Odds & Ends & A Prayer

Linda Rubin and Marla Shwarts

Safety, transparency, hope, community, science, diligence, trust, – all of these attributes have been the guiding principles of your Reopening Task Force and Temple Beth El as we maneuver through this pandemic. Weekly meetings to keep pace with the ever changing science and medical discoveries have kept us on our toes. Never did this committed group of congregants waiver from their mission to keep everyone safe and to maintain the imperative of our sacred space. It is relevant to know that without the cooperation and support of our TBE Family, which means all of you, we could not be succeeding in our efforts on behalf of the well-being of our community. It is also very important to thank all of you who are making this trek with us; you sustain our resolve. We eagerly look forward to an outcome that will be welcoming, inclusive, and loving for every person. Patience is a virtue, and we are practicing it all of the time.

Our Centennial/JEWbilee is moving along and of course we want everyone to be involved in the planning and doing for this year-long celebration of one hundred years in the life of Temple Beth El. One of the unique outcomes of this celebration is the learning not just about our history, but about the people who have made it happen. There is a lot to uncover and our team of passionately committed individuals led by Bob Gold is uncovering a past that is truly meaningful and fascinating. Please pay close attention to all of the events and opportunities throughout the year to celebrate our milestone and all that it means to the sustenance of our beloved temple community. You will enjoy participating in the Megilla. Share YOUR TBE Story where you will share your story of your relationship with Temple Beth El so that we can know one another better and so we can better understand how we have become who we are. Please check out the Tuesday email for the link to this truly wonderful activity.

All of you know that Temple Beth El has taken the very important and necessary step to hire an Executive Director. Our good fortune is that our very own Carrie Jacobs accepted this position. You know Carrie both as our Office Coordinator and as a long time temple congregant since she was a very young girl when her parents, Barry and Dianne Gross, joined Temple Beth El. Carrie continues with all of her previous responsibilities and now adds a plethora of new necessities to grow our temple and serve us better as we make the next one hundred years matter for our future generations.

Speaking of visioning, your lay leaders are focused on making plans and addressing the salient needs of our community as we establish goals and strategies to sustain our community in a world that is rapidly changing and moving forward. This is an awesome task and one that matters to every single congregant as we strive to meet the needs of this blessed community.

Our prayer continues to be stay well, volunteer lovingly and diligently, do what’s best for TBE.