Betsy Frank is UHC para-rabbinic fellow and president.
December is one of those months that reminds us of the power of nature’s hold on our lives.
The temperature gets colder, and the days get shorter. And who knows if we’ll get rain or snow? All these changes can lead to a bit of grumpiness.
Yet December is also a season of light. Hanukkah will soon be upon us.
In preparation for Maxine Schnitzer’s funeral, I had the opportunity to speak with Sam, her husband of 66 years.
I heard how the two met and other interesting facts about Maxine’s life, including her tenure as Sisterhood president.
Listening to Sam, I got to thinking. How many of us have passed on our stories to children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and other members of our families?
The month of Elul that began August 26 precedes the High Holy Days and begins our process of Teshuvah, or repentance.
More traditional congregations blow the shofar each morning during Elul to remind Jews of the holiness of Rosh Hashanah.
In small congregations such as ours, we prepare for the High Holy Days largely on an individual basis.
However, this year during the month of Elul, our congregation, along with a group of legacy congregations in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana, are participating in a pair of special online programs to help prepare for the High Holy Days.
We also welcome Rabbi Stanley Miles, who grew up in our congregation, to lead High Holy Days services!
As active as our congregation remained during the period of Zoom-only, and then hybrid worship, we hadn’t held a large social gathering since Purim in March 2020.
That changed April 23 with our Passover Celebration in the Vestry Room at the Temple.
More than 20 people attended in person and more attended online. As United Hebrew Congregation moves forward from the pandemic, we have learned more than ever that we can be engaged in multiple ways.