Sell Your Chametz Here

Passover will soon be here.
Use the link above to sell your Chametz before April 19!

Chag kasher v’sameach!

April 2024

Letter from the Rabbi

Dear Temple Israel Community,

     Hodesh Tov! A good new month to all! As we feel the season beginning to change around us, we can look back on a March that was filled with a number of special community events as well as look ahead to an April in which we will celebrate the first of our festivals: Passover!

     In March, for 3 Sundays in a row, we gathered in large numbers for joyous communal celebrations. First, we had a successful Adult Education event in partnership with Temple Concord. Then, a week later, we transformed Temple Israel into a pizza parlor with a great social and fundraising event which was enabled by the pizza chef and mastermind Dave Channin. Finally, we celebrated Purim on 3/24 with more than 50 folks joining us in-person and online for a full reading of Megillat Esther followed by a delicious opportunity to enjoy Hamantaschen together. During our Purim celebration, we were able to fulfill each of the core Mitzvot of Purim: hearing the story of Esther, eating a celebratory meal, giving gifts of food and good-will to our friends, and giving money as tzedakah. Over the course of the day, we raised more than $250 which we contributed to Jewish Family Services and to CHOW. It was a joy to celebrate together, especially as we continue to pray for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing war in Gaza.

     As we look ahead to April, the biggest event on the calendar of the Jewish people is Passover! By the morning of April 22nd, we will eat our last Chametz before the holiday and in the evening we will gather in smaller circles to eat Matzah, Maror, and a festive meal. If you do not know where you will be for Seder this year, we can try to find a host. We want to make sure that everyone can join in celebrating on the very same night when we were liberated from bondage in Mitzrayim.

     At Temple Israel, we will be convening an opportunity to celebrate together over Pesach on the morning of Day 1, Day 7, and Day 8 when we will be saying Yizkor. On the 7th Day, I will be leading us in a learning exploration of the way that our traditional practices of Passover help us to draw connections between the natural seasonal cycle and the ancient events of the Exodus. I hope we will be able to gather a good group to daven and learn together on these mornings!

     One more exciting event to look forward to will be on Shabbat on April 13th! We will be hosting again students from Binghamton University who will be leading much of our services and joining us for kiddush. Towards the end of Kiddush, I will facilitate learning to help us Prepare Spiritually and Materially for Passover: Internal and External Cleaning of Hametz. This will be a new experiment of inviting folks to stick around at the end of Kiddush for a chance to learn together.

     The next day we will also have a special opportunity to come together and eat chocolate as we engage in an educational and entertaining Chocolate Seder which will help us to prepare for our Passover seders soon to follow!  With so much going on in our community, we have plenty of opportunities to gather together, to continue to build relationships with each other and with Jewish tradition, and to strengthen our Binghamton Jewish community. I hope we can all seize these opportunities and spend some enriching time together in the month ahead!

Rabbi Micah R. Friedman

הרב מיכה שמחה פרידמן 

April 2024

Letter from the President

Dear Members and Friends of Temple Israel,

     I must begin by noting the continuing plight of the October 7th hostages taken by Hamas terrorists. This week will mark six months – half a year – that these innocents have been held captive. We pray for their safe release, and for the relief of suffering for all victims of this tragic conflict. Please hold them in your hearts, and speak out against anti-Jewish speech and actions.

     Through our actions and programming, we strive to make our synagogue a safe, egalitarian environment for worship, study, and community. An important aspect of this is our relationship with the Binghamton University Jewish students. Through our close cooperation with Hillel at BU, students from the Hillel Koach (Conservative-oriented) group, along with the Hillel Rabbinic interns, have participated in our services from time-to-time, including leading the davening, chanting Torah and Haftorah, and even reading the Megillah at Purim. Several parents of University students have attended services, and a few have joined as Associate Members. To see and hear these talented students in action, I invite you to join our Shabbat services on April 13th, when they will next take on leadership roles. Chazak, chazak – we strengthen each other.

     March was a busy month, especially in our kitchens! First up was our Pizza Meet & Greet Fundraiser where new and old members savored fresh-baked kosher pizza sponsored and prepared by Dave Channin, salads prepared by Jim and Carol Mason, and beverages provided by Jonathan Weissberg. Many of you enjoyed our joyous Purim celebration last week. It was the most well-attended in recent memory, with members young and old filling the room with energy. Megillah was read by Rabbi Friedman, several congregants, and BU Hillel students; our Rabbi (perfectly costumed as a Rabbi Ken doll) augmented the story in English; and more than ten dozen Hamentashen baked in our TI kitchen were devoured. We also had a special  fleishig Shabbat kiddush (Dave imported the deli – yumm!) to honor Rabbi Friedman on his birthday last week.

     Upcoming events include a special study session with Rabbi Friedman after the kiddush on April 13th, a Chocolate Seder on April 14th (always a delicious crowd-pleaser – get your reservations in by April 8th!), and holiday services for Pesach in only three weeks time. Don’t forget to stop in to the office or hit the website after April 8th to sell your chometz before Passover. We thank all the volunteers who make our programs possible. The work of many committees – such as House, Ritual, and Safety & Security – occurs behind the scenes to ensure that our services and programs are delivered in comfort and safety.

     Whether you are looking to refresh your spirit, study with friends new and old, or placate your sweet tooth, Temple Israel offers something for you. We rely entirely on your dues and generous donations, so please keep us in your thoughts to commemorate a yahrtzeit, send get-well wishes to a friend, or mark a simcha. We graciously accept gifts large or small – they all add up.

Wishing you each and all a zissen Pesach – a sweet Passover!

b’shalom,
Art

Arthur B. Siegel
President – Temple Israel