It's a new year for our board, with a highly motivated group of volunteers to guide Lev Eisha. These are the new office holders for the coming year.
| Slate of Officers 2010 - 2011 |
| Executive Board |
| President | Susie Yuré |
| Vice President | Janis Cohen |
| Secretary | Ruth Grossman |
| Treasurer | Marla Osband |
| Membership | Robin Winston |
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| Committee Chairs |
| Catering | Lynn Beliak |
| Education | Sandy Terranova |
| Fundraising | Judy Fishman |
| Hospitality | Joan Spiegel |
| Marketing | Rose Ziff |
| Outreach | Sarah Barash |
| Novice (new board member) | (Unfilled--it's not too late to volunteer) |
| LOST:A treasured tallit, hand-painted with a scene of Miriam, was lost at the June service. If you found it and didn't know how to get it back to the right person, please get in touch with Susie at president@leveisha.org, or call our phone number at the bottom of the e-letter and leave a message. |
Lev Eisha thanks the following people for their continuing support:
In Honor of Janis Cohen's birthday
- Vicki Marks
- Ron and Marla Osband
- Robin and Bruce Winston
- Sandy and Roland Terranova
- Giovanna & Michael Fradkin
- Alice Shulman
In honor of Bonnie Leopold & Joy Krauthammer
In honor of Doreen Klee’s Bat Mitzvah
- Barbara Heitz
- Tina Oberman
In honor of the B’not Mitzvah class
"Loose Lips" was the name of an editorial in the LA Times Wednesday, June 23, 2010 about General Stanley A. McChrystal's disparaging comments in Rolling Stone Magazine, which forced his resignation as commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Learning how to not have "loose lips" is an important teaching which, unfortunately, we have to learn over and over again.
A Google search found the origin of this expression:
"Loose lips sink ships" comes from World War I and/or WWII, when sailors on leave from their ships might talk about what ship they sailed on or where it had come from, or where it was going. If they talked too much (had 'loose lips') they might accidentally provide the enemy with anecdotal information that might later cause their ship to be tracked, and bombed and sunk, hence 'Loose lips sink ships.' Later, it came to mean any excessive talk might sabotage a project.
To have loose lips [nowadays] means to have a big mouth, susceptible to talking about everything and everyone. Sinking ships refers to anything from small acquaintances to long and hearty relationships (with friends or a significant other). So when one says loose lips sink ships, one is basically saying if you can't shut up you are going to end up hurting people, usually psychologically or emotionally.
Which public figures are going to sabotage themselves next week, and the week after? It seems inevitable that someone will always put a foot in his or her mouth.
First it was Helen Thomas and her reprehensible comments about sending the Jews back to Europe, and now it is General McChrystal and his offhand disparaging criticism of the vice president and other civilian advisors in the government.
There is another popular saying, "When you open a door, do not forget to close it, and treat your mouth the same way!" For too many of us, this is the hardest opening to close, our "loose lips."
A fundamental value in Jewish life is proper speech. There are countless books and writings on the topic of learning how to control speech, and it is an ethical imperative which is probably one of the least observed of the 613 commandments!
Forbidden speech in Hebrew is called, lashon hara - literally, "bad tongue." This term refers to any statement that is true, but that lowers the status of the person about whom it is said (from Rabbi Telushkin's books). Additionally, any words of libel and slander are considered a most grievous violation of Jewish law.
In fact, Rabbi Telushkin explains, because the damage wreaked by gossip often is irrevocable, several sources liken malicious gossip to murder.
How could Helen Thomas make her incendiary remarks without thinking of the consequences, and didn't Colonel McCrystal know there would be a backlash over his thoughtless and careless comments?
I believe that unless we are diligent and mindful about what we say, we minimize in our minds the impact our words have on others and the cost it takes on our own personal reputation and status.
Let me share Rabbi Telushkin's suggestions on how to become masters over our thoughtless speech.
Before saying something negative about another, ask yourself three questions:
- Even if what I am saying is true, is it fair?
- Does the person I am speaking to need to know this?
- Is there positive information about the person's actions and/or motives that I'm omitting? (in You Shall be Holy: A Code of Jewish Ethics)
I personally use these guidelines and work daily at avoiding speaking or listening to gossip. Though I too want to know about everything, I have experienced enough pain because of my own flippant remarks and know I have to be more disciplined.
