YABA dabba dairy dinner for Erev Shavuot!

Don't forget to sign up by Tuesday for our dairy dinner before the Tikkun L'eil Shavuot!

Shavuot is the holiday when we celebrate the revelation of Torah at Mount Sinai. It's traditional to have dairy meals for Shavuot, and that means...cheesecake! And blintzes. And other yummy things. (And Lactaid, perhaps.) It's also traditional to pull a Jewish all-nighter -- we stay up all night studying and learning in what's called a "Tikkun Leil Shavuot," to prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually to receive Torah once again. Our sages teach us that every Jewish soul was at Mount Sinai with the Children of Israel, and every year we come "home" and experience it anew.

So you are cordially invited to join us for Mincha (the afternoon service) at 7 p.m., followed by a very dairy dinner at 7.15. We'll join Temple Beth Am, IKAR, PicoEgal, and the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies for a community-wide Ma'ariv (evening service) and Tikkun Leil Shavuot. The study session will start with an opening plenary titled, "Can We Talk? The Deterioration of Public Discourse," featuring Rabbi Daniel Greyber (director of Camp Ramah in California), Rabbi Perry Netter (rabbi of Temple Beth Am), and Rabbi Sharon Brous (rabbi of IKAR), and moderated by Rabbi Joel Rembaum (senior rabbi of TBA). Following that will be study sessions on a variety of topics led by a variety of teachers, including Rabbi Susan Leider (assistant rabbi of TBA) and your favorite YABA Chair (who is not a rabbi!). We'll have Shacharit (the morning service) at 5.15 a.m.

Please, please, please RSVP by Tuesday 3 June 2008 so we have an accurate head-count for the caterer! We'd hate to have to turn people away, which we've had to do at our last few Shabbat dinners.

* details * details * details

What: Dinner and Tikkun Leil Shavuot
When: Sunday 8 June 2008
Where: Temple Beth Am - 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles 90035
Time: 7 p.m. Mincha * 7.15 p.m. dinner * 8.30 p.m. Ma'ariv and Tikkun Leil Shavuot
Cost: $10 (for dinner! no charge for the davening or the learning, that's all free...)
RSVP: online or call 310.652.7354 x230 by Tuesday 3 June 2008!

See you then!

Blood & Bone Marrow Drive -- Sunday 1 June 2008!

One who saves a life, it is as if he (or she) has saved the entire world. That's what our sages teach us, and now you have an opportunity to participate in a truly life-saving mitzvah. In cooperation with Temple Beth Am and the Pressman Academy (TBA's day school and religious school), YABA is co-sponsoring a blood and bone marrow drive. You've heard from us before how important it is to donate blood; in the summer, blood supplies often dwindle to dangerously low levels. But this time, we're adding a bone marrow drive. Ronit Polsky, the daughter of the principal of the Pressman Academy elementary school, has been diagnosed with leukemia, and a bone marrow transplant will most likely be a critical part of her treatment.

Registering as a potential bone marrow donor is quick, easy, and painless -- you'll just swab the inside of your cheek with a q-tip. If you are determined to be a match for someone awaiting a bone marrow transplant, you will be contacted, and the choice to undergo further testing and to make the donation will be up to you.

This is a huge mitzvah and a life-affirming way to support our community. Please sign up today for an appointment to donate blood! (You don't need an appointment to sign up for the National Marrow Donor Registry.)

What: Blood & Bone Marrow Drive
When: Sunday 1 June 2008
Time: 9 a.m. to 2.30 p.m.
Where: Temple Beth Am - 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., LA, 90035
RSVP: http://www.bikurcholim.net/BikurCholim/Site/Blood/appointment.asp?m=15

See you then!

Shabbat Dinner 28 Feb and Blood Drive 9 March!

YABA SHABBAT DINNER - 29 FEBRUARY 2008

It's a once-in-four-years opportunity. Actually -- it's a once-in-28-years opportunity -- that's how long it will take for Leap Day to be on a Friday again. So, really, it's a once-in-a-LIFETIME opportunity, because in twenty-eight years, none of us will be eligible for YABA anymore! So you definitely don't want to miss out on this one. We'll have services with the Neshama Minyan at 5.30, and dinner will be at 6.45. Remember, at our last two dinners, we had to turn people away, so PLEASE reserve your spot by the TUESDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2008 at noon!!

And this won't be just any dinner. It's the midst of primary season, and we will be having a conversation about those strangest of bedfellows, religion and politics, with AIPAC speakers from each side of the aisle.

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YABA BLOOD DRIVE - 9 MARCH 2008

Did you know that fewer than 3% of adults donate blood in Southern California? The average adult has about 10 pints of blood. A victim of a major trauma can require up to 100 units during treatment. Our blood drive in November was a success -- we collected nearly 30 pints of blood, and helped save a whole lot of lives. So we are sponsoring another blood drive -- we're looking to do even better this time around, and we need your help! Our second blood drive will be on Sunday 9 March 2008 from 12.30 to 5.30 at Temple Beth Am. We need donors AND publicity! If you're able to give blood, please schedule an appointment (details below). Whether or not you can donate, please encourage others to come donate blood as well! Please spread the word, and together we can save a whole lot of lives.

