Congregational Retreat for TSS Members – January 27.
In an effort to focus our creative energy, we are once again holding a Congregational Retreat on Sunday afternoon, January 27
and would like to invite the entire congregation to participate.
What works? What changes should be made to make our worship and education and community better? Let’s come together to define the TSS Path Forward. Please join us and lend you ideas and opinions.
Last Friday evening the Sanctuary was aglow with the light from Menorah’s brought by the congregants of TSS. It was the seventh night of Hanukkah as we came together to commemorate and celebrate the enduring faith and the hard fought survival of the Jewish people.
Cantor Sussman explained that the word Hanukkah means “dedication.” The ceremony and prayers coinciding with the lighting of each candle holds special meaning as we are reminded, once again, of the struggle of our ancestors.
Dedication to prayer, to worship and to the practice of Jewish customs is one way that we can demonstrate our faith in our own lives and honor those who came before us. Our ancestors fought many battles to maintain their faith. Throughout history, their Temples were destroyed; their people were disbursed … yet they carried on.
In our own daily struggles, let us remember that we come from a strong and dedicated people. That in stressful times, we will endure, we will survive and we will always remember that the candles we light on Hanukkah represent the everlasting hope we have for peace in our world.
We are in the midst of the Christmas holidays. Most of our neighbors are celebrating the birth of Jesus and are sharing the Christmas holiday with their family and friends. What are the Jews doing? The answer to that question is as varied as there are Jews.
One thing is sure we cannot ignore it, Christmas is all around us. What we have to do is think about our place in the majority culture and how we retain our Judaism and not be swallowed up in the American culture around us. We are all good citizens in a country that has been so good to us. We have never been freer or more educated and prosperous. It is an age old question we must always think about, how to be Jewish as well as Americans.
During this season let us take a moment to ponder that very query. Have a wonderful and safe winter break and remember we are both Jewish and American.
Cantor Sussman
For youth sizes: TSS Logo on the front, MIT (Mensch in Training) on the back.
Youth sizes – Youth Small, Youth Medium, Youth Large
For adult sizes: TSS logo on the front, and the back is blank – (we figure you are already a mensch!).
Adult sizes – Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large, Adult X-Large, Adult XX-Large
For religious school students – first shirt is FREE!
For all others (youth and adult) – cost is $15.