We Greet the New Year with Happiness, Events and Undertakings | Community

At the special invitation from Rabbi Price, we welcome Rabbi Sanford Seltzer, Emeritus to our pulpit once again! Rabbi Seltzer will be speaking at our Shabbat Services on Friday, December 19, 2025. A scholar par excellence, Rabbi Seltzer will be sharing his thoughts with us. It is a Shabbat Service not to be missed as we learn from this Rabbi whose experiences and wisdom span decades.

Honoring our 29 new members will be an important part of our Shabbat Services on Friday, December 19, 2025. We are elated that so many have come to acknowledge Congregation B’nai Midbar as their preferred house of worship. It is an exciting time for our congregation, and our appreciation is deeply felt.

DON’T FORGET: B’nai Midbar’s Annual meeting was held on Friday, December 12, 2025! This is a time for us to gather, learn of our accomplishments, our plans for the future and meet prospective board members.

MAZEL TOV: Judi Friedman and Jerry Lankin are engaged! Two of our board members are getting married. They met at SaddleBrooke, dated, and moved in together and what do you get next an April Wedding! We are very excited for them!

Saying L’heitraoat (see you soon): Our thanks to Melanie Einbund, Seth Eisner, Judi Friedman, Jerry Lankin and Jeff Syden as they leave our board. We may not see them at those creative and industrious board meetings, but they will be around. Volunteer work is theirs by word and we look to embrace their knowledge, care and energy as Congregation B’nai Midbar flourishes.

Our 25th Anniversary Celebration turned out to be so much fun we couldn’t stop! The room felt ‘PARTY’!

And we did! ‘The Catalina Cruisers’ played our favorite songs of the ‘50s,‘60s and ‘70s. We danced, laughed, ate Jewish Deli food and bid on our favorite silent auction items. A lot of us came in costume pulling out those long-forgotten poodle skirts and crinolines. Some remembrance of those dance steps came back in full swing! We honored our former board members with their reflections of years past. Appreciation for it all to Barbara Dever, Joan Elder, Esta Goldstein, Joel Wyner and Jane Udowitz. Happy smiles were felt throughout the room! Lots of thanks to those who donated items. We are also thankful to Judi Friedman and her committee.

Several are in Need

Congregation B’nai Midbar in combination with Impact of Southern Arizona is sponsoring a food drive at every Shabbat Service that we are in session. We are working to help address food insecurity in and around our community. Please bring any food products that you wish to donate to Shabbat Services on Friday, December 19. Packaging and dating are not important. Impact will separate the donations accordingly. Geri and Mike Koen will greet you at services to receive your contributions. If you wish to donate, checks made payable to Impact of Southern Arizona are welcome. Literature will be available at the table. Know that your contribution is tax deductible via all four Arizona Tax Credits. Feed people AND get a Tax break! We were overwhelmed with the donations we received at our November Shabbat service. Thank you to all who donated!

Dates to Remember

Shabbat services are led by Rabbi Daniel Price. Assisted by our extraordinary Cantorial Soloist Eliyanna Powers. Music is directed by our accomplished accompanist Rouzbeh Tebyanian. We assure you that you will be amazed!

Shabbat Services (at 7 p.m.)

• Friday, December 19, 2025
• Friday, January 16
• Friday, February 20
• Friday, March 20
• Friday, April 17

Oneg Celebrations

If you would like to sponsor an Oneg contact An Oneg is a mitzvah (good deed) to celebrate and sponsor a special occasion, memory or an honor. Volunteers are needed to assist with the Onegs. You can volunteer by month, year or as you wish!

Celebratory Events

• Sunday, January 4 – Film: ‘Matchmaking 2’
• Sunday, January 18 – Film: ‘Among Neighbors’
• Thursday, February 26 – Jewish Museum Trip
• Wednesday, April 1 to Thursday, April 9 – Passover

An Exciting Opportunity

Alice Milchman Frier, Author of Song of Survival will present her story of A Jewish family’s survival in Siberia. Mrs. Frier is a resident of SaddleBrooke and a Writers’ Club member. Contact Bonnie Lasky ([email protected]) if interested.

Chanukah is Sunday, December 14, 2025to Sunday, December 21, 2025. B’nai Midbar’s annual Chanukah party will include traditional foods. We are excited that Susan Kravitz will be entertaining us with “Love Letter to Sholem Aleichem.‘ Come spin your dreidels and have some fun! Reservations close on Wednesday, December 17, 2025. Email Judi Friedman at [email protected] or purchase your tickets online, visit zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/here-comes-chanukah.

The Jewish Film Festival in SaddleBrooke!

We are pairing with Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona to sponsor two movies at the Desert View Performing Arts Center.

‘Matchmaking 2’: 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 4 – A Romeo-Juliet romantic saga that is funny!

‘Among Neighbors’: 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 18 – Exposes the mysteries of a small Polish town and the interlocking of love and hatred that shaped the lives of neighbors, both Jewish and Polish. This is an ‘award-winning film.’

Adult Education – Led by Rabbi Price – classes of Jewish Text Study based on Jewish Ethics.

Please email Esta Goldstein at [email protected] for more information.

• Tuesday, January 20 – Why Do People Suffer?
• Tuesday, March 17 – Theology of Prayer
• Tuesday, April 14 – What Happens After We Die?

The Gift an End -of -Life – Conversation

A series of six educational and interactive classes that speak to everything you wanted to know about the end of life and were afraid to ask. Classes are every Tuesday from Tuesday, February 3 to Tuesday, March 10. The cost for the six classes is $30. For more information, email Bonnie Lasky at [email protected].

Jewish Links, our new E-Bulletin and our website bnaimidbar.com will keep you up to date. Please subscribe and/or log onto the website for more information.

We at Congregation B’nai Midbar provide individuals of all backgrounds the opportunity to celebrate, practice and learn from Jewish culture and religion in a welcoming and socially fulfilling environment. For information, email Joy Erickson at [email protected].

Congregation B’nai Midbar wishes you and yours a very happy New Year!