Brotherhood

Message from Meeka to all Brotherhood Members

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:19:00 GMT

All - JH here, passing along a very kind message from Meeka: Jonathan; I am writing from home, so I don't have access to all of Brotherhood's e-mail addresses; can you please forward the message below? Dearest Bro'hood members: My intense schooling trip to LA was shortened by one day (hooray!), so I decided to use this golden opportunity and attend Friday evening service, as a participant. I really want to thank each and every one of Brotherhood members who took part in creating the service (consider the following an individual 'on-line-hug'): I think the Brotherhood did an AMAZING job yesterday: everything went so smoothly, all who took part in reading/singing/speeching contributed to our spiritual experience. It was so wonderful for me to simply be there with our congregants and have the opportunity to daven (pray). I really felt so proud of our temple and brotherhood members, what a treat! Yasher ko'ach (bravo! nice work!) everyone, and thank you for allowing me to have such an uplifting experience. Viva la testosterone! 8-) Meeka (or as Rabbi Magat calls me, Erev Cantor....)

Brotherhood Update- Hello from your President

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:07:00 GMT

Shalom Brothers: Thank you for the vote of confidence in electing me as your Brotherhood president. Im looking forward to continuing in the great tradition of our past presidents. Together we will build on Brotherhoods tremendous successes with a diverse calendar of events that appeals to all our members, are fun and strengthens our Temple. We will continue to sponsor our popular programs like the Diaspora Dinner, Game Night and the Distinguished Speaker series while simultaneously offering a variety of exciting programs like an August beach party. Our vice president of programs, Jonathan Hirshon, will be forwarding you a letter this week outlining the events we have planned for the next two months. The Board for the coming year will be: * President- Bob Levy * Treasurer- Steve Reiss * Secretary- Jeff Marsh * Vice President of Temple Services- John Nemec * Vice President of Membership- Bob Hansen * Vice President of Programs- Jonathan Hirshon * Vice President of Fund Raising- Mort Berlant On behalf of the Board, we look forward to working with you to promote a Brotherhood we can all be proud of. If you have any ideas on how Brotherhood can help the Temple or the community do not hesitate to contact me. Bob Levy <phone and email removed>

