october 2007 ~ tishrei - chesvan 5768

-- Rabbinical Support During Transition
-- News from Dor Hadash
-- eScrip and more...
-- Board News
-- Birthdays and Anniversaries ~ October
-- Community Announcements
-- Etz Chaim ~Tree of Life
-- Jewish Family and Children's Services
-- Donations Make a Difference!
-- Newsletter Guidelines

Chevre and Friends...

Rabbinical Support During Transition

Rabbi Ted Feldman of B'nai Israel Jewish Center in Petaluma will be providing rabbinic support to our congregation during this transitional period. If any Ner Shalom member is in need of spiritual counseling or rabbinic support for a life cycle event please feel free to contact him directly at 707-765-2937. We hope to have Rabbi Feldman lead a Friday night service in the near future so that you have a chance to meet and get to know him. We are very pleased and honored that he has agreed to assist in serving our community and hope this will also create ties with the members of B'nai Israel.

News from Dor Hadash

Dear Chevre,
Join us in the Sukkah on Sunday morning, September 30th at 9:45. We will have a brief morning blessing and registration for the school year.
L'shana Tova,
Pam Pepper, education committee
Shari Brenner, education committee

eScrip and more...

Are your grocery purchases helping Ner Shalom? Every grocery store in the area, (except Trader Joe's) is a member of some program that benefits us. The cost to you is nothing-- but the benefits to Ner Shalom are great. If you don't know which program your store is connected with, ask at the store or contact Anna Ghandour. We all buy groceries - why not help the synagogue at the same time? Your friends and relatives can also sign up and name Ner Shalom as the beneficiary. We have or will be getting over $300 for the first four months of this year alone. If every member and their friends took a minute to sign up at their favorite store or on line, the money could be doubled!!!
Also, ask at your favorite merchants if they are part of the Community Smart program. You may reach COMMUNITYsmart at 568-4995 or go on-line to www.communitysmart.comand check out their merchant list before you make a purchase. Another painless way to raise money!

Yet another Albertson's change! Albertson's markets in Northern California have been purchased by Save Mart and they will soon no longer by accepting the Preferred Savings Card. Save Mart has their own program called S.M.A.R.T which pays up to 3% of every qualified dollar spent. Between April and August, Save Mart will be transitioning to the new program as they take over stores. I have requested the paperwork from Save Mart and will let you know when new cards are available. In the meantime, keep using your Preferred Cards until the transition is complete.

Do you need new tires or more for your vehicle? If you do, than check out the participating merchants in the eScrip (two are Big O Tires and Pep Boys) www.eScrip.c om and Communitysmart (such as McLea's Tire) www.communitysmart.com programs. All it takes is having work done at one of these merchants and then when you go to pay for it present your Communitysmart card or use your credit/debit card linked with eScrip. Its so easy to make your vehicle safe and provide a donation to your community.

eScrip shoppers please make sure you keep your credit/debit cards are current. If you are not up to date, than Ner Shalom does not receive contributions from your eScrip transactions. You can also register your major credit cards so that qualified purchases on cards also raise money for the congregation. This is a secure site with an excellent track record.
eScrip also has an "Online Mall" which directs you to the homepage of participating merchants. Each merchant contributes a set percentage of purchases to Ner Shalom (Land's End 5%; Eddie Bauer 4%; Barnes and Nobel 3.5%; 1-800-Pet Meds 6% for example). It is just one extra step for you but think what you can contribute to Ner Shalom!
Check to be sure that your Safeway receipt says "Qualifying purchases have been accumulated towards eScrip." Then go to the eScrip web site and verify that Ner Shalom is registered as your school Just go on-line to www.eScrip.c om and check out "my escrip" to see what your expiration dates and card numbers are on their records.

Not sure where you stand with all these programs? Give Anna Ghandour a call at 584- 4829 or e-mail her at huskyanna@yahoo.com and let her help you make a difference today.

Board News

Shalom and Blessings to All,
The Board of Directors,
Jack Fender - interim President
Myrna Rogoff - interim Vice President
Berrine DeCarmo - interim Secretary and Treasurer
Renee Kramer, Ellyn Lazar, Will Rogers, Nancy Rapp,
and Izzy Green
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD

Jack Fender 588-8824
e-mail: fenderola@yahoo.com

Myrna Rogoff 539-7473
e-mail: mylem@aol.com

Berrine DeCarmo 588-9088
e-mail: berrine1988@sbcglobal.net

Ellyn Lazar 838-4785
e-mail: emlazar@sbcglobal.net

Renee Kramer 823-9555
e-mail: reneek777@sbcglobal.net

William Rogers 762-8645
e-mail: willrogers13@gmail.com

Nancy Rapp (415) 897-5090
e-mail: rappwayne@prodigy.net

Izzy Green 824-4344
e-mail: yitzak@medagree.com

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Education - Co-Chairs Pamela Pepper 588- 8824
e-mail: p.pepper@yahoo.com
and Shari Brenner 575-5863
e-mail: sbrenner@sonic.net

