Dear Friends,
One year ago, a beloved member of our congregation, Jillian Segal, passed away on Yom Kippur. She is survived by her parents, siblings and other relatives; her husband, David; and her children, Aaron, Chloe and Jeremy. Jill, who was pursuing a rabbinical degree at Hebrew College, had been scheduled to lead us in Pesukei d’Zimra, the introductory worship service, that very morning.
The congregation is grateful to announce that David and the family have established the Jillian Segal Memorial Fund at Temple Aliyah in Jill’s honor and memory. This fund will support a number of initiatives, including creative programming at Temple Aliyah geared toward community education, especially on topics related to Judaism and the role of Jews in the world.
In celebration of this exciting new set of opportunities, we have organized a
program to inaugurate this fund. On Tuesday, September 22nd at 7:45 pm, we will host a virtual papercutting workshop at the studio of Jeanette Kuvin Oren, a Connecticut-based artist with whom Jill worked on a number of art projects. We invite everyone to sign up to participate in this free workshop, which is being sponsored by the fund. (Click here for details.) There is a limit of 95 participants, so please sign up soon. Using simple materials (a list is provided here), participants will learn how to create a traditional Jewish papercut. The papercut, designed by Jeanette Kuvin Oren, is a mizrach, traditionally hung on an eastern wall in one's home to serve as a focus for prayer and meditation. This one includes pomegranates, a long-standing symbol of the High Holiday season.
We are grateful to Jill's family for their generous support of this educational and community-building opportunity and we look forward to more such broadening programs in the months and years ahead.
Pesukei d’Zimra includes the following words: “How good is our portion, how pleasant our lot, how beautiful our heritage.” Jill Segal was a beautiful source of love, learning and generosity during her lifetime. We were blessed to have her within our community, and we are blessed to have her legacy live on in our midst.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Carl M. Perkins
Arlene Bryer, President
