| July/August 2025
Friends, As I write this article, Rabbi Polly and I are in New York City for a Jewish Welfare Board meeting of Jewish military and VA chaplains. The conference starts tomorrow, and Polly and I are wondering how many of our colleagues may be pulled away from the conference, given the situation in the Middle East. By the time this bulletin reaches your mailbox, the situation may have dramatically changed, so bear that in mind as you continue reading. One of the distinct memories from my childhood was the 444 days American hostages were held in Iran and their release on inauguration day in 1981. As I witness the war between Israel and Iran, I recall the Islamic revolution. It is clear that this war did not begin just a few weeks ago but has been waged for most of my life. Over the years, Iran has extended its influence into Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, the West Bank, and Gaza. Iran’s hatred of Israel, Jews, and the Western World has been so intense as to cross and perhaps even erase old lines dividing Shia and Sunni Islamic states, all to gain control from the Gulf to the Mediterranean and nearly surround Israel. So, despite having serious concerns about the Netanyahu government and even greater concerns about the political upheaval in the United States, I feel a sense of relief that there has finally been a serious check to Iran’s power. My hope and prayer is that the current war ends quickly, and along with it, Iran’s decades-long proxy war. My further hope and prayer is that this war paves the way for a 23-state solution that finally brings peace to the Middle East. I want to turn to things here at home now. A few weeks ago, we held our annual meeting. Several people commented that it was our best meeting in years. There were no controversial issues to discuss, and the financial report was all good news. How did this happen? It happened because we had a leadership team focused entirely on our mission of building a vibrant community through Reform Judaism. I want to thank the entire board, Sisterhood, all who participated on committees and helped make our many programs happen, and each and every supporter of the Temple. I especially want to thank our now Past-President, Armi Rowe. Being a Temple President is hard work. It takes a lot of energy, time, thoughtfulness, and patience. Armi has been a blessing within the Temple family for many years, which makes her expert leadership as President no surprise to anyone. She will be a hard act to follow, but we have another strong President coming in with John Murphy. John will enjoy the support of another strong and focused board. We should all be filled with anticipation for the year to come. Lastly, this is our double bulletin issue for the summer months. Since it is summer, don’t forget to stay hydrated, wear a hat, sunscreen, and especially bug spray. Mosquito bites are no joke. It may be summer, but there is still a lot going on at Temple Emanu-El. A special thanks to Sherry Barnes for organizing our lay-led summer services. And big thanks to all our summer service lay-leaders. Please take note of all the summer events in this bulletin. L’Shalom, |