A few Announcements
I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving, one of connection and cornucopia. I know I am grateful this year for all of you at Temple Sinai, and for how well things are going for us. Thank you for making that happen. In this blog, I will share five important things-to-know, and also fill you in on some of my priorities for this coming year.
FIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. Please consider coming to services soon. We have new people coming to services almost every week, and it would be nice to have more people in person on Friday night. I am not one of those rabbis that guilts you for not coming to services, especially during COVID, but I do want us to make a good impression when people come to visit, so if you feel up to it, join us.
2. Batya Levine is Coming December 10 and 11. Batya is a deeply moving writer and performer of original Jewish music and will be leading us in Friday evening services on December 10 (at the UU Church in Burlington, where our main services will be that night) and doing a community concert at Temple Sinai on Dec 11. Both are at 7:00 pm, and for those that want to learn the songs ahead of time, there will be a “rehearsal” on Thursday evening (details in newsletter). Here’s a link to one of her songs, Karov, to give you a sense of her music and spirit.
3. Hanukkah Events. We will have our Hanukkah celebration on December 4 starting at 4:00 pm with a Hanukkah Variety Show put on by our Religious School. We’ll have a community menorah lighting, so bring your hanukkiot and candles, and join us for Hanukkah lights, donuts, hot chocolate, and an outdoor menorah lighting & sing along.
4. We need help with technology at services and classes. We could not have returned to in-person services if not for the countless hours given by David Punia (ZOOM) and David Wright (sound). We REALLY need to find a team of people who from time to time could lead the ZOOM or adjust the Sound at Friday night services or Saturday morning Torah Study. David and David are willing to have a class to teach a group how it works, and that way, we could create a rotation or have substitutes when needed. We have stipends available for teens that might be interested.
5. Tim and I will be in Italy from December 16-January 1. I am so excited that our new members, Adam Samowitz and Clelia Casciola are getting married in Sicily and asked me to come officiate. Tim and I will be in Sicily from December 16 to January 1. While I’m away the Spiritual Committee will be leading services with Mark at the helm. Christmas Eve and New Years Eve will be by ZOOM Only, so check out the newsletter for details.
MY FOCUS FOR 2022. At the Annual Meeting, I shared some of my priorities for the coming year. For those who couldn’t make the meeting (and thanks to all who did!) here, in short, are the things we will be focused on building in the coming year:
· Our Teen Program and Young Families Program. New member Rachel Greenfield will be creating and building a program for our teens focused on fun social events every month. Our goal is to get a group to attend NFTY Regional Conclave in Boston in the Spring. Saragail Benjamin continues to build our Young Families program at twice monthly events, Young Families Havdalah and Young Families Shabbat. Our goal as a team is to provide seamless quality programming for our children from toddlers to college. It will take a few years to get where we want to be, but I am thrilled to have this team to work with in making this happen.
· Organizing Against Antisemitism. There has been a marked increase in antisemitic incidents and violence in the past year. Seventy-five percent of Jewish people report minimizing their Jewishness, whether by hiding Stars of David or avoiding posting Jewish-content posts on social media. While we will not all agree about the line between antisemitism and antizionism, recent events in Burlington have made it clear that we need to be proactive in addressing these issues, and not wait for the next attack to be launched. I will be working with local rabbis, JCVT, the Imam, and area liberal clergy to build alliances to address antisemitism. I will offer classes, bring speakers, and create listening circles to help us better understand how antisemitism works and what we can do about it.
· Patio for Social Hall. We have the drawings and all the permits for a lovely, raised patio in the back off the social hall. Through the generosity of Fleischman and Haas families, we have seed money for matching donations and other fundraising to help us make this long-time goal a reality.
· Legacy Giving and Strategic Planning. One of my larger goals for next few years is to help Sinai prepare for the future, both in terms of Strategic Planning and Legacy Giving. We have teams working on both now, and I will be supporting and helping them in this important work of figuring out how we want to grow, and how to afford it.