Importance of Kehillah (Community)
Keeping Connected September 2025
Dear Friends,
This past spring over 100 members of our community participated in an intergenerational collaborative, educational art project. Although most of us gathered on an initial Sunday morning to learn from our wonderful and inspiring mentor, community artist, Tova Speter, many others of us continued the process of creation in the month that followed. Our learning and creating, inspired by the metaphor and strength of trees, focused on Jewish values and texts that highlighted the importance of kehillah (community), the interrelatedness of humanity and the hope for Shalom. Tova will be at the synagogue the last week of August putting in the final installation of our “communi-tree”. As she wrote for the plaque that will be at the foot of our arch, we are “encouraged to consider the arch as a pathway to openness, the tree as a symbol of resilience, and the colorful artwork as a representation of the multitude of our continued hopes/prayers for Shalom in our world.”
It was a beautiful process to learn with such a wide array of members of our community and to see people of all ages coming together to create something that will demonstrate the values of our congregation. A dedication ceremony of our “communi-tree” will be held on either Sunday, September 7th or Sunday, September 14th at 10:30 am – I am waiting to hear back from the artist on the final date. Please check the Weekly Update for the finalized date. I hope you will consider joining with all of us. All are welcome. It seems appropriate that we mark this moment during the month of Elul, as we prepare for the Days of Awe. As we each created our prayer, we had to reflect on the values we hold dear for ourselves and for our congregation. As we engage in the introspection necessary to have a meaningful and spiritually fulfilling New Year, these values continue to be reminder of what we can each work on and grow towards in our lives.
Wishing you a sweet New Year and I hope you join with the community for our dedication ceremony.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Shoshana M. Perry