President's Column - June 2021

For those of you who were able to attend the Annual Meeting, you heard how TBT has been charging ahead in these difficult times and is doing quite well. We are on stable footing financially, our membership is growing as others move into this area, we have a thriving Preschool thanks to our amazing director and teachers, and have managed to hold Religious School, programs, and services throughout the year. Our Capital Campaign has raised just over 5 million dollars and has received a matching gift of $750,000 to see what can be raised by June 30, 2021. Many of you have answered that match and we have raised $100,000 ($200,000 with the match) towards that goal!

In short, I am proud of our progress and our ability to come together this year. However, if you were at the meeting you may have also heard the not entirely surprising news that our building renovation, while progressing nicely, will be slightly delayed.

What does this delay mean for us? Luckily for the Preschool, Religious School and Administrative wing, it should not affect anything. These areas will be complete by August 2021, so there will be plenty of time for inspections and licensing before the new school year begins. There will be small areas, such as the new entrance, that are not quite done, but everything will be up and running for a new year, where, we hope, we can come into the building and see one another.

Our sanctuary should be ready for a “sneak peek” and also services by October 15, 2021, the date of Rabbi Moss’s installation. It won’t be perfect, but we should be able to be together on that Friday night and every Friday night after that.

While the building won’t be complete for High Holiday services, our Religious Activities Committee and clergy are already beginning to plan so that, come what may, we will figure out a good way to all celebrate and observe together. Look for those plans to come out in the near future.

As the world slowly starts to open up again, TBT is going to do the same. I look forward to seeing you all in the upcoming year – it has been a long time of being physically away from one another. In the meantime, if you still have questions, I welcome you to reach out and ask Bruce Topolosky, the Facilities Chair, or me. We’ve been waiting a long time for this future and I am so excited that it is almost here!

Sarah Mervine

Rabbi's Column - June 2021

Note: These remarks were offered by Rabbi Offner at the Annual Meeting on May 19th:

Dear Friends,

“The year in review.” My goodness. In my 37 years in the rabbinate, I have never gasped at that phrase as I do this year, the year of the greatest pandemic to ever hit us. This has, beyond doubt, been the most difficult year of my career – and yes, for those of you who were there for my Jewish Journey – more difficult than any challenge I have ever faced before.

And yet. “Af al pi chen.” We Jews are so good at staring down horrors that we have a phrase for it. “Af al pi chen” we say: NEVERTHELESS.

NEVERTHELESS, Temple Beth Tikvah has just walked through one of the greatest years in our history. We have broken ground on a new building. We have raised millions of dollars to assure that there will be a tomorrow as well as a yesterday for Jewish life on the Shoreline. We have welcomed a new Cantor, hired entirely on Zoom back in the day when we all thought that ‘zoom’ was a word we used to describe what airplanes do as they fly overhead. And that Cantor, God bless her, has flourished and taught and guided, beyond our greatest expectations.

And Kim Romine. There are no words. Stalwart, faithful, devoted tirelessly and effectively to all things TBT.

And oh yes, also one year ago: Sarah Mervine said ‘yes’ to the call to be president of TBT. She did so before “Covid” was a word in our vocabulary. Sarah Mervine, unbeknownst to her, inherited a building project, a capital campaign, a cantor transition and oh why not throw in a rabbi transition, and a COVID lockdown. Sarah: you have been my partner in all things in every way. You have selflessly, tirelessly, courageously, led our synagogue during this year of all years. YOU are amazing. And it has surely been one of the greatest gifts for me, to top off my rabbinate with getting to work side by side with you. Thank you.

In the midst of all the pandemic challenges, there have been blessings. Serious blessings that I hope we will take with us into the future. One: we have discovered the out-of-doors. KOL AMI has brought hiking into our Jewish lives. Services have been taken outside. Classes meet outside. Bar & Bat Mitzvahs are under tents. The Israelites in the desert first gathered under tents to seek God’s presence and now we know why. I haven’t met a Bar or Bat Mitzvah family all year long that hasn’t been grateful for the forced simplicity of their events. It has given them permission to focus on the truly important part of becoming B’nei Mitzvah.

This has also been a year of far more intentional connectedness. Through Helping Hands, first envisioned and established by Steve Eppler-Epstein, and the 2-Way L’Dor VaDor program that has been brilliantly steered by Donna Fedus, we have learned that “kol yisrael aravin zeh-ba-zeh,’ “all Israel is connected one to the other.” Just two more thoughts and then I will stop.

