Letter from Rabbi Ross
Dear TBS Friends and Family,
Prayer Lab – Saturday, 4/1 – Preparing for Passover
This Saturday we will have a special edition of Prayer Lab. We will explore the Passover Haggadah together! It’s a perfect opportunity to prepare for your own seders! We will hold a brief discussion about the news of Israel after our session. Bagels will be served. Join us!
These sessions will be multi-access: both in-person and via zoom. All are welcome!
IMPORTANT NEWS FROM ISRAEL
The news out of Israel this week is dramatic, historic, and riveting.
SATURDAY NIGHT – The protests continued to ramp up for the 11th straight week. The Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, a Likud stalwart, indicated he would pull out of the coalition to advance the Judicial overhaul of the Supreme Court. Protesters swelled to half a million people.
SUNDAY – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister.
SUNDAY NIGHT & MONDAY – The Histadrut, the main public union in Israel, announced a general strike in Israel. The airport and trains shut down. All public offices shut down. Protests filled the streets.
MONDAY NIGHT – Netanyahu paused the legislation to overhaul the courts. The protesters earned a temporary victory. Netanyahu agreed to meet with the opposition party and hold a series of negotiations about the matters.
Democracy is at a crossroads in Israel. This week, the voice of the centrists, who filled the streets, won out over the extremists. It is not clear how this plays out.
The CCAR issued this statement about this historic moment: https://www.ccarnet.org/reform-jewish-leaders-respond-to-netanyahus-conciliation-to-delay-judicial-overhaul
Please take some time to read up on the dramatic events of the week. We have never seen a series of events unfold in Israel as we have this week. This is the time for American Jews to lean in and support these essential issues of whether Israel will remain both a democratic and Jewish nation. Here are Israel news sites I recommend:
– https://www.haaretz.com/
– https://www.timesofisrael.com/
– https://www.ynetnews.com/category/3083
To go deeper, here are English Israel-related podcasts I recommend:
– Identity/Crisis
– Promised Podcast
– For Heaven’s Sake
– Israel Policy Pod
PRAYER FOR ISRAEL
From Mishkan Tefillah:
O HEAVENLY ONE, Protector and Redeemer of Israel,
bless the State of Israel which marks the dawning of hope for all who seek peace.
Shield it beneath the wings of Your love; spread over it the canopy of Your peace;
send Your light and truth to all who lead and advise,
guiding them with Your good counsel.
Establish peace in the land and fullness of joy for all who dwell there. Amen.
MYSTICS, RATIONALISTS AND SECULARISTS: JEWISH THINKERS FROM 1920-2000 (IN-PERSON)
– Instructor(s): Michael Ross, Rabbi, Temple Beth Shalom, Hudson; Senior Jewish Educator, Hillel, Kent State University
– Location: CWRU-Siegal Lifelong Learning, Landmark Centre Building, 25700 Science Park Drive, Suite 100, Beachwood
– Date: Mondays, April 17 – May 8
– Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. ET
Jewish thinkers, leaders and philosophers have sought to understand the complex intersections between Judaism and modernity. In this class, we will explore Modern Jewish Thought through the eyes of four recent eras of Jewish thinkers: 1920s – Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig; 1930s and 1940s – Abraham Joshua Heschel and Mordecai Kaplan; 1960s and 1970s – Art Green and Reb Zalman Schachter Shalomi; and 1980s and 1990s – Rachel Adler and Judith Plaskow. Recommended readings will be provided.
April 23 Hudson Faith Community Dialogue
Sunday April 23 from 3:00 – 500 pm, Hudson Middle School, School Cafeteria, 83 N. Oviatt St., Hudson. We are looking for feedback on how Temple Beth Shalom can best serve your needs for worship, community and connection. This is the opportunity to listen and learn about how Temple Beth Shalom can better meet the needs of the greater Hudson Jewish community. We would like to have as many congregants attend, teenage to senior, active members, occasional attendees, members who left once their children became b’nai mitzvah, unaffiliated Jews in the Hudson area, those who are no longer members due to other life changes, those looking for extended ways to participate and connect.
Please RSVP by April 10th using this link:
https://forms.gle/WfwPFKMhQMMp5cjZ8
Celebration of Israel’s 75th Birthday
TBS has plans to celebrate Israel’s 75th Birthday over the course of the year during special services, religious school programs, social and educational events. Please join Rabbi Ross and Laurie Frankino in a zoom session in April to brainstorm possible theme ideas. Contact Laurie lfrankino@gmail.com to participate in this zoom meeting or if you have programming ideas you would like to present. For details: Watch this space.
URJ Teen Israel Organizing Fellowship
The URJ Teen Israel Organizing Fellowship is an immersive fellowship for high school students (ages 14-18) to deepen their learning about the society and culture of Israel and learn how to organize within their communities. By participating in the program, URJ Teen Israel Organizing Fellows can receive a $15,000 scholarship to help offset the cost of tuition at Heller High! Click here to learn more.
TBSBrotherhood meeting
Sun. 4/2, 9:00 am at TBS. We meet throughout the year in the spirit of friendship and good humor. We sponsor social events, fundraisers and building beautification projects to support and enhance the TBS community. Contact Eric Draper at ej_draper@yahoo.com.
TBSSisterhood Shabbat Service
The Sisterhood Shabbat Service is on Friday, April 21st. We are thrilled to have Rabbi Rachel Brown with us that evening! If you are a member of the Sisterhood or would like to participate in a space centering women’s voices and experiences please join us in the service by (1) reading a short text (we’ll provide) and (2) bringing something for the Oneg after. Please contact jeanrhodes16th@gmail.com if you can read/Oneg so we can plan the evening. Significant others and young people are also invited to come and be inspired!
Oneg Help Request!
We still have one Oneg opening this year; 5/19. Please consider taking this Oneg, perhaps with a friend? A detailed how-to Oneg guide will be provided. Please RSVP jeanrhodes16th@gmail.com. Thank you!
UPCOMING TBS GATHERINGS
- Sat. 4/1, Special Prayer Lab – 9:30 am – 11:30 am: – Special Prayer Lab: The Haggadah Edition! – prepare for Passover!
- Sun. 4/2, Brotherhood Meeting – 9:00 am at TBS
- Fri. 4/7, Community Seder – 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm – in-person
- Sat. 4/15 Prayer Lab: Praying for Peace – 9:30 am – 11:30 am – in-person and on zoom
- Fri. 4/21, Sisterhood Shabbat Service – 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm – in-person and on zoom
- Sun. 5/7, Brotherhood Meeting – 9:00 am at TBS