From the Board - December 2002
Building Our Future Together . . .
Rose Z. Aglieco, Capital Campaign Chair, and Joe Greenfield, Building Chair

The time has finally arrived! Our membership has voted overwhelmingly to approve the purchase of 7.52 acres on Mt. Ebo Road North (see below). There is an additional option on four to six acres on a lot adjacent to our northern property line, north of the 7.52 acres. We have successfully completed all reviews before the Town of Southeast Architectural Review Board. We have completed the Town of Southeast Planning Board reviews of environmental impact. Also, we have successfully completed the Town of Southeast Planning Board's public hearing. We are awaiting review by both the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the Putnam County Health Department. Approvals are expected momentarily. After that, the Planning Board should give us site plan approval; and then we can close on the property.

We have retained the firm of Waters, Pelton, Ostroff & Associates, Inc., to facilitate the Capital Campaign that will result in our new building on Mt. Ebo Road. This is the same firm that conducted our Feasibility Study seventeen months ago. We are beginning the campaign in what is being called “the quiet phase.” The Executive Vice-President of WPO, Richard Enslein, has begun visiting families with our President, Bruce Edleson, and Capital Campaign Chair, Rose Aglieco.

We have structured the format for our campaign cabinet. Anyone interested in volunteering to make the vision of our new home a reality, please contact Rose or Bruce via the Temple at 845 279-4585 or by e-mail -. When the phone rings, please graciously accept the phone call from our leadership. We will be enlisting support and various skill sets from many members of our Temple family. As a team, we are building our future together.

Rose Z. Aglieco, Capital Campaign Chair, and Joe Greenfield, Building Chair

RESULTS OF THE VOTE ON PURCHASE OF PROPERTY:

458 members in good standing voted
2/3 majority was needed to approve
Received 345 yes votes, 5 no votes and 3 abstentions

From the Board - November 2002
What Our Temple Means To Me
Ron Meyerson, Director-at-large

I was born to a Jewish household full of love but absolutely void of religion. I went on life's path feeling self assured and self congratulatory with each and every accomplishment. I experienced a very successful career and semi retired 9 years ago.

At that point in my life I began to question if I was solely responsible for these achievements. Forgive the Star Wars metaphor, but I began seeking the force that guided me along the course of life. The quest to determine what that force was, brought me into Judaism. I joined a Temple in New York city and eight years ago I was Bar Mitzvahed. A year and a half later we uprooted our selves and moved to Somers. Three years ago I walked into Temple Beth Elohim and my true spiritual journey began. I was soon to learn that my guiding force was God. I began to learn about the Temple, about my people, about my heritage and most importantly about my religion. With Rabbi Acrish's help I learned to read Hebrew. He also performed a ceremony and I was finally given a Hebrew name.The spiritual energies within me that were never channeled before, were awakened. I also learned that what we believe in reflects the way we behave. I learned to give of myself not just to myself. Temple Beth Elohim is more than my Sanctuary. I have new friends, a wonderful and endearing relationship with my Rabbi and a feeling of truly belonging.

And so, what does this Temple mean to me? This Temple affords me a community I never have had. An oasis in a frenzied world. A world in chaos that segregates young from old, successful from struggling, black from white and sick from healthy.

Kipling wrote “Down to Galena, or up on the throne. he travels fastest who travels alone.” I no longer travel alone. I am now a part of this community. A community bonded for human needs, not human achievements. I have a bond to this community. I t solidifies my religious doctrine into deeds that broaden my growth. It broadens my scope as a human being and as a Jew.

Somebody once wrote “That being a Jew is like walking in the wind, you are touched at all points and conscious of everything.” And touched I am by this entire congregation. I am also very touched by the honor bestowed upon me to join our Temple's board of directors.

And finally, I am also so very grateful for this opportunity to share my heart with you.

