Insight, Fall 2022

Fall 2022 | 5782/5783 August, September, October Av, Elul, Tishrei, Cheshvan

INSIGHT into Temple Israel of Boston

THE HIGH HOLY DAY ISSUE

INSIGHT

“Enlighten our eyes with Your teaching, and let

ABOUT THE COVER...

our hearts embrace Your commandments.” - Morning Liturgy

AT TEMPLE ISRAEL, WE...

build community and encounter the sacred through relationships.

embrace Torah in all its dimensions as our enduring source for inquiry, discovery, and inspiration. explore and nurture our inner lives and innovate our traditions of ritual and prayer. pursue justice, in partnership with others, to realize our vision of what the world ought to be as we lovingly take care of one another.

Cantor Alicia Stillman and Rabbi Andrew Oberstein

IN THIS ISSUE...

The TI Scene .......................................................3 From TI President & Executive Director .............4

are Ohavei Yisrael, Lovers of Israel, committed to the vitality, peace, and well-being of the Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world. draw strength from our diversity, and wisdom from all who enter our community.

How Shall We Prepare for the High Holy Days? 5 High Holy Day Service Schedule ......................6-7 A Spiritual Prep for the High Holy Days ...........8-9 High Holy Day Musical Experience ..............10-11 Scientists in Syngagogues .................................12 REDI Reflections ...............................................13 This Summer @ TI Photo Spread ................14-15 New to Temple Israel ........................................16 Next Steps to Inventing Our Future ..................17 Riverway Project Leadership Team ...................18 Spark Israel Trip ................................................19 FJECC Gets Ready for a New School Year ..........20 Life Cycles ....................................................21-22 Yahrzeits ......................................................23-25 Contributions ..............................................26-29

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Living Judaism together through discovery, dynamic spirituality, and righteous impact.

The TI Scene: Living Judaism Together

TI Staff Bonding Day, August 2022 at Nantasket Beach

The TI Softball Team wins the Kiddush Cup Championship!

www.tisrael.org/insight | 617-566-3960

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FROM THE

BOARD PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Shanah Tovah to all in our Temple Israel of Boston community, As we get ready to welcome 5783 and prepare ourselves for Yom Kippur, we have the opportunity to reflect on the past year and look forward to the year ahead. It has been another remarkable year as Temple Israel continues to be resilient and innovative in the face of the ongoing pandemic. I am grateful for our clergy and staff who support, educate, challenge, and lift us spiritually in prayer and community.

Laurence Bailen Board President

We continue to meet in mixed presence, onsite and online, with education, musical, and social justice events. This spring we welcomed artists-in-residence Saul Kaye and Elana Jagoda Kaye to Temple Israel.

Their music and prayer, in collaboration with our own Cantor Alicia Stillman, uplifted me and reinforced how unique and special Temple Israel is. I hope you have similar experiences this year at Temple Israel.

This year we will move forward with the Inventing our Future plans. For this effort, we will need your input and support. The Inventing our Future team has been working over the past four years to envision enhancements to our physical space to broaden our impact and to continue to make Temple Israel a place of spirituality, education, and belonging.

Thank you for your continued support of Temple Israel. I look forward to seeing you onsite or online at all of the events and opportunities available for us to live our Judaism together. I wish you, your families, and your loved ones a peaceful and healthy 5783.

What an amazing year it has been for Temple Israel. At our Annual Gathering in June, we had the opportunity to reflect and showcase some of our biggest achievements. To me, one of the greatest highlights of this year is the continued support and generosity of this community. This year we received a record breaking 780 unique donations to our Friends Annual Fund, which allows us to continue to flourish.

Together, your contributions to our annual campaign and membership dues exceeded $3,000,000. Thank you for your continued investment in our sacred community.

Highlighted in this issue, you’ll learn about the improvements we are making to the sanctuary to enhance the communal experience when gathering together, whether onsite or online. Through our Inventing Our Future initiative, we are evaluating existing space and shaping what comes next. These changes to the sanctuary and other spaces are the beginning of a much larger concept. There will be opportunities to get involved and to be a part of this transformational project as we get further into the fall. If you have questions or want to learn more, please feel free to email me at ddeutsch@tisrael.org.

