Shavua Tov
Well, this is it, my final day as your senior rabbi. This week we moved into our new home and already most of the boxes have been emptied. And the place, now filled with our furniture and the shelves lined with our books, looks even better than we imagined. Even the dogs are adjusting well.
Plus, on Friday, to make the move complete, we had our wifi installed, thank God.
So, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, as my day counter reaches zero (see photo above and last fall's High Holidays sermons), I am sending out my final message on TBE's Constant Contact. I'll continue to be a presence in the bulletin, but for official TBE communiques, I turn things over to Rabbi Knopf and others, like Steve Lander, who sent out the Greenmans' baby announcement this week (and Mazal Tov to them!). I wish everyone the very best of luck in carrying forward TBE's sacred missions.
Meanwhile, Mara and I continue to bask in the (very) warm glow of last weekend's farewell service. And the tribute book continues to grow.
Click here for video & audio of last week's service and updated tribute book (including beautiful new messages from the Trells and others, and text of last Friday's presetations by Rev Ann Schmidt, DIana Binger, Lauren Hass, Keith Brewer, Elissa Garber-Hyman and others. We'll continue to update the tribute book over the coming days with any messages that I receive.
Just click on the same link for the updated version.
Finally, a reminder that I will still be as vocal as ever - even more than ever - on the issues and values that we cherish the most. Please subscribe to my Substack page - as hundreds of you already have - and you will not miss a beat. Simply go to https://rabbijoshuahammerman.substack.com/ - and tell your friends, your kids and your kids' friends too!
As I stated last week at the service and feel even more strongly following last Thursday's debate:
I am grateful for the years shared together and for shared experiences still to come. I am very optimistic about the future of this congregation, because I know what you are made of. And I’ve even more optimistic about the future of the Jewish people - and America too. I think we will emerge stronger from the crucible of these past few difficult years. So will democracy, here and in Israel. And now, freed from the forty years of grappling, I’ll be able to find new ways to help this generational struggle, here and in Israel.
With abundant gratitude, best wishes for the future and looking forward to seeing you again,
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman
PS - And if you wonder why I am optimistic even after THAT debate, send me an email and we can discuss. | 
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