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The High Holidays were definitely an uplifting experience this year. Rabbi Jack and Cantorial Soloist Debbye led wonderful services and the camaraderie that was felt was truly amazing. There were many familiar faces at the services, as well several new ones. Our congregation keeps growing and growing and that is something that continues to take my breath away.

There were many changes in the building, including a new roof, new gutters, new paint, new carpet and of course, new chairs, as well as small touches to spruce up the building. There are just so many people to thank who put their heart and soul into making this happen before Rosh Hashanah. When I walk into the building now, I can still feel all the hard work, dedication and love that went into making the building what you see today. Our building is our shell and something that we should all be proud of, but what matters most is what’s inside — the life of the building. Every one of you is the heartbeat of our congregation and our pulse is beating strong.

We have a lot of exciting events coming up at CEC – more Bar Mitzvahs, Hanukkah on the Square, monthly Rabbi visits, a new Fundamentals of Judaism class led by Rabbi Jack and, for the first time, a Passover Community Seder. This is truly going to be an exciting year. Let’s keep our momentum up and support all of the various programs and events, as well as our monthly services.

L’Shalom,

It’s Time To Go Green

I started thinking again about our Torah’s proactive and protective approach to the environment when I was so taken by the beauty of the flowers at the front of the bimah during the High Holy Days. Then I took in the vision of our Sukkah and the bountiful harvest it represented. The gorgeous flowers at Margot’s Bat Mitzvah and the smells of the seasons changing when the wind blew convinced me that this was an appropriate time to urge all of us, as individuals and as a unified congregation, to undergo a renewed, strong and across-the-board effort to care for and preserve our natural resources.

We already do a nice job on several fronts, but let’s expand and/or add to what each of us does with, say, recycling. Let’s commit to replanting and conserving energy and water. Turn lights off when a room is not in use. Don’t let water run from any faucet unnecessarily. Perhaps we can set up a separate Tzedakah box that is earmarked for a righteous environmental cause or agency. Is it too much of a dream to imagine someone investigating whether we can use solar panels to partially run our building? Isn’t there some grant out there for that if someone had the inspiration and the time to search for it? Surely, we can try to be role model as a Jewish institution as much as we can.

In fact, as we move ever gently toward Chanukah (when we commemorate the reopening of our people’s national Temple in Jerusalem), the notion of our House of Worship serving as a living example of the principles of our faith feels so right at this juncture on the calendar. The message of a lit menorah speaks much to the spiritual and practical significance of environmental issues. For example, light as a theme permeates this Chag (holiday). Too many metropolitan areas have an atmosphere that prevents the residents from seeing the stars or the moon on a typical night because of pollution. The miracle of the oil from the olive also underscores our role as caretakers of all living things on this planet and raises the continuity of trees to a sacred task. If we are able to ensure that our children and grandchildren inherit an earth that is well taken care of, we will then indeed have much to celebrate.

During services we remember loved ones who left us at this time of year. By reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish in their memory, their lives continue to inspire us.

Nathan Apt

Milo Chozen

Irwin Levine

Jerome Seiler

Shawn Seiler

Elliot Simmons

Leonid Buzik

Jeff Fox

Victoria Hoodis

Milton Kessler

Jean Rosen

Soly Srour

Joseph Wendel

Rose Kapuchansky Wendel

• Crowell Family

• Flynn Family

• Hoodis Family

• Gerry and Leigh Mercado

• Lou and Evie Adler

• Stan and Ellen Kessler

• Warfield Family

• Rollie and Martin Rosen

• Rosen Family

• Ruben Family

• Ed and Marcy Gelman

• Jean Srour

• Marilyn and Bernie Birns

• Douglass Family

• Betty and Martin Goldstein

• Eileen and Don Roufa

• Steve and Deb Friedman

• Cindy and George Flynn

• Doug and Tina Brandt

• Larry and Liz Ruben

• Elysa Fabian and Bob Regnier

• Marjorie Rosen

• Alan and Michele Perlman

• Audrey and Jack Benjamin

• Tom and Robyn Douglass

• Marilyn and Bernie Birns

• A donation was made to the General Fund in honor of the wonderful congregation by Ali and Chris DeJohn.

• A donation was made to the Religious School Fund in honor of the adoption of Sarah Ratner by Carol Fields.

• A donation was made to the Memorial Fund in honor of Sam Shindler by Michael, Susie and Barbara Sterling.

We are currently in the process of updating our membership information. If you did not send in your commitment papers for membership, your membership information sheet or your sheets are incomplete, you will be receiving copies in the mail. Please fill out both forms completely and return ASAP.

• Matthew, Helene, Rachel, Emma, Evan and Nathaniel Carter

• Uri and Tarnya Eshel

• Lana, Daniel, Lillian and Daniel Perez

• Aileen, Jonathan and Chloe Wiede

• Aaron and Jennifer Markowitz

• Scott Pochter

• We wish the DeJohn Family good luck and we say a sad good-bye as they leave Arkansas to begin another chapter in their lives. We will miss them.

• Condolences to the Stuckey Family on the loss of Paul’s father, Algin Lester. May the memory of the righteous be forever a blessing.

• Chloe Alexandra Wiede was born to Aileen and Johnathan Wied on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 3:14 p.m.

Please contact our Membership Chairs, Ellen and Stan Kessler, at 273-1105 if you have Jewish friends, neighbors or colleagues who are interested in membership. It’s our goal to warmly welcome and involve all Jews in our area.

Parents,

I can’t believe that it is November already and we’ve finished two months of school. Everything is going great and the students seem excited to come on Sunday — it’s the getting up on a Sunday part that they don’t like! Thank you so much for helping things run smoothly from having your child there by 9:55 a.m. to making sure you’re out of the building by 10 a.m. so that the B’nai Mitzvah class can start. The Parents on Duty have been wonderful, and I appreciate your help around the building, the snacks and whatever else comes up that you take care of.

In a couple of weeks, we will open our Hanukkah store again to benefit the Religious School. Please let me know if there are any items that you would like or if you will need dreidels and gelt to bring to your child’s school. The store will open for a half hour before school starts and stay open for a short while after school ends. Please come and support the Religious School.

December will be an exciting month with Amanda Rainey from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life visiting us Dec. 5-7. Friday night will be a Children’s Service, Saturday evening a Ladies Only event open to the whole Congregation and Amanda will have a special program for Religious School on Sunday. It will be a busy two months and let’s continue to keep making this year a great one!

Sincerely,

Robyn Douglass