December 2005
Dear Friends,
One might suggest that the “superstar” event at BAJC is our celebration of the High Holidays. Our services are full of wonder. They never fail to have moments that uplift me and challenge me and change me and move me to tears. They bring together our community as does no other event during the year. Others might suggest that what is really “superstar” about BAJC is the quality of those who visibly lead and support our community. I am certainly not going to suggest names, but many come to mind. And we truly are blessed that so many neighbors and friends share with us their compassion, their intelligence and their commitment in order that BAJC be a home and a refuge and a religious space for all in the community that need what we offer.
However, I would like to suggest that the true “superstar” of BAJC is the education we provide. We offer formal education for our children; we have a vibrant Bar/Bat Mitzvah education program; our Adult Education program is truly unique in this region for its breadth, vibrancy and relevancy. We educate and are educated at our Shabbat services and holidays as well as when we meet and share with the other faith communities in our area. We educate in small groups and large; in formal and informal settings; with traditional and non-traditional approaches and subject matter.
Our educators help us be aware of our traditions and the major sources of our beliefs and practices. At the same time, they link our traditions to the requirements of ethical behavior, good deeds and community service. They help each of us understand our place within thousands of years of Jewish experience as well as our place within our various communities, Jewish and non-Jewish. They educate us regarding our rituals, our language and the remarkable richness of our culture – both historical and developing. Our teachers educate us both as individuals and as a community. They bind us together and at the same time expand our vision of what we can be. To all our teachers – professional and lay, on-going and one-time, paid and volunteer, brand new and experienced, retired and future – you have the deepest thanks of the entire BAJC community.
B’Shalom, Paul
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