As I write this column, the music from our 2nd Annual Debbie Friedman z’l memorial concert is still ringing in my ears – what an incredible event it was! I want to take this opportunity to once again thank all our wonderful musicians who dedicate their time and talents to the TE band which, under Laurel Shader’s remarkable leadership, continues to go from strength to strength! I also want to thank all the volunteers who made the event such a success, as well as all the TE bakers for a yummy reception!
This year’s calendar is quite unusual as many of the Jewish festivals seem to be falling earlier than many of us can remember! Purim in February, Passover in March, Erev Rosh Hashanah on September 4th (!), and Chanukah will begin the day before Thanksgiving! Just in case you are beginning to doubt if you have ever experienced Chanukah so early, do not be alarmed – you haven’t! It happened once before in 1888, and according to someone’s smart calculations, next time this will occur (if no adjustments are made to the Jewish calendar) will be in the year 79,811! So for all of you ‘once in a lifetime’ experience collectors, this is the one for the books J.
Chanukah may come early this year – but it is still a long way away! Purim, on the other hand, is coming up on February 23/24! Our multi-talented Chasen family is once again preparing an incredible celebration entitled “This is Purim.” If you are over 21, you do not want to miss this! The event is free this year, so please bring your friends and family, as well as anyone who is interested in Temple Emanuel.
Our adult Purim parties are notoriously fun, and we get to celebrate non-stop as we gather on Sunday morning, February 24th for a family Purim event as part of our religious school celebration. This year we will be joined by students and families from Congregation Sinai Hebrew School, and I want to encourage all TE members to bring their grandchildren (especially the ones who are not enrolled in our Hebrew school) in costume to join in the fun!
As we prepare to have lots of fun on Purim, I also want to encourage you to attend the Interfaith Scholar in Residence Learning Experience on March 10th. This year Temple Emanuel is hosting this annual community event, and I hope many of our members will take part. And before you know it, Passover will be on our doorstep – please make sure you mark your calendars for the Annual TE 2nd Seder on Tuesday, March 26th. The flyers for both of these events are enclosed with the Shofar, so please register soon!
As you can see, the next few months at Temple Emanuel are packed with exciting events, as well as our regular services, educational programs and discussions. Be sure to check out all of these wonderful opportunities, and let me know what other ideas you might want to see come alive at Temple Emanuel.
B’shalom,
Rabbi Farbman.