E-Megillah August 20, 2026

Dear TBS Friends & Family,DEAR TBS FAMILY & FRIENDS,
This Saturday we begin our Elul prep during Torah Study. We will study the High Holiday readings, and take some time for journaling. Bagels will be served. A short service will follow

ELUL PREP – a month of special gatherings
Last week we marked the new moon of Elul. We will have a month of preparation for Rosh Hashanah. We will also study High Holidays themes and have journaling sessions during both of our Torah Studies. Our preparation will culminate with a High Holiday Wine & Honey Tasting, dessert and Selichot Service Saturday 9/5 at 7pm.

MONTHLY “VOICES OF FAITH” COLUMN
Starting With Hope

The month before Rosh Hashanah, which begins on 9/11 this year, is called Elul. For many traditional Jews, this month is a month of preparation for the High Holy Days. The Jewish month of Elul began last week. This is the month of returning, reflecting and repenting.
I want to begin my “season of returning” on a hopeful, inspiring note.
Last week, I concluded my summer break with a week of teaching Jewish values at the Reconstructionist summer camp in the Pocono mountains – Camp Havaya.
Last week, we learned about Jewish speech ethics. We studied a prayer called “Elohai Netzor,” which comes at the end of our silent prayer section, called the Amidah.
The text asks us to ask for help from the Divine in guarding our speech, and refraining from lies and other forms of inappropriate speech. The campers discussed how they handle hurtful speech: bullying behaviors, gossip, slander, criticisms, speech that excludes.
The mottos of the camp are “How We Be” and “Be You Boldly” and the campers and counselors were accustomed to cultivating kindness, respect, truth, and humility in their speech.
What they learned from the prayer, is that when we can intend to guard our speech, the prayer concludes with the idea that we then learn how to become peacemakers and builders of peace.
For the older campers, the teens, we discussed the idea of creating a Jewish speech ethics for social media usage. (The teens don’t have access to their phones or devices for the 3 weeks of camp, so it’s a good time for them to reflect on its usage.)
They reflected on the nature of social media communication, and they encouraged each other to try and be intentional with their online presence. They also considered the difficulties of the social media environment: the limited words or emojis that one uses pales in comparison to in person conversation’s ability to communicate nuance. Online speech is more distant, and might feel safer, but in reality it might be easy to misinterpret communication. Online speech is often there to agitate or provoke our emotions, and it might be best to reply to these provocative situations privately, in person when possible.
As a group these campers were skilled at finding restorative strategies to hurtful speech situations.
They also embrace their role as future Jewish leaders and teachers.
As I return from camp, and begin  this season of returning, resetting, refocusing, I am encouraged by the campers honesty and dedication to kindness and respect in a world that seems frequently harsh and cruel.
Can we adults spend the next three weeks before the Jewish High Holidays guarding our speech?
Can we use our words to express respect, truth, kindness?
Can we begin to get back on track as we recenter ourselves?
Let us begin this holy work with a note of hopefulness that our children can also be our teachers.
During this season of Elul, may we take time to return to our holy communities, may we begin to reflect in our journals the ways we have succeeded and the ways we have missed the mark, and may we feel the wake up call in our souls when he hear the blast of the shofar, the ram’s horn –  asking each of us, “How can we become our best selves this year?”.

 Please join us for the Pride March          

Please join us for the Pride March August 22nd. Wear blue for TBS! Meet at the Spaghetti Warehouse parking lot in Akron or meet at Kim and Mike’s house (1416 Barlow Road, Hudson) at 8:45 AM and we can either drive together or follow down to Akron. If  you drive separately,  please text Kim when you arrive at the parking lot at 330-289-8098. That way, we can find each other. The march is half a mile. PLEASE, email me at kimstrausser@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Kim

TBSBrotherhood                                          meetings/events

TBS Brotherhood meeting!

Sunday, August 23rd, 9:00 am at TBS.
• Includes discussions of temple projects and upcoming events.

• Brotherhood Membership
The Brotherhood performs much needed projects for TBS. Even if you cannot participate in Brotherhood, PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION. This will help to complete the many TBS projects planned for 2024 – 2025. Please contact treasurer Art Busch, ascyb34@yahoo.com with any questions.
* Please Do Not pay along with your Temple dues. 

• 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. Announcements will be posted as soon as they are available!
Contact: Mike Miller at: mikemillercsi@roadrunner.com
Thank you for your support!

TBSSisterhood                                               
meetings/events

• If you enjoy the sisterhood get togethers, that is awesome! We have a fun group, and I am hoping to see it grow. Now is a good time to renew your membership and there are options for doing so. At the bottom there will be a QR code to do so, or a link to print the paper renewal.  Dues can be mailed to Robin Rosen-Sharp at 7440 Sylvan Drive, Kent, Ohio 44240. You can also pay dues at our next dinner or event.

If you are not a member yet, please check us out. We do dinners out, various other activities, fundraisers, and much laughing.  Whether you come to meetings, attend programs, help us organize and plan events, or just contribute dues, you are choosing to support Sisterhood and all we do.

A portion of our dues goes to Women of Reform Judaism in North America and WRJ Central District.  You are not only supporting the women and families of our temple, but also on a North American and Global level WRJ provides grants to fund clergy education, support our youth through NFTY and URJ camps, do advocacy work, and pay for a Legislative Assistant from the Religious Action Center. Through our affiliation with WRJ and our District we have the benefit of leadership training and education, the WRJ Speakers Bureau, and a District newsletter.  Some of the topics we can learn about are marketing, membership, programming, fundraising, and how to write a Shabbat service.  For our congregation Sisterhood helps to support our Religious School, fundraising, Sisterhood services, and a Sisterhood oneg.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me.

