Camp Kefli: Summer Fun with Your Jewish Friends!
August 9-13 & 16-20
Register Now!
For two weeks in late August, each morning is filled with the dynamic spirit of Temple Isaiah’s Camp Kefli. At Kefli, the day begins with excitement and anticipation. The Camp Kefli staff leads a wide range of programs that are appropriate to each age group from Kindergarten through 8th grade, filling our two one-week sessions with fun. Visit our website for all the details including our schedule of activities & online registration.
Wednesday Evening Summer Adult Education with Rabbi Greninger
Longing for Zion with Rabbi Nicki Greninger - July 28, 6:45-7:45 p.m.
Contemporary Issues in the State of Israel with Rabbi Nicki Greninger - July 28, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
These courses are free of charge. Visit our website for all the details.
Shelter Dinner Volunteer Cooks Needed
August 2 - September 10
Our Temple Isaiah family has committed to helping families in need at the Mountain View shelter in Martinez. We will provide dinner for approximately 20 people the week of Aug. 2 - 6 and Sept. 6 - 10 (we will not be making dinner on Weds. or Thurs. of that week because of Rosh Hashanah). We need participants to make a main dish, side dish or dessert and we also need drivers/servers. The food needs to be dropped off at the temple Social Hall kitchen by 5 pm on your assigned day. For menu details and to sign up, please email Kim Miller-Hershon at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 415-298-1470.
Annual Membership Commitment
Click here to fill out the online membership commitment form.
Now is the time to make your Membership Commitment for the 2010-11 fiscal year, which began on June 1st.
Your voluntary commitment remains the primary source of revenue for our synagogue. All of Temple Isaiah shares the same goal of keeping Temple Isaiah strong and our doors open to every person who seeks a spiritual home here, regardless of financial status. This means that those of us blessed with financial security need to consider whether it is possible, this year and in the next few years, to increase our voluntary annual commitment. Can this year be the time when you become a Golden Guardian or a Silver Supporter, doubling or tripling your financial commitment to Temple Isaiah following the lead of other generous members the past few years?
If every member with the financial means would commit to some new higher level as we make our pledges for this new fiscal year, we will be able to uphold the high standards we have set for ourselves as a community. Please consider increasing your commitment this year. Every additional commitment will make a difference in maintaining the current programs that benefit our community.
If you do require a reduction below the standard level in your commitment, please submit the commitment form to Michael Liepman, Executive Director. All requests will be handled with sensitivity and confidentiality. No one will be turned away because of inability to pay. We value your presence in our community!
Click here to fill out the online membership commitment form.
For additional information please contact Michael at 925-283-8575, extension 310 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
High Holy Days Tickets - Order Online Now
Tickets for High Holy Days 5771 are now available, and can be ordered online only. You must be a member of Temple Isaiah in good standing to receive your High Holy Days Tickets. Vist www.temple-isaiah.org/highholydays for the schedule of services and a link to the online form.
Sha-Bar-B-Q is Coming!
Friday, August 6
5:30 p.m. Young Family Pre-Service Picnic
6:30 p.m. Service followed by Potluck BBQ Dinner
Love got shabbat? Miss it in the summer? Is the Sha-Bar-B-Q dinner too late for your young kids? Come before the Sha-Bar-B-Q service with your family and enjoy a picnic dinner in the courtyard between the Talmud Torah Center and Temple House Building. Please bring your own picnic dinner. There is no need to RSVP for the picnic dinner. Just show up!
Join us for services in the amphitheater at 6:30 p.m. followed by a BBQ dinner. We’ll provide the burgers & veggie burgers, please bring a non-dairy salad or side dish to share.
RSVP to the post-service BBQ dinner by Thursday, August 5. Click here to RSVP online.
Sacred Hebrew Chanting & Healing Circle
Additional summer sessions: Monday, July 26th, 7:30 p.m. in the Beit Knesset, and Tuesday, August 23rd to be held off-site. Visit the Sacred Hebrew Chanting webpage for more information.
