! !

TREE OF LIFECONGREGATION

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA

“KOL T.O.L.” -- THE “VOICE OF THE TREE OF LIFE”MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

APRIL 2015 / NISAN– IYAR 5775

APRIL SERVICES

INSIDE THIS ISSUEFrom the President, Let’s Do Lunch, SCRIP! ! ! 2From the Rabbi! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 3From the Education Director! ! ! ! ! 4Purim – Model Seder Pictures, Confirmation! ! ! 5Support Group, Reform Jews 4 Israel, Adult Education 6Sisterhood, Green Team! ! ! ! 7Passover! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 8TheBig Nosh Pre- Order Form !! ! ! ! 9The Big Nosh ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 10Member News ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 11Community News!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 12Yahrzeits! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 13Contributions !, Oneg Shabbat Hosts ! ! ! ! 14Calendar! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 15

Friday April 3! First Night of Passover6:00pm ! Short Shabbat Service6:30pm ! Congregational Seder

Saturday April 410:00am! Festival Morning Service

Thursday, April 9 Last Night of Passover6:00pm ! Yizkor Service!

Friday April 10 !6:45pm!! KIDZ Shabbat 7:30pm!! Shabbat Evening Service! !Friday, April 177:30pm!! Shabbat Evening Service! ! Torah: Shemini, Lev. 9:1–11:47

Saturday, April 1810:00am! Shabbat Morning Service and Torah Study

Friday, April 24!Celebrate Israel7:30pm ! Shabbat Evening Service! ! Torah: Tazria–Metzora, Lev. 12:1–15:33

Friday, May 16:00pm!! Kabbalat Shabbat Service! ! Torah: Acharei–Kedoshim, Lev. 16:1–18:30

* childcare provided

CHAG SAMEACHWISHING YOU A MEANINGFUL PASSOVER

Passover 5775Fri., April 3! ! 6:30pm ! First Night of Passover ! ! ! ! ! Congregational Seder

Sat., April 4! ! 10:00am ! Festival Morning ! ! ! ! ! Service

Tues., April 7! ! 6:00pm ! Women’s Seder

Thurs., April 9!! 7:00pm ! Last Night of Passover ! ! ! ! ! Yizkor !Service

Fri., April 10! ! ! ! Last (7th) Day of ! ! ! ! ! Passover

2

SCRIP / BUCKS BACKThank you to everyone who purchased gift cards in March. We are doing great – but we still need more people to give the TOL Bucks Back program a try. It’s easy to do, it doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it’s a great way for the Temple to earn some needed funds.

Remember: Bucks Back cards make great baby, wedding, birthday and B’nai Mitzvah gifts!

The order deadline is Sunday, April 5, 2015. Due to no Religious School, orders need to be mailed to Amy Scully. Please contact her for mailing address.

If you are new to the program, visit www.tolsc.org/scrip to learn more about the Temple’s easiest fundraiser. Have any questions or need assistance? Contact Amy Scully, Bucks Back coordinator, at 803-497-3319 or ascully59@gmail.com. Thank you for your support.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

LET’S DO LUNCHPlease join Rabbi Sherman on Wednesday, April 1st at 12:30pm for lunch at Groucho’s Deli in 5 Points (611 Harden St.). There’s no agenda – let’s just hang out and enjoy a good lunch and good company. We’ll talk Torah, Temple, Israel, sports, or whatever else is on your minds. Have a question to ask? Come and join us. Everyone is invited (lunch is on your own). Thank you to Bruce Miller for opening his restaurant to the Tree of Life. We’ll meet on the first Wednesday of each month. Upcoming date: May 6.

It was with sadness that we learned that Rabbi Daniel Sherman will be leaving the Tree of Life Congregation this summer, as he begins serving Temple Dor Dorim in Weston, Florida. We wish him, Morgan, Shai and Janna well in their new endeavor. I am organizing a committee to plan an evening event later this year when we can properly honor Rabbi Sherman and his family – recognizing the accomplishments and the changes the Rabbi has completed during these past nine years.

This is a moment of transition – and opportunity – for the Tree of Life. We are working with the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), who will help guide us through this process. We plan to bring on an interim rabbi during the coming year (July 2015 –

June 2016) while we conduct our search for a permanent rabbi. Jeff Selig will chair a small search committee to interview and select the interim rabbi. We will then expand that committee when we conduct our search for a permanent rabbi.

Though this has happened quickly, we are confident in our prospects for the future. Your TOL officers and board members and I will guide us through this transition and make it as smooth as possible. Together we are the Tree of Life family, and I look forward to you joining me, our leadership team and each other in building a vital future for our congregation and community.

Please know that we are working hard on the 2015-2016 budget, and a nominating committee has put together a slate for next year’s board. We are looking forward to a wonderful year, that will include some additional programs thanks to a very generous gift from the late Sidney Krauss, who established a foundation to fund projects here at TOL and throughout the Columbia Jewish community. We are indebted to his generosity and his planned giving. We will share more details on both the gift and scheduled events in the near future.

