As always, we will go live on Zoom from everywhere at 8:30 to schmooze and nosh before we drosh.

At 9 we'll make our bracha for Torah study and consider the Question for the Week before diving into the text, or "going inside" as they say in the yeshiva world.

Come early, come late, stay as long as works for you. We'll go till around noon.

Here’s the zoom link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4333195212

Here is the link to our blessings



See you there!

Rabbi Bob

Workshop: Yiddish Songs and Klezmer Melodies of Ukraine 

Saturday, March 16 2024 4:00-5:30 pm

Venue: Temple Beth El, Hodgson & T St Eureka

With music by the Strauss/Warschauer Klezmer Duo  (musicians, singers, dancers and all others welcome) 
 

During difficult times, music can lift our spirits and connect us to one another across time and space. In this workshop, we’ll honor the deep roots of Yiddish and yiddishkayt (Jewish way of life) in Ukraine, where Jewish life, music and culture thrived for generations in both good times and bad.

Taught in a lively, integrated approach – a marriage of instruments, singing and movement — this workshop is for singers, instrumentalists and dancers of all levels.

No knowledge of Yiddish or previous experience necessary.
 

The Strauss/Warschauer Duo:  Deborah Strauss and Cantor Jeff Warschauer

Deborah Strauss (violin, accordion, vocals, dance) and Cantor Jeff Warschauer (guitar, mandolin, vocals) have been at the forefront of the international klezmer and Yiddish music scene for more than 30 years. They are sweet and soulful performers who draw from klezmer, Yiddish, Hasidic and liturgical music and culture, adding their own original compositions and song settings. Their music is grounded in tradition, yet thoroughly contemporary.

Deborah and Jeff were both longtime members of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, one of the premiere groups of the klezmer revival, and have performed with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman on film and in concert.

As the Strauss/Warschauer Duo, they have performed to overwhelming acclaim in such diverse venues as the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Great Britain's Fiddles on Fire, the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, Poland, and the Art of Yiddish in Los Angeles with the late actor and singer Theodore Bikel.

They lead some of the most popular klezmer music, Yiddish song and traditional dance workshops throughout the world. Both teach regularly at KlezKanada, Yiddish Summer Weimar, and the Warsaw International Summer Seminar in Yiddish Language and Culture.

Jeff is Cantor at Congregation Brothers of Israel in Newtown, PA. He is a Founding Artistic Director of KlezKanada, and teaches at Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Deborah is Education Director at Congregation Kehilat Shalom in Belle Mead, NJ, and co-director of both the instrumental and dance programs at Yiddish New York.

www.klezmerduo.com
 

Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

Children 12 and under are free.

Price: $15.00

Workshop: Yiddish Dance Instruction and Dance Party 

Saturday, March 16 2024 7:00-8:30 pm

Venue: Temple Beth El, Hodgson & T St Eureka

With live music by Jeff Warschauer and Deborah Strauss 

Come learn the Yiddish dances traditionally associated with klezmer music: freylekhs, sher, zhok, khosidl. Joyous and expressive, communal and individualistic, Yiddish dances give us an extraordinary window into Yiddish culture. Creative, improvisational and just plain fun, it's a great way to express yourself!  No previous experience or specific dance knowledge needed.  All are welcome.

The Strauss/Warschauer Duo

Deborah Strauss (violin, accordion, vocals, dance) and Cantor Jeff Warschauer (guitar, mandolin, vocals) have been at the forefront of the international klezmer and Yiddish music scene for more than 30 years. They are sweet and soulful performers who draw from klezmer, Yiddish, Hasidic and liturgical music and culture, adding their own original compositions and song settings. Their music is grounded in tradition, yet thoroughly contemporary.

Deborah and Jeff were both longtime members of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, one of the premiere groups of the klezmer revival, and have performed with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman on film and in concert.

As the Strauss/Warschauer Duo, they have performed to overwhelming acclaim in such diverse venues as the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Great Britain's Fiddles on Fire, the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, Poland, and the Art of Yiddish in Los Angeles with the late actor and singer Theodore Bikel.

They lead some of the most popular klezmer music, Yiddish song and traditional dance workshops throughout the world. Both teach regularly at KlezKanada, Yiddish Summer Weimar, and the Warsaw International Summer Seminar in Yiddish Language and Culture.

Jeff is Cantor at Congregation Brothers of Israel in Newtown, PA. He is a Founding Artistic Director of KlezKanada, and teaches at Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Deborah is Education Director at Congregation Kehilat Shalom in Belle Mead, NJ, and co-director of both the instrumental and dance programs at Yiddish New York.

www.klezmerduo.com
 

Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

Children 12 and under are free.

Price: $15.00

Big Jewish Music Jam!  

