TI Times

Consistent with our policy of transparency, we are planning to have an open call for agenda items for each monthly board meeting. Our next Board meeting will be on Wednesday, July 8 at 7:00 pm . Our board meetings will take place on the second Wednesday of the month. All are welcome to attend. If you have a suggestion for an agenda item please send it to Dan Kapler at danthensyman@mindspring.com by Sunday, June 28. The agenda will be posted in the TI Times on the Thursday before before the Board meeting.

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A Glance at the Year in Advance

Very often we hear people say how sorry they are that they didn’t realize when a certain Jewish holy day or holiday observance was, because they had made plans to be elsewhere on that date, and if they had only known when the holy day or holiday was, they would have planned differently. With that thought in mind we offer you a calendar for the rest of this Jewish year (5769) and the next one. Please remember that all Jewish observances begin at sunset before the day of the holy day or holiday itself.

Begins with a service at the Temple the evening of Friday, September 18th, and continues with services at the Temple on both Saturday morning, September 19th, and Sunday morning, September 20th.

Begins with a service at the Temple on the evening of Sunday, September 27th, and continues with services (including Yizkor) at the Temple throughout the day of Monday, September 28th.

Begins with a (Shabbat) service at the Temple on the evening of Friday, October 2nd, and continues for a week.

SHEMINI ATZERET/SIMCHAT TORAH (LAST DAY OF SUKKOT AND REJOICING WITH THE TORAH) 2009:

Begins with a (Shabbat) service at the Temple on the evening of Friday, October 9th, and continues with a service (including Yizkor) on Saturday morning, October 10th.

Begins with a service (Shabbat) at the Temple on the evening of Friday, December 11th, and continues for a week. We’ll also have a service at the Temple for the last night of the holiday (which happens to coincide with Shabbat) on Friday, December 18th, where everyone is encouraged to bring their chanukkiot and candles.

No worship service associated with the holiday, but in recent years the custom of holding a Tu B’Shevat seder has become popular, and we have been among those participating at the Temple.

Begins with a very brief service, followed by the reading of an abbreviated Megillah (Esther) and the peformance of a Purim spiel, on Sunday evening. February 28th.

Begins with home seders on Tuesday, March 30th, followed by a community/congregational seder on Wednesday evening, March 31st, and ending with a morning worship service, with Yizkor, on Monday, April 5th.

Begins with a community interfaith worship service at the Temple on the evening of Sunday, April 11th.

An Israeli national holiday, commemorated throughout Israel and acknowledged in the United States.

Get to know other Religious School families at the Shabbat Potluck Dinner Program

Sharing Shabbat with other Religious School families is a beautiful way to welcome the Sabbath. If you can open your home or simply want to be a guest at someone else’s home, this special program is one you will not want to miss. Host families will provide the main meal, challah and beverage; guest families will bring dessert, wine, and salad. We hope that following the dinner you will join us for services at Temple Israel .

Once we receive all sign up sheets, we will match families with similarly aged kids.

Shabbat Potluck Dinner dates are:

Friday, October 23, 2009 and Friday, March 26^th 2010, starting at 6pm .

Shabbat Dinner Sign-Up Sheet

Temple Israel of Alameda Foundation

The Foundation is happy to report that its contribution to the 2008-2009 Temple budget will be $15,000. The Foundation grant is equivalent to seven new families joining the Temple without any cost for services to those families.

It is clear that continued growth of the Foundation's assets is crucial to the financial stability of the congregation. We need more congregants to include the Temple Foundation in their estate planning. Many of you will say that your means are not great enough for estate planning, but that may not be true. If you own a house in northern California , your estate is large enough to need estate planning. If every congregant left the Foundation 1% of their estates, the Temple would become financially stable. 1% should not adversely affect your heirs and will save estate taxes.

If your heirs are financially self-sufficient, more of your assets might easily be used for philanthropy. If your assets are more substantial, you might want to consider other estate planning choices which will have positive tax benefits for you now, e.g., gifts of appreciated stocks or property, charitable lead trust, or charitable remainder trusts. You can also name the Temple Foundation as full or partial beneficiary on life insurance policies or retirement accounts. Naming the Foundation beneficiary of an IRA might reduce the size of one’s estate so that it is below the taxable limit.

The Foundation was established in 1995 with a $10,000 bequest from the estate of Diana Garfinkle, one of the original founding members of our congregation. Our assets have grown to $299,554, and we have contributed $52,500 to the Temple annual budgets between 2002 and 2008. This year’s grant raises that figure to $67,500. As the Foundation grows with future bequests, the amount granted to the General Fund will grow proportionately.

The Foundation Board has prepared an information sheet with suggested wording to add the Foundation to your will or trust; it also contains the relevant identification information. It is available here or at the Temple office. We encourage you to speak with your financial and legal advisors to work out estate planning solutions which will benefit you as well as the Temple . We know that many of us are at the limit of spending for our current life styles or fear we may outlive our resources. We are asking you to consider a donation from our assets when you no longer need them.

Welcome to Your TI Times

Weekly Communication of the Temple Israel Family

What' s Happening as of Thursday, June 25, 2009

This Week at Temple Israel

Coming Events

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We're now on Facebook

Agenda For Upcoming Board Meeting

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A Glance at the Year in Advance

Temple Israel of Alameda Foundation

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