FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S DESK I hope that each of you is enjoying your summer.
S h e ll i e E t t i n g e r Executive Director
Let me take this opportunity to touch on some of the “happenings” over the last few months. Our successful Centennial Gala Celebration, under the chairmanship of Jewel Lowenstein, took place in May; our hallways have been refreshed with a new coat of paint; two new lounges have been set up in the foyer of the congregation; our sanctuary’s new sound system is being installed; the leadership have been meeting regularly to respond to the changing demands on the congregation and setting a direction for our future; focus groups with singles, couples and families aged 25-40 years of age have been held; a demographic review of our community is being conducted; the search for a new full time Director of Education and Marketing and Communication specialist is underway; and the development of our West Island initiative is in progress. It is all very exciting.
For the first time, Temple will be offering High Holy Day services on the West Island. This will provide an opportunity for unaffiliated and intermarried couples and families living on the West Island to not only take part in the highly interactive services in Dollard, but to develop a connection with Temple. By now, you will have received a statement for your annual contribution. If you have not already sent in your dues, I would ask you to do so without delay. Your contributions enable us to provide the very best place of worship, a wealth and variety of programming, and a caring supporting Jewish community for you, our Temple family. As we begin to gear up for the High Holy Days, I would like to remind you that Temple policy specifies that only members who are in good standing i.e. those who have paid their annual dues, fees or special assessments, or those who have made arrangements for payment will receive their tickets. Thank you for your support and cooperation I extend to you my very best wishes for a healthy and prosperous New Year. Shellie
FROM THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR’S DESK Department of “Going Home Again…” “Change Your opinions, Keep To Your Principles; Change Your Leaves, Keep Intact Your Roots” ~ Victor Hugo On May 23, I flew to Israel for a month long visit/journey/reunion with my loved ones, after a twelve year lapse. The great majority of the BenShabats and Gozlan branches of my family live throughout the Holy Land: Tel Aviv, Tiberius, Ashdod, the South, the North. They thrive, grow, and bravely deal with daily stress and the existential threats too keenly felt, including the latest Gaza flotilla incident. (I saw with my own eyes how immediate and devastating the world’s opinion of Israel is, regardless of facts on the ground, truly dismaying.). I had a non-stop, beautiful adventure, traveling around the country, meeting with many, strolling solitarily, visiting and soaking it all up. In 1957, my parents decided our future lay in Canada, where work awaited my father, and everything “New World” promised a good life. Growing up in the Diaspora has its benefits of course, but growing apart A n i ta B e n s a b at from blood relations, deeply connected to us, is another complex matter altogether. Like many immigrant Program Director children, I often felt the “outsider”, no matter where I lived, attended school or worked a job. Nothing new about that experience of course, but how does one accurately and realistically describe or explain the warmth and depth of connecting with relations one does not “know”? How to explain the spontaneous weeping and flying into warm embraces of “strangers”? Yes, “blood is thicker than water” as the saying goes, or a “chip off the old block” may go a long way to describe similar characteristics, but somehow these all fell short for me…there were no words to explain how madly in love and deeply connected I felt with this faraway clan, and the country they live in. I felt more “myself” than ever. The power and beauty, fragility and ancientness, the modernity and progressiveness of Israel also held me in thrall from the moment I arrived, and continues still. I had many thoughts and conversations about “HOME”; is Home where the Heart Lives? Is Home where we pay our taxes, water our lawns, shop, work, cook and clean? Living in Canada, arguably the best country in the world, has opened up paths of understanding, tolerance, experience and friendships, which have served me well all my life, There are no regrets; but still, what about the path not taken? The home not lived in? The stories which remain hidden in another dimension of a life unlived? Questions, always questions, such is the mystery of life I ponder often. Finally though, all the decisions, good, bad, indifferent, conscious or intuitive, that brought me to this place and moment, are entirely without regret. That alone is of great comfort and affirmation. I wish you and your families a very Happy Healthy New Year, in Joy and Peace! L'shana Tova Tikateivu! Anita 4 | August / September 2010