Hello all.
What a beautiful day! It seems like so long since we have seen the sun around here! I hope everyone is able to get out and enjoy it even if just a little! It’s hard to believe the High Holidays start next week – where has this year gone? May we all have a sweet year ahead!
An Afternoon with Mystery Author Debra H. Goldstein – this Sunday
This Sunday is our long-awaited book talk and signing by Jewish author Debra Goldstein from Birmingham, Alabama. This event will be hosted jointly by Temple B’nai Israel and the Florence Public Library and will be held on Sunday, September 17, 2017 at 2 pm at the Library. The Temple will host light refreshments following the book talk at the Library. I really hope we have a good turn out from our congregation!
To give you a little background: Debra Goldstein is a former judge and litigator turned author, and she travels all over the country and throughout the South to speak at venues including Temples, Sisterhoods and other Jewish organizations about her deeply rooted connection to Judaism and how her faith and social issues find their way into her books because of her background as a civic volunteer, Holocaust survivor’s daughter and judge. She makes regular appearances at book festivals and conferences throughout the U.S.
Please help to support this event by both attending AND volunteering to bring or provide a covered tray of cookies, cheese and crackers, fruit and/or other light snacks for the refreshments following the book talk. A case of bottled water would also be very helpful! Contact Michelle Bernstein to volunteer for refreshments. Please share this invitation with anyone who might be interested!
Soup Kitchen Weekend
This is also our weekend to provide desserts for the Soup Kitchen. Please plan on helping us meet the need by either baking up a batch of whatever dessert you would like to contribute or picking something up at the store and bringing it by the Temple no later than 9:30 this Saturday morning (September 16). If you don’t have time to do either of these, finacial donations are also apprecited! Please let Fran Jacobs know if you will be bringing a dessert item to donate.
Planning for the High Holidays
Howard Zeff is looking for additional volunteers to help plan our Rosh Hashanah O’neg and our Yom Kippur Break-the-Fast. In addition, volunteers are needed to help set-up prior-to and to help clean-up following each event. AND, everyone is asked to please bring a sweet of some kind for the Erev Rosh Hashanah O’neg (on September 20) as well as a covered dish for the Break-the-Fast following Yom Kippur services (on September 30). Please reach out to Howard as soon as you can and let him know how you can help!
In addition, we will hold our Annual Food Drive during the holidays. As always, members are asked to bring in non-perishable food items to donate to the Help Center. The flyers and bags will be handed out before and after services on Rosh Hashanah.
High Holidays Schedule
Thanks to Rabbi Nancy for sharing the specific times when each of our High Holidays services will begin. If you missed it, here it is again:
- Erev Rosh Hashanah – Wednesday, September 20th – 7:00pm
- Rosh Hashanah morning service – Thursday, September 21st – 10:00am.
- Erev Yom Kippur – Friday, September 29nd – 7:00 pm
- Yom Kippur morning service – Saturday, September 30th – 10:00am
- Yom Kippur afternoon discussion – Saturday, September 30th – 3:00pm
- Yom Kippur memorial service – Saturday, September 30th – 4:00pm
- Yom Kippur concluding service – Saturday, September 30th – 5:00pm
2018 Pledges
You should have received your annual dues pledge sheet in the mail by now. While minimum amounts are listed, we are each asked to give based on our ability, with a request of 1 ½% of your Federal AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) being the targeted amount. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact me or Marty Abroms and we will be happy to discuss further. The Temple truly needs your financial support!
Donations
In addition, please remember our Temple when you make your charitable donation choices! Celebrate a loved one, mark a simcha, commemorate a Yarhzeit or other lifecycle event in happiness or in sorrow, through a donation to Temple B’nai Israel. Also, please remember Temple B’nai Israel in your will and estate plans. Such donations are an important way to ensure that the Temple will continue to serve our Jewish community with weekly services, Torah study, Jewish programming and social events. The form for making donations is available in the foyer at the Temple and will soon be available via our website.
Service Schedule
The service schedule for September throught October is as follows:
- September 15 – Rabbi Nancy
- September 20-21 – Rabbi Nancy/Rosh Hashanah
- September 22 – Rabbi Nancy/Shabbat Shuvah
- September 29-30 – Rabbi Nancy/Yom Kippur
- October 6 – Robert Adler
- October 13 – Buddy Bernstein
- October 20 – Rabbi Nancy
- October 27 – Rabbi Nancy
As always, congregants and members of the Shoals community, at large, are invited to attend the weekly Torah Study session which is held each Saturday morning at 9:30, at the Temple.
Reminder items:
- Soup Kitchen – Saturday, September 16, 9:30am – please have dessert items at the Temple by this time
- Debra Goldstein at the FLPL – Sunday, September 17, 2:00 – please contact Michelle Bernstein for volunteer opportunities
- Erwin’s book is available for purchase – see Howard Zeff to purchase your copy now!
- Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services – see schedule and requests for volunteers, above
If you are aware of something in the community that you would like me to draw some attention to in my message, please let me know! And, as always, if you have any announcements you would like for me to share with our membership, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Hope to see you all on Friday!
Shalom!
Traci Welch