I want to thank you for your continued support and wish you a very happy Passover!

With warm regards,

Richard Cohn Sr.President

FROM THE RABBILOTS TO LOOK FORWARD TOBy Rabbi Daniel M. Sherman

! This is a difficult column for me to write this month. I find myself filled with a variety and mixture of emotions. As most of you have heard the news by now, Morgan, Shai, Janna, and I will be moving this summer to Weston, FL, where I will serve as rabbi of Temple Dor Dorim. On one hand, we are very excited. We will be much closer to Morgan’s family – her parents will be a short 90-minute drive away. Dor Dorim is a young and exciting congregation with lots of new opportunities and challenges. I look forward to continuing to grow as a rabbi and becoming part of a larger Jewish community in South Florida. There are many positives about the move.

! I am not yet ready to begin to say SHALOM – know that there is still much for us to do and experience over these next couple of months. We will make time for good-byes later. Now we have much to look forward to, including: Shabbat services, Passover, Yom HaAtzmaut, life-cycle events, Religious School and Adult Education classes, and much, much more (after all, that’s just this month!).! I always think it feels strange when Pesach begins on Shabbat. 2012 was the first year we experienced this in quite some time. Now Passover this year and next will begin on a Friday evening. We will begin with a short service on Friday evening, April 3, to welcome Shabbat and to observe yahrzeits for this week. Our Congregational Seder will then follow at 6:30pm. Whether you are beginning your observance of the Festival of Matzot here at Temple or at home with family and friends, I want to wish you a very happy and meaningful Passover – truly one of our most important and favorite holidays of the year. Remember: Pesach is a seven-day festival (that some Jews choose to observe for eight days). I want to encourage you to do something to make each day special throughout the week of Passover. It can be something as simple as making sure you eat some matzah each day for seven days, as the Torah instructs us. Or perhaps it means avoiding chameitz or anything leavened. Spend some time remembering, retelling, and re-imagining our people’s story. Discuss what freedom means to us as Jews, as well as Americans. And think about how we pass along our traditions, memories, and values from one generation to the next. This will help to enhance your holiday experience.! As we celebrate Passover, we think about our people’s journey to and connection with the land of Israel. Israel remains the Promised Land for us Jews and our homeland. We look forward to celebrating Israel’s 67th birthday this month at Yom HaAtzmaut – a day on which to remember all that Israel has gone through and her struggle to exist, to give thanks for all that Israel has accomplished and to all of our brothers and sisters who have defended Israel and sacrificed their own lives, and to pray for an even better future for the land and people of Israel and a year of peace and prosperity.! As we look forward to Yom HaAtzamaut, I also want to encourage everyone to vote in the 2015 World Zionist Organization elections. You have been reading about this for the past few months – for more details, please see “Reform Jews 4 Israel” on page 6 and www.reformjews4israel.org. It is crucial that the voice of American Reform Jews is heard. Please register and vote for “ARZA-Representing Reform” before April 30, 2015. It is easy to do and does not take long to register and vote. By doing so, we have the opportunity to help shape Israel and Israel policy for the future. ! Additional thoughts: I want to wish Selma Dickman both MAZAL TOV and AD MEIAH V’ESRIM (“may you live to be 120”) as she celebrated her 100th birthday in March. I was glad that Rabbi Marcus and I had the opportunity to celebrate with you and your family and friends…. Please mark your calendars for our annual Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration, which will be held here at the Temple on Sunday afternoon, April 19 at 5:00pm. It is an important event for our community, and a wonderful program has been planned…. And, of course, I am excited about and looking forward to this year’s BIG NOSH on Sunday, May 3. I know it will be a spectacular event. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard behind the scenes to make our annual Jewish food and cultural festival happen. Please support The Big Nosh, volunteer to help out (we need you!), and encourage people to come and to participate. I know it will be a wonderful event.

On the other hand, it will not be easy for us to say good-bye to our Tree of Life Family. We have enjoyed living here in Columbia, and I have been honored to serve as your rabbi. I will treasure the relationships we have made and all that we have accomplished in the past nine years together. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone for the well-wishes we have already received – you will never know how much they truly mean to me and our family.

4

FROM THE EDUCATION DIRECTORIn Judaism, “remembering” is an integral facet of all our commemorations and celebrations. In Religious Schools around the world, we take a spiritual and emotional journey with our students at this time of year. From remembering the heroics of Queen Esther during Purim to our exodus from Egypt during Passover to never forgetting the meaning of the Holocaust and the memory of the near complete destruction of European Jewry, we ask our children to feel, imagine and understand a wide breadth of Jewish experience. And then, as the 5th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar approaches, we remember with all of our hearts how our centuries of prayer to God to “return to Jerusalem and Zion” were answered with the creation of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948 (5 Iyar 5708). For almost 67 years we have celebrated the re-birth of a nation, a Jewish nation, an event that many Jews in the generation before me never thought they would witness. In just 7 decades, Israel has built a thriving democracy (alone in the region), an active press, an enlightened and engaged scientific and university community, a civilian-run and supported military, and a robust economy. All of this while

enduring a constant threat of war and terrorism from surrounding countries and militants. Israelis enjoy a high quality of life, excellent medical care and high life expectancy. All accomplishments aside, Israel is an amazing testament to history, courage, belief in God, and the raw will of a people.

