​     June 7,1967/Iyar 28, 5727, stunned, ecstatic, and awed Israeli soldiers stood before the Kotel, the Western Wall, praying, singing, weeping. The chief military chaplain entoned the memorial prayer for those lost in the battle. The shofar cried out again and again, obliterating gunshots from the nearby streets as the area was secured. The blue-and-white flag was hoisted. Those back at command headquarters heard the incredible announcement: "All of Jerusalem is in our hands!" Fifty years ago Jerusalem was reunified, the Old and New sections of our holiest city were bought together once again. Watch & listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15YesIVc5FM
     This year I have the wonderful opportunity to spend the beginning of June in Jerusalem with members of our community, on Temple Beth Ami’s 7th trip to Israel in the last ten years!  We will be walking through the Old City exactly fifty years to the day when Israeli paratroopers first stood at the Kotel.
     For 3000 years Jerusalem has been the center of the Jewish faith, retaining its holiness throughout the generations. Jews who had been exiled after the Roman conquest and scattered throughout the world never forgot Jerusalem. Year after year we repeated "Next year in Jerusalem."
Jerusalem was the symbol of the desire of Jews everywhere to return to their land. It was invoked at every Jewish lifecycle event, enshrined in daily prayer, and sung by Hebrew poets in far-flung lands. Mount Moriah, where the Temple once stood; the Western Wall, the only remnant of the Temple, which has been the focus of prayer and longing of Jews for nineteen centuries; the Tomb of David on Mount Zion; and the ancient cemetery on the Mount of Olives where Jews have been buried for centuries - all these are indelibly etched on Jewish consciousness.
      Sanctified by religion and tradition, by history and theology, by holy places and houses of worship, Jerusalem is a city revered by Christians and Muslims as well. It reflects the fervor and piety of the three major monotheistic faiths, each of which is also bound to Jerusalem.  Freedom of religion and the safeguarding of all holy places are anchored in Israel's Declaration of Independence, and ever since Jerusalem was reunified, the holy places have administered by their respective religious communities, and Israeli law has guaranteed free access. 
         For Christians, Jerusalem is the place where Jesus lived, preached, died, and was resurrected. While it is the heavenly rather than the earthly Jerusalem, which is emphasized by the Church, places mentioned in the Christian Scripture have drawn pilgrims for centuries. Among these sites are the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Site of the Last Supper, and the Via Dolorosa with the fourteen stations of the Cross.
       According to Islamic tradition, the prophet Mohammed was miraculously transported from Mecca to Jerusalem, and it was from there that he made his ascent to heaven. The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aksa (“the remote”) Mosque, both built in the seventh century, made definitive the identification of Jerusalem as the "Remote Place" that is mentioned in the Koran.  Thus, Jerusalem is a holy place in addition to, though much less important than the cities of Mecca and Medina.   (Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran, as opposed to 667 times in the Hebrew Bible.)
      This year, the 50th anniversary of the Reunification of Jerusalem, Yom Yerushalayim/Jerusalem Day saw celebrations beginning the evening of May 23rd.  Traditionally, most recognition given to Jerusalem Day takes place in Israel, but special ceremonies and other programs outside of Israel are growing in number.  This year documentaries, news reports and a host of media attention has been focused on the significance of Jerusalem.  We hope you will follow our journey on the TBA Israel Trip 2017 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TBA-Israel-Trip-2017-172975916561513/
       The political implications of moving the US embassy to Israel’s capital continue to be debated, but this year we, the Jews of the Diaspora, must celebrate that the unified Jerusalem, the Eternal capital of our people, has been open to all people to worship in peace for half a century. We pray for a time when Jerusalem, as well as the entire land of Israel, will be at peace.  And we look forward to the day when every Jew throughout the world will make true the words:
    L’SHANA HA'BA-AH B'YERUSHALAYIM
    NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!!!

 “There is a time for every season, every experience under heaven.”

And there are times when they all come at once.  These last few months have been a roller coaster for many of us.  As a nation, as a community.  As most of you know my family has been dealing with serious illness and we have experienced some tragic losses of life within in our community.   We have also welcomed new lives into our midst, celebrated wonderful life transitions.  And in these last week’s Temple Beth Ami has been fortunate to be the beneficiaries of the largest donation in our history.
 
This past month Rosemary and David Watson generously paid off our entire mortgage.  This unprecedented gift radically changes our financial picture.  While we are still overly dependent on your membership support, and have never been the recipient of endowment funds, we now have a tremendous burden lifted from our shoulders. 
 
