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.

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:
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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