Dear Hevreh,

“Our community shows up for special events…”

This is an insight that I gained after our first Shabbat by the Sea program in which we had 40+ attendees; and it was confirmed by our strong attendance to the welcoming celebration, the holiday parties, and the special Shabbat services. Our community comes together when there’s something new and interesting to experience.

Part of the challenge of building a committed and active community is to create more opportunities that provide new and interesting experiences while embedding them in the lifeblood of our community. The goal is not to create special stand-alone events but rather to make special events withstand the test of time within our community; it is for the special to also become regular.

This Friday night we have a special event to celebrate as lay leaders Larry Deutchman and David Bennett will guide our congregation in worshipful prayer. It is a special occasion, but it not meant to be a stand alone event. The leadership and volunteerism shown by Larry and David is meant to be a springboard to make our community a destination for people interested in creating lively and participatory Jewish rituals together. If you are interested in learning how to lead or participate more deeply in services, please email me.

Next Saturday morning, we have another special event to celebrate as we welcome Cantor Russell George Jayne to sing at our FIRST Cantorial Showcase in memory of Cantor David Levine z”l.

Click on this link to check out a PREVIEW of what you’ll be hearing next Saturday at 10 am!

It’s going to be a wonderful event full of song, prayer, learning, and of course food. It is a special event, but it not a stand-alone event. Including our TWO other dates (April 27th and June 1st), we are positioning our community and our sanctuary to be a destination for people interested in hearing the beauty, the awe, and the majesty of cantorial music.

Each time we gather together as a community is meant to be special, new, and interesting. Let’s work together on making that special feeling happen more regularly.

Kol Tuv,

Rabbi Ari Saks

Category : Ari-archive Cantorial Showcase What's Been Happening at Beth Mordecai
Tag : community David Bennett Insight Larry Deutchman rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat shabbat by the sea Special Events