Volume 70. No. 4. November 2025

Year after year as the High Holidays conclude, many congregations and guests tell me how deeply moved they are by the blessing for parents and spouses from other faith backgrounds shared during our Yom Kippur morning service. My usual reply is that I feel profoundly fortunate to have inherited this tradition, first brought to our community by Rabbi Donald Rossoff when he served as interim rabbi of Temple Beth Am from 2016-2017. And it's true.

You may be familiar with a statistic from the Pew Research Center's Jewish Americans in 2020 report that 72% of non-Orthodox Jewish who have been married since 2010 have married someone from a faith other than Judaism. Taken as fact, this data provides the Jewish community with a clear choice: to embrace these families or to push them away.

Our community has proudly and unequivocally chosen to embrace interfaith families, supporting all who choose to raise their children as Jews. Parents and spouses who come from another (or no) faith background are full and valued members of our community and are wholeheartedly invited to take part in all aspects of Jewish life within our walls.

This past May, I was privileged to complete the 18-month Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship through 18Doors (formerly InterfaithFamily). Alongside two dozen rabbis from across the denomination spectrum, I spent a year and a half studying, reflecting and engaging in deep conversation about the complex realities interfaith couples navigate. At the heart of our work was one guiding question: How can we best support interfaith families in our communities?

One of my early takeaways from the fellowship was the importance of creating space and time within the synagogue framework for families to speak with one another about their experiences of raising Jewish children in interfaith homes. As part of the fellowship, I developed a two-session informal discussion series to help open these conversations. On Sundays November 16 and 23 from

9:00-11:00am, interfaith couples with children in the Lower School will gather--over coffee and bagels, of course--to share, listen and learn from one another in a welcoming, nonjudgemental setting. Together, we'll also reflect on how our temple community can continue to strengthen its support for interfaith families and what our next steps might be.

A traditional Jewish blessing for couples as they get married is that the "build a bayit ne'eman b'Yisrael--a home faithfully rooted in the people and traditions of Israel. What a gift it is that Temple Beth Am is filled with families engaged in that sacred work, each in their own way. May we continue to build a community deeply rooted in Jewish peoplehood and tradition, and may we always open our arms to families of all kinds who share in that holy endeavor.

Rabbi Sam Blumberg

One of our lessons learned from our Strategic Planning Process was a need to be more transparent about the Temple’s Finances. This month, I would like to share the progress we’ve made since our Annual Meeting in June about our HVAC system, Re-paying the Restricted Funds, and Little Acorns.



1.     Vivo Moshe, VP of Buildings and Grounds, has worked tirelessly to define a solution for the replacement of HVAC system. As discussed, the system was on its last leg and we’ve had costly repairs. I am happy to report that the Purchase Order for the equipment have been placed and a plan to install is readied. Once we receive the parts, Vivo will lead the installation process. In June, we approved a disbursement from the Land Proceeds Account in an amount not to exceed $150,000. Barring any unexpected costs, the estimates for the purchase and install should come in 15-20% less!

2.     As shared in June, our income slows during the summer months as we await dues payments to start in the Fall. Also, we had some extraordinary expenses in FY 2024-2025 related to legal fees and maintenance. In June, we approved a $25,000 transfer from both the Sanctuary Fund and the Land Proceeds Account to cover our summer expenses.  We are moving forward with the repayment of the $25,000 to the Sanctuary Fund and will complete the repayment to the Lands Proceeds Account no later than December 2025. Thank you all for your timely Dues payments to enable the repayment as planned!

3.     We have three income streams to support our community – our Dues and Tuition, Rent from Little Acorns and the Wall of Honor. Our partnership with Little Acorns is strong. As Little Acorns’ enrollment is growing, we have agreed to share a second classroom with Little Acorns. Little Acorns will use the classroom Monday-Friday, and we will use the classroom on Sundays. An updated rental agreement and contract is in progress to reflect this change. As part of this agreement, we have the funding to have a Sunday-only custodian to manage the room set up for our Religious School on Sunday mornings and to prepare the room for Little Acorns for their weekly use.

Finally, it is with mixed feelings that I announce that our Bookkeeper, Mary Robinson will be “retiring” from Temple Beth Am. As many of you know, Mary now lives in New Hampshire and the commute is a bit much. Mary has been our bookkeeper for the past 16 years, providing us with sound business practices and being a trusted partner. Mary’s last day is December 11^th , hopefully she will miss the first Framingham snowfall! Please take a moment to thank Mary for her service and wish her well!

L'shalom,

Sharon

Many know the name Debbie Friedman, but perhaps don’t know the revolutionary way that she reimagined Jewish music. While much of her music was written in the 1970’s, her songs continue to be central to our worship and the worship of synagogues all over the country. The staying power of her music is testament to the beauty, simplicity, singability, and soulfulness of her music.

