TEMPLE BETH TORAH C H A N U K A H 2 0 2 0 LET’S LIGHT UP THE NIGHT WITH MUSIC AND MENORAHS 1 End of Year Giving...We thank you for your generous support of Temple Beth Torah through your membership and for helping to make us the strong community that we are. For those of you who have already given to our Kol Nidre Appeal and Commitment to Giving, our deepest thanks. As the calendar year ends, and you are deciding on your charitable contributions in preparation for this year’s taxes, please remember our Temple. For those of you who have yet to contribute... NOW IS THE TIME TO GIVE BEFORE DECEMBER 31, 2020. You can pay off your Commitment to Giving pledge, make a donation to your favorite fund or increase your Kol Nidre pledge. Remember, your contribution need not only come in the form of a direct donation -a gift to Temple of stocks, bonds, real estate or IRA distributions will also be accepted. Heading For Warmer Weather For The Winter? We don’t want to lose touch with those members heading for sunnier climates during the winter. Please contact the office with your winter address and phone number, as well as effective dates. Please remember to join us on Zoom for Shabbat and other wonderful events. Check out the website for links. Did you know … there are many COMMITTEE’s at TBT that are looking for you! We are still active, using Zoom to have meetings. Get Involved at TBT, sign on to a meeting, see how your ideas can contribute! See the calendar on the website for dates and times. TLC COMMITTEE WEBSITE COMMITTEE ADEPT COMMITTEE PUBLICITY COMMITTEE SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE TBT NETWORKING GROUP RITUAL COMMITTEE FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE BUDGET & FINANCE SISTERHOOD BOARD OF TRUSTEES BROTHERHOOD NURSERY SCHOOL COMMITTEE EDUCATIONAL TASK FORCES 2 ARC ANGEL– Rabbi Susie Heneson Moskowitz was recently doing an exercise in which I articulated my philosophy for Temple Beth Torah. I TBT is a place where meaningful experiences lead to connections with G!d, other people, Judaism and Israel through Talmud Torah (Study), Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World), Chesed (Act of Caring) and Chavurah (Community). And then I wanted to distill it into one word. The most important part of TBT to me is the CONNECTIONS we make. Sometimes they are connections with the Rabbi or Cantor, sometimes with a teacher or staff member or a board member. More often than not, it is the connections between TBT families. Maybe, its the friends you made in Nursery School or the like-minded person you met while serving on a committee or in a class. It could be a connection from a zoom service at which we celebrated an anniversary or other special moment. Here are 8 ways for YOU to Connect: Chanukah – Join us each night for Candle Lighting and Activity Classes – Learn with others in the community in small groups Calls and texts – Check in with one another Committee Meetings – This is a great way to get involved and have your voice heard Community – Join our new Village Movement Project - more info to follow -Help us to help those in need in the community (Gerald Ryan Outreach, LICH, Mercy Soup Kitchen, United Hatzalah). Contributions - give to Kol Nidre, Tzedakah projects & other Campaigns Chesed (Caring) - Join TLC@TBT to make sure all our members are ok during our shelter in place especially as winter approaches. Chavurah - create a TBT group that you can do something you are interested with (walk dogs, play softball, knit, cook for the soup kitchen or TBT families, etc.) Be part of our TBT Connection. Think about-What is your favorite way to connect with TBT? Are you doing it? Can you invite someone else to join you? What are you doing to help others connect and to stay connected? Chag Orim Samaeach - May this Chanukah fill you with light! L’shalom, Rabbi Susie Heneson Moskowitz 3 A Liberal Reform Congregation A Member of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) FRIDAY SHABBAT SERVICES Susie Heneson Moskowitz - Senior Rabbi .….Ext. 314 [email protected] 6:30 pm Rachel Wiesenberg - Associate Rabbi ....…….Ext. 328 zoom –see website for link [email protected] Sarene Appelbaum - Cantor ……………………..Ext. 319 SATURDAY SHABBAT TORAH STUDY [email protected] Dr. Marc A. Gellman - Rabbi Emeritus 9:00 AM President - Vanessa Newman [email protected] Jen Fusco - Nursery Director …...………….... Ext. 327 zoom –see website for link [email protected] Sisterhood Pres. -Fern Bernstein [email protected] Brotherhood Pres.- David Blansky [email protected] TLC@TBT is here to help you in times of emergency or chronic illness; to Temple Office Staff- Press 2 give you a lift to the Doctor; to pick up Office Manager- Kathy George …………………. Ext. 310 [email protected] prescriptions or some groceries; or to Office Assistant- Beth Archer .