Dear Temple Shalom Family, 

Earlier this week we commemorated the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai with our joyous celebration of Shavuot.  Assembled above you can see all seven of our Kugel Cook-Off participants, and all seven of their kugelech were delicious!

A kugel is an amazing dish, because one can put in almost any ingredient, and it’s still authentically a kugel.  This past Monday, we had a vegan option, a non-dairy option, several variations on what some might call “traditional,” a peach cobbler kugel, and even a cold banana pudding kugel (which was fabulous).

Much like a kugel, our congregation is far more than the sum total of our membership units.  It is our engagement that brings the dish to life.  The fact that over thirty congregants came on a Monday morning for festival worship, that past Temple Confirmands from eight different decades from the 1940s to the 2010s all stood together for the aliyah to the Torah as we read the Ten Commandments, and that we welcomed our newest Jews by Choice to our community, made this sacred occasion even more incredibly special.

This summer, don’t take time off from your Judaism; make time instead to reengage.  Join us for Shabbat worship, for Torah Study, for Lifelong Learning, for the Annual Meeting, for the Temple Picnic; for anything and everything.  Here at Temple Shalom, we choose to fill the moments of our lives with meaning, striving to live up to the sacred covenant we are blessed to have inherited.  Through our worship, learning, social action, and socializing we work to transform ourselves, and hopefully our world as well, for the better.  We look forward to seeing you soon, here at the Temple.

WORSHIP

First Friday Shabbat Service

FRIDAY, June 6 at 6:00 p.m.

Join us LIVE, IN-PERSON, in our Sanctuary as we celebrate the Sabbath together!  Come enjoy a beautiful evening of worship, including special blessings for all June birthdays and anniversaries.  Then, we’ll share Shabbat dinner to follow!  Thanks to our generous sponsors, Rachell and John Hruschak, we’ll enjoy a delicious pasta dinner!  Please call the office to RSVP, and bring a non-meat side dish to share.  For those unable to attend, the service will be broadcast LIVE on our Facebook page.  If you are feeling ill, please stay home and watch online.

Rakefet Update!

Temple Shalom uses a special database called Rakefet to keep track of all of our membership data.  Thanks to a new upgrade, each member family is now able to log in online to their own account, enabling you to make payments, see announcements, check yahrzeits, and more!  

Use the link below to learn more!

https://vimeo.com/showcase/8613894

LEARNING

Lifelong Learning: The Flags of our Fathers

Monday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m.

In honor of both Flag Day and Fathers’ Day upcoming, we’ll look back at famous symbols of our people, exploring what those images meant at the time, and what meaning they hold for us still today.  Join us on Monday evening, June 9 at 7:00 p.m.  All are welcome, and refreshments will be served.  For those unable to attend in person, you can still join us online, as a Zoom link will be sent out that morning. 

WZC ELECTION UPDATE!

Thank you to everyone who voted for our Reform ARZA Slate!  The voting for the 39th World Zionist Congress Elections has come to an end, and there was record turnout for North American voting.  As you may have heard, there were significant voting irregularities, and overt attempts by some parties (Not ARZA, thankfully) to include fraudulent votes.  The results of the election should be made official, pending the end of the investigation, likely by the second week in June.  We’ll keep you posted!

SISTERHOOD

Campership Fundraiser in lieu of Donor is underway!  Please send your check to Barbara Lief, 13 Walnut Avenue, Wheeling.  Any questions, call Barbara at (304) 232-2675.  Thank you!

MAZEL TOV!

Mazel Tov to Dr. Ellen Kitts on her upcoming retirement as the Medical Director at EasterSeals after nearly forty years of serving the needs of disabled children and their families!  Earlier today, a beautiful handicapped-accessible bench was dedicated in honor of Dr. Kitts at the splash pad downtown at the riverfront!

OFFICE UPDATE:

TEMPLE OFFICE CLOSED NEXT WEEK

Our wonderful Temple Secretary, Lynn Elswick, will be on vacation next week, so the Temple Office will be closed from June 9-13.  Lynn will be back in the office on Monday, June 16, at which time she will be happy to return any voicemails or emails.  If you need more immediate assistance, please reach out to Rabbi Lief.  In the meantime, call the Temple Office before Shabbat to RSVP for First Friday this weekend!

OUR FUTURE  

First Friday Celebration – FRIDAY, June 6 at 6:00 p.m. 

Torah Study Breakfast – SATURDAY, June 7 at 9:45 a.m. 

Lifelong Learning – MONDAY, June 9 at 7:00 p.m.

Erev Shabbat Service – Friday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m.

Happy Fathers’ Day! – Sunday, June 15

West Virginia Day Wine Down! – Friday, June 20 at 5:00 p.m.

Temple Shalom Annual Meeting – Sunday, June 22 at 4:00 p.m.

RSVP TODAY FOR FIRST FRIDAY!