HAPPY 5773!

Sep 10

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RABBI DAVID SIRULL (Augusta, GA) says:
“Why doesn’t anyone ever send out Jewish New Year cards anymore?! Well, I don’t either. Figured it was time to come up with another way of wishing my loved ones a Shana Tovah (Happy Jewish New Year) so here’s my video greeting — Because It’s Rosh Hashanah!”
Feel free to forward it to your friends if you have the same dilemma.
Words and Music by David Sirull
Video Produced by Bryton Entertainment in North Augusta, SC

Posted in 2012, Ram's Horn

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RJ’S INSIDER’S GUIDE TO COLLEGE LIFE NOW AVAILABLE

Sep 6

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For Aitz Chaim’s high school students, choosing a college is a big decision, from finding the right school, to getting into their dream school, to financial aid.

Let the RJ help!

Reform Judaism, the world’s largest circulated Jewish magazine (and a URJ publication free to members of affiliated congregations), has partnered with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, in creating The RJ Insider’s Guide to College Life. This guide (you can also click on the cover to start reading) is a great place to begin or further your students’ search for the right college and help answer some of those big questions. Help your students learn about schools with the 60 largest Jewish communities, top 20 by percentage of Jews, active local Reform/Egalitarian services, Jewish studies majors and so much more, including:

  • Getting In: What the Experts Say
  • How to Grow as a Jew, Your Way
  • Financial Aid: Secrets of Success

The Guide is available both digitally, at reformjudaismmag.org/fall_2012 and in print, in the center section of Reform Judaism magazine’s Fall 2012 edition, reaching homes now.

With our warmest wishes for a new year filled with sweetness,

Joy Weinberg, Managing Editor

Reform Judaism magazine

 

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COME CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR WITH US!

Sep 5

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It is almost time for Rosh Hashanah! I hope that your new year will be as sweet as apples and honey.

Congregation Aitz Chaim will be again marking the year 5773 with our observance of the High Holy Days, led this year by Student Rabbi Miriam Farber. Please join us for a “meet the rabbi” dairy potluck and discussion at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, September 15 at the Bethel Lutheran Church, 1009 18th Ave SW in Great Falls. Erev Rosh Hashanah services will begin at 7 p.m. on Sunday, September 16 at the Bethel. Rosh Hashanah morning services will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, September 17 at the Bethel, with our annual observance of Tashlich to follow at Giant Springs.

Erev Yom Kippur services, also led by Student Rabbi Farber, will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 25 at the Bethel, with Yom Kippur morning services beginning at 10a.m. on Wednesday, September 26. A milchig (dairy) potluck break-the-fast meal will follow Nei’lah (closing evening services) on Wednesday evening. We hope you can join us for our observance of the High Holy Days.

L’Shana Tova Tiketavu

Posted in 2012, Events, Planning, Ram's Horn

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2012 Shabbaton in Billings Registration Form

Sep 5

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Preserving Torah – Nourishment for Jewish Mind, Body & Soul

