July-August, 2026 Megillah
WITH LOVE
I can’t even remember when the Elders’ Conversation first got started—could be 18 or 20 years ago now. A whole generation of wise and inspired folks has passed on since we started. I do remember a bit of our very first meeting. Our theme was “the meaning of life.” That’s right! No one balked. In fact, while I wish I remembered the things individual people said, what did stand out—and still does—is that the people around that table had answers. I guess, I hope, that if you live long enough, you’re able to rise above the data points and see the bigger patterns.
At any rate, the Elders continue to live and get older and gather and converse. And die and become part of our shared memory and collective wisdom. But here we are still, and our theme for this week’s conversation, which will happen later today as I write, has circled back to “Why are we here?” We’ve gotten in the good habit of sending around some questions in advance to “prime the pump” of our conversations. I may have had my thumb on the scale; these are my favorite questions. This week we have eight sub-questions under the Big One.
They seem like good questions with which to enter the holy month of Elul, which begins this year on August 14th. Elul is the last month of the Jewish year, taking us up to Rosh Hashanah. It is the month for cheshbon ha-nefesh—taking account of our souls. While an important piece of the work of Elul is to note the places in the previous year where things went wrong and try to heal and restore them, more and more I feel that Elul is a ripe time to consider the very nature of life and of our individual lives. So I thought I would do a bit of my own homework in public and turn to these questions. I invite you to ponder them as well,
#1: In what ways is or isn’t your existence meaningful? Well, it’s meaningful to me. It is, I hope, to the people (and to the animals and land) I know and care for. I think about what a funny and specific creature I happen to be, how there’s only one of me, with all my quirks, the only one, for a short time, in just one place at a time. So in some minuscule way the whole design would be a tiny bit different if I didn’t exist.
#2: Do you feel like there is a purpose for your life? Here I defer to the RaMChaL, the 18th century kabbalist R. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, who writes: “The purpose of all that was created was therefore to bring into existence a creature who could derive pleasure from God’s own good, in a way that would be possible for it” (Derekh Hashem 1:2). Which is to say that life brings us the opportunity to enjoy the fact of existence. For some short interval we get to be alive. We can know this, notice it, drink it in—or, to put it negatively, not waste this moment. That feels purposeful to me.
#3: If so, do you feel like that purpose is specific to you or a general sense of purpose for all human beings? General. See above. If anything is specific to me, it would be to figure out how I, as the particular creature I am, can be as alive as possible when and where I’m here.
#4: Have you done specific actions to accomplish what you think you are here for? Yes, lots. Some bumbly and misguided. Redacted redacted redacted.
#5: Do you feel like you have fulfilled (or are in the process of fulfilling) what you are here for? I think so, to some degree. I know that my appreciation for the opportunity to be present in life—as myself, heaven help me—has expanded as I’ve aged. Dealing with depression has helped. But so has just realizing that hard times end, as do easy ones, that my own imperfection and everyone else’s is a feature, not a bug. I struggle less and marvel more.
Pictured: Pussy Riot, a Russian protest group of performance artists
# 6: Are there books or teachings that have influenced how you think about purpose in life? So many. I’m in the biz after all. I learned from Rabbeinu Bachya that the gift of life, without any further assurances, is enough to warrant a lifetime of grateful service. I learned from Camus that when the plague comes, as it inevitably does, people show up in different ways, and all are important. I learned from Tony Kushner that even in the time of plague there is the glimmer of more life. From Pussy Riot, and from the great M Gessen, who wrote a book about them, I learned to be bold no matter what.
#7: In what ways is it helpful or unhelpful to think of life as having purpose? I’m a pretty thoroughgoing existentialist. I prefer to think of life as offering opportunity more than having purpose. When I asked my dad once why I exist, he said, “momentary pleasure.” (I’m laughing here. He was too.) I think he’s right: I exist because of some accidental coming together of one egg and one sperm instead of another or another. Given that I’m the one who hatched, and that this particular hatchling is here in this place and time, I hope to make the most of it. Whatever that means.
#8: Has your sense of the meaning of your life changed over the years? Definitely. Mostly in coming to know more and more clearly and vibrantly that I have, or am, a soul. And that my soul is a part of Everything. I am part of an interdependent, mutually sustaining web of existence. I breathe and am breathed. I am not alone, in meaning-making or in any other way.
I hope you enjoy thinking about these questions. I sure have. I wish you all a most beautiful and sustaining Elul.
