Category: Featured

I have a voice, my voice is powerful… Attending a L’taken seminar with TE teens.

Olga and I just returned from accompanying nine (!) TE teens at the L’taken seminar of the Religious Action Center in Washington, DC . The Bernard and Audre Rapoport L’Taken Social Justice Seminar is designed to both expose teens to a variety of public policy issues and explore the Jewish values that inform the Reform Movement’s advocacy around these issues.

We are grateful to TE’s Rabbi Brieger Youth Fund, Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven, and Barbara Rosenthal Memorial Fund for making this trip possible for our teens. Abby, Izzy, Avery, Ava, Nessah, Nadav, Max, Aitan and Sam had an incredible time. Below are a few brief excerpts from their reflections on their experience.

  • … It was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience… I did not realize how powerful all of the activities I participated in would be, and how deeply they would all affect me.
  • … If I were to talk to the next group of people to go on the DC trip I would tell them to go into it with an open mind. I went into the trip not knowing what to expect and I went with the flow I feel that I really grew as a person and also grew closer with all of my friends from TE and even made new friends. At the Holocaust museum I learned a lot of new information and even though it was at times sad, I feel that it gave me a much deeper understanding of the Holocaust. I felt like I grew so much in this experience and now have a clearer understanding on what I can do to help those in my community, my town and Jewish community…
  • … If I had to pick one word to describe the L’taken experience I would pick empowering. We did things from lobbying our elected officials, to eating out and skating downtown, to visiting the Holocaust museum. The activity that stuck with me the most was the Holocaust museum, the thing that left me speechless was the pure sadness and curiosity it gave me. I leave this trip with more knowledge and memories that I will take with me and use in my daily life. I would highly encourage future students to go on this trip…
  • …This trip had an impact on me in three ways. First it made me feel more connected to my Judaism by being able to go to services and learning about our history when going to the holocaust museum. I also got to learn about civic issues, from mental health to abortion, I got to get deeper understanding and care about the issue more. I also got to make new friends from different congregations and having a good time. This was a great trip…  
  • …Now, on the train ride back to New Haven, I cannot overemphasize how thankful I am for the experience I had. I’ve been in classes like 21st Century Democracy, Constitutional Law, gone on trips to DC, and had other educational experiences relating to our legislative process. However, L’Taken this winter was the most hands-on, real, experience I’ve had. I was definitely a bit nervous before going to capitol hill today (Monday), but the feeling of being able to walk into the building and offices of my representatives, and tell them about how I feel and what I want them to do was incredibly empowering….
  • …L’ taken has been an overall great, educational experience and I greatly appreciate the opportunity to go on this trip… As I shared with my peers, rabbi and Morah Olga, the Holocaust museum made me start thinking about how one person that can make such a huge impact on everything someone has ever known… For the rest of the weekend I kept this in the back of my mind, during my activities and writing my speech I remembered that I can be the person that changes something that I believe in but for a positive change…

2nd Night Passover Seder 5785 at Temple Emanuel, Sunday April 13, 2025 at 6:30 pm

You and your family are invited to celebrate the 2nd Night Passover Seder with Rabbi Farbman and your extended Temple Emanuel Family!
Sunday, April 13 @ 6:30 PM

Members & Non-Members Welcome! Sign up today!

Early bird price of $42.50 until March 25, $54 after.

Please register by April 1 – we will not be able to accept any reservations after that date!

Please do not let the cost of the dinner prevent you and your family from attending the Seder – speak to Rabbi Farbman confidentially.

TORAHS OF TEMPLE EMANUEL

by Peter Stolzman

For most Jews, the Torah elicits a variety of feelings and meanings.  The scrolls we use in our worship services teach us the lessons and history of the Hebrew people.  Some think of the Torah as the divine word of G-d, others feel it is a chronological history of the beginnings of a people.

