Two years ago I led Santa Clarita's first Birthright trip to Israel. 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.  It was one of the most important outreach/inreach activities I have ever been part of.

My only disappointment was that there wasn't a program for Jews who weren’t between the ages of 18-26. But this year, Birthright took the remarkable step of opening up the trips for those between 27-32!  This now opens up the trip to thousands who had missed out.  (Maybe one day they will make it even older.)
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Summer trips are closed, but registration for winter open up on September 5.  Visit, www.birthrightisrael.com, for more information.  Remember, Birthright isn't one trip, it is an organization that runs journeys through many organizations and companies.  Our trip in 2016 was organized by Kesher, a project of the URJ, and the spiritual component may have been more emphasized than on than other Birthright 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.

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.

Once again this summer I am proud that several of our TBA young people are visiting Israel as part of various Birthright cohorts, from their colleges and universities, and with groups focused on specific interests. We also have families that are traveling in Israel at this very moment, celebrating life cycle events and connecting with a remarkable country which always inspires.

Be sure to watch for future TBA trips to Israel for people of all ages. We know that we will be travelling to Israel on TBA’s eighth organized journey sometime in the near future.  Once again the price will be as reasonable as possible, and in the past has been over $1500 per person less than comparable trips departing from LAX.
 
While not subsidized, we always make sure that these life changing journeys to our homeland 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

Another school year has flown by and as we head off into summer we know that we have finished a wonderful year of religious school.  Not a week went by without us witnessing students excited by their studies, feeling pride in their accomplishments and enthusiastically participating in innovative programs.  The wonderful contributions our religious school students have made to the class level led services and community service projects have been inspiring.  This is in large part due to the dedication of our teaching staff, and brought into reality by Jennifer Twitchell who completed an amazing first year as our Education Director.  Jennifer has already added so much to a highly regarded program, and we are seeing tangible results of our new Hebrew curriculum and added offerings for our teens.

​At the end of May we will install the next cycle of leaders at Temple Beth Ami.  The annual ritual of the Annual General Meeting, while secular in origination, is in reality a holy moment. For those of us involved with the preparation of programs and services, we have the opportunity to reflect on the previous year, concentrate on our current state of affairs and create a vision of tomorrow. Our congregation continues to grow, and our programming improves dramatically to meet these needs.

You should be proud that the tradition of dynamic leaders at TBA continues.  With the next generation of trustees, supported by those who have been involved since the beginning, TBA is an influential force in Santa Clarita and indeed throughout Southern California.

I want to thank everyone who has participated and lent their energy to making this a vibrant  community, and congratulate those taking on the mantle of leadership.  Rosemary Watson ends her term as President, and her endowment of work, wisdom and wealth has been unbelievable.  Most importantly, the positive impact of her leadership will be felt in years to come.  She set a remarkably high bar for the every leader in our community.

Temple Beth Ami’s strength has been made possible through the hard work of so many of our congregants, board members, employees, volunteers, parents and students.  The road ahead is challenging and exciting, but with all of our continued commitment, we will assuredly have much to be proud of this time next year as well!

Summer may be here but that doesn’t mean things are quiet at Temple Beth Ami.   We hope people have a great vacation and enjoy some relaxation, excitement and travel over the coming months, but rest assured there are many exciting activities at TBA and sponsored by us in locations around the area.

Starting SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2018 11:00 am - 2 pm, join Temple Beth Ami at Santa Paula Airport. 800 E. Santa Maria Street Santa Paula, as Rosemary and David Watson invite you to visit their hangar and enjoy the First Sunday Open House. Aviation history comes alive as the pilots of Santa Paula Airport invite you to view their historic airplanes and tour the Aviation Museum of Santa Paula. Bring a picnic lunch and a dessert to share. Children ages 8-17 can experience a free introductory flight with the Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles program (weather permitting). Get more information and pre-register at http://www.eaa723.org/young_eagles.html

Once again we will gather under the stars for a wonderful outdoor Shabbat at Valencia Meadows Park, Friday, July 13th at 7 pm (bring a picnic dinner starting at 5:30 pm.)

​Ands don't miss our annual tradition, the BEACH HAVDALAH at Marina Park, Ventura, Saturday, August 25, 3:00 pm. Bring picnic. Dress warmly. Take 126 freeway west to 101 north. Exit at Seaward Ave. in Ventura. Turn left over freeway. Go to the second street, Pierpont. Turn left. Continue straight to park entrance. It's a great TBA tradition.

Have a wonderful summer,

Rabbi Mark Blazer

At 4 P.M. on the fifth of Iyar 5708, May 14, 1948, the fiery Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion, surrounded by members of the Provisional Council of State on the ground floor of the Tel Aviv Art Museum, issued a proclamation to the world: We, members of the people's council, representatives of the Jewish community of Eretz Yisrael and of the Zionist movement . . . by virtue of our natural and historic right and on the strength of the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly hereby declare the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael, to be known as the State of Israel.

