FAB Women Visit Coolidge Corner

We had a great day in Coolidge Corner, wandering around Harvard Street, checking out the beautiful Jewish artwork and eating real Jewish deli.  

Ladies at Zaftigs in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Future Adventures:

Please email us ASAP and let us know if you can join in any of them:

1.  September 28 at 2 PM.  Capitol Center for the Arts. Menopause the Musical . Balcony tickets are available at $40.00. More information at  http://www.ccanh.com/event/menopause-musical.  If you are interested, please email Laura and fabwomen@etzhayim.org.   

2. October 26. Wine tasting tour.  A walk around Hollis, and then wine tasting at Fulchino Vineyard. Sounds like a blast.  $10 a person.  Please let us know ASAP so we can determine if we have enough people to reserve a spot at the Vineyard.

3. November 23. Apple Recipe Tasting at Laura Aronson's house.  2:00 on Sunday. In a nutshell:  We share recipes, and eat them too. So, please bring your favorite apple dish and copies of your recipe to share. Laura will provide coffee and tea.

Please RSVP to Laura and fabwomen@etzhayim.org.

Men's Group Tool Auction

  The Men’s Group Holds a Patriots’ Game, Poker Tournament and Tool Auction.

                

As summer fades into autumn, the Men’s Group of Etz Hayim had a fascinating, fun  filled afternoon on Sunday, September 7, 2014.   For the ten dollar admission price, each participant received a number of poker chips.  They then used the chips in a huge game of poker as pictured below.  During the poker game, they watched the New England Patriots play the Miami Dolphins.   Although the football game proved disappointing with New England sustaining a 20 to 33 loss, the poker game was quite enjoyable  as most everyone went on to be a winner.  At half time, the crew feasted on kosher hot dogs and vegetarian beans.

                After the football game, the members then used their poker chip winnings to bid on  shop tools which each member had brought to the event.  Items included a LED light, a socket wrench  set,  two 25 foot measuring tapes, a rope, paint brushes, a set of Allen wrenches and a large screw driver variety pack.

                It was a fun and enjoyable day at Etz Hayim.

Etz Hayim at Lake Pawtuckaway

Peggy Tucker and Steve Soreff hosted the 2014 Etz Hayim Synagogue Havdallah service and informal welcome to Rabbi Levi and his lovely wife Amy. 

 Kayaking and canoeing around the lake.

 A boat tour of Lake Pawtuckaway

Havdalah service and sparklers vis Al Sandler. Rabbi Levi and Amy leading us in song.

Empty Basement

Etz Hayim Basement Cleared!

Yes, for several years much stuff has been accumulating in the Etz Hayim basement. We have been looking for ways to remove with little success.   Then things came together. Newly elected Board member Stephen Landau volunteered to do the job.  He and his family have been very active in Chester’s Boy Scout troop 163.  It turns out the troop holds a huge two day yard sale annually.  It happens to be this weekend June 21 and 22, 2014.  So this Thursday afternoon, June 19, 2014 Stephen brought some youngsters including one troop member to clear the basement.  They did a marvelous job.  Thanks!

Stephen Landau moving our basement to Chester.

Memory Garden

On June 15th, Jacob Riese, with the help of his mother, Eva Bak and his Aunt Deborah Litvin, planted a memory garden in honor of his grandmothers:  Zofia Bak and Sylvia Riese. Both of Jacob's grandmothers died last year just before his Bar Mitzvah. Jacob did a mini-bar-mitzvah service in Sylvia's hospital room a week before she died. Seeing him Bar Mitzvah was one of her last wishes and this helped her to pass peacefully when the time came. Here are Jacob and his mom, Eva Bak, with the finished product.

Annual Meeting

Rabbi Bryna Milkow opened the Etz Hayim Synagogue annual meeting with an invocation, report and farewell message. President Sarah Finne-Sandler, ending her two year term as head of the Board of Directors proceeded with thank you's and the election of new board of directors. She thanked all of the committee members for their work and said specific thanks to retiring Board members:  Deborah Bailin, Renee Solomon and Marci McWilliams. She presented a balanced budget which was unanimously approved. Arlene Agosto ended the meeting with a  tour of our etzhayim.org website.

2014-2015 Board of Directors:

President Steve Soreff

Vice President Jay Madnick

Treasurer - TBD

Secretary Dina Chaitowitz

Directors:

David Riese

Craig Starkman

Arlene Agosto de Kane

Jill McAlpine

Mark Aronson

On behalf of the Board a necklace was presented to our outgoing President Sara Finne-Sandler and a challah cutting board was given to our outgoing  Secretary Andy Corman.

Havdallah Farewell May 17, 2014

 It was a lovely Havdallah Service led by Rabbi Milkow where everyone had the opportunity to wish her well and say good bye.  

She will be with us until the end June and then move to Pennsylvania.

Thank you Rabbi Milkow for all you have done for 

Etz Hayim Synagogue.

The synagogue presented her with a Passover plate set painted with irises (her favorite flower!)