#TBTShoreline

President's Column - Summer 2026

Dear Temple Beth Tikvah family,

My name is Jodie Ambrosino, and I am honored to write to you as your new President. Many of you know me in my role as cantorial soloist where I co-lead services with my husband Stu Weinzimer (also a former TBT president). We have two daughters, Becca and Ellie, who grew up at TBT. I have been a member of this warm and welcoming community for 24 years; it is where I found my spiritual home.

My thoughts for this Shofar column came to me as I was returning from four amazing days with Stu at Hava Nashira, the premier Jewish song leader conference. We attended it for the first time this spring at OSRUI, the URJ summer camp in Oconomowoc, WI. Who knew that I would be going to Jewish sleepaway camp for the first time at 58!!

Hava Nashira was transformational. At OSRUI, Stu and I moved through rooms that hummed with the unforgettable music of Jewish song leaders like Debbie Friedman (z”l; may her memory be for a blessing), and Jeff Klepper (who roomed across from us). We created swells of harmonies alongside cantors and Jewish music giants like Cantor Rosalie Will, Eliana Light, Batya Levine, Elana Arian, Rabbi Noah Diamondstein, Cantor Natalie Young, Jacob “Spike” Kraus, and Eric Hunker. The resonance of guitars and pianos with hundreds of voices in songful prayer created a sacred space. As your president, I look forward to bringing some of this music to you.

Earlier this spring, I attended the Scheidt Seminar, a URJ led conference for new synagogue presidents. There were profound moments of connection as I talked with other incoming presidents about creating sacred partnerships with our clergy and one another. Unfortunately, there were also reminders of the fragility of our Jewish communities, with many congregations closing their doors or merging due to lack of membership and financial instability. Even Hebrew Union College, the premier educational institution for our clergy, had to close one of its campuses and consolidate its services.

Temple Beth Tikvah, however, is thriving with sacred spaces of connection. Sometimes these connections occur during weekly Shabbat services or Torah study. Other times, during a special event when we welcome a young child to our community, comfort mourners, or open our doors to a new scholar or musician who broadens our thinking and musical experience. I look forward to collaborating with our Leadership Council in creating the diverse programming that makes TBT resonate with the energy that invites people in.

With more than 300 member households, our congregation is also making remarkable financial progress. Our generous congregation has to date donated over 80% of the total cost of our building project. I am hopeful that ALL together we can clear the remaining $2.3 million in debt with the dollar-for-dollar $1 million match that was announced in the spring. Every gift counts toward the match now through just after the High Holy Days.

TBT has its Golden 50th Anniversary this year! The Board of Trustees is creatively planning celebrations for this jubilee that tell our story and honor the founding members who envisioned and established this House of Hope. TBT is OUR community so dream with me and share your ideas for how we can make this a momentous occasion culminating on MAY 8, 2027!

This fall, we will welcome a new and talented cantorial soloist, Amy Maude Helfer, to partner with Rabbi Moss, Walter Stutzman, and the choir for the High Holy Days. A few months later, author and podcast host, Mark Oppenheimer will join us as Scholar-in- Residence. Jen Casillo will open a new toddler program within our Preschool, and Ira Wise will welcome back our Religious School teachers who inspire our youth to love being Jewish. These are just some of the highlights. Keep your eye on the calendar which is regularly updated on our website!

I am truly humbled to have earned the trust to serve as your President, and deeply grateful to the gifted Board of Trustees and Leadership Council for their commitment to serve alongside me. Together, we will work hard to ensure that TBT is safe for the kind of open and honest dialogue that is essential to our being sacred partners and effective stewards of our vibrant Jewish community.

Please note that future president’s columns may be shorter on words. Sometimes, you may only

receive a recorded song and musical message that I feel could be far more moving than anything I can write or just fun to listen to! Forthis, my first Shofar, I share with you Hinei Ma Tov by Elena Arian (listen here), which I learned at Hava Nashira and recorded with Stu, my favorite accompanist!! It underscores how wonderful it is for us to be together. I truly look forward to “gathering with you in peace, in joy,” and as one community.

