Author: Rabbi Michael Farbman

A lot of exciting and stimulating events have been happening at TE and in our community in the last month.  I’ll try to give you some highlights here, but cannot include everything.

• Aside from the usual Family Shabbat Friday evening service at the beginning of January, we had our “New” Shabbat Morning Torah Service.  This was a service that concentrated on the Torah reading and included interactive discussion among the congregants attending.  It was a very stimulating and enlightening educational experience. It is an event that will be continued periodically.
• There was also an Adult Education class led by Tom Bleeks, held at the home of Ed Cantor and Rise’ Siegel.  “Living Jewishly – Reform Judaism and Halachah” was the topic of discussion.  Sign up for the next one if you missed the last one!  It is a great opportunity to mix education and social interaction in an informal setting.
• The Social Action Committee’s second in the series “Divrei Laila” did instigate creative, thought provoking and respectful discussion on the history and complexity of the situation in Israel and how we relate to what is happening there.  Thanks to Debbie Elkin for inspiring it, Max Case (and his able assistant Samuel Farbman) for his skillful role as moderator, Jim Silk and Jim Graham for their inspiring and enlightening presentations, and the 30 +/- attendees who contributed many perspectives to the discussion.
• There was weekly Torah study on Saturday mornings at the House Library with Rabbi Farbman.  All are welcome!  Sign up!
• Social Action Community Service Committee sponsored the Social Justice Shabbat Service, which incorporated special readings by congregants of all ages and a short movie!
• A new adult evening Haftarah class is off to a great start and is open to all!
• TE Executive Board / Finance Committee Task Force members met with URJ Lay Leaders to discuss URJ resources and perspectives available to TE with respect to financial sustainability of congregations in the current economic climate.  A review of our dues structure is in process.  Stay tuned….
• TE Executive Board members met with New Haven Jewish Federation Leadership for a discussion regarding the possibility of the Federation serving as a forum or facilitator for area congregations and agencies to dialogue about resource sharing and symbiotic relationship building, in this age of financial awareness. Stay tuned…
• TE hosted the Debbie Friedman Memorial Concert, invited the Jewish Community to attend, and held a special bake sale.  The extraordinary TE Band and Children’s Choir were featured!

If any of this sounds intriguing to you, please consider this an invitation to attend events, participate in committee projects and otherwise increase your involvement in our vibrant TE community.  Again, many thanks to you all, who make these things possible!

“Welcome! Temple Emanuel is a warm, caring and open community of approximately 160 households. As a small Reform synagogue, our members have the opportunity to know one another and have meaningful input into how our synagogue operates. Temple Emanuel is a participatory, diverse, non-judgmental and intellectually vibrant congregation. Our membership comes from many towns in the greater New Haven area, and the Valley, adding to the diversity of our congregation.”
Does the above quotation sound familiar? It should—it comes from our Temple Emanuel website, www.templeemanuel-gnh.org. Have you visited it recently? Many people have done so, whether they are currently members or prospective members. Our website presents our congregation in a true and welcoming way in order to inform our members of events, past, present and future and in order to be inviting for prospective new members.
“What does that have to do with composite?” you may rightfully ask. Well, the reference to composite, in the context of architectural columns, according to Jackie Craven, who writes for about.com, is “to bring to mind a style of column that combines the Ionic and the Corinthian orders of architecture. Developed by the Romans in about the first century BC, composite columns have highly decorated capitals (tops). The leaf decorations of the Corinthian style combine with the scroll designs that characterize the Ionic style. In contemporary architecture, the term composite column can be used to describe any style column molded from a man-made composite material such as fiberglass or a polymer resin.”
So, the leafy Corinthian designs are combined with the scrolls of the Ionic style, which can be seen as a metaphor for the diverse interests and styles of TE members. The more modern use of materials in a composite column is similar to the way that Reform Judaism in general and Temple Emanuel in particular have developed to include traditional Jewish concepts and practices with a more modern outlook on the evolution of Judaism.
In a more generic sense, composite refers to something “consisting of separate interconnected parts.” Again, this reminds me of the composition of the Temple Emanuel Congregation. We all have our unique and separate lives, and yet we are connected by our community at TE.
In science, a composite particle is one made of smaller particles. So, if Temple Emanuel is one particle in the universe of Jewish existence, then each of us is a smaller particle that helps to make up the TE particle. The strengths and skills that we contribute to the composite particle are what makes it unique and what makes it strong and what makes it survive.
Last month I summarized some areas of concentration for our Board of Directors and Member Families, including Membership, Governance and Finance. In the past month many of our Committees, Board Members and Members have taken to heart the invitation to participate on many levels. We are moving forward and making great strides toward our goals and encourage you to join us if you have not already done so. We have focused direction and enthusiastic involvement, and we welcome you! Keep up the good work in responding “Hineini!”