Shabbat-O-Gram
The Shabbat-O-Gram is sponsored by Marcy and
Martin Nirschel in honor of their daughter, Jessica, becoming a Bat Mitzvah.
Sharing the Spirit of
Excellence
Coming off a spectacular "Soul to
Soul" concert last night (see
the online journal), we move onward to another special Shabbat, tonight
featuring Tali Rubinstein on Recorder and Assaf Gleizner on Piano.
Tali,
another member of the "Banot"
band, is a fabulous musician in her own right (see her website),
and we welcome her here for the first time.
Mazal Tov to Jessica Nirschel becoming
Bat Mitzvah on Shabbat morning. Also a special Mazal Tov to TBE board
member Richard Heimler and to Chris Maroc, who will be getting married on
Sunday. Sunday also brings New York's Celebrate Israel
Parade (celebrated this year on Jerusalem Day) and the "Hope
in Motion" walk for the Bennett Cancer Center and Stamford
Hospital. Best of luck to all the marchers, whom I will not be able to
join this year because Cantor Fishman and I will be officiating at the
aforementioned wedding. I'll be with all the walkers in spirit. You
are all marching for a good cause!
June is also Pride Month; make plans to join us
for our special Pride
Shabbat on June 17, featuring one of the key national figures in Jewish
LGBTQ advocacy, Idit Klein, executive director of Keshet, along
with superb musicians.
We've developed a standard of excellence here
that comes through especially on nights like last night. Cantor Fishman
constantly raises the bar for all of us. And with people like Peter and
Betsy Kempner, whom we honored, and so many who worked so hard for last
evening's success, we set an example of what can happen when we refuse to
compromise on standards of artistic, aesthetic, spiritual, moral and fiduciary
excellence. We can't just have a "good enough" music program,
we need to strive to stir the soul with every note. We can't just
be warm and welcoming; we need to stretch ourselves beyond the comfort
zone and beyond our doors to welcome others. We can't just be
"good enough" people, we have to challenge ourselves to become
veritable models of menschlichkeit.
One area often gets unnoticed. Our Hebrew
School has a reputation for sustained excellence - one touted by its own
students. It's high praise indeed when kids routinely tell their parents,
"I want to go to Hebrew School today." Parents who survived the
dreaded Hebrew Schools of yesteryear are so shocked to hear it! Lisa
Gittelman-Udi, our superb Education and Youth Director, has brought our school
to a level where learning is always fun. It's never an "either/or"
proposition, as it is so often elsewhere.
We have reason to be very proud of the Jewish
education our children are receiving. And when I say "our"
children, I mean all of us - because whether or not we have children in the
Hebrew School right now, these are all our kids. They are the
Jewish future and we have a stake in them. That's why it is incorrect to
speak of the Hebrew School as a separate entity, somehow apart from the
synagogue as a whole.
So today, we celebrate our Hebrew School, by far
(in my humble opinion) the best in the area. And we all need to share
that news with our neighbors. And while you are at it, let them know
about the free first year
membership incentive we offer for families with students in
grades K, 1 and 2. It is in everyone's interest to grow our school
- most of all, it is in the interest of the kids themselves, and of the future
of the Jewish people.
So I'm going to give you something to share with
your friends - this brief tribute to the TBE Hebrew School, produced by Annie
Nirschel. When I say that our students love our school, don't take
my word for it. Listen to the kids themselves!
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Please share the link far and wide - https://youtu.be/SmG3kYF6JYg.
By "far and wide," I mean both within and beyond Stamford's
borders. The experiential brand of Jewish education Lisa has cooked up
simply is not found at other places. If you disagree, simply ask any
other Hebrew School director whether their 7th graders routinely,
unanimously, and voluntarily come back to class AFTER their bar/bat mitzvahs
BECAUSE THEY WANT TO. If they are being honest, they will say
"C'mon! No one can do that!"
Well, here they do.
Lisa and I will be spreading the word about our
school this week to Jews in Wilton, where there are no synagogues and where we
have a growing TBE "Diaspora." We want to work with them and others
to make it possible for more children to experience what we have to
offer. If you want to come, or know someone who might, contact me at rabbi@tbe.org for
more information. If you would like to set up a meeting with interested
parents in your neighborhood, whether in Stamford or elsewhere, please let me
know. We need for our members to be our emissaries as we continue to grow
our community. Please share our new video with friends in social
media. Spread the word!
We are proud of our excellence. It's time
for us all to share the spirit of TBE.
Finally, take a look below at our Shavuot flyer
for next weekend - the Sat night Tikkun will not include a formal service, but
rather will focus on meditation, music and conversation. And check out the
just-announced early bird incentive for next year's Jewish
heritage Tour of Central Europe.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman
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