Monthly Betenu President’s Message

SAY YES TO THE PIPELINE!
Sheryl Liberman – November 2, 2015

Have you heard lots of news about pipelines lately?  A pipeline conveys the potential for change.  It offers growth opportunities for you and your family.  The objective is to achieve new ideas, viewpoints, and a clear plan for the future.  Most organizations and businesses have a pipeline, and the people involved with the planning supply goals and intentions for future development to feed the pipeline.

All the same, I am referring to the Betenu pipeline.  Betenu is in need of a reliable group of members to boost and enhance our organization.  Your support may come in a number of ways.  Are you talented with numbers?  Do you enjoy a good news story?  Have any clerical skills? Word processing? Will you undertake a new role in the Sunday school?  Do you have one Friday night free to open and help setup for our Shabbat? 

We all have personal interests in Betenu for sure.  We all attend and participate for different reasons.  I would like to think your motives are consistent with Betenu’s mission which is to “be a home for all to participate in Jewish community; a community to learn Torah, to worship God and to improve the world”.  Please read the comments from two of our members, Suzy Maine and Marcella Dube below. 

Join us for a busy November when we will have the opportunity to celebrate Shabbat with a variety of rabbinic leaders—Rabbi Amy Loewenthal from Keene on Nov 6 and Rav Rebekah who will return from maternity leave on Nov. 20.  And, December brings Mark Lazar, an Israel Educator-in-residence to Congregation Betenu  on Sunday, Dec 6.  He will share his “Jewish Storytelling” and other topics  to the students, parents and all adults throughout the day.  Watch your e-mail for more information.

To check out our November calendar, click here.  For the December calendar, click here.

Promote the growth of Betenu. Join the “team” of Board members to support all our visions.  Without a pipeline, there’s no lifeline.

Sheryl

From the desk of Suzy Maine (10/21/15):

Several years ago I joined Betenu.  Looking back, although I was raised in Conservative Judaism, several circumstances took my life in a different a direction. When joining Betenu, I felt very comfortable with the congregants.  After a few years, with all the changes, this time in the world, I found myself at the doorsteps of Betenu once again.  I had clarity and everything seemed right.  People at Betenu had something I needed, something I have always valued.  In summary, what I recognized was kindness, not only to each other but to themselves.  They enjoyed being at services, greeting each other as friends.  This was also evident in the children at the Friday night services.  They participated when called on in a natural confident manner.  Although the Congregation is small, the Jewish education the children are getting appear to be of the highest quality.  I look forward to participating in Temple activities to continue my Jewish growth as a Jew and to give back where I can.

From the desk of Marcella Dube (10/21/15):

Alex Dube's Bar Mitzvah,  Nov 2, 2013

I wanted to share with you, my wonderful experience going through the process of Alex's Bar Mitzvah.
There was a time, when I thought perhaps we wouldn't have a bar mitzvah for Alex.
 All of the bar or bat mitzvahs I had gone to were big productions and parties. 
Once we decided to move forward, we just decided that we would keep it small, focusing on Alex and his spiritual journey.
I could not have asked for a more beautiful day!
It was perfect! 
All of the support we were given and Alex's hard work helped to create a beautiful ceremony.
All of the things I was worried about such as, it wouldn't be "fancy" enough, or we weren't in a great big temple, none of that mattered.
 I followed my heart, trusted in Rav Nate and the Betenu community and in Alex's ability to share his faith.
A lot of things made this day special, but the most important was how special the ceremony itself was.
If I close my eyes, I can still see the light shining in that room and feel the ritual as I never imagined it could be.

 Marcella