Shalom All,
As you know, summer is usually a very quiet time in the life of a synagogue, though not so much for Temple Judah. In June alone, we celebrated Shavuot and Confirmation (congratulations to Leah Dillon and Kate Hinz), held our Annual meeting and Bar-B-Q, hosted Family Promise for two full weeks (thank you everyone, for stepping up and volunteering), and started a new Basic Judaism class because there were enough people interested in taking it.
Though July is looking to be somewhat more quiet, there are still a few events I’d like to highlight. The first, is our outdoor service on Friday, July 5th (weather permitting), in the Silber Outdoor Sanctuary. It isn’t often that we are able to offer this, but outdoor services are really wonderful. Being out in nature, hearing the wind and the birds adds so much to our prayers. There will be another one on the first Friday in August, too. I really hope you can join us for them. The Hadassah book club will be meeting July 10th and everyone is invited to attend. Also, Basic Judaism will be meeting on Thursdays throughout July (except on Independence Day). So far we’ve only had one class, so it ’s not too late to sign up if you’re interested.
Come August, things will really pick up. We are still looking to schedule High Holy Day choir rehearsals, so I can’t tell you what night they’ll be happening, but we are always looking for more singers. If you are interested let me know, and I’ll make sure you know the rehearsal schedule. We’re also hosting the Iowa Jewish Leaders conference at temple during this month, in which leaders from all over the state (usually around 30 of us) will be meeting to discuss how things are going for Jews in Iowa. Finally, we’ll be starting a new Shalom Hartmann Video Lecture series. This one is titled, “Israel’s Milestones and Their Meanings.” The first class will be August 22nd, and then it will meet monthly through March of next year.
As you can see, there is still a lot going on here. I hope you all have a fun and enjoyable summer. Join us when you can, we’d love to see you.
B’shalom,
Rabbi Todd