Dear RTFH Family,

You turned my mourning into dancing,

you undid my sackcloth and girded me with joy. (Psalm 30:12)

Simchat Torah 5784/2023 marked a day of tragedy for the Jewish people with the horrific October 7th attacks on Israel. In a perfect circle moment, we were able to celebrate the official end of the Gaza war and the return of the remaining living hostages on Simchat Torah 5786/2025.

Holding onto hope for the future filled our Simchat Torah celebration on Monday night. We jubilantly welcomed our new Torah into the congregation and read from it for the very first time. Our newest religious school students received their own Torah at Consecration, marking the beginning of their learning journey at RTFH. We danced with the joy of community and possibilities of peace.

It was a special Simchat Torah that emphasized the Simchat (Joy) and Torah.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Mark

Shabbat Evening Service 

Friday, October 17th at 7:00pm

Find strength, spirituality, and community at Shabbat Services.

We will have an opportunity for community reflection as we recognize the official end of the Gaza war and the return of the living hostages. We will gently take down the Israeli flag on our bimah that has been a continuous reminder of all the hostages.

Services are live-streamed at rtfh.org/live and youtube.com/reformtempleofforesthills

Rabbi Kaiserman’s High Holy Day Sermons

Watch and share Rabbi Kaiserman’s High Holy Day sermons from this past Yom Kippur. They are found on the Temple YouTube Channel. You can find all our services and programs that are held in the sanctuary on our

YouTube feed.

10/15 - Drop In Mah Jong Game Night (6pm)

10/17 - Shabbat Services (7pm)

10/18 - Bat Mitzvah of Emma Kerr (10:30am)

10/19 - No Religious School

10/23 - 20s/30s Event (7pm)

10/23 - Men’s Study (7:30pm)

10/24 - Shabbat Services (7pm)

11/1 - Midnight Run

11/2 - Chamber Music Series (2pm)

11/9 - Chanukah Shuk (2pm)

Emma Kerr is celebrating her Bat Mitzvah!

Saturday, October 18th at 10:30 am

Mazel Tov to Emma, her parents Debra & Brian, and the entire Kerr family

The RTFH congregation is invited to join Saturday morning services via livestream at rtfh.org/live 

Emma's Mitzvah Project

For my Mitzvah Project, I chose to volunteer with Friends of MacDonald Park, a group of Forest Hills residents who help clean up the park through community service. I spent several Saturdays helping with tasks like picking up garbage around the park, planting flowers, and installing fences to protect recently planted trees. MacDonald Park is a place where I spend a lot of time, and I know other people do too. As a little girl, MacDonald Park was a place where I would sit in the grass picking flowers and imagining it as paradise, now it became a place where I would kick around a soccer ball or play football in the snow with my dad. It holds many cherishable childhood memories of laugher, play and peace.

As the sounds of war begin to quiet and the hostages rejoin their loved ones, our hearts overflow with relief, remembrance and HOPE.

To mark this historic moment, tonight, the Reform Movement will gather online at 8:00pm for “Holding Hope: A Reform Movement Gathering Marking the Release of our Hostages.” Through music, poetry, and prayer, we will honor what we have carried together—as we ritually close this dark chapter and open our hearts to what comes next.

Register here

Someone has a birthday coming...

If your/your child's birthday is in October, RTFH would like to celebrate it with you!

On Friday, October 17th, we'll celebrate all October birthdays at 7pm Shabbat services.

At this service, we’ll invite anyone with an October birthday to join us up on the bimah. No RSVP is necessary. Join your Temple family to recognize your special birthday month!

יום הולדת שמח! Yom Huledet Sameach! Happy Birthday!

A Kol Nidre gift to Temple is an offer that fulfills the mitzvah of Tzedakah

Please donate to the best of your ability

Kol Nidre Appeal

This event is open to RTFH members and community members in their 20s and 30s.

Please email Rabbinic Intern Jules Ilian at jilian@rtfh.org with any questions regarding the event.

To SIGN UP and for more details, please visit the Social Action Team's Current Initiatives page on our website. 

To DONATE funds for food and clothes, please visit here. All donations, large or small, are greatly appreciated. 

Donate Hoodies For Our Unhoused Friends

Hoodies are the #1 item requested by the unhoused individuals we meet—and the most expensive for our Social Action Team to purchase.



Please bring CLEAN, ADULT-SIZED HOODIES to Temple's Upper Lobby before our Midnight Run on Saturday, November 1st.

Every hoodie helps keep someone warm

Thank you! Your Social Action Team

All 8th-12th grade RTFH members are invited to join ToFHY's fall trip on Sunday, October 26th.

We will be having a scavenger hunt at the Queens Zoo. It is going to be a fun time for connection, exploration, and some friendly competition.

Questions about this event should be directed to Rabbinic Intern Jules Ilian at jilian@rtfh.org. 

Please use the following link to RSVP by

Thursday 10/23/25

Sponsor an Oneg after Friday night Shabbat Services!

At RTFH, we embrace the warmth of community and the spirit of togetherness. Our weekly Oneg Shabbat is a time to gather, unwind, and celebrate the blessings of the Sabbath.

Honor a loved one, mark a special occasion, or simply give a heartfelt gesture. Your sponsorship will be deeply appreciated and all names will be read aloud during the Temple President’s announcements.

To sponsor our standard Friday Night oneg, we ask a donation of $54 for a non-life cycle event, or $175 for a life cycle event. 

Multiple people may sponsor an oneg for the same evening!

Use our easy Online Form to Sponsor an Oneg

https://www.rtfh.org/engage/womens-connection/oneg/

Birthday Connection

Acknowledge someone's special day by sponsoring a birthday greeting! 

Each month, a list of Temple members celebrating birthdays is posted to the RTFH Birthday Connection. Simply click on the link, create or login to your Member's Account, and fill out the online form.

Women's Connection will send that person a personalized Happy Birthday greeting to everyone who donated in their honor. At only $1 per greeting, Birthday Connection is an easy way to manage a monthly mitzvah for everyone on your list! 

Lists of upcoming Birthdays with instructions are available in plastic hanging bins in the lobby of the temple near the coat room or use the links below.

Send Birthday Wishes

Birthday Connection-October

Birthday Connection-November

Birthday Connection-December