Erev Shabbat Friday, December 20 Growing Shabbat, 5:30 pm In Person @ Camp Solomon Schechter Our Growing Shabbat service is for all and geared specifically for families and children of all ages. Registration for Dinner and services at Camp Solomon Schechter has closed.
Shabbat Morning Saturday, December 21 Mussar, 10:00 am Online Please join us for Mussar Torah Study this Saturday. This week’s parashat is Vayeishev: Genesis 37:1 to 40:25. The middah or soul trait for this parashat is Rachamim - Compassion. This parashat presents us with stories that exemplify stunning acts of compassion but also glaring failures of kindness. Our study is from 10 AM to 11:30 AM on Zoom. Please join us. We are looking forward to being with you. - Michele & Richard Jackman. Zoom Information: Join Meeting>> Meeting ID: 878 6880 0830
THIS WEEK AT TBH
Board Meeting Wednesday, December 18, 6:00 pm Online
All TBH members are invited to attend monthly board meetings as guests. If you would like to request to be put on a board meeting agenda, please be in touch with your board representative or the board president in advance of the meeting.
Annual Warm Clothing Drive at TBH Through the end of December
Tis the season for the TBH annual warm clothing drive! We will collect warm winter clothing and blankets throughout the month of December. There are bins located in the hallway outside the social hall.
Our donations will be taken to the Saint Michael's Church clothing bank in January. We will also be accepting donations at the Fiddler On The Roof singalong on Christmas Day at the Olympia Film Society.
"Living Jewishly with Tzedakah" Canned Tuna Drive Through January
Bernie Friedman's fall Darchei Noam youth class "Living Jewishly with Tzedakah" is collecting cans of tuna for Thurston County Food Bank. Help us by bringing Tuna next time you come to TBH. Let's line our walls and window sills with Tuna. Tzedakah=Righteous.
Fiddler on the Roof at OFS Wednesday, December 25, 4:00 pm In Person @ Capitol Theatre
Temple Beth Hatfiloh and OFS present: Fiddler on the Roof + Coat and Blanket Drive + Costume Contest! The film tells the life-affirming story of Tevye (Topol), a poor milkman whose love, pride and faith help him face the oppression of turn-of-the-century czarist Russia. Come in costume! Temple Beth Hatfiloh will be holding a warm coat and blanket drive, so bring your donations to the theater the day of the movie!
Hanukkah Party Sunday, December 29, 6:00 pm In Person
Hanukkah Sameach! We are celebrating with our annual party, including latkes, crafts for the kids and menorah lighting with songs. Latke makers, craft helpers, and set-up volunteers need: no experience is necessary, just a willingness to help. Reach out to Catherine at beitseifer@bethhatfiloh.org if you are available! Remember to bring your menorah and candles to light.
Winter Darchei Noam Trimester Registration is Open Sundays, starting January 5 In Person
Register your kids for the Winter Trimester of our Darchei Noam program. This trimester includes course options like Weaving Connections, Like a Prayer, Living the Parsha, and more! Register here>>
Winter Trimester Adult Education Registration is Open! Learn Torah Trope with Rabbi Seth Starts Sunday, January 5, 2:40 pm (6 sessions through March) In Person
The course is offered over in-person 6 sessions. Meeting Dates: January 5, 12 & 26, February 2 & 23, March 2
Do you want to learn how the chant from the Torah? It is a wonderful way to deepen your relationship with our sacred text while also developing the skills to serve the community as a ba’al koreh (“Torah reader”). Over six sessions you will learn the system of cantillation. Basic reading knowledge of Hebrew (decoding—not necessarily understanding) required. Register>>
Trampled Manuscripts: The Lost Klezmer Music of the An-ski Expeditions Tuesday, January 14, 7:00 pm In Person
A chance encounter in Tokyo in 2017 led to the sharing of a unique corpus of klezmer music manuscripts from the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine that haven’t seen the light of day in about a century.
Over the last five years, volunteers around the world have worked together to digitally notate and translate these manuscripts. This concert is an adventure in creative engagement with this previously unknown treasure trove of Ashkenazic musical heritage.
