Temple Knesset Israel
Temple Knesset Israel News
OCTOBER 2019 A BIG THANK YOU FROM BEC!
So many people helped out (once again) with our annual Cleanup/Fixup, and, once again, we really got a lot of work done. As we all know, maintenance is a never-ending task.
The restrooms are cleaned on a regular basis by the cleaning crew employed by Knesset Israel, but once/year, a few people always go in and clean very thoroughly; this year we can thank Olga Rivas, Estela Hernandez, Luisa Matute & Elvia Quinonez. After they finished cleaning, Berenice Gil and Sueselle Barahona (with some help from Eli Lainez) painted the lower part of the wall in the sitting area of the women’s restroom. This helps the appearance of the room because all the walls were of one color before.
Elvia always participates when there are projects to be worked on; after cleaning the restrooms she then went on to clean & organize a large cabinet in the kitchen, while Estela and Luisa and Lizeth Barahona organized tablecloths; Lizeth even took some home and washed them. Elvia’s son Mel Quinonez also worked on a few different projects, including working with Shaul Gil, carrying items up steep, narrow stairs to the storage area.
So many people worked on so many projects in the main sanctuary: Jose Villalobos, Estela Hernandez, Luisa Matute, Lisa Janpol, Rosario Gil, Yair Gaitan, Lizeth Barahona, Robert Carranza, Erick Rojas, Armando Villanueva cleaned & organized books on the bima, cleaned the seats in the sanctuary, cleaned out the bookholders, tightened seats that were loose, vacuumed and mopped floors (thanks to the donation of a vacuum cleaner by Robert). It seems that the list of the people who worked, and the work that they did, are both endless. Steve Blake spent considerable time sorting through all the tallisim to be sure they are all kosher according to Jewish law, then hung them up nicely.
With so much work being done, none of it would have been possible without Stacy Pesis, who does perhaps the most challenging job of all, in that he (annually) organizes a list of tasks that need to be done. Fortunately he gets lots of help in doing those tasks: Steve Blake & Yair Gaitan helped Stacy with lights; Roberto Carranza, Steve, and Stacy cleaned the roof; Roberto & Stacy fixed some plumbing; Erick Rojas & Stacy oiled gates; Miguel Gil patched a concrete block wall in the parking lot; Mel Quinonez and Gabriel Torres painted; Roberto Carranza and Roberto Peretz worked together watering plants and washing sidewalks; Julio Langrave painted; Nicolas Barahona painted and fixed gates. (Another endless list of endless tasks that were done, all in good spirits!)
Yosef Garcia had a project of his own in staining the exterior doors. (They look so much nicer now!) and Jose Villalobos made & donated kickplates for those doors.
Naturally, after all this work, everyone was hungry. An anonymous person donated (in the name of the organization known as Judeo Ladino Latino) $200 so we could buy kosher hamburgers & hot dogs and other food. (Many other people also brought & donated food and beverages.) Roberto Carranza brought a brand-new barbecue grill, and Lizeth & Nicolas Barahona and Roberto Peretz cooked the burgers & hot dogs and made fresh salsa.
This has been our 4th annual Cleanup/Fixup. Predictably, many of the same people help out year after year (and of course are so helpful throughout the year with different tasks that must be done), and there are always some others who come only once. We love and appreciate them all, with whatever people can do.
Sept. 18, 2017
Last Shabbat, Cantor Lee Greenberg was speaking about the glory of beautifying a mitzvah, and that is precisely what so many of our congregation did on Sunday, September 10. It was the day of our second annual KI Cleanup, and about 30-35 people showed up to help out, some of them staying almost 11 hours!
