We hope everyone has been enjoying their summer travels or staycations. David’s family actually just came back from Lake Tahoe, where incredibly there are still piles of snow on the mountains! (Caleb was so excited to see snow for the first time!) We would love to hear from other congregants about their adventures as well!
On a more somber note, we observe this week Tisha B’Av, which according to tradition was the day the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans, marking it as one of the saddest days in the Jewish calendar. Jews around the world often fast, read the Book of Lamentations, and remember other horrific events in Jewish history, including the slaughters of the Crusades and the Holocaust. Sobering as this day can be, events like Tisha B’Av can also force us to confront the difficulties and tragedies of the past and vow to never let them occur again. Those dangers still haunt us today, even if they are often on a much less violent scale, such as what just occurred in Israel with the passage of a bill limiting the authority of the Israeli Supreme Court and sparking mass protests across the country. Incredibly, the observance of Tisha B’Av carries the lesson of what can happen when the Jewish community is divided against itself, which is sadly what Israel now finds itself facing. We should all pray that a solution will be proposed that can avoid further tragedy.
In other news, we would like to thank all of the volunteers who came out to the Temple this past Sunday to help with cutting the weeds around the property. It is your volunteer efforts that help keep our grounds beautiful!
Also, this upcoming Saturday, July 29 at 4:00 p.m., we will host our Movie Night Potluck with a showing of the classic film The Producers, with our own Michael Cohen providing background, trivia, and other fun facts about the movie. There will be plenty of snacks and popcorn! And please bring a main dish, salad or side dish to share. Then starting on August 19 and continuing through September 4, our own Mercedes Cohen’s play “Faeries of the Moonlight” will be showing at John Hinkel Park in Berkeley every Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 p.m. A carpool “field trip” to this event is in the works. Stay tuned! On September 10th Temple Beth Hillel will be hosting a booth at the Solano Stroll in Albany and Berkeley. We and the rest of the Board will be volunteering to help spread the word about our wonderful community, and we encourage all members who are able to do so as well. Larry will be sending out sign-up sheets as we get closer to the event.
Finally, the next Shabbat Service will be held on Friday, August 5, at 7:30 p.m., hosted as always by our own Rabbi Dean and Cantor Marney. We hope to see y’all there. Thank you everyone!
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am not for others, what am I?
And if not now, when? -Rabbi Hillel
~ Anna B Stein and David Zimring, Co-Presidents, Temple Beth Hillel
From the Presidents – July 27, 2023
July 27, 2023 by tbhrich • president
Shalom Everyone!
We hope everyone has been enjoying their summer travels or staycations. David’s family actually just came back from Lake Tahoe, where incredibly there are still piles of snow on the mountains! (Caleb was so excited to see snow for the first time!) We would love to hear from other congregants about their adventures as well!
On a more somber note, we observe this week Tisha B’Av, which according to tradition was the day the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans, marking it as one of the saddest days in the Jewish calendar. Jews around the world often fast, read the Book of Lamentations, and remember other horrific events in Jewish history, including the slaughters of the Crusades and the Holocaust. Sobering as this day can be, events like Tisha B’Av can also force us to confront the difficulties and tragedies of the past and vow to never let them occur again. Those dangers still haunt us today, even if they are often on a much less violent scale, such as what just occurred in Israel with the passage of a bill limiting the authority of the Israeli Supreme Court and sparking mass protests across the country. Incredibly, the observance of Tisha B’Av carries the lesson of what can happen when the Jewish community is divided against itself, which is sadly what Israel now finds itself facing. We should all pray that a solution will be proposed that can avoid further tragedy.
In other news, we would like to thank all of the volunteers who came out to the Temple this past Sunday to help with cutting the weeds around the property. It is your volunteer efforts that help keep our grounds beautiful!
Also, this upcoming Saturday, July 29 at 4:00 p.m., we will host our Movie Night Potluck with a showing of the classic film The Producers, with our own Michael Cohen providing background, trivia, and other fun facts about the movie. There will be plenty of snacks and popcorn! And please bring a main dish, salad or side dish to share. Then starting on August 19 and continuing through September 4, our own Mercedes Cohen’s play “Faeries of the Moonlight” will be showing at John Hinkel Park in Berkeley every Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 p.m. A carpool “field trip” to this event is in the works. Stay tuned! On September 10th Temple Beth Hillel will be hosting a booth at the Solano Stroll in Albany and Berkeley. We and the rest of the Board will be volunteering to help spread the word about our wonderful community, and we encourage all members who are able to do so as well. Larry will be sending out sign-up sheets as we get closer to the event.
Finally, the next Shabbat Service will be held on Friday, August 5, at 7:30 p.m., hosted as always by our own Rabbi Dean and Cantor Marney. We hope to see y’all there. Thank you everyone!
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am not for others, what am I?
And if not now, when? -Rabbi Hillel
~ Anna B Stein and David Zimring, Co-Presidents, Temple Beth Hillel