March 2021 Adar / Nisan 5781
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March 2021 Adar / Nisan 5781 www.ti-stl.org Congregation Temple Israel is an inclusive community that supports your unique Jewish journey. TEMPLE NEWS SHABBAT WORSHIP SCHEDULE HIAS REFUGEE SHABBAT SERVICES WORSHIP SERVICE SCHEDULE Friday, March 5 @ 6:30 PM Throughout the month of March, Shabbat services will Temple Israel will be a proud participant in HIAS’ Refugee be available online only. Join us and watch services Shabbat, during which Jews in the United States and around the remotely on our website or on our Facebook page, where world will take action for refugees and asylum seekers. you can connect with other viewers in the comments section. Founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in 1881 to assist Jews fleeing persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe, HIAS’s work is rooted in Jewish values and the belief that anyone fleeing WATCH SERVICES ONLINE hatred, bigotry and xenophobia, regardless of their faith or Services on our website: ethnicity, should be provided with a safe refuge. www.ti-stl.org/Watch Services on our Facebook page: Over the Shabbat of March 5-6, 2021, the Jewish community www.facebook.com/TempleIsraelStLouis will dedicate sacred time and space to refugees and asylum seekers. Now in its third year with hundreds of congregations and thousands of individuals participating, this Refugee Shabbat SERVICE SCHEDULE & PARSHA will be an opportunity to once again raise awareness in our 6:00 pm Weekly Pre-Oneg on Zoom communities, to recognize the work that has been done, and to (Link shared in our eNews each week.) reaffirm our commitment to welcoming refugees and asylum seekers. Friday, March 5, 2021 6:30 pm HIAS Refugee Shabbat services We hope you’ll mark your calendars to join us on Friday, March See description in the column to the right. 5 for Shabbat services when our Rabbis will share about the Torah Portion: Ki Tisa importance of “welcoming the stranger” as a Jewish value. Friday, March 12, 2021 Watch this service on our website: 6:30 pm Shabbat services www.ti-stl.org/Watch Torah Portion: Vayak’heil - P’kudei Watch this service on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TempleIsraelStLouis Friday, March 19, 2021 6:30 pm Shabbat services Torah Portion: Vayikra CONTACT US Friday, March 26, 2021 Our Rabbis, President, and Temple staff are always happy to hear 6:30 pm Shabbat services from you to answer questions, address concerns, or simply to Torah Portion: Tzav chat and get to know you better. You can reach us via email or by calling the Temple at 314-432-8050. Rachel Wallis Andreasson, Executive Director [email protected] Rabbi Amy Feder [email protected] Rabbi Michael Alper Mazel Tov! [email protected] TO TI’S MARCH BAR MITZVAH Leslie Wolf, Director of Family Education [email protected] Louise Losos, President Elijah Enger [email protected] son of Marc & Jenny Enger For a birth announcement, death, billing issue, or any other ELIJAH matter, contact the Temple office at 314-432-8050 or [email protected], and we’ll get you connected with the right person. 2 page / March 2021 / Congregation Temple Israel DATELINE TEMPLE NEWS ACCESSIBILITY OF OUR NEWLY RENOVATED EDUCATION CENTER POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF SUPPORT FROM THE TILLES FOUNDATION Rabbi Amy Feder & Rabbi Michael Alper [email protected] [email protected] One of the most remarkable features of our newly renovated thought that after having worked so hard to raise money for a Jack & Ellen Deutsch Family Education Center is its accessibility. good cause, he deserved the chance to be on the other end of Students, teachers, and their families need different amenities the conversation and give money away! Ten years later, he is and ways to engage than when the building was first built, still hard at work and loving it more than ever. Larry explained, and we’ve been overwhelmed by how many individuals and “This is one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done. You have foundations stepped up to support us in our endeavor to create the opportunity to hear about nonprofit organizations you didn’t a facility that was truly open for every type of learner. even know existed, each of which is doing so much good in the community.” One of the things Larry is most proud of is the One of these organizations is the Tilles Foundation, whose gift way that more Jewish organizations have been able to receive helped build the canopy over the ramp that leads in the school support from the Tilles Fund under his watch. Previously, there building. You may have heard of Tilles Park before, but Tilles and were countless Catholic organizations who knew about the Fund TI have a beautiful history that may surprise you. through the