Messages from TBT Leadership
Rabbi Asa
Rabbi Asa, the senior rabbi of Orange County, has been the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Tikvah of North Orange County since the mid 1960's. In 1971 the congregation of Temple Beth Tikvah overwhelmingly granted Rabbi Asa life tenure. In 1996 the rabbi became the Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth Tikvah. Rabbi Asa is currently a senior chaplain with the State of California Department of Mental Health serving Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk and Fairview Hospital in Costa Mesa, California.
In 1970 the congregation moved to its permanent location, 1600 N. Acacia, Fullerton, California, and in December of 1980 dedicated its new sanctuary and other facilities. Rabbi Asa was instrumental in helping the congregation realize both of these congregational landmarks. During the Rabbi's tenure in Orange County, he saw the congregation grow from a small group of families to approximately 400 families. The Asas have also seen the Orange County Jewish Community grow from 3-4 congregations to approximately 26 congregations today, and from 10- 15,000 Jews to approximately 100,000 Jews living here.
Rabbi Asa was born in Bulgaria to a family of Sephardic origins; his ancestors escaped the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal in the 15'h and 16'h centuries and found refuge in the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
The family was in Bulgaria in outbreak of the Second World War, and Rabbi Asa's father was one of the leaders of the community responsible for the saving of the Bulgarian Jews during the Nazi Holocaust period.
In 1944, still during the Nazi domination of Bulgaria, Rabbi Asa and his family left Bulgaria and made Aliyah. In Palestine, Rabbi Asa was educated in Aliyat Hanoar Schools and the famous Mikve Israel Agricultural School.
At the age of 15, he was admitted to the Gadna-Youth division of the underground Haganah, and he was sent to Platoon Commanders School in the summer of 1947. Rabbi Asa and his class saw action during the 1948 War protecting the vital Tel Aviv-Jerusalem Highway and guarding the southern borders of Tel Aviv. With the establishment of the State, the school returned to normal life and its students to their regular studies.
After graduation from the Mikve Israel School, Rabbi Asa enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces and graduated from the Israel Officers Academy. In 1950 he was one of the founders of the "NACHAL” division of the Israeli Defense Force, and in 1952 he was the first "NACHAL” officer to graduate from the paratroopers academy and bring back his experience and knowledge to the "NACHAL MUTZNACH' (an independent paratroopers unit which was part of the NACHAL CO S). Following his army career Rabbi Asa served in the "MOSSAD' until his coming to the United States in 1954.
In 1954 Rabbi Asa came to the United States to pursue university studies in New York and California, and graduated from the University of Arizona in 1958. During his studies he worked and taught in a number of synagogues and Jewish camps.
In 1958 Rabbi Asa enrolled in the Hebrew Union College-Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. Upon graduation and before his transfer to Cincinnati to pursue the last three years of studies, Rabbi Asa wed Elaine Barbara Carl of Los Angeles. The Asas spent three years in Cincinnati, and Rabbi Asa was ordained with highest honors in 1963.
From 1963-1966 Rabbi Asa was the Latin American Director of the World Union for Progressive Judaism with headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina. During the three years in South America, Rabbi Asa was responsible for all of the liberal congregations south of the United States. Rabbi and Elaine Asa were founders of Congregation Emanu-El de Buenos Aires, a congregation that the Asas still visit every few years in order to renew their social and spiritual ties. Recently they participated in the 40th year celebration of the congregation they founded.
In 1966 the Asas returned to California, and Rabbi Asa became the rabbi of Temple Beth Tikvah, Fullerton, California until his retirement in 1996. Fullerton has been the Asa’s home for the past 40 years.
Rabbi Asa is the past president of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis (the largest, rabbinical association in the United States); a past president of the Orange County Board of Rabbis and the Fullerton Interfaith Ministerial Association.
The Asas have been and are still involved in every local, regional, and national cause concerned with the welfare of the State of Israel and its people. Rabbi Asa was the North Orange County United Jewish Welfare chairperson while Elaine completed a 3 year term of chairing the Women's Division Campaign for the Orange County United Jewish Fund in 1980. She now is on the board of the Orange County Federation.
During the early seventies, Rabbi Asa was a member of the Department of Religious Studies at California State University, Fullerton, and while teaching there he was involved on the local level as the spiritual leader of the Jewish students.
Rabbi Asa has had two full sabbatical years of study in Jerusalem. In 1975 Rabbi Asa, Elaine, and their children, Aviva, Ariel, Liora, and Eliana left for their first year sabbatical studies. Their second sabbatical began in 1982, and following their return to California each time, Rabbi and Elaine doubled and tripled their efforts on behalf of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
In 1980-81, Rabbi Asa was instrumental in the efforts to acknowledge the role of the Bulgarian people and nation in the saving of the entire Jewish population (50,000) residing in Bulgaria during the Second World War. In 1993 Rabbi Asa was part of an international committee which honored the state and people of Bulgaria as part of the 50th anniversary celebrating the saving of the only Jewish community in Nazi Europe.
