Get to Know Your Own Backyard: Winchester Mystery House Edition

When: 1:30pm-4:30pm, Sunday, January 29, 2012

Where: 525 S. Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA 95128

Beautiful but bizarre, this illogical 160-room Victorian mansion in San Jose, known as the Winchester Mystery House, was built by Sarah Winchester, the heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune. Take an adventure with Jews’ Next Dor as we tour this local attraction at a significantly-discounted group rate of $23/person. This 2.5 hour tour of the Mansion includes the behind-the-scenes add-on: why the house was built, the reasoning behind Sarah Winchester’s rather haphazard architectural planning, and highlights of the Victorian architecture. Construction began in 1884 and continued around the clock until the death of Sarah Winchester in 1922, so there’s plenty to see in this bit of San Jose history.

This package would normally cost $35/person, but we can get this 33% discount off regular admission if (and only if) we have at least 15 people in our group.

Come get to know about our local treasure with fellow Jewish 20 and 30 somethings (friends are always welcome too). Please arrive by 1:50pm, to be ready for our 2pm guided Grand Estate Tour.

Unfortunately, the house is not wheelchair accessible, and children under 10 are not allowed on the tour. Photography is only permitted for personal use in the gardens and on the grounds outside the Winchester Mystery House. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the house.

For more information please contact us at JewsNextDor@beth-david.org

Organized by Sarah B. and Matthew G.

What Community Initiatives Should the Federation Fund in the Future?

Have a say in our broader Jewish community, and take a few minutes to answer the Jewish Federsation of Silicon Valley’s survey and give your input on possible community initatives to be funded in the future.

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/761417/Initiatives-Survey

Accepting Applications for Israel Teaching Fellows

Israel Teaching Fellows 
Israel Teaching Fellows aims to close the achievement gap in Israel’s education system by placing outstanding college graduates as English teachers’ aides in schools throughout Israel. Fellows live in communities near Tel Aviv and work with local students in need. Thanks to Israel’s Ministry of Education and Masa Israel, the program costs only $1,000 including flight, housing, medical insurance and a monthly stipend. For more information and to apply, visit www.israelteachingfellows.org

Potluck Shabbat with Jews’ Next Dor

When: 7pm, Friday, January 27, 2012

Where: Private Home in San Jose, CA – RSVP for the address to JewsNextDor@beth-david.org

Join Jews’ Next Dor for our monthly potluck Shabbat dinner! This event is at a private home in San Jose and its address will be released closer to the event.

We’re an active community of Jewish 20 and 30 somethings centered in the South Bay.

The host will provide challah, wine, the main dishes, and cutlery and plates. Please bring a vegetarian/dairy appetizer, side, dessert, and/or drink to share. If there is a particular thing you want to share with us, please do; if you aren’t sure what to bring, please follow these suggestions to help us get an even distribution of courses:

If your last name begins with A – G, please bring a DRINK
If your last name begins with H – M, please bring a APPETIZER
If your last name begins with N – R, please bring an DESSERT
If your last name begins with S – Z, please bring a SIDE/SALAD
**Note: if the host contacts you about bringing a main dish, you do NOT also need to bring something else from this list.

If you have questions about this event, please email JewsNextDor@beth-david.org.

We look forward to seeing you!

Visit the Facebook event

Shabbat Hop @ Shir Hadash

When: 8pm – 11pm, Friday, January 13, 2012

Where: Congregation Shir Hadash, 20 Cherry Blossom Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95032

Looking for a fun and meaningful way to share Shabbat with other young adults from the South Bay and Peninsula? Join us for “Shabbat Hop.”

Shabbat Hop is a collaborative effort of local synagogues and Jewish communal organizations, where a monthly young adult Shabbat experience “hops” from one synagogue to another.

Congregation Shir Hadash is excited to be hosting the first ever “Shabbat Hop” on January 13th. The informal 8pm service featuring lively music will be followed by a special wine and cheese reception for young adults in attendance. Shir Hadash is located at 20 Cherry Blossom Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95032.

RSVP for this month’s Shabbat Hop at http://www.jvalley.org/events/2012/1/13/shabbat-hop. For more information, contact Amanda Orrin at 408-357-7503 or amanda@jvalley.org. If you have any questions related to Jews’ Next Dor, please contact JewsNextDor@beth-david.org.

Upcoming Shabbat Hop dates:
February 24, 6pm at Congregation Kol Emeth
March 2, 7:30pm at Congregation Etz Chaim
April 21, 7:30pm at Congregation Beth Jacob
May 5, 9:30am at Congregation Beth David
June 8, 6:15pm at Congregation Beth Am

Visit our Facebook event

Beth David Sisterhood Seeking Donations for Purim Silent Auction

Dear Congregants, 

Our Silent Auction has been a part of the Purim Carnival for the past several years.  Proceeds from the auction have been steadily growing and have funded some wonderful activities at Beth David.