Dan Deutsch Executive Director

Our focus this summer is the audiovisual systems and adding new LED lighting throughout the sanctuary space. I can’t wait to experience the finished product with all of you. The overhaul includes over 100 unique components that will work together to bring crisp sound and video in the sanctuary. We are replacing 500 lighting fixtures, cameras, and sound equipment so that those onsite and online can have an enhanced experience. It has taken eighteen months of planning to orchestrate these changes, and we are excited to welcome you back for the High Holy Days to experience our improved sanctuary as a community.

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Living Judaism together through discovery, dynamic spirituality, and righteous impact.

HOW SHALL WE PREPARE FOR THE 5783 HIGH HOLY DAYS? This is a question worth asking and answering. We need some planning time before we enter these days to consider our awesome responsibility of being human. We do this because Judaism requests and invites us to return to a deeper knowledge of ourselves and examine our actions to discover the truths of our lives.

In ancient times, when the Temple in Jerusalem stood, the people brought an offering to attain atonement. Now, with no sacrificial system in existence (thank goodness), we must find other means. We often quote the prophet, Hosea, to explain how we should respond.

Take words with you and return to the Eternal.

Say to God. “Forgive all guilt and accept what is good; Instead of bulls we will pay the offering of our lips." (14:3) Though Hosea lived in the 8th century, long before the first Temple was destroyed, he understood that sacrifices may not suffice as the only method to achieve forgiveness. He described words as a powerful tool to help us make t’shuvah.

Yet, words aren’t enough either.

There is another way.

be built on kindness. (89:3). From this perspective, it might appear that kindness arrived before human beings. Yet, kindness is manifest with the actions of human beings. The ancient rabbis understood the healing and helpful power of what kindness can do to reach atonement.

How do we then achieve atonement through kindness?

Elaine's HHD Article

Kindness is not a right or assumption. Rather it is innate potential that must be nurtured and practiced. It takes an intention. It is an opening of the heart; for our hearts do have the capacity to soften and to allow for an ability to create kindness. Therefore, every human is a creator of kindness. It is not just being nice or happening upon the opportunity. It is a purposeful goal. “Today, let me allow my kindness to pour forth.”

Kindness doesn’t take away from the need to apologize, to mend what is fractured in our relationships, to make what is wrong right. Kindness powers all of these actions.

As Rabbi Tamar Elad-Applebaum, one of the wonderful teachers I learned from this summer, instructed, “Find a place in your heart dedicated to believing in the inviolate worth of the human being, with all its inherent foibles and flaws.” This doesn’t mean that we have to like everyone. It just means that their difference should not prevent us from offering kindness.

Kindness.

The ancient rabbis told this story in the midrash, Avot d’Rabbi Natan: Once, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai left Jerusalem, and Rabbi Yehoshua followed after him. And he saw the Holy Temple destroyed. Rabbi Yehoshua said: Woe to us, for this is destroyed; the place where all of Israel’s sins are forgiven through the bringing of sacrifices. Rabbi Yohanan said to him: My son, do not be distressed, for we have a form of atonement just like it. And what is it? Acts of kindness.

As we approach the new year, our tradition beckons us to enter it embracing the power of kindness. Let kindness be your truth and your guide to welcome all that is possible to mend and to heal and to reach out to one another with gentleness and compassion.

My clergy colleagues join me in wishing you a sweet and loving new year.

L’Shanah Tovah uMetukah,

They learned this from the prophet, Hosea, as well.

For I desire kindness, not sacrifice: The Psalmist saw the world as being created from its inception with kindness: For I have said that the world will

Rabbi Elaine Zecher

www.tisrael.org/insight | 617-566-3960

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‫שנה טובה ומתוקה‬

We wish you a happy and sweet New Year!

