Category: Featured

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 7^th 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.

This year the Memorial Scrolls Trust celebrates its 60^th anniversary, and there will once again be a gathering of the Torah scrolls in New York on Sunday, April 7^th. 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 20^th and 27^th,  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!

On Tuesday, November 14^th, 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.

The three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av are a period of mourning in Jewish tradition. On the 17th of Tammuz the walls of Jerusalem were breached, and on the 9th of Av the Temple was destroyed. According to the Jewish tradition, both the First and the Second Temple were destroyed on the 9th of Av, and so over the centuries that date also absorbed the mourning for other catastrophes that have befallen our people: the Khmelnitsky pogroms, and the 1492 expulsion from Spain (the decree was actually signed on that day, in a carefully orchestrated nod to history), among many others.

It is a complicated date in modern history – while the world is not complete, and the Temple is gone, the City of Jerusalem is alive and vibrant, and very much rebuilt. Many Jews continue to fast on this day and lament the ancient destruction, and recite the mournful verses of Eicha, Lamentations. Others look for ways to engage in meaningful Jewish experiences, performing Mitzvot big and small.

Upon my return from Israel (where I, sadly, contracted COVID and missed a part of the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Rabbinic Torah seminar), I learned that there are many Ukrainian refugees who have found their way to Spain, and that the local Jewish community was organizing many programs for kids and adults, with support of the World Union for Progressive Judaism’s Ukraine Crisis Fund. Dedicated volunteers and coordinators were working very hard to create special summer experiences for these children displaced by war, and they really needed help.

Samuel Farbman and I boarded a flight to Barcelona – we were there for a week, to support the local Jewish community and the refugees in any way we could. We brought some supplies -mostly electronics that are cheaper in the US. We bought additional supplies there, thanks to the continued generosity of so many TE members and friends. As many of you saw, I tried to post brief reports of our experiences while we were there, and am reproducing some of those notes here as a summary. The 9th of Av fell right in the middle of our trip – we were so grateful for this opportunity to do something meaningful, helping to heal the world, and our people.

Stories, powerful stories… I met with a group of refugees who were sharing some of their journeys of the past 5 months, of their lives before and since the war, of travel for leisure and of running to safety… The human resilience that comes through the trauma, the humor and wisdom and an overwhelming sense of loss. Tears and laughter… We helped with shopping (including getting a cake for one of the volunteers who celebrated her birthday), sang some songs with kids, and met with a few families. I gave a talk about the upcoming 9th of Av and led Shabbat services (in Russian, simultaneously translated into Spanish by an amazing local coordinator, with readings in Spanish, Catalan, Russian and of course Hebrew). Sam helped set up all the computers we brought, played (and cooked pizza) with kids (all of whom demanded to know if he would stay with them permanently), and was answering a myriad of questions that kids and adults had for him all day. Shabbat was all (well, mostly) about teens. It was beautiful and amazing – and perhaps the toughest so far… They giggled and were all age-appropriate while they introduced themselves – many have begun to form friendships; some only met for the first time, traveling from multiple towns around Barcelona just for the chance to be with other teens. And then I asked them about the last 5 months – the depth of their experiences, which they are altogether too young for, and the way they chose to speak about it left me sitting quietly and holding my breath for a while. I spoke to them about Tisha B’Av and the pain our people have carried for thousands of years, while finding the strength to build our lives with optimism, and laugh, and have joy. A most powerful experience indeed. Sam got to talk to them about education in America, a subject that was very much interesting, and fielded a ton of questions.

With our help the leaders organized a boat trip for the teens – they have been dying to do something special and fun, and we were so excited to help make it happen! Later on, Sam got a chance to produce the largest bill in his life by treating everyone to some food. The teens spent the day together, and for most of the time, it felt almost normal. This may not have been the most traditional start to the 9th of Av, but it was one of the most meaningful ones we have ever experienced.