Ron Meyerson

From the Board - October 2002
Yom Kippur 5763
Bruce Edleson, President

Shalom, As some of you may know this is my last year as Temple President. It has been my honor to serve the Temple and hope I met your expectations. One of my personal goals during my tenure was to help lay the foundation for the future growth of Temple Beth Elohim. We have been blessed with a very dedicated board and committee members, who put in more time and effort than can be imagined to keep our Temple fiscally sound and on course. This year we have put in place a Long Range plan and a personnel policy, both of which will lend much of the guidance we will need as we step into the future. It is all of you who have in reality created these plans. You have told us what you want and what Temple Beth Elohim ought to be. It is your actions and your wishes which molded our every step.

We as a Temple group are called members. I do not believe we are just members of a Temple. I believe we are owners of a Temple. What's the difference? If you are a member, you attend when you wish, and there is no commitment to become part of the activities or growth of the Temple.

When you take ownership you become committed. Committed to the repairs, the day to day operations, your spiritual growth and welfare of the other ownership partners. My hope is that most of you do indeed feel like owners rather than mere members. There is a great responsibility in being an owner. In fact I became so intrigued with the difference between membership and ownership, that I asked the board who I know are owners to tell me why they take ownership in our Temple with both financial support and the giving of their time. These are some of the responses……

"Quite simply I want the Temple to be there when I or my family needs it. I feel I'm part of an organization when I participate in it, I meet more people this way….My volunteering is a way of saying thank you."

"My personal relationship with God is a two way street. A relationship has to be active for it to flourish and I need to do my part. I participate in the life of my Temple as the active part of my stake in my personal relationship with God."

"All of my life I have felt a responsibility to my Jewishness and the Jewish Community."

"My involvement has been and continues to be enriching and fulfilling and my only regret is that I do not have enough time to involve myself even further in areas which I find interesting and challenging. I am receiving far more than I could ever give."

"Being involved in Temple life has given me so much more than I have given to the Temple. I have gained good friends, good advice, support, and most of all an extended family. I have found a spiritual home where I can celebrate the joyous moments in my life and find comfort in times of sorrow. This is why I take personal ownership in Temple Beth Elohim."

"I support the Temple because it is a religious haven for me. It is a spiritual community I never knew until my joining Temple Beth Elohim. It broadens my scope as a Jew and as a human being. The spiritual energies within me that were never channeled before, were awakened when I heard Rabbi Acrish at my first service. I also regard the entire congregation as part of my family. We share a common bond in trying to perpetuate Judaism in a world hostile to our existence."

These are not the words of mere Members, these are true owners.

So where am I going with this? No doubt as you walked in you saw architectural renderings of our new Temple. For many of you this is not the first High Holy day where you have seen design layouts and said, "So where is it and when are we going to see the new Temple?"

Rather than rehashing all the trials and tribulations we have been through in looking for land. I want to tell you all that in recent weeks I have signed a contract for a seven acre parcel that has most of the approvals we will need to build. The most important approval we lack at this point is yours.

In the very near future you will be receiving a letter in the mail asking for your approval to go ahead and take ownership of the land.

As a mere member, it is a very simple vote. Sure a new Temple is a wonderful idea. Let's mark the box yes and look forward to seeing it soon.

As an owner, it is a more complex vote. Sure a new Temple is a wonderful idea, but what does it mean to us today, tomorrow and for our children and perhaps their children. When we take ownership of the new Temple it must be ours. We are the architects, the ones we hired to do the drawings are reflecting our thoughts, beliefs and desires. We, the owners create our Temple. We do not put it in someone else's hands as a member would do and say be done with it. We all have a stake in the character of Temple Beth Elohim. For without us the building is nothing more than an abandoned shell we see at the beach.

So when this letter comes to you in the mail ask yourself am I ready to invest my resources? Am I ready to invest more than I thought I would consider?

