August 2009
Shalom, and welcome to an active Jewish life at Temple Emanuel!
Our theme for this year is Judaism and the Arts. We believe that the arts – including drama, literature, music, poetry and experiential arts – will excite our already active Jewish community. We have a number of musical programs for the year, among them the Jerusalem Lyric Trio, who will perform here on Saturday, November 14. On May 21, Shabbat Alive! – Jewish Folk Rock Shabbat returns with national composer and artist, Craig Taubman, and his band, as well as a large Interfaith and Gospel Community Concert on May 22. Our Global Mitzvah team is working on bringing a Latin American Choral in conjunction with its outreach to Guatemala, and our newly formed Cultural Arts Chevra is planning a wonderful series of trips to see area theater productions, as well.
A few of our Sunday morning learning opportunities include courses called Jewish Poetic Voice and Contemporary Israeli Writers, as well as a course on Jewish music. We have also invited several congregants and teachers who work in the arts to share their gifts with us. They include TV and film artist and storyteller, Pauline Steinhorn, who will lead a class called, Jewish Memoir Writing, and Nancy Kleiman, an organic artist in our Temple Emanuel Early Childhood Center, who will lead a three session workshop called Exploring Spirituality and Art.
After two extremely successful years, we have planned a unique third year of our Renewed Vision: A Jewish Cutting Edge Lecture Series, to be taught by leading professors from Washington area's top universities. Topics will range from Jewish gangsters and mobsters to the Jewish cultural life of Vienna in the 1920’s and its impact on our world.
This coming year we have special plans for many of the Jewish holidays, including a Temple-wide “Smokey Glen” Sukkot Celebration and Picnic on Sunday, October 4, and a Purim extravaganza on Friday evening, February 26, based on the music of The Fiddler on the Roof.
The Annual Thanksgiving Interfaith Service will be held this year at Temple Emanuel. Tuesday November 24, at 7:30 pm, join the choirs from our Kensington-North Chevy Chase Ministerium congregations for an evening of music, celebration, and fellowship!
We will continue to have Social Justice Shabbats, Sacred Story Shabbats, a Global Mitzvah Shabbat, a Jewish Poetry Shabbat and other programs. The Temple Emanuel Religious School and Youth Group also have many exciting programs and events planned for the year.
We have also planned a special Global Judaism Weekend, November 20 and November 22, with the founder and visionary of the World Jewish Service, Dr. Ruth Messinger, who will receive a Paul Shnitzer Award. Later that same weekend, Rabbi Maya Leibovich, Israel’s first woman rabbi, will come to us from her community overlooking Jerusalem, Mevasseret Zion.
As a synagogue, we hope to be with you and your family for the joys and occasionally the sorrows we all face. Rabbi Stone’s Heart to Heart Walks will continue, as well as a new Walk and Talk for congregants who did not grow up Jewish but want to share their own spiritual issues. It's a good way to get to know you and have some personal time to share, as well.
We are very excited about our growing Temple Emanuel Early Childhood Center and welcome its many families and their young children. If you are a family new to the Temple, we urge you to find a circle of interest and build some friendships around that circle.
We welcome your active involvement! We also urge you to take a look at our web site, templeemanuelmd.org, for the weekly calendar, upcoming events and Temple Emanuel in the news. You will find links there to Temple Emanuel on NBC's Today Show and Grist Journal on our work on Judaism and the Environment.
We have excellent Temple board leadership, with Joan Lorber entering her second year as President of the Board of Trustees. Kudos to our professional team – Dr. Itzik Eshel, Director of Education; Madeline Gold, Director, Early Childhood Center; and Susan Neiman, Executive Director. Thanks, as well, to our supportive and hard-working staff of Diane Raphael, Muriel Cohen, Mary Florian, Amy Turim, Merv Husbands, and Roberto Martinez.
Our vision at Temple Emanuel is to fully engage our diverse families and circles in an active Jewish life. We hope this synagogue serves as a bridge to your homes and look forward to a year of Judaism and the Arts.
Rabbi Warren G. Stone
Cantor Rosalie Boxt
