The week that was
Mazal Tov once again to the successful candidates from last Friday’s Beit Din, all of whom have now joined the congregation.
Looking ahead
Happening this Shabbat/weekend
This Friday is our traditional (for Beit Emanuel) Human Rights Shabbat. Our special guest speaker is our very own Professor David Bilchitz. The Kabbalat Shabbat service will begin as usual at 18h00 JMT (that’s Jewish Mean Time, for all those who didn’t ask), and we’re not expecting any impact from load shedding during our evening programme, provided that we remain on Stage 3.
Please see the section Jkids/Youth Programmes below for details of this week’s Jkids Club activity.
The service will be followed by a Brocha in the Janks Hall. This Friday evening’s Brocha was kindly sponsored by Andrew and Mickie Jacobs, to celebrate a significant birthday for Mickie at the end of February. Andrew and Mickie will also shortly be leaving for the UK for 6 months, so this will be their last Shabbat with the congregation until October. Wishing them safe travels!
Please remember to “feed” the Perspex donation box at your table to help cover our catering costs. Alternatively, please make use of the Snapscan App and the Snapscan QR Code at each table to donate electronically. A modest donation of R20-30 from each person attending the Brocha would help immensely in closing this gap.
The Shabbat morning service will take place on the Veranda (weather and inclination permitting) or in the Gillis Boardroom. (We do expect load shedding from 08h00 to 10h30, but the impact should be minimal.) The service will be followed by a potluck Brocha in the Atrium.
Religion School classes will be held this Saturday morning.
The Talmud Study Group will meet in the Boardroom at 12h00.
Further ahead
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The Temple/Beit Emanuel 28th Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2023 will take place on Thursday, 23 March at 19h00.
The AGM will be held in the main Shul to allow us to make best use of our audio-visual technology setup. The formal notice of the meeting and the relevant nomination forms and other documentation were sent out to members in good standing last week. One of the highlights of the AGM will be the talk by Professor David Bilchitz, which is why we’ll be broadcasting on Zoom. Please note, though, that the business of the meeting will take place in person, rather than on a hybrid basis. We look forward to seeing all our congregants there. Please see the flyer below for further details.
Nomination forms for Mancom (10-14 vacancies) and the Board of Guardians (BoG) (1 vacancy), duly completed and signed by the proposer, seconder and nominee, must reach our offices by midday on Wednesday, 22 March.
(At the request of one of our Mancom members, we’re looking into the possibility of holding a “hybrid” AGM, with both in-person and Zoom participation. We’ll communicate further in that regard next week.)
Beyond the Boundaries (BtB)
There will in all likelihood be another Beyond the Boundaries (BtB) session on Saturday, 1 April (seriously!). Further and better particulars in the weeks ahead.
Communal Pesach Seder
Our communal Pesach Seder takes place on the evening of Wednesday, 5 April. We’ve managed to keep the pricing at the same level as in 2022, i.e. Adults: R350, Children 7-13: R225 and Children under 7: R125. Please book during the remainder of this week or the course of next week (a short week), as orders will need to be placed on Monday, 27 March. Please use the form at the link below to book, or contact Morgana in Reception on 011 646 6170.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vlTxx6XXAWEcqnoXtsCw5-vUOyz22ELQ/view?usp=share_link
Rabbinic Search
The search for a successor to Rabbi Saar Shaked has commenced in earnest, and the advertisement/job description linked to below is being circulated to the rabbinic associations and seminaries. An update will be provided during the AGM next week.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12iZDcP69FNe7sta8ROFRniXxsKUcPzDQ/view?usp=share_link
Yom Huledet Sameach, Max!
A special birthday greeting to Max Green, who turned 90 years young last Sunday! Max is truly an inspiration to all of us in so many ways, as a very active member of the congregation and a volunteer in any number of capacities, including the Care Committee and looking after our Jewish Library.
Shabbat Shalom!
