Join 250 fellow Jewish adult learners for the third annual Sweet Taste of Torah on Saturday, February 4 at 6:30 pm at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center.  This year’s Sweet Tastes of Torah celebrates the music and rhythm of Jewish Life. Sponsored by the North Jersey Board of Rabbis, choose from more than 22 classes, from Gratitude as a Jewish Spiritual Practice to the untold story of Hatikvah, to issues in Translating the Bible. After the studying, enjoy some schmoozing and dessert. Register and see the list of preliminary classes online at www.jfnnj.org/sweettorah. The cost is only $15 per person pre-registered or $20 at the door.

Temple Israel is proud to present The Harmony Celebration Chorus-The Sweet Adelines under the direction of Mr. Scott Brannon, Conductor singing many genres of music in their signature barbershop style on Sunday, February 12 at 3:00 pm at Temple Israel.  Admission at the door is $20.  Babysitting is available.

Save the Date for Temple Israel's Annual Ways & Means Dinner.  Join us for a "SOULebration" on Saturday night, March 3.  The evening promises to be a very fun, casual event.

Candle Lighting for this Shabbat is at 4:57 pm. Friday night services are at 8:30 pm. 

Shabbat morning service are at 9:00 am. During Shabbat morning this week we will commence our “Muffins and Mishnah” program where the early part of the service, consisting of Rabbi Fine’s Mishnah lesson and introductory psalms, will be conducted in the social hall with muffins and coffee instead of the sanctuary.  We hope this will warm our way into Shabbat morning.  Babysitting is available at 9:00 am in Room 5.  At 10:30 am, Na’areynu begins in room 4.

Junior Congregation: Saturday, February 4 at 10:30 am.

World Wide Wrap: Sunday, February 5 at 9:00 am.  Join us for minyan on Sunday, February 5 at 9:00 am as the Brandeis Men's Club sponsors the annual World Wide Wrap.  Attention Kitah Hey Families:  Please join us in the Main Sanctuary for the World Wide Wrap.  This family program takes the place of Religious School classes for Kitah Hey students on this day.

History of the Land of Israel with Rabbi Fine will meet on Sunday, February 5 at 10:30 am.  This week’s topic is “Ancient Synagogues and Churches with visiting scholar Professor Seth Schwartz, Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Classical Jewish Civilization at Columbia University. Spend the morning at the Temple to hear Dr. Schwartz’s fascinating talk; get home in plenty of time to watch the Super Bowl! Dr. Schwartz is one of the foremost scholars of ancient Judaism with whom Rabbi Fine studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where Dr. Schwartz taught before joining the Columbia faculty.

Adult B’nai Mitzvah Instruction with Rabbi Sharon Litwin will meet on Monday, February 6 at 7:30 pm.

Tuesday minyan is at 7:45 pm.

Tuesday evening Talmud with Rabbi Fine will meet on February 7 at 8:00 pm.  Discover the fascinating world of the rabbinic sages as we study the tractate Sanhedrin in English translation. No previous experience or Hebrew comprehension required. New students and non-members are always welcome.

Torah Club with Cantor Bromberg will meet on Tuesday, February 7.

 NNJJA 
Mishloach Manot Forms are here! Please be sure to purchase your Mishloach Manot.  We are still accepting forms.  Forms can be found in the January & February issue of Temple Talk or on the Shabbat table.  Any questions?  Please contact Rabbi Sharon Litwin at (201) 444-9320.

Winter Break:  Sunday, February 19 Sunday, February 26. Classes resume Tuesday, February 28.

Hold the Date:
Families are invited to a Participatory Family Service on Friday evening, February 10 at 7:00 pm followed by a celebratory Oneg Shabbat dessert reception.  There will be lively singing, stories, and Shabbat warmth led by Cantor Caitlin Bromberg and Director of Education Rabbi Sharon Litwin.  The service is geared toward families with children of all ages, especially those ages 4 – 13.  This service is open to the entire community.
 

Youth Shabbat: Saturday, February 11 at 9:00 am.  Services will be led by members of our youth groups followed by a Kiddush luncheon.
 

Tot Shabbat:  Saturday, February 11 from 11:00 -11:45 am.  Children, parents, and grandparents are invited.  Celebrate Shabbat with songs, prayers, stuffed torahs, and stories.  Tot Shabbat is a 45-minute program for newborns through 4 years old.
 

Nosh & Drash Torah Breakfast at Temple Israel:  Saturday, February 18.  Our drasher is Bob Rohrberger.
9:00 – 10:00 am Preliminary Service and Shacharit
10:00 – 11:00 am Light Kiddush breakfast & communal Torah Study
11:00 – 12:30 pm Torah Service and Musaf
Babysitting is available at 9:00 am in Room 5.  At 10:30 am, Na’areynu begins in room 4.
 

Film Series:  Sunday, February 26 at 7:30 pm.   The film Vanishing of the Bees will be shown.  The series is sponsored by Sisterhood, the Brandeis Men's Club, Tikkun Olam and Membership.  The films are free and coffee will be served.  This documentary takes a piercing investigative look at the economic, political and ecological implications of the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee. The film examines our current agricultural  landscape and celebrates the ancient and sacred connection between man and the honeybee. The story highlights the positive changes that have resulted due to the tragic phenomenon known as "Colony Collapse Disorder." To empower the audience, the documentary provides viewers with tangible solutions they can apply to their everyday lives. Vanishing of the Bees unfolds as a dramatic tale of science and mystery, illuminating this extraordinary crisis and its greater meaning about the relationship between humankind and Mother Earth. The bees have a message - but will we listen? Written by Anonymous.   Future Film Dates: Sundays, March 11, April 29, & June 3.
 

