Kol Nidre Appeal 2003 One Rosh Hashanah morning, the Rabbi ...

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I want to read to you two paragraphs, where Rachel discusses the impact of Judaism on her. She writes, “ I tried to pinpoint my very earliest Jewish memory. The oldest one I can remember was as a small child of three or four years old. My grandfather had helped to create a Conservative congregation in the tiny town of Manchester, Vermont, and every year for the High Holidays, he served as Cantor. We would all trek to Vermont from New York. I recall getting restless during the long service…so I wandered up to the bimah and started crawling around under my grandfather’s feet. He was singing “Kol Nidre” at the time and certainly could not stop to usher me back down to my parents. I also remember sitting on the floor playing with the fringe of his tallis, mesmerized by his beautiful voice. I do not truly know how long I was there. However long it might have been, I am sure that I had never sat still so long. To this day I am extremely moved by the singing of “Kol Nidre” and I have no doubt that my love for the melody and music in general has its roots in that day. I have kept (my grandfather’s) tallis for the memories it holds and the scent of him which still clings to it.” Dear friends…I believe that my Internet correspondent, Rachel Gurwitz, hit the proverbial nail on the head. Kol Nidre is special because it evokes in us the memories of places and times past. It brings back recollections of loved ones, both near and departed. It transports us to our roots and where we come from. You know, the singer/songwriter John Denver once sang “Country roads take me home.” Well, for us…Kol Nidre takes us home. Like Rachel Gurwitz, we all have different roots. My home was not Vermont or San Antonio, but Brooklyn, New York- the Seaview Jewish Center. And there, on Yom Kippur, I remember that my father would always cry when we came to the line in the Shema Koleinu prayer: “Dear God- Cast us not away when we are old, when our strength is gone do not abandon us.” “Why are you crying, Dad…you’re not old?” I asked him. And he said he was crying because this was when his father, Zichrono L’Vracha, may his memory be for a blessing…when his father would cry. I know that for many of you sitting here tonight, for you or your families home was Newark, New Jersey….so many made that particular pilgrimage from Europe to Newark to suburbia. For Elaine and Sam Halper, for example, home was the Mercer Street Shul, and the Chevra Tillim on Prince Street. Elaine recalls that the door of the Mercer Street
Shul was always kept open for Kol Nidre, so that all who passed by and heard the davening, the praying, could enter. Yes- there once was a time with no synagogue tickets, and we all used to live in a pre-September 11 th world, didn’t we- a world with far fewer security concerns. Some of us, of course, come from, well, further afield. For the Nejat and Nazarian families, home was the country of Iran. Lili Nejat told me that in the synagogue of her childhood in Tehran, the evening services after Kol Nidre would sometimes commence as late as 11:00 PM…because after Kol Nidre, there would first be an auctioning of the Aliyot for the following day, thus delaying the start of evening services. She also recalls that as the Torahs were marched around the sanctuary, women would drape them with scarves and linens- thought to be a way to bring blessings and good luck. Friends…no matter where we are from, Kol Nidre takes us home. And home for all of us now is Temple Beth Shalom. For make no mistake- a Temple, a shul- is truly a home. In fact, it is said that a complete synagogue is three things- a Beit Knesset, a house of gathering, a Beit Midrash, a house of education, and of course, a Beit Tefillah- a house of prayer. These are three very distinct components, and yet they all begin with the same word- Beit- a house, a home. And what a home we have here at Temple Beth Shalom…and a busy home, at that! Our Adult Education Program has undergone a metamorphosis, and is now known as the The Temple Beth Shalom Learning Institute. This ongoing program throughout the year, with its theme of “Living Jewishly” is refocusing how we learn, what we learn, and when we learn- bringing us together as one Temple Family- on Shabbat, on the Yom Tovim, and on Sunday mornings. We just completed a wonderful series of High Holiday classes, for example, conducted by Rabbi Fellner and Cantor Koransky classes which lead us up to and put us in the proper frame of mind for these Days of Awe. On Saturday night, November 1 st , we will be presenting our major guest lecturer of the year- hearing from former US Ambassador to Israel, Ambassador Martin Indyk. Throughout the year there will be kosher cooking classes, Yoga exercise following services on Shabbat, scholars-in-residence, a new Temple Beth Shalom Book Club, the Rabbi’s Film Festival and much, much more. Why not become a benefactor, and learn and grow with us? Our newly reinvigorated Havurah program was launched on September 14 th - introducing the haimishness of our Temple Family to our newest and some not-so-new members- allowing all of us to experience the informal and intimate groups that so many of you “Vatikim”- our respected veterans- have enjoyed for so many years. Join a Havurah group- make friends for life. And of course, we look forward to the day soon, God-willing, when we get to dedicate
Page 1 and 2: Kol Nidre Appeal 2003 One Rosh Hash
Page 3 and 4: to-day costs. What I am speaking ab
Page 5 and 6: Yom Kippur Appeal 2003 Hillel said:
Page 7 and 8: 60% of our members pledged $500 or
Page 9 and 10: oiling water— but each reacted di
Page 11 and 12: meeting our financial obligations.
Page 13 and 14: President’s Message-Kol Nidre 200
Page 15 and 16: we take the concept of caring commu
Page 17: Kol Nidre Address Mah Nishtanah HaL
Page 21 and 22: our telephone canvassing. Two month
Page 23 and 24: members of our congregation to come
Page 25 and 26: Holocaust happened 60 years ago. Bu
Page 27 and 28: ROSH HASHANAH - 2003 The great Jewi
Page 29 and 30: Speaking of the Green Center, it co
Page 31 and 32: Yom Kippur 2003 Our lives, it’s b
Page 33 and 34: If the story were to end now, I bel
Page 35 and 36: My dear friends, the members and gu
Page 37 and 38: Each of you should have received a
Page 39 and 40: aroma wafting through the house. Sh
Page 41 and 42: vanishkes, stuffed derma, or, dare
Page 43 and 44: Yom Kippur Speech Oct.5, 2003 Rabbi
Page 45 and 46: 2) Secondly, The Temple is also a B
Page 47 and 48: This year has been devastating to m
Page 49: applied for the previous summer to

Kol Nidre Appeal 2003 One Rosh Hashanah morning, the Rabbi ...

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