Message From Rabbi

Dear RTFH Family,

Tradition holds that when the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, every Jew was there – past, present, and future. This means that you were there for Revelation, which we celebrate this Thursday night and Friday morning for Shavuot. But it also means that every time you walk into the Temple, you’ve seen all these people before.

So, take a risk and reach out. Don’t just nod at someone—say hello. Overcome the embarrassment of not remembering their name after all these years and reintroduce yourself. There were a lot of people standing at the base of the mountain, so it’s okay if you forgot or never even learned a name.

We call ourselves an “RTFH Family.” Be bold, be welcoming, and reacquaint yourself with our community once again.

Happy Shavuot,

Rabbi Mark

Shabbat Evening Service 

Friday, May 22 at 7:00pm



Find strength, spirituality, and community at Shabbat Services.



Services are live-streamed at rtfh.org/live and on our Youtube Channel

Note Shabbat Services Times in June

June 5 - Pride Shabbat at 7pm

June 12 - Shabbat Reshon for All Grades at 6:15pm followed by Dinner

Shavuot Evening Services and Confirmation

Thursday, May 21 at 7:00pm

Celebrate the giving of the 10 Commandments and celebrate with our Confirmands and their families. Oneg to follow.

Shavuot Morning and Yizkor Service

Friday, May 22 at 10:30am

Climb for the mountaintops on this essential, but overlooked, Jewish holiday. We’ll visit Mount Sinai, the gathering place of every Jewish person, and reflect on the Ten Commandments and

our Jewish journey during this morning festival service, which includes Yizkor. In-person and online.

Don't Miss Events

Forest Hills Chamber Music Series

Piano Quartets

Sunday, May 31 at 2:00pm

Concluding Concert in the 2025-2026 Series

The Reform Temple of Forest Hills (RTFH) welcomes back Ari Evan and the Forest Hills Chamber Music Series! Enjoy world-class musicians and music of the highest caliber in our sanctuary with its fine acoustics. The mission of the series is to highlight pieces written by a Jewish composer paired with works of the same instrumentation. We are proud to share live, top-quality chamber music with the Queens community.

Queens Pride March

March with RTFH in the Queens Pride Parade on Sunday, June 7 at noon in Jackson Heights, Queens - 37th Avenue from 89th Street to 75th Street.

Wear your best pride and rainbow clothes (or buy an RTFH Pride

t-shirt!) as we show the world that LGBTQ+ people and issues matter! A great event for adults, teens, kids, families, friends, allies, and everyone.

Pride Shabbat

Join our community on Friday, June 5 at 7pm for Pride Shabbat. We’ll be joined by Yelena Goltsman of qaravan a New York City community-based nonprofit organization of Eurasian LGBTQ+ people, women, and other people as our guest speaker.

As a Jew, as part of your family, friends, or everywhere in the world – stand up for LGBTQ+ rights and show your pride!

Get Your RTFH Pride Shirt

Stand proud with RTFH all year long. Get your own RTFH Pride Shirt designed by Temple member Jackson O’Brien. It’s the hot trending fashion item for everyone standing up for equality and inclusion.

Click here to purchase yours

Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah in 2026!

Did you never have a Bar or Bat Mitzvah when you were a kid?

Did you have one but didn’t read Torah or lead the service and want a redo? Do you want to be part of engaging community learning with Rabbi, Cantor, Rabbinic Intern Jules, and more?

Sign up for Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah for 2026-2027. Classes will be on Sunday morning during Religious School with the service in October 2027. Email Rabbi Mark Kaiserman at rabbikaiserman@rtfh.org if you want to be part of the learning and joy!

We had so much fun when Elana Arian came to RTFH!

We learned new songs and teachings, and young and old sang together with joy.

This was our last big fundraiser of the year, and we are still just a bit shy of our $14,000 goal. If you weren’t there, but you’d like to experience the ruach (spirit), or you’d just like to help keep our Temple strong, consider contributing $18 (or more), and register for the concert as a livestream participant. 

Within 24 hours, we will send you a link to the concert (available through May 31). We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

ToFHY Trip

Saturday, June 13 - Sunday, June 14

Our ToFHY Spring trip will be to the Crayola Experience and Hershey Park! This trip is open to all 7th-12th grade RTFH students. The cost of attendance for this event is $100.

Which includes: tickets to both experiences; travel via charter bus; dinner on Saturday night; breakfast on Sunday morning; stay at a hotel (Ramada by Wyndham Harrisburg/Hershey Area); and a plethora of (allergy-friendly) snacks for the bus.

Spaces for this event are limited, so please sign up your teen before spots run out.

Thank you for supporting RTFH