Share a potluck Shabbat meal with family and friends! Unwind at the end of the week, and welcome Shabbat with your extended Temple Emanuel Family.
A Tot Shabbat service for families with kids under 5 is at 5:30pm, and a main Shabbat service will begin at 7:30pm – you are welcome to either, or just come and share the meal! Please sign up for potluck – follow the link!
Author: Rabbi Michael Farbman
Sacred Communities Matter
At the recent URJ Biennial in Boston over 6000 Reform Jews from all over United States, Israel, UK, and a number of other countries spent five days together learning, singing, discussing and debating, praying and engaging, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, and celebrating Shabbat together. The Boston Biennial was doubly special for me, as it was a chance to revisit the location of the very first biennial I got to attend as a newly ordained rabbi from London back in 2001. A lot has changed in my life and in our movement in the last 16 years, but I was especially excited to come to the biennial surrounded by the biggest TE delegation yet – we had our own minyan!
In her speech, Daryl Messinger, the Chair of the URJ, described her passion for our movement and posited, “Sacred space, sacred ritual, and sacred relationships matter today more than ever. No virtual reality could create the caring and connection that our Movement’s clergy, professionals, and lay leaders do every day in congregations and communities throughout North America.” I spend my life building and sustaining the sacred community, a task that requires true partnership with our leadership and all our members. However, we do not live in a vacuum, and so we look for every opportunity to enhance our work, extending the boundaries of our sacred community to include our movement, our local Jewish community and Federation, and the wider Jewish world. We seek every partnership and build relationships that allow us to foster the sacred community we need to be better Jews and better human beings.
Our religious school helps engage children and their parents, from the very young age all the way through high school – and we hope that the parents will also have an opportunity to find their own place in the TE community, engage in learning, be inspired, and enjoy a more fulfilling Jewish life. Our kids love Hebrew school! But we couldn’t do this alone, and so we seek the sacred partnerships to deepen the experiences our kids can have in Hebrew school. URJ summer camps are very much our partner in that endeavor, creating a ‘bubble’ of a sacred community of kids and teens, offering an opportunity of summer experience of communal Jewish living, something that is quite impossible to create during the year… URJ Eisner, Crane Lake, and SixPoints Sci-Tech Camps are very much our partners in the daily work, and I am so grateful for their presence in our region! Camp Laurelwood and JCC Day Camp offer additional local summer opportunities for Jewish life beyond Hebrew school.
Camp, especially sleep-away camp, is expensive. Over the years, TE has proudly offered small scholarships to our campers to help defray slightly the cost of URJ camps. This year I am delighted to report that after many years of discussions and encouragement, the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven now supports the ‘One Happy Camper’ grant, offering up to $1000 per child going to camp for the first time (this is NOT need-based), as well as offers the need-based Jewish camp scholarships that now extend to URJ Camps Eisner, Crane Lake, and Sci-Tech! This is indeed great news, and I very much hope that many more TE families will consider sending their children to a Jewish camp this summer. I will once again be returning to serve on faculty of URJ Camp Eisner this summer, and I look forward to seeing many happy faces of TE campers and CITs!
From “Rags” to… Integrity
I just returned from Goodspeed after seeing “Rags,” a musical about the Jewish immigrant experience in 1910. The story describes the experience of “greenhorns” arriving at Ellis Island in New York, fleeing a European past of pogroms, and seeking new lives, hope and aspiration in the New World. As described in the revised book, author David Thompson in a screenplay written by Joseph Stein “explores what might have happened to the families who had come to America from Anatevka (Fiddler on the Roof).” We see the tension between holding onto old values and entering a new reality, – “What do you keep? What do you leave behind?” In this musical, we are reminded that Americans already in the country view immigrants both as “fodder” to fuel the economy and also as potential threats to take their jobs and change their culture. The resonance with our current-day xenophobia and fear of immigrants is striking.
I cried at times during this play. In my real life, as I heard the chants of “build the wall” this past year, I saw in my mind an image of all four of my grandparents, who immigrated to New York from Poland, Lithuania and Russia in the same time frame depicted in “Rags.” Like the characters in the play, my grandparents left their families and fled from oppression, fear and little opportunity to create new lives and hope for the future in America. My grandparents struggled much as the characters in the play did with a hope and vision of the future for their children and grandchildren – – my future. I have a secure and happy life, a loving family, and I was able to craft my own future without fear of hunger, oppression or religious discrimination.
