Happy June! As I write this, my days as board president are coming to a swift end. It's been an adventure, and I've truly enjoyed the opportunity to work with our board and get to know many of you along the way.

A huge thanks to all the board members who have worked with me over the past two years. A special thanks to Rabbi Forman for his guidance and insight, as well as to Deb Weiss for her never-ending support and great work as treasurer. Thank you to Kristina Witzling for keeping us on track in her role as secretary. I'd also like to thank Betsy Zalaznick for her energy and creativity that bring so many wonderful things to our community. 

Our incoming leadership is strong, and I know they will continue to build on the strengths of our Or Chadash community. I urge you all to come to the Congregational Annual Meeting on June 10th to vote on our budget and new slate of officers. I am extremely confident the board is in good hands!

Kim Turner, our nominated president, brings a background and extensive experience in strategic planning and human resources. Deb Weiss is stepping into the role of Vice President.  Jeff Berg returns to the Executive Committee as Treasurer and brings with him extensive financial experience. Kristina Witzling will continue in her role as secretary. 

Also, if you haven't yet purchased your wine tasting tickets, you can still do so. It is this Saturday, June 6th at Old York Wine Cellars from 6 pm - 10 pm. Tickets are $40 per person and include a buffet dinner and tastings of six wines. Please join us!

Finally, the biggest thanks, goes to my family, Marc, Lyra and Evan. They are my greatest cheerleaders and strongest moral support. They never fail to put a smile on my face and lift my spirits. 

Enjoy your summer!  

Caryn

Nick Bilton's New York Times article about Clash of Clans, an online multiplayer game played on smartphones and wildly popular with the tweens reinforced the importance of a long-standing Or Chadash minhag, or custom.   

For almost two decades, Or Chadash has encouraged all of its families to include all classmates on the invitation list simchas (joyous) occasions, such as the invitation lists to Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations.  Our children are busy and cannot attend all the celebrations, but knowing that everyone has been included is teaching our children to "do the right thing" and reinforces the meaning and importance of community.

In Clash of Clans, players band together to create a community, or clan, and then attack others to earn gold and elixirs.  In addition to goblins and destruction its irresistibility factor is in the cliquish and exclusionary nature the game creates by giving power to clan leaders to exclude users, or to promote or demote other members within the clan.

Caroline Knorr, parenting editor of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that focuses on children and technology, says, "It's not as easy as just saying, 'Well, find another game or go on a different server.'  Social circles coalesce around certain popular games.  Kids even act them out on the playground.  So, not being a part of the group takes a toll."

Because of this, Ms. Knorr said, it's imperative that parents talk to their children about their online worlds, and to understand that excluding classmates can be a form of bullying.  As Caroline Knorr states, "Social patterns in the real world are replicated in the online world."   It is a source of tremendous pride that Or Chadash families embrace this inclusionary approach in our "temple world."

To read the complete New York Times Article, please click here.

On another note...

Curl Up and Read!  Book lists for all ages!

My summer reading began on Memorial Day weekend with a book that integrates technology, media and fashion--The Knockoff.  The Knockoff is about millenials, new technologies,  work-family balance and is set in Manhattan.  I envision it being adapted into a movie (the reviews compared it to The Devil Wears Prada.)  On my nightstand is Oh! You pretty things, I Take You and Re Jane. Primates of Park Avenue is on order from the library.   This New York Times list was very helpful in generating my summer reading list.  

If you would like to introduce your children to some new books with Jewish influences, The Jewish Education Center of Cleveland prepares a Summer reading list each year.  There are some tried and true titles in this list and also some fresh new titles.  As a reminder, PJ Library is an amazing resource of FREE monthly books and music for all families - ages birth to ten years of age.  If you are interested in learning more about how you can participate in PJ Library, please contact pjlibrary.org or me.

Wishing you a wonderful summer.

Betsy Zalaznick

It's hard to believe that I am beginning my fourth year here at Or Chadash! What began for me as a part time position has built into a relationship that I treasure with a community that I consider to be my family.  Seeing the students who celebrated their B'nei Mitzvah my first year becoming confirmed this past spring was incredibly rewarding for me. It was almost as if I were kvelling as much as their parents! When I speak of "my congregation" to folks whom I know in Allentown where I live, I feel honored to be able to call Or Chadash my home.  

As both a single person and a Jew-by-choice who has been adopted into the tribe, the subject of legacy has always been a struggle for me. Not having given birth to children of my own brings to mind the thought of how I can I pass my values and principles on to the generations that will follow me. How can I help to insure that Judaism will have a future in the world to come? Not having descendants is an anomaly in Judaism, where our immortality is expressed through our children and their children, as well. Fortunately, Judaism is a tradition that transcends its own boundaries, giving rise to new traditions that embrace a changing culture.

While engaged in casual conversation one day, I learned of the Legacy Circle, an endowment program recently introduced here at the temple, a simple program that allows one to leave a portion of your estate as a gift to insure that Or Chadash will remain viable when we are gone. I felt immediately drawn to this concept, and it wasn't long before I added my name to those who have decided to participate in the future of our community. As I stand on the bima celebrating the B'nei Mitzvah of our children, it is reassuring to know that they will have a place where they can raise their own children to become active parts of a thriving Jewish community. Or Chadash can provide that community if we nurture it with love and care, supported by a foundation of financial stability.

In the Talmud (Sanhedrin 19b) it is stated, "Anyone who teaches someone else's child Torah is regarded as if he had begotten them." I guess if this is true then I'm the luckiest mother in the world.

Bles-sings,

Kathy Gohr