Archdiocese, but most Jewish organizations didn’t know of its existence. Now, schools like Mirowitz and our very It all started with a man named Cap Tilles. Andrew “Cap” own DECC have been recipients of grants from Tilles, which help Tilles was a first generation Jewish American whose parents support students whose needs would otherwise not be met by emigrated from Poland around 1847. Tilles was orphaned as existing programs or facilities. a boy yet managed to rise to success to become a business magnate. He later turned his sights towards philanthropy, hoping We are so grateful for Larry’s leadership and for the generosity to help future generations of poor children achieve the kind of of the Tilles Fund. success that he did. Among his philanthropic goals (in addition to Tilles Park) was the Rosalie Tilles Non-Sectarian Charity Fund, which he gave as a million-dollar Christmas gift “to the poor of St. Louis” in 1926. The organization has transformed over time, both in its name and in its original mission; they Rabbi Amy Feder & Rabbi Michael Alper now partner with charitable organizations to help children with developmental, intellectual, and physical disabilities through a multitude of ways. So where does Temple Israel fit into all this? When Cap Tilles created the Fund, he wanted there to be 5 trustees, which included the Archdiocese and the Rabbi of Temple Israel, or a trusted community member to serve in their stead. We still don’t know (and probably never will) why he made those choices, yet it ensured that a diverse perspective would be brought to every conversation. In 2010, Rabbi Feder asked TI member Larry Linkon if he would serve as her representative on the Fund. Larry had just completed his role as co-chair of the Livnot Campaign, and she www.ti-stl.org / March 2021 / 3 page PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE SHALOM RAV, GRANT US PEACE Louise Losos President [email protected] “Shalom Rav.” It is one of my wife Beth’s favorite songs in our Our community is what often brings to me Shalom Rav, peace. A Friday night service. Though to be clear, she likes one particular hard week, a disquieting week, can all be put at ease when I start version of the song. Thanks to Facebook Live and the streaming joining in services, singing along, I find some light in a week of of Friday night services, we have discovered that she is not shade. alone in this — there are many fans that start commenting as soon as Rabbi Amy begins singing. I too love this version of I hope this Dateline finds you and your families well and safe, the song. It is beautiful. But the song is not just beautiful in may you find Shalom Rav in the days, weeks, and months ahead. its melody and the beauty of Amy’s voice, but the meaning is beautiful, as well. Grant abundant peace over Israel, Your people, forever. For you are the sovereign source of all peace. So may it be good in Your eyes to bless Your people Israel Shalom, In every season and in every hour with your peace. Louise Losos Blessed are you, Adonai, Who blesses his people Israel with peace. Peace, safety, calmness, blessings. The past months have been an unending cacophony of vitriol in the world. Shalom Rav, grant us peace. An assault on the capitol followed by an inauguration, grant us peace. The stress of getting signed up for a vaccination (or getting your parents signed up for a vaccination). Shalom Rav. But where there is darkness there is light. And Amanda Gorman, dressed in bright yellow, lifts us up in her poem*: “When the day comes we ask ourselves, Where can we find light in this never-ending shade?” We find the light in each other, we find the peace in each other. One of our newly adopted core values is Community: We believe that everyone who chooses to be in our sacred community has a valued role. We believe that authentic, personal relationships are the basis of a caring community. *Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb,” 2021 4 page / March 2021 / Congregation Temple Israel DATELINE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OUR FUTURE MISSION “Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about Congregation Temple Israel is an inclusive community deliberately choosing to be different.” that supports your unique -Michael Porter Jewish journey. Rachel Wallis Andreasson CORE BELIEFS Executive Director Community: [email protected] We believe that everyone who chooses to be in our sacred community has a Michael Porter is best known for his writings and teachings related to strategic planning. The timing could valued role. We believe not be better for TI to update its strategic plan. We have adopted new ways to engage since going virtual, that authentic, personal and we have the opportunity to ensure we aligned with our updated mission and core beliefs.