REFLECTIONS ON OUR NEW LOGO
If I asked you to draw the Temple Sinai logo, could you? For most of us, we might remember a rectangle of blue and green but that’s about it. To jog your memory, it is a drawing of green mountains, topped by a blue sky with a grey Star of David floating among the clouds. It is a fine drawing, very Vermonty, and it has served our temple well, but just as we have changed and grown, now is a good time for us to find a new logo to represent us, one that is simpler, more graphic, and conveys to those who see it something about who we are and what we value.
A good name is better than precious oil. Ecclesiastes 7:1
An autocratic egoistic dictator who sees himself as part of a superior race that has been mistreated decides to expand his territory by annexing border areas where many of the people speak the dictator’s language, and then brutally invades a peaceful neighbor on ridiculous conspiratorial pretenses. The war weary population of democratic Western nations do not want war and our leaders, with eyes to elections, appease this dictator in the hopes that it will not go further.
But Rabbi, I don’t want to hear about abortion at services.
It’s that time of year again – “Repro Shabbat”, the Shabbat on which synagogues all over America talk about reproductive freedom and Jewish views on abortion.
Life is a very narrow bridge; the essential thing is not to let yourself be ruled by fear. (Rav Nachman of Bratslav)
The Texas synagogue hostage situation
Community First
December 4th the school wrapped up our Creative and Performing Arts program with a wonderful and warm Hanukkah show featuring students from our religious school. After 8 weeks of hard work, it was thrilling to see students singing, dancing, acting, playing cello, and participating in groups that were composed of many ages of students.
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.
Kodesh Moments in our Religious School
If you walk into the school hallway at Temple Sinai you will see that our ceiling is full of stars. Green, red, yellow, and orange. They are the visual representations of the good deeds our students are doing not because they’ve been asked, but because we as a school value the actions they take to step beyond themselves to be kind or helpful to another human being.
Up, Up and Away
In case you didn’t see it in the newsletter, I will be away November 13th - 18th. Where am I going you may ask? The National Association of Temple Administrators (NATA) is having their annual conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. While I will miss you all and my kiddos tremendously, I am looking forward to being surrounded by my colleagues and friends… read more