Our family had the opportunity to spend the holidays in London this year. I often travel there for business, but other than a lovely view of the Tower Bridge outside my conference room window, I rarely have a chance to enjoy the sights and venues of the city. This was our first trip there as Continue Reading »
Summer to Fall 2019 Our mini-golf outing was a big success thanks to the tireless efforts of three delightful women: Dana Shapiro, Jodi Smith, and Andrea Dean. Leading up to the event, a small army of volunteers canvassed area businesses for donations to create a wonderful array of gift baskets. The event drew individuals and Continue Reading »
Sisterhood Woman of Valor 2019-20: Jodi Siegal Sisterhood held its annual Woman of Valor dinner on Dec. 19, 2019, honoring Jodi Siegal. Approximately 50 Sisterhood members attended the dinner to honor Jodi, whose commitment to community is evidenced by her many activities at TBE since becoming a member in 2000. Jodi is a TBE board Continue Reading »
Pain, medicine, and depression were consuming me. The doctors told me I was winning my battle with leukemia, but I felt I was losing emotionally. The depression that had overtaken me seemed worse than physical disease. As a rabbi I thought I had been trained to deal with depression. I was used to members of Continue Reading »
For years, Barbara and Russ Johnston have been a fixture at TBE. They’ve been the friendly faces at the Bagel Cafe, Sisterhood and the temple choir. But what you may not know about the Johnstons is their special love story – not just for each other, but for Temple Beth-El, the community that first brought Continue Reading »
Middot Make Mensches In the September issue of the Shofar, we shared with you that we are expanding our efforts to help our students develop emotional and social skills that will help them understand, express, and manage themselves as they navigate their studies, their relationships, the challenges of daily life, and the complexities of their Continue Reading »
Have you ever wondered why we use a shamash to light the candles on the chanukiah? We could just as easily use the same match to light all of the lights each night, so why do we need a shamash? Just think of all the candles we could save! We need the shamash because it Continue Reading »
When you enter the Temple Beth-El lobby, you will see a large poster that asks, “Why Vote?” You may wonder which election is approaching. The New Jersey primaries do not occur until June. The presidential election is in November. The World Zionist Congress (WZC) elections start on January 21, 2020. The WZC is a representative Continue Reading »
It’s just another average training weekend for Yaniv Yarkoni….a 50-mile bike ride on Saturday, followed by a 10-mile run on Sunday. Once in a while, he adds on a 45-minute lap session in the pool. If that sounds grueling, it is, but competing in triathlons is what Yaniv loves to do. “I enjoy the sense Continue Reading »
Every so often, I think about some of the big mysteries of Judaism that have intrigued me since my Hebrew school days long ago. Did the Red Sea really part, allowing our ancestors to escape 40 years of brutal slavery and an evil dictator? Did Moses hear the voice of God coming from a burning Continue Reading »
