Shalom All,
Life has been very busy lately, here at Temple Judah, as the school year comes to a close. But that is how it always is in the spring, for us Jews. Things start picking up at Purim, kick into high gear with Pesach and then Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), and then sprint to the end with Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day), Yom HaAtzma’ut (Israel Independence Day), Lag B’Omer (a “party day” for most of the Orthodox Jewish world), and finally, Shavout, before the summer respite.
In April alone, there was our community seder for Passover, which was wonderful as usual, which over 65 people attended. The Thaler Holocaust Memorial Fund brought a Holocaust Survivor to Cedar Rapids, as it does annually. This year, they invited one of our own, Jacob Eisenbach, who lived in Cedar Rapids for 18 years and was a Past-President of Temple Judah. His talks have been inspiring and meaningful, and it is great to be able to welcome him back at Shabbat Services this week.
In May, I’d like to highlight a few things that are happening. On May 6th we will have Traditional Services, as usual, but we will also be celebrating Yom HaAtzmaut, with an Isreali themed luncheon. Then on Sunday, May 7th, we will be having an End of the School Year Picnic at Bever Park, starting at 10 am. There will be food and fun and storytelling by two of our students, Leah Dillon and Kate Hinz. It’s been a great year, I hope you’ll be able to join us.
Finally, at the end of the month, on May 30th, we will celebrate Shavuot. Services will start at 7:30, followed by desserts and a little study.
As I said, spring is always very busy around here. But it’s a good busy, with lots of interesting things to attend and do.
I look forward to see you.
Rabbi Todd