It’s that time of the year again; planning has actively begun and we need your help.  We’re asking for your suggestions and donations.  Our success is your success and without your help and support, we cannot be successful.  Every little bit helps.

SUGGESTED DONATION ITEMS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: 

- Services (e.g. estate plans, tax preparation, interior design consultation, photo shoot)

- Products (e.g. gift cards, toys)

- Holiday-style baskets (coffee basket, wine lovers basket, cooking basket with book and/or gadgets)

- Baking basket

- Scrap-bookingbasket

- Knitting and/or crocheting basket

- Family games basket

MONETARY DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME

To Donate Contact: Irina Tenberg  or Galina Drabkin 

Please donate NO LATER than February 12th to give us enough time to assemble auction items properly.

Beth David Sisterhood

Ten. Ten Dollar. Ten Dollar Meet & Greet!

Friends & Neighbors,

Happy New Year! We look forward to having a great 2012 together. Along with 2012, we welcome our newly elected Steering Committee for the next 6 months. Each of us are focusing on a different need of the Jews’ Next Dor community. We hope you’ll find a little time to help us out and be part of one (or more) of our committees. No time commitment is too small or too big. You can contact us directly or at JewsNextDor@beth-david.org.

Yonatan B. – Programming
Ella G. – Communications
Daniel W. – Post Programming
Aleeza A. – Volunteer Development
Kristin S. – Culture
David H. – Steering Committee Chair
Ben L. – Finance/Treasurer

Thanks to David K. for stepping up to be our Recording Secretary. To see our picture or more about the Steering Committee and getting involved in our volunteer core see http://wp.me/p3HcM-U4.

In December, we got some great news from the Young Adult Department of United Synagogue of Conservative Judiasm: we’ve been awarded a micro-grant that we’ll be using towards Meet & Greet for the next 6 months. This means that all of our Meet & Greets between now and June will be just $10 each. Meet & Greets will continue to be on the 2nd Wednesday of the month (except in April, when it will be the first Wednesday, April 5th, to avoid conflicting with Passover). Our first $10 Meet & Greet will be January 11 at Buca di Beppo in Palo Alto http://wp.me/p3HcM-TH.

Our volunteers, with the support of our Steering Committee, make a lot happen each year on a small budget. The money we got from USCJ can only be used on Meet & Greets, so to help further fund the ideas and needs of the group, we’re holding our 2nd Annual Talent Show Benefit for Jews’ Next Dor (http://wp.me/p3HcM-Rk) on Feb. 4th in the evening.  Proceeds from this event will go to support our programming this year. That’s where you come in, in two very important ways.

First, we can’t have a show without performers, so sign-up to perform by filling in the form at http://bit.ly/performersignup. Do you sing? Dance? Play an instrument? Juggle? Perform spoken word or poetry? Practice martial arts? Design clothes? Write comedy? We’d love for you to be a part of our show, as a solo act or grouped with others. Please keep your act family-friendly. Thanks to those of you who have already signed-up to share your awesome talents. Today is the sign-up deadline so please take a couple minutes to sign-up now.

Second, if you’re not the performing type, you’re still important to the success of our talent show, because we need you at the show. Here’s four ways you can help us out.
1) Come to the show; bring your friends and family too.
2) Help us spread the word. Invite everyone you know to the Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/172887076133790/ and share the blog post at http://wp.me/p3HcM-Rk. Tickets are available online at https://www.wepay.com/tickets/view/63643 for $8 in advance for ages 13+ or $10 at the door. Ages 12 and under are $5 anytime.
3) Volunteer. If you’re not performing, we need a few volunteers to help run the house, be stagehands, setup, clean up, sell tickets, and the like. If you can’t be at the show, you can help by providing baked goods for refreshments. Contact JewsNextDor@beth-david.org to volunteer.
4) Have a visual art (sculpture, painting, photography, jewelry, etc.) to display or possibly sell to showgoers? Jews’ Next Dor would love to showcase your work as well and donations from your proceeds will go towards our programming. If you’re interested, contact us at JewsNextDor@beth-david.org right away so we can plan for this appropriately.

As always, we have many other exciting events this month as well: ballroom dancing (http://wp.me/p3HcM-SR for more details), and Wisdom & Witdom with Doug Brook (http://wp.me/p3HcM-U6) to name a few.  We look forward to seeing you several times in the coming weeks.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make our November and December events possible. There really are a lot of you, so we’re not going to list you here, but you’re each a valuable part of our community, and we truly appreciate your support and participation. We look forward to working with you in the coming months.