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DETAILS!

YABA SHABBAT DINNER
What: Shabbat dinner with all your favorite YABAniks
When: Friday 29 February 2008 - 5.30 services, 6.45 dinner
Where: Temple Beth Am, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., 90035
Why: Because you'll never have this opportunity again -- to have a Leap Day Shabbat Dinner with YABA!
RSVP: sign up online * e-mail yaba@tbala.org * call 310.652.7354 x268 BY NOON on TUESDAY 26 FEBRUARY!


YABA BLOOD DRIVE
What: A blood drive, in partnership with UCLA
When: Sunday 9 March, 10.30 a.m. - 3.30 p.m.
Where: Temple Beth Am, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., 90035 - the UCLA Bloodmobile will be parked outside the shul.
Why: To save lives!
RSVP: schedule your appointment: online * e-mail yaba@tbala.org * call 310.652.7354 x268

The Bloodmobile can only handle three donors at a time, so please schedule an appointment so you won't have to wait! (And if you can't edit the spreadsheet from the link at the bottom of the page, e-mail us and we'll help you out!)

Kosher Wine-Tasting, version 3.0

Who needs the SuperBowl when there's wine to be had?

On Sunday 3 February 2008, instead of watching teams who aren't the Eagles play football (I'm a Pennsylvania girl, sorry) and commercials that aren't interesting (darn that dot-com bust!)...join YABA and our co-sponsors from Congregation Beth Meier for an afternoon of good wine, good food, and good friends.

We'll meet at Temple Beth Am (with an additional stop at Beth Meier), take a bus to the winery, have a self-guided tour and a wine-tasting (complete with yummy kosher appetizers), and of course have plenty of time to check out the gift shop. Then we'll take the bus back to Beth Am (again stopping at Beth Meier), and if people are interested, we might have a group go out for dinner at one of the kosher restaurants nearby.

Details!

What: Kosher wine-tasting with all your favorite YABAniks
When: Sunday 3 February 2008
Time: 1 p.m. - meet at Beth Am (should return between 5.30 and 6 p.m.)
(the bus will stop in Studio City on the way there and on the way back for our friends at Beth Meier)
Where: meet at Beth Am - 1039 S. La Cienega, 90035
Cost: $20.00 per person (includes bus, wine-tasting, and appetizers)
RSVP: by Monday 28 January 2008 - online, e-mail, or phone (310.652.7354 x230)

Shabbat Chanukah dinner!

Chanukah is just around the corner! Please join us on Friday 7 December at 5.30 p.m. for Neshama minyan services, followed by dinner at 7. We'll have latkes, sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts), dreidels, and all that good stuff. Who knows, there might even be an impromptu "Dreidel Spin-Off." It's up to you.

Details!

What: YABA Shabbat Chanukah dinner
When: Friday 7 December 2007, 5.30 services, 7.00 dinner
Where: Temple Beth Am, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd. 90035
Why: Because at least one of these 8 crazy nights ought to spent with your favorite YABAniks!

Cost: $15

RSVP: by Tuesday 2 December 2007
- online: click here
- e-mail: yaba@tbala.org
- phone: 310.652.7354 x230

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For our Sukkot dinner, we had to turn people away, so don't forget to RSVP by Tuesday 2 December!

Blood Drives and Board Games and Mitzvahs, oh my!

How often do you get the chance to do the ultimate mitzvah -- save a life -- AND have fun at the same time? On Sunday 18 November from 12-5.30 p.m., we'll be sponsoring a blood drive through Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, held at Temple Beth Am. And we'll have board games, snacks, and music, so stick around and spend the afternoon with YABA.

Did you know that fewer than 3% of adults donate blood in Southern California? The average adult has about 10 pints of blood. A victim of a major trauma can require up to 100 units during treatment. We need your participation! Even if you can't donate, please spread the word to others who can. (And, of course, you're still welcome to join us that afternoon!)

What: Blood drive & board games
When: Sunday 18 November, 1-5 p.m.
Where: Temple Beth Am, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., 90035 in Hersch Hall
Why: To save lives and have fun, all at the same time!
RSVP: Click here to schedule your appointment!

And if you know people who are over 18 -- even if they're not in their 20s or 30s -- please spread the word, because we'd love to have as many donors as possible.

Feedback, please!

Thanks to the 35 of you who turned out for our Sukkot dinner! I hope you're all having a wonderful Sukkot.

We are thinking of doing a YABA-sponsored blood drive on Sunday 18 November 2007. At the moment, it's entirely hypothetical, but we'd really like to make it happen, since we know that the California blood banks are facing a shortage.

So I'm wondering how many of you think you'd come to such an event. You can leave comments here on the blog, or e-mail yaba@tbala.org and let us know. It's not a binding commitment; I'd just like to gauge a general level of interest.

Chag sameach to all!