Letting Go of Anger: A Mystical Perspective on the High Holy Days with Rabbi Arthur Green
Thursday, August 12, 7:00 p.m. in the Beit Knesset
Art Green is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent authorities on Jewish thought and spirituality. Rabbi Green is a professor of Philosophy and Religion at Hebrew College in Newton Centre, Massachusetts and is Professor Emeritus at Brandeis University. Previously, he taught at the University of Pennsylvania and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where he served as Dean and President from 1984 to 1993. A prolific author, Dr. Green has published Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2002) and A Guide to the Zohar (Stanford University, 2003); his next book, Radical Judaism, is scheduled for publication by Yale University Press in 2010. He lectures widely at universities and Jewish communities throughout North America, as well as in Israel, where he visits each year. Dr. Green received his BA and PhD from Brandeis and an MHL and rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Taglit-Birthright Israel Registration Opens Sept. 14 - Get Priority
Applicants Referred by URJ Professionals Receive Priority
Share the Gift of Israel with Eligible 18-26 Year Olds
Winter/Spring trips will be offered in December, January, Febraury and March and we expect that registration will be closing very, very early this season—most probably within 24-48 hours of opening on September 14th. Accordingly, it is critical that applicants plan ahead to register on time. If a member of your family is eligible for the Taglit-Birthright Israel program, we will make sure that their application is handled with priority status so long as they sign-up with URJ Kesher. As a reminder, eligibility criteria are: Jewish, 18-26, and first time in Israel on a peer program. In order to be eligible for priority status you must let a member of Temple Isaiah’s clergy know of your intention to apply in order that we may place your name on the priority list.
Women of Isaiah Annual Kickoff Dinner
Save the Date! The Women of Isaiah Annual Kickoff Dinner takes place Monday, August 30.
More info to come.
Are you a parent raising Jewish children…but you’re not Jewish? Don’t do it alone!
The Parents Circle provides free education and support for men and women of other religious backgrounds who are raising Jewish children, and it is coming to Temple Isaiah this fall! The Parents Circle will meet approximately twice a month and will focus on Jewish rituals, ethics, and the how-to’s of creating a Jewish home. Come be a part of this warm and nurturing environment and feel empowered to take on the responsibility of raising Jewish children. Mothers and fathers in all family constellations are welcome, and participants do not have to be Temple Isaiah Members. For more information, please contact Rabbi Nicki Greninger at (925) 284-9191.
Personalized Jewish New Year Cards from The Women of Isaiah Gift Shop
20% discount on every order. Many styles to make your selection easy. Order by August 20th as Rosh Hashanah is September 8th. For assistance in placing an order, please call Robin Bateman 926-0445, Nancy Crevin 254-2234 or Lauri Granoff 376-2029.
Shelter Dinner Volunteer Cooks Needed
August 2 - September 10
Our Temple Isaiah family has committed to helping families in need at the Mountain View shelter in Martinez. We will provide dinner for approximately 20 people the week of Aug. 2 - 6 and Sept. 6 - 10 (we will not be making dinner on Weds. or Thurs. of that week because of Rosh Hashanah). We need participants to make a main dish, side dish or dessert and we also need drivers/servers. The food needs to be dropped off at the temple Social Hall kitchen by 5 pm on your assigned day. For menu details and to sign up, please email Kim Miller-Hershon at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 415-298-1470.
Oneg Shabbat - Every Member Contributes
Click here to sign-up for an Oneg date or make your $36 donation online.
Shabbat is a time of celebration. The Oneg following or preceding our service has become an integral part of our Shabbat experience at Temple Isaiah. We welcome this opportunity to share the spirit of community, greet friends and fellow congregants, meet new members, and enjoy delicious treats.
In order to continue with the warm and joyous Onegs we have shared in the past, each family is asked to do their part and help host at least one Oneg Shabbat every year. This duty involves providing desserts or appetizers, enough for 25 - 30 people. Our wonderful custodial staff will be on hand to set-up and plate the goodies and will stay to clean up at the end. All we need you to do is to bring the treats.
New Havurot Now Forming
A Havurah is a group of people from within the larger Temple community who gather together to form an extended ‘family’. Members decide together on activities and how often to meet. Havurot (plural for Havurah) may celebrate holidays and life cycle events, learn more about Jewish topics of interest, and perform mitzvot together.
Havurah events can be social, service-oriented, spiritual, study-based, or a combination of activities. Groups meet regularly in members’ homes (often monthly) or at other places such as the Temple, movies, museums, parks, etc. Members usually form lasting bonds by creating a caring and close community within Temple Isaiah. People within the Havurah become extended families. Some havurot at Temple Isaiah have been meeting together for over 30 years, sharing the significant moments of life.
Would you like to join a Havurah? New groups are now forming.
Click here to download the Havurah interest form. Return it to our office to get started.
Video Tour of the New Temple Isaiah Website
Temple Isaiah's Communications Director, Deb Phillips, takes you on a tour of Temple Isaiah's new website. This 15-minute tour covers site navigation and site highlights...