A NEW YEAR A NEW LOOK

IT TAKES A "VILLAGE" (A JEWISH COMMUNITY )

TO CELEBRATE THE HIGH HOLY DAYS!

SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR AND TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE HIGH HOLY DAYS SPECIAL FOR ALL OF US

From My Heart to Your Heart

My heart is full of gratitude, and I’m sending it your way!

So many kind, generous, thoughtful, and committed members and friends of Congregation B’nai Midbar made our High Holy Day services possible, meaningful, and successful. EVERYONE who pitched in at every level must know how much you are appreciated. THANK YOU!!

I’ve read studies that say people who volunteer for causes that they value are happier and live longer than those who don’t. If this is accurate, we all have long, happy lives ahead of us.

Looking forward to working with you to strengthen our community in this NEW YEAR.

Shana Tovah!

Joy Erickson

President

To our dedicated "Logistics Team," led by the "can-do" Jeff Syden, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for the immense hard work and dedication your team displays consistently. Your efforts encompass a wide range of tasks, including the meticulous process of retrieving all items from storage, transporting them to the Parish Hall, and expertly setting them up to create a beautiful, welcoming Sanctuary for our worship.

Once services are concluded, your team then takes on the responsibility of carefully dismantling the setup and returning all items to storage. This process is not merely routine; it is a labor of love.

It is important to recognize that very few members truly understand the considerable effort, attention to detail, and personal commitment required to facilitate this transformation. Your behind-the-scenes work is crucial in making the Sanctuary appear and disappear seamlessly and it does not go unnoticed. We appreciate every one of you for the time and energy you invest in making our worship experience memorable and meaningful.

Thank you!

Our incredible religious TEAM

Rabbi Daniel Price, Cantorial Soloist Eliyanah Powers,

Accompanist Rouzbeh Tebyanian,

Violinist Aidran Kram - Kol Nidre

Herb Cohn, Coordinator for Religious Practices

We sincerely value the immense effort and dedication that go into organizing the High Holy Days services. The extensive practice sessions are crucial for ensuring that every aspect runs smoothly. These sessions provide the perfect delivery of prayers and songs. Additionally, the numerous phone calls and emails made are essential for effective communication among coordinators, musicians, and "readers," helping to synchronize everyone's roles and responsibilities. The meticulous coordination of songs, prayers, and music is vital for creating a spiritually uplifting atmosphere that resonates with the congregation. Finally, the sermons, crafted with care, provide depth and insight, enriching the significance of the High Holy Days.

Collectively, we thank our religious team for the beautiful, educational, spiritual, and moving High Holy Day Services.

Thank you to our volunteers who read from

the Torah and the machzor.

Herb called the commands, and the Rabbi responded with the shofar.

Tekiah – The Hebrew word תקיעה – Tekiah means: “a loud blast.” In the Mishna, Rabbi Yehudah explains that on Rosh HaShanah, “Tokin B’Shel Z’charim – one sounds a loud blast on a ram’s horn.” When sounding the shofar, Tekiah is a plain, loud blast.

Teruah – The Hebrew word תרועה – Teruah also means: “a blast of the horn.” But the sages in the Talmud wonder what is the difference between Tekiah and Teruah.

The Talmud explains that one Tekiah sound is the same length as one Teruah sound, and then goes on to clarify that one Teruah sound is the same as three Shevarim sounds.

Shevarim – The Hebrew word שבר – Shever means: “broken”. So Shevarim is actually three broken sounds.

BOOK OF REMEMBERANCE

Thank you to Susan Spaniol and Ed Brand for the beautiful and inspiring tribute to our loved ones.

SO THANKFUL FOR A GOURMET JEWISH BREAK-THE-FAST!

The Break-The-Fast was amazing again this year! Yummy, Yummy, Yummy. So many people to thank for helping set up, cook, bake, and clean up.

A special thank you to Judi Friedman for organizing, schlepping, shopping, and ordering white fish from New York. Last but not least, we thank Judi for those beautiful Challahs.

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A thank you note from JUDI to:

Bette Sayre, Nat Wisneski, Sue Cohn, Melanie Einbund, Sharon Friedman, Loraine Stillman, Leslie Gordon, Joy Erickson, Bonnie Lasky, Pam Weisberg, Rhoda Kaplan, Gail Kerzner, Esta Goldstein, Sherry Kaplan, Susan Kravitz, Carol Gordon, Linda Merritt, Roz Eisner, Susan Kendal, Herb Cohn.

I am so grateful to all of you for the help you gave to make the Break-Fast so successful! Some of you brought great food, some of you helped with setting up and cleaning up, and some of you stepped up to do everything! I absolutely could not have done it without each of you. It’s said that it "takes a village", but in our case, it took all of you who graciously participated to make this a successful evening. We served over 60 people and it looked like everyone was enjoying their Break-Fast dining options!

Please accept my heartfelt thanks for all you did to make our Break-Fast so memorable.

Wishing you all a healthy, happy, sweet 5786!

Members from Congregation B'nai Midbar walked together, along with others from the Tucson community, to honor those who were killed and those who were kidnapped two years ago when Hamas attacked Israel.

"Together We Walk" A symbolic walk of 1.2 km (0.75 miles) – one meter for every life lost on October 7 – honoring each individual.

Members from left to right:

Sharon Hoff, Gail Kerzner, Sherry Kaplan, Joy Erickson, Pam Weisberg and Herb Weiss