Fellow members of our BIJ family: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah are all behind us. Throughout it all I sensed a growing excitement within BIJ. The services were lovely, the music and song were inspiring,
and the sermons were thoughtful and thought provoking. We had new members with us for their first BIJ High Holidays and former members who we hope will rejoin our congregation. It was a particular pleasure for me to join nine former Presidents in the Rabbi‘s office before the start of Kol Nidre. The ten of us spanned forty-three years of service to Congregation Beth Israel Judea.
Read Josh's Article in the Jan./Feb. Bulletin
Simchat Torah is always one of my favorite holidays and no less so this year. More than seventy people attended the potluck dinner, services and Israeli dancing, which meant we had plenty of adults to hold the unwound Torah scroll in a large circle around the sixteen or so kids in attendance. The kids walked around the inside of the circle as Rabbi Gottlieb and David Morgenstern showed them the creation story, Noah and the flood, the parting of the Red Sea, the beginnings of all five books and many other interesting features of the Torah. The kids loved it. The adults did as well, and more than a few came up to me to tell me they had not seen the Torah unwound like that before. Rabbi Gottlieb chanted the last few verses of the Torah and David chanted the first few. And a New Year begins.
So now we all turn our attention to the coming year at BIJ. Friends, there is quite a lot going on, with somethingforeveryone. Pleasecheckoutourwebsite, eblasts, bulletins and flyers for details. The Youth and Family Education (YAFE) program is off to a wonderful and exciting start. Our adult education programs, film series, Sisterhood events, Torah study and regular services, including Friday Night Feasts, Sacred Hebrew Chant and Drum services and Shabbat morning services, are enjoyed by all who attend.
Joshua Goodman, President