ROSH HASHANAH 5783 SERVICES WE KINDLY ASK YOU TO WEAR A MASK. VILLAGE (AGES 0-5) THROUGH 2ND GRADE

FAMILIES 3RD GRADE THROUGH 8TH GRADE

ALL ARE WELCOME: COMMUNITY-WIDE

RIVERWAY PROJECT (20s & 30s)

EREV ROSH HASHANAH Sunday, September 25

4:45 p.m. Young Family Schmooze Onsite 5:15 p.m. Young Family Service Onsite & Online

6:45 p.m. Family Pre-neg before joining with the Community Service in the Sanctuary Onsite

7:30 p.m. Community Service Onsite & Online 8:45 p.m. Grand Homecoming Community Schmooze Onsite 10:00 p.m. Shofar Experience* Onsite

6:15 p.m. Riverway Service Onsite & Online 7:45 p.m. Riverway Dinner Onsite

ROSH HASHANAH Monday, September 26

8:45 a.m. Young Family Service Onsite & Online

8:45 a.m. Family Service Onsite & Online Followed by Tashlich

9:00 a.m. Early Service Onsite & Online 11:30 a.m. Late Service Onsite & Online Followed by Tashlich

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ROSH HASHANAH DAY 2 Tuesday, September 27

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10:00 a.m. Lay-Led Service Onsite & Online

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*LATE NIGHT SHOFAR & CREATIVE EXPERIENCES Our late night creative experiences are an island in time, an unrushed opportunity to reflect on the extraordinary sounds and themes that mark our holidays. On Erev Rosh Hashanah, we sit with the sounds of the shofar as it awakens our souls. On Kol Nidre, we feel the emotion, memory, and vulnerability this ancient prayer evokes as we slow down, singing, hearing, and contemplating its words in many different voices.

HIGH HOLY DAY TICKET INFORMATION Tickets for Temple Israel members: Tickets will be mailed to TI members in good standing at the end of August.

Participating online via Zoom: Links to Zoom services will be emailed to TI members in good standing two days before the service starts, and again two hours before the start Purchasing tickets: of the service. If you can’t find the link, please If you are interested in purchasing additional contact us at 617-566-3960. tickets please contact tickets@tisrael.org.

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Living Judaism together through discovery, dynamic spirituality, and righteous impact.

‫גמר חתימה טובה‬

May you and yours be sealed in the book of life!

YOM KIPPUR 5783 SERVICES WE KINDLY ASK YOU TO WEAR A MASK. VILLAGE (AGES 0-5) THROUGH 2ND GRADE

FAMILIES 3RD GRADE THROUGH 8TH GRADE

ALL ARE WELCOME: COMMUNITY-WIDE

RIVERWAY PROJECT (20s & 30s)

7:00 p.m. Riverway Service Onsite & Online

KOL NIDRE Tuesday, Oct 4

4:30 p.m. Young Family Service Onsite & Online

6:00 p.m. Family Service Onsite & Online

5:45 p.m. Early Service Onsite & Online 8:15 p.m. Late Service Onsite & Online 10:15 p.m. Creative Experience* Onsite & Online

YOM KIPPUR MORNING Wednesday, Oct 5

8:45 a.m. Young Family Service Onsite & Online

9:15 a.m. Family Service Onsite & Online

9:00 a.m. Early Service Onsite & Online 11:30 a.m. Late Service Onsite & Online

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1:30 p.m. Discover TI Circles Onsite & Online 2:30 p.m. Spiritual Practice Lab + Teen Gathering Onsite & Online

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3:45 p.m. Torah Service, Afternoon Service Yizkor, Neilah, Havdalah Onsite & Online

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BETWEEN SERVICES Wednesday, Oct 5

YOM KIPPUR AFTERNOON Wednesday, Oct 5

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Livestream services: Our livestream services are open to the public, accessible on our website. For a full mixed presence experience, members in good standing are invited to participate online via Zoom.

Reciprocal tickets for members: If you are unable to attend services at Temple Israel, and would like to secure reciprocal tickets to a fellow URJ congregation, please send your request to tickets@tisrael.org, or call Emma Savitz, Development Associate at 617-566-3960.