This uncommon and unexpected gift gives us tremendous opportunity, but we hope it doesn’t have the unintended effect of creating complacency.  On the contrary, we hope that this generosity motivates all of us to help make our community stronger, that we challenge ourselves to further acts of chesed/loving kindness.

One of the wonderful donations we also recently received was our new memorial board, installed in recent days.  This powerful tribute was made possible by the generosity of Lori Litel, who dedicated this tribute in honor of her parents, Bernard and Florence Later, z"l.  We will unveil the board at Shabbat Services, May 19th at 8 pm.  Please contact Ofra in our offices if you have people you would like honored on the memorial wall.
 
We want to make sure that our community, our TBA family truly celebrates what being free from our mortgage means for us.  Therefore, we are inviting everyone to join us for an “End of the School Year/Beginning of Summer/Mortgage Burning” BBQ at the temple immediately following our last Sunday School at 12 pm on May 21st.
 
Our Chai campaign goal to pay off all of our debt has been achieved! We especially want to recognize all those who have helped us thus far.  It is part of what we hope will be a year of celebration, 30 years as a congregation, 20 years in our current facility, with a vision for even bigger things to come.  We are planning an exciting evening celebration this fall, details will be following shortly.
 
Wishing everyone a wonderful season ahead.
 
Rabbi Mark Blazer

This March, when I will be in Washington D.C. for the AIPAC Policy Conference for the third year in a row, I will be joined there by other members of Temple Beth Ami.  While this is the first time we will be traveling as a TBA group, this amazing annual event attracts thousands of participants from around the country who gather together in our nation’s capital to learn directly from the specialists and leaders in the Middle East, show solidarity for Israel, and engage in grassroots meetings with every congressional representative on the Hill.

This year in particular, I felt the need to be there.  A new administration, still in its early days needs to see our unity and strength. In past years Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke in person at AIPAC, and while this is a strong possibility once again this year, this year's conference will no doubt bring out leaders from across the political spectrum.

We need your presence there this year.  I guarantee that this annual event is one of the greatest Jewish events in our nation.  Simply joining together with thousands of Jews from across the United States is an unbelievable experience everyone should feel.  This year you need to experience it for yourself. 

Continued violence in Syria coupled with the ongoing threat of Iranian ambitions in the Middle East create a very dangerous neighborhood for Israel.  On this, nearly all Israelis agree, and they very rarely agree on anything.   There are indeed vast differences of opinion in Israel on how to deal with these harsh realities, but make no mistake about it, they must be dealt with.

Not long after the AIPAC Conference concludes participants, including Jews from every denomination and political affiliation, will return home to their communities and we will be confronted with the story of Esther as we celebrate Purim.

Underneath the masks, and below the farce we are confronted by the existential threat that emanates out of Persia nearly 2500 years ago.  The chilling geographic coincidence does not go unnoticed to Jews around the world.  The courage of Mordecai and Esther, who represent a powerless diaspora community at the risk of their lives, have inspired us for centuries.  Their situation, and tragically Jewish history for most of the last 2000 years, was one of fragile existence.  It is a far cry from where we are today, but we do not dare go back.  

With a nation of our own rebuilt in Zion, and Jewish communities like the one here in the US, of immense strength and power, we live in remarkable and wonderful days, but as we have seen too often recently, on the streets of France and Denmark, our enemies are not fictional creations or myth.

Purim is a yearly reminder that we have enemies, and that our enemies, in the end, cannot triumph. Jews in times of peace forget the first point. Those in trouble must not lose sight of the second.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday night, March 11th at 7 pm, as we celebrate Purim with our special Spiel, a musical celebration featuring Wendee and some very talented, or at the very least, well intentioned TBA players.  Everyone is encouraged to come in costume and let loose.

This year the local synagogues are all joining forces to put on an amazing Purim Carnival.  It's going to be huuuge. Celebrate with Purim fun at Valencia Heritage Park 24155 Newhall Ranch Rd., Santa Clarita, CA 91354, March 12th from 11am - 2pm.

As many of you know in June of 2017 we will be traveling to Israel for TBA’s 6th community trip since 2006!  This is incredible even by large congregational standards, and is a testament to the centrality of Ahavat Yisrael, the love of Israel that exists in our community.

Two thousand years of waiting to be restored to our homeland—two thousand years of longing, wandering, and suffering— came to an end in 1948.  And nearly seventy years later we still celebrate the miracle.

We will visit ancient and modern sites including: Caesarea, Crusader city of Acre, Port city of Haifa, Bahai Shrine, Rosh Hanikra, Safed, Tel Dan and Banias, Jordan River, Golan Heights, Sea of Galilee, Beit Shean, Old City, Citadel Museum at David’s Tower, Cardo, Israel Museum, Yad Vashem, Mount Herzl Military Cemetery, Judean Desert, Qumran Caves, Ein Gedi Oasis, Dead Sea, Masada, Independence Hall, Palmach Museum, Neve Zedek, Old Jaffa.