One: we have accepted technology into our events. What was once unseemly is now holy. Burying our loved ones and being able to live-stream from the cemetery, or getting married under the chupah and having grandparents who can’t travel able to attend, and my favorite example: I actually did a Brit Shalom, a baby-naming, where the parents and their baby were in Australia, one set of grandparents were in Montreal, the other grandparents were in Tel Aviv, and the proud aunt was here in Connecticut. These are nothing short of miracles and they not only helped us during a pandemic, they changed us and the way we practice Judaism, for the better.

And finally: we have witnessed a return to what has always been the central sanctuary of Jewish life: the home. I have watched each of you take charge of your Jewish lives. And that is a good thing. Rabbis are not meant to be in charge. We Jews do not believe in intermediaries. Rather, we believe in “Torah, Avodah and Gemilut Chasadim.” We believe in growing and stretching ourselves and doing acts of kindness. God bless you all, this has been a year of growing in Torah and envigorating our worship and doing countless acts of love & kindness. TBT can surely look to the future, as we open a new building and welcome a new rabbi, with gusto and enthusiasm.

Rabbi Stacy Offner

President's Column - May 2021

Spring is in the air and so, at TBT, that means the Annual Meeting is just around the corner. Whether you are someone who has NEVER missed an Annual Meeting or you are someone asking “what is that?” here are the top 10 reasons you will want to join us for this one on May 19, 2021 at 7:00 PM:

1. Rabbi Offner will give her State of TBT address, so you can catch up in about 15 minutes on anything you missed this year.

2. You can hear the new Board of Directors slate, meet everyone who is running and, if there are any open positions, you could even sign up at the last minute! Or just start planning for the position you will take on in the future.

3. You will learn everything that is going on with the building renovation and even see pictures. Yes, even though we aren’t there to see it, the building renovation is progressing nicely and should be complete about the time we are ready to begin in-person activities. You will learn how we are on our way to completing a renovation that will make TBT full of light and sound, accessible to all and with space for the community, our preschool and our Religious School for many years to come.

4. You will hear about our Capital Campaign and find out how far along we are to date.

5. You may get a sneak peek at our soon-to-be new rabbi, Rabbi Moss!

6. You can hear which talented student won this year’s Freisner Scholarship.

7. You can hear which congregant won the Kavod Award (and it could be YOU, so you better be there to be congratulated!).

8. You can ask any questions you have about this past year, the year coming up or share any thoughts you have about TBT.

9. You can see lots of friendly faces that you have missed this year.

10. The best part – come learn it all from the comfort of your home as we will do it again on Zoom!

Hope to see you all there!
- Sarah

Rabbi's Column - May 2021

Rabbi Stacy Offner will share her Jewish Journey Thursday May 13th at 7:30 PM via Zoom.

Rabbi Offner is next up in TBT’s Jewish Journey Series. All TBT congregants are welcome to attend as Rabbi Offner tells us about her upbringing and what led to her choice to become a Rabbi, what it was like to be one of the few women in rabbinical school, and how she experienced being the first openly gay rabbi in a mainstream synagogue in the USA. Rabbi Offner has been a pioneer in the rabbinate in many ways and is taking this time, before her retirement, to reflect upon her Jewish Journey. This will be her gift to us. Be prepared to be inspired.

REGISTER by email office@tbtshoreline.org or call TBT (203) 245-7028

Sponsored by: 2 Way L’Dor V’Dor • Kol Ami • Men’s Club. • Farewell Committee

This program is made possible, in part, by Temple Beth Tikvah’s 2 Way L’Dor V’Dor program, with support from a Community Grant for the Jewish Elderly from the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven. The project aims to increase opportunities for social connection and intergenerational understanding by inviting congregants of all ages to interact.

The program will be recorded and may be shared. Please keep your camera off if you prefer not to have your image recorded.

Save June 9 at 7:30 PM for the next Jewish Journey program featuring Irv Schloss.

Save June 18 at 7:15 PM for Rabbi Offner’s Farewell Service.

