February, 2025 Megillah
RABBI'S NOTES
This past Monday as I write, we held a service at the shul during the exact time of the swearing in of the re-elected president. We knew that it would be a hard moment to live through for many of us, and it felt right to gather in community as the clock moved through that transition.
There was a good crowd of folks gathered, including several lovely local ministers, some of the women from my beloved rowing team (which doesn’t row anymore but gathers all the time anyhow) and some of their friends, and a bunch of other “friends of the Jewish people,” as I like to say in the Morning Blessings on Shabbat. And of course a number of MCJC regulars too. We prayed, lit candles, sang. Rabbi Paige gave a wonderful talk about the oath of office and the meaning of taking an oath. And then she invited those present to consider the oath that each of us might take if we had our hand on a bible in front of the world. People offered up such beautiful intentions. I knew just about everyone there, and I think that these oaths were deeply held and very likely to be lived out in serious ways. Many of us were teary, but I began to feel my first inklings of hope.
Looking around the room at the array of friends gathered together from many quadrants of our Coast community, as well as on the reaches of Zoom, I began to feel another kind of hopeful intention start to crystallize. Many of the people there had come to the shul before—as guests at b’nei mitzvah and other celebrations, but also for classes, films, talks, meetings and, increasingly, times of prayer, too. I felt grateful that the shul could be a welcome place for many different souls at a difficult and fearful time.
We bought our shul building back in, I think, 1997. A long time ago anyhow. I remember that I wasn’t particularly in favor of the Jewish community owning a building at the time. It seemed so, you know, materialistic or something. It took a couple of years before I felt the joy and security of owning my own house, and I didn’t yet know how settling and solid it is to have a little building somewhere on earth, with your special things inside it, where you can host your friends and let your soul roam free. (Illusory, I know, as is any kind of security, but I have had 25 happy years in this home so far, 22 with Mickey, and it has continued to hold my heart.) As our community was initially considering buying the shul, then known as the Caspar Church, I remember people saying, “It’s important to have a permanent Jewish space in the community. It makes us visible and solid and somehow more real.” Or words something like that. I thought it was kind of strange to believe that a building can make us more solid and real.
We bought the church, though, and I fairly quickly realized that I had been totally wrong. Far from being a badge of materialism, it was a sweet little home for our Jewish life. No longer did we have to schlep our Torahs and prayer books around. We put together a kitchen. People didn’t fight over the color of the carpet or demand their names on plaques over the doors. It was simple and it was great. (Lately it’s taken a bunch of maintenance, as old buildings do, and great thanks to those who have made it all happen, especially our building committee and the indefatigable Marnie Press!)
Over the decades since I have had so many experiences in our little wooden shul. It’s been decorated this way and that way and the next. There have been all kinds of feasts, lots of music, some comedy (“Who here’s from New York?!” Remember Suzie Berger?), celebrations, learning, conversation, and infinite meetings. We’ve managed to have a Shabbat morning service there every single Saturday since forever, which is no small accomplishment. And of course it houses our two Torah scrolls in their beautiful handmade ark, with the eternal light suspended overhead. But I have to confess, I have thought now and then, “We could be doing this anywhere.…” We could still be in the little office building on Howard Street in Mendocino or in St. Anthony’s social hall, or in the Cypress Circle, or in any number of our living rooms. I love our little shul, and I am grateful for it, but I had never felt particularly purposeful about it until the recent inauguration service.
When I watched all the friends from different circles of our extended community come in through the doors and find refuge together, there was something about opening the doors of this Jewish space (and our Zoom shul) to welcome in friends and neighbors from many different traditions and practices, trusting that, even as we offered prayers and songs from Jewish tradition, many in Hebrew, that they would find comfort and sustenance along with us. I hope that this will be the case more and more, that our Jewish space and our Jewish practices and the love and intentionality of our Jewish community will offer comfort and refuge to all who wish it. I hope that increasingly we will look around and see other friends and neighbors joining with us to pray, to sing, to plan, to resist, to drink tea and eat chocolate chip-banana muffins together (maybe minus the bananas).
I don’t take for granted that everyone reading these notes will have the same feeling about the election and the present administration that I do. People have different politics, different dreams for the future, different needs, and different ideas about how to meet those needs. As I say to myself many times every day, “People think different things.” It may be that some of you are delighted by the new president and hopeful for the future. If that’s so, blessings on your hopes. May the best of them come true.