Some of those sites, we have visited on every trip, some we have never been to together.  This year, as we are traveling in the summer, we will be enjoying some outdoor adventures.  Many of those who traveled on previous trips will be returning again, which only proves that you owe it to yourself to experience what would make us yearn to return.

Each year we end Yom Kippur services and the Passover Seder by saying, L’shanah ha-ba’ah B’Yeruslayim, Next Year in Jerusalem.

​This year, live out the dream.

This year treat yourself to a Chanukah present that will literally change your life.

As promised, while not subsidized like Birthright, the price will be over $1500 per person less than comparable trips departing from LAX.  We already have over 20 passengers booked, and our limit will be approximately 40.  In addition, if you are planning on traveling with us on El Al, the airline tickets must be reserved and paid for ASAP.

JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL ISRAEL TOUR MEETING ON THURSDAY JANUARY 12TH AT 7 PM AT TEMPLE BETH AMI.

All the info you need is online:
www.templebethami.org/summer-israel-trip.html


Chanukah celebrations are everywhere in Santa Clarita, with TBA spreading the holiday lights.  We invite you to join us in Temple Beth Ami’s annual Chanukah events, with some new additions:
​
Sunday, Dec. 11., 11am-5:30pm – Fantastic Lane Winter Festival, Cantor Kenny Ellis singing Chanukah Swings, songs & arts and crafts and fresh hot laykes. LIMS Castaic (NEW EVENT) http://www.fantasticlanewinterfest.com

Monday, Dec. 26, 6pm - Join us as we light the Stevenson Ranch Community menorah at Stevenson Ranch Parkway and Holmes Place
Monday, Dec. 26, 7pm - Chanukah Party and Storytime at Barnes & Noble, Valencia. Fun for all ages!  (3rd  Night)
Tuesday, Dec. 27, 6:30pm - Storytime at the Canyon Country Library
Tuesday, Dec. 27, 7pm - Vodka/Latke at the Blazer’s
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 5pm - Santa Clarita’s Jewish Community Party at Westfield’s Valencia Town Center (inside mall at former carousel location)
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 6:30pm - Storytime at the Valencia Library
Thursday, Dec. 29, 6:30pm - Storytime at the Old Town Newhall Library
Friday, Dec. 30, 8pm - Don’t miss TBA’s famous Chanukah Party and Shabbat Celebration at Temple Beth Ami

At the beginning of the last Jewish year, I spoke of the need to prioritize mental health support in our community. Needless to say, our world has frequently been reminded of how critical this issue is since then.
 
After many months, and much hard work, we are honored that Temple Beth Ami is the first house of worship in Santa Clarita to host the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA.)  DBSA reaches hundreds of people in a safe and supportive environment.  Since this summer, SCV has a group as well.  We are grateful to the amazing people at NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness), the DBSA and some remarkable members of the TBA community that made sure this project came to realization.  Since the meetings started we have been amazed at the outpouring of gratitude from those who participate in the group. Please see: www.scvnews.com/2016/08/05/depression-bipolar-support-alliance-offers-free-support-meetings/
 
As we begin the year 5777, we look out to the unknown and our mind fills with more questions and uncertainty. On one thing you can be rest assured –Temple Beth Ami continues to be a source of strength to Santa Clarita and beyond.  We have multiple 12 Step meetings each and every week at our facility including AA, Alanon and OA. We continue to house homeless families this year as part of Family Promise, and nearly had a child born at TBA during her parents stay.  Our facility, though small on size, has a huge impact.  Temple Beth Ami is proud to be at the forefront of support in our community, we are honored to have our doors open to all. 

Please keep Temple Beth Ami in mind as you start the new year: www.templebethami.org/support-tba.html. Your generosity has helped us come so far, enabled us to help so many and we know we will be there for challenges in the future.
 
This year Temple Beth Ami begins the celebration of its first 30 years! Great events are being planned throughout the next 12 months and we hope you will a find a way to join us in the festivities.  Whatever this year holds for us as a community, a people and a nation, we will all be better off meeting the challenges and opportunities ahead together.  May 5777 be a more peaceful and successful one than the one that just passed.  Peace, Health and Blessings to all of you.

As we just celebrated the beginning of the New Year at Rosh Hashanah, we join in a common dilemma at synagogues across the country – after the passing of the first holidays of the year we sometimes don’t see our friends until the same time next year.

