As the full magnitude of the devastation created by Hurricane Harvey becomes clear, we are working with the Union for Reform Judaism and other partners to mobilize support for all who have been impacted by the powerful storm. Right now, the desire to help is outpacing the mechanisms. In the coming weeks and months, the […]
Dear Friends, If you are like me, you have read or watched the news about the unprecedented disaster developing in Texas. I have been in regular contact with colleagues, friends, and Jewish leaders in Houston and the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey. A few rabbis have lost their homes from flooding. We know of one […]
This week we enter the Jewish month of Elul, the four weeks preceding the High Holy Days. For millennia, our rabbis have taught that the word, Elul (aleph-lamed-vuv-lamed), is an acronym for the famous verse of love poetry from the Song of Songs: Ani L’dodi v’dodi li, “I am my beloved and my beloved is […]
For many years, Temple Beth El has endeavored to establish a love for Israel in the hearts and minds of our members. We have done this through phenomenal congregational trips, ongoing education for every age, and advocating on Israel’s behalf through organizations like AIPAC, AJC, ADL, JStreet, and the Federation of Greater Charlotte. Even the […]
In late April, Laura Bernstein and I sent a note to the congregation explaining that we were undertaking a reorganization of our systems, procedures and staffing. Retirements of key personnel, including Cantor Bernard and Steve Rosenauer, were concurrent with our lay leadership’s encouragement to realign the staff model to better realize Temple’s mission, vision, and […]
When I first arrived in Charlotte, I met hundreds of congregants through Welcome Events planned by Temple Beth El’s Transition Committee. During these events, I repeatedly heard similar stories from our members, particularly Baby Boomers and Empty Nesters. They told me that they felt deeply tied emotionally to our congregation and to Jewish life, but […]
Dear Temple Beth El Community, Over the last few months, Jewish communities across the United States have been targets of vandalism, bomb threats, and hate crimes. Our beloved Charlotte Jewish community has been affected by this wave of terror threats. One of the scariest aspects of the last six months is that these threats have […]
I was recently in Dallas to attend a meeting of the Union for Reform Judaism. The meeting happened to be held at the hotel at the Dallas airport – in the very same terminal where the government was detaining 50 refugees who had received green cards and visas. I met a young man named Mohamed. […]
Exactly a year ago I met Rabbi Dusty Klass for the first time. I traveled to New York having been named Temple Beth El’s Senior Rabbi less than a month earlier. I joined Ginny Rosenberg, Cantor Bernard, and Laura Bernstein to interview soon-to-be ordained rabbis from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Prior to our […]