President's Column - January 2017

This time of year I always find myself thinking about resolutions for the coming year (as do we all), and the fact that we often separate our spiritual resolutions made during the Jewish New Year from the secular resolutions made in January. Looking back, I see that I wrote about this last January, but it’s worth revisiting.

I was speaking recently to a TBT congregant about the challenge of leading a spiritually meaningful life while trying to juggle the seemingly insurmountable tasks required of our secular work day. This might be a little easier for those of us in fields such as medicine, nursing, or teaching, but what for people whose daily lives are more removed from the service of others? Is there a spiritually satisfying way of getting through your email? Of making up a budget? Of carpooling?

Our answer, obviously enough, can be found in our liturgical tradition, in the practice of gratitude. Our tradition teaches us to be thankful for just about everything: the light of day, the gift of waking up to a new day, the miracle of our bodies, the food we eat, not to mention the loved ones in our lives and our many personal comforts. While it may initially seem trite if you are not used to approaching gratitude in this way, it can be very grounding and orienting. I urge you to give it a try. Here’s a tip - I do it when I’m sitting in traffice; I find it turns a personally frustrating experience into an opportunity for reflection.

This year, instead of groaning about waking up early, I’m going to try to be more thankful for the gift of two legs to run with, the gift of hearing as I pop my iPod headphones into my ears, and the gift of yet another year to try (hopefully more successfully this year), to exercise. If I don’t get in better shape physically, at least I will get into better shape spiritually!

Happy New Year, and L’shalom,
Stu Weinzimer, President

President's Column - December 2016

As winter approaches, we all have a tendency to "hunker down." Perhaps it is some vestigial behavior arising from an ancient and primitive time; as food became scarce, and the hours of daylight diminished, there was a good reason to stay inside, out of harm’s way. Or perhaps it is a more adaptive response to the vicissitudes of Shoreline weather: our beautiful, crisp, golden days of late giving way to cold, wet, wind, and slush.

No coincidence, then that our main winter holiday, Chanukah, is a celebration of light. Not just actual, physical light, but also spiritual light. It takes light to beat back the fear of the dark, and it also takes light to bring people together, whether it is in work of rededicating the Temple, our rejuvenating our synagogue, or in the weekly rhythms of prayer, study, and community. There is an underlying fundamental relationship between light and gathering. Not just moths, but we too are drawn to a flame.

There are many opportunities to gather in the light here at TBT, even in the dark of winter. For those of you who do not have to navigate the "December dilemma," and will be in town on Friday, December 30th, we will have a fun 7th Night of Chanukah here at TBT, at which time we will gather and light our Shabbat and Chanukah candles. But we also have many other ways to gather together and bring light to each other - worshipping together on Shabbat and sharing the light of our Shabbat candles; performing acts of social justice and being ethical lights to our community and world; and learning together, illuminating the texts and narratives of our Jewish tradition.

My wish and hope for you, as we come to the end of our secular year, and prepare for the next, is that you come out and join us for all that we can bring to each other; for whatever our building surrounds and our activities promote, we are, after all, a holy community, bringing each other into our light.

L'Shalom,
Stu Weinzimer

President's Column - November 2016

I’m sitting in my sukkah this morning, thinking about a lot of things - the beauty of our natural world, the passing of the seasons, the fragility of life, and mostly about gratitude: gratitude for living in a place with such abundance, gratitude for my health and the health of my loved ones, and gratitude for all of you at TBT who made these past High Holy Days so special, who enabled me to "step out of time" and really focus on the work of teshuvah.

Gratitude for the Rabbi, who led us so thoughtfully through our prayer and challenged us so eloquently with her words; gratitude for the Cantor, who led us so beautifully in song, who transported us to places with music and the spaces in between the music; gratitude for our choir, Walter Stutzman our accompanist, Josh Stern our cellist, Patti Smith-Romanski and Chad Hardin, for their beautiful rendition of our Kol Nidrei; gratitude for Jason Gaines, who educated us and revealed to us startling new ways to think about the Torah; gratitude for our beautiful flower arrangement, lovingly donated by members of our congregation; and gratitude for all the readers, chanters, Torah holders and dressers, who in your participation, remind us that teshuvah is indeed a communal act.

I am especially grateful for a number of people who were perhaps less visible to you, but were vital to the successful conduct of our High Holy Day worship, who behind the scenes, or downstairs with the kids, or outside in the parking lot, ensured our safety, comfort, and peace of mind: Douglas Agranov, our lead usher, and his crew - Al Goldberg, Jonathan Levine, and Dick Whelan; our "on-call" medical team, Drs. Dan Greif, Dan Jacoby, John Foggle, and Lynda Rosenfeld, who were ready to provide valuable assistance as needed; Jason Gaines, Suzy Frisch, and Kate Rothstein, who with Karen Goldberg and Stephanie Condoluci (our youth group advisor) and a small batallion of Salty BBYO kids, kept our young ones engaged during our Parallel Youth Services; and Ted Langevin and his crew of parking ushers, including Joel Galvin, Ken Rosenberg, Josh Copel, David Harding, Mark Bluemling, Jack Srebnik, David Sokoloff, John Lesage, Scott Casper, Bill Lee, Phil Goldberg, Walter Spigelman, and David Kaplan, and representatives from the Madison Police Department, who kept us all moving but not colliding; and for the Pauls, Beckmans, Baggishes, Grebels, Zollshans, and Meyers, who ended our fast with an amazing array of yummy Yom Kippur comfort food.

And finally, our absolutely indispensable and dedicated TBT team - Kim Romine, Bonnie Mahon, Len Dwarica, and Dyanna Green, who work so diligently every day to do whatever has to be done whenever it has to be done, with enthusiasm, competence, and grace. You truly enrich our home with your commitment to us.

B’shalom,
Stu Weinzimer

President's Column - October 2016

We are right in it now. As this column reaches you we will probably already have spent the evening together for Erev Rosh HaShanah, and perhaps the morning as well. I wonder if Rosh HaShanah calls to mind for you what it always does for me: the great duality of our calendar. On the one hand, the circle of the year: the seasons change, and we roll around to begin the cycle again. But on the other hand, the linearity of time; we are writing our own history, both individually and collectively, and while each year reassures with the opportunity for a "fresh start," it also reminds us, warns us, that time is passing, and with it, opportunities.

It seems a fitting time for me to reflect on our accomplishments this past year as a community, and our ongoing challenges. There were joyous and hopeful times: we welcomed new families, celebrated life cycle events, prayed, and learned together. We helped a Syrian family negotiate an arduous move to a new home on the Shoreline. Our amazing clergy and staff have led us, supported us, and cared for us. Our Board has wrestled with and agreed on, policies and procedures designed to foster inclusiveness, safeguard our financial future, and live the principles of Reform Judaism in all our interactions. But we have also missed opportunities as well: failed to connect with some in our community who continue to feel alone, isolated, unwelcome, or uninvited. We have missed opportunities to grow, either spiritually, ethically, or interpersonally. We have had wonderful ideas but have not always delivered on them.

TBT is, as we all are, a "work in progress." While we can’t roll back the time we have lost, we can use the opportunity presented by the New Year to commit to our goals of making TBT a place where you feel connected, engaged, sometimes challenged, and always welcomed. With your help, we will continue this work together.

L’Shanah Tovah Tikateivu - May you and your loved ones be written in the Book of Life for a good New Year.

Stu Weinzimer