When the ark is opened and the Torah scrolls are revealed we can look in awe.  It awakens a spiritual longing in many as well as a deep connection with who we are and what we are called upon to do.  However, we relate to the text it is a symbol, perhaps the primary one, of our identity.

Temple Emanuel is currently home to six Torahs.  Some we know a piece of their history and some we are less knowledgeable about.  The following is a brief history of our Torah scrolls.

When Temple Emanuel first came together as a community in 1962, we did not have a Torah of our own.  Instead, our student rabbi, Robert Goodman, would use a borrowed scroll when needed.  In 1967, using our first Torah he performed a triple bar mitzvah for Andrew Levine, Jeff Lipson and Danny Salzman at the JCC in New Haven.  TE had just acquired its first Torah, the Holocaust Torah.

Memorial Torah Scroll #1178

Written in 1880, the Holocaust Torah was used in Horazdovice, Czechoslovakia.  During WW2 it was “collected” along with other articles of Jewish life, by the Nazis.  The scroll’s congregation was exterminated.  After the war, this Torah and approximately 1500 others were found and transported to Westminster Synagogue in London, United Kingdom.  The synagogue had the room to store them and set about the task of having them restored and repaired.  Once in good condition, they were given on permanent loan, to newly established congregations around the world.  TE’s Lois and Paul Levine traveled to London to get ours.  In 1967 we received #1178, our first scroll.

On a visit to Westminster, I was told that the restoration had been very slow and was expensive, as only trained scribes could do the work.  However, in 1965 an itinerant scribe, David Brand, knocked on the door and asked if they might have any work?  Twenty years later and after 770 Torahs, he had repaired all he could.

In 2007 this Torah was retired as it needed repairs.  It was placed in a display case in the TE lobby until the congregation was able to restore it and return it to active service.  It was returned to the Ark in 2020.  Every family that wished to be invited to work with the scribe and restore a letter thus fulfilling the commandment to write a Torah.  It was a wonderful experience.  This Torah is easily recognized as the tallest and lightest in our ark.  It is written in Beit Yosef font and is unglazed, making it lighter than a glazed scroll.

‘small’ Torah in our ark

In addition to the Holocaust Torah, Temple Emanuel acquired two Torahs in 1979 from Beth Israel in Derby, and in 1981 from Temple Rodeph Shalom of Ellenville, NY.  The Ellenville scroll is a small, in height, Torah.  It is glazed so it is heavy and is approximately 100 years old.  It is originally from Romania and is currently in our ark along with the Holocaust Torah and a medium sized Torah, on permanent loan from the Jewish Home for the Aged by way of the Jewish Federation.  We received this Torah in 2021.

‘medium’ Torah in our portable ark

The Torah scroll from Beth Israel in Derby was originally from Germany and is about 100 years old.  It is said to have “beautiful writing” and is housed in a separate portable ark.

The other gift from Beth Israel, is a Polish Torah.  It is housed in the Rabbi’s office awaiting restoration.  It is about 90 years old.

Torah scroll on permanent loan

Our final Torah is displayed in TE’s lobby.  This Torah is also on loan from the Jewish Home for the Aged through the Jewish Federation. We received it around 2020.  It is not kosher as it is not in perfect condition and is unrepairable.  While we cannot use it for services it is a welcome reminder of who we are when we enter the Temple.  It also provides an up-close view of the text and how a Torah is written.

You can learn more about the making of a Torah scroll here.

Some information in this article was gathered from Congregation Beth El’s (Berkeley, CA) website and Temple Emanuel archives and interviews with past and present congregants.

How I Overcome Writer’s Block

Writing has never been my favorite form of expression. You see, I suffer from writer’s block which often leads to procrastination. My favorite form of communication is meeting and getting to know people in person.

This column is a unilateral activity. I write weeks in advance and don’t get to hear your feedback contemporaneously.  Nevertheless, I am expected to write a message. So here it is: Let’s meet and talk in person at TE! 

