IN WASHTENAW COUNTY - Washtenaw Jewish News

Music
Adult Choir
Jewish music plays an important role at
TBE under the direction of Cantor Annie
Rose. The Adult Choir, Kol Halev, sings
during High Holy Day services, on a
monthly basis at Friday night services and
at concerts throughout the year. Veterans
of two international concert tours and
several concerts with the Ann Arbor Symphony,
Kol Halev members also present
concerts throughout Michigan, including
an annual concert with the adult choir of
St Clare’s Episcopal Church.
Youth, Middle School & High
School Musical Ensembles
The Youth Choir, with members in grades
3-5, performs in services and concerts at
the temple and in the community. The
annual Main Street Sing is a highlight for
singers and families.
Middle School Shir Chadash and High
School Shir Chadash, the student choral
and instrumental ensembles, perform in
services and concerts and periodically hold
“Cafe” evenings of music in an informal cafe
atmosphere. High School Shir Chadash
travels each year to other communities to
lead services and give concerts.
A late-winter concert by all four ensembles
is one of the highlights of the year.
Social Action
The mission of the Social Action Committee
of Temple Beth Emeth is to assist the
congregation in applying Jewish values to
promoting social justice through aid, education,
and advocacy. These efforts to promote
tikkun olam are concentrated on selected
issues each year that are of concern to local
or global communities. Social action has a
prominent role at TBE, taking many forms.
The committee’s priorities for involvement
and programs for the coming year include:
Hunger and Poverty, Human Trafficking
and Modern Slavery, and a continued
focus on Israel—Palestine relations.
Ongoing activities include supporting
and working at The Back Door Food
Pantry, jointly run with St. Clare’s Episcopal
Church; maintaining the vegetable
garden for the pantry located on the congregation’s
property; long-time involvement
with the local Interfaith Hospitality
Network/Alpha House; volunteering at
the Delonis Center; and several other
community outreach programs. Mitzvah
Day is an annual one-day service event
with several hundred TBE volunteers providing
services to agencies in the county.
Sisterhood and Brotherhood
The Sisterhood is a vibrant organization
with broad-based activities that support
both its members and the congregation
as a whole. Members also run the gift shop
that offers a wide selection of Judaica, gifts,
and special order items. Brotherhood is
both a service and educational group for
the congregation, sponsoring the latke
dinner, building the sukkah, and holding
both social and educational meetings for its
members. (See additional sections on Men’s
and Women’s organizations for details.)
Temple Beth Emeth
Adult Education/Programs
tel: 665-4744
email: ldelson@templebethemeth.org
Rabbi Lisa Delson, director of
Congregational Services
Adult Education Programs
Jewish learning is a life-long pursuit that
takes on many forms. TBE offers a wide
variety of educational opportunities for
adults, at every entry point. They include
semester courses in special topics, Basic
Judaism courses, study with Rabbi Levy,
Cantor Rose and Rabbi Delson, weekly
Shabbat Morning Torah Study, a Shabbaton
(extended Shabbat programming)
with a scholar-in-residence, book clubs,
bi-monthly Men’s and Women’s Torah
Study, holiday educational programs, and
a themed lecture series. Cantor Rose will
again be facilitating a Spirituality Book
Club this year, offered as both on an
evening and daytime class. Programs are
open to temple members and to members
of the community-at-large.
Caring Community
The Caring Community program provides
a congregation-wide opportunity to serve
fellow congregants in times of joy and
sorrow. Through the Caring Community
Volunteer Corps (CCVC) congregants assist
each other with meals for families with
new babies, for congregants that are ill or
recovering from surgery, or for a house of
mourning. CCVC also provides rides during
the day to doctor’s appointments and rides
to and from services and events at TBE.
Bikkur Cholim provides regular visits to
members of the TBE community who are in
the hospital, nursing or assisted living centers,
or at home. Nachamu (TBE’s Bereavement
Group) conducts shiva services at
congregants’ homes and provides training
for others to participate in this mitzvah.
Caregivers support groups meet often to
support adult children caring for parents
locally and out of town.
New Beginnings is a group that explores
issues of conversion and shares information
for those who are new to Judaism. Jewish
meditation workshops and sessions are held
throughout the year; all levels are welcome.
Caring Community is facilitated by the
director of Congregational Services, with
the assistance of congregant leadership
who are committed to making TBE an
inclusive and participatory community.
29