I believe that my responsibility as a Jew and as an American is to do what I can to assure that others have the same opportunities and protections that my grandparents received when they sailed into New York harbor three generations ago allowing my parents, sister and our whole happy family to thrive. Temple Emanuel supports JCARR, the Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement. This was one of the agencies that received our High Holiday Appeal support. JCARR welcomed three families to our community this past year, two from Syria and one from the Democratic Republic of Congo. My wife Joan and I will support JCARR this Hanukkah. I hope you might take a few moments to think about your own family’s history and our collective Jewish community history, and support JCARR and other organizations that welcome and support immigrants to our wonderful country.
Temple Emanuel goes to Spain 2017
How do you see something that hasn’t existed in 500 years? That was the challenge for eighteen travelers from Temple Emanuel when we visited Spain from 7/31 to 8/13/17. Led by Israeli guide, Julian Resnick, the search for Jewish Spain was on.
Rabbi Michael Farbman and family (Olga, Samuel and Robert), Lee and Peter Stolzman with grandson Gabriel Duffy, Dennis, Susan and Maximus Liebel, Laurie and Hilary Fried, Naomi and Jessica Klotz, Rochelle Kanell, Bobbie Miller and Nanette Stahl spent a whirlwind two weeks touring Spain and visiting sites and cities that were important locations for Jewish history.
The search began in Madrid with visits to the Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral, Puerta de la Indepencia, Jardines del Buena Retiro and El Prado. For many the highlight of our time in the city was our visit with a new reform Jewish congregation. Seeing their enthusiasm and pride, hearing their stories of successes and obstacles and just getting to know them, made us appreciate our own circumstances.
From Madrid we spent a day going to Toledo. Approaching the city was magical. Located in the mountains bordering the Taso River, this small city appeared like a fairy tale. We were able to wander through the old city, visiting the Cathedral, the location of the once thriving Jewish quarter and synagogues dating back hundreds of years (one to the 3rd century). Standing in the Plaza while being taught about the Inquisition’s auto de fe was a very powerful experience. Seeing evidence of a Jewish presence and knowing that there was no Jewish population there today gave us pause.
On to Cordova and visits to the Jewish quarter, the old synagogue, the Casa de Sefarad (community center) and the old mosque, re-purposed to the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, raised questions about the overlapping of cultures and beliefs. 
The Casa de Sefarad has been opened in the midst of the old Jewish quarter as a museum and cultural center of Jewish Spain. Rabbi Farbman led our Shabbat service at the Casa. Hebrew prayers and songs spilled out into the Jewish quarter, silent to services for hundreds of years. It was interesting to find out that the very dedicated staff of Casa de Sefarad were not Jewish but passionate about teaching and exploring the experience of Jewish Spain.
In Seville we visited the Cathedral, the most visited in Spain, and Real Alcazar. In Grenada we toured the Alhambra. After a week of non-stop activity, in unrelenting heat, we headed to the beach. Stopping along the way to relax and swim we reached Alicante. Time was spent exploring on our own, visiting the Castile Santa Barbara and people watching. A day followed in Tarragona doing more of the same.
While heading for Barcelona we stopped in Monserrat. The monastery high in the mountains had spectacular views, a funicular and was generally fascinating. Some events are serendipitous and leave their strong impression. For me it was the experience of attending a portion of a mass in Monserrat. The mass was dedicated to Edith Stein, born a Jew, converted to Roman Catholicism, became a Carmelite nun and was murdered in Auschwitz. Why were we there on that particular day to hear that particular mass?
Our trip concluded in Barcelona. We visited Park Guell and the Sagrada Familia to experience Gaudi and the Picasso Museum in the old city. We visited an ancient synagogue tucked away on an ancient narrow street. We went to the city of Girona and spent considerable time in the old Jewish quarter. What delighted some of us was being shown sites that were used in filming “Game of Thrones”.
Our final night in Spain was sharing a worship service at Comunitat Jueva Bet Shalom de Catalunya, the reform Jewish congregation. Once again we were welcomed as brethren and made to feel totally comfortable. We were also very concerned for our new friends a week later when a terrorist attack struck in Barcelona.