October 19-21, 2012
REGISTRATION
Please register at
WWW.cbamt.org
or by printing this
form and mailing it to:
Congregation Beth Aaron
P.O. Box 187
Billings, MT 59103
Deadline for registration is October 15, 2012.
Name (s): _________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Address: __________________________________
__________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________
Email: _____________________________________
Fees including all events and meals
Adults ________ @ $54 ea. = $ ___________
Age 12 & over
Children ______ @ $18 ea. = $ ____________
Age 5 – 11
Children under 5 are free
Donation $ ___________
For those who cannot afford the costs,
scholarships are available.
TOTAL $ ___________
Please make checks payable to:
Congregation Beth Aaron
ACCOMMODATIONS
The Billings Hotel and Convention Center has set up a
block of rooms for Shabbaton attendees. The cost is
$89 + tax per night. Contact them at 1-800-537-7286
and mention group code CBA12. They are only holding
the rooms until October 5th.
Parking is available at Congregation Beth Aaron for RVs
but there are no hookups.
If you would like to stay with a member of Congregation
Beth Aaron, please either call us by October 12th at
(406) 248-6412 and leave a message or contact us via
email at
cbabilllings@yahoo.com
and we will do our
best to accommodate you.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
All events will be held at Congregation Beth Aaron. We
are located at 2031 Broadwater – behind St V’s Walk-in
Clinic.
FRIDAY
Registration opens at 5:00
6:30 Kabblat Shabbat Service followed by an Oneg
Shabbat hosted by Congregation Beth Aaron
SATURDAY
8:00 Outdoor Activity
10:00 Torah Service
12:00 Lunch
1:30-3:30 Scribal Arts with Neil Yerman
Residing in New York, Neil Yerman is a sofer, a person
who writes and restores Torah scrolls. Sofer Yerman’s
educational focus is to foster a love for both the
physical Torah and for the letters of wisdom it contains.
He is skilled in the art of Gematria (Jewish numerology)
and uses this technique and its Kabbalistic
underpinnings, when appropriate, to open up new
worlds of meaning and understanding of the Torah,
Jewish life, Jewish living, and the universal concepts of
peace, justice, and tikkun olam—the healing of the
world.
4:00-5.00 Your choice of activities:
Israeli Folk Dancing with Sonia Chessin
Born and raised in Missoula, but frequently visiting
relatives on both coasts, Sonia grew up dancing both
international and American folk dancing. She
performed for many years in a Missoula based folk
dance group and has danced throughout the US and in
Europe, including Romania.
OR
4:00-5:00 Strengthening our Congregation with Sandy
Voit
What are the greatest challenges and concerns you
encounter in your congregation? Join us for the
opportunity to share your congregation’s concerns.
Then together we will prioritize topics and collaborate
to identify resources and solutions.
Sandy Voit was the Executive Director of Temple Beth
Am in Seattle for over five years. He was a Senior
Member and board member of the National Association
of Temple Administrators, and has presented
workshops on topics such as Human Resources,
Facilities and Systems Management, Budgets, Program
Development, Board Development, etc. Sandy currently
is a Financial Counselor, and owner of Tangible
Solutions
(www.tangiblesolution.net).
You can reach
him at
sandyvoit@gmail.com.
5:30 Dinner followed by Havdalah
7:00-9:00 Preserving the Torah with Neil Yerman
According to Jewish tradition, there are 613
commandments, the last of which is to write a Torah.
Participate in what for most of us will be an once-in-a-
lifetime experience. Under the guidance of Sofer Neil
Yerman, pick up the feathered quill and fulfill the
Mitzvah of writing a Torah.
SUNDAY
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Protecting Your Sacred Space with Sandy Voit
Join us for a discussion of how to evaluate your
congregation’s security efforts. Learn about methods
and procedures to provide security and receive and find
resources you can employ at your congregation. We go
to services to pray and stay to socialize, expecting to
relax and feel safe. How can we safeguard our sacred
space and our congregants?
10:00-11:00 MAJCO Business Meeting

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MORTY AND SELMA .. JOKE

Aug 27

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Morty and Selma, an elderly couple, were driving across the country. The woman was driving when she got pulled over by the highway patrol.
The officer said, “Ma’am, did you know you were speeding?”
Selma, hard of hearing, turned to her husband and asked, “What did he say?”
Morty yelled, “He says you were speeding!”
The patrolman said, “May I see your license?”
Selma turned to her husband once again and asked, “What did he say?”
Morty yelled, “He wants to see your license!”
Selma gave the officer her license. The patrolman then said, “I see you are from New York. I spent some time there once and went on a blind date with the most annoying woman I’ve ever met.”
Selma turned to her husband and asked, “What did he say?”
Morty yelled, “He said he thinks he knows you!”

Posted in 2012, Joke, Ram's Horn

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PIZZA AND PANCAKES — JOKES

Aug 10

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A college pizza delivery boy named Larry arrived at the house of Shmuel. After taking the pizza from him, Smuel asked: “What is the usual tip?”
“Well,” replied Larry, “this is my first trip here, but the other guys say if I get a quarter out of you, I’ll be doing great.”
“Is that so?” snorted Shmuel. “Well, just to show them how wrong they are, here’s five dollars.”
“Thanks,” replied Larry, “I’ll put this in my school fund.”
“What are you studying in school?” asked Shmuel.
Larry smiled and said: “Applied psychology.”

Pancakes and Principles
Rebbetzin Epstein was preparing pancakes for her young sons. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. The Rebbetzin saw this as an opportunity for a moral lesson. “If our great teacher Moses were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my fellow man have the first pancake. I can wait.'”

The oldest boy said, “You’re right Mom.” He then turned to his younger brother and said, “You can be Moses.”

Posted in 2012, Joke, Ram's Horn

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HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO BE ON THE AITZ CHAIM BOARD?

Well, now’s your chance.

The Election of officers for the year 2012-2013 will take place between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Up for re-election are Aaron (treasurer), Nadyne (secretary), Bruce (Vice-President), and Stuart (board member at large.) Any member of the congregation in good standing who is interested in running for any of these positions is welcome to throw his or her hat into the ring.

The Secretary and Treasurer positions are directly elected by the congregation, and the other positions are at-large board seats. The Vice President and President are chosen from the board, by the board, at the beginning of each fiscal year.

Ballots will be distributed before Rosh Hashanah and tabulated and announced during the break-the-fast after Yom Kippur.

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JULY 2012 BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

Aug 9

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Here is a summary of the Aitz Chaim board meeting, held the evening of July 12, 2012.