Don’t miss the many upcoming events which fill the pages of this month’s Shofar!  From challah baking to our scholar–in–residence series, TE, as always, offers something for everyone! I look forward to meeting and talking to you soon! 

To life, To Life — L’chayim…

As we approach the fourth anniversary of the Covid 19 lockdown and as we look back at the last four years, it is easy to be overwhelmed by what we have all lived through, what we have learned to live with (and, perhaps more importantly, what we have learned to live without) and what challenges we faced. It has taken us all some time to begin to return to ‘normalcy,’ both in our personal lives and especially in our communal lives. We have been back in our sanctuary and our building in person for a while now, even as we continue to live stream our services and events, making sure everyone has access to much of what we do as a community.

We had many exciting plans for this year, and were going to start working on some of them after the High Holy Days— but events of October 7th have stunned us all into a painful and anxious new reality. Every special occasion, every festival, every Shabbat comes with a dilemma: how can I find joy in traditional observances when there’s so much pain and suffering? Chanukkah lights gave us hope, and helped to heal our broken hearts, at least a little—but now with Purim on the horizon, what will our celebrations look like? What stories will we tell at our Seder table this year? How many empty chairs will we have to leave at the table?

Five years ago, a group of TE members attended a special gathering of the Holocaust Memorial Torah scrolls in New York City, bringing the TE memorial scroll (back then housed in a display cabinet in our lobby) with us. It was a profoundly moving experience. As I held TE’s Holocaust Memorial Scroll #1178, and as I marched in a quiet procession of over 70 Czech memorial scrolls, I was overwhelmed by the fact that in my arms I held not only an incredible treasure of the Jewish people that was created and lovingly maintained by previous generations of Jews I did not know, but a scroll that belonged to the destroyed Jewish community of Horazdovice, a community that perished in the flames of the Holocaust. This was not just the Torah connecting me to the Jewish past. This was a moment to acknowledge, once again, that the future of this Torah’s Jewish community of Horazdovice was wiped out by the cruelty of hate and yet somehow, miraculously, the orphaned Torah has survived and found its way into the loving hands of our community, right here in Orange, CT. Scroll after scroll paraded through the room packed with over 800 people from some 80+ synagogues in the Tri-State area, honoring the painful past and celebrating the miraculous survival of Judaism. I will never forget this moment and this feeling.

TE delegation with our Memorial Torah Scroll at the gathering in NYC

This year the Memorial Scrolls Trust celebrates its 60th anniversary, and there will once again be a gathering of the Torah scrolls in New York on Sunday, April 7th. This time we will return once again but as I carry our scroll in that procession, it will be a scroll that has been restored and is once again used to celebrate Jewish life as children of our community step up to the Torah celebrating becoming B’nei Mitzvah!

This year, as our calendar begins to fill up with learning opportunities, social gathering opportunities and celebrations, may we continue to be inspired by the story of our Torah scroll, by the resilience of the Jewish people, by our desire to live and build and preserve what we cherish.

We will learn with Dr. Liram Koblentz-Stenzler, as part of our Annual Scholar–in–Residence Program on March 20th and 27th,  and engage in some challenging and timely topics. We will celebrate Purim (including, once again, a special Adult Purim party), and Passover with our Annual Second Night Seder at Temple Emanuel. We will visit the Beinecke rare books collection, and we will plan an opportunity to ice-skate together. We will march proudly with our newly restored Torah scroll, honoring the difficult past, and look towards the future. We will continue to find strength and joy in each other and in sharing our traditions. Am Israel Chai—the People of Israel Lives!

Standing with our people…

Members of Temple Emanuel at the March for Israel in Washington, DC.