Throughout our trip we were fortunate to have knowledgeable and interesting local guides who were able to give us an overview of their cities, usually with obvious pride and always with a feel for their city. Leading them all was our friend, Julian Resnick. He kept us focused and on track, he provided insights that were specifically for us. He made us think, see and feel so that we could try to bridge the gap of 500 years. Julian posed questions and made us examine today, i.e. pork is a part of virtually every meal in Spain. Why? During the inquisition the eating of pork was used as evidence that you were not a secret Jew.
Our two weeks gave us a unique view of Spain and introduced us to the beauty and wonders of the country.
Kol Shira: a celebration of Jewish music with the next generation. January 28 at 10 am at the Towers.
Greater New Haven area Hebrew schools will come together on January 28 at 10 am (snow date February 4) to celebrate the power of Jewish music with a very special concert. Congregations Mishkan Israel, Bnai Jacob, Or Shalom, BEKI, Temple Beth David, Temple Beth Tikvah and Temple Emanuel will bring their Hebrew school students together to perform at this once a year musical extravaganza held at the Towers. Temple Emanuel and Temple Beth Tikvah will combine their musical bands together for this event, and the students, their families and residents of the Towers are in for a great treat! The event is free and open to the community, please RSVP to the Towers if you plan to attend.
This annual event is dedicated to the memory of Debbie Friedman z’l, a Jewish musician who inspired and trained many generations of Jewish musicians, and continues to inspire the love of Jewish music, a true legacy.
Biennial Asian Fusion Banquet and Auction, Sunday, February 11th at 6:00pm
Join the fun and come to the biennial Asian fusion dinner on Sunday, February 11th at 6:00 (snow date Feb. 25). This year’s event will take place at a new location – Tengda, 1676 Boston Post Road in Milford. In addition to a sumptuous dinner with friends, there will be wine, a silent auction, and grab bags. You don’t want to miss this TE fundraiser!
Space is limited, and there are only a couple of seats left. Please contact Caryn Shaffer if you are interested in attending.
TE goes to Israel 2018 informational meeting
Interested in going to Israel with Temple Emanuel in July 2018? Want to find out more? Come to this informational meeting on November 29 at 6pm to have all your questions answered! (Well, not ALL of your questions – but enough to get you ready for a trip of a lifetime!)
Orange Interfaith Thanksiving Service, Sunday November 19, 7:00pm at Or Shalom
Please join the Faith Communities of the Town of Orange for this very special pre-Thanksgiving Interfaith Service. This year we are hosted by Congregation Or Shalom, 205 Old Grassy Hill, Orange CT.Shabbat Chanukah and Dinner, Friday, December 15 at 6pm
Come celebrate Shabbat Chanukah with your extended Temple Emanuel Family! Bring your own Chanukkiah and let’s fill the sanctuary with light on this very special Chanukah shabbat! After the music-filled Shabbat celebration with Temple Emanuel Band enjoy a family-style meal. Bring some latkes to share at our annual latke cook-off, and may the best latka win! Please register for dinner here so that we have enough food for everyone!
From the Rabbi’s Desk…
The chagim (festivals) are over, the regular year is moving full steam ahead. The building is buzzing with learning: kids in Hebrew school, adults in Mishnah class and iEngage series, committee meetings, Men’s club, Sisterhood – TE is full of energy this fall!
This year’s Shir Magic will span an entire weekend of music with our Musician in Residence Alan Goodis, with Friday night and Shabbat morning services, special Hebrew school program on Sunday morning and especially the Saturday night concert (not to be missed), all in memory of our beloved Rabbi Jerry Brieger z’l – mark your calendars for Nov 10-12 and get the tickets for Saturday night November 11th concert online ahead of time!
This year brings lots of important dates to our attention – Nov 2nd marks the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, followed shortly by the 70th anniversary of the UN partition plan vote, and next April we get to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the modern State of Israel! With the iEngage series we have began to slowly unpack the complexity of the last 100 years of Jewish history and identity in Israel and beyond, and I am delighted to see that well over 40 TE members have signed up for the series this year, an absolute record for a multi session education class!
There’s lots of special programs still ahead, and the year will culminate with a special TE Travels trip to Israel with our guide and master educator Julian Resnick next summer, July 14-26! The sign up is now ready. Many of TE members have already expressed their commitment to the trip, I hope YOU will consider being part of this Jewish journey!
Look forward to seeing you all at our special Shir Magic weekend Nov 10-12, as well as Shabbat Chanukah celebration on Dec 15th!