Decades ago, the words from this advertisement were on the pages of many a magazine and newspaper: “This Year, Visit Your Country Home. Israel. Where The Warmth Of Belonging Begins. Come To Israel. The Miracle On The Mediterranean.”

Perhaps taking a cue from the advertisement (and my years spent in Young Judaea – Hadassah’s Zionist youth movement) I not only visited Israel but went there to live - thirty years ago, this past January. I immersed myself into Israeli life first in Jerusalem where I worked for a Jewish Federation Program called Project Renewal and then eventually on Kibbutz Gezer. I mastered Hebrew, grew in my profession, took on lots of responsibility, made many friends, began raising a family, and even became proficient at milking cows. I returned to the United States in 1995 to be closer to grandparents and siblings, knowing that I was leaving behind a very special way of life and many friends.

An immigrant to Israel is considered an “oleh.” The word comes from the root ayin, lamed, hey—used in the verb, to go up, as in climbing stairs. In Temple, an aliyah means “going up” to the pulpit for the honor of a Torah reading. In Biblical times, Jews made an aliyah (pilgrimage) three times each year to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem: on Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot. Immigrating to Israel requires not only a physical adaptation, but a religious and spiritual change as well. Many consider an oleh as someone who is attempting to raise the quality of his life as a Jew. It is no wonder then, that I will always have the feeling that I left a very special way of life. The complete joy of being able to live freely as a Jew in a Jewish homeland is overwhelming and powerful. The link between land, faith, language and people has resulted in a modern and vibrant nation, and it is a country that as American Jews we can be proud of. Seriously, did you know that Israel was the only country in the world to enter the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees? Of course there are problems, issues and concerns - nu, what country should go without its share of tsuris? However, if we take a lesson from the famous words of Israeli singer David Broza, “Yihiyeh Tov (it will be good)”, we can envision and ensure an Israel that is healthy, growing and forever standing side by side with a strong and confident world Jewry.

Jewish educators often fret, “How do we teach Israel?” By planting a concept, teaching from the heart and trusting each child’s imagination to take it from there we will be able to continue to appreciate the dream of Theodore Herzl, the developer of modern Zionism:

“Im tirtzu, ayn zo agadah. Lihiyot am chofshi be’artzeinu. Be’eretz tziyon V’yerushalyim.”If you will it, it is no dream- to be a free people in our land in Zion and Jerusalem.

At Tree of Life we will revel in Shalom and enjoy the the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Israel at a 67th Yom Ha’atzmaut birthday celebration on Friday eve, April 24. I hope that you will join us.

Risa milking cows, circa 1989.

YOUTH NEWSPURIM – MODEL SEDER

SAVE THE DATE RELIGIOUS SCHOOL DATES

SERVICE OF CONFIRMATIONShavuot Morning

Sunday, May 24, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.We will hold our very special Confirmation Service this year on the morning of Shavuot, Sunday, May 24 at 10:00 a.m. Please plan on being a part of this wonderful celebration and service, led by the students of the Confirmation Class of 5775, who are confirming their beliefs and commitment to living Jewish lives. Our Torah reading is the Ten Commandments, as we mark the anniversary of our receiving God’s teachings at Mt. Sinai on the festival of Shavuot.

4/5 No Religious School4/10 6:45pm KIDZ Shabbat. 7:30 Shabbat ! Service with childcare4/12 9am Religious School4/13-4/19 Holocaust Remembrance Display in ! ! Tree of Life Social Hall4/19 9am Religious School 5pm Yom HaShoah Holocaust ! ! Commemoration 4/26 9am Religious School

Save the Date5/10 Mother’s Day Car Wash and Flower Sale sponsored by the Confirmation Class5/15 Shabbat Service led by Kitah Alef – Bet5/17 Last Day of Religious School

6

SUPPORT GROUP REFORM JEWS 4 ISRAELHas your Mom or Dad been diagnosed with

dementia? Are you interested in the Jewish perspective on

memory loss?Would you like to share experiences with others who

are also on this journey?

If so, please join us on Tuesday, April 14 from 7- 8:30 p.m. in the Library of Tree of Life Congregation as we begin a facilitated group that discusses issues of importance to the adult children and caregivers of people with Alzheimer's.

