We hope everyone has been enjoying their summer travels or staycations. David’s family is actually off on another trip, this time to San Diego, after just coming back from Lake Tahoe. We would love to hear from other congregants about their adventures as well!
On a more somber note, this past week we observed 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 recently 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.
Additionally, we would like to thank all the members who attended the Movie Potluck night this past weekend. It was a festive affair with plenty of great food, excellent commentary from our own Michael Cohen, along with a wonderful movie going experience. We are planning similar events in the near future and we will keep you updated.
For the upcoming month, our Religious School will be starting again on August 20, just a few short weeks away. The teachers and staff are preparing to welcome the kids back to school and we are in need of volunteers to help get the classrooms ready. Accordingly, this Sunday, August 6, we will be hosting a volunteer classroom readiness event. Please come and assist the teachers in making the opening of Religious School for the coming year an unforgettable experience for the Religious School families! Also, 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 and we will fill in more details later. And 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 4, 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 – August 4, 2023
August 5, 2023 by tbhrich • president
Shalom Everyone!
We hope everyone has been enjoying their summer travels or staycations. David’s family is actually off on another trip, this time to San Diego, after just coming back from Lake Tahoe. We would love to hear from other congregants about their adventures as well!
On a more somber note, this past week we observed 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 recently 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.
Additionally, we would like to thank all the members who attended the Movie Potluck night this past weekend. It was a festive affair with plenty of great food, excellent commentary from our own Michael Cohen, along with a wonderful movie going experience. We are planning similar events in the near future and we will keep you updated.
For the upcoming month, our Religious School will be starting again on August 20, just a few short weeks away. The teachers and staff are preparing to welcome the kids back to school and we are in need of volunteers to help get the classrooms ready. Accordingly, this Sunday, August 6, we will be hosting a volunteer classroom readiness event. Please come and assist the teachers in making the opening of Religious School for the coming year an unforgettable experience for the Religious School families! Also, 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 and we will fill in more details later. And 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 4, 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