As the secular year ends and a new year begins, many of us reflect on what 2021 has meant and what we hope to achieve in 2022. So much of the last year has been unpredictable and unsettling, a full rotation of the earth around the sun in the shadow of the pandemic and all that that continues to mean. What will the next January through December bring? We don’t know. But we can dream, and we can prepare.

With the turning of the calendar, we also begin a new book in our weekly Torah cycle. The end of December brings us to the conclusion of Bereshit (Genesis) and the beginning of Shemot (Exodus). In that transition we can find some wisdom for our own planning for the new year.

Bereshit concludes with the Children of Israel living in safety and satisfaction in Egypt. Joseph has rescued his family, including Israel himself, and the pharoah was so grateful for Joseph’s help that he welcomed our ancestors en masse to live in his land. Then eight verses into Shemot we read: “A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” So began centuries of enslavement and suffering, eventually yielding to the power of God’s works through Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

What wisdom have we to gain from the abrupt change between the first two books of Torah? Life is unpredictable yet not surprising. For millennia our people have wavered between security and threat, between confidence and doubt. We have learned to continue to live and to enjoy what we can while also being aware of what’s coming next. It is a terrible thing to live in fear and it is also necessary to live with caution.

I hope that 2022 will bring healing and blessing to the world and that the Jewish people can help that happen. Whatever comes, we must be ready.

President's Reflections

The temperatures have finally dipped to below freezing, and the days have become shorter bringing along with it a need for fuzzy socks, hot cocoa (Lots of marshmallows, please!) and toasty fires in the fireplace. Cozy blanket snuggling and warm baked goods aside, the wintertime always brings my thoughts to the summer. I’m not daydreaming of the warm weather necessarily though. Rather, I know firsthand what wintertime means for Jewish summer camps all over the United States.

Often, the summer camp brochure is at the printer’s in December so it can be available as soon as students return from their winter vacations. Early bird rates are in place, so there is a mad rush for registration in the beginning and to ensure a spot is saved for your eager camper anxiously awaiting a firm commitment to their summer plans.

It is no wonder parents everywhere rush to secure a spiritual summer home away from home that will keep their kids happy and give a bit of freedom to rejoicing camp moms and dads across the globe. The Jewish summer camp industry has established itself as leaders within the American Camping Association, as their reputation for creating meaningful experiences that keep kids returning summer after summer exceeds all industry standards.

Children who have only known Judaism to be within the walls of a synagogue their entire lives are suddenly experiencing their spirituality in nature and with their own peers who they sleep side by side with on bunk beds in cabins. For many, it is their first time away from home, and with no parents around for their extended time at camp, they are left to fend for themselves discovering their independence and their own beliefs.

The Jewish summer camp movement has created an environment for growth, and the lucky children who share in these experiences are impacted for the rest of their lives.

Though Canton’s JCC closed many years ago and along with it, a Jewish summer day camp option for Canton’s Jewish youth, I would like to encourage our Jewish families to explore your summer options and get on the Jewish camp “track.” If you have questions about overnight resident Jewish camps, please feel free to reach out to your synagogue or to the many community members who are well connected to a variety of Jewish summer camps from coast to coast.

For more information, please feel free to contact Chadash director, Julie Zorn by email at chadash@jewishcanton.org.

Friday, December 24, 2021 – 6:15 p.m. 

Advanced sign-up for in-person participation is no longer required.

Temple Israel will be returning to First Lutheran Church on Sunday, December 19th from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm for our Urban Ark in-person Christmas dinner. Please let me know if you would like to assist that afternoon - it would be appreciated. You can reach me at 330-704- 9991 or at Dianarcollum@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Diana Collum

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The minimum Donor is $25.00 but all donations are welcome. A special gift of $100 or more is a wonderful way to honor or memorialize a loved one, honor a family member or friend celebrating a special life cycle event, and to tell someone you love that they are special to you. As read in the Shema, “You shall teach them diligently to your children.” This is actually what your contribution to Donor does – it helps educate the children of Chadash so that they can one day teach them to their children.

Please think about ordering your National Mah Jongg 2022 Card from Temple Israel Sisterhood. You can order your card by dropping off or sending your check to the Temple Office with the names and addresses of those individuals who would like to order a 2022 card or send a check and info to: Barbara Spera 1380 Shiloh Run SE, North Canton, OH 44709. Cards are $9 for standard print and $10 for large print. Cards will be sent to your home address around April 1,2022. All orders MUST be received by Feb.2, 2022. Make checks payable to Temple Israel Sisterhood. Questions? Call Barb at 330-494-8360.