RSVP to Donna Magaro at 781-9791 or donnamagaro@gmail.com

PLEASE VOTE FORARZA-REPRESENTING REFORM JUDAISM

IN THE 2015 WORLD ZIONIST ORGANIZATION ELECTIONSwww.urj.org

www.reformjews4israel.orgVOTING ENDS THIS MONTH

Today, Israel is at a crossroads. Much is at stake when it comes to women’s rights, freedom of worship, and peace in the region. As Reform Jews, we share a commitment to K’lal Yisrael – the many voices of the Jewish people united as one. We work together to foster a Jewish peoplehood and state in which the ideals of pluralism, equality and peace help to secure prosperous, fulfilling Jewish lives for us all.

We have the opportunity to achieve our vision of a just, equal, pluralistic future for Israel by voting to support Reform Judaism in the 2015 World Zionist Organization Election.

Register with the American Zionist Movement and vote for ARZA-Representing Reform between January 13th and April 30th.

Requirements to register to vote:1) You must be Jewish2) You must be 18 years or older by June 2015.3) You must be a resident of the United States.4) The registration cost is $10.00 ($5.00 for those under

age 30).Register with the American Zionist Movement and vote for ARZA–Representing Reform between January 13 and April 30, 2015.

For more information, go to the URJ website (www.urj.org) or www.reformjews4israel.org. Todah Rabbah!

ADULT EDUCATIONTOL BEIT MIDRASH FOR LIFELONG JEWISH LEARNING

ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES – Spring 5775/2015Wednesday evenings

7:05 – 8:00pm! JEWISH GOD-TALK with Rabbi Sherman! ! April 22 & 29 and May 6Let's look for and talk about God! In this course we will explore and discuss what Jews believe about God. We will examine Jewish theology and beliefs over time: biblical to today. We will search for answers to some of the tough questions: Do I have to believe in God? What do I call God? How can I find God? Where can I find God? Do I need God? Does God need me? We will use both traditional and modern sources in our search together.

6:00 – 7:00pm Beyond Beginners Hebrew with Risa Strauss ! April 8, 15, 22, 29Using a conversational and Biblical Hebrew text, we will continue to improve our conversation and prayer skills, grow our vocabulary and develop a better understanding of the language.

Temple member fee is $18 and Non Temple member fee is $25. Please make all checks payable to Tree of Life Congregation.

WRJ / SISTERHOOD NEWSThe TOL WRJ Book Club May selection will be All I Love and Know by Judith Frank.  We will meet to discuss the book on Thursday, May 14, at 6:45 PM at Arabesque at 2930 Devine Street.

For July, we will read The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street by Susan Jane Gilman.  We will meet to discuss the book on Thursday, July 9, at 6:45 PM at Yesterdays on the corner of Harden and Devine Streets in Five Points, and, after dinner, stroll over to Scoopy Doo on Saluda for ice cream for dessert.

GREEN TEAMThe Green Team is planning to keep the Big Nosh green.

We will have a display about our activities at the Big Nosh and we will be showing off our rain garden as well. The Gills Creek Watershed Association and Keep the Midlands Beautiful will have exhibits related to our projects. Additionally, we will be coordinating recycling for the Big Nosh. We will have a recycling bin next to each garbage bin, and will also place one or more signs on each table asking people to recycle.

We are also asking all those who prepare food to recycle cartons and containers. ! If you cook, please make sure that any disposable aluminum pans are cleaned and recycled. Also, please flatten and recycle any chipboard or corrugated cardboard. Additionally, please recycle cleaned steel cans, aluminum cans, glass, orange juice and milk cartons, frozen dinner trays, paper bags, yogurt and butter containers, and plastic bottles, trays, and baskets. Lids may be left on the plastic bottles or placed in our cap collection in the hall. If you are cooking in the TOL kitchen, please place recyclable materials in the large blue bin with the white lid or in the Arcadia Lakes recycling boxes at the rear of the building. If you have any 6-pack rings please add them to our collection in the hall. Taking care of the Earth is an important part of Jewish practice, so please be kind to the Earth during Big Nosh preparations and every day.

Thanks go to Bill Sims and David Potter for extensive improvements to our grounds, which will look much better for this year’s Big Nosh. Land is also being cleared for a gaga pit.

Welcome to Tree of Life. Please place plastic bottles

and aluminum cans in a blue recycle bin and place all other

garbage in a garbage can. Thank you for helping to take

care of the Earth.

To learn more about the Green Team, please visit http://www.tolsc.org/about-us/associations/green-team

Please contact us at greenteam@tolsc.org if you have questions, or to volunteer.

Please consider earmarking your TOL donations for the Green Team.

SAVE THE DATE

Join Us in June 2015 for …Tree of Life Congregation at Trustus TheatreFor a Special Performance of “Dreamgirls”

Stay tuned for more details – you won’t want to miss out on this fantastic show and important TOL fundraiser.

Thank you for your support!

8

PASSOVER

MATZAH TOFFEE2 cups of coarsely crumbled matzos1 1/2 cups sliced almonds1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar1/2 teaspoon salt2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. In a bowl, toss matzah pieces with almonds.