However, for many of us this is a fearful and a sorrowful time. Every day seems to bring new blows and insults. I know that many of us are girding ourselves for action to protect people and landscapes that are threatened by the policies of this new administration. But I also know that our hearts are hurting, that we are trying to maintain our equilibrium during a very disorienting situation. I know that comfort and counsel and prayer can help us to keep our balance, no matter what the future brings. And that this will help us to act in wiser and more powerful ways.
Last Monday morning I also had a strong sense of déjà vu: this kind of gathering isn’t entirely new to us. In fact, we held a similar service on January 2, 2017, the last time this president took the oath of office. But my sense was also about silent circles and listening teams and years and years of praying for peace. It’s about our ancestors staying strong in other difficult times. I think we have something to offer from our sweet building—or wherever we gather—to help sustain the hearts, not just of each other, but of anyone who would like to open the door and join us. It is, and can even more be, a sanctuary. And this vision brings me something close to joy.
P.S. On February 2nd I will have been your rabbi for 36 years! Double chai. (It would have been February 1st, but that day the whole Coast was snowed in!) It’s the honor and joy of my life to be part of this beautiful Jewish community and to be loved and sustained by all of you for all this time and, God willing, many more. I am amazed and grateful beyond words to all of you who invited me here all those years ago and who have grown up along with me since then. And to all who have come into our community and my life in the years since. I’ve watched new babies I blessed grow up, and some of them have children themselves. I remember many dear ones who are no longer with us. I have learned so much from all of you. My soul has been formed in your company and friendship. I am taking a grateful breath as this little anniversary arrives.
Save the Date:
Double Chai Celebration
Honoring Rabbi Margaret’s 36 years (and more to come)
of blessing, supporting, & serving our community! ♡
A joyful luncheon on Sunday, March 30th at the Caspar Community Center
PAIGE NOTES
With February comes the Hebrew month of Shevat, closing the month of Tevet. Hebrew mystics regard Tevet as the month of anger and this past moon cycle brought up exactly that for many of us, due to the LA fires, the inauguration, sudden deaths in our community, and beyond. I love that our tradition does not try to suppress anger, but rather dedicates a whole month to it. When we feel anger, it shines light on what matters to us. We don’t get angry about things we don’t care about.
The most fascinating part about this is that then we journey through the spiral of the Hebrew calendar from Tevet into Shevat, most known for the holiday Tu B’Shevat, the Festival of Trees on the full moon. Shevat focuses on planting seeds which means that our anger leads to growth. Once we have clarified what change our anger is prompting us to make, we plant the seeds of that change. The balance of still having the nourishing rains of late winter with the extra sun of pre-spring cultivates the perfect environment for this new growth. That might be why the Hebrew word for “month,” chodesh, shares an etymological connection with the word “new,” chadash. New moon, new month—chodesh chadash. Similarly, in English, there is an etymological connection between “moon” and “month.”
So in two weeks once the new moon has waxed into the full moon, we will bring in more new-ness. In beautiful alignment with the Hebrew calendar, any local arborist or botanist will tell you that the best time of year to plant fruit trees here on the Mendocino Coast is around February, right when we celebrate Tu B’Shevat! The holiday, also known as “the Birthday of Trees,” suggests that we ought to plant trees that day in order to celebrate their future birthdays that same day in years to come! What a blessing to live somewhere in such alignment with our ancestors’ wisdom of the calendar, just like how we start praying for rain at the end of Sukkot around October and stop praying for rain during Pesach in April, in attunement with our local rain season.
As this new moon transitions us out of the month of anger into this new month of trees and new growth, may we receive the healthy balance of rain and sun that we need to plant the seeds of the well-balanced world we seek to live in.
TU B’SHEVAT SEDER
On February 12th, the eve of Tu B’Shevat, the full moon of the month of Shevat will rise. This is the date, we are taught, when the sap in the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, which has been frozen and dormant through the winter, begins to rise. We will celebrate this beautiful mystical holiday with the customary seder of fruits, nuts, and fruits of the vine, with meditation and song and prayers for our beloved earth. The seder will begin at 5:30 PM at the shul. It will not be a full meal, but there will be an abundance of good fruits and nuts.