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.

Amazon.com will automatically donate a percentage of your purchase amount to Temple Israel when you go there via a link on Temple Israel's website.

Ridgewood, NJ, Jan. 24, 2012—Adult Education at Temple Israel and Jewish Community Center in the Village continues on Sunday mornings with Rabbi Fine’s lecture series “History of the Land of Israel.” Rabbi David J. Fine, PhD, spiritual leader of Temple Israel, was ordained by the Rabbinical School at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999 and earned his doctorate in modern European history at The Graduate Center of City University of New York (CUNY) in 2010.

All Temple Israel adult education programs are free and open to the entire community.

HISTORY OF THE HOLY LAND: Sundays, 10:30 a.m.-Noon  
The lecture series, held on most Sunday mornings through June 10, 2012, will culminate in a 10-day tour of Israel, June 23-July 4, 2012. But, please note: commitment to the trip is NOT a requirement for attending the class.

Topics to be covered in the upcoming weeks are:

   * Ancient Synagogues and Churches (by Guest Lecturer Dr. Seth Schwartz, Lucius N. Littauer and Professor of Classical Jewish Civilization at Columbia University)— February 5

  * Jews, Christians and Muslims in the Early Middle Ages—March 4

  * The Crusades— March 18

Also continuing with Rabbi Fine: TUESDAY EVENING TALMUD at 8:00 p.m., following minyan.

Discover the fascinating world of the rabbinic sages as we study the tractate Sanhedrin in English translation. No previous experience or Hebrew comprehension required. New students and non-members are always welcome.

Temple Israel and JCC is located at 475 Grove Street in Ridgewood. It is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue with members from over a dozen Bergen County communities. Weekly Shabbat services are held on Fridays at 8:30 p.m. (replaced by a 7:00 p.m. Family Service on the second Friday of each month) and Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. During the week minyan takes place on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday nights at 7:45 p.m. For more information, call 201-444-9320 or E-mail to office@synagogue.org.

SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE LECTURE AT TEMPLE ISRAEL ON FEB. 5
DR. SETH SCHWARTZ TO SPEAK ON “ANCIENT SYNAGOGUES AND CHURCHES”

Temple Israel and JCC of Ridgewood will host as Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Seth Schwartz, Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Classical Jewish Civilization at Columbia University on Sunday, February 5 at 10:30 a.m. Guest lecturing as part of Temple Israel Rabbi David J. Fine’s Sunday-morning series on “History of the Holy Land,” Dr. Schwartz will discuss “Ancient Synagogues and Churches.” Admission is free and all in the community are invited.

Seth Schwartz is a social, cultural and political historian of the ancient Jews, with strong interests in their Hellenistic, Roman, and early Christian environments. The author most recently of Were the Jews A Mediterranean Society: Reciprocity and Solidarity in Ancient Judaism, Dr. Schwartz received the National Jewish Book Award for his work Imperialism and Jewish Society, 200 BCE to 640 CE, a study of the influence of imperialism on the religious, political, social and economic development of Jewish life in ancient Palestine. The recipient of numerous prestigious fellowships, including the Guggenheim and Harvard Society of Fellows, Dr. Schwartz was the Gerson D. Cohen Professor of Rabbinic Culture and professor of History at The Jewish Theological Seminary before joining the Columbia faculty.

Temple Israel and JCC is located at 475 Grove Street in Ridgewood. It is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue with members from over a dozen Bergen County communities. Weekly Shabbat services are held on Fridays at 8:30 p.m. (replaced by a 7:00 p.m. Family Service on the second Friday of each month) and Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. During the week minyan takes place on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday nights at 7:45 p.m. For more information, call 201-444-9320 or E-mail to office@synagogue.org.

LEARN HOW TO PUT ON “TEFILLIN” AT TEMPLE ISRAEL ON FEBRUARY 5

The Brandeis Men’s Club of Temple Israel and JCC of Ridgewood invites the entire community to learn the history and ritual of “tefillin” on Sunday morning, February 5, at 9:00 a.m.

Tefillin are a set of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. The boxes are worn by Jews during weekday morning prayers. The hand-tefillin is placed on the upper arm, and a strap wrapped around the arm, hand and fingers keeps it in place. The head-tefillin is placed above the forehead. The Torah commands that tefillin should be worn to serve as a “sign” and “remembrance” that G-d had the power to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Temple Israel Rabbi David J. Fine, PhD, will discuss the history and ritual of tefillin, and newcomers will be assisted by congregants including the Hey (sixth grade) class from the Northern New Jersey Jewish Academy (NNJJA), the two-day-per-week Hebrew school that is a partnership between Temple Beth Sholom of Fair Lawn and Temple Israel of Ridgewood.

The one-hour tefillin demonstration will be conducted during Temple Israel’s Sunday Shacharit (or morning) service, and is a program of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs. Under the title “World Wide Wrap,” this program is being held nationwide at many synagogues on February 5.

Temple Israel and JCC is located at 475 Grove Street in Ridgewood. It is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue with members from over a dozen Bergen County communities. Weekly Shabbat services are held on Fridays at 8:30 p.m. (replaced by a 7:00 p.m. Family Service on the second Friday of each month) and Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. During the week minyan takes place on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday nights at 7:45 p.m. For more information, call 201-444-9320 or E-mail to office@synagogue.org.