The Declaration of Independence granted freedom, justice, and peace to everyone, guaranteed freedom of religion, and safeguarded the holy places of all faiths also extended a hand "to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness." It appealed to them "to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel was prepared, the Declaration continued, "to do its share in common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East."

Two thousand years of waiting to be restored to our homeland—two thousand years of longing, wandering, and suffering— came to an end.  And sixty years later we still celebrate the miracle, even as the vision is yet to be fully realized.

For thousands of years Jewish tradition has seen visiting Israel and making aliyah as a holy mitzvah.  It has been a part of our traditional liturgy for centuries, an integral part of several prayers.  As you are reading this, there is a good chance that some your Temple Beth Ami family are walking the streets of Jerusalem, planning the next trip or currently living there.

This year we will be celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s 70th Independence Day, with festivities open to our community, Sunday, April 15th, beginning at 10 AM.  We are honored to be hosting Moe Blumin, TBA board member Kim Fogel’s grandfather, as a special speaker.  Moe was born in 1931 in pre-state Israel. He joined to Hagganah at age 14, the Palmach at 16 was wounded in the line of duty at 18. He will share his amazing story of fighting in Israel's War of Independence, 1948-49.

Last year Temple Beth Ami visited Israel for the sixth time in the last decade.  Rest assured, if you missed a previous trip you will have another opportunity soon.  On our next trip we will have another opportunity to celebrate B’nai Mitzvah in Jerusalem, and there will be new experiences and discoveries on our future journeys to Israel.  Temple Beth Ami is committed to bringing people of all ages to rejoice in the land of our history and future, as we live out the dream, L’shanah ha-ba’ah B’Yeruslayim,  Next Year in Jerusalem.

In all of Jewish history few communities have rivaled that of The Golden Age of Spain.  Jews first arrived in Spain, called Sepharad in Hebrew, during the Roman period, and by the early Middle Ages Andalusia was the center of the entire Jewish world, producing important scholars and one of the most stable and wealthy Jewish communities ever in existence.
 
In Toledo, Jews translated Arabic texts to the romance languages, as well as translating Greek and Hebrew texts into Arabic. Jews also contributed to botany, geography, medicine, mathematics, poetry and philosophy.  The sciences flourished especially astronomy. Abraham Zacuto and Levi ben Gershon, great lights that emerged from the Golden Age of Spain, created instruments and maps that guided maritime exploration. 'Abd al-Rahman's court physician and minister Hasdai ben Isaac ibn Shaprut, was the patron of other Jewish scholars and poets. Jewish thought during this period flourished under famous figures such as Samuel Ha-Nagid, Moses ibn Ezra, Solomon ibn Gabirol Judah Halevi and most famously, Moses Maimonides. 
 
Maimonides, born in Cordoba in 1135, was the preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars of all time. He worked as a rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Spain, Morocco and Egypt. With the contemporary Cordoban sage Averroes, he promoted and developed the philosophical tradition of Aristotle.
 
Caught between both Moslem and Christian rulers, Jews joined the armies of Alfonso VI of Castile, with as many as 40,000 joined in the fight against the Almoravids, who also had large numbers of Jewish troops in their armies.
 
In 1497, as part of the Reconquista and Christianization, Portugal followed Castille and Aragon and expelled the Jews, bringing the Jewish contribution to Iberian culture and the sciences to an abrupt end. It is estimated that the Jewish population numbered 500,000 in the 15th century, making it a greater percentage of the peninsula than Jews are today in the United States.
 
The Sephardic Jewish Diaspora would spread over the Mediterranean, and make up the first Jews of the New World.  And wherever they went, the Jews continued to speak Ladino, Judeo-Spanish.
 
Not even 100 years later, with the defeat of the Armada, Spain began it retreat into history.  In a monumental 1987 visit to Los Angeles’ Sephardic community, King Juan Carlos I apologized for and affirmed the tragic mistake of his ancestors that also helped bring an end to his country’s power.
 
This summer Temple Beth Ami will make an exciting visit to Spain and Portugal, and retrace the footsteps of our ancestors.  Included on our itinerary are visits to both ancient synagogues and modern Jewish centers.   We will have the opportunity to experience the natural beauty of Spanish and Portuguese coasts that still inspires poetry and song.  Join us as we explore the rich cultural history of Sepharad.  More information can be found on our website:

​http://www.templebethami.org/spain--portugal-trip-summer-2018.html

We will be having an informational tour meeting on Thursday, January 11th at 7 pm with videos and literature on our journey (Spanish wine and cheese too!).  Please call 661-255-6410 to RSVP.
 