Rabbi Asa was a member of the national rabbinic cabinets of the United Jewish Appeal, the Bonds for Israel, the Jewish National Fund and many others. He was honored by The Bonds for Israel and on November 1, 1992 he was honored by the Orange County Bureau of Jewish Education.
The Asas have four children and 14 grandchildren. Aviva and her husband Daniel and their daughters Liel and Gavriella and their son Eliav live in Efrat, Israel. Aviva is a fund raiser, social worker and grant writer and divides her time between family and work. Daniel is working in the world of hi-tech. Ariel is married to Michele and they live in Atlanta, Georgia with their children, Devorah, Tzvi Yehuda, Tova, and Yosef Avraham. Ariel is a rabbi, teacher, "mohel”, (ritual circumcizer) and scribe and Michele is a nurse. Liora and her husband Michael and their children Meital, Liza and Eli live in Har Halutz, a community founded by the Reform Movement in the mountains of the Galilee above the city of Karmiel, Israel. Liora is a trainer for non-profits in the north of Israel and has recently completed her studies for an MBA at Haifa University. and Michael is a technical writer for the hi-tech world of Israel. Eliana and her husband Jeff live in the Los Angeles area and have two sons, Avi and Zev and two daughters, Yael and Gila. Jeff owns a pharmacy and Eliana is a full time mom.
Rabbi Milhander
Growing up at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills and in the greater Los Angeles area, Rabbi Milhander knew from an early age that he wanted to become a rabbi. He was heavily influenced by his rabbis, cantors, and educators, and began working at Temple Emanuel shortly after his bar mitzvah as a Jr. Cantor, Jr. Rabbi, summer camp counselor, shabbaton director, assistant bar/bat mitzvah teacher, and technical and audio director for all religious services and theatrical performances.
Rabbi Milhander passed the California High School Proficiency Examination when he was just 16 years old and attended Los Angeles Valley College, graduating with an A.A. degree in 1985. He earned a B.A. in Sociology from UCLA in 1987, an M.A. in Jewish Studies from the University of Judaism in 1990, and an M.A. in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati in 1994.
Rabbi Milhander was ordained at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati in 1995, and served congregations in Ohio and Ventura County, CA before coming to serve as spiritual leader of Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton in August 2001.
Rabbi Milhander’s “Kaddish for September 11th” composed in 2002 on the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America, has been used by congregations and communities across the country. He has also written several articles that have appeared in national Jewish magazines and URJ publications.
Rabbi Milhander is the Immediate Past-President of the Fullerton Interfaith Ministerial Association and current Secretary/Treasurer. He is also the treasurer of the board of the Orange County Board of Rabbis and member of the board of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis. He is often sought out by members of the media and is active in his community.
Rabbi Milhander is dedicated and devoted to making the world a better place for all of God’s children.
Rabbi Milhander’s interests include sports, music, and genealogy. He lives in Placentia with his wife of over fifteen years, Laura, and their two daughters, Leah and Mara, and twin sons, Adam and Jason.
Administrator / Educator Miriam Van Raalte
Miriam Van Raalte’s journey towards her career as educator and Temple administrator began when her family moved to California in 1959. She always loved her Jewish studies, which were part of her family’s rich Jewish life. Being the child of Holocaust survivors, Miriam knew that living as a Jew was a gift, and that it was a responsibility to be an active part of the Jewish community.
At age 13, Miriam’s family joined Temple Beth Tikvah, and Miriam found her niche by joining the junior choir and getting involved in the junior youth group. Miriam’s parents also became active Temple members and served as strong role models for Miriam and her sister by serving on the Temple board in a variety of positions over the ensuing years. In junior high school Miriam helped to lead the junior congregation that met during Religious School. In high school she became a teacher’s aide. Then educator Sam Silverstein (z’l) offered Miriam the job of Religious School secretary, which gave Miriam the hands-on training on how to manage the school.
Miriam began teaching Hebrew & Religious School while still in high school, and branched out to teach a variety of grade levels in various Orange County synagogues to gain experience with different age groups. Favoring the techniques of teaching young children, her greatest challenge came when she accepted the challenge of teaching Confirmation in 1995. One of the students from that year’s class is now on the teaching staff of our Temple, and several others throughout the years have gone on to become community leaders and educators.
In 1975 Miriam was awarded a double B.A. from California State University-Fullerton in Religious Studies and Sociology. In 1979 Miriam was offered her first position as a Religious School director at a local synagogue. Shortly thereafter she returned to school at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, and in 1984 she received an M.A.Ed.
In 1989 Miriam’s long-time dream came true – to return to her home synagogue as the director of education. In 2000 she took on the additional responsibility of being the Temple administrator, and returned once again to school to earn a certificate in Early Childhood Education.
Since 1978 Miriam has been an active member of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education as well as the Orange County Jewish Educators’ Association, serving as secretary, treasurer, as well as president (twice).
Miriam looks at her work at our Temple as part of a legacy that was handed down from her parents. She infuses her work with a passion for Judaism, our children, their parents, and our congregation. She sees Temple Beth Tikvah as her extended family, and finds great fulfillment in all she does for our congregation and the Jewish community beyond.