President's Column - April 2021

Like all of us, I have been thinking a lot these days about what it means to be at home for a year and looking back at how much we have learned about forming community while we are isolated. At TBT alone we now know how to hold virtual meetings, services, seders, movie nights, installations, book clubs and more. We “chat” with each other easily, go into breakout rooms, and we share our screens as if we were peering at the computer screen together. After a full year, look how far we have come! And while I mostly feel great about all we done, I have to admit that I also feel regret.

After all, well before the pandemic plenty of people we know and love had been stuck at home already, living lives away from us. Growing up in synagogue, or maybe just looking around you at TBT, you probably all know people who were pillars of the community, regulars at Torah Study or services or committees until, one day, they couldn’t be. Either through illness, frailty, old age, transportation or other issues, they became people who used to come to everything but now simply couldn’t.

And that, pretty much, was that. Once in a while a friend or relative might bring the person to something, but mostly that was the end of their connection to the community, save for a few visits to them. And we accepted that. And so did they.

Until we were ALL isolated and ALL became that person who was stuck at home. Then we immediately looked for and found ways to be included – Zoom services, Google Meet, Facetime. Yes, technology helped us, but some of that technology was available before the pandemic. We just weren’t always thinking about how to bring events to others because they were, well, others. Not us.

There were glimmers. We tried a live stream of High Holidays a year ago that was very well received. Now, however, there are more than glimmers. We know how to reach out to everyone and we are committed to doing so.

And so, if you are lucky enough to be able to return to TBT one day soon, for Religious School, services or (maybe!) a going away party for a beloved Rabbi, we are so happy to have you back! However, if you aren’t that lucky, do not worry. We hope to live stream, upload to YouTube or have “hybrid” events so all will be there. Zoom doesn’t have to be a thing of the past for those who need it; our new building should support all of these connections.

The biggest thing I have learned from this pandemic is if we are thoughtful and work a little harder, we can reach out to a number of people who can’t physically make it into our new building, beautiful though it may be. We will figure out how to include those members of the community who are ill or frail or maybe just live somewhere warm for half of the year! So, while I look forward to one day soon seeing many of you in person, I also look forward to including all of you, and others out there waiting to join, who will not be left out again.

Sarah Mervine

Rabbi's Column - April 2021

Here’s a trivia question for you. There are four Jewish holidays in the month of April. None of them are Passover. What are they?

First of all, who could imagine that Passover would have come and gone already? As you read this column, I hope you can reflect back to awesome seders. Some of us were able to have a handful of family at our physical tables, and others logged into Zoom seders. Our TBT Seder was an extraordinary virtual seder! Many thanks to the members of the Religious Activities Committee and to our TBT Tech Team and to our participants for all pitching in to make that happen.

But I digress. So what are the 4 holidays still to come in April?

They are, in calendar order: Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, Yom Ha’atzma’ut, and Lag B’Omer. And yes, for those of you who really know the score, while the Passover Seders have come and gone, this 7-day holiday continues into April.

How do you observe the end of Passover? Most people celebrate with their favorite type of chametz, for some it is pizza, for others it is a bagel, still others prefer chocolate cake. However you choose to break your refrain from chametz, all of us conclude Pesach with Yizkor. Passover is always linked to the memory of loved ones no longer at our seder table. TBT will observe Yizkor at our Erev Shabbat service on Friday, April 2, at 6pm.

This Yom HaShoah we are going to join with the other synagogues in the Greater New Haven area for a zoom observance organized by Federation. In this year of acute loss because of the pandemic, we will come together to honor the memory of all those who perished in the Holocaust. Importantly, we will remember the strength and spirit of those who died and also of those who survived.

Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzma’ut are both Israeli holidays: Israel’s Memorial Day and Independence Day. They are poignantly observed one-day after the next, for it is those who have fallen in battle who have made Israel’s independence possible. We mourn, then we rejoice. Israel will be 73 years old on April 15th.

Lag B’Omer falls on the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer. We began our counting following the 2nd Seder, and we continue counting for 7 weeks. The 33rd day of the counting, Lag B’Omer, is best known for bonfires and haircuts and weddings. As we begin to sense a light at the end of the tunnel of pandemic, we look forward to more bonfires and haircuts and weddings, too!

May this month, chock-full of holidays, be a good month for you.
Rabbi Stacy K. Offner

President's Column - March 2021

A friend recently told me that we all need a healthy dose of optimism right now, and I quipped back “what is that new drug and where do I find it?” It really has felt like optimism has been in short supply during this long winter. However, this evening I attended a meeting with the upcoming B’nei Mitzvah students, their families, Cantor Boyle and our soon to be new rabbi, Rabbi Moss. Looking around at all of those young faces excited and eager to become full-fledged “adults” in the eyes of TBT did fill me with optimism for our future and made me start to think about what other “healthy doses” there are right here at TBT.

For one, even as we remain away, our building is steadily being renovated. The old roof is coming down and the new roof is going up, city water is being hooked up, the new additions are being dug for our community room, expanded bathrooms, new kitchen and an elevator which will allow anyone to visit the first floor! Our sanctuary is being redone so all can fit and the new ark doors are under design. Less glamorous, but no less important, structural, and utility upgrades are also planned. It is happening as I write and, whenever we can return and be together, we will have a new, beautiful, accessible space to visit.

We are also steadily raising the money for this dream. We have reached almost $5.2 million of the $8 million goal. We need everyone’s help to make our new building a reality but, so far, the participation rate has been great. Our community is coming together to build it.

Along with the building, TBT members are being treated to some excellent programming – including a new class on Jewish Biblical History taught by Josh Lecar. If you missed the first one, do not worry, it is a series so there is time to join the next one - just contact Bonnie Mahon in the office. Or join the Power of Love presentation by Yad Vashem Sunday, March 7 at noon.

Speaking of Purim, by the time you get this we will have celebrated together and even managed to do a virtual Purim carnival for the kids! I hope the celebration helped cheer you along with the “Mishloach Manot” that were passed out to sweeten your celebration.

As we head into the spring after a long winter together, I am feeling very optimistic about what the future holds for all of us at TBT. I hope you are able to take advantage of some of TBT’s offerings and thereby find something that makes you take heart and feel that healthy dose of optimism we all really need right now.

Sarah Mervine

Cantor's Column - March 2021

The month of March and the holiday of Purim mark one year since the world as we know it shut down. Many of us can remember the last large gathering we attended before we entered this period of social distancing and isolation. So much has happened in a year, and it is hard to believe that we are now approaching our second virtual Passover seder.

On Passover, we relive the story of our Exodus from Mitzrayim (Egypt). The word mitzrayim means “narrow place.” Slavery confined us to a narrow place, with limits on our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves. The Passover story is one of liberation from the things that hold us back.

In some sense, we have inhabited that narrow space this past year. We have been confined to our own homes and immediate families, and the strain on our physical and emotional selves is palpable. This past year has been one of profound loss - loss of loved ones, jobs, security, and closeness - and even when things return to “normal,” they will never be the same. However, we can find hope in knowing that this narrow existence is not forever. We are marching along the path to freedom as more people continue to receive the vaccine and we all do our part to end this plague. The return to gatherings, hugs, and togetherness is coming.

For most of us, we will escape Mitzrayim when the pandemic ends. But for many others, the reality of oppression will continue. On May 25th, the world stood still for 8 minutes and 46 seconds as we watched the senseless murder of George Floyd. His death sparked a series of nationwide protests and a re-commitment to fighting racism in this country. The youth of TBT presented the board with a letter detailing how we as a

Jewish community might better combat injustice in our own community.

Too quickly, we have already forgotten the events of this past summer. For 400 years we were slaves in Egypt, and the Torah tells us many times not to forgot that part of our history. The act of remembering requires action, and it is our responsibility as Jews to make sure that the same fate does not befall others. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has continued to work tirelessly in the face of racial injustice. Co-founder Patrisse Cullors describes BLM as, “an imaginative freedom portal…. It allows us to dream our biggest dreams not just for Black people in this country but Black people around the world.”

What if we had never left Egypt? What would our dreams of freedom look like? When you talk about freedom at your seder this year, you can joke about freedom from masks and freedom from those with whom you are quarantined. But do not forget to also continue to fight against injustice in our own country and alongside those who face oppression and discrimination daily. Only then will we escape the narrow place and experience true freedom together.