Brotherhood Update - 2 Upcoming Events + 1 Housekeeping Email Detail

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:55:00 GMT

Gentlemen - we have two upcoming events that I hope you will consider attending! :) First, the Zen meditation workshop still has openings, and sounds like an amazing series - it runs May 14 from 6:30 - 8 PM and May 21 from 7:30 - 9 PM. Cost is $20 for Brotherhood members - a steal and this is a wonderful opportunity to learn a new approach to reducing stress and discovering how to relax. Deadline for RSVPs is tomorrow, May 8 - RSVP to Marci Gerston at <email removed> - do NOT reply back to this email, we have turned off the brotherhood email address temporarily to deal with some serious spam issues. Second - Brotherhood needs you for our upcoming Diaspora Dinner on May 31 at 6 PM - RSVPs have been very low so far (surprisingly) and I want to encourage you to please try and attend - the food is magnificent (I am disclosing the menu to help nudge some of you to attend) and all the profits from this help support Brotherhood. Please do try and attend if you can - details are below. RSVP to Dave Graubart at <email removed> - again, please do not reply back to this email as it will bounce. I hope to see you all there - details below. :) cheers, J (off to London on Friday) H Well, once again the seasons have turned - there is more than a hint of Summer in the air, the cherry blossoms have come and gone and the next Diaspora Dinner is ready to accept your reservations! :) I am pleased to announce that the theme of Diaspora Dinner XV is the Ottoman Empire! Your tastebuds will be regaled with a host of different flavours, originating in Turkey and spreading like that ancient empire to Greece, Lebanon, Bulgaria, Romania and others! As is consistent with the Diaspora Dinner theme, all will be made to obsessive levels of authenticity and will (we hope) surpass your always high expectations of us. In addition, to keep with our theme, there will be no 'Appetizer' or 'Main Dish' course - instead, a series of Mezzes, or small plates will delight you, course after course after course - 5 in total, including a truly exceptional dessert course! The menu - subject to change is: Course 1: Trio of Dips with Turkish-style Pita Greek Skordalia, Lebanese Hummus bi Tahini and Syrian Muhamara; Romanian Mitteti (grilled beef sausages) Course 2: Greek Avgolemono Egg-Lemon Soup with Pureed Vegetables and Dill Course 3: Badridzhani Mtsvanilit (Georgian Herbed Eggplant Salad), Turkish Circassian Chicken Salad, Moroccan Tuna Salad with Chermoula Course 4: Turkish Manti (tortellini) with Bulgarian Tarator Sauce, Georgian Lamb Basturma with Green Tkemali Sauce Course 5: Greek Galaktoboureko square, garnished with Turkish Delight and Seasonal Fruits We use the profits from this program to the benefit of Temple Emanu-El. We sincerely hope you will join us on Saturday, May 31 from 6 - 9 PM for our traditional feast and multimedia presentation on the fascinating Jewish history of this diverse and expansive empire. This is one of the richest areas in Jewish history, and includes tales of great heroism and new beginnings, as well as at least one tragic ending for Jewish life in the region. Cost per seat is $49 for non-Brotherhood members and $40 for Brotherhood members - and will include unique beverages and wine. For an additional $18 per person, our resident Sommelier will exquisitely match the finest regional wines to each course. For those of you who have attended a Diaspora Dinner, you know there is no greater bargain for the quality of food, wine and presentation (not to mention the learning experience). There will of course be our raffle at the end of the Dinner as well - hundreds of $ in prizes will be raffled off, including at least one electronics item guaranteed to be of great excitement to all. :) Get your checks in early - these Dinners consistently sell out and we expect nothing different from this one - we will cap the guest list at 80 and we count reservations only upon reception of your check. Please make checks out to Temple Emanu-El Brotherhood and mail c/o Brotherhood to: Temple Emanu-El, 1010 University Avenue, San Jose, CA 95126. Again, your seat is not guaranteed until we receive your check, so please get them to us ASAP - a number of people have already pre-paid for this dinner, and there are thus fewer than usual available seats. The Mercury News calls the Diaspora Dinner one of the hottest tickets in Silicon Valley - and they are right. General publicity on this will go out next week, so you are getting a headstart on everyone else - be sure you take advantage of it! :) I look forward to seeing you at this next installment of our Dinner series - with best regards, Jonathan

Past President of Brotherhood Passed

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:06:00 GMT

Stuart L. Sandelman June 14, 1925 - April 28, 2008 - Beloved husband of Pearl, whom he met in high school, they were married over 61 years. Stuart was a former Brotherhood President and I hope you will join me in mourning his passing. Obituary and funeral details are at <a href="http://www.legacy.com/mercurynews/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=108672455">http://www.legacy.com/mercurynews/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=108672455</a> -Jonathan

