Upcoming Events & Service

• Saturday, July 13 - Torah Study with Rich Moche (zoom only)
• Saturday, July 13 - volunteer led Shabbat service (in person & zoom)
• Monday, July 15 - volunteer led Moment for Ma'ariv (zoom only)
• Friday, July 19 - Shakin' Shabbat with Sharin (in person only)
• Sunday, July 21 - Navigating the Personal Impacts of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (in person only)

A Looking Ahead to August

• August 1 - Arrival of Rabbi Aliza
• August 10 - Chaverim School Shabbat
• August 12 - Erev Tisha B’Av service
• August 13 - Office Closed

What else is in the newsletter



• A Message from Our Presidents
• Secure Community Network is offering a High Holiday Safety and Security Webinar Series
• Can We Talk? Navigating Challenging Conversations
• JCAM's Annual Book Burial
• Your Voice Matters - Nothing is Impossible, Webinar with

............U S Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD)

• Democracy Summer - Learn About Project25
• Don't forget raisins and crackers when you visit the temple

visit the *Temple Calendar (you can even add it to your own Gcal!)

A Message from our co-presidents

Laurie Rotman and Mark Wilen

Dear HBT Family and Friends,

We are thrilled to announce that Rabbi Aliza Schwartz will be joining Temple Hillel B’nai Torah on August 1. Much of August will be dedicated to an orientation period to help Rabbi Aliza integrate into our community. During this time, she will also collaborate with the Avodah Committee to plan for the upcoming High Holy Days, which begin on October 2. Membership and High Holy Day packets will be mailed the week of August 5. Please return them promptly.

Rabbi Aliza will be attending Shabbat services throughout the month of August. August 12 she will lead an extended Moment for Ma’ariv and Tish B’Av service. She will be on a previously planned vacation from August 15 – the 21. We will share more details about her regular schedule, office hours and days off when she returns from vacation.

Rabbi Aliza will lead her first Shabbat service on September 7.

We are also planning more official welcomes for Rabbi Aliza in early September, so please stay tuned for more information. To read more about Rabbi Aliza, please click HERE.

In other news, we are enhancing our efforts to increase membership and improve our community engagement. As part of this, we are stepping up our social media presence and updating our website content. We are seeking volunteers with interest or experience in social media or anyone willing to lend a helping hand in showcasing our community at its best.



Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Torah Study

• Saturday, July 13
• 8:30am
• (zoom only)

This week’s parsha is Chukhat, where Moshe strikes the rock instead of speaking to it. This incident, together with the incident of the spies, form the backdrop for the transfer of leadership from Moshe to Joshua that will occur later in the Torah. We will discuss their different styles, their relationship, and the nature of mentorship and successorship.

In preparation, please read about the striking of the rock:

Numbers 20:1-13.

For the incident of the spies, please read:

Numbers 13: 1-3, 16-21, 25-33 and

Numbers 14:1-25

Here is the link for Saturday’s study:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85010884630?pwd=wPmeaMgzGM2S8Uok84UshG11dglOyk.1

Meeting ID: 850 1088 4630

Passcode: 246820

HBT will be holding Shabbat morning services in person and on Zoom throughout July and August, led by volunteers in our community. Services will run from 10:00am - 11:45am with a light kiddush. 

Here is the schedule thus far:

July 13 - Ari Davidow will be leading the Shacharit service and Jonathan Magaziner will be leading the Torah service. 

July 20 - Susannah Sirkin will lead Shacharit and Torah service. We are looking for volunteers to give a D’var Torah and the Musaf Offering. Larry and Sussanah will be sponsoring kiddush celebrating their wedding anniversary.

July 27 - Ari Davidow will be leading the Shacharit service and Elana Elstein will lead the Torah service, and give the Musaf Offering.

August 3 - Henry Barber will lead the Shacharit and Torah service. Craig Schneider will give the Musaf Offering

August 10 - Susannah Sirkin will lead Shacharit and Torah service. Rabbi Aliza will give the Musaf Offering. We are looking for a volunteer to give a D’var Torah. (we will have a special family Shabbat and a baby naming - stay tuned)

August 17 - Joyce Wardle and Stephanie Sher will be leading Shacharit service. Ruth Lederman will lead the Torah service and Marcy Segelman will give the Musaf Offering.

August 24 - Susannah Sirkin will lead the Shacharit and Torah service. Elana Elstein will give the Musar Offering. We are looking for a volunteer to give a D’var Torah.