Why is it that these two holidays are the pinnacle of the Jewish year, especially when there are so many exciting, and much more participatory experiences to be had in the yearly cycle of Jewish life?

Coming immediately after the High Holidays Sukkot continues the prime message of the 'Days of Awe', that the fragility of life should not lead to despair. The symbol of the ever-fragile sukkah, teaches us to see the importance of every day, every moment.  Whether through natural disaster, health challenges or economic tribulation, life throws us some curves.  The holiday of Sukkot is a yearly reminder of this truth. 

Jewish tradition focuses so much energy and direction on the celebration of this eight-day holiday.  According to Jewish law, the Sukkah structure we build during this festival must be fragile and impermanent.  It must be able to collapse under a strong wind.  Basically, the sukkah is built to be a metaphor for the fragility of life and human endeavors.  Sukkot opens our eyes to the truth that even though we live in the shadow of death we can still truly live joyously, when we make the most of every possibility.

Once again this year we have several opportunities to take part in the mitzvot surrounding the holiday.  Several upcoming services and all our student classes at Temple Beth Ami will be held in our 'Super-Sukkah' during the holiday.  A Sukkot holiday guide is also available at the Temple.

Some of the events in the Sukkah this year include:

• Sunday night, Oct. 16th at 6:00 PM we will be kicking off our first Adult Social of the year at the Blazer Family Sukkah. This is our annual wine and cheese, and sometimes other drinks find their way into the mix.  Go figure.
• Friday night, October 21st we will have Shabbat services in the sukkah.  At the 8 pm service we will once again host a surprise visitor to our Sukkah.  Previous visitors included 442nd Veteran/Medal of Honor Winner George Sakato, Tariq Altas from SCV Islamic Center, Rev. Lynn Jay, Rev. Ricky Hoyt and Pastor Marlon Saunders.

Join us this year at Temple Beth Ami for Simchat Torah, which comes at the end of Sukkot in what is always a raucous good time. We rejoice with the Torah with music, dance, food and drink Monday night, October 24th at 7:00 PM. Take part in unrolling the entire Torah scroll as we complete the yearly cycle of reading, and begin a new one.  For those who are able to come early, we will be having pizza at 6:00 PM.  This year, let's have as many people at Simchat Torah as we did for Rosh Hashanah.  Why not, I can dream can't I?

Chag Sameyach!

Rabbi Mark Blazer

When the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chasidic Judaism, had special prayers to make, he would retreat to a particular place in the forest, light a fire, and meditate in prayer. His prayer was answered.

A generation later, when his disciple the Maggid, the preacher of Mezeritch, had petitions to make, he would go to the same place in the forest, and would say: "Lord, we can no longer light the fire, nor do we know the secret meditations that underlie the prayers; but we do know the precise place in this forest where it was once performed. And that must surely be sufficient!" And it was.

A generation later, the great rabbi, Israel of Rishiv, was called upon to perform the same task. He sat down on his throne in his dynastic center, and said: "We cannot light the fire; we cannot recite the meditations and prayers; we do not even know the precise place in the forest where it was performed. But we can tell the story of how it was done." And the story he told had the same effect as the actions of the other two!

There are many who come to worship during the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur blessed with knowing how to light the fire—the fire of enthusiasm that spiritually warms and nourishes ourselves and our children. We certainly know the place in the forest, are familiar with the prayers and meditations that well up naturally from our hearts and emotions to their lips.

There are others who cannot light the fire or recite the prayers and meditations but who, nevertheless, "know the place in the forest." We come to services fairly regularly, observe other festivals, and are committed to giving our children a better religious education than we perhaps had.

But there is a large majority of us who find ourselves unable to even locate the place in the forest, who are not even inclined to search for the place, who do not even know that there is a forest, inside of which there is a place of unique exaltedness.

And yet, for all that, we do engage in the basic exercise. We tell the story! We tell it by our presence. We affirm that it is, after all, our story, and a glorious, rich and ongoing story that is gathering momentum, spiritual power and interest as it unfolds in our age. 

As we gather this year for High Holy Days, once again at Real Life, our small community becomes a large congregation. It’s an amazing sight to behold, as Santa Clarita for a few days feels vibrantly Jewish.  And something wonderfully sacred happens as, from all our different directions, the room becomes a sacred space where our prayers blend and fuse together.

This year make a commitment not to be afraid of trying something new.  Don’t be intimidated by the Hebrew or songs you may not know.  Unlock your heart and spirit to new possibilities.

Each of us has a prayer that is necessary, not just for ourselves, but for everyone else too.  And it may very well not be in Hebrew.  It may not even have words, but rest assured, your community is depending on it.

