Dear Temple Beth Shira Family and Friends,

I am writing this to you on Thursday which is Yom HaShoah, the day that Jews have set aside to commemorate and remember those who perished in the Holocaust.

"To us, recollection is a holy act:  we sanctify the present by remembering the past.  To us Jews, the essence of faith is memory.  To believe is to remember."   (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel)

I pray that we all make a commitment to do our share to employ our gift of memory for the betterment of the Jewish people and for humanity. If we remember, but do nothing to contribute to the welfare of the Jewish community, our memory is mere self indulgence. May the souls of the Six Million inspire us to action.

Dear Temple Beth Shira Family and Friends,
 
When we last gathered for our worship service, we had just read the final chapters of the Book of Exodus. Whenever we conclude any of the Five Books of the Torah, we recite the words, Chazak!Chazak! V’nit-chazek! which means Be strong! Be strong! And let us strengthen one another!
 
We have indeed strengthened one another more than ever since we began praying together in our new home during these past several weeks. The pews have been filled. The energy has been inspirational. Our voices, joining together in songs of praise and prayer, have never been richer. At the conclusion of each service I have asked to see the hands of those who have never been with us previously, and each time many hands are held high in the air. Our congregational family is enjoying a resurgence of energy, participation and devotion. Modim anachnu Lach, We thank You, God, for all Your gifts – for our tradition, our heritage, for friendship, and for the enduring sustenance of our spiritual lives. 
 

Dear Temple Beth Shira Family and Friends,

The celebration of Purim during our erev Shabbat service last week was so much fun for everybody in attendance. Kol Shira sang with joy and enthusiasm! The cast of the Peter Pan Purim Spiel was hysterically funny and totally entertaining! Joan Kupferberg expertly carved and created our best show yet! The congregation, once again filled to capacity, loved every moment. Purim is playful and merry - but this totally delightful holiday also gives us an opportunity to learn and consider its important messages.

Dear Temple Beth Shira Family and Friends,

Shabbat Shira, (the Sabbath of Song), is celebrated each year during the week in which we read parashat Beshalach from the Book of Exodus. Beshalach commemorates the glorious and awe-inspiring event when, after the miraculous deliverance from Egyptian slavery at the Red Sea, the Children of Israel simultaneously burst forth into a song of praise to God. This Song of the Sea is perhaps the greatest poem in Biblical literature. All of the troubles that the Jews had suffered for the past two centuries were wiped away in one day. In mere moments, this dark period in Jewish history had been instantly transformed into a joyous celebration. On that warm spring morning, in an unprecedented feeling of total ecstasy, their song ascended to the heavens. A new season had begun. The time for freedom had finally come and the Children of Israel chose to show their gratitude to the Almighty through the universal language of song.