News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community |
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024
In his book When all you ever wanted isn’t enough, Rabbi Harold Kushner shares that, years ago, he “was sitting on a beach one summer day, watching two children, a boy and a girl, playing in the sand. They were hard at work building an elaborate sand castle by the water’s edge, with gates and towers and moats and internal passages. Just when they had nearly finished their project, a big wave came along and knocked it down, reducing it to a heap of wet sand.” At that point, Kushner says that he, “expected the children to burst into tears, devastated by what had happened to all their hard work. But they surprised [him]. Instead, they ran up the shore away from the water, laughing and holding hands, and sat down to build another castle.” In that moment, Kushner realized that the two kids had taught him a wonderful lesson: “All the things in our lives, all the complicated structures we spend so much time and energy creating, are built on sand. Only our relationships to other people endure. Sooner or later, the wave will come along and knock down what we have worked so hard to build up. When that happens, only the person who has somebody’s hand to hold will be able to laugh.”
Writers of the Lost Ark, the Temple’s writer’s group, recently got a head start on the High Holy Days by sharing their works in a special showcase that focused on the season’s theme of peace and renewal. Here are two poems that were featured that night. The first is written by Frank Boehm, inspired by Yom Kippur, while the other is a collaborative effort of 12 writers who were each challenged to contribute two lines. In order of their creative endeavors about peace and renewal are the following writers: Nina Pacent, Rick Forberg, Betsy Chernau, MaryBeth Stone, Rabbi Michael Shulman, Frank Boehm, Becky Warren, Rise Tucker, Ruth Thomas, Loretta Saff, Martin Sir and Brennan Langenbach.
Our firm, which practices Elder Law, is about so much more than planning for what happens to your “stuff.” We work to help our clients live their best lives.
The Williamson County Historical Society based in Franklin, TN, is asking you, readers of The Jewish Observer and the Greater Nashville Jewish community, to fill in missing details for an upcoming in-depth publication by author Ruth Lebovitz and County Historian, Rick Warwick. “The History of the Jewish Merchants of Franklin, TN mid-19th century to mid-20th century,” is a compilation of stories including more than two dozen merchants and their stores.
August in the Gordon JCC Galleries: Aaron Grayum, John Cranshaw, and Aaron Vucsko.
"He who saves one life is considered to have saved the entire world."
Writers of the Lost Ark will be holding a public showcase on Wednesday, August 3 at 7PM on Zoom. The event will feature songs, stories, prose, and poems about peace and renewal in preparation for the High Holy Days. Please look for the link on www.thetemplehub.org, and join us for this very special evening of creativity. In the meantime, enjoy this poem by WOTLA writer Ruth Thomas inspired by the upcoming showcase theme.
Ok, let’s see by a show of hands, how many of you know someone who has retired and after a while found that it just didn’t live up to expectations? Now, how many of you have watched that person(s) spiral down to being glued to the tv all day and often complaining of feeling useless, bored, and even depressed?
The Gordon JCC is excited to introduce Mari-Lynn Wilson as our new Aquatics Director! Mari-Lynn graduated from MTSU with a degree in Exercise Science and is currently pursuing her Masters in Exercise Science: Wellness and Nutrition from Liberty University. When she’s not at work, you can often find her and her son on a trail somewhere hiking or camping. She also enjoys rock climbing and teaching fitness classes/training in her spare time. Her certifications include being an American Council on Exercise Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor, IBBFA Level 3 Barre Instructor, 200-hour Certified Yoga teacher, Pound Fitness Instructor, and she holds certificates in several Silver Sneakers formats.