TU B’SHEVAT TREE PLANTING
For the third year in a row, we’ll gather together for a community tree-planting ritual! All are invited to the home of Rabbi Paige and Ben to plant and bless fruit trees on Tu B’Shevat afternoon: Thursday, February 13th at 3:30 PM. Paige and Ben live on Cameron Road in Elk. If you are planning to come to Margaret’s house beforehand for singing, we can carpool on from there. Please let Paige know if you are planning to be there at rabbipaige@gmail.com. You can also let Paige know if you would like a fruit tree planted on your land and arrangements will be made.
THE TIME OF OUR SINGING
All who love to sing are invited to an informal gathering at Margaret’s house in Albion on Thursday, February 13th at 1:00 PM. We want to dream up new ways to bring more song into our Jewish community—in services, parties, chanting circles, and campfire gatherings. Bring a song to share if you like, an instrument, or just come. We’ll see what songful inspiration bubbles up. Please let Margaret know if you plan to come at mholub@mcn.org or (707) 734-0311.
SHABBAT MORNING SERVICES
A full Shabbat service is led by community members, with singing, chanting and silence, Torah teaching and reading, blessings for healing and peace, and time for mourners to say Kaddish. The teachers for February are listed below. We have hybrid services, so come to the shul or Zoom from 10:30 AM until about 12:30 PM.
| 2/1/25 |
Bo |
Margaret Holub |
| 2/8/25 | Beshalach |
Raven Deerwater |
| 2/15/25 | Yitro |
Ariel Breit (Bat Mitzvah)
|
| 2/22/25 | Mishpatim |
Paige Lincenberg |
On February 15th, Ariel Breit invites everyone to her Bat Mitzvah and to Kiddush lunch afterward in the shul. If you would like to give a Torah teaching during Shabbat services, or want more information about what’s involved, please contact Raven Deerwater at raven@taxpractitioner.com or (707) 937-1099.
KABBALAT SHABBAT
On Friday, February 28th, we will gather at the home of Karen Bowers in Mendocino at 6:00 PM. Contact her at karenbowersu2@gmail.com to RSVP and get directions. Following a short service, we will share a vegetarian potluck.
In March our hosts will be Adina Merenlender and Kerry Heise in Elk. We need hosts from April onwards; if you’d like to host, but don’t have the space in your home, it’s possible to host at the shul. To schedule a Shabbat gathering, please contact Mina at (707) 367-3390 or mcohen@mcn.org.
ZOOM ADDRESS
We are using the Zoom address below for many MCJC events. Password is shalom. Disregard the numeric passcode at the bottom of the invitation unless you’re dialing in on a landline. If you have questions or problems, contact susan.tubbesing@gmail.com.
Join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7071836183?pwd=NzFaTkpjOXVYMDNnNnprOXlnZjVhQT09
Meeting ID: 707 183 6183
Passcode: shalom
Numeric Passcode: 776001
GOD-ZOOKS!
The God conversation continues: the six-session exploration about God and faith takes place on some Wednesday evenings, 5:30-7:00 PM at the shul. A time to think about what we really believe. This month we’ll meet on February 5th and 26th. The rest of the dates are March 12th, 26th, and April 9th. The first session has already taken place, but let Margaret know if you would like to join in now at mholub@mcn.org. You are welcome to come to any or all of the meetings.
BIRTHDAYS
Please reach out to the celebrants noted below and spread love. If you would like your natal day listed, email rabbipaige@gmail.com with your birth date. (We list the day, but not the year, and your name will be featured only during the actual month of your birthday.) There are four February birthdays:
2/10 Bonnie Mahoney, 2/13 Fran Schwartz, 2/25 Karen Bowers, 2/28 Sydelle
HERE FOR YOU
Rabbis Margaret & Paige want to remind you all that we’re always available for you in any way we can be! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of them to go on a walk or have tea with you.
ELDERS’ CONVERSATION
The Elders meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 3:00 to 4:30 on MCJC’s zoom link. February meetings will be on the 11th and 25th. Usually we pick a new topic for our next conversation at the end of every meeting. People of all ages who would like to reflect on matters of aging in an honest and connective context are most warmly welcome.
JUSTICE GROUP
MCJC’s Justice Group will host the fabulous Doug Nunn, who will present his most recent Climate Reality slide show—The Trump Nightmare Returns!—at the regular meeting time: Monday, February 24th, 5:30-7:00 PM at the shul. He will give us a post-election update. Doug was trained by Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project back in 2018 and has generously shared his trove of understanding—and his warmth and wit and clarity—with MCJC and many other groups since then. Despite much grim news on this front, Doug promises to end on an aspirational note.
