President's Blog

There's a particular kind of energy that arrives with September. The Rabin Religious School fills back up with the sound of students returning —a little first-day nervousness, and a lot of excitement to see friends and teachers again. Whether your child is walking into that building for the first time or the tenth, it's a reminder of why this community exists: to pass on our traditions, our stories, and our sense of belonging to the next generation. This year, that back-to-sc

From the President's Desk Dear TBI Family, There's a particular kind of quiet that settles over August — the sound of summer starting to wind down even while the days are still warm. If your house looks anything like mine right now, it's a mix of last beach trips, school-supply lists, and the strange scramble of trying to fit a whole summer's worth of “we should really do that” into the last few weeks before the buses start running again. I've been doing my own version of tha

July is here — the summer sun is blazing, the A/C is working overtime, and the United States is turning 250 years old. Yes, America is officially a quarter of a millennium! As my father would have said, "Not bad for a country that started with a bunch of people arguing about taxes." I've been thinking a great deal about what this milestone means for us as Jews and as Americans. And the more I think about it, the more I realize: we have a lot in common with the founders of thi

Can you believe it's June already? It feels like just yesterday we were bundled up in our winter coats, and now we're debating whether the sanctuary air conditioning is too cold (it is) or not cold enough (also true, depending on where you sit). June is one of my favorite months — long days, warm evenings, my birthday, and a calendar that invites us to slow down, gather, and enjoy. And here at Temple Beth Israel, we are very good at gathering. June also marks the close of our

Dear Friends of Temple Beth Israel, May has arrived — and with it, longer days, blooming gardens, and that unmistakable feeling that the universe is nudging us to open the windows (both literally and metaphorically). Here in the Jewish calendar, we find ourselves in the heart of the Omer, counting our way from liberation toward revelation. It turns out that counting your blessings and counting the Omer go beautifully hand in hand. I'll be honest — when I agreed to write this

April has arrived, and with it comes that magical moment each year when we look around our homes and wonder how on earth so many crumbs accumulated in so many places. It’s Passover season, which means it’s time for deep cleaning, deep reflection, and deep debates about whether last year’s unopened box of matzah is still technically edible. (Spoiler: it is. Matzah has the shelf life of a small asteroid.) But truly, there’s something delightful about this time of year. The days

As we celebrate the spirit of community and renewal this March, it’s important to recognize the extraordinary impact Jewish Americans have had on our nation’s story. Their achievements span every field — from science and the arts to business, education, and public service — and their work continues to shape the character and creativity of our country. Jewish American innovators have expanded the boundaries of knowledge and imagination. Figures such as Jonas Salk , whose pione