August 31 - Henry Barber will lead the Shacharit and Torah service. Elana Elstein will give the Musaf Offering.

We welcome volunteers to give a d'var Torah or lead a discussion, chant Torah or give a very short Musaf Offering ( a poem, short reading). 

If you can read out of the Chumash, someone else will follow the reading in the Torah. 

If you are interested in participating in any way, please contact

Susannah Sirkin smsirkin@gmail.com

We can support you in participating. Summer is a great time to learn a new prayer and Torah skills.

If you are not able to join us in person, please join us on zoom:

Zoom Link

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86202792468?pwd=kktgJOIZMLUDtnEEEJGCuYMqDYG8vJ.1

Meeting ID: 862 0279 2468

Passcode: shab@HBT!

CHILDREN OF ALL AGES ARE ALWAYS WELCOME AT SHABBAT SERVICES!

Temple HBT is delighted to welcome a number of visitors to Shabbat during the summertime.

We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers who can offer a warm smile and a welcoming greeting to our guests.

Greeting is also a great way to meet people and make friends!

Please go to the link below to find a date.

Thank you for helping us make HBT a warm, welcoming place for all!



https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050948AEA728A75-49748903-summer

Moment for Ma'ariv



• Mondays
• 7:30pm - 8:00pm
• (zoom only)

Join Susannah Sirkin every Monday night throughout the summer for Moment for Ma'ariv.

Every Monday join us for a contemplative end to your day, with prayerful singing, guided meditation, a prayer for healing, and kaddish.

We are currently supporting members who are mourning the death of a parent or loved one. Please make an extra effort to join in the minyan.

Join Moment for Ma'ariv

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88104077193

Meeting ID: 881 0407 7193

Experience Shakin' Shabbat at Temple Hillel B'nai Torah!

• Friday, July 19 ( and again on August 23)
• 5:45pm - 7:30pm
• (in person only)

Join us one Friday each month for Shakin' Shabbat—an interactive and engaging half-hour service tailored for families with young children under 5 (older siblings and grown-ups are welcome too!).

This event is a highlight of our vibrant Jewish community in West Roxbury and offers a unique opportunity to engage in Jewish spiritual growth.

• Singing, sharing, and storytelling with Sharin Horvitz-Chung makes this service a joyful and enriching Jewish life cycle event for both children and adults.

• A perfect way for families to welcome the Shabbat in a fun, relaxed environment, enhancing our family-friendly synagogue atmosphere.

Pizza Dinner:

• Connect with other families and celebrate with our diverse Jewish congregation.
• Enjoy a delicious menu featuring vegetarian pizzas, green salad, a vegan option, fruit salad, and desserts like cookies and brownies.
• Cost: $9.50 per person, free for children too young to eat.
• RSVP Now! Let us know you're coming to ensure enough food for everyone.

Share Your Moments: Don't forget to capture the fun! Tag your photos with #ShakinShabbatHBT and #TempleHBT Temple Hillel B'nai Torah Community Group Temple Hbt

We can't wait to see you there for a spirited start to the weekend, showcasing the progressive Jewish community spirit of Temple HBT!

Join Us for a Summer Conversation: Navigating the Personal Impacts of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

• Sunday, July 21
• 7:00pm - 8:30pm
• Temple Hillel B’nai Torah (in person only)
• Open to all HBT members and their guests.
• For planning purposes, please RSVP, with all names attending

We invite you to join the HBT Israel-Palestine Program Planning Committee in our Summer Conversation to explore the personal and communal impacts of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are offering a space to share, reflect, and support each other during these challenging times. It serves as an opportunity for participants to share how the conflict affects their daily lives, their experiences within the Temple, and their broader community interactions.

We will have discussion questions to guide the conversations and we encourage all participants to engage respectfully and compassionately, keeping in mind the diverse perspectives within our community.

Light Refreshments provided.

For more information contact Lenny Markowitz at lmarkowitz@yahoo.com

RSVP Link

Extended Moment of Ma'ariv and Erev Tisha B'Av service



• Monday, August 12
• 7:30pm - 9:00pm
• in-person and on zoom

Tisha B’Av, meaning literally “the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av,” is often thought about as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the day on which several disasters for our people occurred, most prominently the destruction of both the First and Second Temples. Our Jewish year cycle offers us, with Tisha b'Av, a container for this grief, mourning, heartbreak, and sadness -- and it is a communal container. We are together, as a people, in heartbreak. 