Brotherhood Update - April 25, 2008

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:29:00 GMT

Greetings and Chag Sameach Pesach to you all - a quick and happy update related to our meeting this Sunday. In consulting with Rabbi, we have confirmed that the Reform movement celebrates the end of Pesach on Sat evening - *not* Sunday as in the Conservative side of the house. This means there *will* be bagels and quite the feast it will be - come join the rest of the leaven-starved brothers for the break-fast, as it were. If you are planning to come and haven't responded to the evite, just reply back to me so I can be sure we have enough food for everyone. I will guarantee a particularly lavish spread this month, so come and come hungry. :) Lots of good and important items on the slate for this meeting - including officer nomination for our next fiscal year starting July 1 and some bylaw changes. If you have any gripes about me or anyone else on the Brotherhood Board, this is the meeting to air them and begin preparations to vote us off into the sunset! ;) Conversely, should you be for some reason overly enamoured of our current officers, this too is a good place to give us feedback and suggestions. We also need to nominate some people for awards - this also is a good reason to show up for this meeting, in case you get selected! ;) We will also discuss upcoming events for the Summer, describe a truly innovative Zen meditation event organized by Alan Weissberger and recount with pride our 3rd-straight victory over the brothers at Shir Hadash in our annual challenge last month. This was no picnic, let me tell you - for all the trash talk, these guys were REALLY GOOD at bocce - it was a worthy contest, and one I am proud we triumphed in. We will also get the Brotherhood Dinner Club rolling once more - details at the meeting! :) If you haven't yet gotten your reservation in for Diaspora Dinner XV, the Jews of the Ottoman Empire - make haste, we are a month away! Brotherhood members get a $9 discount for their reservations ($40 total cost) - but we cap reservations at 80, so it is first come, first served! Include your annual Brotherhood dues for next fiscal year starting in July with your paid reservation and get $15 in free raffle tickets (3 in total) - hundreds of $ in prizes will be raffled off at the Dinner, including an Apple iPod and many more items - and you don't have to be present to win! If you choose not to come to the Diaspora Dinner but want those raffle tickets, mail your 2008-2009 membership to Temple today, care of Brotherhood and we will include you via 3 raffle numbers tied to your name - just send us the check by no later than May 26. At the meeting on Sunday, we can also discuss plans and ideas for next year's platform and themes - in other words, this is a meeting you REALLY WANT TO COME TO. :) Again, just email me if you plan to be there and haven't responded to the evite. I hope to see you all there - the leavening is at hand! ;) cheers, J (co-prez) H

Former Brotherhood President's Wife Passes Away - Funeral Details

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 03:42:00 GMT

All - it is with great sadness that I report the death of Gayle Lutvak, the wife of former Brotherhood President Mark Lutvak. Details on the funeral follow, for those who wish to attend: The funeral for Gayle H. Lutvak (Golde Bas Hannah) will be: 1:30 PM Sunday, February 24th, 2008 at Gahn Ha'Zeekaron located at: Skylawn Cemetery 10600 Skylawn Drive (Hwy. 92 and Skylawn) Our prayers go out to the entire Lutvak family for their loss.

Important Brotherhood Message - Please Read

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:23:00 GMT

All - one important correction and some really cool news. :) First the correction - in my previous message, I mistakenly put the wrong date for the Brotherhood Dinner outing this month - the Korean restaurant outing is this Thursday evening at 7 - NOT WEDNESDAY. Put it down to the concussion. Second - I am delighted to inform you that our Brotherhood Distinguished Speaker Series is going to be on the evening news tonight! :) NBC 11 news at 6 will be interviewing Curtis Sliwa via satellite from New York City as he talks about this Saturday's event. Teaser is at <a href="http://www.nbc11.com/news/15344192/detail.html">http://www.nbc11.com/news/15344192/detail.html</a> Considering that Synagogues usually make the evening news when neo-Nazis are running rampant or a Temple is desecrated, it's nice to have us on the news in a positive light. :) In addition, we have finalized the last two speakers - one is Cora Tomalinas, a member of the Mayor's Anti-Gang task force and one amazing woman - see her bio here: <a href="http://www.tcwf.org/leadership_awards/ca_peace_prize/2007/biographies.htm">http://www.tcwf.org/leadership_awards/ca_peace_prize/2007/biographies.htm</a> Ms. Tomalinas is a senior member of PACT - which Emanu-El just joined with financial help from Brotherhood. Ms. Tomalinas sadly could not make the NBC interview, but I informed Matt Hammer, the top man at PACT about the opportunity to see if he could arrange an alternate interview so PACT can get some publicity as well. The second speaker is an example of a man who has dedicated himself to helping others while using his troubled past to best advantage. I speak of Pastor Robert Rios, who is part of a Christian ministry dedicated to facilitating a truce among San Jose's gangs and giving them a second chance to turn their lives around. The Mercury News article that prompted me to invite him is here: <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/portal/ci_8258477?_loopback=1">http://www.mercurynews.com/portal/ci_8258477?_loopback=1</a> Pastor Rios is also being interviewed on tonight's newscast. The author of the Rios article has informed me he is asking the top editors of the paper to assign a reporter specifically to cover the Saturday night event. This means we could make the paper a second time. :) I will also be trying to arrange more TV coverage the day before and the day of the event. The bottom line is this: Our speaking event has become a seriously big deal for San Jose - it's free, it's historic and you should be there. :) Please do RSVP if you haven't already - and hang on, it's going to be a great ride. ;) Cheers, J (co-Prez) H

