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 and came away enriched from the experience. A
huge thank you, of course, goes to our guest Cantor, Scott
Simon. He did incredible work and put together some
wonderful services!
All of the above-listed events had record attendance and
participation, with almost 100 people attending our
Break-the-Fast celebration. It wasn’t that long ago that we were
struggling to get a Minyan together for Shabbat Services, and I
am ecstatic about the strength and health of our community
For the holidays as well as our consistent events, enormous thanks
must go out to a few key people. Susan Abelkop, Peggy Buchman, Brian Hendrickson,
Rex and Alane Russell, and the entire Sisterhood group have gone to
enormous lengths to make our events successful. When you see them, please
give them a hug and a sincere “thank you.” They deserve it!
My focus for the rest of this year is to strengthen our existing programming,
institute some new initiatives, and increase our membership. If you know any Jewish
family in the area who is unaffiliated, or has left the synagogue for whatever
reason, please send me their contact information. I’m happy to be in touch with
them, invite them to our events, and make them feel welcome.
I said it in my Yom Kippur sermon, but I want to reiterate that everybody
has a home at B’nai Israel. If you are feeling conflicted, have questions, or
want to explore the often- contradictory ideas that exist in Judaism, I am
happy to be your thought partner. It is possible that I won’t have the answers
to your questions right away, but I’m happy to help you work through them.
Nothing could be more Jewish than exploring these problems together.
Thank you, and Shavuah Tov!
Elliott McCarthy
Spiritual Leader