The Gift Shop at Beth Torah The Gift Shop at Congregation Beth Torah is Ready for Winter! As the glow of the Hanukkah lights remains in your heart, the Gift Shop wishes to thank all of our patrons for shopping with us! A special Mazel Tov to all who that participated in the “Sermon in Song” on December 11th. It is always fun to see old and new friends come together for a special night. January is another opportunity for us to come together for community service. The Gift Shop offers two opportunities to participate in social justice projects both in Israel and in our Beth Torah community. First, Tu B’Shevat or the “New Year of the Trees” is Jewish Arbor Day. The holiday is observed on the fifteenth (tu) of Sh’vat (which is January 25th this year). Scholars believe that Tu B’Shevat was originally an agricultural festival, marking the emergence of spring. Today, Tu B’Shevat has also become a tree planting festival in Israel, in which both Israelis and Jews around the world plant trees in honor of or in memory of a loved one, friend or special occasion. The Gift Shop at Congregation Beth Torah will be selling “Plant a Tree in Israel.” If you wish to plant a tree, come into the shop or call us. You will need to have the name of the person or special occasion and the address of the person to be notified of your donation. Second, the Gift Shop would like to honor our patrons’ favorite social justice projects. During the month of January, anyone who makes a purchase of $18 or more can register their favorite social justice project in our drawing. On February 1st, the lucky patron’s social justice project will be drawn. A donation will be made to that social justice project in honor of the Beth Torah Community and the patron who suggested them. Finally, The Gift Shop would value any suggestions or ideas to help improve the shop. Our customers are the reason we can make donations. Our motto is “where shopping turns into a mitzvah!” We look forward to seeing you in the Gift Shop. Shalom, Kelly Kaplan
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Gift Shop Winter Hours are: Sunday 9:00 to 12:30 p.m. (during religious school), Monday 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., Wednesday and Friday 10:00 a.m. to noon. or by appointment: call Kelly at (913) 498-1474.