Brotherhood Update - February 16, 2007

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:40:00 GMT

Gentlemen - first off, my apologies for the length of time between now and my last communique - it's been a crazy few weeks not helped by the fact that I was involved at the receiving-end of a 3-car pileup on 880 last week. I'm pretty much ok - banged up, but mobile thanks to some rest and Vicodin. A few more days and hopefully I'll be back to my normal self. :) With that said, let's launch into a few items, shall we? The recent Diaspora Dinner was a remarkable success - Brotherhood cleared more than $3000 profit from this sold-out extravaganza - thank you to all who participated as Chefs, servers and guests! We were originally scheduled to have another Dinner on March 22, but have decided to postpone it until May due to our Chefs being out that weekend and there are no other available Saturday nights between now and May 31. However, your ever-enterprising co-prez has come up with an alternate event that I am very excited about - on March 22, we are planning a New York City Jewish night, complete with a Jazz (or Klezmer) band, dancing, a movie focused on the joys of Jewish New York City projected in 120"+ of full throbbing colour, and food. Oh yes- there will be food - I'm thinking of remaking the homemade Pastrami that was such a hit at the New York City Diaspora Dinner, as well as the homemade pickles from that same dinner and several other items. Of course, appropriate beverages from the City such as Dr. Brown's soda and more will also be available. We may also have a comedian, we will see how that pans out. Cost for this evening of New York bliss will be $20 for Brotherhood members and $25 for non-Brotherhood members. We could definitely use some help the night of in the kitchen - nothing fancy, just people to slice meat, assemble sandwiches, and help clean up. If you are interested in attending as a guest (or helping in the kitchen/serving), please email me via reply to this message. An event like this will be fun, give our Diaspora Dinner chefs a much-deserved break and still let Brotherhood make (we hope) a good profit. Next Saturday is of course our Distinguished Speaker, Mr. Curtis Sliwa, founder of The Guardian Angels and a nationally recognized speaker. Mr. Sliwa will be talking about the gang problems facing San Jose (and most other cities across the nation) and will be joined by members of the Mayor's Anti-Gang Task Force for a roundtable discussion. I have just confirmed that Ms. Cora Tomalinas - a member of the PACT (People Acting in Community Together) steering committee and the Mayor's Anti-Gang Task Force, will be joining us. As you may know, Brotherhood is helping to pay for Temple Emanu-El's first year of PACT membership and we are honoured Ms. Tomalinas is joining us. We expect at least 1-2 additional local diginitaries onstage as well. I have heard back only from a few members as to their plans to attend this event - I ask with the greatest respect and hope that you will see fit to attend this free, and historic discussion. Please do email me if you plan to attend and have not yet done so - it is the only way we an know how much food/drink to have at the reception afterwards and this is an extremely important event for Brotherhood. I hope you will attend - it is scheduled for Feb. 23 at 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary. I am happy to report that Brotherhood, once again in cooperation with the Stanford Blood Center, will be hosting a blood drive on Sunday, February 24, from 8:45 AM to 12:30 PM in our large social hall. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. Go to the Stanford Blood Center website at <a href="https://www.membersforlife.org/stanford/mobilesch/login.php?target">https://www.membersforlife.org/stanford/mobilesch/login.php?target</a>= , (enter your email address and date of birth and follow the prompts to pick your time). Appointments will be given priority - you can also call the office to set an appointment. Lox and bagels and juice will be provided to help you regain your strength! Give the gift that only you can give. Requirements: at least 17 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds, free of cold and flu symptoms. Eat before donating and drink LOTS of fluids. Bring photo ID. There are some circumstances under which potential donors will be deferred. Each unit donated is divided into various parts (red blood cells, plasma, etc.) and can provide life-giving support for more than one recipient. Help us reach our goal of 85 visitors - many thanks to Philip Schwarz for taking point on this important event! If you can't give blood, we could also use some volunteers to help those giving blood with bagels, juice, etc. Please email Phil directly if you can give an hour of time for this - his email is <email removed>. Lastly, the Brotherhood Dinner Club will get back on track February 21 (yes, it's next Wednesday night) with dinner at a local Korean restaurant, serving amazing 'grill at the table' beef, called bulgoki. It's cooked over real charcoal and is frankly better than any bulgoki I had in Seoul - the cuisine is wonderful, non-threatening and very, very good. If you like beef, teriyaki and garlic - this is your kind of meal. :) Email me if you would like to attend - map is here: <a href="http://siliconvalley.citysearch.com/profile/map/1083377/santa_clara_ca/korean_spring_bar_be_que.html">http://siliconvalley.citysearch.com/profile/map/1083377/santa_clara_ca/korean_spring_bar_be_que.html</a> You basically turn onto Kiley from El Camino Real towards Stevens Creek Boulevard - at the corner of Benton on your right, there is a 7-11 and a small Korean strip mall. Turn into that and it's in there. That's it for now - many thanks to you all for your continued support. cheers, J (co-prez) H

