Thoughts from the President
Dr. Steve Doblin
On behalf of the congregation, I extend condolences to the family and friends of Sol Arkeen, a former member of our congregation. Sol passed away on August 12. May his name be remembered among the righteous for a blessing. Also on behalf of the congregation, congratulations to Emily Eisen and Jeff Wheeler, who were married in the sanctuary on August 8. And congratulations to the entire Eisen and Wheeler families, whose excitement, pride, and pleasure were evident the entire weekend. This was the second wedding during my presidency – the other was the marriage of Allison and Mike Getz – and there is another planned for late fall. As someone told me just before services, three might the modern record for weddings during a Temple Emanuel president’s term in office. (Let me know if this is not true.) As I reviewed past issues of the Bulletin, and despite the fact that we are not a big congregation, the large number simchas we celebrate each year is truly wonderful. From B’nai Mitzvahs (Danny Tadmor, Jordan Rutman, and Hunter Kramer will be called to the Torah in the upcoming months) to the birth of grandchildren and great-grandchildren (Don & Kathy Johnson and Ruth Brookner recently celebrated the birth of Clara Elizabeth) to the earning of high school diplomas and undergraduate and graduate degrees (Sarah Barenberg, Jacob Getz, Devon Alter, Matthew Garza, Buffin Golias, Jessica Ledger, Ben Barenberg, Amanda Chapman, Marc Wolf are the most recent) to engagements (Clyde Sheilds and Ida Duplechin just made their announcement) to seemingly myriad anniversaries and birthdays, we are truly blessed with a vibrancy and joy that bind us all together as a Temple family. (I apologize if I omitted your own simcha because I was unaware. Please make sure that these important events in your life and in the lives of your loved ones are made known to the Temple Office as well as to me.)
Rabbi Taub has completed a busy first month during which he attended nearly a dozen “Coffee with the Rabbi” sessions at a variety of congregants’ homes. Based upon my conversations with the Rabbi and many of you, these gatherings were a great success, allowing our members to talk with him (and, in some cases, each other) in an informal setting and to learn about his background, interests, principles, and goals. It also allowed Rabbi Taub to begin to understand our history, our commitment, and the things that are important to us. Thanks again to those of you who volunteered to serve as hosts and those of you who attended and who participated in the conversations. By the time you read this, the Celebratory Community Shabbat Service welcoming and introducing Rabbi and Debbie to the Beaumont community at large will have taken place. The invitations are beautiful and I feel certain that the event will be meaningful, impressive, and effective in continuing Temple Emanuel’s strong relationship with the Beaumont community and our Rabbi’s important involvement in it. The members of the Transition Team (led by Lois Rutman and Russ Schultz) organized both the congregational gatherings and the Community Shabbat Service, and made certain all went smoothly. Special appreciation goes to Norma Sampson, Lois Rutman, Renee’ Bennett, Fern Roos, and Russ Schultz for their hard work on the latter. And thanks to Becky Gayle, who was elected (and agreed) to serve a three-year term as the Board of Trustees representative on the Endowment Fund Advisory Committee.
As I wrote last month in this column, Hurricane Ike did significant damage to our Temple, to include both the sanctuary and the education and office building, and we were forced to engage the services of a local attorney to pursue our claim – which is nearly $2 million – against our insurance company. We have asked Church Mutual to pay for a membrane to cover the main roof of the dome, cupola and internal eave gutter, which will provide temporary waterproofing to protect against further damage. As expected, everything is proceeding very slowly, and you will be kept informed of the progress. In addition, a lightening strike destroyed our fire alarm system in the sanctuary building, and we have filed an insurance claim to repair that. As your Board considered these building issues as well as a variety of growth and maintenance ones, it seemed prudent to begin formal efforts in long range planning. To that end, I have appointed a relatively small standing Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC), with initial membership from both the Board and the congregation at large. The members are Cheryl Barenberg, Stephen Bender, Steve Doblin (chair), S.L. Greenberg, Lewis Hoffer, Bob Kramer, Ken Parker, Norma Sampson (ex-officio), and Rabbi Joshua Taub (ex-officio). Meetings will begin after the High Holidays with a joint Board-LRPC workshop designed and led by URJ planning experts.
