From the clergy By Cantor Roy B. Einhorn
A congregation should be known as a place that is welcoming and cares for one another. As our tradition says, “Kol Yisrael aravim zeh la zeh” — All Israel is responsible for one another. TI Cares, formerly known as the Caring Community Team, tries to do just that. For the thirty three years that I have been the Cantor of Temple Israel, I have seen congregants and staff taking care of one another by making consolation calls, visiting our homebound, providing meals, leading minyan services, and participating in activities to support and enrich the lives of our members. In recent years, TI Cares has been providing Chanukah gift packages to our college students at their dorms, delivering Purim mishloach manot (gifts) to our elderly, and before Rosh Hashanah dropping off honey jars with a written note of consolation and best wishes for a year of healing to those who lost a loved one in the previous year.
FACTS
Additionally, TI Cares in conjunction with the technology committee, launched our community@tisrael.org Google group. The mission for this group is to generate conversations and connections that will strengthen our Temple Israel community. Our expectations are for these conversations to be far-ranging. Someone may be seeking information about an upcoming Jewish cultural event, or there may be a question about finding a dentist, a DJ, or an electrician. This forum has great potential to serve our community as we share ideas, information, and build relationships. To join our Google group send your name and e-mail to community+owners@tisrael.org.
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CUT DOWN ON USE OF PLASTIC
Caring Community Making Mishloach Manot
The co-chairs of TI Cares, Tanya Goldwyn and Susan Michaels, would be delighted to hear your suggestions of ways to “warm-up” our community and make it even more caring. I urge you to contact Tanya at tatyanarfa@ comcast.net or Susan at smichaels211@mac.com with your ideas or your commitment to perform a deed of kindness in this New Year. Another way to get involved in repairing our world is through the Green Team. Late last spring, members of our congregation and staff gathered to discuss some initial ideas, such as paper and bottle recycling, education programming for our religious school, lowering our carbon footprint by replacing incandescent light bulbs, purchasing compostable food utensils and composting our food waste. Our executive director Dan Deutsch and building manager Julia Pollard are addressing a bigger issue of heating and cooling. The Green Team is chaired by a most dedicated champion of Tikkun Olam, (repairing our world), Joan Rachlin. Joan’s indefatigable spirit and energy is pushing us forward on multiple fronts. If you are interested in joining our efforts, please email Joan at rachlinj@aol.com.
Use Fewer Paper Napkins
Recycle Newspaper
Nearly 90% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, instead taking thousands of years to decompose. Buy a reusable container and fill it with tap water, a great choice for the environment, your wallet, and possibly your health. The EPA’s standards for tap water are more stringent than the FDA’s standards for bottled water.
During an average year, an American uses approximately 2,200 napkins—around six each day. If everyone in the U.S. used one less napkin a day, more than a billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year.
There are 63 million newspapers printed each day in the U.S. Of these, 44 million, or about 69%, of them will be thrown away. Recycling just the Sunday papers would save more than half a million trees every week.
(50waystohelp.com)
(50waystohelp.com)
(50waystohelp.com)
INSIGHT Vol. 15, No. 3, Winter 2015-16/5776