Complimentary tickets: We are pleased to offer complimentary tickets to military personnel and full-time undergraduate students.

Questions?

Please reach out to tickets@tisrael.org.

www.tisrael.org/insight | 617-566-3960

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The Month of Elul: A Spiritual Preparation for the High Holy Days The month in our Jewish calendar that precedes the High Holy Days is called Elul. It is a month for hearing the call of the shofar that awakens our inner lives to prepare and ready ourselves for the High Holy Day Season.

During Elul, Qabbalat Shabbat has a recognizably different atmosphere than that of the rest of the year.

The sounds remind us of the melodies and themes of the High Holy Days in which we immerse ourselves — these are the sounds that spiritually prepare us for awakening and renewal; for t’filah, t’shuvah, and tzedakah—reflection and prayer, forgiveness of self and others, and sacred action. These differences are most prominently heard in the High Holy Day motifs of the Bar’chu and the Amidah: when we call each other to community and reflect our highest ideals.

We use this time to rehearse our best selves so that when the time arrives, we are ready.

ROSH CHODESH GATHERING: NEW MOON OF ELUL Saturday, August 27 at 7:00 p.m.

Onsite in the Temple Israel Atrium Join us under the stars as we welcome the new month of Elul, a time to reset and open our hearts to the themes of renewal and repentance this High Holy Day season. We will celebrate through text study, meditation, movement, and song, ending with Havdalah at 8:00 p.m.

LEARN TO READ HEBREW: PREPARING FOR THE HIGH HOLY DAYS THROUGH THE MACHZOR Wednesdays, September 7 - 28, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Online Join us for this four-part online Hebrew class as we build and practice Hebrew reading skills while exploring the themes and meaning of the prayers of Mishkan HaNefesh. This class is designed for anyone with a familiarity with Hebrew letters and vowels and a comfort with the basics of decoding. All reading levels are welcome.

HIGH HOLY DAYS 101 Thursdays, September 8 & 15, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Online The High Holy Days can be a time of incredible spiritual growth and deep personal introspection. Yet, for many of us, the sheer breadth of these holidays might feel confusing or difficult to navigate. Join Rabbi Andrew Oberstein for a two-part online series breaking down the origins, symbols, texts, and traditions of these Days of Awe. All are welcome as we discover new meaning in these ancient and modern practices.

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Living Judaism together through discovery, dynamic spirituality, and righteous impact.

"

Every year I prepare for the High Holy Days by reading books by Jewish authors. In previous years I have read books by Alan Lew, Laura Silverman, and Ruth Behar. I also try to focus my exercising routines on yoga and meditation so I can practice looking in and leave my body feeling refreshed as we enter a new year." — Perri Lomberg

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This year I am beyond grateful for having been able to celebrate our daughter's Bat Mitzvah with our family - all of whom live out of town.

I tend to walk more and reflect about what I have done to fulfill the goals I set for myself. I also think of the magnitude of the moment and embrace it. I often think of myself as standing on top of a mountain looking out to the horizon with the feeling that anything is possible and that it is up to me to take this "new clean slate" and fill it with what matters most: family, love, kindness, and mitzvot." — Stephanie Pearl

www.tisrael.org/insight | 617-566-3960

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What is it about the musical experience of prayer that brings us to a place of awe?

By Cantor Alicia Stillman

One of my favorite musical philosophers, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, wrote, "There is something profoundly spiritual about music." When language aspires to the transcendent, and the soul longs to break free of the gravitational pull of the earth, it modulates into song… Jewish history is not so much read as it is sung.

As we look toward the cool autumn days ahead, we notice the truth in the words above. We anticipate the joy and community that the High Holy Days bring when we gather for the New Year. The sermons that we hear resonate in the days and weeks that follow, and their complement, the musical strands that we begin to crave in August and September, plant the seeds that prepare our experience, thereby setting the mood for the High Holy Days. The music of Elul and the Days of Awe link us with the larger Jewish community in sacred and lasting ways.

