Dear Hevreh,

I am very excited because I am on my way to New York City today!  It’ll be nice to step out onto the streets I called home for over a decade, but more than anything else, this trip is about a threefold commitment I am making to our community:

1) PROVIDING MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES – This morning I will be meeting with Cantor Levine to start working on High Holiday services that are meaningful, spiritual, and relevant to our Jewish community.  These are the kinds of activities that get me very excited and I look forward to being part of a team (which can include all of you!) to provide high quality spiritual experiences.  I am psyched for the High Holidays and I hope you are (or will be) too!

2) MEETING MEMBERS WHERE THEY ARE – I will be meeting with Cheryl August and Karen Klein, members of our community who live in NYC.  All of our members, no matter where they are located, are important to our community and as long as it’s feasible (sorry, Florida) I will do my very best to meet you where you’re at.

3) LEARNING FROM WISDOM – I will be meeting today with a couple of mentors who have shared their incredible depth of experience with me over the years.  Though I may be young, I realize the value of experience and wisdom born out of the ups and downs of life and career.  These sessions with mentors will keep me grounded in their experiences, so that the Judaism I preach will be founded on the tradition we love.

I will update you at the end of the day with what I learned on this trip and how it’s relevant to building our community.  

However, if you want more of a play-by-play as things are happening, log on (or sign up) to Twitter and search for #PerthAmboyShul.  

Feel free to add some of your thoughts by typing a message with the hashtag #PerthAmboyShul.

Enjoy your Tuesday and Kol Tuv,

Rabbi Ari Saks

#PerthAmboyShul

Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur
Tag : community high holidays meaning meaningful experiences new york one on one rabbi rabbi's journal wisdom