In the next few days Marita & I depart for Israel. For a bit more than a week, we are going to be volunteering our unskilled manual labor doing a variety of things, ranging from picking vegetables and tree-fruit, to wrapping bandages in the hospitals. We do this because the folks who normally would be harvesting and wrapping are on the front lines with the IDF (or have gone back to Thailand). We will be meeting with various families of Jewish captives still in Gaza, as well as soldiers, and survivors of the October attacks by Hamas. We hope to ‘bear witness’, hear their stories, and bring them back to you...
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 .
Click the image to visit our New "Standing With Israel" page!
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 on Friday, Dec. 22 and 29 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.
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 – The Northern Front
Grappling with the threat of Hezbollah
With missiles being fired at Israel daily from Lebanon, Israelis are grappling with how to respond to the threat of Hezbollah in the North. Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss the threat of Hezbollah, the possibility and risks of fighting a war on a second front, and the extent and limits of Israeli power.
Discussing the tragic deaths of three Israeli hostages
On Friday, December 15 the IDF shot and killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza while they were raising their arms in surrender and waving white flags. The soldiers misidentified these Israelis as terrorists. Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi express their sadness and heartbreak as they consider how this grave incident underscores the internal debate about saving the hostages or winning the war. They also examine what this tragic error says about IDF tactics as well as the combat strategy and terror ploys the IDF are facing.
9:00am - Chevrah Torah - Torah Study with Rabbi Max in the Chapel Join us in person!Click here to join over Zoom
11:00am - Tot Shabbat with Rabbi Max in the Chapel Register here
December 24 - 28 - Office Closed
**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.