Cantor Jennifer Boyle

President's Column - February 2021

In Rabbi Offner’s article, she talks about a Rabbi who dared to give his congregation a report card. If we had to do that today for TBT, it would not be difficult. TBT congregants have managed to do so much during this extraordinary and difficult time. Some have joined the Capital Campaign where we have raised a little over $5.1 million towards our $8 million goal for renovating our building. Others have joined various committees to give input and direction to the building renovation that is well underway. They have assured that our new building will bring light, warmth, and accessibility to TBT while allowing room for a thriving Preschool and Religious School (and no need to turn our backs to our beautiful new ark during High Holidays). Others worked to have the installation of our wonderful new Cantor, Cantor Jenn Boyle, who hit the ground running and hardly feels “new” anymore! And, finally, some congregants worked on the search committee to find and hire our new Rabbi, Rabbi Danny Moss, who has so many great ideas for continuing Rabbi Offner’s legacy and leading us and our new building into the future. Even better, many of you came out to greet the new rabbi and show him what a warm community we are.

While it really isn’t anyone’s job to grade the synagogue, we can all feel good about the progress we have made. However, I assure you there is still more work to do and, with that, many opportunities to participate over the next few months! Here are just a few:

1.Consider joining just one committee at TBT that piques your interest. Education, Social Justice, Religious Activities, Communication, Technology, and Programming could all use your help.

2.Consider what kind of gift you might be able to make to the Capital Campaign as we have a goal of 100% participation from all members. We are trying hard to meet with each member by June and would love to meet with you. We welcome the gift you can make towards our financial stability and our new home.

3.Consider joining the Board, maybe for the first time ever, maybe for the third time! We are in the process of creating a nominating committee to fill open Board spots, so now is the time for you to consider lending your talents to TBT.

4.Come to one of our amazing programs over the next few months. As you will see in this Shofar, we have diverse programming available – from an Adult Education course on Jewish Biblical History to a medical program to discuss the link between Jewish Ancestry and certain health risk factors. Or show up at Book Club or Torah Study for the first time. Our groups are growing every day and are completely remote so you don’t need to go anywhere to be part of our community!

My experience at TBT is that the more you dig in, the more you get out of it. We welcome your time, your thoughts and your participation. Not sure how to start? Email me at sarahmervine@gmail.com or call the TBT office and I will get you started in the right direction. Thank you in advance for all you will do this year! - - Sarah

Rabbi's Column - February 2021

When I was packing up my dorm room after graduating from college, there was one assigned book that I had not managed to read. I looked at the book and figured, no worries, I will read it after graduation when I have more free time. For those who are curious, it was a book for a Political Science class, Rachel Varnhagen: The Life of a Jewess, by Hannah Arendt. I never managed to read that book.

What is the lesson here? I’m not sure, but I thought of that moment as I was packing for my sabbatical. It has been a great challenge of my career that being a rabbi, which I dreamt meant being a sage who was always reading books, has often meant other things. I don’t regret for a second that it has meant putting people before books, but my sabbatical does allow me to focus a bit more on the books.

So what am I reading while on sabbatical? I have an eclectic selection of books, and I thought I would share my reading list with you. This is a risky proposition since, as you now know, I have not always completed my reading list. But share I wil!

1. Unfinished Rabbi. This is a book by the late, great Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf. Rabbi Wolf was a congregational rabbi on the south side of Chicago. He was a provocateur, and a great intellectual thinker. I was lucky enough to have him as a teacher. What I remember most is when he dared to give his congregation a report card. (For the record, they flunked some items, but received A’s in others). A shout out to TBT congregant Tom Lewy who gave me the book.

2. The Power Broker. This monstrously large book is about the monstrously powerful mastermind behind the urban development that we now know as New York City and environs. Robert Moses shaped much of the infrastructure that we are familiar with today, for better and for worse. It was TBT member Alan Meyers who put this book in my hands some nine years ago. Definitely hoping to read it at last.

3. Apeiragon. Though this is a novel, it is based on the very real “Combatants for Peace” and “Bereaved Parents” group that is comprised of both Israelis and Palestinians who have been wounded by, and had children killed, by the neverending conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. I admit that I didn’t want to read it because it is so painful. Then I realized that I needed to read it because it is so painful.

4. Profiles in Courage. I am always moved by people who take stands that go against their personal interest. At this moment in time, there are many opportunities to be that voice. Why and how do people find the courage to speak out against the tide? How do people discern their moral compass? I hope to find some answers in this great read, credited to President John F. Kennedy, but acknowledged to be written by Ted Sorenson.

Thank you all for the gift of a sabbatical. Special thanks to Cantor Boyle who will be covering for me during my absence. Looking forward to seeing you at the end of February, when we celebrate Purim together on February 25th and 26th.

Have a great February!
Rabbi Stacy K. Offner