In a recent article, I mused on the differences between being President of Temple Emanuel now as opposed to being President during my initial term 15 years ago. The major difference is that 15 years ago we were concerned about safety and security, but not to the degree we need to focus on now. I have come to depend on Joe Kanell on issues concerning the safety and security of our TE community (as did my immediate predecessors). Joe would coordinate with the Orange Police, our outside security company, and with our TE greeters. He helped keep us safe, while working hard to avoid making anyone uncomfortable. Joe was always available to help. I can’t overstate how much I have come to depend on his sage advice. This September, Joe will be stepping down from his voluntary role. His duties will now be handled by Howard Koenig. Howard, who has been well trained by Joe, is a worthy successor. It is a thankless job for a volunteer, but it doesn’t have to be. When you see Joe, be sure to let him know how much you appreciated his service (he will probably blush). Also, thank Howard for taking on this important position (and let him know if you are available to help).
Another major change is that while we are a very social congregation, the pandemic kept us from fully gathering for several years. Happily, we are fully back now. On June 21st we celebrated Rabbi Farbman’s 15th anniversary at TE, as well as his birthday. We had a well-attended Shabbat dinner, a special service, and a special Oneg to celebrate. We are very fortunate to have the Farbman family as part of our community.
On August 2nd, we had our always meaningful Shabbat On The Beach. The weather was expected to be stormy, but Rabbi Farbman arranged to have the rain hold off till after the Oneg was complete (nothing should ever stand between this congregation and food).
We have many other future events, both spiritual and social. On Friday, September 6th we will have our annual BBQ and Shabbat Under the Stars. This is a great combination of both the social and spiritual cores of TE. It is always a successful (and meaningful) event and I hope to see everyone there.
The High Holy Days are fast approaching. While I will be reaching out to many of you, feel free to contact me if you would like to participate in the services or other activities (you can either email me, call me, or talk to me at TE —you may have noticed I like to talk).
Thank you for making our TE community so wonderful.