Statement
At 10 am on a Shabbat morning, Congregation Tree of Life in Pittsburgh, like hundreds of other synagogues, was beginning its morning services, Torah study with B’nai Mitzvah and baby naming guests in attendance. The scene is familiar to us all.
The assault is a direct attack on Judaism and America’s Jews. It represents the single, most violent incident against Jewish Americans in the history of the United States. We stand in support of our brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh and everywhere Jewish life is threatened. These events remind us our fates are intertwined. Our resolve to combat hate, anti-Semitism and terror is intensified by this horrific act.
The tragedy in Pittsburgh is intimately connected to the hateful rhetoric and the toxic divisiveness which poisons our country. Quoting my daughter, Leanne, “the white man who killed 11 Jews in the midst of their prayers (may their memories be for a blessing) was motivated by the interlocking, inseparable ideologies of white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia. He blames Jews for the group of Honduran refugees traveling through Mexico to seek a safe haven in the United States, while also blaming Jews for the “Middle Easterners” who he claims are somehow embedded in the group. He particularly hates HIAS, a (beautiful) Jewish organization that resettles refugees in the United States and advocates for refugees around the world.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, December 7 at 6:30 pm: Combined Chanukah Tot Shabbat and Family Service. BYO Menorah. Buffet dinner follows (please reserve by December 5).
Wednesday, December 19 at 7 pm: HT Book Club: A Terrible Country (meets in classroom #2).
Friday, December 21 at 6 pm: Tot Shabbat
Hebrew School Registration going on NOW!
Click here for information and forms
Hi Everyone,
I hope you’re enjoying the summer!
Please take a few minutes out of your busy day to help get us started on another wonderful year in the HT Hebrew School by registering your student(s) for the 2018-19 school year. You will find your student’s current class in the subject line of this email. Please include this information on your information forms.
Please complete and return the attached Student Info form, the Medical Authorization form, and the Video Consent form, along with your tuition deposit. You can either print the forms and mail them in with your tuition deposit or fill them out and return them by email. You can also pay the tuition on the HT website: www.HebrewTabernacle.org and click on “Pay Bill” in the upper right hand corner. Please be sure to have someone witness your signature on the Medical Authorization Form. Thanks in advance for your help with this important information and for sending in your tuition payments in a timely fashion.
We are still finalizing the Hebrew School schedule so that we can incorporate some of the suggestions made at the recent Focus Group meetings. A first draft of the schedule is attached. Thanks to Desma, Diana, Eileen, Jen, Paul, Rita, Sara and Tara for facilitating these meetings and to all of the HT folks who have and will be attending. There will be additional Focus group meetings in the coming weeks. Please contact Desma, desma.holcomb@gmail.com, for a full schedule of upcoming meetings.
One of the suggestions to come out of these meetings was to extend the Hebrew School year later into June. Since some of our teachers are college students and are not available after their classes end in early May, the program would need to be restructured depending on the number of teachers available and the number of students who would be participating. There would also be additional fees for tuition and snacks for those students who continue in the extended Hebrew School Enrichment Program. The additional class time would be used to work on Hebrew Language Arts skills, Tefillah (prayer) and topics in Jewish Culture and History. If you anticipate that you would like to enroll your student for the Hebrew School Enrichment Program, PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL IMMEDIATELY TO LET ME KNOW SO WE CAN PLAN FOR THE PROGRAM!!
I would also like to let you know about The Shinshonim, a wonderful program in which Hebrew Tabernacle will be participating this year. The Shinshonim are 18 year old Israeli teenagers who have postponed their military service for a year to serve as representatives of Israel in the United States. One of these fabulous folks, Noemi Agami, will be spending alternate Mondays in our Hebrew School with our students and teachers, through the middle of May. She will also be attending our Friday evening Family Services and perhaps some Tot Shabbat services, depending on her schedule. She will be conducting activities at the Friday night services so the students who attend Hebrew School on Wednesdays will have an opportunity to learn with her and get to know her. During her time with us, Noemi will be sharing Israeli culture and information about the people and places in Israel so we will get a glimpse of what life in Israel is like from the perspective of someone who lives there! We are very excited to add this extra dimension to the content of our Hebrew School.
We are also looking forward to celebrating six Bat and Bar Mitzvah ceremonies in the coming year and hope that the community will be joining us to support our students and their families.
If you know of any other families who are looking for a fun, valuable Hebrew School education experience for their children, please share my email address.
In lieu of Meet The Teachers Night, we will be planning alternative ways for parents to get to know their students’ teachers. Stay tuned for information about this and other events.
I’m so looking forward to welcoming the students and families back to school in September. Please feel free to email me with any questions.
Have fun in the sun!!
Peace,
Shelly