Sunday, March 17 2024 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Venue: Temple Beth El, Hodgson & T St Eureka

Calling all singers and instrumentalists:  No previous experience is necessary. Kids and adults from any background are welcome. (You don't have to be Jewish to sing, play and love Jewish music!)

Come sing and play klezmer music, Yiddish songs, Hasidic tunes and synagogue songs, with a timely focus on the spring holidays of Purim and Passover. It's all great music and you will have a wonderful time in a warm and cozy environment.

We invite everyone to participate, regardless of vocal or instrumental level, previous experience, background or knowledge. Kids should be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Instrumentalists, please bring a music stand.  Keyboardists, please bring an instrument if possible.
 

Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

Children 12 and under are free.

Price: $15.00

Concert: A Life of Joy, a Life of  Peace: Klezmer and Hasidic Songs and Music

Sunday, March 17 2024  2:00 - 3:30 pm
Venue: Temple Beth El, Hodgson & T St Eureka

by Jeff Warschauer and Deborah Strauss  

Don't miss this rare opportunity to hear one of the most influential and beloved klezmer duos on the Yiddish music scene. Hailed by the New York Times as "terrific," Deborah Strauss (violin, vocals and accordion) and Cantor Jeff Warschauer (vocals, guitar and mandolin) are sweet and soulful performers who draw from klezmer, Yiddish, Hasidic and liturgical music and culture, adding their own original compositions and song settings. Their music is grounded in tradition, yet thoroughly contemporary.
 

The Strauss/Warschauer Klezmer Duo

Deborah Strauss (violin, accordion, vocals, dance) and Cantor Jeff Warschauer (guitar, mandolin, vocals) have been at the forefront of the international klezmer and Yiddish music scene for more than 30 years. They are sweet and soulful performers who draw from klezmer, Yiddish, Hasidic and liturgical music and culture, adding their own original compositions and song settings. Their music is grounded in tradition, yet thoroughly contemporary.

Deborah and Jeff were both longtime members of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, one of the premiere groups of the klezmer revival, and have performed with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman on film and in concert.

As the Strauss/Warschauer Duo, they have performed to overwhelming acclaim in such diverse venues as the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Great Britain's Fiddles on Fire, the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, Poland, and the Art of Yiddish in Los Angeles with the late actor and singer Theodore Bikel.

They lead some of the most popular klezmer music, Yiddish song and traditional dance workshops throughout the world. Both teach regularly at KlezKanada, Yiddish Summer Weimar, and the Warsaw International Summer Seminar in Yiddish Language and Culture.

Jeff is Cantor at Congregation Brothers of Israel in Newtown, PA. He is a Founding Artistic Director of KlezKanada, and teaches at Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Deborah is Education Director at Congregation Kehilat Shalom in Belle Mead, NJ, and co-director of both the instrumental and dance programs at Yiddish New York.

www.klezmerduo.com
 

Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

Children 12 and under are free.

Price: $25.00

Saturday Morning Torah Study

Sat, Mar 23rd at 8:30am via Zoom

As always, we will go live on Zoom from everywhere at 8:30 to schmooze and nosh before we drosh.

At 9 we'll make our bracha for Torah study and consider the Question for the Week before diving into the text, or "going inside" as they say in the yeshiva world.

Come early, come late, stay as long as works for you. We'll go till around noon.

Here’s the zoom link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4333195212

Here is the link to our blessings



See you there!

Rabbi Bob

Monday Night Torah

with Phil Lazzar

“Ivdu et Hashem b’Simcha”

Monday, March 25, 2024

6pm-7pm PST

Zoom Room

Uniting Against Antisemitism

Action, Education, and Faith

Dear Friends,

As we face the alarming rise in antisemitism, our Temple is proactively organizing a gathering this Tuesday evening to confront this troubling trend. It’s a crucial meeting, aiming to navigate through these turbulent times with purpose and resolve.

Our Temple’s approach, as I understand it, is two-fold: developing a strategic response to antisemitic incidents and proactively educating the youth in schools about Judaism’s rich heritage and ethical values. These initiatives are not only commendable but also essential in cultivating understanding and respect.

Complementing these efforts, I suggest we enrich our strategy with a third, equally vital component: enhancing our dedication to Torah study and mitzvot. This commitment can kindle an inner light that pierces through the darkness of hate and prejudice. Through living the Torah’s teachings and engaging in mitzvot, we radiate a transformative light, fostering hope and change in our world.

In alignment with this, our next Monday Night Torah session will delve into Passover’s profound lessons and continue our journey through the Ramchal’s enlightening work, “The Path Of The Just.” Your engagement and insights are crucial to our collective enlightenment.

Join us on Monday evening as we forge a path of unity, understanding, and light.

Warm regards.

All are welcome.