SUBJECT: Sisterhood Monthly Newsletter- September 2023
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER- SEPTEMBER 2023
From Our Sisterhood President, Rhonda Duchin
Already so many good things are happening this year with Sisterhood. Our first Rosh Chodesh program got under way with Karen Hoffman and Elizabeth Elias preparing us for Elul which in turn preparing us for the Yamim Noraim – The Days of Awe. I was able to join the “Ladies Who Lunch” for a delicious meal and great conversation. And the Paid-Up Sisterhood Shabbat and services was an amazing experience for all! We had close to 100 for dinner and services.
A gigantic THANK YOU to Vikki Silvis, Lisa Miller, Beth Mond and all who helped prepare the meal and participate in the service. A very special Thank you to Rabbi Sydni for a meaningful d’var.
There is still time to join sisterhood! We have a lofty goal of 100 members by Oct 1st! Right now, we have 85 members!!! Sisterhood rocks!
Keep reading to find out what’s happening this month.
Wishing you and your family a very happy, healthy and sweet New Year!
Shana tovah u’metukah,
Rhonda
P.S. If you are looking for the calendar feature with dates listed, we moved it to the bottom of the newsletter as a summary.
Shana Tova!
Rosh Hashannah – September 15-17
Yom Kippur – September 24-25
Break the Fast & Sisterhood Sponsorship Opportunities
Our traditional congregational Break the Fast is being coordinated by CBT Sisterhood after Havdallah and Ne'ilah Services on Monday, September 25.
To help sponsor the annual Break the Fast, as well as Bimah Flowers, please click the button below.
*NOTE: You will need to login or create an account to complete the forms.
New Beth Torah members enjoy their first year of membership completely free of charge – just complete your membership form online!
Sisterhood Board Meeting
Sisterhood Board Meeting via Zoom – Thursday, September 14 @ 7:30pm. Contact Rhonda Duchin at sisterhood@congregationbethtorah.org for more information and the zoom link.
Women's Rosh Chodesh Group
Tishrei
We will celebrate Rosh Chodesh Tishrei on the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah for an informal gathering immediately after Tashlich at Prairie Creek Park, Sunday September 17th.
Our initial plan was to skip Tishrei. However, since many of us will be together during Rosh Hashanah, we decided to offer a more informal gathering and keep the excitement going!
Karen will guide participants in a ritual that allows us to celebrate the new month together. To join the gathering just show up Sunday afternoon after Tashlich in the Park (if inclement weather, we’ll meet at the synagogue).
What's the mystery you ask? You have to RSVP to find out the location. You'll receive an email the morning of September 21st with place and address. (Somewhere in West Plano)
There is no admission fee. You're on your own for food and drinks
Half-price drinks all night long!
Vegetarian Options for appetizers!
Entertainment!
Contact Rhonda for more information Sisterhood@congregationbethtorah.org
For questions about the Sisterhood Book Club, Richardson Reads Lecture and Tycher Library Series contact Carol Rosen at 972-248-8428 or bookclub@congregationbethtorah.org
Join us for Book Club - bimonthly usually on the 3rd Wednesday of the month – 7PM on Zoom.
Upcoming in September:
Sisterhood Book Club will be attending the Richardson Reads One Book author talk on Tuesday, September 26th at 7:30 pm at the First United Methodist Church Richardson. For free tickets, please let Carol Rosen know so that she can obtain seating tickets together. Contact Carol at bookclub@congregationbethtorah.org.
Remarkably Bright Creatures (2022) is American author Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel. It was published to critical acclaim and deals with themes of grief, family, and freedom. Van Pelt was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and uses the unique ecosystem of the area as a setting for the book, which highlights a sense of community and deep connection with the sea. It’s an exploration of friendship, reckoning and hope, tracing a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus she befriends while working at an aquarium.
Upcoming Fall Reads:
11.15.23 – Sisterhood Book Club reviews: “A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II” by Sonia Purcell.
Ladies Who Lunch
Our next luncheon will be on Tuesday, September 12th at 12:30pm. Please RSVP to Carol Taper by September 4th and she will let you know the restaurant about a week before we meet. If you wish to be added to her list of invites, please contact her via lwl@congregationbethtorah.org
On August 15th, LWL met at Banana Leaf Thai restaurant for lunch and we were pleased to have Rhonda Duchin as our CBT Sisterhood President join our luncheon.
Torah Discussion Group
In September we will begin using the book Judaism’s Life Changing Ideas: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. First edition 2020.
As the late chief rabbi of the United Kingdom he has published many books including many on the weekly parsha. Look for the schedule of the parsha of the month in our August newsletter that we will study and discuss.
Thursday, September 28th at 7:00PM via ZOOM
Nancy Seigel will facilitate the opening session of “Judaism’s Life-Changing Ideas”. She will explain how we are going to use the book and then we will discuss the Parsha on Sukkot (which isn’t in the book). For just this session, she will be sending out the parsha in an email to everyone taking part. For all other dates, we will be using the book “Judaism’s Life-Changing Ideas” by Rabbi Sacks.
Here’s a list of the next three Parsha’s based on the week that we are meeting each month:
October 26 Parsha Lech Lech – lead by Laura Halper
November 30 Parsha Vayaishlach – lead by Anna Segal
December 28 Parsha Vayigash - open
Nancy will be asking for volunteers to facilitate each of the monthly discussions. For information and to be added to the Torah Discussion Group, contact Nancy Siegel at torah-dg@congregationbethtorah.
Remember to shop for your Judaica needs at our L’Dor Vador Gift Shop located at CBT.
Set aside September 10th from 9AM – Noon
come shop for Rosh Hashannah!
For a private shopping experience, just send an email to: Arlene Berlin at ldorvador@congregationbethtorah.org and she will arrange to meet you at the shop!.
Knit Nights
Knit Night -- 2NDand 4th Tuesdays each month 7pm-9pm. We are back to meeting in person at CBT in the member lounge. Join us to learn or to share expertise. We knit and crochet and schmooze. We are happy to help with questions or to teach anyone who wants to learn. Bring your hook, needles, or loom and settle in for a couple hours of hand-crafty goodness. If you’d like to work on items to donate to charity, we can help with patterns and yarn.
We are excited to announce that Helene Morris along with Ellen & Herb Schachter are our Torah Fund Honorees for 2023-2024. The Torah Fund Luncheon will be held on February 25, 2025 at the Marriott Quorum.
TORAH FUND PIN 5784– Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh. “All the people of Israel are responsible for one another” This pin highlights the word “arevut” responsibility. It corresponds to the theme from the Babylonian Talmud, Shevout 39a, that all the people of Israel are responsible for one another, and we assume that responsibility through our support of the five Conservative/Masorti institutions of higher education. Contact Elaine Scharf at tf–pin@congregationbethtorah.org to order.
Social Action- “North Texas Colocation Against Human Trafficking”
Announcing our new Social Action project!
We will be collecting items in need for
“North Texas Colocation Against Human Trafficking”
“NTCAHT”
To educate and mobilize the community to work against human trafficking in the North Texas region and to empower survivors of human trafficking through specialized comprehensive social, medical, legal services, advocacy, and extensive research.
