Reaching Out to Newtown

Reaching Out to Newtown

On December 14, 2012 a troubled youth, Adam Lanza, fatally shot twenty children and six adult staff members in a mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the village of Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut. Following that horrific event many of us felt lost and without hope. Our core beliefs were shaken; we had seen the destruction of innocence and had come to learn that evil possesses no boundary. Shortly after the horrendous tragedy in Newtown a congregant, Louise Stoll, approached me and asked what we as a congregation could do on behalf of the Newtown community.  

Noah Pozner was the youngest victim of the massacre. Noah was a Jew and his family a member of Adath Israel, the Conservative congregation in Newtown. I shared with Louise that it might be nice to reach out to his congregation in some meaningful way. Perhaps we, as a community, could sponsor an Oneg or Kiddish following a Sabbath service thus demonstrating that even at this dark moment they were not alone.  

Congregation Adath Israel was very moved by our offer and shared, to my surprise and disappointment that no other congregation had made an effort to reach out.  Here is the Congregation’s response to our offer:

“We are in the midst of arranging a program for Sunday May 5th following which we would like to provide a reception.  I was thinking that perhaps Temple Sinai might like to sponsor that reception rather than an ordinary Oneg.  The program on the 5th is related to the events in town following the December 14 shooting and might even be of interest to you and/or some of your congregants.  The invited speakers are Rabbi Seth and Sherri Mandell.  I don't know if you are familiar with them or their story.  They lived in CT for a time, and moved to Israel in 1996.  They run the Koby Mandell Foundation, named for their 13 year old son who was murdered in Israel in 2001.  Their foundation provides therapeutic programs for families who are victims of terror, and summer camp experiences for bereaved and traumatized children.  They will be speaking on the general topics of a Jewish response to surviving terror, trauma and tragedy, recovery, resiliency, and how to care for the families of our town.  I am currently finalizing the program.  But I do think this would be a wonderful way for your congregation to show its support of our congregation and of our greater Newtown community.  And we'd of course be thrilled if any of you were able to attend this program.”

After speaking with leadership I heartily accepted their request. The cost of the reception is $300. If you would like to contribute we would be most grateful. Additionally members of Temple are warmly encouraged to attend.

Reaching out to those in need feels very good.

Some years ago I needed to get in touch with a colleague in New York
City. At the time this colleague was working in a rather large congregation in the city. When I called I was taken aback when the phone was not answered by a human being rather an electronic switchboard. It was the kind of electronic switchboard that required you to go to a directory if you didn’t know your party’s extension which of course I didn’t. I then dialed the extension. The extension rang and rang and rang that is until I got the voice mail of my colleague’s secretary asking me to leave a message which I did. I got off the phone and thought I’m so glad I don’t work in that congregation.

I know electronic switchboards save money. I know that they also enable more work to be accomplished. However there are certain enterprises (doctors’ offices, police and fire stations and most assuredly synagogues) that should never adopt their use even for the most principled reasons.

I believe in the power of first impressions. So then what is the first impression a person gets when he/she calls a synagogue and hears an electronic voice? A cold institution, a place where people are not well received, a synagogue that heralds expediency over human contact? When a person calls a synagogue there should be a warm receptive human voice answering that call.

Our world is cold and insensitive enough. Things often are given more importance than people. It’s nice to know that synagogue can be warm and sensitive. It’s nice to know that in synagogue people are always valued more than things. It’s nice to know that whenever you call us here at Temple we will embrace you with a warm and friendly “hello.”

A Wonderful Weekend

Shalom. What a wonderful weekend we had at Temple. First we celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of Chelsea Wright. Chelsea did a wonderful job leading the congregation in worship. She made us all very proud.

Additionally over the course of this past weekend we welcomed our Scholar in Residence, Rabbi Michael Cook. Rabbi Cook spoke four times, first to area clergy (21 attended), then after Sabbath eve worship, next for our Aleinu series Saturday evening and finally on Sunday morning during a catered breakfast. By the way the breakfast was delicious. Rachel Jacobs of Kosher Vermont put out a fantastic array of food.

Yesterday I received a warm note from Roddy O’Neil Cleary, retired minister from Burlington’s Unitarian Church. I share her note with you.

Dear Jim, Thank you for providing such a rich and rare opportunity! Rabbi Michael Cook could not have been a greater gift to the community. I have met and heard many gifted Jewish teachers over the years among them Abraham Heschel and Mark Tannenbaum. I do believe that Cook was the most charismatic…

And your congregation was so warm and welcoming to me on Sunday morning. I told my friends that I chose to go to Temple instead of church on Sunday! I think Jesus would have been pleased. I’m happy to be your neighborhood. Yours, Roddy

Many thanks to those who helped make this weekend a great success, particularly those members of the Membership and Marketing and Spiritual committees. And a special thanks to the late Dr. Martin Wennar whose generosity made this wonderful weekend possible.