Aviva Lakas
(440)292-6421
workingberners@gmail.com

• SAVE THE DATE!  Sisterhood dinner at Peninsula on August 18th.  Details to follow.
Julie Lakas

• Upcoming meetings and events are currently being planned and scheduled by the Sisterhood. Announcements will be posted as soon as they are available!
Thank you for your support!

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Temple Beth Shalom
Website Notes and Links

*Receive our weekly e-newsletters!
Please email your First Name, Last Name, and Email Address  
to: hberman44236@yahoo.com

   PAST NEWSLETTERS     PW: TBSHudson  
Past e-Megillahs can be found on Media > e-Megillah Newsletters page

   CALENDAR PAGE     View upcoming services and events

   SHABBAT SERVICE     ID: 861 4959 4595, PW: shabbat 
Available when noted on the Upcoming Events schedule

   TORAH STUDY     ID: 844 3145 6155, PW: tbstorah
Saturday Prayer Essentials and Torah Study

  MAKING PRAYER REAL    The book for Saturday classes can be ordered here

   KENT HILLEL SHABBAT    Candle-lighting, Service/Community Discussion, FREE Dinner (*Registration is REQUIRED and will close each week on Thursday at 2:00pm)

   KENT HILLEL     Providing a comfortable atmosphere for socializing, studying, or connecting spiritually for students
    
Zeffy      We can now use Zeffy for Dues, Fees, and Donations.
Temple Beth Shalom does not pay a fee

  ISRAEL DONATIONS    Donations to support Israel can be made at
Cleveland Federation

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   News & Special Announcements!   

• Next Meeting
The Social Action Committee will meet on Monday, August 31 at 5:00 pm in the TBS Boardroom. All are welcome. Please text or call Eric Draper, 216-630-6075, for more information and to be added to the Social Action communication.• Akron Pride 2026 – Equity March
August 22 @ 10:00 am. TBS will be marching as a group. Please wear a blue tee shirt. See https://akronpridefestival.org/akron-pride-festival-and-equity-march/ and reach out to Kim Strausser for details.

• Hebrew Cultural Garden Clean-up
August 23, 9:00 am (weather permitting) – 1160 East Blvd., Cleveland. Help with new plantings, pulling weeds and raking leaves. There are ferns to thin around the fountain and replant them on the northern side of the hill. Rakes, clippers, and shovels will be needed. Reach out to Sheila at sailmomoh@gmail.com  to register and confirm date and time.

• eSurvey
Coming soon. Our summer survey will be arriving in your inbox. The Social Action team is committed to offering a wide variety of opportunities to give back to our community and beyond. Our goal is to be responsive to the needs and preferences of the TBS congregation. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey when it arrives to provide us guidance for future activities. Thank you!

   Ongoing Campaigns@TBS     

• Hudson Food Pantry 
TBS has stepped up to fulfill a need of the Hudson Food Pantry. Your monthly donations of laundry detergent have been truly appreciated by our neighbors in need. Let’s keep up the momentum! We are asking for three TBS families to donate 2 large detergents — liquid, powder, or pods — each for a total of 6 per month. Families can sign up for a single month or multiple months. The detergents can be dropped off at TBS when open, i.e. Friday services, Saturday study sessions, Sunday school, etc. To sign-up to help go to  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FABAF2EA3FE3-61572875-tikkun or scan the QR code:

The pantry has also made a special request for body wash, deodorant and hand sanitizer and juices. These items can also be dropped off any time during the month and there is no sign-up for these items.
For more information about the pantry, see http://www.hudsoncsa.org/food-pantry. For questions about the donation process, please contact Michelle Draper at mldraper@yahoo.com. Thank you!

• Got Sneakers?
The Social Action Committee is collecting used sneakers. Donated sneakers will be refurbished for re-use or will be sent to a recycler  who will extract as many materials as possible for reuse or sent to a waste-to-energy program. Our goal is to keep sneakers out of landfills and repair, reuse or recycle them. For sneakers in good condition, TBS receives a small amount of money to fund future Social Action causes. Please deposit your used sneakers into the bin marked as Got Sneakers in the Social Hall.

Note: athletic-wear only – no other type of shoe, boot or slipper.  Rubber cleats are acceptable, but not metal cleats.  Please deposit them attached as a pair by tying them together with the shoelaces or binding them with a rubber band. Adult and kids’ sneakers are welcome. Contact Cheryl Butensky at cheryl.butensky@gmail.com for more information.

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TBS Lending Library News!

The TBS  library is open for business. Please borrow the books of your choice.  Return them, pass them on, donate a different book back.
Thank you for your continued donations. We are in the process of adding three more bookcases so we can organize the books by subject: Biographies, Fiction, Hebrew, Israel, Holocaust, Holidays, Jewish humor, Prayers books, etc.,wrriter@yahoo.com 
All the best, Bill Riter AJL

 

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We love to share News & Announcements at TBS

Please send us your announcements, engagements, weddings, graduations, sports news, kid news, etc. to: e-megillah editor, hberman44236@yahoo.com no later than ONE WEEK PRIOR to the next issue.
Please include ‘e-megillah news‘ in the subject field.

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We are looking for Volunteers!

• Help our Temple
• Assist with events and gatherings

• Match activities to your interests & abilities
• Participate in Brotherhood & Sisterhood
• Support & Enhance the TBS community
• E-Megillah Desktop Co-Publisher

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   D E A T H S  I N  T H E   L A S T  Y E A R   

Tom Beasley • Frances Berman
Rebecca Rose Kaufman • Lynn Mickovic
Linda Schulman

A monthly yahrzeit list of TBS family loved ones will now be published in the e-megillah
as well as read during Shabbat services.