November 2024

Letter from the Rabbi

Dear Temple Israel Community,

Hodesh Tov! I am wishing you a happy month of Cheshvan on our Hebrew calendar and November in the Gregorian calendar. As we welcome these new months, we can definitively look back on the successful and meaningful Fall season of Jewish holidays we observed together. We gathered in great numbers and with heartfulness to pray and to be in community over Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah! Thank you to everyone who worked hard to prepare for the High Holidays, and especially to Cantor Joel Nathanson who we welcomed to lead us this year. As we do every year, we have shared a survey with the community and we would love to see your honest and specific feedback about the slate of services we worked hard to coordinate. You can find the link in your email or at this site: https://tinyurl.com/TIVHHDSurvey.

There were a number of people who joined us over the holidays who either have not before been a part of our community or who joined us again after some time away. If you or your friend were one of these folks, I would love to connect with you more now that we are on the other side of the holidays! Please, reach out to me or to Tammy in the office so that we can sit down together, go for a walk, or get a cup of coffee this Fall! In our efforts to strengthen our local Jewish community, each of us can make a big impact and together we can deepen our connection to our evolving vibrant Jewish tradition! You can sign up to meet with me here. Or, email me or call the office at 607-723-7461.

In the spirit of deepening our connection with Judaism, this year I intend to organize a variety of learning opportunities for adults to explore fascinating and enriching aspects of our tradition. So, I created a survey where you can tell me what topics you are most interested in learning about and when it works well for your schedule. Please, take a few minutes to complete the survey and set aside some time for one of the most important mitzvot in Jewish tradition: Talmud Torah – learning Torah: Survey. Of course, you can also reach out to me personally and we can set up some time to learn together!

This month we have several special events on the horizon! On Shabbat Noach, the first of November and Cheshvan, we will celebrate an adult Bar Mitzvah of a new official member of TI: Dan Sokol! Dan offers us a profound example of how an adult can choose to deepen their learning and connection to Judaism. Mazel tov for him and for all of us. Then, on Friday evening 11/15 we will pilot a new program for all ages by adapting our regular Kabbalat Shabbat services for a younger audience and offering  Shabbat dinner for all ages and fun learning activities for young children as we welcome Shabbat. All children are welcome and encouraged to participate – whether or not they regularly participate in our weekly Wednesday Hebrew School program! Then, on Sunday 11/17, we will host the annual Global Day of Jewish Learning in partnership with Temple Concord and Beth David.

Finally, it is important to acknowledge that we find ourselves now more than a year after 10/7, and we continue to pray with urgency for the speedy return of the hostages held in Gaza as well as a peaceful conclusion to the armed hostilities between the State of Israel and her neighbors. In our backyard, this month we mark a monumental election season and across the political map nerves are high. I pray that our American democracy will persevere through this year and that our synagogue community will continue to provide us with a space where we can share our lives with others who hold different political perspectives than ourselves. To that end, a week after the election on 11/12, before our weekly minyan, I will hold space for an exploration of Jewish teachings to allow folks to share about their experience of the election as well as to learn about and practice the Jewish values of respectful discourse with others. Let us pray together for strength and resilience in these times and continue to gather together joyously in community!

Rabbi Micah R. Friedman

הרב מיכה שמחה פרידמן