What is it about the musical experience of prayer that brings us to a place of awe during these sacred days?

Truly, for many of us, it is the music that resonates long after the machzor is closed. My teacher, Cantor Benjie Ellen Schiller, helps us understand the variety of musical-emotional touchpoints that create a sense of prayerfulness through a lens of five descriptive "M" words. We will use these descriptions to introduce you to our musicians to understand why they impact our experience in such powerful ways.

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Living Judaism together through discovery, dynamic spirituality, and righteous impact.

We experience majesty — music that inspires a sense of awe and grandeur. The welcome refrain of Avinu Malkeinu or the dread and solemnity of the darkened room during Kol Nidre that takes you back generations through time and space. Our featured cellist Emmanuel Feldman draws out the refrain - the cello that mimics the cry of the human voice. We need these moments that allow the depth and aching we feel to become fully realized.

Our second experience is one of meditation, moments of quiet contemplation and reflection, moments of being in touch with the "still small voice" inside. Think of silent prayer or “may the words” that invite us inward, considering our past year, what we leave behind or what we aspire to become in the coming year. The clarinet and violin, each quintessential Jewish instruments: Does the cry of Steve Lipsitt’s clarinet help center and ground you?

Does Farley Masterton’s violin help your heart leap to a moment where you remember what matters most to you?

The Temple Israel Band are long-time members of the community who help us to understand how important it is to feel a sense of belonging and connectedness to one another: meeting. We are keenly aware of the brilliance of community, a chorus of souls whose voices are its strength. They interconnect at their fullest when we sing, and we will be singing with the TI Band!

What helps us move along is the internal rhythm, the connective tissue of our worship: it is the piano, played throughout the year by Plamen Karadonev, whose purpose is to bring beauty, rhythm, melody, and harmony together.

Victor Zuckerkandl intimated one last characteristic of our musical encounter with one another, that of memory: “Music is a form of sensed continuity that can sometimes break through the most overpowering disconnections in our experience of time.” Majesty, meditation, meeting, and music that moves us along all contribute to the sacredness of these days and to our understanding of the gift of celebrating in community. It is our sincerest hope that when we gather together during these High Holy Days, you will bring with you all of the richness from the past as well as your dreams for the year ahead.

www.tisrael.org/insight | 617-566-3960

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The Interconnection of Judaism and Science We are thrilled that Temple Israel of Boston has been selected as one of 14 synagogues across the country for the 2022 cohort of Scientists in Synagogues. As part of this cohort, we will receive a $5,000 grant, guidance, and mentorship to support conversations and programming that bridge the religious and scientific worlds.

This upcoming year, the Center for Adult Jewish Learning will host four events that feature scientists from the Temple Israel community in conversation with our clergy and one another to share about their work and dig into the ways in which their science and their Judaism intersect and interact.

Over these four events, we will explore compelling questions at the intersections of science and religion, including: • • •

Can we believe in God and uphold the scientific method at the same time?

How can our religious beliefs support scientific inquiry and discovery while still allowing us to maintain a sense of mystery and awe at the world around us?

What does Judaism say about the obligation to tikkun olam, and what role does science play in this process?

We look forward to embarking on a year of intellectual and spiritual discovery together and lifting up the diversity of experience and expertise within our own community. More details about the program series will be shared in the coming months. If you're interested in learning more about our participation in the Scientists in Synagogues cohort, contact Brigid Goggin at bgoggin@tisrael.org.

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Living Judaism together through discovery, dynamic spirituality, and righteous impact.

REFLECTING ON A YEAR OF RACIAL EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION As we approach the High Holy Days, we reflect on our first year of Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) in action. Called to act by our own congregants, as well as the Reform movement at large, we are committed to a culture shift to ensure that all who enter our spaces and engage with our programs feel a sense of belonging, something we recognize we have not yet achieved. We started the year with high ambitions, and we have successfully made significant changes.

Since January 2022, we have engaged over 15 facilitators and 180 participants in REDI conversations.

