Synagogue Updates

When I worked for Hillel, I was fortunate to have a Coach for a year as a part of my professional development plan. Flash forward a dozen years or so and this coach is publishing a book this month, and I am on the preview team. It is said that a good Rabbi can apply the weekly Torah portion to any situation (and Rabbi Cooper often does); I believe that the same can done by leaders with the lessons found in leadership books.

This book has been great to read during the current situation. it focuses on how leaders and organizations need to turn off the automatic pilot and to focus with intentionality on the opportunities that exist in your present moment and that can be created to impact the future. Last week, I wrote about gratitude and blessings. Brachot/blessings is one of Judaism's way of turning off our automatic pilot. Thank you to those that sent me in some of the things that they were grateful for. The responses ranged from watching beautiful birds visiting the yard, to having the opportunity to spend more quality time with family, to having a moment of peace at services.

The pandemic has been awful in so many ways, but there is no doubt in my mind that it has created opportunities for us to refocus on what is important for our services and our community and not just to do the status quo. This is exactly what we have been trying to do this summer with our High Holiday experiences. Our full High Holiday communication will be coming out shortly. We have been actively watching the current situation, and have wanted to hold off on final decisions so that we can do so with the most up to date information. I can share right now that I am excited for the upcoming few months. Our High Holiday experiences will begin in Elul (Rosh Hodesh Elul is on Wednesday night, August 19th) We will once again be doing our Elul Reflections communications pieces - if you have something that you would like to share with the community about how you are preparing for the High Holidays in a different way this year, please drop it in a note to me, we would love to hear it. The High Holidays, including Sukkot and Simchat Torah, will be creative, designed to appeal to different ages and demographics, and will be focused on the safety of our community as well as the importance of feeling a part of a community. Without giving too much away just yet, there will be a strong virtual component to all of the services, there will be multiple service options, opportunities for small communal gatherings at the synagogue, creeks and at home, there will be time scheduled to say personal blessings in front of the ark, and there will be shofar blowing, oh so much shofar blowing. All of this will be in a complete email that will go out to the congregation before the start of Elul. 

This Friday night, we will be hosting our first outdoor, on site, Friday night service. The service will still be streamed. Space is limited and RSVP to me is required. We are excited to come together to celebrate Shabbat.

Only three weeks left to participate in our Challah initiative. People have loved the opportunity to connect with one another over challah and to enhance the celebration of Shabbat. Sign up to either bake or receive a challah here: https://www.tbhbe.org/form/challah.html

I hope you have a great week! I am excited to be back to the office and we have a lot of work to do to prepare for the fall and the start of the school and the holidays.

Ken
513 503 9559

p.s. I purposefully didn't put in the author/book title above. I am happy to share that book (and two other books being published this month by friends), but only for those that request it and not in a general synagogue email :)