We look forward to seeing you during the holiday season, and may it open up new opportunities for the future.

​L'Shanah tovah tikatevu.  May you be inscribed for a rich and fulfilling year in the Book of Life.

       How have fifteen years passed since the devastation of 9/11? On one hand, it seems like just yesterday. We turn around and fifteen years have passed. But when we stop and consider how we have been affected individually and as a nation, it is almost overwhelming.
   The trajectory of each of our lives has been altered. The tremendous effect it has had on our lives is felt when we travel and when we are at home. There is scarcely and area of politics or international relations that are still not being directed by the realities of the tragedy, or the fears of a similar attack. Fifteen years on, we are still calculating the losses emotionally, physically, financially, psychologically and spiritually.
   Immediately after the tragedy in 2001 our congregation held a community-wide memorial, represented by every member of our Interfaith Council. The following year, on 9/11/02, beginning at dawn, the names of every victim were read in an extremely emotional ceremony.
   For the first five years after the tragedy we held a morning service every 9/11 to reflect and honor the victims. Over the last decade we have held memorials and special programs on 9/11 or on the nearest Shabbat. This year on Sunday, September 11th we will be holding an Open House and religious school. On that we will also be lighting memorial candles at 10 am, and enabling anyone who would like to visit during the 10 am-1 pm to light a candle as well. Anyone who would like to receive a yahrtzeit candle at the Kabbalat Shabbat night service can do so Friday Sept. 9th.
   When we pause to reflect on loss, we are simultaneously reminded of all we possess. By looking back, even in mourning, we are able to direct our energy into preserving the positive in the present, and strive towards protecting our values for the future.
   This is also the goal of the High Holidays, which we prepare for during this period. Our tradition instructs us to be in a similar frame of mind each year, even if that specific tragedy hadn't happened.
   Anyone who has attended Yizkor service understands how important it is to remember the lives that were lost in the last year, as well as previous years. Many people also visit graves of their parents and of other loved ones during this period, recalling those who have made an important impact on us in the previous years, and whose memories we cherish as a source of inspiration for the coming years as well.
   As we prepare ourselves for the coming High Holy Days, we wish each other in person and in writing shanahtovah -- a good New Year or Le-shanahtovahtikatevu (May you be inscribed for a good and sweet year").
   Whatever blessings this year brings you, may you accept them with gratitude, whatever challenges, may you face them with courage.
   LE-SHANAH TOVAH TIKATEVU -- MAY YOU BE INSCRIBED FOR A GOOD YEAR!

I just stepped off the plane from our first TBA led Birthright trip to Israel.  Back in January I wrote: “Will this be the last time Temple Beth Ami organizes a Birthright trip?  Ask me in July.”
 
Well it’s July and let me say IT WON’T BE OUR LAST BIRTHRIGHT TRIP.  The journey was exhausting, physically draining, but mentally and spiritually uplifting.  I can also say it was one of the most important outreach/inreach activities I have ever been part of.
 
The young people who traveled on this trip not only had a deeply memorable trip, bonded with Israelis their own age but most importantly strengthened their connection with Jewish thought and tradition.  As our trip was organized by Kesher, a project of the URJ, the spiritual component may have been more focused on than other Birthright organized groups, but it is impossible to travel to Israel and not be spiritually moved. That is what makes Israel so different from other places, and why Birthright is such a triumph.
 
As a community, we Jews are great at pointing out our own shortcomings and failures.  It is something of a sport to us.  Occasionally, however, we have to step back and congratulate ourselves for our successes.  Birthright is one of the greatest successes in the history of American Jewish life.  It is a cooperative effort bringing together Jewish federations, major donors and the government of Israel. 
 
Birthright most significantly reaches Jewish young people at a critical stage of their lives, often after several years of disengagement.  The project helps plant the seeds of further connection, and challenges the participants to find meaning in their Judaism as adults.  My only disappointment is that there isn’t a similar program for Jews who aren’t between the ages of 18-26.
 
To this point, I also advised back at the beginning of the year to watch for future TBA trips to Israel for people of all ages. We can now say that next summer we will be travelling to Israel on TBA’s seventh organized journey.  The departure dates and prices are in the last stages of being finalized, but we are planning on departing towards the beginning of June, and the price will be over $1500 per person less than comparable trips departing from LAX.
 
While not subsidized, we always make sure that these life changing journeys are always as affordable as possible.  We look forward to making the dream of L’shana haba’ah b’Yerushalayim/Next Year in Jerusalem, a reality.
 
Have a great summer,
Rabbi Mark