JULY | 2020
Compassion Caravan helps to bridge community divide with ...

With the nation still reeling from the shock of George Floyd's tragic death, Temple Beth Or's Rabbi Robyn Fisher wanted to reach out to the community in an effort to aid in the grieving process.

Gallery of Light opens its doors…Virtually

Ever renovated a room to turn into an art gallery and then planned an opening only to be interrupted by a global pandemic? Well, if that every happened to you, be sure to have the Gallery of Light team in your corner.

Help us recruit BeMitzvah students for 2020-2021

Beth Or’s BeMitzvah program is still very active and we are starting to look at next year’s attendees. Despite the pandemic, the program has gone virtual with Rabbi Robyn and Jen Berse working overtime to make sure our Be Mitzvah students are having a fulfilling and complete experience. Won’t you help us recruit our new students for the coming year? Please click on the link below and find the BeMitzvah program on Facebook and share with your friends and have them share it as well. Be sure to make it public so it can be shared to others.
Everything is coming up roses for Jen Berse,
our Member of the Year

While she and her hubby may be away from it all in the mountains of North Carolina, she was virtually part of Beth Or’s June 7 Annual Meeting as her name was called as our Member of the Year. Jen Berse, a richly deserving choice for the honor, was genuinely surprised as her name was called.

Despite being in the mountains, she hasn’t missed a beat while working to bring the Gallery of Light to life, virtually teaching the BeMitzvah students, being active on the Beth Or board and a host of other activities. Prior to the pandemic, Jen was at Beth Or every Sunday in a volunteer capacity working with Rabbi Robyn to teach the BeMitzvah students. She’s continued that work on line and is busily engaged at getting ready for next year’s BeMitzvah class.

Beth Or’s Leadership Team, on behalf of the congregation, sent Jen a dozen red roses to compensate for not being able to present her Member of the Year award in person.


Hig h Holidays are closer than you think…
Believe it or not High Holidays are just around the corner. In this time of COVID 19, our holiday worship services will have an entirely new look. Rabbi Robyn has engaged a committee of members to help redesign how our virtual services will look. They are exploring the liturgy and rituals of the High Holy Days, from the beginning of the month of Elul (month before Rosh Hashanah) through Rosh Hashanah , the Yamim Noraim (10 Days of Awe) and Yom Kippur .

“Our vision is to reimagine how to celebrate these moments of awe in a meaningful and profound way,” Rabbi Robyn said. “It won’t be an effort to try to replicate them, for our Zoom and Facebook Live technology cannot replace the awe and beauty of our in-person High Holy Day services , but to create something innovative, interesting and potentially more meaningful through virtual gatherings or small, in person-get togethers.

“ We imagine creating an array of offerings over the 40-day period to take the emphasis off of the actual holiday services,” the Rabbi continued. “We will offer an array of opportunities to explore traditional and contemporary interpretations of our rituals, music, prayers and liturgy, as well as artistic expressions, text-based study, meditation, and poetry. It is a daunting task, but it is exciting and liberating, too!”

The Rabbi encourages everyone who has an idea to please let her know. More information will be sent to the congregation as plans continue.
It’s a matter of PRIDE for Beth Or in June

Beth Or’s BeJewQ program was very active during June with two special programs in honor of Gay Pride month. 

“We hosted our first of what I hope will become a regular BeJewQ Shabbat gathering,” Rabbi Robyn said. “We shared our shabbat prayers and had a lively discussion on the importance of rituals in our lives, both the secular and Jewish.”

On Friday, June 19, Rabbi Robyn, and daughter Kara, hosted a Rainbow Challah Workshop. It was on zoom and on Facebook live.

Both projects were done with the assistance of the YES Institute. The YES Institute is an organization devoted to the  healthy development of all youth through powerful communication and education on gender and orientation. Also participating were a young man and his mother on his process of transgendering.

The recording of the Rainbow Challah Workshop is on Beth Or’s Facebook page.

Beth Or’s BeJewQ program has been endorsed and supported with a grant from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
Virtual Shabbat Services every Friday

Virtual Shabbat Services are held every Friday beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday Shabbat Zoom links are sent to everyone via email on Thursday. If you’re not receiving those Zoom links, please call the Temple office at 305-235-1419 to let us know.

Regular Zoom Events
I n addition to receiving Zoom notices, please check Beth Or’s website Calendar/Events section for all the events. The Calendar/Events section is kept up to date and you can get a great idea of the month’s activities at a single glance. 
If you know of any 3 to 6 year olds who'd like a Summer Zoom treat, be sure to make their parents aware of Beth Or’s Summer Mazel Tot Shabbat on every Friday in July.

