Temple Ramat Zion (Northridge) Recent Activities/Accomplishments

This the first of my posts to publicize active Western Region clubs that have reported on activities and accomplishments that should be of interest to all of us who are planning club activities.  My thanks to Alberto Hananei, President of TRZ Men's Club in Northridge, CA, for supplying me with the information I present in this post. While TRZ Men's Club has sponsored and is planning events unique to their own club, this post will also demonstrate how TRZ Men's Club took existing activity ideas and successfully applied them to their club.

TRZ Men's Club previously had held "Scotch under the Sukkah" events.  This past year they "upgraded" to "Sukkah, Steaks and Spirits." They saw that other clubs had been holding steak dinner events for a while and felt it would be a good way to bring men together, comply with the mitzvah of  eating under the sukkah and enjoy a good meal.  They attracted 20 men to this event, including a few new members and a few men who had left the Men's Club scene and, by way of this event, returned.

Continuing with the food theme (always a good way to attract men), TRZ Men's Club put on their annual Harvest Dinner, where new temple members are under the spotlight.  With a good support group, they cooked for 120 people. In December, they did additional food preparation events, hosting an Oneg to support their Sisterhood Shabbat service and cooking again for Hanukkah, where around 200 people were in attendance.

TRZ Men's Club also had a  successful High Holiday where their members ushered for the temple.

In response to two members becoming ill, the TRZ Men's Club has decided to put together a first aid and CPR training program for any interested temple members.  They plan to include any interested USY members as well.  This training can be of particular importance to USYers because many of them have babysitting responsibility, either at home or as jobs. The Men's Club hopes  to have this set up by the end of January.

Finally, as part of their effort to attract new members, they plan to institute a "Donuts with Dads" on Sunday mornings when religious school is back in session.  They will be able to meet with the younger dads when they drop off their children.  They can use that interaction time to talk up the TRZ Men's Club.  Many of us will be anxious to find out how this works out for them.