Ohav ya heard?
A Temple Ohav Shalom Blog
|
Greetings from the boardroom! This month's meeting began with a deeply felt recap of the High Holy Days services and activities. The sense of shared pride in the room was palpable. I want to extend my personal gratitude not only to our Rabbi, Song Leader, the rest of the staff, and the entire board but also to every member of our sacred community who contributed to making the holiday season such a resounding success. It was wonderful to see so many of you at services—from our Shabbat regulars and new families to those we saw for the first time in a long while. Looking Ahead: Keeping the Momentum We all agree we have great momentum, and our focus now turns to the months ahead, particularly our youngest members. Mark your calendars:
L'Shalom! Sam Jacobs AuthorSam Jacobs, President, Temple Ohav Shalom 
0 Comments
At our September board meeting, we discussed several subjects, including High Holy Days services and the Endowment Fund. And if you are curious about either of those things, please join us at tonight’s Erev Rosh HaShanah service and ask a board member. In this month’s installment of From the Boardroom, we wanted to direct your attention to committees. Sounds boring, right? The truth is that they’re only boring if you don’t have a vested interest in what the committee is working toward. Here at Temple Ohav Shalom, we are a community. And communities function best when everyone works together. That’s why, in addition to the committees you may already know — membership, fundraising or spiritual enrichment — we are reintroducing the Building and Grounds Committee as an effort to take better care of our building, the parking lot and the surrounding property. If you have ideas or have questions about how you can participate, please speak with a board member. Brian Kline, vice president-operations, will be chairing that committee. Also, Elizabeth Coslov, a member-at-large, will be leading an effort to clean out and make some sense of our kitchen. Community participation is needed and encouraged, and we hope that many of you have the drive and can find the time to assist in this and future building and grounds activities. L’shanah tovah! AuthorSam Jacobs, President, Temple Ohav Shalom  For Temple Ohav Shalom's August board meeting, the board welcomed longtime member Nancy Garber along with Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center. They presented a plan to move several years worth of TOS board meeting minutes and other documents to the digital archives as part of a larger effort to archive Jewish history in Western Pennsylvania. The board agreed unanimously to move forward with this plan. TOS will begin by donating about five boxes of records, all of which will eventually be available to view on the Rauh archival website. We encourage members to reach out with any additional documents or photographs, etc. that they wish to donate to the archives. More information about the process and how to access the archive will be made available soon. If you would like additional information about the Rauh Jewish Archives project or have any other questions about topics discussed at the board meeting, please contact President Sam Jacobs at [email protected]. AuthorSam Jacobs, President, Temple Ohav Shalom  Today, August 25, is the first day of Elul, the final month of the Jewish year. Elul ushers in the High Holy Day season, for it leads directly to Tishrei, the month that begins with Rosh HaShanah — the first day of the new year. This year, Rosh HaShanah will begin on the evening of September 22. The Rabbis teach that the name of this month, Elul (the Hebrew letters aleph, lamed, vav, lamed), is an acronym for a verse from the Song of Songs: "Ani l’dodi v’dodi li." (“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”) This hidden meaning teaches that we are bound to one another. This bond is what we call Jewish peoplehood. And in a world shaken by rising antisemitism and riven by painful divisions within the Jewish community itself, Elul reminds us that our community’s strength is discovered in our solidarity and support for one another. This is what makes Temple Ohav Shalom such an important part of our lives. May this Elul embolden us to treasure and nurture the bonds of Jewish peoplehood that we share at Temple Ohav Shalom. And may the year 5786 bring blessings to us all. Let me be the first to wish you "l’shanah tovah." Rabbi Aaron Bisno AuthorRabbi Aaron Bisno, Senior Rabbi, Temple Ohav Shalom  |