Thoughts from the President
Dr. Steve Doblin
On behalf of the Congregation, I extend condolences to the family and friends of our beloved member, Dora Horwitz, who passed away recently. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with you. May her name always be remembered among the righteous for a blessing.
As you receive this June-July edition of the Bulletin, the Religious School year is ending, the camp-and- vacation season is beginning and, after a pretty hectic year, the number of Temple events is at a minimum. However, as usual, there is still much going on within our congregational family. Congratulations to graduates Sarah Barenberg and Jacob Getz (high school diplomas); Devon Alter, Matthew Garza, Buffin Golias, and Jessica Ledger (baccalaureate degrees); and Ben Barenberg and Marc Wolf (graduate degrees). Rabbi Metzinger’s final “Havdalah With the Rabbi” was held on May 16 at the home of Sherry and Paul Horwitz (with more than a dozen in attendance), and the “Fond Farewell Shabbat Service and Oneg” in her honor will be held at 6 p.m. on June 19. (Thanks to Mindy Eisen and her committee for their hard work in planning, organizing and hosting this event.) In every Bulletin, there appear reminders and brief articles from members of the Temple Emanuel Social Justice Committee. (Thanks to Cynthia Wolf for her leadership) As you are aware, tikkun olam through Social Justice continues to be an important part of the fabric of Temple Emanuel, and each of us has the opportunity to make a difference; in our congregation, in our community, in our state, in our country, and in our world. But it is easy to become overwhelmed with the seemingly myriad needs and ways to address them, and hence to do nothing. I urge you to do something, even if it is only one thing. Whether it be volunteering your time, your talent, or your treasure, every positive action makes a difference. Note that this month’s article from the committee emphasizes only the importance of our members’ participation in the 7th Annual Tasting for Some Other Place, scheduled for August 18 at the Civic Center. There are a variety of ways in which you can assist, so please select one and contact Allison Getz (who is serving for the seventh consecutive year as Temple Emanuel’s coordinator for this event; thanks, Allison). And, of course, planning for the Fall Fabulous Funraiser, which will be held in the Swerdlow-Roosth Social Hall of the Rosinger Center on November 14, is well underway. (Please put the date on your calendar today, and make plans to attend.)
Rabbi Joshua Taub will begin his service as Temple Emanuel’s spiritual leader on July 1, and the Transition Team (led by Interim Chair Lois Rutman and Chair Russ Schultz) is in the process of planning a variety of events to enable congregants to meet our new Rabbi in a small-group setting, as well as to introduce him formally to the community at large. The Ritual Committee, under the leadership of Marleen Swerdlow, has recruited cantorial soloist Shira Fox for a return engagement at Temple Emanuel for the High Holidays, which begin this year with erev Rosh Hashanah on September 18. As you may remember Ms. Fox, who is the daughter of two cantors, 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 solist for Temple Beth El in Santa Maria. Finally, the newest members of our congregation are David and Melinda Askin (and daughter Elizabeth), and Bobby and Sarah Myers (and daughter Alice, son Christopher). Welcome to the Temple Emanuel family!
There are no confirmands this year, and the Shavout Shabbat service is on May 29. From the URJ website …Shavuot is a Hebrew word meaning "weeks" and refers to the Jewish festival marking the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Shavuot, like so many other Jewish holidays, began as an ancient agricultural festival, marking the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. Shavuot was distinguished in ancient times by bringing crop offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem. Shavuot, also known as the Festival of the Giving of the Torah, dates from biblical times, and helps to explain the holiday's name, "Weeks." The Torah tells us it took precisely forty-nine days for our ancestors to travel from Egypt to the foot of Mount Sinai – the same number of days as the counting of the Omer – where they were to receive the Torah. (An omer refers to an ancient Hebrew measure of grain, amounting to about 3.6 litres. Biblical law forbade any use of the new barley crop until an omer was brought as an offering to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Book of Leviticus (23:15-16) also commanded: "And from the day on which you bring the offering … you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete." This commandment led to the practice of the Sefirat Ha'omer, or the forty-nine days of the "Counting of the Omer". The omer is counted from the second day of Passover and ends on Shavuot.)Thus, Leviticus 23:21 commands: "And you shall proclaim that day (the fiftieth day) to be a holy convocation." The name Shavuot, "Weeks," then symbolizes the completion of a seven-week journey. Special customs on Shavuot are the reading of the Book of Ruth, which reminds us that we too can find a continual source of blessing in our tradition. Anther tradition includes staying up all night to study Torah and Mishnah, a custom called Tikkun Leil Shavuot, which symbolizes our commitment to the Torah, and that we are always ready and awake to receive the Torah. (Tikkun Leil Shavuot is the custom of staying up the entire night (leil) of Shavuot studying with the community in order to reexperience standing at Sinai.) Traditionally, dairy dishes are served on this holiday to symbolize the sweetness of the Torah, as well as the "land of milk and honey". For a special Shavuot edition of the Jewish Parent Page aimed at parents of adolescents, see http://urj.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=25835. For information on all Jewish holidays, visit http://urj.org/holidays.
Three temple leaders on a trip to the Middle East are captured by terrorists and about to be executed by firing squad. One is a Brotherhood president, one’s a Sisterhood president, and one’s a Temple president. Two guards bring the Brotherhood president forward, and the executioner asks if he has any last requests. He says no, and the executioner shouts, “Ready … Aim … .” Suddenly, the Brotherhood president yells, “Earthquake!!” Everyone is startled and scatters, and he manages to escape. The angry guards then bring the Sisterhood president forward, and the executioner asks if she has any last requests. She says no, and the executioner shouts, “Ready … Aim … .” The Sisterhood president then screams, “Cyclone!!” Yet again, everyone is startled and runs away. She too escapes execution. By this point, the Temple president has figured out what the others did. The guards bring him forward, and the executioner asks if he has any last requests. He also says, no, and the executioner shouts, “Ready … Aim … .” The Temple president then shouts, “Fire!!” Perhaps you do not aspire to be Temple president. That’s fine, because the important leadership takes place at the volunteer, committee, and Board levels. If you are interested in making a difference and serving the Temple in a leadership role, 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.
