President’s Message

No Religion is an Island is a responsive reading, adapted from a work by Abraham Joshua Heschel, which the Rabbi periodically includes in a Friday night service. In the last year and a half, it seems to me that he has deemed its reading to not only be relevant, but poignant as well, with increasing frequency. Rabbi Scolnic has stated in countless sermons that he does not believe in coincidences. His invoking and reading of this poem is never coincidental. Like every sermon he delivers, he uses this reading to send an important message and commentary on the political and social landscape. (more…)

Last month, we celebrated Rabbi Scolnic’s 36 years at TBS with a roast in his honor. I was not among those who spoke, which I believe only contributed to the evening’s success. (more…)

I have spent much of the last year encouraging everyone to get involved in at TBS. This year, let’s build off of the successful programming we had last year, including the Shabbat Around the World series, which will be resuming on November 1 with a stop for dinner in Puerto Rico, and will also include destinations like Mexico, South Africa and, since we’re going around the world, the United States. (more…)

“We’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time with great anticipation, and now it’s here.” Anyone who has attended Bnai Mitzvot at Temple Beth Sholom recognizes these words as the Rabbi’s official opening of the weekend on Friday night. In that same spirit, I now take this opportunity to turn the tables on the Rabbi. (more…)

I hope everyone enjoyed the summer, taking time to relax and have fun with family and friends. The High Holiday season is approaching at the end of the month, bringing with it the opportunity for self-reflection. During this time we are not asked, but rather expected to look back on our actions in general and toward each other in the past year. (more…)

We are all aware of the recent shooting at the Chabad in the San Diego area in late April – just when we thought we might be able to move beyond the Tree of Life shooting. This latest incident, along with additional school shootings, serves as a sad and unfortunate reminder that security must remain a priority. The ramp up of violence over the last 2 years has effectively ended our children being able to count on schools and places of worship as sanctuaries and safe havens. (more…)

In this article, I am going to step away from my usual topics and reflect on a social and societal topic. In recent months, I have been increasingly aware of concerning behaviors in school-age children that seem to be treated as more and more acceptable. Children have many sources of influence in their lives: parents and relatives, teachers, peers, elected leaders and celebrities, to name a few. All of the groups I just listed are supposed to be the people we have always expected and trusted to serve as role models. These are the people we have encouraged our children to look up to and, because of this, have been held to a higher standard. (more…)

As we begin to head into Spring, our calendar will be filled with B’nai Mitzvot, events and activities by Social Action, Men’s Club, Sisterhood, Adult Education and Hebrew School. There are many upcoming events and activities for members of all ages.

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TBS is a Caring Community. We are fantastic at the caring component of this statement, and there is a lot of terrific programming happening in various facets of our shul and community. The Holidays of Purim and Passover provide us with opportunities to all come together and celebrate as one community. (more…)