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 July and August are listed below. We have hybrid services, so come to the shul or Zoom in from 10:30 AM until about 12:30 PM. The Zoom address is below.
| 7/04/26 |
Pinchas |
Raven Deerwater |
| 7/11/26 |
Matot-Masei |
Margaret Holub |
| 7/18/26 |
Devarim |
Raven Deerwater |
| 7/25/26 |
Va'etchanan |
Hunter Rook |
| 8/01/26 |
Eikey |
Mina Cohen |
| 8/08/26 |
Re-eh |
Raven Deerwater |
| 8/15/26 |
Shoftim |
Margaret Holub |
| 8/22/26 |
Ki Teitzei |
Andrea Luna |
| 8/29/26 |
Ki Tavo |
Leslie Krongold |
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) 813-7951.
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
KABBALAT SHABBAT
Our friend Dror Sinai — mizrachi drummer and singer extraordinaire — is coming back to us to lead a special Kabbalat Shabbat Friday, July 3, 6:00 PM at the shul. Dror brings to us the music and spirit of Middle Eastern Jewish prayer and celebration. His presence and the sounds he offers bring joy. Veggie potluck to follow. All are most welcome.
Our regularly scheduled Kabbalat Shabbat in July is at the home of Sarah Nathe and Susan Tubbesing in South Caspar on July 31st, at 6:00 PM. For directions, contact them at 707 962-0565 or susan.tubbesing@gmail.com. Following a short service, we will share a vegetarian potluck and shmooze.
Benna Kolinsky and Danny Mandelbaum will host us in Boonville on August 28th. Please phone them for directions and to RSVP at (707) 367-2444. Please carpool, limited parking. To host a future gathering, please contact Mina at (707) 937-1319 or mcohen@mcn.org.
A SEASON OF LAMENTATION AND A TURN TOWARD HOPE
The 17th day of Tammuz marks the date on the Jewish calendar when, two millennia ago, Roman invaders breached the walls of Jerusalem and proceeded inexorably to destroy the Temple. The destruction itself is said to have been completed on the ninth day of Av. Every year this interval, known as the Three Weeks, is noted as a time of lamentation.
In our time it has become important to lament not only those long-ago catastrophes but those of more recent history and our present time as well. The Ninth of Av in particular has become an important container to hold our broken hearts.
This year 17 Tammuz falls on July 2nd, and the ninth of Av (Tisha B’Av) falls on July 23rd. Any time during this interval you are invited to come by the shul and write words (or draw images) of lamentation. There will be a box of papers and pens in a container by the kitchen door at the top of the ramp. There will also be a collecting place for rocks and shards of pottery (broken dishes anyone?) if you would care to bring some during the Three Weeks. We will use them as part of our Tisha B’Av observance.
On Tisha B’Av, Thursday, July 23rd, we will gather at the shul at 5:00 PM for a ritual of lamentation in which our words will be read, along with visual representations and traditional words and song.
It is said in the midrash that mashiach (the messiah, a figure of hope for peace) will be born in the afternoon of Tisha B’Av. It is our community custom to come together at the end of the day on Tisha B’Av and to be cognizant of the shift from sadness to hopeful expectation. In this spirit we invite those who wish to stay at the shul following the Tisha B’Av gathering until sunset, at which time we will ritually turn towards hope for a future of blessing and peace.
If you have works of visual art that express lamentation that you would like to share with our community on Tisha B’Av, please contact Margaret. We ask that these be your own artwork.
ELUL IS A PLACE
MCJC is being given a gift of a fascinating-sounding three-session class taught by a professor of Yiddish language and culture. Rokhl Kafrissen teaches at YIVO and at the National Yiddish Book Center. She will offer this class on Zoom for our community on Monday mornings, August 17th, 24th and 31st, at 10:00 - 11:30 AM. Please let Margaret know if you plan to attend. Here’s a description of the class:
Join Rokhl Kafrissen for a special three-session class called "Elul is a Place." Our exploration of the Hebrew month of Elul will be conducted in English, using Yiddish texts with English translations. All are welcome.
In Yiddish literature, Elul is a time when a previously sleepy town is suddenly busy with visitors, whether they are Hasidim come to celebrate with their Rebbe, or family members returned to visit their deceased relatives in the local cemetery. This ritual, called "geyn af keyver oves" [visiting the graves of the ancestors] is a powerful one. The living visit the dead to unburden their hearts, to ask that they carry their prayers to heaven, and to request aid in the upcoming trial of Yom HaDin (Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment). While the mood was often somber, it also had its irreverent and mischievous side, as we will see.
