June/July 2006

5766 (2005-2006) has been a really special year to date at Congregation Beth Israel. Several things that were new have become "CBI traditions," some new traditions have been initiated, and our congregation received a grant to begin exciting, new programming for "Head, Heart, and Hand."

The year actually began with someone new. Mitzi Schwarz, a cantorial student at the Academy for the Jewish Religion in Los Angeles, was our visiting cantor for the High Holidays, thanks in large measure to a gift from our Haverot Sisterhood. Mitzi's beautiful voice and contagious enthusiasm lent a great deal of warmth and beauty to our holiday services. Now our Cantor promises to become a "CBI tradition" next fall, sponsored again by Haverot.

Familiar, and not so familiar, traditions. Familiar traditions like the Silent Auction, Hanukkah party, Passover Seder, Bagel Brunch, and Congregational Dinner (this year to honor our founders) continued to be enjoyed. Some activities that were innovations when I arrived-Mishpachah Shabbats, excellent musical accompaniment, a flourishing Saturday morning minyan, Shabbat Across America, large celebrations on Simchat Torah and Purim-have now become part of our CBI routine, our "new traditions" if you will. The Sukkah of Peace and Celebration of Abraham were each observed again in the community. Some programs were new to CBI this year, including our Mishpachah Torah service on the third Saturday of the month, and the Sisterhood's delicious Progressive Dinner.

The future of CBI is here. This year on Yom Kippur, I invited the children to come and parade with the Torahs. To my amazement, not only our Religious School children, but a whole new generation of young families appeared, some with babes in arms or toddlers on hips. At that moment, I saw our congregational family extending into the future.

These Menchkin families have brought new vitality and energy to our congregation. I want to thank Lisa Rappaport, Menchkins Parent coordinator, for establishing the Menchkins program as a vital part of our congregation. The Menchkins were soon gathering weekly for Tot Shabbat, Torah Tots, a play group led by Julie Light, and potlucks. This month they will be launching "Camp Katon," Chico's first Jewish day camp, led by Lisa with Bryan Rowes. It's truly exciting to see the next generation of CBI blossoming before our eyes.

Our Religious School had another busy year under the able guidance of Religious School Director Fran Halimi. She attended the CAJE Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education and came back with numerous new ideas and programs for our congregation, including a stained glass workshop and a community tallit! Fran is going to CAJE again this summer and is sure to bring back even more creative projects. It's always great to see our children learning and growing at our outstanding Religious School.

Peer reinforcement helps. We also had a very active Confirmation Class this year. As one parent pointed out, a certain peer reinforcement was in play as kids would call each other to make sure that friends were going. We usually had 8-12 students in attendance at each session. Last month brought our first Confirmation service. I hope that it's the beginning of another new CBI tradition.

Peer and interest groups. Other peer and interest groups were active at CBI this year, from our Sages, to our Haverot Sisterhood, to our BBYO Youth Group and Tweens. There's even a bit of a men's club starting-stay tuned! Behind the scenes, our Social Services Committee and our revamped Sunshine and Mitzvot Committee enhanced our pastoral care to members and to other Jews in need in our community.

I began to attend the Book Club this year, which has been very enjoyable. In November, we had a Jewish Book Fair to benefit the Religious School, and we dedicated our Marion J. Corwin Library. Librarian Wendy Diamond is always happy to suggest a book of interest from our wonderful collection.

In a noteworthy achievement this year, CBI became the recipient of a STAR (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal) Innovation Grant to carry out a new set of programs called "Head, Heart, and Hand-Three Paths to the Soul of a Jewish Community." The $10,000 grant will enable us to have a major program in each area: a Scholar-in-Residence Weekend, a Renewal Shabbaton, and a Jewish Arts festival. Andrea Lerner and Harriet Spiegel have agreed to serve as chairs to implement the Innovation Grant and planning has begun. We hope to feature one major program per "semester." This year, we already sampled the fruits of our grant with a Shabbat Scholar Italian Night at services plus the return visit of Cantor Mitzi.
Before I close this reminiscence, I want to extend a special thanks to our many volunteers at CBI. While I can't mention everyone by name in this short column, I hope that you know how appreciated you are. Our outgoing President Bob Cottrell and all of our boards and chairpeople have worked very hard.

Anne Gottlieb has done an outstanding job writing and editing this newsletter, bringing it to a new level of journalistic excellence. This is her last issue as editor, and I want her to know how much we appreciate what she's done with this publication and how much I'll miss working with her on it each month.

Exciting things are happening at CBI! We have ancient traditions, community traditions, old traditions, and new traditions. I hope that everyone has a refreshing summer vacation and comes back ready for renewal as the seasons turn.

Rabbi Julie