I am sure many of us remember when we bought our first home, we went into it saying I am not going to spend more than a certain amount. I can remember when I finally took ownership of my home it did indeed cost more than I had planned. So I said to myself. "It's an investment for life and I feel good about it ." We should be saying the same words when we make our decision to vote yes on the land. Without going into every financial detail, we estimate the total cost of the new Temple to be between 5-7 million dollars. This range represents how much we must raise and also reflects the differences in size and resources of our new Temple. In the near future we are going to undergo a major capital campaign, the results will determine how much we will be spending and what resources our new Temple will have, or whether we can build at all. This is not a small endeavor and we need to know if you are up to the financial challenge.

When we reflect on all of the investment decisions we have made over the last two years, I believe investing in a new Temple is by far the one that will give us the best return. It will be a house of worship and prayer where we can find solace and seek the spiritual support we need to go forward with our daily lives; it will be a house of education where we can learn along with our children the value of Tikkun Olam; it will also be a house of Jewish community and Jewish family where we can gather and create an atmosphere of extended family for all our members.

I firmly believe we cannot afford to let this opportunity pass us by if we desire a new Temple. This property without a doubt is the best piece of land we have looked at to date. It is located two miles north of our current Temple. It's a 7 acre reasonably flat buildable site equipped with sewer and utility hook ups, located between the Brewster Post Office and Putnam Ridge nursing home in the Mt. Ebo Park.

Our current timetable is to close on the property NOV/DEC. 2002, break ground late spring of 2003 and G-D willing be in our new sanctuary for High Holiday services 5765(2004). Most importantly I believe our new home will allow us greater resources to further our role as Reform Jews within our community to help make the world a better place.

To all of my friends, family, and fellow congregants, I wish you a year filled with peace, love, and good health.

Shana Tova
Bruce

From the Board - September 2002
Bruce Edleson, President

In my three years as President I have stood before you at Yom Kippur to update you on temple business, what the committees are doing, and our plans for the future. Perhaps I will save that for Yom Kippur this year too. Today I am writing because I wanted you to know how Reform Judaism and Temple Beth Elohim has influenced my life.

From a personal point of view, the Reform Movement has meant that my family may comfortably practice Judaism without the restrictions that the Conservative and Orthodox movements would impose. When I first joined our Temple we were an interfaith family. Rabbi Acrish welcomed us with open arms and a warm heart. Over time Mary (my wife) converted to Judaism while we were raising our daughter Kristi in a Jewish household. Had we been Conservative or Orthodox this would have been impossible since patrilineal descent is not recognized. Additionally the Reform movement helped to add two more Jews to the world (my wife and daughter.) So from my little world and perspective. Reform Judaism tripled the Jewish population. While I do not have global statistics showing that Reform Judaism has or can increase the world's Jewish population, I remain ignorantly optimistic that I am part of a trend. I recently became aware that Reform Judaism does not always embrace the interfaith marriage, but I believe when and where it does, e.g. Temple Beth Elohim, it serves to unite Jews and strengthen Judaism. My wife's enthusiasm about the Jewish faith caused me to become more knowledgeable about my own religion which I often took for granted. When she asked questions about the being Jewish, I felt I needed to know the answers so I tried to pick up where I left off shortly after I was a Bar Mitzvah. As a result, we both learned together, and I felt more associated with Judaism and other Jews than I had felt in my life.

I also know that my family is not alone in expressing these sentiments. I have heard similar stories from other congregants. We do indeed have something special at Temple Beth Elohim, which seems to transcend Reform Judaism. One philosophy we embrace which I believe makes us who we are is the element of inclusion and oneness. As I was writing this I happened upon an article by Arthur Hertzberg in the current edition of Reform Judaism which reflects this very idea.

“ In the Bible, Ruth, the first convert to Judaism, did not say to Naomi “I accept your theology” she said, “Your people are my people. Wherever you go I shall go.” She accepted being part of Jewish destiny. The convert becomes part of our history, stands on our side of the barricade. If we forget the concept of avarim zeh bazeh - every Jew is responsible for the other - we will become a fragmented, self-indulgent sect.”