The next two days were quite busy: together with a group of refugees, we toured the old Barcelona and the old Jewish quarter – it was a little surreal to talk about Spanish Jewish history on the exact day Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand signed the Edict of Expulsion of the Jews from Spain; not to mention seeing the stones from the Jewish cemetery used in the construction of the Royal palace. Happily, though, signs of support for Ukrainian refugees were everywhere – banners, posters and Ukrainian flags. Then, back to the synagogue (and air conditioning) for a chance to talk with Sam about education in America (which continued to draw lots of questions!), followed by a self-organized trip of the ‘travel club’ to the botanical gardens, led by one of the young refugees (a student of botany), who showed us some fascinating plants! Then we transferred to Pineda, a small seaside town where many of the refugee families have been living for many months now. We spent the day with the kids – on the beach, and in the park, and I also met with a number of people who wanted to talk one-on-one. Later that evening, Sam joined a group of teens, and I gathered with a group of grown-ups, talking about life, war, politics, and everything in-between while sitting in a circle on the local beach. It was a little surreal to be surrounded by thousands of people in a seaside vacation town – it’s easy to think that all these families are also here on vacation, except that of course they are NOT – they are trying to figure out the rest of their lives. So many of them were well established, with comfortable lives, businesses, plans and dreams that most certainly did not involve even the idea of having to leave their entire lives behind, but now most of them feel they have no choice but to make that choice (even as they hope they can get back).

Back in Barcelona, Sam was immediately absorbed by a gaggle of kids, while I met with the local coordinator who has been pouring her heart and soul into creating the infrastructure of support for this community of displaced people – a yeoman’s job. Later, a group of a dozen coordinators, psychologists and supporters came together – sharing their plans, and asking both of us for advice and support. They were MAGNIFICENT. We were both in awe of their creativity and resourcefulness. We got to treat them to some afternoon sushi while they worked, a well-deserved symbolic offering (which apparently was just what the doctor ordered). The day continued with more conversations, too many to count at this point, but all so clearly needed. The next day we packed our bags and came back for a final few hours with the kids (who have all decided that Sam needs to have lots more holiday time and come spend it with them!), and a few final projects/conversations/meetings, before hopping in a taxi.

We couldn’t wait to be home, and yet we knew we cannot fully disconnect from this amazing community. Our trip came to an end, but the stories will continue to reverberate in our minds and our hearts.

A few years ago, while sorting through some of the archives of Temple Emanuel, and marveling at some of the history (including terrific photos and a collection of the old Shofar editions, going all the way back to typed-up pages from 1966), I flipped to one of the first issues — December 1969  — and found a message from then-President, Paul Levine:

“Last year after considerable, careful thought we put out a mini-leaflet which we feel is true to the spirit of our congregation. In it we described ourselves as “… a new temple for creative judaism”. It was no accident that “temple emanuel” and its description appeared in lower case letters. This device signified to us that the institution was no more important than its congregants… An institution such as ours must serve the needs of its members. But the rabbi, officers and board are not all-wise in guessing the needs of the members. Realizing this, last summer Rabbi Winer, together with an officer or board member visited nearly every congregant’s home to solicit views and ideas. Many worthwhile innovations followed. One or two ideas flopped. But if we profess to be “a new temple for creative judaism” we must continue to be willing to change where desirable. Therefore, I solicit your ideas and your help in carrying them out. Our temple is a very precious concept. Let’s care enough to have it serve us properly.”

Having stumbled upon this paragraph by accident, I have been returning to it, day after day, month after month, and pondering the legacy of our early “pioneers”. While we no longer spell Temple Emanuel’s name in lower case letters, we remain committed to the principles of “creative Judaism”, and especially to our identity as a community, rather than an institution. We remain governed by committed lay leaders who do not presume to be all-knowing, and continuously encourage ALL members to share their vision, as well as their energy, in making TE the kind of a community we all need it to be.

The last two years of living through a pandemic has reminded us all of the importance of this pioneering spirit of TE’s founding members. We had to learn “new tricks” as we all adapted to services, religious school, education and even social gatherings online. With vision and foresight, we were also able to continue our efforts to expand our building and upgrade our lobby and kiddush lounge into much more welcoming spaces, preparing us for the joy of re-entering our building once again. We were (and remain) creative, even as we work hard to preserve the essence of our community: a welcoming Jewish space where everyone gets to explore their own Jewish journeys. A place to educate the next generation of Jewish children. A synagogue. A place to belong.

As we enter the year 2022, we get a chance to celebrate a milestone that most of our founding members likely could not have imagined – the 60^th anniversary of Temple Emanuel! We will celebrate this year with an amazing treat – a visit from one of the most inspiring composers of contemporary Jewish music, Noah Aronson (make sure to save April 2 as the date of our next Shir Magic concert)! We will have a family and religious school celebration of our 60^th on May 15^th, and the celebrations will culminate, God willing, with a Gala on October 29^th. I can’t wait to celebrate this exciting milestone with you all!