Keeping Connected with our President
High Holidays: Time of Renewal and Joy
Keeping Connected September 2025
Shalom Friends!
I hope you have had a wonderful summer! We recently got back from an amazing trip to Bermuda which was a great way to end the summer. While I enjoy the warm weather, I also appreciate the change of seasons. With Fall coming soon, it also means the High Holidays are approaching. The holidays give us a chance for introspection and a time of renewal and also a time of joy. Interestingly, while preparing for a board meeting, I read an article about Yom Kippur bringing a sense of joy. Personally, I did not associate joy with Yom Kippur. I have always thought of Yom Kippur more as a time to think about how I could be a better person in the coming year, but I did like the idea and would like to share the article I shared with the Board with all of you as well. The article was written by Rabbi Boris Dolin of Congregation Dorshei Emet in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and was published on www.reconstructingjudaism.org:
“Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as happy for the Jewish people as the fifteenth of Av and as Yom Kippur. The Gemara asks: Granted, Yom Kippur is a day of joy because it has the elements of pardon and forgiveness; moreover, it is the day on which the last pair of tablets were given. -Talmud Tractate Ta’anit 30b
This text from the Talmud reminds us that even the most “serious” of Jewish holidays are rooted in joy. What does this mean for our Jewish community, and even more specifically for those who serve on a board or take on a leadership role in the community? Hopefully, it allows us to put everything in perspective and can be a reminder for why we should be doing this work in the first place. Contrary to the popular imagination, the guilt that we might feel during the High Holidays is not as primary a Jewish emotion as joy, happiness, and gratitude. Joy is what will keep people coming back through the doors of this synagogue to be part of the Jewish community more than a few times a year. It is what will compel people to do more Jewish learning and study, allow them to truly own a sense of spirituality and holiness, and is what will help people to connect more with our tradition and with each other. As we begin the year, may our work be one that brings us joy and inspires others to connect with all that we do as a community.”
Source: https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/files/resources/document/a_little_text_study_for_board_meetings_-_vol_3.pdf
Next, I want to thank everyone who has returned their pledge form so far! Your pledges are so important for funding everything we do at Congregation Shalom. Also, thank you to everyone who has pledged at least $36.00 more than their pledge last year! Remember, that a very generous member is matching $36 dollars for every family who increases their pledge from last year by $36 or more by the end of October as part of our Quadruple Chai Pledge Campaign! If you have not sent in your pledge form, please be sure to send them in as soon as you can. Our budget is based on your pledge.
In closing, may you have an enjoyable end to summer, and I hope to see you at High Holiday services!
Many Notes of Thanks
Keeping Connected July 2025
Shalom friends!
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! This article has many notes of thanks in it! Showing gratitude is actually an important value in Judaism. In Hebrew, the value is called Hakarot Hatov. An article about this value from the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City states:
“ The idea of giving thanks and showing gratitude is a deep and lasting concept in Judaism. Hakarat Hatov is more than simple gratitude; it is recognizing and appreciating the good that another has done for us.”
Many people have helped at Congregation Shalom and since we are at the beginning of a new Congregation Shalom year, I first want to thank everyone who is leaving the board of trustees! Thank you to Stephen Rodman, Tony Zimmerman, Esther Wikander, Susan Goldman-Kreithen, Karyn Danzig, Neil Berenson, and Anne Rosenberg. Your contributions are valued and so important. Welcome to all the new board members! Norman McBride, Nesan Jegasothy, John Morrissey, Robert Birnbaum, Peter Sohn, and Sandy Moore. We are all looking forward to working with you!
Second, here are some updates to share and some more thank you notes! Very soon, if not already, you should start seeing signs of construction at the temple with the reconstruction of the exterior walls. Our website project is moving forward, and I hear it’s coming along well. Thank you to Sandy Moore and Liz Jegasothy, who have been working diligently at moving files over to our new CRM (customer management system) ShulCloud, and we are looking forward to seeing it in action. A thank you to Mitch Hyatt and John Terrio; they did an amazing job and a lot of work to put in a ramp for the shed, and it looks great and might outlast the building itself!
Lastly, a thank you to Susanne Curry and Bob Schneider for spearheading our booth at the Chelmsford 4th of July and for everyone who signed up to volunteer. It is a great opportunity for the temple to be involved in the local community. I hope you can be there!