Brotherhood Update - January 11, 2008

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 22:07:00 GMT

Greetings and Shabbat Shalom to you all. :) As I am still brain-fried from my whirlwind visit to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show - and the 8 hour wait at the airport for my delayed flight last night - this will be a short update. The next Brotherhood Dinner Club will be this Saturday, January 12 - I would like to introduce you to an amazing Persian/Afghani restaurant in Sunnyvale. It has no name, but the shish-kebab is hot off the charcoal grill, the yoghurt is homemade, the service is friendly and the food is out of this world. :) If you would like to attend, please get back to me ASAP with the number in your party and I will make the reservation. The 'name' of the restaurant is Afghan & Persian Cuisine - it is at the corner of Mary and El Camino in Sunnyvale, address is 604 S. Mary Ave. We will meet at 7:00. The monthly Brotherhood meeting is this Sunday, in the BFR at 9:00. Please do join us for our breakfast extravaganza and discussion - there will be much goodness and important items to be debated, so I hope you can attend. Kicking off the meeting, I will be continuing the fine tradition initiated by Bob Hansen, about having people come in and talk about what they do and how it impacts us all. I will be taking the reins this month, to talk about Public Relations and how what you read, see and hear on the news isn't always what you think it is - and how to spot it. Immediately after our meeting, at 10:30, we are honoured to have the next in our Distinguished Speaker Series, Dr. Seth Ammerman of Stanford Medical School. Dr. Ammerman is a nationally-renowned figure for creating a program to help at-risk teens get free medical care throughout the Bay Area. His mobile medical van will be on-hand if you want to tour it - and we are greatly blessed to have as caring a physician and human being grace our halls. I truly hope you will take an hour or so out of your morning to stay and learn more about what Dr. Ammerman is doing, as this is both fascinating and important for our community. You still have one more day to make your reservations for Diaspora Dinner XIV, taking place on Sat. Jan. 19 from 6 - 9. The theme is North Africa, with dishes from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt that will wow your tastebuds. This 5-course gourmet meal and history presentation promises to be one of our most interesting ever - the cuisine uses many spices, but is not spicy and if you've never tried, here is an opportunity to do so with total authenticity. Thanks again to you all and my best wishes - J (co-prez) H

