TEMPLE BETH DAVID Tevet– Shevat 5780 January 2020, Volume 17, 1 CHAI LIGHTS 1885 McGee Rd., P.O. Box 865, Snellville, GA 30078 Phone: 770-978-3916 • email: [email protected]• templebethdavid.info Coming in January Weds., Jan. 1 st Lunch & Learn continues Thurs., Jan. 2 nd Mishnah & Coffee begins Jewish Spirituality begins Famous & Influential Jews Sat., Jan. 4 th Potluck Shabbat lunch continues Mon., Jan. 6 th Grief & Loss Support Group continues Grandparents of TBD Group begins Weds., Jan. 8 th Board Meeting Intro to Modern Hebrew Yiddish for Everyone begins Judaism in America begins Sat., Jan. 11 th Interfaith Panel Sisterhood Wine & Cheese Sat., Jan. 18 th Havdallah Service & Game Night Mon., Jan. 20 th Life & Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Thurs., Jan. 23 rd TBD at the Movies Sun., Jan. 26 th Atlanta Jewish Life Festival Georgia Aquarium Thurs., Jan. 30 th Monthly Book Study Fri., Jan. 31 st Potluck Shabbat Dinner January Activities of the Rabbi Details on pages 4 – 5 January’s numerous activities include both ongoing events and new events. Ongoing events include a Satur- day Potluck Shabbat Lunch & a Friday Potluck Shabbat Dinner, Grief & Loss Support Group, Lunch & Learns, Intro to Modern Hebrew Class, Havdallah Service & Game Night, TBD at the Movies, and a Book Study. New events include Grandparents Group, Yiddish class, Judaism in America class, Mishnah & Coffee, Jewish Spirituality class, Famous & Influential Jews, Gwinnett Interfaith Alliance Interfaith Panel, celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and Atlanta Jewish Life Festival. Go to https://tbdga.org/ for January and February calendars.
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TEMPLE BETH DAVID
Tevet– Shevat 5780 January 2020, Volume 17, 1
CHAI LIGHTS
1885 McGee Rd., P.O. Box 865, Snellville, GA 30078
Life & Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Thurs., Jan. 23rd
TBD at the Movies Sun., Jan. 26th
Atlanta Jewish Life Festival Georgia Aquarium Thurs., Jan. 30th
Monthly Book Study Fri., Jan. 31st
Potluck Shabbat Dinner
January Activities of the Rabbi
Details on pages 4 – 5
January’s numerous activities include both ongoing events and new events. Ongoing events include a Satur-day Potluck Shabbat Lunch & a Friday Potluck Shabbat Dinner, Grief & Loss Support Group, Lunch & Learns, Intro to Modern Hebrew Class, Havdallah Service & Game Night, TBD at the Movies, and a Book Study.
New events include Grandparents Group, Yiddish class, Judaism in America class, Mishnah & Coffee, Jewish Spirituality class, Famous & Influential Jews, Gwinnett Interfaith Alliance Interfaith Panel, celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and Atlanta Jewish Life Festival.
Go to https://tbdga.org/ for January and February calendars.
Happy Secular New Year! The last six months have been incredible. My family and I have been so
warmly welcomed here at TBD. I have spent time getting to know many of you as I implement pro-
grams and learning opportunities, and I look forward to extending these interactions in 2020 and
beyond.
Last month I attended the URJ Biennial conference in Chicago, IL. I was honored to represent TBD.
In two years at the next URJ Biennial I hope that TBD will have a greater presence at the confer-
ence. It was wonderful to see congregations gather together for meals and to review in real-time
what they were gaining from the conference and their excitement for bringing new ideas back with
them. During the five-day conference, I attended many presentations concerning small and emerg-
ing congregations. I met with URJ leadership and leaders in the progressive movement about
trends and research findings of outreach to those in the 20s/30s stage of life, the role of Jewish
grandparents, audacious hospitality, a modern Israeli taste of Chanukah, and so much more…
TBD is more than a house of worship. This month we are starting a lecture series on the different
expressions of Judaism in America. I am also teaching Yiddish 101, a grandparents course, and
implementing URJ curriculum-based learning opportunities as well…just to name a few. I shared
my plans with synagogue presidents and board members at the conference and they were very
excited about what TBD is doing. Many shared similar concerns that I have heard from you about
burnout…including „are you adding more days to the week?‟ „Rabbi, how are you able to do all
these things?‟ Reality is the opposite - I am fueled by sharing my love of Judaism with you…instead
of having my energy depleted by these events - my energy expands without limit.
I love being your Rabbi. As you know a Rabbi is a teacher, a guide, and a leader. A Rabbi moti-
vates, excites, and challenges. For some the Rabbi represents Judaism…I work each day to be the
Rabbi that inspires you to personalize your Judaism. I want to be part of your lives. When you‟re
sick, I want to know so that I can be there to offer prayers, encouragement, and spiritual support.
If you‟re going through a life milestone, I want to know that too. I‟m here to help facilitate connec-
tions between your Jewish identity and your everyday life.
While I focus on relationships with you, it is also important that our congregation as a whole thinks
about how we relate to one another and our community. If you‟re part of a TBD committee, thank
you. If you‟re interested…we have so many opportunities to get involved.
Wishing everyone a sweet, happy, and healthy 2020,
Rabbi Jesse
AROUND TBD
Page 4 Chai Lights Temple Beth David
Rabbi’s January Programs
Ongoing Events:
Potluck Shabbat Lunch – First Friday of each month – January 4th
Mondays Grief and Loss Support Group meeting at 7pm-8:30pm
Wednesdays Lunch & Learn from 12:30pm-2pm
Introduction to Modern Hebrew on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays of each month from 7-8:30pm
Havdallah Service & Game Night – Saturday Night at TBD – January 18th from 6:30pm-8:30pm.
