CHANGE
For most of us the thought of change in our lives makes us very uncomfortable.
We like the comfort of that old pair of shoes. There’s no need to change the routine that is so familiar and safe. As the saying goes: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Unfortunately, G-d never meant our lives to stay in one place and be stagnant. Infants grow into childhood and children grow into young adults. In the course of our life cycle we become parents and grandparents.
The same can be said of Temple life. An example of this is the change that has taken place in our Shabbat worship. On Friday, April 11th as we honored our teachers, we also experienced a different kind of service. The evening began with a Shabbat dinner where the fruits of our La’atid endeavors came to pass. Some of our children made chicken soup and others treated us to another delicacy. Students produced a slide show about their relationship to Israel through their own experiences. This was just the beginning.
Jennifer McCann, our cantor for that evening, joined with Rebecca Chaimovitch to provide a variety of stirring and spiritual musical moments. Students participated in several different ways, from singing to instrumental accompaniment. We spanned the ages, from our kindergartners through our older students and to our teachers and adult congregants.
Our teachers were honored with a special blessing from the Rabbi. Our principal Sue Weinman presented the Teacher of the Year Award. This Shabbat service was so well attended that we actually needed to bring additional chairs into the sanctuary. Most of all, we came together as a whole Temple Beth Hillel family, spanning the generations.
This beautiful Shabbat was the result of much work, planning and cooperation. From our La’atid coordinators, to the Jewish Federation facilitators, our Board of Directors, our teachers and our committee we were able to create this memorable worship service. This is a good beginning. Now we need you to get involved as well. Think of what we can do in the future with all of us working together. Try us…… you will like the change!
Stanley J. Goldberg, President
