Greetings!
School is over for the year, and soon our fiscal year will come to a close. It's been another great year at Beth Tikvah. Our Beth Tikvah mishpacha (family) continues to grow, but there is room for me. Continue to spread the news about our wonderful synagogue to your friends looking for a Jewish home.
Registration packets for our religious school are available on our website. If you haven't sent in your deposit yet, please do so as soon as possible so that Cindy Avergon can properly plan next year's program. Please remember to read the new handbook and submit the signed last page with your registration paperwork.
We have a few more services coming up. This Friday night, May 20, 2016 at 7:30 PM, is one of our warm, spiritual participatory Kabbalat Shabbat services. Saturday morning June 4, we will celebrate as Rose Hollander gets called to the Torah for the first time as a Bat Mitzvah.
On Saturday May 21 at 7 pm will be our viewing of the movie Paper Clips. See below for more information.
Finally, please note - our annual congregational meeting is now scheduled for Sunday morning June 5 from 10 AM to noon.
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From the Rabbi - "Perhaps Your Child Doesn't Belong in Synagogue" |
A rabbinic colleague on the West coast, Menachem Creditor, wrote a piece recently describing two cases in his congregation in which a child in the sanctuary made child-like sounds, and in both cases, someone asked the parents to take the child out of the sanctuary. In one case the person said to the parent, "Perhaps your child doesn't belong in synagogue." As this rabbi reflected, that is one of the "least synagogue-ish" statements he has ever heard.
It gave me cause to reflect on our own culture at Beth Tikvah. Our culture is based on the assumption that children do belong in the synagogue, that they are welcome there and should feel at home there. I believe that is the atmosphere that we have created, and I am very happy that this is the case. It's a given in our community, so much so that I never gave it much thought. It was a culture that already existed when I came to Beth Tikvah. I inherited it, I didn't create it. And I am thankful for it.
Decorum is not our strong suit. We strive to be warm and welcoming, as virtually all congregations do. Our culture is relaxed and informal. You may have noticed that I usually do not wear a tie at Friday evening services. That would not be acceptable in some congregations. We are not focused on appearances; we are focused on the experience of being in the sanctuary, on our relationships with each other, with Torah, with the Jewish People and Israel, and with God. That's the way it should be.
It is my distinct impression that our children and young people feel very much at home in our congregation and in our sanctuary. It seems to me that they feel that they do belong and are very much a part of our community. Whether it is their class's turn to help me lead the service or not. Whether they are sitting with their parents or with each other. On the rare occasions when a young child is being disruptive, the parents have understood the need to take the child out of the sanctuary.
I must confess that having a congregation with a wide age range-children and adults-presents a challenge for me in preparing my divrei Torah and sermons. Teachers face the same challenge when working with a heterogeneous class. Do I gear my remarks to the kids or to the adults? I want everyone to learn something, to be inspired, and to get something out of the experience of being in shul, in the synagogue. Stories are often great for the children, but I look for stories that have an adult message as well. At times I choose to speak on a more adult level, striving to do so in a way that is accessible for most of the young people in the sanctuary. It is a delicate balancing act.
As Rabbi Creditor comments in response to the unfortunate remark made by his congregant, "Our sanctuaries are not sanctuaries fromchildren. They are sanctuaries for children." I am so grateful that our community understands that and embodies that attitude!
Rabbi Mike
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Paper Clips |
Come join us for a screening of the movie "Paper Clips". As a part of their study of the Holocaust, the children of the Whitwell, TN Middle School try to collect 6 million paper clips representing the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis.
This program is appropriate for children ages 9 and up. Click here for a study guide to help you prepare for viewing this film.
Although registration is not required for this free showing of the film, it will help make sure we have enough seats set up for the viewing. You can register here. Finally, Aaron Smith is collecting cancelled stamps for the Holocaust stamp project. The goal of this project is to collect 11 million stamps, one to symbolically honor every victim of the Holocaust. Each stamp that is collected symbolizes one wasted life, "thrown away" as having no value, much the same way as an envelope bearing a cancelled stamp is tossed in the trash. If you have any cancelled stamps to donate, you may bring them on Saturday May 21 to the showing of Paper Clips.
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Kvell and Tell |
This weekend featured a couple of college graduations.
Jacob Robins graduated from William and Mary with a degree
in Chemistry. He will begin a PhD program at UNC Chapel Hill in the fall.
Rachel Spring graduated with a Masters degree in Accounting from Vanderbilt University.
If you have a kvell (good news, milestone, etc.) to share, please emailme by Thursday night for the weekly newsletter.
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Looking for Host Families for Young Emissaries |
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The Purse Project |
Susan Smith is working on the Purse Project with some other women in Westborough. They have collected over 100 purses and toiletry items.
Please check your closets, drawers, storage areas... If you have purses that you don't use and they're in great condition, please consider donating them today. We collect gently used purses, as well as items to fill them, then distribute them to local organizations, such as churches, food pantries, shelters and Westborough Youth & Family Services. The purses are then delivered to people in need. Please consider donating items to fill purses as well: pocket-sized tissues, mints, gum, scarves, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, lip gloss or $10 gift cards to local stores and gas stations. Please drop off at Westborough Public Library during library hours.
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Jewish Heritage Night at the Red Sox |
Come join us at Jewish Heritage Night for some Red Sox fun!
Ch eck out the t-shirts they are giving away this year featured on the flyer. You can order your game tickets directly at www.jewishcentralmass.or/redsox. For those who don't want to drive themselves or carpool, trains stop right at Fenway.
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Membership
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Membership in a synagogue is an important decision. Beth Tikvah Synagogue is a growing congregation that enjoys the sharing of Jewish rituals and customs, a superior Religious School, and of course, fun and socializing. If you are not currently a member, and would like to be, please contact Benita Amsden.
You may submit your membership form and pledge form via our website. Or, you may use the forms below (please note the pdf instructions in the side bar) Membership Form
Pledge Form FAQ
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Shabbat Shalom, EJ Dotts President Beth Tikvah Synagogue [email protected] |
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Upcoming Events
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