Potluck Shabbat Dinner – Final Friday of each month – January 31st
TBD at the Movies – Thursday January 23rd from 4pm-7pm
Monthly Book Study – Thursday January 30th from 7pm-9pm – This month the book is The Fish that Ate the Whale:
The Life and Times of America‟s Banana King by author Rich Cohen
New Events:
Grandparents of TBD
First Monday of Each Month beginning January 6th, 2020
1:30pm-3pm
This is a monthly gathering inspired by many studies that have shown the important role and impact grandparents
have. We will come together to enjoy each other‟s company, share stories, and learn about how to transmit Jewish
values l‟dor v‟dor from one generation to the next.
Yiddish for Everyone
Wednesdays from 11am-12pm
Explore the Yiddish language. We will be utilizing a handbook as we delve into this rich and colorful language that
helps us express ourselves as Jews!
Judaism in America
Wednesdays from 2pm-3pm
Have you ever wondered what differentiates Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Renewal, Modern Orthodox,
Orthodox, and Chabad? If so, this is the class for you! This is by no means an exhaustive look into all expressions of
Judaism in America, but it is a great start.
Mishnah and Coffee
Thursdays from 9am-10:30am
This class will cover various topics in the Oral Law, Rabbinic debates, and discourse.
Jewish Spirituality
Thursdays from 11am-12pm
Set aside time to develop your neshama, your Jewish soul. Many times in Judaism our attention is diverted to holidays
and prayer. This class will expose you to a different dimension of Judaism that helps you to gain a sense of peace,
resiliency, and transcendence.
Famous and Influential Jews
Thursdays from 2pm-3:30pm
While Jews make up a very small fraction of the world‟s population, we have had and continue to make important con-
tributions to humanity. Come and learn about some Jews that have made the world a better place!
Continue on p. 5
AROUND TBD
Page 5 Chai Lights Temple Beth David
Rabbi’s January Programs Continued
Interfaith Panel
Gwinnett Interfaith Alliance
Saturday January 11th from 7pm-10pm
I will be part of a wonderful panel of faith leaders in Gwinnett County. Come learn about other faith traditions and sup-
port TBD. The panel will take place at the Medina Institute Mosque located at 3580 Sweetwater Road, Duluth, GA
30096.
The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Monday January 20th
1:30pm-3pm
Come and celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a gifted pastor, Dr. King‟s theology was
grounded from the Hebrew bible and the message from our prophets. Come and learn about his life, his legacy, some
of his memorable speeches.
Atlanta Jewish Life Festival
Georgia Aquarium
Sunday January 26th from 10am-3pm
Tickets required. More information and to purchase tickets check out the website for the event:
https://www.atlantajewishlifefestival.com
For all classes in 2020 (with the exception of B‟nai mitzvah courses), there is no fee for members.
For non-members the rate is $36/course.
Come and join us when a panel representing diverse faith communities in Gwinnett will dis-cuss their differences, commonalities and explore how we can work together to combat hate and promote acceptance and inclusion. The panel will include Rabbi Charyn and clergy from Lutheran, Sikh, Islam, Unitarian, Hindu, Latter Day Saints and Catholic faiths. The panel dis-cussion will take place on January 11, 2020 from 7 PM – 8:30 at Madina Institute 3580 Sweetwater Road Duluth, followed by refreshments. More about this event is available at Interfaith Event.
For those of you who don‟t know why FAMILY NEEDS was formed – here‟s why. We reach out to families who experience loss of a loved one or who
are going through a serious or not so serious illness.
If you are taking care of an adult or a child with an illness and suddenly find yourself without food in your house because you haven‟t had time to go
to the grocery store – call us. Give me a list, some money and we‟ll shop for you. If you‟ve a conflict getting children/adult to a doctor and/or a
sports event at the same time and don‟t have someone to drive – call us. I can‟t guarantee we can help – but we‟ll try. We try to take some of the
burden off your shoulders.
If a close relative has passed away – call me (Wendy Fine 770-962-6486) or Barry Nickelsberg (770-809-4058) – one of us can get in touch with a
rabbi who can do a funeral locally. If you have to go out of town – let us know and we can send a platter of food to be delivered after the funeral or
for a shiva service wherever you are. If it‟s local we do the same thing. If you‟re having a shiva service for 1,3, or 7 days we can make sure that you
will have someone there to lead prayers and make sure that there is food (usually dessert things) for afterwards.
We work with the family and your friends to make sure that you get the comfort, care and help that you may need. We also send sympathy cards,
and get well cards as needed.
We don‟t ask that you pay for any of this but we can always use donations to help cover the cost of this. Your donations “in memory of” “in honor
of” “congratulations” or “get well” are our only source of funds for this service. If you make a donation please send it to Laura Friedman, TBD Treas-
urer at P.O Box 865, Snellville GA 30078. Make sure your check says FAMILY NEEDS on the check. Laura will make sure that the person or family
you are helping will get a card stating your donation (but not the amount). These donations will be listed, again, in our monthly bulletin. Believe me
– the families you are helping will very much appreciate everything you can do to help. This also ensures that we can continue our good work.
PLEASE PLEASE REMEMBER ONE THING – I AM NOT A MIND READER. Don‟t tell your friends that you need help – they will sympathize with you and
probably not tell me. I don‟t want anyone to feel that they are not important and that we don‟t care. We do!