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A Message From Elliott McCarthy

Greetings B’nai Israel Community, October was a very busy month! With Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah, it has been a very busy Season of Celebration. I am honored beyond measure to have been able to lead our congregation through this festive time. Hopefully everybody who participated had a wonderful experience […]

Thoughts on Helene and Our High Holiday Season

Generations of scholars and philosophers have tried to understand the Akeda, the Torah portion describing the binding of Issac, which we read on Rosh Hashanah. Perhaps the reason why they have found it so intriguing is that no one really knows the entirety of the story, just what the author tells us, which is a […]

The Sisterhood Annual Bake Sale!

Thursday, November 7th from 8:00 a.m – 2:00 p.m. Address: Temple B’nai Israel, 146 Heywood Avenue, Spartanburg, S.C. 29302 We look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones!

Congratulations to our Bat Mitzvah!

A special thank you to our spiritual leader Elliott McCarthy, her family, and all in our congregation who guided our Bat Mitzvah girl.  She was simply brilliant in her accomplishment.  We welcome her to being a fully participating member of our congregation.  

Celebrate Sukkot!

Setting up the Sukkah with our Friends! Sukkot is an annual tradition where Jews build a temporary structure. We then pray, eat, and even sleep it the Sukkah! Shaking the Lulav and Etrog with our kiddos!

Simchat Torah Celebration!

Simchat Torah was a blast! Thank you to everyone who came out and had a great time with us! Pictures from our Simchat Torah Celebration! Simchat Torah is the annual celebration and re-rolling of the Torah. Traditionally, Jews take the torahs out, dance with them, sing, eat, drink, and generally exude happiness. It is also […]

From the Union For Reform Judaism / Reform Movement

For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard

For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard jemerman

Death and Mourning
star of david starry lights
As we head into the holiday season, I am acutely aware of how much different this year is going to be than previous ones. I will be celebrating without my mom for the first time. My mother died in January 2021, and I'm still dealing with the unexpected waves of grief that wash over me, sometimes out of nowhere. As I head into this first winter holiday season without her, I'm not quite sure I know what to expect, other than everything is going to be very different.

The Cost of Free Land

The Cost of Free Land jemerman

Native American issues
The author's Great-Great-Uncle Louie Sinykin posing with men in Dakota garb in South Dakota's Black Hills. Date unknown.
When I was a child growing up in the 1980s, the story I learned about Thanksgiving followed the classic script: it highlighted amity between the Pilgrims and their Indigenous neighbors. Due to this connection, the hunger of the European settlers was met with squash and turkey.

Ten Things We Say When We Talk About Antisemitism

Ten Things We Say When We Talk About Antisemitism sdolgov

Antisemitism and Hate Crimes
star of david
URJ leaders have had thousands of conversations about antisemitism over the past years, especially after October 7th. The following list summarizes the ideas that arise most often in these discussions.

Putting the “Serve” Back in "Deserve"

Putting the “Serve” Back in "Deserve" sdolgov

Photo of a group of war veterans
As the Jewish community grapples with fears of our eroding security in post-10/7 America, nobody wants to consider the question of whether we have enjoyed that security up to this point by right or by debt.

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