Cool New Stuff
Spring Brings on Repairs
Keeping Connected May 2025
Hello, dear members of Congregation Shalom! It’s been a beautiful spring, with flowers blooming and our neighborhood trees adorned in pink and white. But amidst all this beauty, our beloved synagogue building needs some TLC. Our membership has spoken! They’ve unanimously approved a budget to repair the exterior walls of our temple.
I want to thank everyone who attended the special meeting to discuss this important matter. Remember, our synagogue isn’t just a building; it’s a symbol of our community and our shared values. I want to express my deepest gratitude to Mitch Hyatt and Scott Reiter for their unwavering dedication to this project. Their hard work and commitment help make a real difference.
On a brighter note, last Sunday, we had a fantastic yard sale that was a huge success! The building was filled with amazing items, and we were thrilled to raise over $3,000. I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the incredible volunteers who helped make this event happen. Your hard work and dedication are truly commendable.
Continuing along with the theme of repairing things, Sandy and Liz are continuing to work on the upgrade to ShulCloud, and Eileen Hirsch, Rabbi Perry, and the website team are working diligently with the website developer on our new website.
As summer approaches, we’ll soon be wrapping up another year. Our Congregation Shalom annual meeting will be held this year on Sunday, June 8th, at 6:15 p.m. This meeting is an opportunity for us to approve the budget for the upcoming year as well as new members to the board of trustees and executive committee. I’ll share more details about the meeting in the coming month.
The executive committee and Board of Trustees are eagerly looking forward to seeing you all there.
Warmest regards,
Rob Berkovitz
Spring is peeking around the corner
Keeping Connected April 2025
Shalom Congregation Shalom members! Spring has sprung in New England, and I’m thrilled about the warmer weather and longer days. I know you’re all excited too! I’m also looking forward to the changes coming to our website. We’ve started talking to the web developer about some of the updates, and I can’t wait to see what it looks like! More information about the project to come! Spring also brings us Purim and Passover. We had an incredible Purim Carnival, and I want to thank the Shalomites, School Committee and families and everyone who volunteered to put it together and also to clean it all up. Sometimes it’s more difficult to clean everything up afterwards! The Shalomites are also grateful for the membership and school support for this event. It’s a big fundraiser for the Shalomites and helps cover some of their programming costs throughout the year.
Regarding Passover, I hope you have sent an RSVP for the Congregation Shalom Second Seder on April 13th. The committee members have worked hard to organize this program, and it’s a great chance to celebrate the holiday together. On April 14th at 7 p.m., we will have a special meeting to discuss the need to repair the exterior walls of the building. You should’ve received an email with a Zoom link about this, and we hope you can make it to hear about the need for this repair. Scott Reiter and Mitch Hyatt will be presenting the details so you can make an informed decision at the meeting. Thanks to Scott and Mitch for their hard work!
Lastly, we’re still collecting nomination forms for Congregant of the Year. If there’s someone you want to nominate, please reach out to a board member or email me at president@congregationshalom.org with whom you want to nominate and why. Thanks for your support!
Importance of Kavod
Keeping Connected March 2025
The Importance of Kavod
Hello Congregation Shalom members! I am hopefully in Florida when you read this article. We have a very important meeting with a well-known mouse. First, I want to thank you for supporting our endeavor to modernize the synagogue’s website and office systems. I think this will make a big difference for us and help us to potentially retain and grow our membership. Eileen, Cory, and Stephen, thank you for your presentation. Joanna and Stacie thank you for assisting at the special meeting. Rabbi Perry, thank you also for your support! As this project rolls out, we will be sure to communicate to you all how things are progressing.
Lastly, I thought it might be interesting to talk about the word kavod which is the Hebrew word meaning respect. Kavod is a very important value in Judaism. We often talk a lot about in religious school with the students in hopes to instill this in them. Sometimes, I think, when people have differences of opinion because they feel so strongly about their view or opinion this value gets forgotten about. In an article from the site Myjewishlearning.com Rabbi Heidi Hoover writes:
“Judaism places high value on the dignity of each person. In Genesis 1:27 we are told that humanity was made in the image of Godb’tzelem Elohim. This teaching urges us to recognize every person’s equal value and treat each other with dignity.”
Our great rabbi Maimonides wrote that “The Sages say, ‘One who shames (lit., ‘makes white’) the face of his fellow has no share in the World to Come.'” (Pirkei Avot 3:15). Therefore, one must be careful in this matter that he not embarrass his fellow publicly, whether a small or great [person].” [i]
I hope as a congregation, we can reflect on the importance of kavod in our lives and in the lives of others.
[i] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2014/08/26/treat-every-person-with-dignity/