In a saucepan, bring butter, sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil over medium, stirring constantly. Working quickly, drizzle matzah mixture with syrup and toss.

Using a heatproof spatula, spread mixture onto prepared sheet. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let chocolate melt 5 minutes; spread chocolate over matzah toffee. Refrigerated until chocolate has set. Break into pieces, and serve.

CHAROSET2 cups raisins1 cup pecans, toasted1 cup blanched almonds, toasted1 cup dried dates, chopped3 Granny Smith Apples, cored and cut into chunks2 teaspoons cinnamon1/4 cup sweet red wine or grape juice to taste1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

Using a food processor, coarsely grind together the raisins, and nuts, pulsing so as not to over process. Add the chopped dates and mix well. Add wine and lemon juice to taste.

PASSOVER RECIPESPECIAL SERVICES FOR PASSOVER 5775

FIRST NIGHT OF PASSOVERFriday, April 3 at 6:00 p.m.

We will welcome Shabbat and the beginning of Passover with a short Shabbat Evening service, which will include the recitation of yahrzeits and the Mourner’s Kaddish. Our Congregational Seder will follow at 6:30 p.m.

FIRST DAY OF PASSOVER SERVICESaturday, April 4 at 10:00 a.m.

We will continue our observance of the beginning of Passover with a special Festival Morning Service. Our service will also include the Ceremony of Confirmation for Micah Feinstein, son of Jessica Elfenbein and Robert Feinstein.

LAST DAY OF PASSOVER SERVICEThursday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m.

Come join us for this special festival service marking the beginning of the last day of Passover. The service includes our Yizkor Memorial Service (similar to the Yom Kippur Yizkor service), at which we will read the names of all those in our congregation who have died since the beginning of 5775.

Passover Question: What’s on The Seder Plate?Maror: Bitter herbs are a symbol of the bitter life we endured in Egypt.Karpas: Parsley or other greens is a symbol of spring.Beitzah: A roasted egg is a symbol of the new life the Israelites would have after leaving Egypt.Charoset: A sweet-tasting mixture of apples, nuts, and wine symbolizing the mortar between the bricks.Zeroa: A roasted shank bone is a symbol of the paschal lamb the Jews offered as a sacrifice and ate during their first meal in the desert.Chatzeret: Usually a bitter piece of lettuce to symbolize the difficulty of life as slaves.** Tapuz/Orange: There is a newer tradition of adding an orange to the Seder Plate. Why? Because there were Jews who once said: “A woman belongs on the bimah – or in the rabbinate – as much as an orange belongs on a Seder Plate.” So let’s celebrate the role of women in Judaism and embrace equality by including an orange this year.

Passover Question: What’s the name of this holiday?Passover has five different names: Chag HaMatzot (the festival of unleavened bread), Chag HaPesach (the festival of the Paschal offering), Chag HaAviv (the festival of spring), Z’man Cheiruteinu (the time of our liberation), and Pesach (Passover).

WRJ Women’s SederTuesday April 7, 2015

6:00pm$10 for TOL sisterhood members

$15 for non membersLightly Supper, Lively Service & Lovely Ladies

RSVP by April 3

THE BIG NOSHTM

10

THE BIG NOSHTM

10

The Big Nosh is just around the corner, Sunday, May 3rd and we need our wonderful Tree of Life bakers to help us fill the tables with mouthwatering treats!

Big sellers include anything that is a traditional Jewish dessert, pies, cakes, and cupcakes. Please e-mail me and let me know what you plan to bake and the quantity, so we can make sure we have a good supply and variety.Baked items can be dropped off at the Temple Saturday, May 2nd beginning at 9AM.

If your baked item has nuts in it, please label it as such. It is a common question the day of the sale.

Thank you again for your support every year. The bake sale table is always a favorite among our customers and is very profitable for the Temple thanks to your generosity.

Please let us know what questions you have. Amy Scully- ascully.59@gmail.comJulie Strauss- njsj505@aol.comWalton Selig- jwaks123@bellsouth.net

Sponsorship  Opportunity

Become  a  Sponsor  of  The  Big  NoshTM.    All  sponsorships  are  tax-­‐deductible.

Friends:  $25-­‐$249Silver:  $250Gold:  $500

Platinum:  $1000Presenting:  $1500

Visit  www.bignosh.org  for  details.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR THE BIG NOSHTM.

No experience needed! Contact David Carr at treeoflifebh@gmail.com

Stay updated with the Latest Info!!!

Like us on Facebook (facebook.com/bignosh.org)Follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/bignoshscwww.bignosh.org

We have yard signs again this year for the Big Nosh.  They will be in the Temple foyer staring in mid April.  Please pick up some and distribute them around your neighborhood.   We are also looking for a few groups of people who will help distribute yard signs on Sunday, April 26th around the Temple neighbors.  Please contact David Carr at  Brotherhood@tolsc.org if you can help distribute signs.

