Committee Minutes, November, 2011
Adult Education Committee Minutes October 30, 2011 Steve Levin, Chair
Attendees: Bob Baird, Harry Cornbleet, Deborah Estreicher, Paul Freudenthal, Ruth Kohan, Steven Levin (chairperson), Miriam Marr, Marty Sherman, Michael Sinensky
- Discussion of last month’s event – Visiting Scholars Weekend on 9/24-25
a. Rabbi Amy Eilberg: compassion drash on 9/24
b. Dr. Louis Newman: Repentance: The Meaning and Practice of Teshuvah
i. Shabbat afternoon learning program
ii. Sunday morning workshop/book signing - Discussion of 2011-2012 programs
a. Classes
i. B’nai Mitzvah & trope class (ongoing)
ii. Chuck Taubman Hebrew classes (3)
a) Beginning Hebrew b) for Émigrés c) Intermediate Hebrew
iii. Friday Morning Talmud Study (with Rabbi Pressman) started 10/28
iv. Introduction to Judaism start 11/1
v. Jewish Legends discussion group (with Bob Baird) start 11/10
vi. Jewish Practices (with Rabbi Ohriner) started 10/4
vii. Pirkei Avot discussion group started 10/28
viii. Ruth Kohan will handle classes portfolio starting in 2012
b. Conversations in Jewish Learning (arranged by Harry Cornbleet)
i. 11/15 David Mesher: Back in the USSR, 1976
ii. 12/13 Stephen Kinsey: Jews in the California Gold Rush
iii. 1/10 Lauren Joseph: Hagar: Jewish-Arab Education for Equality
iv. 2/21, 3/20 (cancel), 4/17, 5/15
c. Scholar-in-Residence Peninnah Schram 3/16-18 – Arranged by Michael Sinensky
d. Shabbat afternoon programs
i. 1st Shabbat: Ask the Rabbi
ii. 2nd Shabbat: Book Discussion Group (Miriam Marr)
iii. 3rd Shabbat: Torah discussion with the Rabbis
iv. 4th Shabbat: Wisdom and Witdom (with Doug Brook)
v. 5th Shabbat Israel interest (March and June)
a) 3/31 Elliot Fine: IDF
b) 6/30 Deborah Estreicher: Volunteers for Israel
e. Sunday morning seminars and workshops
i. 10/30 Mishpaha workshop on Shabbat (Rabbi Pressman)
ii. 11/20 Israelite Cult Practice and Development of Judaism (Rabbi Ohriner)
iii. 12/11 Mishpaha workshop on Hanukah (Rabbis Pressman and Ohriner)
f. Sunday night movies (arranged by Bob Baird)
i. 12/4 (before Hanukah) Mother Night
ii. 2/26 (before Purim) TBD
iii. 4/1 (before Pesach) When Do We Eat? - Biggest issues:
- Lack of BD e-mail publicity a few days before events in a flyer format à la Hazak.
- Enough $$$ for both Louis Newman and Peninnah Schram. Need to control expenses.
- Next meeting: Sunday, December 4 at 11:00 a.m.
- Adjourn
Sheldon and Richard Balk Memorial Camp Scholarship Fund
Annual Report—July 2010 through June 2011
Prepared by Chuck Taubman
On November 23, 1998, the Congregation Beth David Board of Directors established a Named Fund for the Sheldon and Richard Balk Memorial Camp Scholarship Fund. To preserve confidentiality, in this report I do not reveal names of scholarship nominees or their families; I will share this information with those who have a need to know.
Committee Membership
Susan Gavens (Youth Committee Representative)
Carol Osofsky
Irene Swedroe (Religious School Committee Chairperson)
Barbara Taubman
Chuck Taubman
Note: Susan fills the Youth Committee position on our team, replacing Howard Fine, who has stepped down after serving since the inception of the formal committee in 2002. Thank you, Howard; we know you will continue to serve the congregation well in your new role as Ritual Vice-President!
Publicity
We used the Shabbat bulletins and bimah announcements to publicize the availability of these scholarship funds
Fund Activity (July 2010 through June 2011)
| June 30, 2010 Fund Balance | $17,593 |
| Donations and Earned Interest | $945 |
| Earned Interest | $202 |
| Expenditures in Fiscal 2010 | $700 (See Note 1) |
| June 30, 2011 Fund Balance | $17,837 |
Note 1: We granted one scholarship of $700 during the previous year. See the following section for detail.
According to the conditions of the Balk Camp Scholarship policy, for the current fiscal year we may grant a total scholarship amount not exceeding $1147, the amount of donations and earned interest received during the preceding fiscal year. The scholarship nomination deadline is December 30, 2011, and the committee will meet the following month to review and decide. We will most likely incur the expense in calendar 2012, during the months of February through April.
Scholarship Activity
This year we received two scholarship nominations. We also received inquiries from other Beth David members, but these did not lead to nominations.
Because of limited available funds, we were only able to extend one scholarship. Since our target audience is children “needing an extra spark to awaken their Jewish identity,” we focused our attention on one of the nominations—for the third-grade son of a Beth David member, a single parent living in difficult financial circumstances.
We offered a $700 scholarship, and it was accepted. This parent worked out favorable financial arrangements with URC Camp Newman in Santa Rosa, and I am pleased to report that, thanks to our contribution and her personal commitment, her son enjoyed a wonderful camping experience. Here is the text of the note (the boy’s mother helped to “translate” his writing, including correcting spelling errors, but the words are his) he sent me two days after completing his one-week camping experience:
“Thank you Beth David and Camp Newman for giving me the scholarship. The food was great, the counselors were awesome, and ‘souf’ is funny. I hope I can come back next year.”
Changes for the Future
We do not contemplate major changes this year. We will continue to encourage our teachers to identify potential nominees and our parents to submit the nominations. If there is insufficient interest from our membership, we also will promote the availability of scholarship funds to the constituents of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley.
On behalf of the committee, I would be pleased to answer your questions and respond to your feedback. My contact information is 408-257-3251 (nambuat@comcast.net).
Respectfully submitted,
Chuck Taubman
Sheldon and Richard Balk Memorial Camp Scholarship Committee