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August 26, 2022
29 Av 5782
Dear JLL Families,
As the summer dwindles down and the sun sets earlier each day, the JLL team has been hard at work to prepare for the coming year!
I want to thank those of you who have reached out to welcome me warmly into this community! I have spent the summer eagerly listening and learning and asking many questions as I chart the course ahead for our JLL year. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you in the coming weeks and months! For more about me, you can read this lovely write-up that went out to the congregation earlier this summer. I would also love to learn more about you, so please reach out!
Tonight marks Rosh Chodesh Elul, the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul. This is the final month leading up to the High Holy Days. This year, Elul also takes us through the start of the JLL year. Jewish tradition encourages us to reflect each day as we prepare ourselves to enter the new year. We are called to hear the sound of the shofar, to recite Psalm 27, and to generally get ourselves in the mood for the holiest days of the year. In the spirit and beauty of Reform Judaism, we are going to use Jewish time to highlight different aspects of the Jewish Learning Lab.
Each day for the month of Elul, you will receive an e-mail that I promise will be 200 words or fewer. The four weeks will highlight four themes: the people who run the JLL each and every day, the partners of the JLL, the program itself, and finally, the preparation for the High Holidays. It is my hope that these daily communications will both make us more aware of Jewish time and also provide succinct digestible updates and information that will set us up for a successful year.
Before I sign off for Shabbat, I want to make note of a few important upcoming dates:
- 9/8 5th and 6th grade families will receive a communication to inform them of their chevruta teacher. Weekly meetings will then be scheduled directly between teacher and family.
- 9/17 is Sharing Shabbat Kickoff from 9-11am at WRT followed by apple picking at Wilkens Farms
- 9/18 is JLL Opening Day for ALL K-5 students AND their parents from 9am-11am. This is regardless of session. The morning will include an opportunity for parents to meet with me and hear about the year's curriculum and events, a social action project and High Holiday activities for parents and students together, and the chance for students to spend some time getting to know their teacher.
- 9/21 from 5:45-6:45pm is the opening day for 6th and 7th grade students AND their parents.
- 9/21 from 7pm-8pm is the Confirmation Dessert Reception for 10th graders AND their parents to learn about the program and the special trips and events of the year.
- 9/21 8th, 9th, 11th, and 12th graders will also kick off the year from 7pm-8pm.
Additionally, we are working diligently to try and meet all family requests with regard to Alef and Bet times on Sundays. To do this, we need several more engaging and qualified teachers to join our team. If that might be you or someone you know, please reach out! My goal is to share a more specific update and map for a path forward on Friday, September 9th.
Thank you for your partnership in cultivating a meaningful, joyful, and impactful JLL experience, and thank you for sharing your child(ren) with us.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Leah A. Citrin
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