It seems so long since I have written to all of you. As you probably know I returned to work full-time on April 1st. Actually, I cheated a little and spent some time at the Sisterhood retreat in March. What a wonderful program the women on the steering committee put together. I am so appreciative of their efforts to make this happen while I was away.

I believe that words have great meaning, even the simplest of words. Even in our tradition the concept of words holds great importance. When the Torah describes the creation of the universe, the text is, "And God SAID, let there be light". God speaks the act of creation. The verb is not "to make" or "to form" or even "to create". Instead the image is that God created the universe with the spoken word! I think about this concept often and I try to really focus in on the meaning of words and communication. So when I say that I want to THANK some people who supported the community and me while I was on sabbatical, the word THANKS represents a very deep, heart-felt and sincere expression of gratitude and appreciation. There are far too many people to list and I am sure I will leave someone out, so I will not attempt to be comprehensive. I do want to thank all the people who led services, music, classes and more. Some were lay people and some were guest rabbis and to all of them I say thank you and that I deeply believe our community was enriched by all your gifts and generosity of spirit.

I do want to offer some special words of thanks to my wonderful colleague Yael who went far beyond the scope of her job to handle all the day-to-day issues and challenges that emerged while I was away. She did this with grace and good humor but she deserves a huge thanks. The same words could also be written for Stephen Rodman. Stephen chose to take on a second term as president knowing that there would be potential challenges and many transitions while I was on sabbatical. Stephen, your leadership has been exceptional and we are truly very lucky to have you in the role of president; a position you serve with dedication, focus and yes - even good humor! I would finally like to thank Lynne Rothstein who led most of the services while I was gone. How lucky the congregation was to have Lynne during the time I was away. She exudes a sense of spiritually that is truly a gift and I hope that, for those who came to services when she was here, you felt your Sabbath experience to be elevated and enriched.

Now for the future!!! There is so very much happening in the next couple of months that I hope you will be involved in as much of it as you can! It kind of feels like a Letterman top ten list in no particular order.

1. May 22nd, Rabbi Deanna Douglas will be leading two thought-provoking classes on Sephardic Judaism and the background of Christopher Columbus. We are very lucky to have such a talented teacher join us. Please come and learn and bring friends from the community!
2. On May 4th the MVJF is having their yearly film festival with two amazing films.
3. On May 4th in the afternoon, our new High Holiday soloist, Jodi Blankenstein is leading a healing service in Andover and this will be the time her new CD will be released. On it is the music from the healing service. Details to follow in weekly updates.
4. May 2nd is teacher appreciation Shabbat. I hope you will join us in prayer and in honoring our wonderful teachers.
5. On May 9th, our great high school seniors will be leading Shabbat services and be our guest speakers.
6. On May 16th our awesome Confirmands will lead us in our yearly Confirmation service. They have created a beautiful service and I hope you will join us. This service is a special time - 7:00 p.m.
7. May 18th is both our annual meeting and then in the evening we will be having our last God In the Box program. In particular, we will be speaking about our different traditions' views of the after-life.
8. June 1st is our yearly Mitzvah Day. So many of us feel this our holiest day of the year in the way it combines our faith with action. I hope you will get involved that day and more importantly perhaps reach out to the social action committee and volunteer to help plan the day!
9. June 7th, as you will see from the separate column, promises to be an amazingly fun and festive musical evening as members of our community lead us in the rich repertoire of the Jewish Broadway heritage.
10. ..... There is so much more - come and join in!

Warm regards,

Rabbi Shoshana M. Perry    

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Our Annual Meeting will be held this year on Sunday, May 18 at 4:30 in the afternoon. After the success of last year's meeting, we will continue with the same format. From 4:30 until approximately 5:10, we will be holding a "wine and cheese" social gathering. After the long winter months, this affords our members an opportunity to "catch-up" with each other, renew relationships, and simply to socialize.

Thereafter, we will get down to the business of Congregation Shalom. We will review our finances for the past year, vote on a budget for the 2014-2015 fiscal year, discuss issues and opportunities facing the congregation, and vote on a slate of officers and trustees.

We will continue to publish the agenda, minutes from the prior year's meeting, president's report and committee reports in the "members only" section of the temple website prior to the meeting so that all members can be properly informed of pertinent issues prior to the meeting.

I hope to see each and every member at the meeting, on Sunday, May 18th at 4:30.

L'Shalom,

Stephen   

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It is with a heavy heart that I write to tell you of the passing of Sidney Kittredge, father of Rebecca Rosenstein. We send our deepest condolences to Rebecca and her family.  

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