Among the settings that we sing together often at Temple Beth Am, Debbie Friedman blessed us with melodies for Ahavat Olam, Mi Shebeirach, Havdalah, L’chi Lach, Miriam’s Song, and many, many, other texts. Her sweet, flowing melody for Ahavat Olam allows us to feel G-d’s infinite love. Her stirring, soulful setting of L’chi Lach shows us the promise of Abraham’s journey, beginning the Jewish story in the book of Genesis. 

Her Havdalah blessing music is synonymous with togetherness and community, embodying the sweetness of Havdalah and hope for the week to come. The joyous energy of Miriam’s Song turns our focus from Moses to Miriam, and, like much of Debbie’s music, highlights the role of women in Judaism, encouraging gender equity. And, of course, her music for Mi Shebeirach holds our prayers for healing, allowing us to express our hopes in song, in a way that words alone cannot.

Debbie Friedman was born in 1951 in Utica, NY. She grew up listening to the music of Joan Baez and Peter, Paul, and Mary, and was inspired to begin playing guitar and writing songs. In her obituary, which appeared in the New York Times in 2011, the following quote appears: “one night I went to synagogue, and realized, sitting there, I was bored… the choir was singing and nobody was doing anything. There was no participation.” Thus was born her revolutionary marrying of folk music and ancient Jewish text. The NYT continues, “while some Rabbis and Cantors welcomed her music as a democratizing force, others saw it as a subversive breach of time-honored tradition, in which the Cantor was typically white-haired, always male and usually vocally imposing and the congregants were passive listeners. By contrast, Ms. Friedman’s music emphasized audience participation.”

Communal singing is now an essential part of Jewish prayer in most synagogues. It is a powerful, participatory way for us to join together in community, our voices and spirits combining to pray the ancient words of our tradition. But those who remember synagogue music before Debbie Friedman know that communal singing was not always present in liberal Judaism. Since the 1970’s, many other Jewish composers have blessed us with beautiful, congregational music. But Debbie was the first, a musical trailblazer, breaking barriers for women in Judaism, and blessing us with her music and her spirit. After her death in 2011, the Cantorial School of Hebrew Union College, the Reform Movement’s cantorial seminary, renamed their school The Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. זכרונה לברכה, zichronah livrachah, may Debbie Friedman’s memory be a blessing, and may her spirit live on through her beautiful music.

– Cantor David Wolff

We're almost there!

We've raised $54,000 towards our $70,000 goal!

As we continue to celebrate the spirit of the new year, we are deeply grateful to everyone who has already contributed to our Wall of Honor Campaign. Your generosity strengthens our Temple community and ensures that Temple Beth Am remains a place of connection, inspiration, and belonging.

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to make a contribution, there’s still time to participate. Your support truly makes a difference. Every gift—no matter the size—helps us sustain meaningful programs, support families in need, and maintain the welcoming, vibrant spiritual home that brings us together throughout the year.

Your Tzedakah makes an impact by helping to:

• Fund enriching programs for children, teens, and adults.
• Support worship, music, and learning opportunities that bring us closer as a community.
• Provide assistance to members who need financial support to remain part of our congregation family.

You can make your contribution today by visiting www.tempbetham.org and clicking on “Donate,” or by mailing your gift directly to the Temple office. We also gratefully welcome stock donations in support of this Campaign. If you are interested in contributing through a stock donation, please contact the Temple office for more information.

As we move forward into 5786, may our shared commitment to one another continue to bring strength, joy, and meaning to our Temple Beth Am family.

If you have any questions contact Jenn Moshe, VP Fundraising

TBA Volunteers represent the heart of our temple. Your spirit, time, and commitment reflect what makes TBA an inclusive and welcoming place – truly House of the People.

ARE YOU SEARCHING FOR A SMALL TASK THAT WILL ENHANCE OUR SHABBAT EXPERIENCE AT TEMPLE BETH AM?

Join TBA's Usher Volunteers! The commitment is just once a month, giving you the opportunity to greet and welcome TBA members and guests attending services, assist guests with completing their name tag, and reset seats and books following services. This is a great way to reconnect with TBA friends and to meet our newer members.


Offer your help in any of these ways that will help enhance our Oneg Shabbat experience:


• Bake or bring a baked item to serve at the Oneg
• Come to TBA on Friday morning to help wrap the baked items
• Sponsor a Shabbat Oneg by making a contribution to cover Oneg expenses
• Set-up and preparation of the Social Hall for the Oneg
• Clean-up after the Oneg in the Social Hall
  

We would appreciate your help in performing one or more of these

tasks on the Shabbat(s) of your choice. 


Our Friday night IT Team needs volunteers to help with the Zoom of our Shabbat services. Bill Rabkin, our expert extraordinaire, is ready, waiting and excited to train anyone who is interested to perform this (and easy to learn) task.