We look forward to seeing you and your Jewish 20 & 30 something friends,
Aleeza, Ben, Daniel, David, Ella, Kristin & Yonatan
JewsNextDor@beth-david.org

Jewbilee! A Day of Jewish Learning – Celebrating the Diversity of Jewish Life in Silicon Valley

Jewbilee!
A Day of Jewish Learning
Celebrating the Diversity of Jewish Life  in Silicon Valley

Sunday January 22, 2012
1pm – 8pm
Addison Penzak Jewish Community Center
14855 Oka Rd  Los Gatos, CA 95032

$10 adults • $8 seniors/students • Under 4 yrs Free
We advise pre-registration. You can do so online here.

Sponsored by the APJCC Center for Jewish Life and Learning

For more information, visit the Jewbilee website
www.SiliconValleyJCC.org/Jewbilee

Jewbliee is a day to try on a different Jewish hat; a new idea, a new practice, a new conversation.

See the flyer here.

Celebrate Jewish Life and Learning and be a part of the third annual “Jewbilee”. Join Bay Area Rabbis, Scholars, Artists, and Educators for a full afternoon of classes, programs and performances. There will be an Open Kosher Buffet (part of the admission fee), Jewish Film Festival Screenings, programming for families, daycare, an afternoon of Judaic Studies courses and much more!!!

Doug Brook of Wisdom & Witdom  will be teaching “Not Your Father’s Talmud: The Lost Tractate, Bava Gump” in the first hour.

Happy New Year & Welcome to Our Steering Committee

Happy New Year from Jews’ Next Dor!

With the new year underway, our newly elected Steering Committee will be working with you, our participants and volunteers, to make the next 6 months and beyond of Jews’ Next Dor the best it can be. Thanks to everyone who attended our elections, we’ve ratified our bylaws and elected all candidates who ran for our Steering Committee.

Please join me in welcoming the new Jews’ Next Dor Steering Committee. Each of the 7 members of the committee will be focusing on a different need of the Jews’ Next Dor community.

Yonatan B. – Programming
Ella G. – Communications
Daniel W. – Post Programming
Aleeza A. – Volunteer Development

Kristin S. – Culture
David H. – Steering Committee Chair
Ben L. – Finance/Treasurer

Thanks to David K. for stepping up to be our Recording Secretary.

The Steering Committee can’t do it alone. They depend on your help, support, and participation. Are you willing to be on a committee in any of these areas? Do you have feedback to share? Need someone to listen? Want to volunteer? Have an event idea? Your Steering Committee is here for you: we’re always willing to listen, and would love your help in making the coming months of Jews’ Next Dor the best they can be. You can contact us directly or at JewsNextDor@beth-david.org.

No time commitment is too small or too big. We have all kinds of tasks that we need help with; to name just a few:

• copy editing
• potluck Shabbat hosting
• posting events online
• helping organize events
• setting-up or cleaning up at events
• providing baked goods for events
• taking pictures at events
• reading Torah at Jews’ Next Dor Shabbat on May 5th (or leading another part of the service)
• shopping for events
• helping organize volunteer trainings
• inviting a new person to attend an event with you

Wisdom & Witdom: Ireland or Oyreland

When: 9:30am -3pm, Saturday, January 28, 2012

Where: Congregation Beth David, 19700 Prospect Road, Saratoga, CA

Come and join Jews’ Next Dor at Saturday morning services with Congregation Beth David and lunch followed by this months installment of Wisdom & Witdom with Doug Brook. This is a great opportunity to get familiar with Congregation Beth David’s service that we’ll be leading on May 5th, 2012. Come sit with Jews’ Next Dor near the back.

Jews Next Dor is an active community of Jewish 20 and 30 somethings centered in the South Bay.

Wisdom & Witdom occurs on the 4th Saturday of the month. This month we’ll seek to answer the question: Were there ever Jews in Ireland, aside from emergency landings at Dublin Airport?

In conjunction with opening night of “Finian’s Rainbow” — directed by Doug Brook, at South Bay Musical Theatre in Saratoga — we’ll Eire out this question, and also explore how three New York Jews in the 1940s wrote Broadway’s definitive Irish musical.

*******

This is the fourth installment of Wisdom & Witdom, the successor to last year’s popular Laugh & Learn, led by Doug Brook.

Starts right after the kiddush, around 1:15. Session runs under an hour. Don’t let Facebook RSVPs fool you; there’s always at least a couple dozen people there, sometimes many more.

Open to the public. No prior knowledge required, as proved by the instructor.

For more questions, feel free to email us at JewsNextDor@beth-david.org

Organized by Aleeza A.

Facebook event