We will continue REDI conversations into 5783 and hope you will participate. Here's what we've heard: “This was one of the best conversations I've ever been part of at TI. The subject matter and slide show were very relevant and engaging but, truly, [the facilitators] were what made it so welcoming and comfortable to express oneself.” — Library Committee Member “The conversation and activities raised my awareness and made me think about things slightly differently - being a white middle aged woman with financial privilege. This helps to prompt conversations at home with my husband and children and hopefully has a ripple effect with others in the community as well.” — Religious School Parent "It was wonderfully organized and I am continually blown away by how fortunate we are as a community to continue to be proactive around inclusion.” — Leadership Council Member We are in the process of rolling out a response protocol for when community members' experiences are inconsistent with our values. Here is an excerpt of our Incident-Response Protocol: With the consent of, and in consultation with, the person who reports harm, we seek to address issues through the following process (while recognizing that each case is unique and preserving confidentiality): • Lasim Lev: To set your heart to it. We recognize the issue(s).

• Cheshbon Hanefesh: Accounting of the soul. The person who has done harm has time for self-reflection and recognition of intent vs. impact.

• T'shuvah: Return. The person who has done harm seeks forgiveness.

• Tikkun: Repair. We seek to make the changes necessary to repair the harm that was caused and to reach tzedek (justice) and implement any corrective actions.

We enter 5783 with a continued commitment to act deliberately, and we invite you to join us:

• • •

Engage as a “REDI Reader,” sharing your perspectives on TI communications through a REDI lens.

Participate as a Temple Israel greeter, fostering a community of belonging in all our programs, activities, and spaces of worship.

Have a one-to-one with a member of our REDI Team to learn more about active and sustained participation in our REDI work.

Email Tali Puterman at tputerman@tisrael.org to engage in any of the above. www.tisrael.org/insight | 617-566-3960

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This Summer @

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Living Judaism together through discovery, dynamic spirituality, and righteous impact.

Temple Israel

www.tisrael.org/insight | 617-566-3960

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Welcome to our newest members!

BOSTON

CHARLESTOWN

Sarah Champlin & David Toupin Rebecca & Brian Freiwald Olivia Grant Stephanie Horowitz & Alex Klein Lindsay Pike & Jeffrey Sussman Mara Siegman & Brad Payne

Kenny Friedman & Julie Federman

BRIGHTON

Delanie & Joseph Henrich

. . and our youngest members!

Newest members and newest staff

McKenzie Johnson

DORCHESTER

Mel Mark & Jeff Wyman

MEDFORD

NEEDHAM

BROOKLINE

Lily Frederick & Clément Cordaro

Rachel & Daniel Meagher Blumit Shmolak & Akiva Rabinovich

SOMERVILLE

deutsch Rayla Elle Guggen

Sarah Rosenthal & Bryan Riemer

Delilah M cIntosh

Welcome to our newest staff!

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Alex Jennymore

Crystal Pesqueira

Miriam Spectre

FACILITIES/MAINTENANCE

RECEPTIONIST

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO CANTOR ALICIA STILLMAN & RABBI DAN SLIPAKOFF

Living Judaism together through discovery, dynamic spirituality, and righteous impact.

Next Steps to Inventing Our Future

By Marc Maxwell

This summer, we have taken our next steps to Inventing our Future. We are extremely pleased to have hired Boston architects Annum Architects- to assist us in creating a long term plan and design for how we adapt our building and outdoor spaces to support who we are today and who we aspire to be ten and twenty years from now. This summer we have undertaken updating of the sanctuary lighting, audio and visual systems, as well as new digital controls to support our mixed presence. We are adding Zoom capability to several meeting rooms and classrooms. While our Design Team catalogs the existing building, we will engage in building tours and focus groups with the Temple Israel community to be sure we have considered the needs, desires, and aspirations of a wide range of TI constituents. We are excited to be taking these next steps in Inventing Our Future!