The program is co-created by Christina Crowder in collaboration with Shpilkis trombonist Jimmy Austin, Violinist Mae Kessler, and additional featured guests from the Seattle klezmer world. Together we’re exploring S. An-ski’s radical vision that the folklore of the Jewish people is an oral Torah as important as the Talmud of the sages, which inspired his ethnographic expeditions between 1912-1914 and created the backdrop for An-ski’s most famous work, The Dybbuk. An-ski hoped that the Jewish people would become Zamlers (collectors) who would continue to engage with Ashkenazic folklore as a living, breathing legacy. We invite you to join our “community expedition” into this extraordinary discovery!
The TBH Immigrant and Refugee Support Task Force met for the first time in several years to begin planning for upcoming challenges to the immigrant community. If you would like to join the Task Force contact Rabbi Seth to be put on the email list.
You don’t have to join the Task Force to get involved. You can also join the TBH Immigration Justice Action Alert email list by contacting Nancy Snyder at nancy_snyder@comcast.net Occasional emails are sent out when there is a call for taking action: from contacting public officials to contributing to projects or organizations, to showing up for a rally.
The Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice is one source for information and action. JCIJ builds a Jewish voice in the Pacific Northwest advancing immigrant justice and domestic policy, following the leadership of the impacted communities.
You can sign up to receive the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice monthly newsletter by email by going to their website https://www.jewishcoalition.org/ (Scroll down to the bottom to find the sign up). You can also read it once a month in the TBH weekly email. There are opportunities to volunteer with JCIJ as well.
Homelessness Task Force
TBH is adoption a New Horizon Communities Tiny Home in 2025, thanks to a contribution from these donors:
Bob Godwin Toby Brown Mark Kaufman Nancy Snyder & Gary Schneider Robert Perretz-Rosales Stephanie Ehinger Barnett Kalikow & Melinda Holman Debra Walter Yona Makowski Gail Pollock Heidi Knadel Michele & Richard Jackman Tyra Lindquist Norma & Charles Shelan Craig Wallace & Lori Kishimoto Elizabeth Siegel & John Browning
Marna Sapsowitz Pam Margon Michael Blum & Susan Rosen Gidon Bach Lucy Winter Eleanor Kinn Bruce Silverman & Courtney Nevitt Marilyn Gisser Harriet Strasberg & Steve Hodes Janet Roller David & Felicia Hanig Linda Rubin Rabbi Seth Goldstein & Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg Terry Lonsberry Pam Turlove Scott Royer
FROM THE OFFICE
Member Post-Op Meals Requested
A new member to TBH, Andy, is having surgery at the end of this month and has requested meal support as they go through their recovery! Since they live in Grays Harbor, we will be collecting frozen meals at TBH through the next few weeks, and that way they can transport them all at once. From Andy: "I would absolutely love it if someone would be willing to make matzo ball soup as that is my most favorite comfort food." Since TBH is the collection site, the synagogue's food policies for vegetarian food (and some fish dishes) will be followed. Please reach out to Kayla to arrange drop off!
We are Hiring!
TBH is hiring a part-time Administrative Program Assistant! This is a 15 hour per week position with some annual flex time for peak seasons. The Administrative Program Assistant provides on-site administrative support to staff and lay leaders to further TBH’s mission to be a center for Jewish life in the South Sound. See the full job description here. Interested individuals should submit a resume and cover letter to tbh@bethhatfiloh.org.
Share your Torah Thoughts!
Each week we have the opportunity to share thoughts and teachings about the weekly Torah portion as part of our services. And we want to hear your wisdom! Rabbi Seth invites you to deliver a d’var Torah at an upcoming service, no experience necessary—and he can help you craft your message. (Also look for a d’var Torah workshop over the summer). If you are interested, sign up here.
5785 Fall Giving Campaign
Your gift today ensures a bright year for our Jewish community in Olympia in 5785.
Our Fall Giving Campaign will close December 31st. Our goal is to raise $36,000—double chai!
Thanks to our generous donors, we have already raised $28,000!