CITIZENSHIP PROJECT
Eight years ago, the Justice Group created the Citizenship Scholarship Project to help local immigrants get through the costly and challenging process of becoming U.S. citizens. Our scholars are here legally, but they are not yet citizens. To reach that goal, they must pass a citizenship test, successfully complete an interview with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, and pay an application fee.
The fee for each application is $750. Over eight years, the fund has awarded 65 scholarships. Every one of our scholarship recipients PASSED the test and became citizens! But the fund has been depleted and we need to replenish it in order to continue this valuable initiative.
Please join the Justice Group in supporting the Citizenship Scholarship Project! Every dollar goes directly to our neighbors who have requested our help. Donations may be sent to: MCJC, PO Box 291, Little River, CA 95456. Please note “CS Project” on your check.
BOOK GROUP
On Monday, February 10th, the Constant Readers will meet at 2:00 PM on Zoom to discuss Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. We know these people, especially if we grew up on or near Long Island, NY. This entertaining story starts with a kidnapping and spans the entirety of one family’s history, winding through decades and generations, all the way to the outrageous present, confronting the mainstays of American Jewish life: tradition, the pursuit of success, the terror of history, fear of the future, old wives’ tales, evil eyes, ambition, achievement, boredom, dybbuks, inheritance, pyramid schemes, right-wing capitalists, beta-blockers, psychics, and the mostly unspoken love and shared experience that unite a family forever. If you are not currently in the Book Group, please contact Fran Schwartz for the Zoom invitation at franbschwartz@gmail.com. Books are usually at Gallery Bookshop.
SHARE YOUR TALENTS
If you think old t-shirts are only good for dust rags or rag rugs, the next Matanah will open your eyes! Jessica Nussbaum will tell us how to Upcycle Old T-Shirts into drawstring bags, tote bags, infinity scarves, or dog (or cat) toys. To the shul on February 16th at 2:00 PM please bring old t-shirts and scissors to cut fabric. Other materials you might consider bringing: shoe laces or draw string, tennis balls, and fabric paints or markers. For more information and to RSVP, contact Leslie at elkrong@yahoo.com or 510-599-8147.
MCJC BOARD MEETING
The MCJC board will meet on Tuesday, February 11th at 5:30 PM on Zoom. If you wish to attend part of the meeting, please contact Susan Tubbesing at (707) 962-0565, or susan.tubbesing@gmail.com, and she will give you the address.
A GUIDE TO VIRTUOUS MAILING
Kath Disney Nilson and Steve Nilson heeded the call again, bless their hearts. We don’t want to wear them out, though, so please volunteer for this rewarding and selfless task yourself. All the mitzvot-earning materials will be brought to you for your mailing pleasure. Please contact Sarah at 962-0565 or sarah.nathe@gmail.com
MEGILLAH SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Mendocino Megillah is published monthly as an emailed PDF and an online version. The online Megillah is posted on the newsletter page of the MCJC website: www.mcjc.org/newsletter. Any information on changes in email address or in email notifications should be sent to Sarah Nathe at sarah.nathe@gmail.com. If you choose not to be a contributing member of MCJC, we request a $54 annual fee for the Megillah.
THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING DONORS
Ruth Rosenblum & SA Ephraim, Kathy Sarin & Steve Schoolman, Jane Corey, Margaret Fox-Kump, Elise Cox, Nancy Wallace Nelson, Myra Beals, Deanna & Mark Apfel, Les Reichek & Rima Lieben, Lorry Lepaule, Donna Weintraub, Lisa Fredrickson, Wendy Block and Michael Sigman, Joan & Paul Katzeff, Barbara & Michael Newmark, Sam & Theresa Waldman, Diane Millen, Liz Helenchild, Roslyn & Bruce Moore, Carolyn Steinbuck, Sallie & Tom Costello, Eric Labowitz & Kathy Bailey, Laura Goldman & Dennak Murphy, Tracy Salkowitz & Rick Edwards, Nina Ravitz & Terry Clark, Kath Disney Nilson, Fanshen Faber, Bob Evans, the Linda Jupiter Trust, Louisa Aronow
Gail Porcelan-Sullivan in honor of Janet Sosinsky,
Jonathan & Annett Lehan in memory of Bert Lehan
Jeff Berenson & Mina Cohen to the Adele Saxe Tzadakah Fund in Honor of Sally & Lee Welty
Citizenship Scholarship Fund
Pat Dunbar, Judy Stavely, Fran Schwartz, Nona Smith & Art Weininger, Ali Sabin & Nancy Drooker, Mina Cohen & Jeff Berenson, Deanna & Mark Apfel, Carol Wilder & Robin Serrahn, Jeannette Rasker & Robert Cutler, Nancy Wallace Nelson, Claire Ervin Lee, Donne Brownsey, Jeff Gyving & Lena Bullamore, Sharman Braff, Katheryn Pye & Robert Becker, Sharon Hansen, Theresa Glasner Morales, Richard Green & Susan Keller, Ronnie Karish & Ellen Saxe, Nina Ravits & Terry Clark, Fanshen Faber, Hannah Leigh-Bull, Susan Larkin & James Ehlers, Marsha Epstein & Aviyah Farkas, Mary Sue Ittner & Robert Rutemoeller, Susan Howell, Meadow, Lea Christensen Morris, Jim Havlena & Mary Rogers, Osha Dean, Jean & Otto Graham.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The Mendocino Megillah is published monthly, except for August. The deadline for article submission is the 20th of the month before publication. The editor will include all appropriate material, space permitting, with the exception of copyrighted material lacking the permission of the author. Divergent opinions are welcome. Material printed in the Megillah does not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the MCJC Board of Directors.
Please Support Our Generous Underwriters
Albion Doors and Windows: Thousands of recycled windows, French doors, thermal windows, entry doors, new & used. Leaded glass, arches & unique styles. Liquidation prices at 937-0078 in Albion. www.knobsession.com
Karen Bowers Studio: Painting workshops and studio gallery. Website: karenbowersstudio.com Email: karenbowers@gmail.com Tel: 684-0646.
Frankie's Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor: Homemade pizzas, Cowlick's ice cream, and other yummy things to nosh on. Beer and wine available. Open every day but Monday from 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm at 44951 Ukiah Street, Mendocino, 937-2436. www.frankiesmendocino.com
Out of this World: Telescopes, binoculars, & science toys. 45100 Main Street, Box 1010, Mendocino. 937-3335. www.OutofThisWorldShop.com. Serving all your interplanetary needs since 1988.
Rainsong Shoes: Shoes & accessories for men & women. (707) 937-1710 or www.rainsongshoes.com
Thanksgiving Coffee Company: Artisan roasted on the Mendocino Coast since 1972. A B Corporation featuring a wide variety of certified organic, shade grown coffee & fair trade coffees. (800) 462-1999. Learn more and buy coffee at www.thanksgivingcoffee.com.
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| Chevra Kadisha |
Clare Bercot Zwerling |
956-571-0945 |
clarebercot@icloud.com |
| Cemetary |
Donna Montag |
707-877-3243 |
montag@mcn.org |
| Outreach (new to the community), Finance Committee, Announcements |
Susan Tubbesing* |
707-962-0565
|
susan.tubbesing@gmail.com |
| Justice Committee |
Donna Medley* |
707-962-9493 |
dmthebeez9@gmail.com
|
| Women's retreat, Annual dinner |
Harriet Bye |
707-937-3622 |
bysawyer@mcn.org
|
| Kabbalat Shabbat Coordinator |
Mina Cohen |
707-367-3390 | mcohen@mcn.org |
| Volunteer Coordinator |
Susan Levenson-Palmer |
707-882-1750 | slevensonpalmer@gmail.com |
| Building Maintenance |
Marnie Press* |
707-937-1905 | marniepress@gmail.com |
| Treasurer, Finance Committee |
Raven Deerwater* |
707-964-8333 | raven@taxpractitioner.com |
| Landscaping, Library |
Nina Ravitz* |
707-357-6462 | ninabo@mcn.org |
| Secretary, Finance Committee |
Alix Sabin* |
415-238-1342 | alixsabin@gmail.com |
| Book Group, Bikkur Cholim |
Fran Schwartz |
707-937-1352 | franbschwartz@gmail.com |
| Web dude |
Gus Mayeno |
webmaster@mcjc.org | |
| Megillah Editor, Name & Address & Subscription changes |
Sarah Nathe |
707-962-0565 |
sarah.nathe@gmail.com |
| Rabbi |
Margaret Holub |
707-734-0311 | mholub@mcn.org |
| Rabbi |
Paige Lincenberg |
rabbipaige@gmail.com |
