Betsy Frank is UHC para-rabbinic fellow and president.
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.
I don’t always plan which readings to include before I lead Shabbat services.
Normally, I just pick a reading at the last moment during the service. But I’m frequently amazed that the reading I pick seems so pertinent to the day.
During a recent service, right after we lit the Shabbat candles, I selected the reading at the top of Page 124 in Mishkan Tefilah.
As I read this unplanned reading, I got a lump in my throat. A beloved member of the numberless generations had just passed away — Walter Sommers.
Both Rosh Hashanah and secular New Year tradition call on us to make changes in our personal and collective behavior.
Our congregation has taken a step toward improvement by getting involved with Creation Care Partners, an Indiana interfaith organization dedicated to helping individuals and congregations ameliorate climate change.
United Hebrew Congregation will co-sponsor a virtual event at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23, as Rabbi Arthur Waskow, founder and director of The Shalom Center and a pioneer in eco-Judaism, will speak on “Confronting the Climate Crisis: Despair or Sacred Action?”
Although I am not shomer Shabbat by any means, attending Friday night services has become a part of my routine.
Dick and I either eat out or order takeout before services. We do the same for Saturday morning breakfast, following up with a visit to the Terre Haute Farmer’s Market.
When scheduled, Shabbat also includes Torah study for me. All these activities are a part of Shabbat in the Frank household.
