Twenty-five years ago, we at TBE set out to help repair the world. Well, maybe just our little corner of it. We signed on as one of the founding host congregations of IHN, the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Somerset County. The bad news is that 25 years later, there is still much brokenness in our Continue Reading »
I was nervous. After all, I had never done this before. Hoping to make a good first impression, I wanted everything to be just right: the menu, the setting, and especially the conversation. Having never met the people with whom I was about to spend the next few hours, I worried about the conversations the Continue Reading »
Shalom Chaverim, Many thanks to all those who made our Mitzvah Month of November a success! Following are some of the highlights: On October 30, our joint breakfast program with the Brotherhood was a rousing success. At least 50 congregants attended to hear Assemblymen Jack Ciattarelli and Andrew Zwicker speak on issues of local and Continue Reading »
Our Menschen for January and February are such a good team that we’re teaming them up in this article. Melissa Pyle and Shari Miller recently co-chaired the Roswell Tribute Event, the lovely weekend expressing our community’s appreciation for Betty and Arthur Roswell. The event was a success in every way. You can see some of Continue Reading »
On March 19, we will hold a special congregational meeting to approve implementation of Temple Beth-El’s new constitution, which proposes a new structure for synagogue governance and management. Here’s what you need to know: At Temple Beth-El, we strive to stay strong and continue to grow. To do so, it is important to evaluate and Continue Reading »
On the sunny first day of the secular New Year, I sat down at the piano to take a peek at Gershwin’s First Prelude, also known as the last piece I tried to play before I gave up piano lessons as a kid. Every once in a while, I look at it and attempt to Continue Reading »
When we light candles, we usually do so to enjoy their light. We put tapers on the table to set the mood for a lovely dinner. Shabbat candles are intended to light up our homes, to dispel the darkness, so we will have “light and joy,” “ora v’simcha,” when we gather to celebrate. Light is Continue Reading »
The Sisterhood is excited to announce that our Woman of Valor for 2016 is Cindy Scott, a former two-term Sisterhood president, as well as Temple Beth-El board member and College Connection coordinator. Most of us have seen Cindy doing many different things around temple, without adding up everything she actually does for us. For example, Continue Reading »
Help the Reform Movement Demand Equality at the Western Wall last winter, the Israeli government approved an egalitarian space for prayer at the Western Wall. The long-awaited plan is to create a new area by the Western Wall where the Conservative and Reform movements will be permitted to hold egalitarian prayer services. Under the agreement, Continue Reading »
November Mensch of the Month: Gregory Hirsch Our Mensch of the Month for November is Gregory “Greg” Hirsch. If you were introduced to Greg only by reading his long CV, you’d discover that he’s a local OB/GYN. You’d see that he’s served in hospitals and clinics and in private practice and has focused his career Continue Reading »