It is my hope that all of us at Temple Beth Elohim feel united to each other in some way, and that we continue to grow in size and spirit. I look forward to seeing all of you this upcoming New Year.

From the Board - July/August 2002
Ava Saperstein, Financial Secretary; Ritual Committee, Chairperson

This past weekend we celebrated Memorial Day. Most of us went to barbecues, some of us had a short vacation, others shopped. Some people, possibly the minority, went to Memorial Day parades or services for our men and women who had died in the service of their country.

I spent the weekend with family and friends, went to a barbecue and shopped. I gave little thought to the meaning of the holiday. Having to write this article and needing a topic I began to reflect on the meaning of memorializing our dead and found parallels in Judaism to this “American Memorial Day” and to our own practices in memorializing our dead.

My father was a veteran. He was very active in the Jewish War Veterans. As a child, I can remember Memorial Day as a day when my father marched in a parade and put flags on the graves of fallen comrades. I marched proudly with my father as a child and as I matured, I no longer participated in this tradition that was very important to him. My father died in 1999. I began the rituals associated with the death of a parent with sitting Shiva. I attended services every Friday night for 11 months to say Kaddish and began attending Yizkor (Memorial Services) four times a years: Yom Kippur, Atzeret-Simchat Torah, Passover and Shavout. I noticed the crowd on Yom Kippur at Yizkor services. As Jews we continue to pay homage to our dead once a year. For some the High Holy Days are the only time they attend services during the entire year. When I attended my first non-Yom Kippur Yizkor service there were about seven people in attendance. Most of those attending were older members of the congregation who had not forgotten the meaning of memorializing and paying honor to their loved ones.

It gives me great comfort to come to Synagogue on those occasions and honor my father's memory, as it must have given my father comfort to honor our military dead on Memorial Day. There is a beautiful prayer in the memorial service that I would like to share with you which for me reflects the purpose of the Yizkor service and the meaning of the ritual:

In the rising of the sun and in its going down, we remember them.
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter, we remember them.
In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring, we remember them.
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer, we remember them.
In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn, we remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart, we remember them.
When we have joys we yearn to share, we remember them.
As long as we live, they too shall live,
for they are now a part of us, as we remember them.

I encourage you not to forget the meaning of our memorial days and make an effort to attend our Yizkor services as it is written in our prayerbook, “Can a people disappear and be annihilated so long as a child remembers its parents?”

B'Shalom,
Ava

From the Board - June 2002
Iris Niwinsky, Corresponding Secretary

This past Friday, I was taking a walk by myself in my neighborhood. It was a sunny, cloudless afternoon. The birds were singing and I was enjoying the beauty of nature. My children were at home playing with their friends. As I was walking, I thought about how lucky I was to be out by myself while the people of Israel were afraid to go to the supermarket. While I was listening to chirping birds, they are listening to gunfire and fearing the sounds of bombs exploding.

Throughout these past months of terror in Israel, I have been feeling the need to do something. I am not brave enough to visit. I applaud those who are. Still I am trying in my own small ways to support Israel, both concretely and spiritually. I followed through on the Temple's suggested letter writing, and even with my uncooperative computer managed to send letters to my State Senators. I am trying to buy products that are made in Israel. I have sent a contribution to the UJA Israel Relief Fund. It was important to my family and me to attend the Somers Holocaust Commission Ceremony that was held last month. There is a strength in gathering together as a group in prayer. I try every morning after I walk my son to the bus, to say the Shema and pray for peace in Israel. I have been attending healing services once a month in southern Westchester where we sing along with Debbie Friedman and pray for the victims of terror and for Israel.

When I was younger, I never paid much attention to politics or the greater world picture. I was very happy to function in my own little world, absorbed with the needs of my family and friends. I am starting to learn now that even small gestures can make a difference in the world. We have made many technological advances in our society but unfortunately we have not made many advances in our treatment of each other as one human being to another.