The IT team alternates Shabbat responsibilities so the more volunteers we have, the more flexibility in scheduling we have. Please consider helping Bill and his team with this important function— it is both fun and rewarding.

If you haven't already done so, please click here to view the TBA volunteer sign-up list.

Click here to view the volunteer sign-up list for TBA religious school families.

Friday Shabbat Services are in person and livestreamed on Zoom.

Check Temple Beth Am weekly email for any changes to the schedule.

Saturday November 1, 2025 / 10 Heshvan 5786

SHABBAT MORNING MINYAN AND TORAH STUDY at 9:00 AM

Weekly Portion Lech Lecha Genesis 12:1-17:27

Haftarah Isaiah 40:27-41:6

SHABBAT HIKE at 1:00 PM

at Nobscot Scout Reservation (1 Nobscot Rd., Sudbury)



Friday November 7, 2025 / 17 Heshvan 5786

TOT SHABBAT SERVICE at 5:15PM

EREV SHABBAT SERVICE at 7:15 PM

Saturday November 8, 2025 / 17 Heshvan 5786

SHABBAT MORNING MINYAN AND TORAH STUDY at 9:00 AM

Weekly Portion Vayera Genesis 18:1-22:24

Haftarah II Kings 4:1-37

Friday November 14. 2025 / 24 Heshvan 5786

EREV SHABBAT HALL'LU SERVICE at 7:15 PM

Saturday November 15, 2025 / 24 Heshvan 5786

SHABBAT MORNING MINYAN AND TORAH STUDY at 9:00 AM

Weekly Portion Chayei Sara Genesis 23:1-25:18

Haftarah I Kings 1:1-31

Friday November 21, 2025 / 2 Kislev 5786

EREV SHABBAT SERVICE at 7:15 PM

Saturday November 22, 2025 / 2 Kislev 5786

SHABBAT MORNING MINYAN AND TORAH STUDY at 9:00 AM

Weekly Portion Toldot Genesis 25:19-28:9

Haftarah Malachi 1:1-2:7

Sunday November 23, 2025 at 5:00PM

INTERFAITH THANKSGIVING SERVICE at 5:00 PM

at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

3 Maple Street

Framingham, MA 01702

Friday November 28, 2025 / 9 Kislev 5786

EREV SHABBAT SERVICE at 7:15 PM. ** ZOOM ONLY **

Saturday November 29, 2025 / 9 Kislev 5786

SHABBAT MORNING MINYAN AND TORAH STUDY at 9:00 AM

Weekly Portion Vayetzei Genesis 28:10-32:3

Haftarah Hosea 12:13-14:10

Partial List of Upcoming TBA Events

Check TBA Weekly and our calendar on the TBA website for more details and updates.

Lizkor

Temple Beth Am's Lizkor: To Remember mission is to hear from those who can speak directly about the impact of the Holocaust on their lives, honoring our past for future generations.

We had a great turnout for our Lizkor Program on October 20th featuring Dr. Alex Kor who spoke about his new book A Blessing, Not a Burden: My Parents' Remarkable Holocaust Story and My Fight to Keep Their Legacy Alive. He was a captivating speaker talking about his mother and aunt's time in Auschwitz as victims of Dr. Mengele who used the twins as horrific medical experiments. During his talk, Dr. Kor shared that efforts have begun to raise money for a film of his story.

Brotherhood

October Breakfast: (from L-R)

John Clayman, Stuart Slavid, Guest , Dale Arnold, Steve Schneider &

Margie Bluestein

Brotherhood had another very successful breakfast on Sunday October 19.

Not only did we have an amazing speaker, but we also were attended by a number of our local politicians, and politicians running for the upcoming election in the November.

Over 90 people joined us Sunday, including our Rabbi, who lead us in the motzi as he always graciously finds the time to do, the mayor of Framingham and school committee members. We were entertained by retired local sports commentator Dale Arnold. Simply, he was amazing, and the group was well entertained.

Our breakfasts continue to be a regular, monthly get together for many. It gives those in attendance to not only enjoy a great meal, but spend time with friends and be entertained and educated by a wide variety of authors, sports personalities and local community leaders, to name but a few of the variety of speakers we feature.

Please think about joining us at our next breakfast on Sunday, November 9!

Sisterhood

Interested in Mah Jongg lessons or teaching the game @ TBA?

Temple Beth Am Sisterhood is offering Mah Jongg lessons! You can be a beginner or an intermediate player who wants to enhance your skills. We are also looking for those who want to help teach/mentor. The exact four week schedule is TBD and depends on the majority of interest and temple availability. The proposed fee for all four lessons is $36 for Sisterhood members or $54 for non-Sisterhood members. Please submit this form by Friday, November 7th.

