of choice, commitment, and Jewish meaning rather than a cold, monetary obligation. They love “donating to” rather than “paying” the shul. Our congregation has a “range” from which members choose their terumah, e.g. families pay $1,000 - $2500. Often they top-up or increase their terumah as a direct result of feeling they are doing something honorable in joining us. We find, by the way, that many people choose their terumah in
the middle of the spectrum. When given the choice, people seem to choose well! Now that I am sensitized to the word “member,” I’ll ask our congregants to consider the use of “chaver/chaverah.” Rabbi Elyse Goldstein Toronto, Ontario
Correction—Fall 2013
R
abbi John Moskowitz’s name was misspelled. Our apologies.
Reform Judaism Magazine Update: A Torah of Their Own
Ofer R ibak Photography
L
ast June, I realized a dream I’ve congregation in Jerusalem which uses had for nearly a decade. the bomb shelter of an apartment buildIt all began about ing as their synaeight years ago, when gogue. Between their I read in Reform physical space and Judaism magazine their lack of a sefer about Temple Ohabei Torah, this group of Shalom in Brookline, people who had sacMassachusetts donatrificed their entire ing one of its Torah way of life to come to scrolls so that its sisIsrael and practice ter congregation in their Judaism freely Russia could have were feeling discourParading with the one. Having grown aged. What a mitzvah up in an affluent com- Torah donated from it would be to give munity as a member Temple Beth El and a second them a Torah they borrowed from a local congreof a synagogue could call their own. gation. Inset: Tracey Grossman blessed enough to On June 18, 46 of care for many scrolls, addresses the group. our temple members I was shocked to arrived, Torah scroll learn that there are congregations within hand, at the WIZO Helena Kagan out even one. Community Center. Nearly 100 EthioWhen my husband and I joined pian congregants and dignitaries from Temple Beth El in Boca Raton in 2006, throughout Israel greeted us with open we asked Senior Rabbi Daniel Levin if arms and treated us to a delicious, we could alleviate such a hindrance to home cooked Ethiopian meal, dances, worship by replicating Ohabei Shalom’s skits, and speeches. All of us then mitzvah. paraded the sefer Torah from their cenRabbi Levin loved our idea. He had ter to their shul, the men and teenage his own dream: to engage a sofer to boys from both communities dancing write a lighter scroll that would be more excitedly together under the mobile manageable for the b’nai mitzvah. We chuppah as the women encircled the could do both: commission a new scroll chuppah also dancing and celebrating. and then donate one of our current The joy was so contagious, most scrolls to a congregation in need. onlookers joined in the parade. And To find that congregation, we reached when we arrived at the shul, a man was out to the North American Coalition for there selling cotton candy—the perfect Ethiopian Jewry, which our temple had metaphor for an incredibly sweet worked with for many years in supportdream come true. ing the rescue and assimilation of EthioTracey Grossman pian Jews in Israel. With their help, we Temple Beth El of Boca Raton built a partnership with an Ethiopian Boca Raton, Florida reform judaism
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