e-Megillah, July 4, 2024
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| e-Megillah
Thursday July, 4, 2024 Letter from Rabbi Ross This Saturday, at 10:30 am, we will call Jesse Warman to the bimah for his Bar Mitzvah. You are welcome to join us for the morning service! Here’s my new column for this weekend’s papers: My wife, who is also a rabbi, loves to sing. She has a wonderful voice, and leads her community in song and prayer regularly. I do not have a wonderful voice. I have a simple voice. But I love the power of singing and I am blessed to sing with our cantorial soloists at Temple Beth Shalom in Hudson and our student leaders at Hillel at Kent State. Singing unlocks something deep inside me that is freeing. Singing with my community connects me to the songs and prayers we sing, and it connects me to each community member who joins the holy act of singing. In early June, I joined a new Jewish music project, “Nariya Cleveland.” This group began in the spring. Once a month, at the synagogue, Beth El – The Heights, in Cleveland Heights, on a Thursday evening, a dozen songleaders, a half-dozen musicians and a handful of rabbis meet to rehearse the liturgy and compositions. Rabbi Micah Shapiro had created and led this type of project in Boston for several years and has now brought it here to NEO. The next night, at our Friday night service, something magical unfolded. Around 100 people showed up for this gorgeous service. They came from more than 6 different Jewish communities. And we all sit together and sang in a series of expanding song circles. Our songs opened our hearts, and we experienced this deep sense of connection and gratitude for the prayers we are singing. We then went downstairs for a delicious Shabbat dinner. Last week, Temple Beth Shalom hired a new cantorial soloist, Deb Rogers to lead our Shabbat and holiday services. A few times, a small handful of members joined her for choral songs that lifted our spirits in their beauty. This week, Deb and I began our musical planning for the upcoming High Holiday season. For the past 18 months, I have been studying in a cohort of rabbis and cantors together. We study mindfulness meditation, yoga, and text study. Every morning, we gather together for a transformative hour of songs and prayers that grounds us in our practice, and radically opens our hearts. Our final retreat is next week. I can honestly say these moments of communal prayer and song have opened my heart again and again to the wonder and utter joy of singing in community. One way to get beyond our divided, polarized times is to come together and sing. As we celebrate the 4th of July this week, let me encourage us all to find our voices in song. And let me encourage the spiritual seekers to fulfill the imperative of Psalm 97, “Sing to God a new song!” Sing of joy, sing of hope, sing of gratitude. Your soul will thank you. Important Religious School News TBS will formally welcome Deb and Kate into our community in a special service in August at Hudson Springs Park.
Donations to support Israel can be made at
TBSBrotherhood meetings/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 projects planned for 2024 for TBS.
• The Sisterhood Nature Shabbat was well-received and a great joy to work on. • Next events are a dinner out in the planning stages (watch your email) and the Aug-Sept 2024-2025 kick off meeting potluck brunch at Jeanie’s.
You can view upcoming services and events on the Calendar page:
We are looking for VOLUNTEERS to help our Temple!
 Please email James Field at jdfield23@aol.com if you would like to be a TBS Super Supporter.Some ways to volunteer include: • Backup our Email newsletter • Coordinator for TBS security support • Setup/takedown for Temple activities • Sponsor an Oneg • Coordinate Zoom services • Other activities to match your interests, abilities and availability
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.
 D E A T H S I N T H E L A S T Y E A R
John Andro • Norman Taer • Mark Varney
A monthly yahrzeit list of TBS family loved ones will now be published in the e-megillah J U L Y Y A H R Z E I T S Mike Berman • Douglas Blazey • Anny Kiefer Bouscher If you have names to add, please send them with their yahrzeit date to: T B S
For more information on temple services and other activities, please refer to the temple website:
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Temple Beth Shalom