I believe that when we come together as a Temple family and pray on Friday nights, march as a group during the Israel Day Parade or learn together at Sunday School or Hebrew classes we are sending goodness out into the universe and somehow we are making a difference.

Shalom.

From the Board - May 2002
by Joe Greenfield, Immediate Past President; Chairman, Building Committee

Ruminations On A Number Of Topics

It is my turn to write an article for the Menorah and Web site. I've had three months to think about the topic(s). Here it is Wednesday evening, 11:58 pm, and I'm now getting down to writing this. Talk about procrastination! (If I don't finish this in the next two minutes I'll be officially late for the Menorah deadline. I hope the editors will not be too harsh with me.)

Bat Mitzvah - Last month, my family celebrated our youngest child becoming a Bat Mitzvah. I am still filled with awe when I think about the ceremony. Rabbi Acrish, Robin and Richard manage to make each ceremony special, beautiful, and meaningful. Rabbi's explanations of the history of the Torah from which the Bar/Bat Mitzvah reads, and his kind words about our daughter made for a truly spiritual and moving morning. If you haven't been to a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at our Temple, find the time to do so. You'll find it ever so much more meaningful than my words describe.

Israel - I'm not as politically savvy as some others, but as Rabbi Acrish stated two nights ago at our Temple Board of Directors meeting, the situation in Israel is frightening and depressing. I fear the Europeans getting involved in brokering a peace deal; they have been overwhelmingly pro-Arab and anti-Israel for too long. The latest poll of Americans showed that although the average American still feels sympathetic towards Israel, the number has dropped from 58% down to 42%. I don't understand how it's okay for us to destroy an entire ruling power in Afghanistan in retaliation for the terrorist plot on Sept. 11th, but it is not okay for Israel to go after terrorists in Gaza, Bethlehem, the West Bank, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm a staunch supporter of our Country's war against terrorism, but if the United States had endured the same terrorist plots that Israel has endured for the past 8 years, we would have wiped out the Palestinians terrorists by now as we did the Taliban. How can our leaders be calling for Israel to pull back? I implore everyone to write or e-mail President Bush and your Congressional representatives and ask them to support Israel's war on terrorism.

New Building - Can't say much at this time. Our lawyer is negotiating with the seller's lawyer. As soon as is legally prudent, the Building Committee will send out a written explanation to each of you to explain where we are at this point.

Men's Club 9th Annual Comedy Night - I am looking forward with gleeful anticipation to Saturday evening, May 18th. Three solid hours of laughter, good (and bad) jokes, professional comedians, and a scrumptious dinner. Simply the best evening of the year for having a good time with friends.

Shalom.

From the Board - April 2002
by Marshall D. Glen, Parliamentarian

Our Jewish Heritage

Marilynn & I had the opportunity to do a Jewish Heritage Tour on the Island of Curacao. It gave us the opportunity to learn a bit more about our Jewish Heritage. We are all aware of our Jewish Heritage. Our Parents, Grandparents, and Great Grandparents came to this country mostly from Eastern and Western Europe, but some from Spain Portugal and Northern Africa and perhaps other parts of the world. We, as Americans, believe that Jewish freedom started here in North America. Not so, as we discovered only a few weeks ago.

One of the first Jewish settlers in the new world was Samuel Cohen, who arrived as an interpreter with the Dutch fleet in 1634. The Dutch conquered the island of Curacao from the Spanish that year. In 1651, the first Jewish settlement in Curacao was established and in 1659 a second settlement was established. This settlement came from Amsterdam and brought the first Torah to Curacao. (That Torah is on display at the Synagogues museum.) Most of these settlers were from Spain and Portugal and had fled to Holland during the Inquisition. Holland was the one country in Europe where Jews could live in peace. At one time, the Jewish population of Curacao was over 50% of the population of the island. Today there are about 500 Jewish families living in Curacao, out of a population of about 100,000 persons. The island has a mixed population and is very protective of interpersonal relationships. In recent times, when there was a bomb threat to the Synagogue, it filled up quickly with persons of all faiths who said that an attack on the Jews was an attack on Curacao. On a recent visit our guide told us that there have been only a few isolated instances of anti-Semitism on the island.