………………… Ext. 300 deliver a meal. Please contact [email protected] Rabbi Moskowitz or Office Assistant- Robin Farbman ……………… Ext. 320 [email protected] Robin Steinberg to get involved or to receive Religious/Nursery School Administration help. Religious School –Didi Poliak & Stacy Becker.… Ext. 5 [email protected] or [email protected] Nursery School - Stacy Becker …….…………………. Ext. 4 [email protected] Youth Group Beth Archer [email protected] Stay in touch with your clergy. Let us know what is going on in your lives. JUDAICA SHOP • Is someone ill and in need of a visit? Going to a friend’s house for the Are you celebrating a grandchild’s holiday? Bring a gift! We Have a great selection! Bar/Bat Mitzvah at another synagogue? Kipot, Talit, Mezuzahs, gifts for all occasions. • Is someone getting married? Call for an • Having a baby? • Going through a difficult time? appointment 631 643-1200 Help us be there for you by letting us know what is happening in your lives. Contact: [email protected] 4 Presidents message… Vanessa Newman, Temple President Dear Temple Family, Our boys are home from school and our house is full again with love and laughter! Although we celebrated Thanksgiving differently this year, we made the best of it. I hope you were able to make the best of this holiday. Let’s all be thankful for Zoom! This election has been challenging. We may have different political views, but we are still a temple community who share many Jewish values that no election can take away. We need to come together and respect our differing views. Our building remains open for staff, clergy, Nursery/Hebrew School and small Bar/Bat Mitzvah services. Rabbi Wiesenberg, Jen Fusco along with their Administrators (Stacy Becker and Didi Poliak) and all teachers are running stellar programs with very happy children and parents. I applaud each of them with how incredibly hard they work each day with their passion to teach our children under these circumstances. Rabbi Moskowitz and Cantor Appelbaum do not skip a beat with their incredibly full schedules and creating ways to remain connected. Our office staff and custodians are bar none with the care they take into the welfare of our Temple and community. On January 14th we will be presenting the Benchmark and Listening Campaign results. We have identified areas and created goals based on the results to continue to grow a Temple community. What we need from you: • I cannot stress enough how important it is to continue supporting TBT. We are all working hard to keep our Temple afloat as we know once we get past this our building will be bustling once again and fully operational. We will be continuing to collect Kol Nidre pledges through the end of the year. You can also make tax deductible end of year donations. Every donation makes a difference and helps support your community. • Get involved, be present and join the many opportunities and events available. There is something for everyone. Our weekly emails and website illustrate all of the events/programs. Have an idea? Bring it to us and let’s make it happen. • Patience, flexibility, understanding and basic kindness to your fellow members and the staff serving the needs of the community. Despite many of us experiencing COVID fatigue (including myself), it is important to not let our guard down and continue with best practices to keep yourself and community safe. The world is different and we must adhere to a new normal and continue to reimagine how we connect with one another. Whether we are together in person, virtual or spiritual, Temple Beth Torah is here for you in every way. Happy Chanukah and wishing all a better 2021! Be well. L’Shalom, Vanessa Newman Temple President 5 ADEPT Winter Speaker Series Adult Education and Entertainment Programs th Monday, December 7 @ 7:00—8:30 pm TBT Schmooze Group : A virtual presentation by Michael Palmer on "Eric Mendelsohn: Synagogue Architect with a Vision." The program will be a approximately a one hour talk with pictures followed by questions and answers. This will be a presentation of the Jewish history of Mendelsohn’s times through his biography. His story is fascinating and relevant, since the Jewish issues in his life and times are with us still today. Eric Mendelsohn designed and built four synagogues in the United States that became benchmarks for modern American synagogue architecture, as Neville Teller wrote in the Jerusalem Post. The aim of my book is to bring Mendelsohn’s lyrical architecture to the attention of contemporary Jewish communities and to discuss the roots of his Jewish identity, from which his synagogue architecture arose. Zoom Meeting ID: 811 7016 8283 Passcode: 553184 See website calendar for clickable link th Wednesday, December 9 @ 7:30 pm “The Takeaway Men” by Meryl Ain in conversation with Rabbi Susie Moskowitz An historical fiction set after the Shoah.