 Fun Filled Variety Hour

Looking ahead, circle your calendars for a fun night on July 25


Let’s all take action so every American feels valued and appreciated
Sign the NAACP petition: 
 
Take action with Campaign Zero:  https://www.joincampaignzero.org/#campaign
 
Donate and take action with the ACLU:  h ttps://www.aclu.org/
 
Donate to the Jews of Color initiative: https://jewsofcolorinitiative.org/support/

Benefit Beth Or every time you order from Amazon

You can benefit Temple Beth Or every time you purchase something from Amazon. And Amazon has made it even easier to use AmazonSmile on it’s phone app.

Download or update to the latest version of the  Amazon  Shopping  app  on your phone. You can find it in the  App  Store for iOS or Google Play for  Android . Open the  app  and find 'Settings' in the main menu (☰). Tap on ' AmazonSmile ' and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on  AmazonSmile  on your phone.

Make sure you put Temple Beth Or as your designated recipient. There may be more than one Temple Beth Or so be sure to check
That it’s our TBO in Miami

If you purchase Amazon products on your computer, be sure to enter smile.amazon before you order and designate Temple Beth Or. On both the computer and app, you can save your selection for future purchases.

Are you registered to vote?

How can we make our voices heard and help to find true justice for all — VOTE!
First and foremost you should check your own voter registration status at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov and make sure you are current on all your information and, in fact, registered. You should check your signature and correct it if it has changed. 

July 9–16, 2020 — Ballots will be sent for registered voters already signed up for Vote By Mail for the August 18, 2020 primary election in Miami-Dade County. To enroll in Vote By Mail (a good option in this time of COVID-19), go to MiamiDade.gov/Elections.

The following is our tributes list:
In honor of the
BethOr@Home Zoom:

Andrea Loring with appreciation for Nancy Kirsner bringing Alan & Laurie Hall to us via Zoom

Maxine Poupko thank you to Nancy Kirsner for her wonderful zoom sessions, which has been a G-d send during this pandemic

Andrea Loring in honor of Carol Kaminsky for starting our every Friday morning with joyful movement


Gallery of Light:

Ilien & Keith Hechtman in honor of Mel Tenen's Birthday

Amy Lomaskin in honor of Pat Barron & Marilyn Traeger for an informative presentation on Jewish Art.

Linda Faber in honor of Marilyn Traeger, Pat Barron, Enid Garber- Gallery of Light Zoom Team

Janie Emerson in honor of Marilyn Traeger & Pat Barron for an interesting Zoom ArtTalk on Jewish art....what a lively and informative discussion

Marcy Prince in honor of Gallery of Light and Nancy Kirsner's Zoom Presentations

Jenifer & Robert Berse in honor of Jen's Gallery of Light playmates, Marilyn & Enid

Pat Barron in honor of the Gallery of Light Team

Gail Hochheiser with thanks for the amazing Zoom Sessions

Amy Lomaskin & Mel Tenen in honor of Marilyn Traeger & Matt Stock for bringing us fabulous art through photography!
Amy Lomaskin.in honor of Enid Garber for the presentation of Matisse and his cutouts


In Honor of:

Bette Spector in honor of Mel Tenen's Birthday

Marcy Prince in honor of the Compassion Caravan, in honor of Jen Berse for Member of the Year, in honor of the Leadership Team for excellent service & commitment to Beth Or

Pat Barron in honor of Rabbi Robyn & the Compassion Caravan Team

Pat Barron in honor of Amy & Mel

Ilien & Keith Hechtman in honor of Andrea Loring's Birthday, Rabbi Robyn Fisher's Birthday & Speedy Recovery for Mel Tenen

Karen Susman in honor of Kathy Fisler, and the Compassion Caravan

Marti & Tom Gammon in honor of Rabbi Robyn and the LT for their leadership in re-imagining the future of Beth Or

Marti Gammon in tribute to Mel Tenen in thanks for his help and guidance during the past year


Rabbi's Discretionary Fund:

Heather Prine in honor of Kathy Fisler- I love the masks.

Alan Krasnick in memory of Marvin Silverberg

Marti & Tom Gammon in honor of Rabbi Robyn and the LT for their leadership in re-imagining the future of Beth Or

Sheila Silverberg in appreciation for Marvin's warm funeral service and your continued support


Yahrzeit Fund:

Adrienne Hochman in memory of my father, Maurice Rich



Memorial Plaques:

Ilien & Keith Hechtman in memory of Marc Henry Hechtman


305.235.1419 | info@bethormiami.com | bethormiami.com