The Kindness Game by Dr. Laura Bernstein
This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Balak, allows us to consider the power of words – both positive and negative. A Moabite King named Balak hires a non-Israelite prophet named Balaam to curse the Israelites; yet on three occasions God causes words of blessing to come forth from Balaam’s mouth. Rather than focusing on the negativity that was intended to be spoken by […]
Israel Statement by Temple Beth El Clergy
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 […]
Strengthening the Pillars of our Congregation by Rabbi Asher Knight
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 […]
Cantor Bernard – A Gifted Conductor of Beth El’s Community by Rabbi Judy Schindler
The conductor’s role is to know his community of musicians well: the ranges and skills of the voices in his choir and the qualities and potential of each instrument they play in his band. He needs to know the music and the space and most of all the listeners whom he hopes to transform. Cantor […]
Lead with Your Heart by Candace Naliboff, Director of Member Services
I am a people person – if you have met me then you know this already. I love meeting new people, hearing their stories, and sharing their life with them. Maybe it is because I am a counselor by trade, or maybe it is because when I was a little girl, my daddy used to […]
A Message from Israel by Sam Swire
Our TBE group of 50 is having an incredible time here in Israel. This opportunity to fully immerse ourselves in the land that is both so important to our people’s history and culture has been an incredible bonding experience. We are bonding with each other and to our past and present. Our first full day here, […]
URJ Camps are Home Away from Home by Lindsay Rosenzweig, Incoming LIBERTY Youth Group President
A sea of white. Lying on a tennis court with your friends, looking up at the stars. Singing and dancing during services. This is a typical Friday night in the mountainous area of Cleveland, Georgia, at the beautiful URJ Camp Coleman. In less than 4 days, children from all over the Southeast (and beyond) will […]
A Retrospective as We Move Forward by Cantor Mary Rebecca Thomas
Some of you know this story, but I think it bears repeating at this time. Like the Reader’s Digest volumes on my grandparents’ shelf, I’m going to tell you the abridged version. I grew up in a small, Classical Reform congregation in Bayonne, NJ. Bayonne had a thriving Jewish community when my grandparents and […]
Counting the Omer Toward Torah by Rabbi Dusty Klass
“Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has made us holy with your commandments and commanded us to count the omer. Today is 37 days, which is five weeks and two days of the omer.” Those of you who have been attending Friday night services in the past few weeks may […]
