Daf Hashavuah

Welcome to the world, Baby Girl Katz! With excitement and joy, please join us this Sunday morning, May 19th at 10:30 am at Congregation Beth Israel, as new parents Stephanie Shelan Katz & Doni Katz name their beloved and precious daughter! May her life be filled with the insights of Torah, the warm and supportive love of family and community, and the blessing of good deeds. Mazel tov!
A great way to support the family is to provide meals during the next few weeks.  To sign up for a meal use the following calendar link: http://mealmein.com/helpout/p6va7
We're happy to announce that we've arranged special menus with Oakland Kosher, Amba and Grand Bakery to help make providing a meal even easier. For menus and directions for ordering click (or copy and paste this link into your internet browser): http://bit.ly/UNN0g0
If you need help with sign up, please contact Frayda Gonshor Cohen at frayda@gmail.com.  Thank you and Tizku L'mitzvot!

Midrasha is OUR congregation’s high school program.  Give yourself a treat and come to the Midrasha graduation this Sunday, May 19th at 10:15 at Beth El, 1301 Oxford Street in Berkeley.  If you have any doubt about the impact Midrasha makes on the lives of our teens, come and envelop yourself in their words.  Each senior recounts what Midrasha has meant to them. Come see what Jewish education looks like after Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the pride that these students have in their heritage, and find your faith in the future of the Jewish community renewed!. Bring your friends, your neighbors, your whole family.

Homeless Shelter: Because of Federal Budget Sequestration, countless people at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder find themselves wanting for food and shelter.  Please consider committing a couple of hours next Wednesday evening, May 22, to cooking and serving dinner at the Berkeley Men’s Homeless Shelter. We are in need of volunteers to help prepare and serve a first class dinner to our brothers. This mitzvah is a great way to give back to our community, something that CBI has been doing consistently for the last six years. We meet at the Shelter kitchen at 5:00 pm, prepare & cook to food to serve at 7:00, and clean up the kitchen until 7:40. Don’t be afraid to sign up, even though you have never cooked before – recipes and directions are supplied. In addition, we are honored with a dvar Torah given by Rabbi Green. When you sign up, there is now an optional E-mail slot; it is there so that you can be notified if there are any changes. The link is provided below:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArTHUINkSvLodFNQN0xKaFNYUGZCMWFRUkY1NDdqa2c&hl=en&authkey=CMa5gIUI
The shelter is in the back of the Veterans Memorial Building, located on Center Street in Berkeley, between MLK and Milvia. The entrance is through the little driveway between the second & third (Veteran’s) building on the north side of Center St. We meet in the shelter kitchen, the door to which is at the Northeast corner of the driveway (just West of the Veterans Memorial Building on Center above MLK). If you have trouble signing up, please E-mail me. Important, if you do sign up and you have a change in plans, PLEASE let me know ASAP.
Thank you. Shabbat Shalom!  Marvin Yudenfreund
windoworld@comcast.net
.

**Congregation Beth Israel  Annual Gala**
Sunday, June 2, 5:30 pm
Music · Cocktails · Auction · Dinner Theater
Biblical Broadway: The Book of Ruth
(a slightly irreverent in-house musical)
Honoring our administrator Joelle Yzquierdo
for ten years of devoted commitment to Congregation Beth Israel
RSVP by Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tickets: $40/person
Place an ad in our Tribute Book to honor a STAR in our community! Underwriter (Full Page): $500; Producer (1/2 Page): $360
Actor: (1/4 Page): $180 Crew (15 Word greeting): $36
Suggested Stars: Newborn Stars (Our Babies); the Broadway Stars (Our Cast); Joelle (Our Superstar); Rising Stars (Our Children) or any of our many Shining Stars.

Project 50
Please make sure you take advantage of our many new and existing opportunities to connect more deeply with one another.

PROJECT 50 through Shared Meals: Thank you to everyone who participated in PROJECT 50. A few meals are still available for those who still wish to participate, including this shabbat. Please email the office to sign up.

We are also excited to share with you three more FUN opportunities, some of which extend beyond Shavuot, to continue building our community. Please email the office for the link. office@cbiberkeley.org

CBI VOLUNTEERS ON THE FARM WITH URBAN ADAMAH, 1050 Parker St. Berkeley
Wednesday, May 22, 9 am – 12 pm
Instead of a coffee break, try a soil break at the farm! Put your hands in the dirt and enjoy the satisfaction of fresh air and farming by volunteering at Urban Adamah for an hour, morning or afternoon.
Farm work might include seeding in the greenhouse, weeding, harvesting crops, animal care (goats, chickens, worms) helping with repairs and assisting around the farm with other small and big projects. No experience is necessary! Just bring your fun-loving attitude and we'll train you on the rest. Remember to dress for the outdoors with appropriate clothing and closed-toe shoes.
Our farm in West Berkeley relies on volunteers to help us grow the thousands of pounds of produce we harvest every year and donate through our Free Farm Stand and area food banks. We couldn't do it without you! Thank you.

MARVELOUS MOVIE MATINEE
(Not really matinee, we just couldn't resist alliteration)
Tuesday, May 21, 7:30 p.m.
Come discuss Marvelous Super Hero movies and their various reflections on our Jewish lives.
First movie - Iron Man 3: Come to see the movie and meet before over a beer to discuss. You can learn a bit about the character's origin, and the (Jewish) writers that created him, discuss the movie's envisioning of the Marvel world, and delve into some interesting reflections on the character from a Jewish perspective.
When: Tuesday May 21, 7:30 pm meet to discuss, movie starts at 8:30 pm
Where: Bay street Emeryville (where there's lots of parking and beer in bottles) for beers before, AMC Bay street for the movie.
Second and third movie picks will be announced later in the summer. For more information contact Lou Schubert or Joe Schickman.
Note: You may want to see Iron Man 1, Iron Man 2, and The Avengers movie as reference. The rest of the Marvel movies are recommended as well, but not needed.