Important - Storm Update for Brotherhood Members

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:58:00 GMT

Gentlemen - as you are probably aware by now, we are about to get nailed by two of the biggest storms to hit the Bay Area in years starting tonight. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to take all necessary precautions for yourselves and your families - they are forecasting 4 inches of rain in the next 24 hours, with winds gusting to 55 MPH +. I hope that you will be able to stay off the roads whenever possible - it's going to get UGLY out there. Please consider the following tips to safeguard your home - they've helped me get through hurricanes back east and are just as applicable for this situation: * If water has entered a garage or basement, do not walk through it it may contain hazardous materials. * Do not try to drive over a flooded road. If your car stalls, abandon it immediately. Attempting to move a stalled vehicle in flood conditions can be fatal. * Tune to KCBS 740 AM or local TV channels for emergency advisories and instructions. * If you are asked to leave your property, disconnect all electrical appliances. * Avoid downed power lines and broken gas lines. Report them to PG&E, (800) 743-5000. * Turn off and unplug appliances and computers. Leave one light on to indicate when power has been restored. * Avoid using candles, as they are fire hazards. * Do not use a gas stove for heating or operate generators indoors (including the garage.) Both could cause carbon monoxide poisoning. * If a traffic signal is not working, treat it as a stop sign. * After a power outage, refrigerated food will stay cold longer if you keep the door closed. Food should generally be consumed within 4 hours. Food in the freezer will normally remain safe for 2 days. * Cordless phones do NOT work without electricity - have a corded phone at the ready or make sure your cell phone is fully charged * Locate and check your fire extinguisher, first aid kit, and emergency supply kit. * Store water. This is handy in case of loss of water and sewer, flooding, or if water pipes get contaminated. * Freeze water in large containers - in the event the power goes, stick them in the fridge - this will keep your perishables lasting longer * Use a quality flashlight and not candles for illumination, as there may be a gas leak. * Be sure and get all your insurance documents together - photograph anything that has even a remote chance of being damaged BEFORE it gets damaged so you have a record. * Keep track of your pets and under no circumstances let them outdoors without a leash or properly restrained to prevent them from running off. * If you live in a gated community - get your car outside the electric gate so that if power does fail, you will be able to drive if you need to. I hope these prove helpful - be safe and stay dry! :) cheers, J (co-prez) H