Anonymous Donors Marcela Abadi Joseph K Aptaker Sam Armour Ava Asher and Daniel Gruber Jim Bamberger and Nancy Eastham Brandon Barnes in honor of Kris Barnes Patricia Bartley Edie Bean Mitch Becker Dahlia Bernal Jeff, Ericka, Madeline Birkenstein Simone Boe Denise & James Brennan in honor Celia, Eugene, and Cheryl Blonder Lisa Brodoff & Lynn Grotsky in memory of Raven Lidman
Frances Caplan Thomas Carr & Wren Wolf George Chappell & Lynne Alfasso David Deitz & Donna Landry James Dolliver Maxine Dunkelman & Raymond Philen Cheryl Duryea Larry Dzieza Daniel & Jean Farber Sylvia Fox Ann Frankel Bernie Friedman & Emily Chadwick Will Gallin Leopold Gendelman Karen Gibson Marilyn Gisser Debra Glasser Robert Godwin Jay Goldstein & Jill Rosenkrantz Karen & Alan Goldstein Rabbi Seth Goldstein & Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg Sue Goldstein Jessi & Donna Goodman in memory of Ron David Goodman (Eliezer David Ben Yitzhak) Rick Hahn Ann & Timothy Hartman Charlene Healy Frank Herman Laura Hurtado-Webb Diane & Laurence Istvan Kayla & Andrew Iverson Richard & Michele Jackman Katie Johnson Maggie Jekel-Penn & William Penn Ricki Kahn Rebecca Kamen in memory of Alan R. Kamen Mark Kaufman Juli Kelen Lori Kishimoto & Craig Wallace Kassie Koledin Michael & Ricki Koppel Diane Kurzyna & Alan Reichman
Michael Krasnokutsky & Mariya Raginsky in honor of Eugenia Bonnie Lambert in honor of Morris Schertz Andy Levitt Russell Lidman in honor of Daniel Farber Deborah Loomis Robert Lovitt Keith Mars Susan Mayer in honor of Sarah Feldman Nicklaus McHendry Traci & Jared Moran Zoe Myers Margaret Okamoto Nicholas & Sandra Parker Helene & Paul Paroff in honor of Rabbi Seth Larry & Susan Poplack Amy Posner Stephen Posner Nancy Powell & Paul Kirschner Jeffery Reiner & Susanne White in memory of Marvin Reiner Janet Roller Suzanne Rose Linda Rubin Edith Rutel Gary Schneider & Nancy Snyder Samantha & Nik Schrader Diana Schwartz in honor of Donald Schwartz Charles & Norma Shelan Theresa Silva Suzanne Simons Brad Smith in honor of Rabbi Seth and Lydia Beth Leimbach Cynthia Spencer Oscar & Barbara Soule in memory of Michael D. Moore Leif Syversen Michael Tobias Len Trabka Raphael Venegas Sarah Weiss & Gordon Pabst The Extended Weiss Family Nancy West Dana Wilcox Joan Wirth Carl & Ellen Wolfhagen Daniel Zeitlin
Sidney Shapiro Kathryn Dole Robert Madlem Sidney Schwartz Diana Connors Schilling Richard Schneider Robert Madlem George Hoffman Evelyn Bean Bercovitz Arlene Glantz Edward Granville "Ted" Strange Steve Charak Rosemary Coufal Terry Jo Parker Margaret Barnes Pearl Rubin Helene Grossman Iris Karger C. William Chappell Ron Stein Michael Brocha Helen Stein Robert Haynes Jr Jeremiah Ruben Albert Tenenbaum Charlie Burge Esther Oksengorn Beatrice Kalikow Roberta Nelson
Happy Birthday!
18 Mark Weiss 19 Liz Prince 19 Maila Putnam 20 Michael Blum 20 Kassie Koledin 22 Nicholas Parker 23 Diana Schwartz
Yahrtzeit Updates & Additions
Members are able to view, edit, and add Yahrtzeits on the member portal of the TBH website here (requires log in). If you need assistance, please feel free to send any updates to tbh@bethhatfiloh.org.
COMMUNITY EVENTS/RESOURCES: Note: These are not necessarily officially sponsored or endorsed by TBH, but they are listed as they have Jewish content and/or may be of interest to our community.
Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle: Jewish Community Advocacy Email List
Join the Jewish Community Advocacy Email List to receive opportunities to get engaged or take action to support our Jewish community and Jewish communal priorities! Advocacy work can be time-sensitive and this list is the best way to ensure you receive all action alerts from the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Sign up now, ahead of January’s start of the legislative session, to ensure your voice is heard and be a critical leader in our community’s advocacy!
Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle: Applications Now Open! Camp Scholarships & First-Time Camper Grants Apply by January 17
Camp fosters independence, lifelong friendships, and a deep connection to Jewish life. Through songs, sports, and outdoor adventures, campers discover what Judaism means to them. Invest in your child’s future today! Children who attend Jewish summer camp are more likely to join synagogues, support Jewish causes, and become future community leaders. Learn more>>
Temple Beth Hatfiloh, 201 8th Ave SE, Olympia, WA 98501