On Tuesday, November 14th, a number of TE members joined the Greater New Haven delegation and traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the March for Israel. It was such a powerful experience, standing with hundreds of thousands of Jews (and some allies) from all over the country, demanding safe return of hostages, renouncing antisemitism, and standing with Israel and with each other. To see so many friends, colleagues, current and former congregants from many different places. To hear words of support. To cry with parents of hostages, demanding to #BringThemHomeNow. It was especially moving to see the little girl working on this sign: ‘my Jewish joy is stronger than your hate.’ I have asked one of the TE march participants, Phoenix Matarazzo, to reflect on our experience:

“Last month, I had the opportunity to participate in the March for Israel with fellow TE members, Rabbi, Olga, and other members of our Greater New Haven Jewish community. It was a day that brought together Jews and allies from various backgrounds, religious observance, and political views. The atmosphere was both somber and joyous. One of the highlights for me was joining everyone in singing “One Day” led by Matisyahu and The Maccabeats. This song always resonates with me because it expresses the deep longing for a future filled with peace. However, it also reminds me that this day of peace is still not here. This yearning for justice and peace was evident throughout the entire day.

As I stood in Washington, I couldn’t help but reflect on our previous school theme of seeing the world through Jewish eyes, and this year’s theme of telling OUR story. What better way to tell our story than by actively participating in it? We are blessed to carry the strength of our ancestors, supporting each other in our happiest and darkest moments. I thought to myself, “We should do this again, during better times!” Perhaps a nationwide Shabbat dinner?

It struck me that this may be the only time in my life that I will get to sing Hatikvah with over 290,000 people. Despite our differences, we are united in our support for the safe return of our kidnapped family members and the protection of our homeland. We are truly one mishpacha, one family.

As I listened and prayed alongside the impressive lineup of speakers and artists, I couldn’t help but believe that we are on the verge of a better world, a new kind of peace, and a stronger unity among the Jewish people. We refuse to yield to the beliefs of our enemies. We stand tall in our own story, proud to live it and pass it on to future generations.

The March for Israel filled me with hope for more acts of kindness, more connection with our traditions and with each other. I hope for more dialogue with our allies and with those who may not yet understand how to be allies. I hope for more education about who we are and where we come from. I hold on to the hope that our mishpacha will be whole again, with all our family members safely home.

We Are Family

When I was young (many years ago), I used to wonder why many of the school holidays came around the same time.  We have just gone through a very active period of holidays at Temple Emanuel – Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah.  With the holidays bunched together, it is a very meaningful period.  We as a congregation have had the opportunity to spend much time together.  After our long period of being unable to spend much time together, it is wonderful to share time again together.

I like to tinker.  After years of trying to change our announcements from stating that we welcome visitors, I recently changed the announcement to welcome newcomers to our community.  As you may have noticed over the high holy days, I have changed it once again this time to “family.”  I think that more accurately sets forth what Temple Emanuel is – we are a family.  We enjoy spending time together and catching up with both old and new friends, or should I say family.  And do we ever enjoy participating in the services – for that I thank you.

Many of you know, I love tradition.  And I love building on the foundation our predecessors have set up for us. In the coming months we will be discussing new ways to encourage our membership, our family, to be involved with Temple Emanuel.  We will also be affording people the opportunity with new ways to be involved with lay leadership at Temple Emanuel.  This will involve training and discussions. This teaser will be set forth in greater detail shortly. 

I love my TE family.  And I know you love it as well.  There is a reason why we are growing, when other religious institutions are shrinking.  Let us all move to the next level.  Thank you. 

2023-2024 Temple Emanuel Tikkun Olam Activities

TE members performing 'reverse tashlich' on the beach
TE members performing ‘reverse tashlich’ on the beach
Reverse Tashlich
Serving meals at Beth-El shelter
Chanukah baskets
JCARR
Food Drive
JCARR

Your Tikkun Olam Committee encourages your active support and participation in the following activities.  Please read The Shofar and the weekly Shofar Blasts for more information concerning all of these projects. 

Interfaith Service Day Sunday, August 6th

Join with a group of TE volunteers and those from other congregations for an interfaith day of service. This is a perfect Tikkun Olam activity for family participation.

