Lev Eisha   A joyous community of Jewish women engaged in prayer, study and spiritual growth

Where Do the Crumbs Hide? Not at Lev Eisha!

Pesach is coming early this year and many of us have already started our spring cleaning. It's a good thing we have Shabbat! Come to Lev Eisha, relax, clean the crumbs of winter out of the corners of your mind, and get spiritually charged up for the season.

Join us on March 6 (20 Adar 5770) at 8:30 a.m. for breakfast and learning with Rabbi August. The Lev Eisha service starts at 9:30 a.m., and will be led by Rabbi Toba August and Cantorial Soloist Cindy Paley. The Torah portion is Ki Tissa from the book of Exodus (Shemot).

We have an extra fun day this month. Be sure to come to the breakfast and kiddush. It's a birthday fête, with the breakfast sponsored by Rabbi August in honor of her daughter Lina's 21st birthday, and kiddush sponsored by Kate Rosloff and Craig Singer in honor of their daughter Arielle's 14th birthday.

Please contact Catering for more information about sponsoring a kiddush or breakfast. We look forward to sharing in your simcha.

Map and directions are at the bottom.
  2010 Calendar of Events
March 6      8:30 a.m. Breakfast and Brucha
9:30 a.m. Lev Eisha Service at Vista Del Mar
  
March 14      1:30-4:30 p.m. Laugh With Lev Fundraiser
  
March 29
March 30-April 6
     First Seder
Pesach
  

April 3      9:30 a.m. Lev Eisha Service at Vista Del Mar
  
April 12      Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Rememberance Day)
  
April 19      Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day)
  
April 20      Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day)
  
 
  Mollie's Kosher Kitchen

Chip


Pesach is almost here! Can you believe it? In just a few weeks, many of us will have upended our kitchens and spent more money on a week's worth of food than we do in the average month. Unbelievable! Remember, it's all good, and food is such a powerful memory to cherish from generation to generation. From our own Lev Eisha cookbook Passover Recipes from the Heart, comes my own recipe for:

Mr. Chip's Chocolate Toffee Matzot

This recipe originated when our dog, Mr. Chip, celebrated his Bark Mitzvah during Pesach and we had lots of kids to entertain. (Alas, no chocolate for dogs, just bones.) Be sure to hide this before serving, or you may have none for your guests by dessert!

1/2 pounds of matzos (approximately)
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
12 ounces chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, shredded coconut, sprinkles, etc.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line 2 jellyroll pans with aluminum foil.

Divide matzot between the pans, placing it in a single layer with no space between the pieces.

Melt butter and brown sugar in the microwave.

Pour mixture over matzot.

Bake for 4 minutes; remove from oven.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Return to the oven for 1 minute.

Remove from the oven and gently spread the hot melted chocolate to cover as completely as possible. Sprinkle with all the sweet stuff you have assembled.

Cool completely in the refrigerator.

Break into pieces and hide in the refrigerator behind the gefilte fish.


Makes about 2 pounds of candy or 16 servings.


In This Issue




FUNNY GIRL TIMES SIX

So come already, and LAUGH WITH LEV!* Sunday, March 14, 1:30 p.m.
Celebrate with Lev Eisha, and meet the remarkable women, Fanny Brice, Molly Picon, Gilda Radner, Joan Rivers, Sophie Tucker, and Wendy Wasserstein, who forever changed comedy!

Did we mention that these women are also Jewish? Being Jewish and women means that their comedy comes from their kishkes as well as their hearts, voden?**

So, invite your family, your best friends, your worst friends... What? You think it would hurt to invite your enemies? Spread the word throughout the Jewish community. Help put tuchases in seats to make this the most exciting, entertaining and successful event in Lev Eisha's history!

Lev Eisha is screening a brilliant new documentary: MAKING TROUBLE, a project of the Jewish Women's Archive; a history of funny famous Jewish women, directed by noted film-maker Rachel Talbot. Followed by a lively discussion with distinguished comediennes and comedy writers, Cathy Ladman, Betsy Salkind, Monica Piper and Ellen Sandler. Followed by a good time was had by all.

Did we mention that this is Lev Eisha's major fundraising event of the year? And it's your opportunity to help us make even more Jewish hearts blossom!


*R.S.V.P. by March 4

**what else?


Rabbi August Wants You to Come for Dinner!

At our fundraiser, you will have the opportunity to bid on a dinner for 10 at Rabbi August's home on the Westside. Picture yourself and your guests enjoying a scrumptuous meal with engaging conversation. So be ready to outbid everyone and win this delightful opportunity while supporting Lev Eisha. Date to be mutually decided. Let her entertain you and you'll have a real good time.