Scaffolding installed in the sanctuary for the installation of energy efficient LED lighting www.tisrael.org/insight | 617-566-3960

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Stories from the Riverway Leadership Team For the past 21 years, the Riverway Project has been fulfilling its mission to connect people in their 20s and 30s to Judaism and to each other. Whether gathering at Temple Israel, in people’s homes, out in bars and coffee shops around the city, on hiking trails and baseball stadiums, or even on Zoom, our programming attracts young adults who yearn to build meaningful relationships while deepening their Jewish identity. None of this would be possible without the Riverway Leadership Team (RLT), a group of young lay leaders who care deeply about this initiative and work tirelessly to make it even more innovative and welcoming.

“I joined Riverway during the pandemic, and during a time I felt so disconnected from Judaism. I was greeted by a zoom room full of people genuinely happy to be there, and I knew I had found my place. When we were able to get back together in person, I found a community that was full of life and open arms for us ‘wandering Jews’ looking for our place in the city. This year, I relocated to Chicago, and leaving my home at TI was one of the hardest things to do.

Having a supportive community that could lift me during the most challenging times and celebrate during the best times is something I took for granted. Even though I'm in Chicago, I am lucky still to have a home with Riverway and in Boston. Staying connected as part of the RLT brings me joy and allows me to stay a part of the community, which gave me so much and so many people and reasons to come back to Boston! In fact, I will be back on Yom Kippur and have never been so excited to atone with friends who have become family.” — Beth Weisbach “When I graduated from college, I knew I needed to find a Jewish community and almost immediately found myself at home at the Riverway Project. Over the past 10+ years, I have made lasting friendships, gotten married, and brought our newborn daughter into this community. I have grown up with the program as a core part of my life and could not imagine my young adulthood without it.” — Andrew Franks “The two things I love most about being a member of the RLT are welcoming and connecting to the congregation. I love helping to set a welcoming, inclusive tone for Riverway Shabbat. I also think it is great to stay connected with the rest of the congregation so we can interact more with the other initiatives at TI.” — Meredith Monaco

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Living Judaism together through discovery, dynamic spirituality, and righteous impact.

Join us for JoinExperience us for the the of a Experience Lifetime! of a Lifetime!

Join us for the Experience of a Lifetime!

Spark is a Greater Boston Jewish community journey of connection, Spark is a Greater Boston Jewish discovery, and fun in celebration community journey of connection, of Israel’s 75th Independence Day. discovery, and fun in celebration

Spark is a Greater Boston Jewish community journey of connection, discovery, and fun in celebration of Israel’s 75th Independence Day.

of Israel’s 75th Independence Day.

Choose from Two Ex Choose from Two Experiences: Choose Two Experiences: Temple Israel of Boston is thrilled tofrom be #1

partnering with CJP to join Spark — a Boston #1 Jewish community-wide journey celebrating #1 Israel’s 75th Independence Day. The journey begins with learning and events in fall 2022, small group programming in early 2023, and features an Israel trip April 18-27, 2023.

The experience is over Yom Ha’atzmaut and includes an optional extension to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Temple Israel will have our own group Community Experience within this Israel experience! Subsidies may Travel to Israel: April adults 18–27, in 2023 be available for young their 20s Community Experience and and families with kids.form For lasting more Join 30s members of our synagogue, Travel to Israel: April 18–27, 2023 information on Spark, itineraries, and other relationships, learn and discover, and immerse Join members of our synagogue, form lasting details, visit CJP.org/Spark. yourselfplease in all that Israel and Greater Boston relationships, have to offer. learn and discover, and immerse yourself in all that Israel and Greater Boston have to offer.

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Travel to Israel: April 18–27, 2023 Travel to Israel: December 21–31, 2023 JoinFamily members ofExperience our synagogue, form lasting Ideal for those traveling with children ages 7+, Travel to Israel: December 21–31, 2023 relationships, learn and discover, and immerse we’ll spend a spectacular 9 days together in Israel yourself in all that Israel and Greater Boston Ideal forfloating, those traveling with childrenand ages 7+, touring, climbing, exploring, forming have to offer. we’ll spend a spectacular days in Israel bonds to one another and9 to thetogether community. touring, floating, climbing, exploring, and forming bonds to one another and to the community.

