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Rabbi's Corner

Sam and Janet’s Evening Was Not Enchanted or Why There’s No Peace in the Middle East

Over the years I’ve told you a lot of stories about people I’ve known. Before I told those stories, I asked the people’s permission and changed their names and other elements. The story that I’m going to tell you today is about two people who came to me at least partly so that I would tell their story to as many people as I could. They are not members of this congregation but read something I wrote and decided that they wanted to tell me about their lives, and, for a reason it took me a while to figure out, wanted me to tell their story for them. (more…)

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Rabbi's Corner

Where Do I Belong? or Ha-Kol Be-Seder

Last year on Yom Kippur, I asked you, “Who is sitting at the table in your head?” I asked you who, alive or dead, is most precious to you.

People really responded to this question. Over the last year, I have had countless conversations with people who wanted to use this image to talk about the people in their lives. Many seem to draw comfort from the image of all the people they love, sitting together again around a table.

But others say that the question is a very painful one that has led them to think, in wrenching ways, about their feelings and their relationships.

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Rabbi's Corner

We Do Windows: Judaism and the Meaning of Glass

If you’re Jewish, you are proud of what the Jewish people has contributed to civilization. Our belief in One G-d has transformed the world and affected history in countless ways. Our laws and commandments, our morality and ethics, have defined the ideals and values of much of the world.

All this you know. So let me tell you something you don’t know: Jewish people brought glassmaking to the world. In a book called The Glassmakers: An Odyssey of the Jews published in 1991, Samuel Kurinsky shows that for centuries, even millennia, Jewish people were the exclusive glassmakers in the world for much of that time. If you took a map of how the making of glass spread through the world, and superimposed it on a map of how Jewish people migrated to different countries, you would have a match.

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What's New

Israeli Dancing

Monday, November 26, 2012 - 7 pmIsraeli Dance Classes will be held by Karen Kaplan.No experience requiredFree, but please register by sending an email to Albertharary@hotmail.com or phoning Al at 203-288-1347.

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What's New

Mah Jongg Tournament

Wednesday, October 17, 2011. Six Round (24 games) tournament with prizes.Coffee and... at 9:00 am, Complete dairy lunch 12:30-1:30 pmEntry fee of $30 per person covers everything.To register send $30 check payable to Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Avenue, Hamden CT 06517-1401. RSVP Deadline October 10th For questions call the TBS Office or Toby at (203) 288-8991  *  We need Easts!

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What's New

Chassidic Kaddish

This popular version is chanted by many Chazzans during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Originally written for the end of the Ne'ilah Service, this upbeat setting for the full Kaddish was written by Cantor Jacob Gottlieb (1852-1900) and was made famous by the "King of Cantors" Yossele Rosenblatt (1882-1933) to whom it is often mistakenly attributed. Some may ask why this joyous and fun music was written for such a solemn occasion, but  Yom Kippur can be interpreted by some as Yom Ki Purim, a day like Purim. Enjoy Safam's live version of the Chassidic Kaddish. Happy and Healthy New Year from your webmaster. Click the triangle in the box below to listen. {saudioplayer}kaddish.mp3{/saudioplayer}

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Odds & Ends

The Forts That Tower Over Israel

The opinions expressed on this webpage represent those of the individual authors and, unless clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions or policies of TBS Charles Tegart and the forts that tower over Israel 9 September 2012 By Kevin Connolly BBC News, Jerusalem Palestine 1938: Tegart steps out of his car When the British sought to quell unrest in Palestine in the 1930s, they turned to an uncompromising Irish policeman, who came up with a drastic and expensive solution - a network of fortresses that today stand as monuments to a lost empire. They don't make policemen like Sir Charles Augustus Tegart any more. That's partly because they don't need to - Sir Charles was a colonial officer whose job was to keep the Union Flag flying over Britain's far-flung imperial territories. But it's also because he was a man of his time, impossible to imagine in a…

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What's New

Unemployment Support Group – 3 NEW Sessions @ TBS

Wednesday, September 5, 2012 - Noon to 1 pmWednesday, September 12, 2012 - Noon to 1 pmWednesday, September 19, 2012 - Noon to 1 pmJewish Family Service of New Haven in cooperation with the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven,Congregation Mishkan Israel and Temple Beth Sholom will continue the support group to address the emotional issues faced by unemployed and underemployed individuals.The group now meets in the Library of Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. For any questions, contact Rabbi Hesch Sommer at (203) 389-5599 ext 117.This group is provided as a support at no charge and is open to all community members.

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