Our gratitude goes to our members and donors for their support of Lev Eisha:

Tributes
  • Kate Rosloff, Craig Singer and Arielle in honor of Reuben Rosloff's 87th Birthday
  • Kate Rosloff, Craig Singer and Arielle in honor of Shirley Munch's 80th Birthday
  • Robin & Bruce Winston in honor of Shirley Munch's 80th Birthday
Donations
  • Gail Heim


The Joy of Volunteering
by Olivia Goodkin

Seven or eight years ago I attended a women's service at my synagogue called "Lev Eisha." Back then, Lev Eisha was a diverse group of 35 or 40 women. I barely knew anybody in the group, and in the beginning months I felt a bit lonely as so many of the women brought mothers, sisters or daughters. I had none. And my Jewish friends had no interest in going to a service.

I remember how much I enjoyed it when Robin Winston and Mollie Wine got up to sing with the cantor, Cindy Paley. The three of them were so joyous and happy; they were in the moment. Rabbi August was learned, and her teachings almost always seemed to be directly relevant to some issue in my life. After growing up in an atheist home, and yearning for some spiritual connection as an adult, I felt I had found a comfortable place to explore Judaism.

A chance meeting with Elaine Craig Segal, the first president of Lev Eisha, at the Kiddush after one of the services, led to my service on the Board of Directors. I wasn't sure if I would fit in, as I had had no religious education, didn't really follow the services all too well, and felt "less than" the many women for whom synagogue was a second home. But it did not take long before I felt welcome, and purposeful. I wanted to spread the word of Lev Eisha so other women would have an opportunity to feel the joy that permeated our services. I also recognized that unless people were willing to volunteer to help keep Lev Eisha running, it would cease to exist.

After one year as a member "at large," I was elected to Treasurer, and two years later to President of Lev Eisha. The best part of my service to the organization was meeting all of the amazing and interesting women that comprise the Board. Now I don't have to worry about not having friends or family to bring to the services. I see my friends at Lev Eisha services, and at the Board meetings.

It has been an incredible sense of accomplishment to put together fundraisers, unique educational programs, and to keep our Shabbat services going. I encourage all of you to try your hand at volunteering to help Lev Eisha. It is so true what is said about volunteering: you will get more out of it than you put in.


We were Slaves...and now we are Free?
by Rabbi Toba August

If I were to ask you to share your favorite part of the Passover Seder, or to explain what theme stirs your imagination, what would it be?

I try to contemplate what it meant to be a slave and I wonder if we are truly "free."

In a Hasidic commentary, slavery was defined as a state of being where there was no TIME. No time to dream, to hope, to have a vision of possibilities for a future. Can we imagine being in a world with no time to contemplate or meditate?

Yes! Because that is how life is for too many of us right now! We were slaves...but now are we really free?

In a new Haggadah called the Un-Haggadah, Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg states, "...the message of Passover is that human slavery is created not only by chains and whips but frequently we enslave ourselves. Our ancestors were slaves to Pharaoh, but too many of us are slaves to our jobs, our errands, and our busy routines!"

He quotes a news article from Israel that says a traffic policeman pulled over a driver in Netanyah and gave the man a ticket for driving with a cell phone in each hand! He was steering the car with his elbows and the car was weaving from side to side.

"...Between our cell phones, our Treos and Blackberries, our instant messaging and endless e-mails, we never really leave work, and never really relax! We are always wired, even when we are wireless...."


I know that sometimes when I talk to teenagers, I am competing with their text messaging on their cell phones. Hhow many of us have a conversation without our cell phones interrupting? In my home office, I can be on the land phone, the cell, and e-mailing all at once!


We were slaves, and now we are free!?#! Right? I don't think so.


There is an ad for a small light for your laptop computer so that "when you take your computer to bed you will not disturb your spouse." Previous generations thought that one of the reasons you got married was so that you could get into bed and disturb your spouse! But not anymore. "We were slaves, and now we are free?"


My dear friends, Passover is the time for Liberation. We are supposed to feel liberated from slavery. Let us consider, next time we interrupt a conversation to answer our cell phones, what are we still enslaved to?


May this Passover be a time to truly liberate us, from the tyranny of staying in touch 24/7. Let us be free to turn everything off! (Or at least keep things off during the Passover Seder.) And we say, Amen.

We were slaves, and yes, now we can be free!

"A Zizen Pesach"- A Sweet and Healthy Passover to us all!



Milestones

Condolences to newsletter editor Judy Cohen on the passing of her uncle, Morris Cohen.

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.




Announcements

CONSIDERATION OF OTHERS

Some of us feel not quite dressed without our signature scent. Please be considerate of people with allergies when you reach for your atomizer. It makes you smell lovely and elegant, but if you're sitting near someone with allergies, she'll feel like she's coming down with the flu. Headaches, sneezing, coughing, runny nose and rheumy eyes aren't attractive or pleasant! So do please save your scent for a place where people can move around more readily, and 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 OPPORTUNITES

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

small map
Click Map for a larger image and directions
Lev Eisha services are held at
Vista Del Mar
3200 Motor Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90034

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.

Comments about the e-letter may be sent to Judy at editor@leveisha.org

Lev Eisha
Lev Eisha
10736 Jefferson Blvd. #706
Culver City, CA 90230
message only: 310.575.0985

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