On Tisha b’Av, we do a public, communal reading of the Book of Lamentations, a collection of lyrical laments that describe the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE. The title, in Hebrew, for this book is just one word, and it is a desperate question: “Eicha (אֵיכָ֣ה)” - literally, “How?” or “How could this have happened?”

Sometimes, in grief, pain, and shock, this question is the truest thing we can say. On Tisha b’Av, we say it publicly, as a community, together.

We look forward to this intimate, heartfelt service, where we will sing, be in silence, chant from the book of Eicha, and most importantly, be together.

High Holidays Safety & Security Resources

The Secure Community Network (SCN), the network of Jewish communal security professionals, national security experts, and religious leaders hosted a series of conversations to aid 

preparedness for the High Holiday season. All resources and webinars, including the remarks made during the three training-based webinars, are available below for viewing and sharing.

To learn more click HERE

The High Holy Days will be here before we know it.

The Bitachon committee will be Looking for High Holy Day ushers and greeters to insure the safety of our community during the High Holy Days and beyond. You must be able to committee to Usher/Greeter training. After you have viewed the training session let

Benita know so you can be added to the list of volunteers.

Can We Talk? Navigating Challenging Conversations

• Thursdays, July 11, 18, and 25, 2024
• 12:00–1:30pm EDT
• $118
• Register Here

We reside in a rapidly evolving social landscape, where our previously held beliefs may have shifted or become more pronounced. Regardless of our stances on various topics, we often encounter conflicts with those around us. Is it possible to have productive discussions about our differences? If so, how can we go about it effectively?

Special guest speakers: Rosalie Gerut (MA) and Martina Emme (PhD), co-writers of the book “Journeys of Transformation: Confronting the Legacies of Conflict, War and Genocide” describing their journey as descendants of Holocaust survivors and Nazi supporters who participating in dialogue groups that encouraged healing and growth on both sides.

JCAM's Annual Book Burial!

• Tuesday, July 16, 2024
• 10:00am - 2:00pm

You are invited to participate in a unique community event at the

King Solomon Cemetery

2609 Centre St., West Roxbury

(rain or shine)

Please Follow These Protocols Prior to the Book Burial

The following items will not be accepted at the Book Burial:

• Anything containing metal or plastic (i.e. mezuzah casings, menorahs, candlesticks, plastic bags, plastic bindings, etc.)
• No school papers, religious school books, invitations, photographs, drawings, newspapers.
• Books entirely in English, Russian, or any other language.
• Only prayer books such as, Machzorim, Siddurim, Talmuds, Haggadot, Benchers, Scrolls or Hebrew bibles containing the Hebrew name of G-d will be accepted.

Nothing is Impossible

Webinar with US Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD)

• July 16, 2024
• 5:00pm PT / 8:00pm ET
• Register Here

Rep. Jamie Raskin is a truly inspiring leader who challenges us to make democracy work for us. ”Nothing is impossible and nothing is inevitable," Jamie says. "Change is only possible through the democratic arts of educating people and organizing towards real change.” Following Jamie’s remarks, meet with state lobby leaders in breakout sessions to plan lobby meetings for the Jewish Earth Alliance Pre-Tisha B’av Virtual Lobby Day on August 8.

Democracy Summer - Learn About Project 25

• Tuesday, July 16, 2024
• 7:00pm
• Zoom only
• REGISTER

The conservative think tank, Heritage Foundation released a series of proposals called Project 2025, a blueprint that would change our democracy in ways the Founding Fathers could never have imagined and would fundamentally alter our country’s future. Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA) is sponsoring a zoom meeting discussing Project 2025 and ways people can stand up to the report’s extreme proposals by fighting for issues like LGBTQ and abortion rights, among others. Discussions will focus on ways individuals can get involved and opportunities for synagogues to join this fight. This event is non-partisan 501(c)(3) friendly.

Once you sign up, please let Lisa know you are attending by emailing her Mailto:hbt@howlingwolfmedia.com?subject=project2025

JALSA has asked us to share the link with anyone else you think might be interested!

DON'T FORGET

RAISINS AND CRACKERS FOR FAMILY TABLE OVER THE SUMMER



We have a donation box outside the Main Sanctuary door.

If you can't make it to HBT, you can also donate via the link below.

DONATE HERE

Temple Hillel B'nai Torah (HBT) is a Jewish Reconstructionist congregation in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Our goal is to be welcoming and egalitarian. We are creating a Jewish home for multi-racial families, interfaith families, those who identify as LGBTQ. We are committed to full inclusion for people with special needs and varied abilities. 

visit us at: templehbt.org