Rabbi Rapport and the Interfaith Habitat crew after a long day of work.
The Jewish community and our community partners are building an Interfaith Habitat House this fall every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:30-3:30 pm.
You can sign up for morning or afternoon shifts by calling Habitat at 502-805-1407. Location is off Newburg Road behind Bashford Manor in a very family-oriented neighborhood.
Shanah Tovah! Thank you everyone for coming to Rosh Hashanah services. Everyone had a BLAST hearing the shofar call in the New Year. See you all for Kol Nidre Services on Tuesday, October 8.
Over 120 people came to our Rabbis’ Shabbat Dinner on Friday to help celebrate Carol and Mickey Heideman’s 55th Anniversary. Mazal Tov to Carol and Mickey!
Summer Intern Closing Reflection- Avery Curtis
As my internship draws to a close, I want to thank everyone here at The Temple, both staff and congregants, for making me feel welcomed. I have had such an amazing summer here and I have learned so much about my faith and this wonderful community.
I have had the pleasure of performing for Chavurat Shalom and the congregation as a service song leader and Shir Chadash choir member these last few weeks. I feel so honored that you all have been so kind and encouraging towards me. As any artist will tell you, sharing one’s art can be scary, and nothing feels better than when those we share it with are eager to experience it and give positive feedback.
I started learning Hebrew at the beginning of my internship and have made great progress with the wonderful resources that Benji Berlow and Rabbi Rapport gave to me. I have also learned so much about Jewish holidays, traditions, and rituals and Judaica in general. I hope to have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony in the near future.
Although my time as an intern has come to an end, I promise that I will still be around. I will be working with Trager ECEC during the week and on weekends I will be coming to services, participating in the choir, and teaching in the religious school. I will also be working with Rabbi Rapport on leading the youth and contemporary High Holy Day services later in the fall.
Thank you once again to everyone here at The Temple for making this summer a wonderful experience; one I am excited to continue!
Shalom,
Avery Curtis
Check out our new items at the WRJ Gift Shop! All 3 pieces are handmade originals by a Florida artist. You may order any of these through the Gift Shop in colors you may prefer.
Summer Intern Update – HHD with Clayton Oppenheimer
For the past couple weeks, we’ve been doing several things to get ready for the High Holy Days. Each year these are the most attended services by far, so there are many things to prep. We counted each of the prayer books to ensure we have enough, we helped The Brotherhood with their Book of Remembrance project, and the Yahrzeit database and plaques are freshly updated.
As a Jew, we put loads of emphasis on community because repairing the world, Tikkun Olam, it is much easier to make an impact when we come together instead of standing alone. These services not only are helping people atone and bringing in the new year, but they also help people come to terms with their spirituality and refresh or tighten their relationship to G-d. As you atone and take in the new year, you should look to the future and this fresh year to see what changes you need to be the best you. These days can be looked at as a moral self-assessment. The sense of community is also there for moral support to the many participating congregants.
Thank you everyone for coming to The Temple Brotherhood Mitzvah project this weekend! We toured Supplies Over Seas with Denise Sears, CEO, and then helped to sort medical supplies.
The Temple Brotherhood is a great way for Jewish men and non-Jewish spouses of Jewish women to “work, play, learn, serve, contribute, and help”.
The Temple Brotherhood financially supports Chavurat Shalom, Youth Group TILTY, Camp GUCI Scholarships, Trager Early Child Education Center, College Outreach Programs, JFCS Food Pantry, B’Nai Mitzvah Bibles, Confirmation Kiddush Cups, New Member Welcome Baskets, Adopt a Family, Jewish Film Festival, Habitat for Humanity, and the Softball Team. Our main projects include The Book of Remembrance and The Brotherhood Chanukah Dinner. We also do several Brotherhood mitzvah project events throughout the year.
Supplies Over Seas is a charitable group that sends unused medical supplies and equipment to Africa and South America that would ordinarily be thrown out. This worthwhile organization was started by Dr. Norton Waterman.
Summer Intern Update – Music with Avery Curtis
This week I worked on cleaning and organizing the 5th Grade classroom in the Religious School. In that room, thanks to the many shelves on the back wall, we store resources for holiday events, activities, curriculum, etc. I tidied up by moving everything into clear, labeled bins and file boxes so that everything is visible and easily accessible. Now teachers and staff can easily find what they need for each holiday.
I also worked on digitizing all of Shir Chadash’s music. I scanned, labeled, and organized every music file. I also went through each piece of music to see if any lyrics, prayers, or blessings were written in our prayer book.
This was done because we plan on making a program for each time Shir Chadash sings for a service. This way, congregants will know where to find each prayer and/or be given the lyrics so they can follow along.
I was also given the great opportunity to substitute for Jennifer Diamond at Erev Shabbat Services this past weekend and this week (7-26). I am very excited to participate in such a meaningful way to our congregation.
On Thursday, July 18, Rabbi Rapport and his son Lev hosted over 40 students from the Governor’s Scholars program at Bellarmine University. They toured our prayer spaces and archives, asked questions about Judaism, and learned about Jewish mindfulness.
Rabbi Rapport has served the congregation since 1988. He teaches in a variety of adult education classes, as well as teaching the Religious School’s sixth grade class and the High School of Jewish Studies, guiding The Temple Confirmation Class, and working closely with Bar and Bat Mitzvah students. Each summer, he works with Jewish children during a two-week session at Goldman Union Camp Institute in Zionsville, Indiana. He oversees many congregational programs, serving as rabbinic liaison for the Brotherhood, the Temple Archives, and the Building Committee, among others. In all of these areas, he brings a particular commitment to social action and Tikkun Olam – repairing the world.
Summer Intern Update – Yahrzeit with Clayton Oppenheimer
In between the tutoring sessions of B’nei Mitzvah students, I’ve been working on improving how we organize the Yahrzeit plaques and updating the database so we can locate each of them with ease. It is not as exciting as tutoring, but this will help a family wanting to remember or honor their lost loved ones in finding their memorialized plaque. These plaques perpetuate and cherish the legacies of our fallen loved ones. Honoring the people you love should be stress-free.
As I learn patience from this monotonous task, I also feel this a very important aspect to the congregation and all the loved ones of those memorialized. It is beautiful to be able to spark memories from these plaques to current loved ones, but through time it will spark interest of lost distant relatives and their legacies to the future families of our congregation.
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