Buen dya, (good day in Ladino)
 
Rabbi Mark Blazer

     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.  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. 
     The sukkah is built to be a metaphor for the fragility of life and human endeavors. But this reality should not lead to despair. On the contrary, the symbol of the ever-fragile sukkah, prone to even a casual rainstorm, teaches us to see the importance of every day, every moment.  This year, after a hurricane season and recent earthquakes that caused so much destruction, we are even more cognizant of this truth.  We have witnessed buildings built of brick and cement collapse, but we have also seen the indomitable spirit that emerges from destruction, and we have been inspired by those individuals who have supported and comforted strangers half a world away.
     Once again this year we have several opportunities to take part in the mitzvot surrounding the holiday.  Several upcoming events at Temple Beth Ami will be held in our ‘Super-Sukkah’ and a Sukkot guide is also available at the Temple.
      Some of the events in our Sukkah this year include:

     Friday night, Oct. 6th at 8 PM we will have shabbat services in the sukkah, and 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 and Rev. Ricky Hoyt and Bryan Geroge.     
     Sunday night, Oct. 8th at 6 PM our annual Wine and Cheese Adult Social will be held at the Blazer Family Sukkah.   Sometimes we also drink other things, like vodka, so don’t worry if you are not a wine drinker.

     Then comes Simchat Torah.  The holiday ranks with Purim for unbridled fun and craziness. The Torah Scrolls are taken from the Ark and carried in a parade of dance and song, called Hakafot, around the bimah.  The Hakafot are performed seven times. Throughout the world as each Torah is opened for the year, the congregation rises and recites: "Chah-zak, cha-zak, v'nit'cha-zek, Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen each other." 
      Join us this year at Temple Beth Ami for a Simchat Torah filled with music, dance, food and drink, Thursday night, Oct. 12th at 7 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 PM, immediately after religious school.
      And that weekend please join us for our special Celebration of Life-Animal Service. Bring your pets and animal friends to this unique outdoor experience. As we read the story of Noah, Saturday, October 14th, 12 PM.
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CHAH-ZAK, CHA-ZAK, V'NIT'CHA-ZEK.
BE STRONG. BE STRONG. MAY WE ALL BE STRENGTHENED.

Rabbi Mark Blazer

In these last moments before the High Holidays it's breathtaking looking back on this past year to which we will soon say farewell.  I mean that in every sense of the word.  So much has occurred over this year 5777.  So many transitions in our family, community and world.

At Beth Ami this past year was a time of building on solid foundations and adding new staff and leadership.  In addition to welcoming several wonderful people to our already competent and devoted board, led again this year by the uniquely gifted and talented Rosemary Watson, our community is blessed to have Jennifer Twitchell take over the direction of our religious school.  One of the SCV’s top educators, Jennifer brings together her enthusiasm and passion for Judaism with her experience and pedagogic skills in an amazing combination and already is making a tremendous impact.  We thank our Cantor, Kenny Ellis, who continues working with our B’nai Mitzvah, and is excited to have even more time bringing in some exciting new special musical services and his consistent warmth and humor to our Shabbat and holiday celebrations.  Our Men’s Club is now being guided by Brian Block, who has taken the reins from Daniel Levine. We owe Daniel the deepest gratitude for his many years of leadership, and we miss him and the whole Levine family.  We wish them well in their new home in Texas.  As we transition in the sisterhood from the many years of devoted leadership by Francine Van Scoyoc to Judith Stolnitz, we recognize how blessed we have all been by the many wonderful programs and overall support which our community has enjoyed led by the women in our midst.

During the last year we have also added some important new programs, and during this coming year we will be adding several more.  The many 12 Step support groups that use our facility have now been joined by the DBSA (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance), which has helped create the only regular meetings of their kind for mental health in our valley.  They continue to grow in strength as they help so many in our community.  Our own board member Lori Litel has recently established a once a month support group for parents of children with special needs, (please see the flyer inside this month’s newsletter.)

Our teen group, Ignite@TBA is back in session after the summer and a new leadership group is working on an exciting schedule for the New Year.  And for our teens we have also added a new Teen Torah group meeting the first Sunday of the month at 1:00 pm beginning in October.  This new opportunity was established by the teens themselves, who wanted to continue to learn post-B’nai Mitzvah.

Our adult education continues to thrive with our Tuesday morning Midrash discussion meeting at 9 am, and our weekly Torah portion discussion convening at 7 pm.  These groups are a world of mental and spiritual opportunities unto themselves, and a weekly pleasure for all who participate.  Don’t worry about joining in at any time.  Each person in our community has a voice that is an integral part of the harmony of Torah study.
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However, this is only just the beginning.  This year each one of us will see continued opportunities for making a meaningful difference, literally the ability to create a new reality.  We encourage you to be a part of it. During the coming year we hope you will join with us at Temple Beth Ami in working in common cause on tikkun olam/Repair of our World.

We look forward to getting this new year off to a great start.  In 5778 we will be celebrating High Holiday services together at Santa Clarita United Methodist Church, 26640 Bouquet Canyon Rd.  Our family looks forward to being with you all soon.
 
LE-SHANAH TOVAH TIKATEVU -- MAY YOU BE INSCRIBED FOR A GOOD YEAR!

     ​     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.