Jean Silk, Coordinator

2nd Annual Reverse Tashlich  (A Rosh Hashanah tradition) – Sunday, September 10th

Partner with ‘Repair the Sea’ and ‘Save the Sound’ to remove litter from our local beaches. This is a perfect Tikkun Olam activity for family participation.

Karen Fenichel and Adam Spiewak, Coordinators

30th Annual High Holy Days Food Drive

September 15th – October 6th   (Through the Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, & Sukkot holidays)

Donate non-perishable food to be distributed to the food pantries of both the Jewish Family Service (JFS) and the Town of Orange. Monetary donations can also be sent directly to these two food pantries. 

Will Sherman, Coordinator

Annual Thanksgiving Frozen Turkey and Pie Collection

October 22nd – November 12th   (pre-Thanksgiving)

Donate frozen turkeys and pies to be distributed to the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK).

Jeff Levinson, Coordinator

Annual Diaper Drive (Dates to be determined)

Donate diapers to be distributed to the Conn. Diaper Bank to assist needy families with their baby needs. Monetary donations can also be sent directly to this agency.

Michelle Bailey, Rochelle Kanell, and Rise Siegel, Coordinators

Annual Purim Pasta Collection March 24th

The Religious School children bring in and use boxes of pasta as groggers during the Purim service and they are then donated to the Beth-El Homeless Shelter & Soup Kitchen in Milford.

Nancy Weber, Coordinator

Columbus House Fundraiser February 15th – March 17th

As a Mishloach Manot tzedakah activity for Purim, we will hold a fundraiser for the Columbus House Homeless Shelter. 

This activity might be combined with Abraham’s Tent (Please see next item.)

Annual Abraham’s Tent Project (Date to be determined)

Prepare/serve dinner and socialize with a small group of selected homeless men at a partner church in Hamden coordinated by the Columbus House Homeless Shelter. Additionally, there’s a possible opportunity for a few TE members to then sleep over. This is a great hands-on activity. During Covid, when we couldn’t meet in person, this Tikkun Olam activity was converted to a monetary collection to support Columbus House.

Barb Levine-Ritterman and Lee Stolzman, Coordinators

Annual Beth-El Shelter Collection May  

Donate towels, bed sheets, underwear, and socks for the Beth-El Homeless Shelter in Milford

Nancy Weber, Coordinator

In addition to the above Tikkun Olam Project, members of Temple Emanuel are actively involved in a variety of additional activities and we urge your active support and participation.

Religious School Tikkun Olam Projects (Olga Markus and the Religious School staff, students, and parents)

Chanukah Baskets – November 19th – December 10th

Toys, books, games, clothing, and personal hygiene/care objects to be donated to JFS, r’Kids Family Center, Fair Haven Community Health Center, and Fellowship Place

Purim Mitzvah Project (Date to be determined)

“Blessing Bags” with hand-written notes and personal hygiene/care objects to be donated to the homeless programs of Columbus House and Fellowship Place

Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement (JCARR)

A partnership of six local synagogues and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, JCARR has thus far helped welcome and relocate eight refugee families from around the world. Your ongoing support and assistance is greatly appreciated. 

Jean Silk, Coordinator

Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut (CONECT)

Keeping within our Jewish values of “Justice, justice you shall pursue,” CONECT is an organization devoted to social and economic justice, gun violence and health insurance issues, police reform, and immigration rights.

Alana Rosenberg, Coordinator

Beth-El Shelter and Soup Kitchen (in Milford)

Volunteers from TE prepare and serve dinner on the first Tuesday of each month. This is a great hands-on activity. 