I invite you to visit the Temple’s website (http://www.emanuelbeaumont.org), which is updated and maintained by our webmaster, Dan Rutman. Dan is working with Rabbi Taub to enhance our website, which is often the first thing read by Jewish families who are planning to visit or move to Beaumont. Please convey any suggestions you have to improve the content and look of it to Dan. (By the way, he has asked congregants who have photos of Temple events to submit them for posting.) Robin Goebel, Religious School Principal, has already met with Rabbi Taub to discuss the opening of Sunday School and Hebrew School, and she believes that he has “many wonderful new ideas for our children this year.” They travelled to Jackson, Mississippi, on August 9-10 to attend a mini conference sponsored by the Institute for Southern Jewish Life (ISJL), which produces our Sunday School curriculum. Sunday School will begin on August 30, and Hebrew School on September. 9, and parents should have already received the enrollment forms for the upcoming year. Please read the monthly report of the Social Action Committee, led by Cynthia Wolf, which appears elsewhere in this Bulletin and select at least one of the opportunities in which to become involved. Also, please put the date of this year’s annual Fabulous Fall Funraiser – November 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the Swerdlow-Roosth Social Hall – in your planner and begin now thinking of what you can contribute for auction. If you have questions, members of the Development & Fundraising Committee are Suzye Doblin (chair), Lori Alter, Bobby Chapman, Rita Davis, Mike Getz, Natalie Greenberg, Beverly Hickman, Nancy Kramer, Judy Night, and Gail Williams. And, of course, it’s time to begin thinking about and preparing for the High Holidays, which begin this year with erev Rosh Hashanah on September 18 and conclude with the Yom Kippur services on September 28. We are excited about the return of cantorial soloist Shira Fox, who is the daughter of two cantors and has served full time as b’nai mitzvah teacher and program coordinator for Kehillat Israel Congregation in Pacific Palisades, California, as a cantorial soloist for Temple Rodef Shalom in El Secundo, and as the High Holidays cantorial soloist for Temple Beth El in Santa Maria. There are many High Holiday websites you can visit on the Internet, and three interesting ones are http://www.holidays.net/highholydays/, http://urj.org/holidays/highholidays/, and http://www.interfaithfamily.com//holidays/rosh_hashanah_and_yom_kippur.shtml?rd=2
If you choose not to search the Web, the following is an excerpt from an excellent article on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, YAMIM NORAIM BTHE DAYS OF AWE, which appeared in the bulletin of Congregation Am Shalom in Glencoe, IL. Please share it with Jewish young people you love.
In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a holy day commemorated with loud blasts" (Leviticus 23:24). This is a festive day to commemorate the anniversary of the creation of the world. At the same time, it is a somber day that begins a period of self-examination, to take stock of where we have been and where we are going. The Shofar, a ram's horn, is blown in the synagogue to serve as a spiritual alarm clock to wake us up. The primitive sound of the Shofar stirs something deep within us.
Rosh Hashanah is ... the Day of Judgment as Jews worldwide examine their past deeds and ask for forgiveness for their sins. ... the Day of Shofar Blowing as the Shofar (the ram's horn) is blown in Temple to herald the beginning of the 10 day period known as the High Holy Days ... the Day of Remembrance as Jews review the history of their people and pray for Israel ... New Year's Day celebrated with its holiday greeting cards, special prayers, and festive and sweet foods (to ensure sweetness in the New Year).
L'Shanah Tova Tikatayvu
It is believed that on Rosh Hashanah the destiny of all humankind is recorded by God in the Book of Life. This traditional Hebrew greeting, which means "May you be inscribed for a good year," is recited by Jews everywhere. It is our hope that our families and friends will enjoy a year filled with health, happiness, and most of all, peace.
On the tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you. You shall practice selfAdenial" (Leviticus 23:27). Yom Kippur is the most solemn day of the Jewish year. We fast on Yom Kippur to channel our energy into prayer and repentance and to concentrate on self-improvement. On the eve of Yom Kippur, it is customary to listen to the Kol Nidre prayer, one of the most inspiring melodies in Jewish tradition. According to the legend, the Books of Life and Death for the coming year are sealed at the close of Yom Kippur. Through repentance, prayer and charity, we wish for blessing for our family and friends. The Yom Kippur service is actually FIVE services: Kol Nidre (the evening Service), Shacharit (the early morning Service), Musaf (the second or additional Service), Mincha (the afternoon Service), and N'eila (the final Service). "Then you shall transmit a blast on the horn; in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, the day of Yom Kippur, you shall have the horn sounded throughout the land and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. (Leviticus 25)
A little boy never said a word for six years. One evening, his parents served him broccoli for supper. All of a sudden the child said, “This broccoli is no good.” His parents were amazed and ecstatic. They asked him, “Why did you wait so long to talk?” He said, “Up until now everything’s been okay.” Perhaps you believe that the ways things are going in Temple Emanuel are okay. If so, that’s certainly a good thing. However, every organization benefits from having new people with new ideas and new approaches to old issues as part of the leadership team, both elected and volunteer. Please remember that positions on the Temple’s standing committees periodically become vacant, the next election will take place in January (three new Trustees will join the Board), and there are many opportunities to volunteer for ways in which to make a difference. Even if you are completely satisfied with the ways things are going, I hope you are interested in serving the Temple in one of these capacities. And I encourage you to make your interest known. Attend a committee meeting – the names of the chairs of all Temple committees are listed in each month’s Bulletin – or a Board meeting (the third Thursday of every month at 5:30 p.m. in the Temple Library), and decide in what you are interested. And let me know. May your month be healthy, joyful and committed to tikkun olam.
