Yahrzeits
We Remember...
May their memory be a blessing and a lesson for how we can live our lives. Judy Appelbaum Hilda Paskal* Jake Banks* Leon Platner Albert Barton Tillie Pollack* Rita Bernstein* Goldie Reinlib Judith Caplan Gould James Roberts Lena Friedberg* Harry Rosenberg* Helen Gurtman Oscar Rothstein Michael Andrew Hano Gertrude Saltzman* Marion "Mickey" Hurwitz* Lois Schneider* H. Paul Julien Marcy Jaye Schrum Samuel Klausner* Harry Siegel* Miriam Kramarz Max Silverberg* Morris Krock* Frank Springle Lorraine Maller Nathan Torop Dan Marshlack Herbert Wang Anna Newman Eric Zolan Joseph Nicolosi
the
Shabbat
Spotlight
*Denotes plaque in Memorial Alcove
We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us with any questions. Amy L. Morrison - Rabbi 727-347-6136 - RabbiMorrison@TempleBeth-El.com Tara O’Donnell - Director of Finance & Operations 727-347-6136 - Tara@TempleBeth-El.com
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Jennifer Hannon - Director of Early Childhood Center 727-350-5885 - JennHannon@TempleBeth-El.com Alexis Kelly - Raymund Family Religious School Principal 727-347-6136 - RaymundRS@TempleBeth-El.com
Parashat Sh’mot Exodus 1:1–6:1
Tracy Nash - Bookkeeper 727-347-6136 - Bookkeeper@TempleBeth-El.com Tovah Feld - Communications & Engagement Coordinator 727-347-6136 - Tovah@TempleBeth-El.com Allison Fowler - Office Administrative Assistant 727-347-6136 - Allison@TempleBeth-El.com Mike Shapiro - Temple President 727-347-6136 - President@TempleBeth-El.com
Rabbi Amy L. Morrison & Joyce Liu #tbestpete
January 9, 2026
A Special Message from
Rabbi Amy L. Morrison
As we open the book of Sh’mot, we step into a beginning that is anything but clean. The Israelites are not yet free; they are not even fully awake to the possibility of freedom. They are tired, frightened, unnamed laborers in a system that profits from their pain. And yet the Torah insists on starting here. Not with miracles, but with names. “These are the names…”—a reminder that liberation always begins by seeing one another as human beings again. The start of a new secular year can feel similar. We are told to be optimistic, productive, renewed. But many of us arrive at January carrying exhaustion, grief, anger, or fear. Like our ancestors, we may be asking quietly—or crying out—Is anyone listening? The radical promise of Sh’mot is that God does listen. God hears the groans. God notices the midwives who resist quietly, the women who act bravely before anyone calls them heroes, the stutterer who doesn’t feel ready but goes anyway. This parashah teaches us that redemption does not begin when everything is resolved. It begins when we refuse to accept that suffering is normal. It begins when we say names out loud, when we show up for one another, when we take even the smallest step toward justice despite our fear.
Announcements Saturday, January 10 10am - Torah Study & Brunch Offsite Wednesday, January 14 5pm - Hebrew School Friday, January 16 5:30pm - Early Oneg 6pm - Friday Night LIVE! Erev Shabbat Services Saturday, January 17 10am - Mitzvah Minyan @ Clothes to Kids - RSVP Required - Space is limited
Torah Portion Parashat Sh’mot: Exodus 1:1-6:1 Saturday, January 10, 2026 / 28 Tevet 5786 The new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. (1:1-22) A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh's house. (2:1-10) Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. (2:11-15) Moses marries Zipporah, the daughter of Midian's priest. They have a son named Gershom. (2:16-22) God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to free the Israelites from Egypt. (3:1-4:17) Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites. (5:1-23)
Suggestions for parents of our youngest congregants
So as this new year begins, I charge us: do not wait to feel fully ready. Speak the truth you’ve been swallowing. Protect the vulnerable. Be a midwife to hope. And trust that when we move—even trembling—toward liberation, God moves with us.
Relax! God put the wiggle in children. Don’t feel you have to suppress it in our sanctuary or chapel. Sit towards the front where it is easier for your little ones to see and hear what is
If you are new to Temple Beth-El, welcome! OPEN COMMUNITY CREATES ENGAGING & DIVERSE JEWISH PATHWAYS Located in St. Petersburg on Florida's beautiful west coast, Temple Beth-El is a Reform Jewish congregation that has served this area since 1928 and is focused on strengthening relationships and making connections. We are a welcoming Reform community for Jewish and interfaith households to experience an uplifting and joyful sense of belonging as we seek to connect our members with each other and the greater community and world around us. Enjoy and have a Shabbat Shalom!
happening on the Bima. They tire of seeing the backs of other’s heads. Quietly explain our rituals and sing or clap when appropriate. Children learn liturgical behavior by copying you. If you need to leave services with your child, do so, but please come back. Remember that the way we welcome children in synagogue directly affects the way they respond to coming to synagogue, to God, to one another. Let them know that they are welcome in this house of worship, here, at Temple Beth-El.