February is a busy month for our chapter.  This Sunday, February 7, at 10:30 a.m., our Machon group is meeting at CBI.  You can see this meeting and future Machon meetings listed on the right column of the blog under the category of events.   We are discussing Zionism and our feelings and American attitudes about the topic.   New and interested members are welcome to attend.  Our group is facilitated by Rachel Lessem.

The next event our, 52/100, is our biggest fund raising event of the year.  It will take place on February 13, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.  The ”52/100″ works this way:  You choose a playing card in advance and donate $100 for it; if your card is selected, you get $1000.  If not, you still can win a door prize or raffle items at the event.  Couvert (food costs) is only $9 this year as we’re focusing on desserts.  It will be a fun, gala, local event, full of happy people supporting a great cause.  If you are interested in attending, you may fill out the attached Invitation to the 52/100 and send it in.  Hope to see you there.

Undeterred by a little rain, a group of us from our chapter went to Muir Woods for a walk and reflection.   I have to admit that I was a little hesitant at going to Muir Woods at first because of the rain, but we had a determined group.  It was encouraging that our oldest member, Molly, was the most determined to go.  Once we arrived, we were all happy that we were there.  Muir Woods is a beautiful place and I think all of us wondered why we had not been there in so long.

We took a nice walk but ended when the rain was starting to come down a little harder.  Since we could not listen to the readings that I had brought outside, I read them in Carol’s car with the moon roof open.  Perhaps not the ideal place, but we all got the idea.  Thanks to Shosh’s handy GPS and Carol’s superior driving, we arrived safely at our destination for lunch, Small Shed Flatbreads in Mill Valley.   I think everyone liked lunch.

On the way to Muir Woods, the discussion in the car revolved around the stressing events of our lives.  On the way back, everyone was laughing and happy.   It seems that our walk in the woods cleared our heads and helped us appreciate nature.  I think it is a lesson that a short walk in the woods can do a lot for our  souls.  I might go take another walk today!

In order to better  reflect the locations of our members, our Hadassah chapter has changed our name from Hadassah Vallejo to Hadassah Solano-Napa.  Consequently, I have changed our blog name to reflect our new title.

With our new title,  we hope that members from the counties that our chapter covers will feel more welcome.  It will also be easier to be listed in more print and web materials in the two counties now that publishers can easily see that we cover both.

If you wish to subscribe to our blog, please click the links in the right column describing how to subscribe in a reader or via email.    Even if you have subscribed before, you must subscribe again due to our new name change.

The Vallejo chapter of Hadassah invites you to a Tu BiSh’vat: Walk in the Woods and inspirational readings at Muir Woods on January 24th.  We will have lunch in Marin County.  Please see the attached Hadassah flyer and R.S.V.P.  no later than January 20th.  We will travel to Muir Woods  in carpools so please RSVP by the deadline so that they may be arranged.

We had a great turn out, even more than expected, at the Hadassah-sponsored shabbat seder at CBI.  It was fun to celebrate Hanukah as a community.  Our guess is that approximately 70 people attended.  The Vallejo Times Herald covered the event and you can read it in the article Local Jews Celebrate first night of Hanukah.  (This link will cease to work in a week or two so I have created an attachment which you may download. )  Thank you to everyone who helped with this event.  I think we all had a good time;   it was nice to feel so much warmth on a cold, rainy night.

Please join us this Friday night at 7:00 p.m.,  as Hadassah sponsors the Shabbat Seder at CBI.  Please bring a dessert to share.  Regardless whether or not you are a Hadassah member, please RSVP to Melissa at the CBI office at 707-642-6526 or to Wendy at Schuplinksy@comcast.net or by phone at 707-745-3404.   If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at hadssahvallejo@gmail.com.

Our last event, a movie night, was quite inspiring.  People enjoyed the movie, “Praying with Lior.”  We had delicious salads and fantastic soups.  Thanks to everyone who helped with this event.  One of the pictures I took  appears below.

Our next Machon group meeting will be on November 15, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. , at Congregation B’nai Israel.  We are reading Gil Troy’s book, “Why I am a Zionist.”  Whether or not you have the book or have even read the book, you are welcome to come to the discussion.

Please join the Vallejo Hadassah chapter  on November 7 at 6:00 p.m., for dinner, a short havdalah service and the movie, “Praying with Lior.”  The movie is about Lior, a 13 year-old-boy studying for his Bar Mitzvah who also happens to have Down’s Syndrome.  It is a heartwarming movie about life, happiness, and  family.  By the end of the film you will have laughed and cried.  To read reviews of the movie, you may check out the movie’s website.

Our movie night will take place at Congregation B’nai Israel.  Dinner will include soups, salads and desserts.  We are requesting a $5.00 donation per person.

Hadassah has actively worked on improving the lives of those who have Down’s Syndrome.  In 2004 Hadassah established a center for children with chronic disease. Down’s syndrome is one of the diseases treated at the center.   Hadassah has also pioneered research into the gene responsible for Down’s syndrome.  Recently  Hadassah doctors were able to assist a woman who was carrying the gene for breast cancer by performing genetic testing on embryos.  They were  not only able to detect if they were free of  the breast cancer gene but also were able to detect if they were free of Down’s syndrome.  You may read the story, “Breaking the Chain, ” for more information.

If you have any questions about the movie event,  please feel free to email us at hadassahvallejo@gmail.com.

Please join us on Sunday, October 4 at 12:30 p.m. for a potluck lunch and educational event in Congregation B’nai Israel’s sukkah.  We will be focusing our meeting on the topic of diabetes.   According to the Amercian Diabetes Association,  there are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8% of the population, who have diabetes.  There are several people in our chapter who have it and probably countless others who are not aware that they have it.

We are fortunate that we will be having a speaker, Manny Hernandez, coming to our event to speak to us about diabetes.  Manny is the creator and driving force behind TuDiabetes.com, a social networking site devoted to providing information for people touched by diabetes.

If you plan on coming to the event , please try to bring a healthy food item to share.  It might just be coincidence but on the American Diabetes Association webpage, they list a recipe for “Jewish Apple Cake,” as the recipe for today.

For more information, please contact Susan Cohen Grossman or hadassahvallejo@gmail.com.  Hope to see you there.

On Sunday, September 13, the Vallejo Hadassah chapter sponsored our first event of the year – a tea and a birthday celebration for Beryl Cohen.  Approximately 30 people came to help us start off the new year.  Our chapter gave Beryl a lifetime membership to Hadassah in honor of her birthday.  Now that she is 90 she can become a life member at the discounted rate of $90.00.

We had great food and of course tea.  It was nice to mingle with people and catch up with everyone after not having seen them during the summer.  Our new board members introduced themselves and now we all know who to go to for everything.  We have several events coming up which are listed on the right side of this blog.

The event would not have been as nice as it was without Nadine’s hard work and grace.  She decorated the tables and brightened the room with the flowers.  She gave a moving tribute to Beryl that was both beautiful and inspirational at the same time.  I hope that she will consider reprinting it in our newsletter.

All in all, everyone had a good time.   We look forward to seeing everyone at future events.

Happy New Year.