Rabbi's Message

What an incredibly meaningful, inspiring, and uplifting Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  It is so wonderful to have the whole TBS mishpaha (family) together in our sanctuary, our tent, and our classrooms, as well as on the live stream.  I hope that, over the course of the holidays you found meaning in the words of our prayers, the commentary in our mahzorim and offered from the bima, Cantor Cohen’s beautiful melodies, and Makhelat Bet Sholom’s accompaniment at Kol Nidre.  These were days to reconnect with God, our traditions, and our values, as well as our family, friends, and community.  Now we are ready to begin what we hope will be a good and sweet new year for us all, as we move forward this weekend into the joyous holiday of Sukkot.  I also hope that you stay inspired by the many opportunities we have for you to learn and grow with our TBS community in the coming year.  Please make sure to go through our Community Life Book that you received, and that you can find here, as well as keep an eye on our emails and website for the many spiritual, educational and social experiences this year. There are so many great ways to connect to Jewish learning and living, and we hope that you will find your connection point.  We are only as strong as our members, and we need your help to keep our vibrant community strong.  A wonderful example of this is our High Holy Day services.  They run smoothly because of the hard work of so many different people.  Thank you to Allyson Pollack, Robin Kaufman, Michael Greenspun, Jo-Ann Sutkin, and the Ritual Committee for all their work coordinating honors.  Thank you also to all of our daveners, Torah readers, Haftarah readers, shofar blowers, and those who joined Cantor Cohen for meaningful musical moments. Our office and maintenance staff, led by Ron Safier, do an incredible amount of work behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly and that we are safe and secure, thanks to our security guard Bob Reimer and JFED Security.  We are also grateful to Steve Borenstein, who spends hours making sure that our sound and livestream capabilities are top-notch.  Michele Hasit Waxman works tirelessly to engage our community on the holidays and all year long.  Alex Weinberg, Harriet Baker, Annie Siegel, Jared Kaufman, John Imhoff, and our many teachers provide excellent family and teen experiences and make sure our little ones are cared for.  And of course there is Alvin, who we thank for all the work he does in his role as Alvin.  Additionally, thank you to our president, Alison Shapiro, for her beautiful words on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, and the Board of Directors for greeting and ushering, which was coordinated by Jeff Brenner, Adam Pollack and Howard Sukinik.  We have always been fortunate at TBS to have exceptional lay and professional leaders who work in close partnership.  It’s true for the High Holy Days, and it’s true all year long.  We hope that you’ll find your way to connect this year, and that it is a year of Jewish learning, growth, and fulfillment for us all.