At this writing, it's a few days past New Year's Day, also known as secular Rosh Hashanah! The New Year not only brings great excitement as we anticipate the future, but is also a time to look back on the year that's passed.

There was a lot to be proud of at Temple Beth Sholom this year, and two recent events especially come to mind. One was the annual Chanukah party that's sponsored by our Temple's Brotherhood each year for our congregation's children. Unfortunately, snow resulted in a disappointing cancellation of the party on the scheduled date, so it had to be rescheduled without much notice, for a Friday evening preceding our Shabbat services. And then just to make things a little more difficult, driving conditions weren't great that evening.

But the Bro's, who are a great group of guys, stepped up to the plate and made it an incredibly fun evening for all the kids, their parents, and grandparents too. They shopped, decorated, cooked, cleaned and served. The substantial crowd that attended was well-fed and very happy. The convivial atmosphere was infectious. Whether you were eating hot dogs (the Brotherhood specialty of the house) or latkes, hanging out with the guys cooking in the kitchen, joining the kids as they were entertained by a magic clown, or just mingling and snacking, it was a fabulous time. But the greatest thing was seeing the teamwork that the Brotherhood exhibited. They never say no to anyone, they will do anything for our Temple's kids, and even though their members span a wide range of ages and backgrounds, they get along great with one another, and inspire a sense of community.
Speaking of community, another recent event we can all be proud of was our Social Action Committee's program to feed the hungry in our area on Thanksgiving. For years, this committee has sponsored a Yom Kippur food drive for People to People, a terrific food distribution organization in Rockland County. This year the committee's goal was to extend their commitment to feed the hungry beyond the High Holy Days, through to Thanksgiving and the entire year. They provided wonderful turkey dinners to families that would have otherwise not been able to enjoy a special meal on Thanksgiving, rallying the help of our wonderful Religious and Nursery Schools, our Temple's youth group, and others in our congregation. Our Social Action committee continues to collect non-perishable food items, and has donated over 7600 pounds of food so far this year! Again, the committee saw a need, figured out how to meet it in an effective and fun way, and created blessings for others less fortunate.

Our Temple is a place that inspires a sense of family and community, and every committee is always looking for new members and volunteers. You can give as much or as little time as fits into your schedule. Watch the Lamp, special Temple mailings and emails, and our TBS website for information regarding upcoming programs and events that might interest you.

I wish all of you a very happy, healthy, and peaceful 2008!

~Susan

president@templebethsholom.info