I can’t keep up with my email. This is not exactly breaking news for those of you who already have been frustrated by my failure to respond to some of the emails you’ve sent. But I mention my struggle, all the same, to spread the awareness among those of you who have not realized that your rabbi is significantly “email challenged.” You should know that leaving me a phone message is almost always a better bet (even if it’s just to call my attention to an urgent email you’ve sent me!).

Occasionally our community comes together around a theme, and this year we’ve decided to weave the idea of “telling our story” into our programming. At Beth El Temple Center, we’ve begun to share our Jewish stories with one another. What role does Judaism play in our lives? How did it shape our childhood or enter our lives as adults? How does our Judaism express itself in our work of Tikkun Olam, study, or celebrations? As Rabbi Kraus would ask, how are we living the Torah?

Applications for the
Donald Ponn Scholarship Fund 
are due by February 1, 2012.

Temple members Beatrice and Harold Ponn (of blessed memory) established the Donald Ponn Scholarship Fund in memory of their son. It supports the youth of our congregation by providing scholarships for a variety of activities that help our children develop their identities and bring them into contact with other Jewish children.  In the past, the fund has supported teen trips to Israel, NFTY youth institutes, Jewish leadership development programs, and Jewish summer camps.