No visit to the island should be made without a visit to Temple Mikve Israel-Emanuel. Sephardic Jews founded Temple Mikve Israel in 1651. In the 1860's a group broke away and founded Temple Emanuel, a Reform Synagogue. The two reunited in 1964 and now call themselves. Temple Mikve Israel – Emanuel. As a compromise between Sephardic Orthodoxy and the Reform, they affiliated with the Reconstructionist movement. The current building was dedicated in 1732. On entering the Synagogue, we were struck by its simplicity and beauty. One enters behind the platform constructed for the Chazzan. Directly opposite is the Ark, which was patterned after the Tabernacle, which our forefathers carried throughout the Sinai Desert. On either side are the benches for the Congregants, facing the center of the Synagogue. On the left side, behind the benches is a special section of pews, which is reserved for Directors of the Congregation. All of these are done in dark brown Mahogany, with stark white walls. There is a balcony, which was installed in 1860. The floor is covered with white sand. The sand represents the Sinai Desert as well as reminding parishioners of the sand used to cover the floors to muffle the sound in their hidden worship spots during the Inquisition.

In the neighboring state of Rhode Island is the Touro Synagogue in Newport. It was founded by members of the Curacao Congregation and is quite beautiful. If you have never visited this National Historic Monument, still a practicing Jewish Congregation, we urge you to take the trip…it is only a few hours from here and well worth the trip.

From the Board - March 2002
by Gary Lerman, Treasurer

Opinions & Observations

We all seem to appreciate occasional reminders of why we should consider ourselves fortunate. Often times these reminders are in the context of comparisons or due to an accomplishment or acquisition. For example, your problems (tzuris) may be compared to that of another person (“I consider myself fortunate compared to Joe Blowstein - He lost a fingernail trying to hammer a nail with a butter knife to hang a mezzuzah!”). Or perhaps it is when we are fortunate enough to experience an event that is considered special, like enjoying a great show, sporting event or concert (“That was great event to watch but Hynie Sleder could have won that luge race. If only his mother didn't distract him on the second turn to remind him to play nice with the other boys.”). Or (“It was a great and memorable concert but Shlomo Grepser should avoid drinking soda with his lox and bagels so soon before the show begins”).

Each of us makes observations from our experiences in many different ways (One might argue that Hynie didn't even hear his mother). Two people can observe the same activity and perceive it in a totally different manner (The Shlomo Grepser concert stunk - too many intermissions). The following observations and suggestions regarding Temple related social activities are one man's opinion and are certainly arguable. If, after reading the following observations and related suggestions, you agree with some of the points made and you have any constructive ideas, please contact me so that we can begin a dialogue and possibly further the cause.

Temple Beth Elohim has two vibrant affiliated groups (Men's Club and Sisterhood) that have, in the past, been responsible for, among many causes, coordinating social events. I can't even imagine anyone having any difference of opinion regarding the importance of these groups to our Temple family and I do not suggest that these groups do any less than continue their tireless efforts.

However, when considering the size of the membership, social events have, in my mind, been scarcely attended and I had been thinking of ways that we can improve in that area. To that end, I have considered the notion of forming another affiliated group that would have a more specific mission and would co-exist with the Men's Club and Sisterhood.

A Temple Beth Elohim Couples Club could be populated by Temple couples and exist for the purpose of coordinating social events that would include all Temple members and possibly other Temples, Churches or community organizations. Perhaps, the inclusion of “Couples” would add to the population willing to become involved as the time spent in the planning process would include both spouses. Possibly, a Couples Club could further the part of our Temple Mission Statement which declares that we should “develop a congregational responsibility to the extended community we serve, and create an atmosphere of extended family for all our members”.