TBA Sisterhood & Friends Book Club

Below are the upcoming meeting dates and selections:

The Book Club is choosing works of fiction and non-fiction by Jewish authors and/or featuring Jewish/Jewish-adjacent topics or characters.

On September 28, we were warmly hosted by Sue Siegel, enjoyed babka from Rosenfeld’s, homemade frittata, and other brunch favorites and thoughtfully discussed This Is How It Always Is.  If you have struggled with decisions you have made as a parent and/or how to support a person who does not conform. If you strive to balance individual, family and community needs. If you value individual self-expression, with compassion for yourself and others, you may find validation in Laurie Frankel’s work.

 UPCOMING DATES AND SELECTIONS

Please contact Merle Kushner boardcoordinator@tempbetham.org

to RSVP and for further information

Join a TBA Committee....

To contact any of the committee leads, please log in to the ShulCloud member directory or contact the temple office.

We also enjoyed welcoming 8 new religious school students to Temple Beth Am's Religious School. Rabbi and Cantor offered blessings and each student received a mini Torah and Certificate of Consecration. Everyone danced with either the Torahs from the ark or stuffed Torahs. We sang and danced and had a marvelous time celebrating our most sacred text!

Guest speaker was Irene Stein Frielich, who is involved with Sharsheret, a support network for those facing breast and ovarian cancers. As a survivor of breast cancer, Irene shared her personal story. Our community was moved by her strength and courage.

Donations for those undergoing treatment were collected and will be given to the Tufts Cancer Care Center in Framingham.

Special thank to the committee who arranged and participated in the Shabbat Service: Susan Siegel, Margie Bluestein, Judy Levine, Rachel Marsh, Merle Kushner, Andrea Geller and Meryl Hickey.

Apple Picking at Tougas Farm

Religious School families enjoyed an afternoon at Tougas Farm on Sunday, October 26 picking apples, taking a hay ride, eating cider donuts, and playing on the playground! It was a perfect fall day and a wonderful opportunity to strengthen relationships in our Religious School community.

Decorating the Sukkah

TBA community gathered to decorate the Sukkah, eat pizza and sing songs on a beautiful fall evening. It is always nice to see the creative expressions from all ages. Thanks to all who helped with set-up of our Sukkah and tear down so we can re-use again next year.

In Memory

We record with deep sorrow the names of those who have passed

since our last Tebeam.

THE CONGREGATION MOURNS WITH

Ellen and Rick Steinberg on the loss of their son, David Steinberg

May his memory forever be a blessing.

In Joy

WE REJOICE WITH

Rabbi Emeritus Don and Greta Lee Splansky, on the birth of their first great grandson, Elliott Zev Kadish, born on October 9th in Chicago. His proud parents are Emily and Zak Kadish. This picture is from Elliott's brit milah, where he received the Hebrew name Elkanah Tzion.

Lori and Randy Weiner, on the marriage of their daughter, Sabrina to Marc Doyle

Steve Schneider, on the marriage of his son Blake to Brooke Maker.

Steve Schneider, on the marriage of his daughter Brittany to Eli Weber. They were married on October 24, 2025

Cynthia Roll whose grandson Eli Bondar, appeared on Jeopardy on Wednesday October 29th.

Lynne Goldman who ran in the Chicago marathon on Sunday October 12, 2025. This was the first time that Lynne has run in a marathon!

We love celebrating life’s joyful moments together! If there's something special going on with you or your family, let us know so we can celebrate together as a community!

SPECIAL ANNIVERSARIES

Special anniversaries in October (multiple of 5). All anniversary couples celebrating an October, November or December wedding anniversary will be blessed at December 12th Shabbat service at 7:15 PM

WEBSITE DONATION

Just a click away to access our donation page on TBA website

Please take advantage of this opportunity to acknowledge the memory or honor an accomplishment of a friend or a loved one. 

TREE OF LIFE

The TREE OF LIFE mounted on the wall of the temple lobby is a favorite way for members to commemorate “simchas” and honor family members and friends. Your gift of leaves ($300) and stones ($1,000) will support continuing growth projects in the future. Pledge cards are available in the temple office.

SPONSOR FUTURE ONEGS

This is a great opportunity for your family to honor any type of special occasion or Kiddush. Sponsorship is a $100 donation.

Gifts to Temple Funds

RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND

CANTOR'S DISCRETIONARY FUND

MUSIC ENRICHMENT FUND

GENERAL FUND

MORRIS CHAPMAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL FUND

SANCTUARY FUND

Temple Beth Am / 300 Pleasant Street / Framingham, MA 01701

Tebeam is published 9 times annually by Temple Beth Am

Questions, comments, or ideas for TeBeAm?

Please email the temple office at shalom@tempbetham.org