There was so much work done by so many people! Last year several jumped in to clean the wood paneling on the walls, and this year Yosef Garcia, Lizeth Barahona, Roberto Carranza, and Beto Galindo polished those walls. The area underneath the stage had not been cleaned out thoroughly in several years, and those who worked on that (Yosef Garcia, Nelly Gonzalez Johnston, Juan Torres, Lizeth Barahona, Roberto Carranza, and Beto Galindo) found out that the cleaning was long overdue! Nelly Gonzalez Johnston took it upon herself to clean out the children’s daycare room, and she worked there for hours. But fortunately she had help in Juan Torres (both of them, father and son) who helped her move books, and Yolanda Hernandez, Milagro Alfaro, and Elvia Quinonez, who helped with the general cleaning. Elizabeth Chinchilla and Veronica Vasquez cleaned the small chapel better than has been done in many years, then later they went into the kitchen, cleaning and scrubbing there also, also more than has been done in years. The quintet of Karen, Brenda, and Carolina Galdamez, and Stephanie and Melany Chinchilla worked with their mothers in the small chapel, then cleaned out the attic area, then worked and scrubbed in the kitchen, and also in the bathrooms. Maybe they felt they still hadn’t done enough, so they also wiped clean the leaves of the artificial plants that are in the social hall. Wilfredo helped them, really putting his heart into that task! Juan Torres and Melchy Quinonez carried heavy pictures up the narrow, steep stairs to put those items in the attic. Other than that, both of those boys worked here and there, doing lots of other tasks. When it was time to work on the lights, a few people jumped in to help with those, too: Stacy Pesis, Nicolas Barahona, Jose Villalobos, Carlos Hernandez, Wilfredo Vasquez. Thanks to the efforts of Carlos and Wilfredo, ALL the chandelier lights in the social hall now work, along with some other lights that were not working before. The frame of the fire extinguisher in the hallway needed to be replaced; Julio Landgrave had already built the frame, and now Yosef worked with Beto to replace it. Silvia Castro should be named Hurricane Silvia because she was a whirlwind, cleaning and scrubbing in the restrooms and also in the kitchen. She even wants to come back and clean even more! Elvia Quinonez and Jose Villalobos both were all over the place, lending a hand anywhere they could be helpful. Brian Barahona and his work partner Drew cleaned the floors of the lobby and the restrooms, then polished the floor of the lobby until it shines like a mirror! We also had the opportunity to meet Brian’s kids, Nate and Benjamin, and his wife. Nate and Benjie are Lizeth and Nicolas Barahona’s very cute grandchildren. Xochil Barahona and Silvia Castro bought new flowers for the bimah, and Xochil and her sister Sueselle arranged them beautifully. Lizeth and Xochil Barahona reattached the stage curtain where it was falling down, so it looks much nicer now, and Yosef Garcia bought and donated and installed a new clock for the social hall.
There was work done outdoors as well. Juan Torres oiled the accordion gates so that they operate more smoothly, Xochil Barahona cleaned out the infamous “crud catcher” in the playground (an unpleasant task, I’m sure!), Kathy Mendelson and Steve Blake trimmed shrubs, watered everywhere, and generally tidied up the outside of our temple. They deserve a special pat on the back because they worked outside for 6 hours! While Yosef Garcia, Beto Galindo, Roberto Carranza, and Nicolas Barahona did not work for 6 hours on their tasks of sweeping, clearing drains, caulking seams, and cleaning up accumulated debris, they were working up on the roof, where it was really hot and really bright (and really unpleasant!).Mery Santiago came by with her family just long enough to drop off drinks that she had purchased for us. We are sincerely grateful for the generous donations of Nelson Rosales and Fernando Ortiz, both of whom contributed $100 toward the purchase of our food. The pizza was very much appreciated; the major problem being that there wasn’t enough! Please thank Robert for going to pick up the pizza, which took over an hour round-trip, so his time and gasoline amounted to another gift to us and our temple. Someone who wants to remain anonymous donated enough money to purchase plenty of snacks, which kept our energy levels up until time for the pizza. Juan Torres donated $20 toward the food, then when he was told it wasn’t necessary, he gave permission to use that $20 for another purpose. And when we were all about done in, exhausted and ready to leave, Wilfredo came with coffee, which was just what we needed then. Almost everyone brought beverages to share, along with cleaning supplies, also to share. Altogether, there were probably several hundred dollars worth of donations. While most of us bought and donated items that were worth only a small amount of money, the total of it is such that it really saves our temple a tremendous amount.
We cannot thank everyone enough for all the work they have done, and we sincerely apologize if anyone was not given proper credit for the work they did. All the time and sore muscles, all the money and cleaning supplies, all the expenses that people covered out of their own pockets - and more still to come, as even more donations have been promised - these are all so tremendously appreciated by everyone. Thank you.
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Happy Birthday Ari !
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Beautiful baby Eliana growing up! 
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Mazel Tov Mare on your beautiful grandbaby!
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Mazel Tov Nelly on your new baby boy Benjamin 
!
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Betty Bausch
A courageous fighter who didn’t hesitate to risk her life to help others.
Thursday, January 17th, 2013 Temple Knesset Israel was honored to have 93 year-old Betty Bausch share her remarkable story of courage and survival that she experienced during World War II, as she worked with the Dutch Resistance, especially after her husband was shot and killed by the Nazis. Her experiences have been published in Dutch, German and Hebrew. Also, her heroic fighting spirit is recalled in the film, Steal a Pencil for Me as she was determined at the end of the war to find her brother Jaap Polak, also a Holocaust survivor. She is an inspirational woman who dedicates much of her time to educate the world through her own war life experiences to remind us that life and freedom are precious.
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