Dear Friends:
This coming Shabbat we will honor Andie Epstein with a special Kiddush as she retires after about seven years as our synagogue administrator. Andie was a member of our shul for many many years before taking on the role of administrator and will remain an active member upon her retirement. If you have not already done so, please RSVP to the synagogue office to let us know that you are planning to attend.
Because the office has been taking RSVPs for a while now, there is no signup sheet for Shabbat morning in person this week. It’s really important that you let the office know of your plans to attend, both so that we can have enough food for everyone without being wasteful, as well as for contact tracing in the event that someone who attended should test positive for COVID after the event. Please remember that we require all attendees to be fully vaccinated against COVID and we ask you to refrain from attending if you have had a COVID exposure within the last seven days.
Many of us lost our electric power on Sunday late afternoon as a small plane crashed into a transmission tower less than a mile from the synagogue. It’s a miracle that the pilot and passenger were eventually rescued from the plane which was enmeshed in the struts of the tower about 100 feet up in the air. It’s also amazing that, while about a third of the county lost electricity for many hours, there were no fires or explosions associated with the crash. Kudos to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue crews as well as the PEPCO contractors who managed a very difficult rescue.
If you are thinking about visiting Israel in the next several months, our neighbors from Shaare Tefila in Olney are organizing a group trip. In 2023 Israel will celebrate its 75th birthday. Why not consider joining Rabbi Jonah Layman of Shaare Tefila Congregation on a trip that will introduce you to different segments of Israeli society? The trip will not only include these encounters but will also visit the main attractions of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and southern Israel.
This website includes the itinerary and costs:
If you have any questions please contact Rabbi Layman - rjlayman@shaaretefila.org
The deadline to register is before Hanukkah - Dec 15.
As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoon from 2 to 4 at the shul. You do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building.
As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org or 301-977-0768 rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment. I have been spending more time in the synagogue recently but if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian