President's Column

President's Column - April 2020

Shalom.

I write to you at a time of great uncertainty in all of our lives, as they’ve been upended by a public health crisis unprecedented in our lifetimes. Our children are home from day care centers, grade schools, and colleges; our workplaces require remote work; and our local restaurants, theaters, and fitness centers are closed. I’m writing this column on March 18, but it’s impossible to predict what our lives will be like when you read this April Shofar column.

Although the synagogue building is physically closed to public access for now, rest assured that Temple Beth Tikvah remains open as your spiritual home on the shoreline. Our staff are ensuring all synagogue business is getting done; our clergy are ensuring you have access (even if remotely) to services and Torah study; our B’nai Mitzvah students are receiving their tutoring (again, remotely); and our religious school is actively pursuing strategies to engage your children remotely and continue their learning.

We are not alone. The umbrella organization for Reform synagogues, the URJ, is bringing the whole Reform Movement together via a series of videoconferences to provide resources and support to congregations throughout the country. And you – our congregants – are not alone. TBT is concerned with the health, safety, and welfare of every member of this community, and thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers, we are reaching out to every congregant to ensure they are well and if they have needs we can work to fulfill. If you have not yet been contacted, or if you need a helping hand, or just someone to talk to, don’t hesitate to let the TBT Office, the Rabbi or Cantor know. Rest assured that TBT will be there for you.

Let’s hope and pray for easier times in the months ahead. May your celebration of Passover be meaningful in whatever form it can take.

Jeff Babbin

President's Column - March 2020

Dear fellow congregants,

I am writing to update you on the search for a cantor and educator to succeed Cantor Stanton after he departs on June 30. I am pleased to report that our cantor-educator search committee is up and running, chaired by Sue Groll and Loren Sterman. The committee is busy sorting through our options and submitting applications.

Cantor Stanton (like Cantor Margolius before him) wore multiple hats as a cantor-educator in addressing the musical, spiritual, and educational needs of our congregation. As we look for a candidate to fill those big shoes, the committee is taking a flexible approach in hiring, consistent with TBT’s history. For those of you who have been part of our community for many years, you’ll recall our use of student cantors on weekends and High Holidays or, at other times, a part-time ordained cantor or non-ordained music director (cantorial soloist) – with a separate professional educator serving as our religious school director in a part-time capacity. We are open to a variety of permutations, taking into account the applications we receive and the needs of our congregation.

Consistent with the breadth of our needs, our search committee (overseen by Sue and Loren) reflects the breadth of our congregation, populated with congregants with both musical and educational interests and experiences, cutting across different generations, and involved with a variety of synagogue activities (choir, Torah Study, religious school, and others). I thank the following volunteers: Peter Chorney, Christine Dokko, Kate Glazer, Alan Meyers, Heide Mueller-Hatton, Walter Stutzman, Stu Weinzimer, and Sandy Whelan. Also, the Rabbi and President (yes, that’s me) sit on the committee.

We are excited to undertake this work. If you have ideas that you’d like to share with the committee, please email me at jbabbin@wiggin.com .

-Jeff Babbin

President's Column January 2020

Shalom.

Hanukkah came late, having just ended at sundown on December 30. I can remember one year getting to light Hanukkah candles even on New Year’s Eve. But it is a funny thing to say that the Jewish holidays are “early” or “late.” Yes, we talk about how the past High Holidays came late. But, of course, the Jewish holidays come on the same day every year—on the Hebrew calendar.

I bet that many of us have a preference whether holidays come early or late. Yes, we Jews have opinions about everything. Do you like when Rosh Hashanah comes right on the heels of Labor Day, or do you like to have most of September to prepare for them? What about Hanukkah? (Or “Chanukah” as TBT prefers to spell it—again, we all have opinions, even about spelling.) One year not long ago, the first night of Hanukkah was the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. That was special because we got to celebrate with our out-of-state relatives who usually visit us for Thanksgiving but never get to celebrate Hanukkah with us. Yet, there are those who much prefer Hanukkah, like this past one, starting around Christmas, so shopping is in sync with what many Americans call the “holiday season.” Yet, that poses its own difficulties. We just had our annual TBT brisket and latkes Hanukkah dinner on Friday, December 20, two nights before the actual start of the holiday, because we knew that if we waited until Friday, December 27, many families would be away. That’s the problem—we celebrate our Jewish holidays on one calendar while living our school and work lives around a different calendar.