Finance Committee -Ariana Elster 824- 5609
e-mail: aelster@comcast.net

Membership - position open

Personnel - Barbara Lesch-McCaffry 585- 2291
e-mail: mccaffry@sonoma.edu

Visioning Committee - Sally Churgel 823- 0541
e-mail: churgel@pacbell.net

No-Cost Fundraising - Anna Ghandour 584-4829
e-mail: huskyanna@yahoo.com

Building and Maintenance - Jack Fender 588-8824
e-mail: fenderola@yahoo.com

Newsletter - Pamela Pepper 588- 8824
e-mail: p.pepper@yahoo.com

Website - Anne Woods
e-mail: rainywoods@yahoo.com

Dor Hadash Education Director: position open

Office Manager: Carol Vanek 664- 8622
e-mail: shalom@sonic.net
Office Hours: Tues.-Fri. 9:00 AM- 2:00 PM

Birthdays and Anniversaries ~ October

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
LIORA JACOB ~ OCTOBER 11
BLAKE PEPPER-TUNICK ~ OCTOBER 22
PAMELA PEPPER ~ OCTOBER 27

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO...

CARINA and ANDREW WAGNER ~ OCTOBER 17, 1982

Community Announcements

The Jewish Community Free Clinic is now accepting donations of toys and children's books. Please bring them to the Jewish Free Clinic located at 6307 Commerce Blvd., next door to Summit Bank.
JFCS RIDES hits the road to help seniors go to medical appointments, shopping, personal care appointments, and local community events.
Please check our website nershalom.org for more information.

OPEN YOUR HEART TO A WAITING CHILD
Sonoma County has a serious shortage of caring foster families.
Foster parents are needed for children and youth of all ages and ethnic backgrounds.
Please check our website nershalom.org for more information.

Jewish Reconstructionist Federation West Coast Region website: www.jrf.org/westcoast

ASK JCI & R...

Q: I am concerned about my elderly parents, and would like to explore options for senior activities and housing. Can you tell me where to start the search?

A: Yes, of course we can help. The number of options for housing has grown in recent years. Let's start by sending you senior housing guides and Seniors and the Law. We can refer you to many senior services provided by our Jewish community, including medical support, senior transportation; meals on wheels, cultural and social activities, Holocaust survivor services, long-distance senior care, and help at home.

For more information about connecting to Jewish life, call JCI & R at 415/777-4545 or local toll-free 877- 777-JCIR (5247)
Jewish Community Information and Referral is a service of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma counties. Visit our websites at: www.JewishNfo.org or bayarea.planitjewish.com

Interested in an Interest-Free Loan?
The Hebrew Free Loan Association provides interest-free loans to Jewish residents in Northern California needing assistance with personal or financial matters.
Please check our website nershalom.org for more information.

Etz Chaim ~Tree of Life

Etz Chaim - Tree of Life
Our Tree of Life in the Oneg room began as a way to thank those in our community who worked so hard to establish our permanent home in Cotati.
It will now be used to help Ner Shalom continue to flourish through the celebration of life events. A simcha leaf to honor a special life event and a pomegranate to commemorate the seeds of our community's hard work, our B'nai Mitzvahs, can be obtained through a donation of 10 Chai or $180
To mark your special occasion with a simcha leaf or pomegranate please contact the office.

Jewish Family and Children's Services

See our website www.nershalom.org/news/JFCS for programs and classes listed for October at JFCS in Sonoma County.
All low-cost/ no-cost JFCS and Parents Place programs listed on our website are non- sectarian and open to all members of the public.

Donations Make a Difference!

Donations to Ner Shalom Make A Difference!
*Building Repair Fund
*Dor Hadash School
*Etz Chaim (Tree of Life)
*General Fund
*Music Fund
*Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
*Teen Fund
*Tikkun Olam Fund
*Written Word/Torah Fund

Honor some one; remember an event or a special person. Donations (minimum of $6 {1/3 Chai} per listing) will be listed in the Gifts of Light section of the next newsletter. Send the donation to the office with the appropriate designation or call the office at 664-8622 for more information. Your generous support of Ner Shalom is greatly appreciated.
Memorialize the memory of a loved one with a Yahrzeit Plaque on our Wall of Remembrance. The cost of a plaque and inscription is $200 Please contact the office at 664-8622 for more information.

Newsletter Guidelines

*1. Deadline will be at 2:00 p.m. on the first Friday of every month (unless arrangements have been made with the editor of the newsletter.)
*2. All submissions should be sent to the editor via e- mail with the subject heading: NL submission.

*3. Editor will change, edit, or delete any or all portions of submission(s) as deemed necessary without prior approval of the author.

*4. Editor is not responsible for retrieving submissions from other sources. It is the responsibility of the author to submit all necessary components to the editor by the deadline.

Contact Information

email: p.pepper@yahoo.com phone: (707)664-8622 web: http://www.nershalom.org