The BIG NOSH

Mazal Tov to:Lois & Jerry Gibson, on the birth of their granddaughter Lilah ! Sheridan Gibson on December 31, 2014 in Portland, ! Oregan. Proud parents are Jonathan & Katie Gibson.

Robyn Bader & Morgan O’Donnell, who were married on March ! 21, 2015 in Greenville, SC

Refuah ShleimaGet well wishes to TOL members recently hospitalized or at home recovering: Ronnie Drucker, Carol Hansen

Honor RollWe salute and thank our wonderful volunteers!

Office – Marla May, Joan AmadoReligious School Office – Joan Tucker Hospital Patient List – Sandy HertzGreen Team / Recycling – Carolyn Hudson, David PotterOneg Shabbat Coordination – Laura Becker,

Annette Goldstein

MEMBER NEWS

APRIL BIRTHDAYS

APRIL ANNIVERSARIES WRJ SHABBAT SERVICE REPS

April 10- Terry GarberApril 17- Donna Magaro

April 24- Marla May

Amy & Rob Scully! ! April 4Sally & Steven Langer! ! April 9Robin & Rick Chapman! ! April 10Caryn & Gregg Helman! ! April 10Bonnie & Jonathan Leader! April 27

Carole Rothstein! April 2Daniel Sobel !! April 2Peter Blue! ! April 5Edith Kline! ! April 5Marisa Kornblut ! April 5Donald Portnoy ! April 5Lucy Westfall!! April 6Molly Westfall! April 6Sophie Westfall! April 6Willa Zug! ! April 6Mikayla Vance! April 7Anne Reyner!! April 8Lauren Kuperman! April 10David Nudelman! April 10Heather Weiss! April 10

Jonathan Friedman! April 11Cynthia Bloom! April 12Kiyrese Burton! April 12Elliot Chartock! April 12Ericka Johnson! April 15Vladimir Shtessel! April 15Travis Wheeler! April 16Avni Gupta-Kagen! April 16Alan Horn! ! April 17Carly Kraemer! April 17Maddy Wassermann! April 18Sanford Daniel! April 20Lois Green! ! April 22Lainie Rubin! ! April 22Gerald Euster! April 23

J.P. Ginsberg!! April 23Morgan Sherman! April 23Gail Bienstock! April 24Amit Gupta-Kagan! April 24Andrew Levy !! April 24Claire Reyner! April 24Daniel Bannister! April 25Terry Gomberg! April 25Emma Miller! ! April 25Brian Brodkin! April 27Karen Portnoy! April 27Maria Mondino-Kattan!April 28Louis Tedeschi! April 28Adam Schor! ! April 29Gabrielle Baker! April 30Harry Richman! April 30Shu-Mei Richman! April 30

Baby-Naming Ceremony for Rylee Jean ZeitzFriday, April 24, 20157:30 p.m. Shabbat Evening ServiceJoin us as we welcome into the Jewish Covenant and ask God’s blessings on Rylee Jean Zeitz, daughter of Heidi & Jeff Zeitz, granddaughter of Larraine & Jeff Moses and Marsha & Judd Zeitz.

We would like to wish Selma Dickman

a Happy 100th Birthday!

12

COMMUNITY NEWS

Community Yom HaShoah

Commemoration

Sunday, April 19, 2015 5:00pmTree of Life Congregation

Introduction of Speaker:Irene Rudnick

Former SC Legislator

Speaker:Judith Evans

A child during the Holocaust, Judith was placed in a Catholic convent for protection.

A “Holocaust Remembered Exhibit” will be on displayed before the Commemoration Service

GI Jews: South Carolina Goes to WarCommemorating the 70th Anniversary of

VE-DayThe Jewish Historical Society of

South CarolinaMay 2-3, 2015 Charleston, SC

Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Center – College of Charleston

Visit www.jhssc.org for details

BIMAH FLOWERSYAHRZEITSFriday, April 3Dorothy Haegele, David L. Slone, Susan Markel Starr*, Lillian Ravdin Zeller, Celia Foxman*, Jacob Foxman*, Pearl Heiden, Sadie Dickman, Leon Garber, Max Kalb, Sophie Revelise*, Odessa Alexander, Sylvia Gerber, Joseph Gergel*, Bernard Hupert, Charles Solomon, Esther Politis, Sarah Young, Woodrow Emanuel, Henry G. Levkoff*, Oscar Brill*, Alfred Garawitz, Ben Steingold, Boyd Haven Sulser

Friday, April 10Barbara Jane Helman*, Lana Mayskaya, Lewis Winter*, Rose Zellman, Ehrma Beattie, Lawrence “Skip” Berlin, Jane Cypres, Sonia Davis*, Sara Fingerhut, Ida Abrams*, Laura Burnstein*, Samuel Burnstein*, Morris Drucker, William P. Green, Benjamin Hack*, Melvin Gergel*, Edith Hunter Krauss*, Harold Markel , Michael S. Blick, Richard Hafter*, Louise Foglia Hill, Shirley McLeod*, Herbert Sobel, Beatrice Stiglitz, Helen Strauss*, Florette Weitzman, John Joseph Alion*, Jay J. Duni*, Blanche Glaser*, Samuel L. Sherman, Elsie Turner, Leon W. Love*

