As summer reaches the halfway mark, which is generally a break between major Jewish holidays, we still see that Jewish values can be followed any time of year. Sometimes ordinary people can act in such extraordinary ways we are forced to sit up and take notice. David’s family witnessed not one but two such acts in just the past week. In the first instance, David’s son Caleb was having a playdate with friends and went to a bowling alley in Pinole for a nice game of bowling Because of the global internet disruption, the lanes were closed for an hour and the kids got restless. Out of nowhere, an extremely kind gentleman came up to them, handed them his member card, and told them they could use it to play as many of the arcade games as they wished until the lanes were open. Caleb and his friends wound up playing games for an hour and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. In the second instance, while shopping at Target, a young woman came up to Caleb and his sister Hannah and handed them each a dollar, saying she liked to reward nice young children. Both of these amazing individuals demonstrate the Jewish values of Tikun Olam, helping to make the world a better place. With no prompting and not even knowing these kids, they still selflessly offered to make their day more enjoyable and fulfilling. Through the rest of the summer, we can all take inspiration from these episodes and find opportunities to make a stranger’s day more fulfilling and complete. Essentially, we can all “pay it forward.”
In another example of finding someone who can symbolize Tikun Olam, the Rabbi Search Committee continues in its efforts to search for a new rabbi for next year. We will start submitting announcements and accepting job applications later this year, with interviews scheduled for the fall and winter. 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 as we start to hear from our candidates.
Also, please mark your calendars for several exciting events next month. First, on Sunday, August 4, the Oakland A’s will be hosting their final Jewish Heritage Night (and playing the Dodgers, which is a great bonus!) at 1:07 p.m. The cost is $36/ticket and we’ll have a whole small section set up for TBH! Later that week, TBH will be hosting a movie night on Saturday, August 10, at 4:00 p.m. We will provide more details as we get closer to the date. The very next day, August 11, at 9:30 a.m. the Religious School staff will be hosting its annual cleanup of the classrooms to get the kids ready for the upcoming school year. We encourage all members to come help out with this important project to make the opening day of Religious School a wonderful experience for our younger members.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place on Friday, August 2, at 7:30 p.m. Family shabbats have completed for the year but will resume in September. Torah Study will take place Saturdays at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom. And of course, although Religious School is completed for the year, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services once the kids come back for their classes in August. 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 and David, Co-Presidents, Temple Beth Hillel
From the Presidents – July 25, 2024
July 25, 2024 by tbhrich • president
Hello Everyone!
As summer reaches the halfway mark, which is generally a break between major Jewish holidays, we still see that Jewish values can be followed any time of year. Sometimes ordinary people can act in such extraordinary ways we are forced to sit up and take notice. David’s family witnessed not one but two such acts in just the past week. In the first instance, David’s son Caleb was having a playdate with friends and went to a bowling alley in Pinole for a nice game of bowling Because of the global internet disruption, the lanes were closed for an hour and the kids got restless. Out of nowhere, an extremely kind gentleman came up to them, handed them his member card, and told them they could use it to play as many of the arcade games as they wished until the lanes were open. Caleb and his friends wound up playing games for an hour and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. In the second instance, while shopping at Target, a young woman came up to Caleb and his sister Hannah and handed them each a dollar, saying she liked to reward nice young children. Both of these amazing individuals demonstrate the Jewish values of Tikun Olam, helping to make the world a better place. With no prompting and not even knowing these kids, they still selflessly offered to make their day more enjoyable and fulfilling. Through the rest of the summer, we can all take inspiration from these episodes and find opportunities to make a stranger’s day more fulfilling and complete. Essentially, we can all “pay it forward.”
In another example of finding someone who can symbolize Tikun Olam, the Rabbi Search Committee continues in its efforts to search for a new rabbi for next year. We will start submitting announcements and accepting job applications later this year, with interviews scheduled for the fall and winter. 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 as we start to hear from our candidates.
Also, please mark your calendars for several exciting events next month. First, on Sunday, August 4, the Oakland A’s will be hosting their final Jewish Heritage Night (and playing the Dodgers, which is a great bonus!) at 1:07 p.m. The cost is $36/ticket and we’ll have a whole small section set up for TBH! Later that week, TBH will be hosting a movie night on Saturday, August 10, at 4:00 p.m. We will provide more details as we get closer to the date. The very next day, August 11, at 9:30 a.m. the Religious School staff will be hosting its annual cleanup of the classrooms to get the kids ready for the upcoming school year. We encourage all members to come help out with this important project to make the opening day of Religious School a wonderful experience for our younger members.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place on Friday, August 2, at 7:30 p.m. Family shabbats have completed for the year but will resume in September. Torah Study will take place Saturdays at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom. And of course, although Religious School is completed for the year, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services once the kids come back for their classes in August. 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 and David, Co-Presidents, Temple Beth Hillel