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Visit CJP.org/Spark Visit CJP.org/Spark www.tisrael.org/insight | 617-566-3960

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The FJECC Preschool:

Getting reading for a new school year!

By Amy Bolotin, FJECC Director

The summer weeks at the FJECC Preschool are quietly busy ones as we work steadily to prepare and ready the school to reopen. Like every year, there are constants, and there are changes.

What is new at the FJECC? We have expanded our Toddler program, now offering a 5-day option in response to a clear need from families. The FJECC has 27 incoming toddlers, who will now populate two classrooms: the Yellow and Orange rooms. We are thrilled to welcome many new families to the FJECC community – as well as many families returning with younger siblings of FJECC alumni. With the expanded program, we will be welcoming new staff as well, and we can’t wait to introduce them to you!

This past year found us taking small steps back to more “normal” operations, and we will continue on this path in the coming weeks and months. Wayne Potash has been, and will continue to be, onsite again every week, bringing his uniquely exuberant music and movement program. On Friday mornings we once again will gather together for Shabbat Sing, the beloved FJECC tradition of music and storytelling in preparation for the evening arrival of the Sabbath. Already I am in conversation with Cantor Stillman and the clergy to think about meaningful ways to introduce new music and spirit to enhance our beloved FJECC tradition.

Intergenerational relationships have always been a part of FJECC, and we plan to once again welcome a regular cadre of visitors to classrooms. The mission of our work is to partner with parents to raise the next generation of Jewish world citizens. Bridging the gap from young to old in deep and meaningful experiences enriches the lives of all who participate, and we invite those who are interested in becoming a regular classroom visitor to contact us!

The FJECC Preschool is ready for 2022-23. We cannot wait to open our doors and welcome all to a year of wonder, curiosity, and exploration.

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Living Judaism together through discovery, dynamic spirituality, and righteous impact.

Temple Israel of Boston's Ner Tamid Society For more than 165 years, Temple Israel has provided a home to the Boston Jewish community. We are proud to uplift our spirits in song, to unite in our commitment to justice, and to serve as a refuge in times of joy and in times of sorrow.

The Ner Tamid is the light that shines above the ark in every synagogue of the world, a symbol of our presence and determination to sustain our traditions, even as we respond to change. The Ner Tamid Society honors supporters who perpetuate the legacy of Temple Israel. By including Temple Israel in your estate plans, you ensure that the eternal light continues to burn strongly for generations to come.

With your bequest or other planned gift to Temple Israel, you become a member of the Ner Tamid Society. You name will be inscribed in the Ner Tamid Society honor roll, and you will be invited to events exclusively for Ner Tamid Society members. Join us, and be part of a legacy that lives on in every generation of Temple Israel.

For more information, please contact Shoshanna Goldberg, Director of Development, at sgoldberg@tisrael.org or 617-566-3960. You can also find more details online at nertamid.tisrael.org.

USPS 50648 Founded in 1854 Affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism Issued 4 times/year Printed on recycled paper Rabbi Elaine S. Zecher Cantor Alicia Stillman Rabbi Suzie Jacobson Rabbi Dan Slipakoff Rabbi Andrew Oberstein Rabbi Ronne Friedman, Rabbi Emeritus Rabbi Bernard H. Mehlman, Senior Scholar Cantor Roy B. Einhorn, Cantor Emeritus

Temple Israel of Boston

INSIGHT Temple Israel 477 Longwood Avenue Boston, MA 02215-5396

Non Profit US Postage PAID Permit 50648 Boston, MA

Laurence Bailen, President Jessica Greenfield, Vice President Chris Noe, Treasurer Dan Deutsch, Executive Director Amy Bolotin, FJECC Preschool Director Emma Koblick, Director of Communications 617-566-3960 | www.tisrael.org facebook.com/TempleIsraelBoston twitter.com/TI_Boston

www.tisrael.org/insight | 617-566-3960

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