Friday, April 17Ethel Dunay*, Charles F. Donen*, Helen Mendel*, Barbara Rosenberg, Rakhil Veytskin, Mitchell Weiner*, Miriam G. Kohn*, Gabriel Levy, Bertie Simmons*, Ralph Lerner*, William C. McLain, Jr., Daniel “Dan” Davis, Edward Krantz, Charles Madoff

Friday, April 24Helen Kohn Hennig*, Francis Oliver Musarra, Simon Goldenberg, Verna Mooney, Lewis Weinberg*, Jacob Fleischman, Estella Morino, Harriet Hoffman, George Julius Mann*, Joseph Marton, Mordie M. Donen*, Ruth Wilma Farber*, Alvin H. Reyner*, Joseph Weinberg*, Gertrude Halper, Evelyn Lazar, Harry Zalin*, David Levin, Anne Wadness Segal, Arthur Silber*, Theresa S. Vineburg*

March 6, 2015Deborah & Allan Brett, in memory of Shirley LevineDeborah & Allan Brett, in memory of Leon BrettFeliks & Sarra Rabinovich and family, in memory of ! Mariya Volfson

March 13, 2015Irene & Fred Fields, in memory of Rachele RothfederStan Gomberg, in memory of Gary GombergJoanne Hafter, in memory of Sylvia JastrowJonathan Leader, in memory of Alan Howard LeaderMarvyn Milman, in memory of David MilmanJan Rivers, in memory of Grier ParkJerry Rothstein, in memory of Mary RothsteinAlvin Steingold, in memory of Charlotte SteingoldHoward Weiss, in memory of Renee Rollins

March 20, 2015Jan Barkan, in memory of Andrea GerstleHarriet & Chuck Campbell, in memory of James MasurCarolyn & Alan Conway, in memory of Sidney ConwayCarolyn & Alan Conway, in memory of Arline WanderCarolyn & Alan Conway, in memory of Myron WanderNard Fleischman, in memory of Marian D. FleischmanAnnette Goldstein & Family, in memory of James “Jimmy” ! MasurStanley & Terry Gomberg, in memory of Elaine GombergJoanne Hafter, in memory of Julius JastrowDiane KallHarriet Posner, in memory of Kate PosnerAmy & Rob Scully, in memory of Kate PosnerJoan Tucker, in memory of Irving SchwartzHoward Weiss, in memory of Nancy Love Weiss

March 27Terry Garber, in memory of Gorman A. GarberHarriett Posner, in memory of Elliott PosnerAmy & Rob Scully, in memory of Elliott PosnerHoward Weiss, in memory of Julius Love

14

We gratefully acknowledge the following thoughtful donations:

CONTRIBUTIONS

General Funds ($5 minimum donation unless otherwise noted)• Building Fund ($10 minimum)• Choir Fund• Green Team Fund• Foyer Leaf Fund ($72/leaf) – to purchase &

inscribe a leaf• General Fund• High Holy Day / Passover Fund – to help cover

holiday operating expenses• Library Fund – to help provide books &

resources for TOL library.• Memorial Board & Plaque Fund ($500/plaque)

– to purchase a yahrzeit plaque for the sanctuary memorial boards.

• Prayer Book Fund ($30 minimum) – to purchase a Shabbat prayer book

• Rabbi’s Discretionary fund – to render emergency assistance to individuals, promote Jewish causes, and to open opportunities for Jewish learning and spiritual development.

• Religious School Fund – to help cover regular operating expenses & educational resources of the Religious School.

• Religious School Neil Cartiff Memorial Fund – to support teacher and leadership training

• Youth Activities Fund – to provide financial aid for helping our students participate in Israel programs, URJ summer camps, and NFTY regional events.

Sisterhood Funds ($5 minimum donation)• Reyner Convention Fund – to send Sisterhood

members to conventions.• Courtesy Fund – to help beautify the Temple.• Evelyn & Dan Daniel Leadership Development

Fund – to send youth to leadership camp (formerly known as the TYG Fund)

Endowment Funds ($25 minimum donation) • General Endowment Fund• Jeanette Birch Endowment Fund – for grounds

beautification.• Diane Brown Sobel Endowment Fund – helps

purchase items for the Religious School.• Marian D. Fleischman Endowment Fund –

helps fund TOL programming.• Ralph & Sarah Levine Endowment Fund – for

capital improvements to our building.• Sylvia & Sam Savitz Music Enrichment

Endowment Fund• Jonathan Train Youth Group Endowment

Fund

TOL FUND DIRECTORYPlease consider making a tax-deductible donation to your favorite

TOL General, Sisterhood, or Endowment fund. Donations make wonderful gifts!