Brotherhood Update - December 31, 2007

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 01:43:00 GMT

To all of Brotherhood - Happy New Year to you, yours and all of us at Emanu-El - let's all hope the New Year brings peace, prosperity and happiness to a world desperately in need of all three... First off, a recap of recent activities. On December 21, I had the true privilege of guiding 6 Brotherhood and spousal art history enthusiasts through the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco - a great time was had by all and I hope that we can arrange another cultural excursion into San Francisco in the near future. The idea of trying to volunteer on Xmas Day was a good one, but sadly did not come to fruition for a host of reasons - we'll try again next Xmas for sure and I will look into other civic volunteering opportunities for us - perhaps in Jan.or Feb. - at a time when our services will be more in demand. Many thanks to all of you who volunteered - we had more than 27 people ready and willing to do this, and I am humbled by your willingness to help your fellow citizens. The next Brotherhood Dinner Club will be January 12 - I would like to introduce you to an amazing Persian/Afghani restaurant in Sunnyvale - it has no name, but the shish-kebab is hot off the charcoal grill, the yoghurt is homemade, the service is friendly and the food is out of this world. :) If you would like to attend, please get back to me by this Friday with the number in your party and I will make the reservation. The 'name' of the restaurant is Afghan & Persian Cuisine - it is at the corner of Mary and El Camino in Sunnyvale, address is 604 S. Mary Ave. We will meet at 7:00. I would like to explore a possible day (and optional overnight trip) in February for men interested in exploring Jewish religion, teachings and spirituality in an off-site venue. If you are interested in this, please do let me know and I will investigate it based on the response I receive from you all. I for one am ready and willing to do this, and am looking at having this at Mercy Center in Burlingame (run by an order of nuns, it is a leading inter-faith center that is renowned for its Zen Buddhism classes as well as other items) - as it happens, they are having a men's spirituality weekend on February 16 and 17 - details at <a href="http://www.mercy-center.org/Flyers_2007/05-04_mercymenHost.html">http://www.mercy-center.org/Flyers_2007/05-04_mercymenHost.html</a> I think this is an OUTSTANDING interfaith opportunity, as well as a wonderful chance to become more familiar with our Jewish faith - I highly encourage you to consider at least the day trip portion, if not the overnight. Again, if you are interested in this in any way, shape or form, please let me know by email ASAP. Our next monthly meeting will be Sunday, January 13 from 9 - 10:15 in the BFR - as always, we will be providing a mighty 'groaning board' of the finest in smoked fish, bagels, cheeses and other comestibles - it's a great spread with some remarkable guys. If you've never come, it's worth it for the food, made even better by getting to see firsthand what Brotherhood is involved with. Preceding the meeting, I will be continuing the fine tradition initiated by Bob Hansen, about having people come in and talk about what they do and how it impacts us all. I will be taking the reins this month, to talk about Public Relations and how what you read, see and hear on the news isn't always what you think it is - and how to spot it. Immediately following our meeting, we are honoured to have the next in our Distinguished Speaker Series, Dr. Seth Ammerman of Stanford Medical School. Dr. Ammerman is a nationally-renowned figure for creating a program to help at-risk teens get free medical care throughout the Bay Area. His mobile medical van will be on-hand if you want to tour it - and we are greatly blessed to have as caring a physician and human being grace our halls. I truly hope you will take an hour or so out of your morning to stay and learn more about what Dr. Ammerman is doing, as this is both fascinating and important for our community. Diaspora Dinner XIV is happening on Sat. Jan. 19 from 6 - 9. The theme is North Africa, with dishes from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt that will wow your tastebuds. This 5-course gourmet meal and history presentation promises to be one of our most interesting ever - the cuisine uses many spices, but is not spicy and if you've never tried, here is an opportunity to do so with total authenticity. An Egyptian Jewish friend of mine and her husband are coming all the way in from San Francisco for this - because in her words 'you are serving food that even my mother in Cairo never tried before'. :) As Brotherhood members, you get in for $9 off the regular price of $49 - so please, if you want to come, please do get us your checks by no later than Jan. 10. Send them to the office, c/o of Brotherhood, with the checks made out to Temple Emanu-El Brotherhood. Spouses are $49, and if you want paired wines with each course that go beyond our normal libations, please add an ext ra $18 per person. We have hundreds of $ in raffle prizes as well, including an iPod, music, books and more! I have outstanding news as well - Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels finally got back to me today and it looks like we are going to be a 'go' to have him speak at Emanu-El in February or March! Keep your fingers crossed, and I'll update you as soon as I learn more about schedules. If you don't know who Curtis Sliwa is, check here: <a href="http://www.guardianangels.org/curtis.html">http://www.guardianangels.org/curtis.html</a> Mr. Sliwa is an amazing individual, and a true friend of Israel - I am still in awe that he is prepared to come to our Shul. Lastly, the President of Shir Hadash Brotherhood has once again issued his annual challenge to us - we crushed them in Billiards two years ago, bowled them back into the Stone Age last year - now they thirst for vengeance! They have selected their sport of choice, and it is...Bocce! Now, if you're unfamiliar with the game, please check out this link: <a href="http://www2.campodibocce.com/los_gatos.html">http://www2.campodibocce.com/los_gatos.html</a> I played Bocce in my youth, having lived near a huge enclave of Italian-Americans - and got my ass kicked more times than I care to remember by men 4X my age. This game is not physically stressful at all, and is great fun - regardless of age or experience, I invite you to join us in April for this meetup. Now, truth be told - there is no way in Hades we are going in there cold to play against them - I am virtually certain they have Bocce ringers on their team who have been playing for years. Thus, I am asking our esteemed VP of Events. Bob Levy to set up a February or March opportunity for all of us to go to the Bocce court and practice like Hell. Beer, food and Bocce - what could be better? The only thing sweeter will be another victory, and I ask all of you to join me in establishing once and for all which men's club owns this town - and I know that is us. :) The cross-town rivalry is all in good fun, of course - but I love a good scrap, and if they're willing to provide us with another chance at victory, I'm all for it. :) For those of you familiar with my favorite film of all time, the Godfather - I expect us to return with cannoli's if you catch my metaphor. ;) Gentlemen - it has been a true pleasure being the public face of Brotherhood this last year - but do remember, it's not the face that matters, it's the heart. All of you are the heart of Brotherhood, and it is an honour and pleasure to be going into the New Year with all of you. With best regards - J (co-prez) H