Kesher Quick - We have come to banish the darkness!
Author
Date Added
December 15, 2023 | 4 Tevet 5784 | Issue # 496
A Shabbat Message from Rabbi Max Miller
We have come to banish the darkness!
We have come to banish the darkness! These are the opening lyrics to a classic children’s song in Israel. In Israel, “Ba’nu Choshech L’garesh” (the Hebrew title) is a classic Chanukah song as ubiquitous as “I Have a Little Dreidel” in the United States. To match the words, when little kids perform this song throughout Israel, they all hold individual candles or flashlights. The lyrics go:
We have come to banish the darkness. In our hands are light and fire. Everyone is a small light. But together, we are tremendously bright. Flee, darkness! Be gone, night! Flee before the Light!
Are you a new, new-ish or even a "seasoned" member of TE, and not already a member of a Chavurah? If so, this is a fantastic time to be a part of our revitalized Chavurah program! A Chavurah is a group of around 6-12 individuals, couples, and/or families who have some common interests. It is a great opportunity to develop closer friendships with a smaller group of TE members.
Click here for more information and fill out a short questionnaire to help the Chavurah Committee place you with a group. The committee will help get you started and will provide any assistance that you need to make your Chavurah successful!
If you have any questions, please contact Lori Goldberg at lsideman@hotmail.com .
On Thursday December 14th, the last night of Chanukah, Rabbi Spike and Marita invite you to the biggest Chanukah party in Atlanta.
The event will be held at The Loft. 1374 W Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30309
Paid and public parking is available all around the venue.
This is a fund created to provide vital supplies for our heroes in Israel.
Click the image to visit our New "Standing With Israel" page!
Letter Writing Campaign to Families of Hostages in Gaza
On December 23rd, Rabbi Spike and Marita Anderson will be going to Israel to volunteer and meet with survivors, IDF soldiers, and the families of hostages still held captive in Gaza.
We invite you to help us bring a message of love and support from our community to the families of the hostages.
Please write letters of support, bearing witness, and kinship, and we will deliver them to the people we meet. Read more here.
Get your "BRING THEM HOME" bracelets at services and in the TE office!
Bring them home now! More than two months into this war and, at the time of this writing, there are still 130+ hostages being held in Gaza. We will not forget about the sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers who are enduring unimaginable conditions.
We created these bracelets as a constant reminder of two important messages we carry with us these days. First, that the people of Israel will live, Am Yisrael Chai. Second, that our family has been taken from us and we will not forget them.
We hope you’ll wear these bracelets until every hostages returns home.
We will not be silent. We will not forget.
Am Yisrael Chai
You can pick up one of these bracelets tonight, Thursday, December 14 at the menorah lighting in Oxford Chase or tomorrow, Friday, December 15 after Shabbat services.
Do you know about the Daffodil Project? We have a new fund at Temple Emanu-El to support this program.
As part of its mission, the Daffodil Project aspires to plant 1.5 million Daffodils worldwide in remembrance of the children that were killed during the Holocaust, and in support for children suffering in humanitarian crises in the world today. We are proud that our synagogue’s initiative to combat antisemitism has adopted this annual project and brought it to six area schools this fall.
We also plant daffodils at Temple Emanu-El every year. To be able to fund this project now and in the future, "The Daffodil Project Fund" has been established.
Please consider making donations to this fund so we can continue to educate people about the genocide of the Holocaust and spread the messages of tolerance and hope. During this difficult time for Israel and the Jewish people, educating and building bridges within our schools is more important than ever.
Holocaust survivor Hershel Greenblat surrounded by a group of Mount Vernon Presbyterian School 8th graders as they listen intently to his story and advice before planting 500 daffodils.
In the wake of the brutal and devastating attack by Hamas on October 7 and the unfolding war in Israel, we are introducing a special series from the For Heaven's Sake podcast with Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, For Heaven's Sake: Israel at War.
Israel at War – Gazan Civilians
How can we think about civilian casualties in the context of a just war?
As we enter the ninth week and a new, post-ceasefire phase of the Israel-Hamas War, the gap between Israeli and North American Jewish perspectives continues to widen. While Israelis count and mourn each Israeli casualty, North American Jews are increasingly demanding greater consideration for civilian casualties in Gaza as well as the humanitarian crisis there. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss the experiences shaping these divergent perspectives and how Israelis might approach concern over civilian life and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as they fight for the existence of Israel.
6:00pm - Booming Sababa "Let There Be Light" Dinner in the Small Social Hall Registration closed
7:30 - Southern Soul Shabbat Service with Rabbi Max and Cantorial Soloist, Jessica Tillem in the Sanctuary Join us in person! Facebook Live | Youtube Live
9:00am - Chevrah Torah - Torah Study with Rabbi Spike in the Chapel Join us in person!Click here to join over Zoom
December 17 - Sunday
No Diamond Family Religious School
December 18 - Monday
11:00am - Bereavement Group with Rabbi Judith Beiner and Aging Well in the Conference Room Register here
December 19 - Tuesday
7:00pm - The Theology and Writings of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel with Rabbi Spike - Zoom & In-Person Register here
December 20 - Wednesday
12:00pm - The Theology and Writings of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel with Rabbi Spike - In-Person Only Register here
December 21 - Thursday
2:00pm - Temple Mah Jongg in the Chapel Register here
**Please LOG-IN to your My Emanu-El Portal to register for all classes & events.
This will ensure you receive all email notifications and reminders. Contact the office for help.**
Sponsor an Oneg!
There are two mitzvot pertaining to the Shabbat meal. One is oneg, the mitzvah to delight in Shabbat, as it is written: “Call Shabbat ‘delight’ (oneg)” (Isaiah 58:13). Oneg is fulfilled primarily through the meals, but snacks and a Shabbat nap are parts of it as well." (Peninei Halakhah, Shabbat 7:2:2) Providing the Oneg is performing a Mitzvah for our community.
Hosting an Oneg is not only a Mitzvah, but it can also be a way to celebrate a family event and share the good news with the congregation.
Commemorate birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, awards, graduations, B’nai Mitzvah and other happy occasions. Sponsor an Oneg today!
Sisterhood Tree of Life
Her ways are pleasant and all her paths, peaceful. She is a tree of life to those who grasp her, and whoever holds on to her is happy. Proverbs 3:17–18 Honor a loved one or a special occasion by purchasing a leaf on our Tree of Life
To order your Leaf on the Sisterhood Tree of Life, please click on the image or email Marina.
Remember A Loved One
I will give them, in My House And within My walls, A monument and a name Better than sons or daughters. I will give them an everlasting name That shall not perish. (Isaiah 56:5)
We are commanded not merely to grieve but also to remember and to observe.
Temple Emanu-El’s Yahrzeit plaques both perpetuate the cherished memory of the loved ones we have lost and create a permanent family legacy.
Memorializing our loved ones in this way fulfills the commandment to give tzedakah in their honor.
To order your yahrzeit plaque(s) or to reserve a space, please click on the image or emailMarina.
Be sure to set up your password to access your My Emanu-El Account.
If you need assistance, please contact the Administrative Office - 770-395-1340.