ONEG SHABBAT HOSTS

Note: If you are unable to bake or purchase Oneg Shabbat refreshments you may donate $20.00. Homemade goods are always preferable. Checks need to be sent to the temple office two weeks prior to your Oneg Shabbat date. Thank you!

April 3: No Oneg – Passover Seder

April 10: Beth Helman: Chair – Roger & Faye Kuperman, Steven & Sally Langer, Lewis & Maryann Lapine, Jonathan & Bonnie Leader, Martin & Wannelle Lefkowitz, Arthur & Barbara Levy

April 17: Dori Nudelman: Chair – Hilary Lichterman, Ben Lipton, Jane Littmann, Toby Lourie, Donna & Ernie Magaro

April 24: Terry Garber: Chair – Ron & Beth Maris, Marla May, Joan & Thomas McGee, Ron McKnight, Leah Meador, Fred & Marcia Medway

May 1: Alexa Claremont Ecklov: Chair – Marisa & Philip Kornblut, Richard & Diane Mellitz, Rick & Sandy Mendel, Stephen Merlin, Bruce & LA Miller, Faye Miller, Jeffery & Peggy Miller

Youth Activities FundFred & Irene Fields, in memory of Michael FetterRisa Strauss, in memory of Larry Davidson, ! Hannah Ayalon, Phil Glavey and Marvin ! BienstockRisa Strauss, in honor of Brody Nail’s 1st ! Birthday and the birth of Eliora Maron

Rabbi’s Discretionary FundLea Weiner, in honor of Selma Dickman’s 100th ! Birthday

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1 2 36:00pm Shabbat Evening Service

6:30pm Congregational

Seder

First Night of Passover

410:00am Festival Morning Service

2nd Night of Passover

5No Religious

School

Bucks Backs order deadline

3rd Night of Passover

6

4th Night of Passover

76:00pm Women’s

Seder

5th Night of Passover

86:00pm Beyond

Beginners Hebrew with Risa

6:00pm Executive Committee

Meeting

7:00pm TOL Board Meeting

6th Night of Passover

97:00pm Last

Night of Passover Yizkor Service

Last Night of Passover

106:45pm KIDZ

Shabbat

7:30pm Shabbat Evening Service

Last Day of Passover

11

129:00am Religious

School

9:00am-1:00pm Sisterhood Silent

Auction

13 147:00-8:00pm

Support Group

156:00pm Beyond

Beginners Hebrew with Risa

16Yom HaShoah

177:30pm Shabbat Evening Service

1810:00am Shabbat Morning Service & Torah Study

199:00am Religious

School

5:00pm Yom HaShoah

Commemoration at Tree of Life

20 21 22Yom Hazikaron

6:00pm Beyond Beginners

Hebrew with Risa

7:00pm Jewish God –Talk with Rabbi Sherman

23Yom Ha’atzmaut

Happy 67th Birthday, Isreal

247:30 Shabbat

Evening Service

25

269:00am Religious

School

27 28 296:00pm Beyond

Beginners Hebrew with Risa

7:00pm Jewish God –Talk with Rabbi Sherman

30 16:00pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service

2Big Nosh Prep

April 2015

16

Tree of Life Congregation6719 North Trenholm RoadColumbia, SC 29206

TREE OF LIFE CONGREGATIONEstablished 1896

6719 North Trenholm Road * Columbia, SC 29206Office: (803) 787-2182 * Fax (803) 787-0309

Website: www.tolsc.orgEmail: info@tolsc.org

Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00 am - 5:00 pmFriday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

RABBI Daniel M. Shermanrabbisherman@tolsc.org

RABBI EMERITUS Sanford T. Marcus, D.D.Risa Strauss, EDUCATION DIRECTORrisa@tolsc.org

OFFICERSPresident! Rick CohnFirst Vice President! Alan BrillSecond Vice President! Bruce MillerSecretary! Lisa HelferTreasurer! Joy ParksImmediate Past President! Steve SavitzBOARD MEMBERSLaney Cohen! ! ! Donna MagaroJackie Dickman-Babcock! Ernie Magaro! Jessica Elfenbein! ! Amy ScullyEric Feuerstein! ! ! Jeff SeligAnnette Goldstein! ! Jeff SilverScott Kaplan! ! ! Julie StraussRoger Kuperman! ! G. Todd WeissLIFETIME BOARD MEMBERSBernard Fleischman, Jr.! Howard WeissStephen Savitz

COMMITTEE CHAIRSEndowment! Ned StraussFinance! Ernie Magaro!House & Grounds! G. Todd WeissMembership ! Annette GoldsteinReligious School Board! Yuliana IskhakovRitual! Jessica ElfenbeinAFFILIATESBrotherhood President! David CarrSisterhood Presidents! Amanda HamiltonCOFTY President! Micah FeinsteinTEMPLE STAFFOffice Manager!Custodian! Demitris GilmoreTEMPLE MUSICIANSMusic Director! Sharon WitherellDirector Emeritus! Jackie McNeil