Alan Morinis, a student of Mussar (ethical behavior), comments, "Curbing our speech may be difficult, but it is certainly less difficult than indulging 'the evil tongue' and then having to clean up the mess we have created." (in Climbing Jacob's Ladder)
Careers are shattered, reputations have been sullied, and what was said can never be retracted or erased.
May we all learn from the countless public figures who had "loose lips" and practice daily restraint with what we say. Amen
Enjoy your summer days - May they bring blessings of health and joy to each of us and our loved ones!
Do you feel Holy on the Holiest days of the year?
Using the book, 60 Days: A Spiritual Guide to the High Holidays, our class will prepare our hearts and souls for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We'll meet on four Tuesday evenings, 7:30-9:15 p.m.; specifically, August 10, 17, 24, and 31. The class fee, $118, includes all four sessions and a CD of all four meetings. You can pay $36 for each meeting, weekly, or for a single session.
Participants are asked to bring their own copy of the above book by Simon Jacobson. You can order this by calling (800) 363-2646 or online at www.meaningfullife.com
For more information and/or to reserve your place for this series, email Rabbi August at rabbiaugust@leveisha.org
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If you have a milestone to share please send it to: editor@leveisha.org. Our
newsletter gets printed about a week before each service. Please send the info ASAP.
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CONSIDERATION OF OTHERS
Please be considerate of people with allergies, and save your scent for a place where people can move around more readily. Your neighbors will thank you.
PASSOVER BOOKS
If you would like to obtain copies of our Lev Eisha women's Haggadah, Journey of the Heart, and/or our Pesach Cookbook, Passover Recipes from the Heart, please get in touch with Janis.
FACEBOOK
Are you on Facebook? You can help us grow. Become a fan of Lev Eisha of Los
Angeles and invite your friends to become fans as well. Our unique URL is
www.facebook.com/losangeles.jewish.spirituality. If you need help finding
the site or understanding how to invite your Facebook friends, e-mail
Lynda@leveisha.org for further instructions.
INVOLVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Lev Eisha isn't a show that we put on for you--it's a service that we all put on for each other. The more you get involved and participate, the richer your experience will be. There are so many different things you can do to broaden your Lev Eisha experience: Go up for an aliyah. Accept an honor such as opening the ark or carrying the Torah. Lend a hand in setting up or cleaning up the kiddush. Greet people at the door and help them get into the feel of Lev Eisha. Want to do more? Assume a leadership role and become a board member. Lev Eisha has the nicest board you'll find. It's true! It's an organization where people look forward to attending board meetings! And there's nothing more satisfying than working during the month to make sure that our very special service continues.
FLYER AND ANNOUNCEMENT POLICY
Many women in the Lev Eisha community are involved with wonderful activities and causes. We simply cannot announce and promote them all. So, we must limit our announcements to activities specifically tied to Lev Eisha. If you have flyers, cards or materials pertaining to other events, please feel free to leave them on the table in our foyer and/or speak about them during Kiddush. Thanks for your understanding!
CATERING
Let's come together as a community to sponsor a Breakfast or a Kiddush. Think about celebrating your milestone with other Lev Eisha members also honoring a significant event. Contributions of $18, $25 or $36 can add up to hosting a specific month. Celebrate the good in your life such as a birthday, an anniversary, a special friend, memory of a loved one, a promotion or reaching your goal weight. What would you like to commemorate at Lev Eisha? Get a group together and sponsor a party! Please contact catering@leveisha.org to make arrangements.
MAP
Click Map for a larger image and directions
Many women have expressed an interest in carpooling to Lev Eisha services. If you need a ride, or can offer one (especially from distant neighborhoods), please contact us at info@leveisha.org or leave a message on our phone line, (310) 575-0985.
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by Jared Diamond is a great read that gives an overview of how societies develop and crash. Do you bring one of 
by Naomi Ragen combines a contemporary romance story and a fictionalized history of one of our great heroines, with a theme of discovering one's connection to Jewish heritage and spirituality. Secular novels, also, often provide interesting dilemmas that you can challenge though the filter of a Jewish conscience, whether it's John Steinbeck's 
, which lays out the crisis of one man's soul in a spare, easy read, or 
by Dick Francis, which, on the surface, seems like just another racecourse mystery, but along the way confronts life and death, tragedy, sorrow, the climb back to joy, terror, and the philosophy of good manners.