  • UGF CLASS – Marty reported that the UGF Outreach class scheduled for the fall needs eight people to enroll in order for GFHA to receive any remuneration. Wendy Weissman is the official class instructor, but Laurie Franklin, who is in Israel, will actually lead the class. The cost of the class is $450.00 per student.
  • ELECTIONS — The Election of officers for the year 2012-2013 will take place between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Laura will distribute, collect, and tabulate the ballots. Up for re-election are Aaron, Nadyne, Bruce, and Stuart.
  • CEMETERY DISCUSSION — A cemetery committee was formed, consisting of Jerry Weissman, Marty Foxman and Stuart Lewin, who will be available for legal advice if necessary. We will need a Policy for each cemetery. Requests have been received to purchase plots in the old cemetery. A Cemetery clean-up Day was scheduled for Saturday, September 15th at 1:00 P.M. Jerry, Stuart, and Marty will go out to the cemetery beforehand and determine where the graves are and what needs to be done. Anyone with a weed eater, a lawn mower, or a willingness to help is welcome to join us.
  • A motion passed to create a restricted Cemetery Maintenance Fund and draft rules for the use of such funds.
  • Old “Eaton Road” Cemetery — Marty has been doing some research about the location and history of the cemetery. He dug up some information from the County Treasurer’s office, including the original deed for the property. A copy of the deed is in the Aitz Chaim Treasurer’s files. Following a lengthy discussion, it was decided that the first step should be to hire a land surveyor and an appraiser to determine the boundaries of the cemetery. Stuart knows someone and will ask if this person is willing to do the job. Someone was going to check with the historical society to see if they have any information on who is buried in the cemetery, as well as any previous surveyor work done there. Aaron will attempt to locate any rules/regulations/laws promulgated by the State of Montana having to do with the operation of a cemetery.
  • Treasurer’s report — Thanks to Steve Boyd and Aaron Weissman, the car donated by Evelyn Kelman has been sold. The new owner is very pleased with his purchase.

    The congregation will end the fiscal year modestly in the black. This is due to our limited schedule for the year, as well as some very prudent airfare purchases by Don Cherry. The board approved a proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2013 (5773.)

    Aaron will send a letter on behalf of the board to all congregants around the time of Rosh Hashanah inviting them to renew their membership and dues in the congregation.

    There was a discussion on Authorization of investment of the Building Fund, and it was decided that for the present time, because of uncertainty in the financial world, the Building Fund should stay where it is. The Board should revisit the account and the issue during the next year.

  • 2012/2013 planning/schedule
    New student rabbi-Meriam Farber – In addition to the High Holidays, Miriam will be coming to GFHA three times during the 2012-13 year. The dates are still tentative, however, the Board was thinking about November 17th, 2012, March 2013 and May 10 or 17, 2013. Laura will check the dates with the Rabbi, and will also ask her if GFHA needs to hire musicians for Kol Nidre.

    To welcome Miriam, the congregation will have a pot luck and adult discussion on Saturday, September 15th. Miriam’s schedule will be as follows:

    • Sunday Brunch – Nadyne & Jerry Weissman
    • Sunday dinner (prior to services) – Helen & Don Cherry

      • Miriam will leave Great Falls following Rosh Hashannah services, and will return for Yom Kippur on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 25-26. Stuart and Max Weissman will be responsible for blowing the Shofar.

      >/ul>

        HOLIDAY PLANNING

      • High Holy days (beginning September 16, 2012) – same schedule as in the past.
      • Sukkot will be from the evening of Sunday, September 30, through Sunday, October 7.
      • The MAJCO Shabbaton will be the week end of October 19-21 in Billings. Aitz Chaim congregants wishing to take part in the Shabbaton should register no later than October 15.
      • Passover – March 26, 2013. Aaron will book the O’Haire for the second night Seder.

Posted in 2012, Board, Ram's Horn

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Congratulations to Bridge Club Members

Aug 7

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Today’s Great Falls Tribune (page M1, August 7) reports on the recent Big Sky Duplicate Bridge Club tournament.  Congratulations to congregants Don and Helen Cherry and Arleen Heintzelman and Henry Nemec for their results in this tournament!

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Montana Celebrates Hadassah’s 100th Birthday

Aug 7

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Would love to have you join us for our Hadassah Centennial Celebration on Aug. 12.  Please pass this invitation on to anyone you think might be interested.  We have a wonderful evening planned with food, fun, friends and a stimulating presentation by Bruce Barrett, Northwest Regional AIPAC Director and former Law Professor, about Henrietta Szold, the founding of Hadassah, and its place in Israel’s history.  For more information feel free to contact Kay Gersh at gershkmt@gmail.com.

100 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A GALA CELEBRATION

AT THE RISING SUN BISTRO

KALISPELL

SUNDAY, AUG 12, 6:30 P.M.

PLEASE R.S.V.P. BY AUG. 1

PATTY SCHNALL  forbesave@gmail.com

837-7214

MINIMUM DONATION $36 PER PERSON

 PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT THE NEW HOSPITAL TOWER

IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND BUT WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A

DONATION OF ANY AMOUNT PLEASE SEND CHECKS MADE OUT TO “HADASSAH” TO:

KAY GERSH

PO BOX 487

    WHITEFISH MT. 59937

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