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HOME Located just three blocks from the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach, we are more of a family than just a congregation. We welcome you to our egalitarian daily evening minyan and Shabbat services, our social activities, our adult education meetings, our youth activities, and our monthly Shabbat dinners. We celebrate our Judaism through Torah, worship, and acts of loving kindness to repair the world. And we love to sing. Please join our holy community!   The Rabbi’s Vision I would like to begin, this month, by extending, on behalf of the entire synagogue community, a well deserved “mazal tov” (“congratulations”) to all of our graduates--professional school, college, high school and middle school—and their families! May the coming years bring you many exciting and rewarding blessings and opportunities. Next, I want to offer a todah rabah (“a hearty thank you”) to Karen Shephard, who so ably filled in for Sue the past two Shabbat morning kiddushes (while Sue recovers from knee replacement surgery); to Steve Warsof and Mike Holtz for taking the lead in organizing an adult education program for the synagogue for the coming year, and to Pamela Brown and Lee Maizel, who are working to establish what will hopefully be a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Habitat for Humanity—more to follow in this column! My vision, with which you are by now likely familiar, for our together transforming Temple Emanuel into a kehilah kedoshah (a “holy community”) rests, in significant part, on the following teaching from pirkei avot (a mishnah from the Talmud): “the world/Judaism rests on 3 pillars: Torah (learning and becoming knowledgeable about our rich Jewish tradition), avodah (service to God, one of the primary ways being through meaningful community prayer), and g’millut hasadim (performing acts of lovingkindness, first to those in our own community, then to others in need throughout the community.) We have, as a community, seen positive change and growth in each of these (3) areas the past two years. For us to continue moving, in this direction, during the coming year, is going to require (1) the active involvement of a committed and cohesive leadership team—which I sincerely believe we now have—(2) the development of a formal written strategic plan, (3) continuing growth in membership and community participation, (4) the creation of additional and more meaningful educational and prayer opportunities, and (5) the achievement of much needed financial stability. It is reassuring for us to know, as a community, that steps are already being taken by the leadership to see that each of these goals will become a reality during the coming year. Most of us know that I have been involved with an organization, the Southern Poverty Law Center, since its creation in 1972. Interestingly, one of the Center’s co-founders, Morris Dees, had previously been a business partner, in Montgomery, Alabama, with a man named Millard Fuller, who when they sold their business, took his profits and founded an organization called Habitat for Humanity, which builds homes for deserving families. This organization recently completed construction of its 10,000th house, relying primarily on donations and the efforts of volunteers and members of faith based organizations (churches and synagogues) like Temple Emanuel. This morning (June 22), Pamela Brown, Lee Maizel, andI met with leaders of the local Habitat for Humanity office to see what we, as a synagogue community, could do to assist in Habitat’s vital work. We learned that Habitat has just started construction of two homes, in the area, and is thus in need of volunteers to help with all types of work. While their normal work days are Wednesday and Saturday, Habitat, wanting to be respectful of the Jewish Tradition, is allowing us to do our work on a Sunday. Sunday, August 1(from 8:30 am – 3 PM) is the date tentatively selected for Temple Emanuel volunteers to work on the houses. We have been assured that much of the needed work can be done by almost any healthy adult or teenager (over the age of 16; 14 if accompanied by a parent), and that one need not be a skilled craftsman or even a “handy woman” to contribute. Lee and a representative of Habitat will be on site, that day to ensure safety and to provide needed guidance and instruction. If we should have a rainout on August 1, then we spoke about August 22 as an alternate date. Our sacred texts make clear the importance of having/providing a safe and secure home for ourselves and for others. Maimonides taught, for example, in his classic legal code, the Mishneh Torah, that one who rents a house to another is obligated to construct doors, to fix broken windows, to reinforce the ceilings and roof, to fix broken beams, to make the house safe and secure, and to do all those things essential for safe dwelling in the house. This obligation, as are most obligations we Jews have to those in need, applies to both the Jew and the non-Jew. We need to have at least a dozen adult volunteers, and I am hopeful that our community will rise to the occasion—as we have done with JCOC feedings, the food pantry, and G’MACH—having even more than 12 agree to participate. This is the work of a holy synagogue community—doing acts of loving kindness for others, all in service to God! Wishing your loved ones and you a safe and enjoyable summer!