In "Elul is a Place," our journey will be conducted via short stories and poems, memory writing, prayer, ethnography, journalism, and song. Our focus is on lived religion: how ordinary people tasted, smelled, felt, prayed, and wept their way to a meeting with the divine and other worldly.
As fall approaches, the air begins to cool down, and it carries the enticing smell of ripening fall fruit. Elul is a place where the living and the dead meet, and we will draw on all our senses to prepare ourselves for the upcoming season of penitence and renewal.
TORAH READERS ARISE!
The High Holidays may seem far off though they are just around the corner. Rosh Hashana is Saturday, September 12th and Yom Kippur is Monday, September 21st. If you would like to fulfill the mitzvah of being a torah reader for either Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, please contact Mina at mcohen@mcn.org or (707) 367-3390. If you have been a reader in previous years, you know what a wonderful mitzvah this is; if you’d like to give it a try or if it’s your first time since your Bar or Bat Mitzvah, we have tools to help you including a recording of Margaret beautifully singing each Aliyah.
PHILOSOPHY CIRCLE
Our little monthly feast of thinking about interesting things returns to its proper place on the calendar: the first Wednesday of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Which is to say, July 1st and August 5th. Each month, following the template created by Rabbi Paige, we look at a couple of very short Jewish teachings on a philosophical theme and chat with each other about however we see the topic at hand. Our topic for July will be conflict. August topic TBA.
JUSTICE GROUP
The Justices meet on the last Monday of each month at the shul, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM, in person only. The July meeting will be on July 27th, and August’s meeting is on the 31st. At these gatherings, we will cover the following: updates on Justice projects (Citizenship Scholarship and Native Plants Healing Garden); updates from the Rapid Response Network and Accompaniment Group; and an exploration of topics and modes of sharing/learning/growing for future Justices meetings. Bring your ideas, feedback, energy, songs, prayers, poems, and snacks (all are optional); bring you (not optional). With a question or for more information, contact Donna Medley at dmthebeez9@gmail.com.
SPIRIT OF THE PLACE
The MCJC Justice Group has organized a special Zoom session with Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Valerie Stanley on Monday, July 20th at 5:00 PM. This will be a rare opportunity for us to listen, reflect, and engage with Valerie's perspectives on stewardship, understanding land history, and our shared relationship with place. To join the Zoom meeting, click here:
https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/94575816296?pwd=lUHji7FnppfbwH5koryUpbxHAMiSRA.1
Meeting ID: 945 7581 6296
Passcode: Justice
BIRTHDAYS
Please reach out to the celebrants noted below and spread love. If you would like your natal day listed, email sarah.nathe@gmail.com with your birth date. (We list the day, but not the year, and your name will be featured only during your birthday month.) Below are the July and August birthdays:
7/4 Danny Mandelbaum, 7/7 Devora Rossman, 7/9 Carla Jupiter, 7/14 Andrea Luna, 7/21 Jennifer Kreger, 7/28 Raven Deerwater
8/5 Zev Schlosser, 8/10 Joy Lancaster, 8/10 Oona Hofberg Lee, 8/19 Nina Ravitz, 8/22 Dawn Hofberg Schlosser, 8/26 Jane Corey
LIFT EVERY VOICE
You are invited to a singing gathering at Margaret’s house on Wednesday July 29th at 5:30 PM. Bring a song to teach, a round to sing, a song we all know and love. Bring instruments if you wish, and snacks to share, or just come. It’s Tu B’Av, that day of play and love. Songs don’t have to be playful or love-ful, but what could be more joyful and loving than singing together? Please let Margaret know if you are coming (mholub@mcn.org).
THIRTY-SIXTH ANNUAL JEWISH WOMEN’S RETREAT
When Torah was given at Mount Sinai, rabbinic tradition asks what was heard by all of us standing at the base of the mountain. Some suggest that we heard the soundless ALEPH. What do we hear when we get below the noise of headlines and schedules and expectations? We each hear a little differently, but hearing is also paying attention, understanding, knowing, discerning, changing, connecting. Jewish practice is rich with invitations to HEAR words, ideas, musical sounds, song, jokes, conversation, study, argument. And it is also rich with the stillness of water and wilderness, of thought, of the Amidah prayer, the first breath upon waking, the unpronounceable Divine Name. This year’s retreat, scheduled from August 6th to 9th, is taking place in the midst of much challenge in our world, but it will be an oasis where all can come, be refreshed and renewed. There will be exploration and ritual and play, song, prayer, study, stars, and vegetarian food at the beautiful River’s Bend Retreat Center in Philo. There are only a few spaces left, so if you want to attend the retreat, please contact Harriet Bye ASAP at bysawyer@mcn.org or 707-684 9041.
ELDERS’ CONVERSATION
The Elders’ Conversation meets every second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 3:00 to 4:30 on zoom. The first topic for July is volunteering. The upcoming dates are July 14th and 28th. August dates are the 11th and 25th. If you have questions, please contact Joy Lancaster or Margaret (mholub@mcn.org or ajoylancaster@gmail.com).
BOOK GROUP
The Constant Readers will take a break in July and meet again on Monday, August 17th at 2:00 PM on Zoom, to discuss Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay. Former Bolshoi ballerina Nina Revskaya auctions off her jewelry collection and becomes overwhelmed by memories of her homeland, a terrible betrayal, the friends she left behind amidst Stalinist oppression, her ingenious escape, and the dark secret that brought her to a new life in Boston. This work of Jewish historical fiction describes intellectual and artistic life, persecution, and the lasting impact of trauma through the life of a prima ballerina with the Bolshoi company who had once been part of Stalin’s cultural elite. If you are not currently in the Book Group, please contact Fran Schwartz for the Zoom invitation at franbschwartz@gmail.com. The book is at Gallery Bookshop.
MCJC BOARD MEETING
The MCJC board will meet on Wednesday, July 8th at 5:30 PM on Zoom. The August meeting will be on the 12th. If you wish to attend part of the meetings, please contact Susan Tubbesing for the Zoom address at (707) 962-0565, or susan.tubbesing@gmail.com.
THANKS TO THE MAILERS
Terry Clark and Nina Ravitz prepared the last Megillah for mailing because he’s the relatively new Circulation Manager and he couldn’t find anybody to do it. In spite of all the mitzvot associated with the project! Here at the editorial offices we don’t want Terry to burn out on his job before he’s gotten a chance to get the hang of it, so help us out here, please. Contact Terry Clark, Circulation Manager (at paintedpony64@yahoo.com), or Sarah Nathe (at 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.
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.
TODAH RABAH
THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING DONORS:
Bob Evans, Donna Weintraub, Ceril Lisbon, Myra Beals, Sally & Lee Welty, Kelly & Steve Kalus, Kath Disney Nilson, Dawn Hofberg & Robert Schlosser, Laura Goldman & Dennak Murphy, Tracy Salkowitz & Rick Edwards, Michael & Anita Korenstein, Leslie Krongold & Jessica Nussbaum, Ronnie James.
David Birnbaum in memory of Margaret Birnbaum; Annett & Jonathan Lehan in memory of Bill Garrett
Richard Louis Miller to the Citizenship Scholarship Project in honor of the Miller Family: Sarana, Evacheska, and Aaron; Richard Louis Miller in honor of Edward Isaac Miller
Please Support Our Generous Underwriters
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Karen Camille Bowers Studio: Painting workshops and studio gallery. Website: karenbowersstudio.com Email: karenbowersu2@gmail.com Tel: (707) 684-0656.
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 11:00 am - 8:00 pm at 44951 Ukiah Street, Mendocino, (707) 937-2436. www.frankiesmendocino.com.
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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.
Yogajoy classes on zoom with Helen Jacobs. Gentle yoga to improve flexibility and strength and reduce stress. Contact Helen at hjacobs@mcn.org or (707) 367-3498.
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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, Security |
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 |
Joy Lancaster* |
||
| Building Maintenance |
Marnie Press* |
707-937-1905 | marniepress@gmail.com |
| Treasurer, Finance Committee |
Raven Deerwater* |
707-813-7951 | raven@taxpractitioner.com |
| Landscaping, Library |
Nina Ravitz* |
||
| Secretary, Finance Committee |
Alix Sabin* |
415-238-1342 | |
| Communications |
Neal Davis* |
neal@group5media.com | |
| Yahrzeit Notifications |
Bonnie Mahoney |
631-466-0156 | bonniemahoney2015@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 |
| Circulation Manager |
Terry Clark |
paintedpony64@yahoo.com | |
| Rabbi |
Margaret Holub |
707-734-0311 | mholub@mcn.org |