Nancy Weber and Rachel Suchoff, Coordinators

High Holy Days 5784 (2023) at Temple Emanuel

Joint URJ Selichot service (hosted by Congregation B’nai Israel, Southbury) Saturday, Sep 9, 7.00pm

Erev Rosh Hashanah Friday, September 15, 8:00 PM

Rosh Hashanah I day – Saturday, September 16, 10 am
Rosh Hashanah Children’s Service Saturday, Sept 16 9:45 AM
Tashlich Saturday, September 16 immediately after the kiddush

Rosh Hashanah II Day Sunday, September 17, 10 am

Kol Nidrei (Erev Yom Kippur) Sunday, September 24, 8pm

Yom Kippur Morning Monday, September 25, 10 am
Yom Kippur Children’s Service Monday, September 25, 9:45 AM

Yom Kippur Mincha Monday, September 25, 4:30 PM
Yizkor, Neila and Havdalah Monday, September 25, 6:00 PM (followed by community-wide break-the-fast)

Erev Sukkot Friday, September 29, 6:30 PM

Sukkot Morning Saturday, September 30, 10 AM

Erev Simchat Torah Friday, October 6, 6:00 PM

Simchat Torah Morning Saturday, October 7, 10 AM

A FAMILY’S JOURNEY

Every family seeking refuge in the United States has a story to tell. Yuri, Olga, Emma, and Masha reunited two weeks ago when Yuri drove to the Canadian border to bring his wife and two daughters to Connecticut. It was a long drive to their new apartment that JCARR helped procure. We appreciate them sharing their story and are grateful for Rabbi Farbman translating the conversation.

Yuri says it all began on February 24, 2022. When a bomb exploded at the military base approximately 500 yards away, they knew they could not safely remain in their home. Difficult and sad as it was, it was time to leave Ukraine. Initially, they thought they would return, but that seemed less likely as the war continued. Their path led to Spain, Canada, and then the U.S. Eventually, they realized that they wanted this move to be permanent.

Connecticut was attractive for several reasons. Yuri has a half-brother who immigrated here twenty years ago and lives in Brooklyn. Their oldest daughter is living in New York, where she is developing her profession as a makeup artist. Yuri and Olga want a safe environment for Emma and Masha “…to develop in the life we do not know.” Like most parents, they want safety and opportunities for their children. Yuri says, “People still dream of the U.S. as the land of freedom and opportunity.” The decision to move to Connecticut was finalized when a friend of Yuri’s brother helped him find a job here. Olga said, “We couldn’t imagine what it would be like. On this journey, we learned that things would not work the way you expect them to. So we decided not to have expectations but to treat it as an adventure. We did not expect the kind of loving care we have been overwhelmed with. “ With that, several of us reached for Kleenexes.

            Olga and Yuri worked together in the tourism industry, organizing children’s programs, fancy balls, tours of Ukraine, and screen-free programs for kids, to name just a few. Their work fostered an attitude of “get up and go, explore, adjust to new realities, and have a sense of adventure.” This work requires attention to detail and patience when dealing with bureaucracy, traits that have served them well on this journey. Emma worked with children and teens for several years. While in Spain, Emma and her father organized a camp for the Ukrainian refugee children. Every day they organized activities, giving the youth a focus for their time and the parents much-needed breathing space. When Rabbi Farbman and his son Sam were in Spain, they were impressed by Emma’s capabilities. Emma says, “I love working with children and teens and want to explore different options for doing that as I continue my education.”

            Rabbi Farbman notes, “When you don’t know what to do when a disaster falls on your head, think about helping others.” This is a family that knows how to do precisely that. As they adjust to living in a new environment, their attitudes and skills serve them well. Yuri says, “We dealt with bureaucracy in Spain and Canada, but nothing is as complex as the U.S.” And yet, they started the process for themselves – using YouTube videos as a guide. Jean Silk of JCARR notes, “We’ve never had a family file the various applications for social services independently.”

            As part of settling in, the family is eager to explore the area’s cultural offerings. They look forward to visiting museums, festivals and attending cultural events. Emma is grateful for the community she experienced while attending Kabbalat Shabbat in Spain and looks forward to learning more.

            She seems to sum up the family’s gratitude when she says, ‘I could never have imagined how many people we’d meet who would go out of their way to help us.”