How do you react when Hanukkah is over by the first week of December and well-meaning friends and co-workers wish you Happy Holidays or even Happy Hanukkah at the “holiday party?” Just nod and say thanks, or say thanks but gently remind them your holiday is long over? And what about the TV stations that throughout December (regardless of when Hanukkah falls in the month) display a Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah on their Seasons Greetings message to viewers? Personally, if they need to greet viewers and display the tree, I’d just as soon they not bother with the menorah. It feels strained and not real, even if well-meaning. Do they wish us a Happy Passover in the spring, with a logo of matzo or a Seder plate, as that’s a more important holiday in our religion? Well, that’s my opinion. Yours might be entirely different, which of course is fine.

I spent my elementary school years in a town and school with very few Jews. I distinctly remember in 5th grade when I and my friend Stan (who, incidentally, introduced me to my wife Marlene 19 years later) were asked to go explain Hanukkah to a class of 2nd graders. I suppose it was good to do so, although it also gave me the sense of being different, an outsider explaining my alien culture. You can imagine my shock when, one December soon after that, I happened to be in Great Neck, Long Island (yes, where Rabbi Offner grew up) and saw Hanukkah displays in all the store windows. I couldn’t believe such a place existed.

Oh, and speaking of early or late: It’s never the wrong time and never too late to contribute to the TBT Annual Fund. It supports our vibrant synagogue and makes it possible for TBT to open our doors to everyone in the shoreline Jewish community.

- Jeff Babbin

President's Column December 2019

Each year at this time, we ask that you extend your generosity to assure the continued wellbeing of Temple Beth Tikvah by making a donation to our Annual Fund.

TBT’s mission is to be a vibrant, inclusive Reform Jewish community. To fulfill that mission and include all area families seeking a Jewish home at TBT, we must come together to support our synagogue. The full cost of running TBT is approximately $2,900 per member household. The Annual Fund provides essential support for the day-today operations of our synagogue, critical resources to help offset further increases in our dues, and support for Jews who live in our area but who otherwise could not be a part of our family.

Thanks to your generosity in 5779 (last year), over one-third of our member households contributed over $75,000 with donations ranging from $10,000 to $18. If we increase our participation to even one-half of our member households, the synagogue and the shoreline Jewish community will greatly benefit from your generosity. Please join me in that effort.

Every contribution makes a difference to the financial health of our synagogue.

Please make your contribution to the 5780 TBT Annual Fund in an amount that is both meaningful and possible for you; every gift matters, regardless of size. The Torah reminds us each to give according to our ability. If you can, please consider a donation whether it is $18, $118, $1,800 or more. If you can afford more, please make as generous a donation as is possible for you. A form is enclosed in this Shofar for your convenience. You can also make your donation online at www.tbtshoreline.org.

Remember: All donations to the Annual Fund are tax deductible. Your generosity makes a difference!

Thank you for your dedication to our TBT community and for your gift to the Annual Fund. On behalf of our Board of Directors, myself, and my family, we wish you a sweet, healthy, and productive new year.

G’mar Tov.
Jeff Babbin

President's Column November 2019

Reprint of the President's Talk from the Kol Nidre Service:

Shana Tova.
This is my third year speaking to you on the High Holidays as TBT’s President. I’ve had to think — what fresh ideas can I come up with that aren’t a repeat of previous years? But then I remembered that this is Kol Nidre. We repeat the same prayer three times in one night. And, of course, we repeat the same prayers every year on the High Holidays. We Jews revel in tradition and repetition. It gives us comfort, renews us, and inspires us to do better, each and every year. It is what binds us together as a community, here at TBT and with Jews around the world.

Your membership at TBT, also renewed every year, is another tradition that binds us together. I cannot repeat enough how grateful I am for your continued membership. Membership is the backbone of our synagogue. It’s what keeps us upright and sustains us. Whether you’re at TBT every week or just once a year, your membership is an expression of commitment to TBT’s mission, to everything we do to maintain a Jewish presence on the shoreline. That includes being ambassadors to the greater community; actively participating in interfaith cooperation; and promoting social justice. It’s about maintaining the roof over our own heads here at 196 Durham Road but also about helping others, as with our participation in Raise the Roof, the shoreline’s affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, building homes for families in need and creating goodwill in the greater community. What we do here is thanks to your membership and your support.

Sometimes, sitting in the sanctuary, I’ll see a prayer in our Siddur that reminds me of TBT’s mission. One prayer reads: “Have we not all one Parent? Did not one God create us? This is the call from Sinai: There shall be one law, for the citizen and the stranger in your midst.”

A second prayer says, “I have asked of God to dwell in God’s House …, and to gaze in delight at God’s Temple.” Well, I do gaze in delight at this temple, the building, and all we do in it.

Now, here’s a third saying, but I didn’t find it in the prayer book. This was written by the wise sage, Mick Jagger. Mick sang: “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you might find you get what you need.”

Because it’s not in the prayer book, I can take issue with that statement. I think we can do better. If we come together as a community at TBT, we can get both what we need and what we want. As we proceed with our renovation project, we will have comfortable, safe, accessible, and well-maintained facilities for years to come. And we can go beyond that. We can have a Jewish home that invites and welcomes all of us to worship, study, and celebrate together. An inspiring, sun-lit sanctuary. A vibrant social hall with a covered outdoor veranda that connects us to the beauty of our surroundings.

I am hoping to see many of you at the special event we are holding at TBT the evening of Saturday, November 9. We have mailed invitations to bring all of the adults in the TBT community together to learn about and celebrate our future while continuing the traditions of our past. We will gather at 6:00 p.m. to hear about our capital campaign, entitled “Building Community.” We will talk about the campaign’s success to date and how each and every one of us can build on that success over the next year. We will unveil the final designs for enhancing our beautiful home. And once the talking is over, we will celebrate with a delightful Kosher Chinese dinner and festive music. This will be a memorable night to start a memorable next phase of TBT’s life serving the Jewish shoreline community.

So many of you have already joined us on this campaign journey by serving on committees and attending congregational meetings to plan for our future. November 9th will be a time to bring all of us together in one place, at one time, to acknowledge our accomplishments and learn of the tasks ahead.

Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, once said, “Most of the things worth doing in the world were declared impossible before they were done.” With your help and participation, we will reach our goals and, one day, look back with satisfaction and pride for what we have accomplished.

On behalf of our Board of Directors, myself, and my family, we wish you a sweet, healthy, and productive new year.
G’mar Tov.
Jeff Babbin

President's Column October 2019

Shalom. As I’m writing this, the outcome of the Israeli election remains too close to call, and there is much uncertainty which party or parties will govern as a majority and who will be named Prime Minister to lead the government. We are all drawn to follow the events of another country halfway around the world (well, not quite that far.) I can’t think of any other foreign election that holds my attention (and that of many of my fellow American Jews) as much as an Israeli election—although the craziness of Brexit has lifted U.K. politics to the level of a gripping soap opera. It is remarkable how we can feel that an election in the tiny and still relatively new country of Israel can have such an impact on our lives.

It can be exhausting to closely follow the U.S. presidential race with the crowded Democratic primary field and then add the Israeli election on top of that. Yet, the fact that there are choices, and that outcomes are actually in doubt, highlights the beauty of democracy. Change can be made by the people if they want it, or they can reject if they like the status quo (and not just because some dictator imposes it). We should be thankful for our political institutions and express our appreciation by staying informed and exercising our vote. I am glad that Israel, somewhat unique in that part of the world, also continues to value the ability to vote. Sure there are challenges, in both Israel and in the U.S. (after all, we wouldn’t have needed the Voting Rights Act if things always went smoothly in this country). So long as fundamental values are respected and continue to be upheld, I am hopeful that the people in both the United State and Israel will find the right paths for their countries to shine brightly in the years to come.

Jeff Babbin

President's Column September 2019

Shalom.

TBT is already gearing up for the end of summer and start of fall. The clergy, choir, and musicians are hard at work to prepare a meaningful and memorable High Holiday experience. The religious school has the teachers it needs and is getting ready to welcome the students back. The TBT Preschool (just renamed from the Nursery School) is excited to be opening its doors soon for another year—and it still has openings if you or a friend is looking for an enriching experience for a young child. And in September we return to our regular, non-summer Shabbat rhythm of 7:15pm Friday services, except for the 6:00pm First Friday service that starts with a cozy “preneg.”

The Fall will also be a time of renewal for TBT. You will see work being done on the first phase of our renovation project, to expand our parking capacity. And there will be congregational meetings to keep you all informed of our progress and to share ideas as we move forward together.

Looking forward to a wonderful year ahead. Thank you for your membership and being part of the TBT community.

- Jeff

President's Column Summer 2019

Shalom.

Summer has finally arrived, and we can now open our windows, enjoy the warmth of the sun, and take walks on the beach. We can even pray at the beach, with TBT’s wonderful annual tradition of Beach Shabbat at Madison’s East Wharf Pavilion on July 19th and August 9th. Like all of our Friday night services in July and August, these services will be at 6:00 p.m. Friday nights at TBT can be part of a healthy, balanced summer diet of community and spirituality— with the long summer evenings still ahead of you after the early services.

We also will be seeing changes this summer on TBT’s grounds, while school is not in session. If you have been following our building renovation progress, or attended our fun Paving the Way barbecue recently on our patio, you will know that Phase I of our project is about to get underway with much improved entranceways from Route 79 and parking to welcome you each time you arrive at TBT. While the final landscape plan won’t be fully put into place until the end of the construction process, we will enjoy this tangible sign of moving toward TBT’s future when we all arrive for the High Holidays this fall.

Summer is too hot for a long column, so I’m off to drink an iced tea and sit on my own porch right after delivering this column to the TBT office. And let me put in a word of thanks to the TBT office staff and volunteers who diligently assemble, produce, and distribute this Shofar newsletter month after month, especially our dedicated Administrative Assistant, Bonnie Mahon.

Happy Summer!
Jeff Babbin

President's Column June 2019

Shalom.

Fires set at two Chabad houses outside of Boston and a deadly shooting at a Chabad house near San Diego. A fire set at a mosque in New Haven. These are the most recent attacks on houses of worship in the United States in just the last month. I don’t need to list all of the other attacks on worshipers and on synagogues, churches, and mosques worldwide in the last several months. I don’t mention all of this to be an alarmist. Instead, I am heartened by the outpouring of support for all of these places of worship, with Muslims marching to support Jews, and Jews marching to support Muslims.

Our country was settled in part by those seeking the freedom to worship and follow their own consciences. We must continue to support that freedom and find ways to stem the tide of hatred directed at disrupting our way of life. As Senator Dianne Feinstein said after the Chabad of Poway shooting in California, “America stands for openness and tolerance, and those values suffer greatly from these terrible shootings.” Yet, we risk becoming numb to the violence and therefore losing the will to work hard to find solutions. In just the last couple of months, there were college and high school shootings in North Carolina and Colorado that were not even the lead story—but were “below the fold” on the front page of the paper I read—as deadly violence seems to become more of the norm in our everyday lives. Having just returned from the TBT trip led by Rabbi Offner in Vienna, Prague, Krakow, and Warsaw, we were witness to the sites and memories that told us how hate and violence can destroy the fabric of even the most developed societies of their day. I cannot in this short column provide advice on how we, in the U.S., can take steps to change course, but I can ask everyone to devote their attention to the problem so collectively we can find solutions and not accept the status quo as the new norm.

Jeff Babbin