In Peace, Rabbi James Scott Glazier

Thank You For Your Patience

Dear Friends, for some time communications from Temple have come via the internet (weekly updates, emails and our web-site).  The Shofar has been incorporated into the weekly update and “click throughs” within the update transport us to the appropriate page in the congregational web-site.  Initially some people were put off by the change from paper mailings to electronic ones.  However due to the enormous expense associated with paper mailings the Temple Board decided electronic mailings would be the general means of communicating information to the congregation. Change is never easy yet I am pleased to share that over the course of the past year more and more of our congregants have embraced electronic communications.  Readership has increased by fifty percent and “click throughs” have increased by thirty percent.  This acceptance of our financial reality is heartening and for that I am grateful.  For those members who are not equipped to receive electronic mailings the Temple Office is ready to forward hard copies. More than the financial benefit to Temple is the environmental benefit. Reams and reams of paper are being saved.  A sixteen page newsletter sent to 350 homes twelve times a year constitutes 33,600 sheets of paper or 67.5 reams (more paper than the Temple office uses in an entire year).  This is something we can certainly be proud of. I know change can often be uncomfortable and that change for change sake is often done with little forethought. Yet much thought went into this decision and much benefit has already been forthcoming as a result. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Your thoughts and responses are always welcomed and appreciated.

In Peace, Rabbi James S. Glazier

Mattan Klein Jazz Flute Ensemble To Play at Temple Sinai

The Mattan Klein Jazz Flute Ensemble To Play at Temple Sinai

 

 

 

 

 

November 19th at 7:30pm

Coffee & Dessert to follow.
Tickets: $18 (RSVP Now)

The 4 Flute Flight ensemble was established in early 2009, and combines 4 unique flute voices with an energetic acoustic rhythm section to produce one of the freshest World-Jazz combos performing worldwide today. Brazilian music is fused with Jazz, Middle Eastern and 70's fusion elements and they are all present in this one-of-a-kind musical mix, bringing the sounds of flute to new heights, and providing a new definition to the sonorities and acoustic possibilities known to the world of flute and World Music.

Flute lovers are in for a surprisingly fresh and exciting new approach to flute ensemble work, backed by a solid and powerful, yet extremely knowledgeable rhythm section which provides a smooth runway to accelerate upon and soar into the open spaces for a magical flight to exotic and exhilarating destinations around the world and beyond.

RSVP Now
Visit their website
Watch a video

Sponsored by the Paul & Anne Brock Fund

Mattan Klein Jazz Flute Ensemble To Play at Temple Sinai

The Mattan Klein Jazz Flute Ensemble To Play at Temple Sinai November 19th  

SAVE THE DATE

The 4 Flute Flight ensemble was established in early 2009, and combines 4 unique flute voices with an energetic acoustic rhythm section to produce one of the freshest World-Jazz combos performing worldwide today. Brazilian music is fused with Jazz, Middle Eastern and 70's fusion elements and they are all present in this one-of-a-kind musical mix, bringing the sounds of flute to new heights, and providing a new definition to the sonorities and acoustic possibilities known to the world of flute and World Music.

Flute lovers are in for a surprisingly fresh and exciting new approach to flute ensemble work, backed by a solid and powerful, yet extremely knowledgeable rhythm section which provides a smooth runway to accelerate upon and soar into the open spaces for a magical flight to exotic and exhilarating destinations around the world and beyond.

Sponsored by the Paul & Anne Brock Fund

Second Annual Hike for Hunger

On September 11^th Temple Sinai will hold its second annual Hike for Hunger. This September 11^th marks the tenth anniversary of that horrific day when thousands of innocent human beings lost their lives. It is fitting that in remembrance of precious life lost we, the members of Temple Sinai, participate in an event which has at its core the ability to affirm and perpetuate human existence.

Last year’s hike was an enormous success on many levels. First the event enabled us to bring the entire community together. 130 members of the community participated. The hike, also scheduled in September, became the kick off for the Religious School year. In Jewish tradition education for education sake is not sufficient rather education for the purpose of improving the world is the principal goal. Second, at the completion of the hike, the Temple Brotherhood sponsored a picnic/barbeque on the top of Mt. Philo. Our members took the opportunity to catch up with one another after the long summer hiatus. In the end we raised nearly four thousand dollars for the Campaign, more than we ever imagined. This was in part due to the encouragement we provided by offering two I-Pod Touches to the largest fundraisers!

Hike for Hunger has been a terrific event for our congregation and for Hunger Free Vermont. We are hopeful that this year’s event will be as successful as last year’s!