First of all, we wanted to thank everyone who attended Scarlet’s Bat Mitzvah this past Sunday. It was a one of a kind event with members of our own community and the Deaf community joined together in worship along with ASL interpreter and family friend EJ, who presented a whole new way to visualize the prayers of our Torah service. We hope everyone enjoyed the service as much as we did.
And building off what we discussed last week, during President’s week we celebrated the special relationships and advancements that different presidents have made with the American Jewish community over the years. It does make us wonder, though, what will occur once the United States witnesses the swearing-in of a Jewish president. Along with a Passover Seder and Hanukkah candle lighting, we could also see the first ever Purim celebration at the White House, a tree planted for Tu B’shvat on the South Lawn, or even a special High Holidays service in the West Wing. It would introduce so many more facets of Jewish culture to the entire nation as well as the world. We know that the idea of a Jewish president may be far-fetched but the possibility is still there. Bernie Sanders vied for the nomination back in 2016 and younger members of Congress, such as Senator John Ossoff of Georgia, may yet surprise all of us.
In other news, we are also pleased to announce that Rabbi Dean will be continuing as our rabbi until the summer of 2025. The Rabbi Search Committee will therefore spend the next few months discussing the member survey and start submitting announcements later this year. The Board now plans to have a new rabbi selected by the spring of 2025, just before Rabbi Dean’s retirement. We will provide more updates in the coming weeks.
Next month, we will be holding our annual Purim Carnival, which will take place on March 24 from 12:00 p..m.-2:00 p.m. You can make a difference by volunteering to help with the booths, bake sale, set up, clean up, and other tasks. These events allow us to connect with the community, perform a mitzvah, and make the Temple Beth Hillel experience even better. And for those who wish to make a difference in our community, we highly encourage you to consider joining the Temple Beth Hillel Board of Directors next year. Our Board is always on the lookout for members who have ideas for the future of the temple and the ability to carry out that vision. Serving on the Board makes us appreciate how much Temple Beth Hillel means to us and our children.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place this Friday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. Torah Study will take place Saturdays at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom, and the next Adult Education class will be hosted by Rabbi Dean on Sunday, March 3. And of course, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. 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 – Feb. 29, 2024
February 29, 2024 by tbhrich • president
Shalom Everyone!
First of all, we wanted to thank everyone who attended Scarlet’s Bat Mitzvah this past Sunday. It was a one of a kind event with members of our own community and the Deaf community joined together in worship along with ASL interpreter and family friend EJ, who presented a whole new way to visualize the prayers of our Torah service. We hope everyone enjoyed the service as much as we did.
And building off what we discussed last week, during President’s week we celebrated the special relationships and advancements that different presidents have made with the American Jewish community over the years. It does make us wonder, though, what will occur once the United States witnesses the swearing-in of a Jewish president. Along with a Passover Seder and Hanukkah candle lighting, we could also see the first ever Purim celebration at the White House, a tree planted for Tu B’shvat on the South Lawn, or even a special High Holidays service in the West Wing. It would introduce so many more facets of Jewish culture to the entire nation as well as the world. We know that the idea of a Jewish president may be far-fetched but the possibility is still there. Bernie Sanders vied for the nomination back in 2016 and younger members of Congress, such as Senator John Ossoff of Georgia, may yet surprise all of us.
In other news, we are also pleased to announce that Rabbi Dean will be continuing as our rabbi until the summer of 2025. The Rabbi Search Committee will therefore spend the next few months discussing the member survey and start submitting announcements later this year. The Board now plans to have a new rabbi selected by the spring of 2025, just before Rabbi Dean’s retirement. We will provide more updates in the coming weeks.
Next month, we will be holding our annual Purim Carnival, which will take place on March 24 from 12:00 p..m.-2:00 p.m. You can make a difference by volunteering to help with the booths, bake sale, set up, clean up, and other tasks. These events allow us to connect with the community, perform a mitzvah, and make the Temple Beth Hillel experience even better. And for those who wish to make a difference in our community, we highly encourage you to consider joining the Temple Beth Hillel Board of Directors next year. Our Board is always on the lookout for members who have ideas for the future of the temple and the ability to carry out that vision. Serving on the Board makes us appreciate how much Temple Beth Hillel means to us and our children.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place this Friday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. Torah Study will take place Saturdays at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom, and the next Adult Education class will be hosted by Rabbi Dean on Sunday, March 3. And of course, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. 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