We can consider ourselves fortunate to be in a position where we can serve ourselves and, at the same time, enhance the lives of others. A Couples Club can be a vehicle and tool toward that end. While poor Joe Blowstein used a butter knife to hammer a nail, we can use it to shmear a bagel during a Couples Club meeting while we plan to achieve the goals we believe to be precious as stated in our Mission Statement.

This is simply a notion and needs your ideas and efforts to move forward in order to further the process and make this a reality. You may or may not share the views I have developed from my observations. Either way, I ask that you voice your opinions and ideas about the issues discussed above. My E-mail address, phone and fax number are listed in the Menorah.

From the Board - February 2002
by Larry Hepner, Financial Secretary and Chair, Long-Range Planning Committee

Sometimes we look back at some of the things we've said, either to ourselves or out loud, that in today's light seem extremely naive, or at least tinted with the proverbial rose colored glasses. I recall that before September, I had thought that anti-Semitism was on the decline. The September I refer to is September of 2000!

Here in the United States, we are fortunate enough to have a political system that allows for religious tolerance. In that long ago September, there was an Oslo Peace Process. There was peace between Egypt, Jordan and Israel. An election was coming up in the U.S. with a Jew running for Vice President. The economy had one of the longest expansions in history. It was easy to view anti-Semitism as past its prime, a marginal view, on the outside looking in like the Communists of the Cold War.

Then came the visit of Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem after Arafat turned down a comprehensive offer from Israel's Prime Minister Barak. What followed in Israel, and the reactions, has come as a sobering experience. With Arafat's war, the Arab world turned up the rhetoric against Israel and the Jews. Or maybe I was paying more attention. With the new President, came a new State Department. The message was moral equivalence for the “spiral of violence” between the parties that favored the aggressor in the Israeli – Palestinian conflict. I guess I was paying more attention. The European Union clearly favored Arafat's cause. Egypt, our “ally” kept up a steady flow of anti-Semitic propaganda. My attention was focused now. In August of 2001, the U.N. Conference on Racism in Durban was true to the billing. The primary thrust was the Arab countries displaying the ultimate in racism by condemning the Jewish State of Israel as being racist. Needless to say that less than three weeks later, the United States was attacked by Islamic terrorists, an attack that we will never forget.

Those are the big issues. Even the little ones need to be remembered. Those who refer to “you people” to set us Jews apart. It is quite unsettling to see so much progress in the areas of technology, health and science, but seemingly so little progress in quelling anti-Semitism and hatred. The current picture is not a pretty one and requires a great deal of diligence to keep up with events and to make one's voice heard.

However, in the storm tossed seas of current events, I have found an anchor to calm the swirling of concern in my mind. That anchor is Temple Beth Elohim and the congregational family. Perhaps you have found it too.

Friday nights, Shabbat Eve, is the main fluke of the anchor. It caps off a turbulent week with prayer and fellowship. Those are a couple of the main functions of the Temple, House of Prayer, House of Gathering. I have spoken to many congregants and find that those that make an effort to come to Shabbat Services on a regular basis go about the following week with a sense of peace and renewed dedication to make the most out of life in the coming week. I see Shabbat Services as anchoring my week, that mooring of calm before the next week's uncertainties come rolling in.

As for the House of Gathering, I find being at the Temple on Sundays during religious school, at a committee meeting, stopping in with the kids for a youth group function and just stopping by the office make for feeling of peace and comfort being among the Temple Family. Seeing fellow congregants and friends provides the other fluke of the anchor. It makes for gladness in the heart to laugh, debate, tell stories, share good times and bad.

The world is in need of lots of peace. But knowing that we have a place to gather as Jews for the purpose of prayer and fellowship should give us strength as we stay vigilant against the forces of hate. May Temple Beth Elohim be your anchor in some way that brings peace to your daily path.

Shalom,
Larry A. Hepner