We hope y’all had a nice longer break this last weekend in May. This past Monday we celebrated Memorial Day, which these days is often just an excuse to have a day off but it has much deeper significance. Created in the wake of the Civil War, Memorial Day was meant to honor the sacrifice of the hundreds of thousands of Union veterans who died to preserve the Union and the future of the United States. Some enterprising citizens, especially women, used the occasion to raise funds for erecting monuments to commemorate the lives lost and the participation of particular army units in key battles during the conflict. The United States now has hundreds of memorials dedicated to nearly all of the wars fought by its armed forces. Mirroring that tradition, Israel also has a day of observance, Yom Hazikaron, when citizens of Israel honor those who sacrificed for the preservation of their nation. Interestingly, Yom Hazikaron is tied with Yom Haatzmaut, Israeli Independence Day. Unlike the United States, which started the tradition after preserving the nation, Israel linked the tradition with the creation of the nation. Either way, it is a crucial time to commemorate and always remember those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice so that a nation might live.
And as we head toward summer, we will soon be having our annual membership meeting, where we plot out our direction for the year. This is also the time to elect a new Temple Board of Directors, so for those who wish to make a difference in our community, we highly encourage you to consider joining the Board for 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. And please mark your calendars for June 9 starting at 1:00 p.m. as the date for our annual membership meeting. All Temple members are of course invited.
And as a reminder, 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 summer, with interviews scheduled for the fall. 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 get closer to summer.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place next Friday, June 7, 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, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School for the last two sessions of the year, on June 2 and June 9, 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 – May 31, 2023
May 31, 2024 by tbhrich • president
We hope y’all had a nice longer break this last weekend in May. This past Monday we celebrated Memorial Day, which these days is often just an excuse to have a day off but it has much deeper significance. Created in the wake of the Civil War, Memorial Day was meant to honor the sacrifice of the hundreds of thousands of Union veterans who died to preserve the Union and the future of the United States. Some enterprising citizens, especially women, used the occasion to raise funds for erecting monuments to commemorate the lives lost and the participation of particular army units in key battles during the conflict. The United States now has hundreds of memorials dedicated to nearly all of the wars fought by its armed forces. Mirroring that tradition, Israel also has a day of observance, Yom Hazikaron, when citizens of Israel honor those who sacrificed for the preservation of their nation. Interestingly, Yom Hazikaron is tied with Yom Haatzmaut, Israeli Independence Day. Unlike the United States, which started the tradition after preserving the nation, Israel linked the tradition with the creation of the nation. Either way, it is a crucial time to commemorate and always remember those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice so that a nation might live.
And as we head toward summer, we will soon be having our annual membership meeting, where we plot out our direction for the year. This is also the time to elect a new Temple Board of Directors, so for those who wish to make a difference in our community, we highly encourage you to consider joining the Board for 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. And please mark your calendars for June 9 starting at 1:00 p.m. as the date for our annual membership meeting. All Temple members are of course invited.
And as a reminder, 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 summer, with interviews scheduled for the fall. 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 get closer to summer.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place next Friday, June 7, 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, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School for the last two sessions of the year, on June 2 and June 9, 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