L’shalom,

Jodie M. Ambrosino
TBT President

Temple Educator's Column - Summer 2026

A TBT member whose children are adults asked me what I did during the summer, since classes were finished until the fall. I gave my usual answer “I recruit new teachers, continue to develop curriculum, hold teacher training, and work with different groups planning adult Jewish learning.” The latter is why we were having lunch.

After I got back to the office, I thought about his question some more. I realized that by listing tasks, I had really not answered him very well at all. What I really do all summer is assess the year just finished and dream about where we are going next. Did we move the dials in the right direction? What are we measuring? And finally, how does knowing those things help us move forward?

My friend and colleague, David Bryfman, is the CEO of the Jewish Education Project and in my opinion, an amazing Jewish Educator. In a recent speech, he said:
”One of the challenges of education is that everyone thinks they understand it because everyone has experienced it. But those of us who have devoted our lives to this work know something different. Helping another human being grow, discover meaning, wrestle with complexity and find belonging is sacred work.”

In other words, we need to look beyond what stage of Hebrew proficiency each child has reached. We need to look beyond the Jewish facts and information they know and can access. Make no mistake, we absolutely look at their reading skills and Judaic knowledge, but we need to reach deeper and further.

What we do in our classrooms needs to be about creating experiences that prepare them for the kind of wrestling Bryfman talks about. The world we are handing to them (and for that matter the one that was handed to us) requires more than knowing about Shabbat and holidays, life cycle events, stories, traditions and Jewish law. Again, those are part and parcel of the experience, but the totality is greater than all of those things. The world they are growing into is, as Bryfman says, very complex.

I could spend a dozen Shofar pages exploring the complexity of Israel, its trials and conflicts and the many different ways in which both Jews and the rest of the world have chosen to relate (or not relate) to it. I could do the same exploring issues around gender and sexuality, interfaith relations, antisemitism, race relations, politics both in the US and abroad and -- I think you understand where I am going. SO much of life is complex. Nuance and context are challenging things for any of us to take into account on almost any issue. My expounding is at best irrelevant.

We are trying – in 27 bursts of 60, 90 or 150 minutes per year – to prepare our students to wrestle those and other issues for themselves. We are helping them to build a toolkit of Jewish values. When they encounter almost anything – including issues we cannot imagine – they can reach in and find some ideas and resources to help them decide what is right for them, and hopefully for the Jewish people. They may choose differently than I, but it will be from a position of knowledge.

That is the point. We need to help them grow and develop their own pathways. Our brief is to help them choose a route that takes their essential Jewish identity as a main guidepost.

That’s what I do in the summer – figure out ways to do that better. One of those ways is to find people who are passionate about the growth and development of Judaism and Jewish peoplehood to become teachers in our school. As of today, June 11, 2026, I need one more teacher. It would be amazing if it was a TBT member! What wonderful modelling! Please email me at rsdirector@tbtshoreline.org. Or go to https://bit.ly/MeetwithIra and set up an appointment with me! I am around most of the summer! Let’s get coffee, tea or something cool to drink while we talk.

In the meantime, have an amazing summer!
L’shalom,
Ira J. Wise, D.J.R.E.
Temple Educator

Temple Educator's Column - June 2026

Have you ever wondered where we got the idea of having a Religious School? Let me tell you about one of my heroes - Yehoshua ben Gamla, who was the High Priest in Jerusalem almost 2,100 years ago. Back then, children would learn Torah from their dads. (This was thousands of years ago. Sorry moms.) If there was no father, or dads were not up to the task, the kids didn’t learn Torah. The rabbis then had the idea to have the dads bring all of the kids to Jerusalem – which for some was a journey of many days. As you can imagine, that was not very effective either.

They tried regional schools for teenagers and apparently that was a HUGE failure – as these kids had no formal learning when they were younger. Finally, Yehoshua ben Gamla ruled that teachers of children should be established in each and every community and kids should start learning around the age we start today. Skip a bit and that is how we come to have a Religious School at TBT!

I share this story to demonstrate how our very-modern-striving-to-be-cutting-edge-TBT-Religious-School is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Jewish people. We take Gamla’s instruction to have teachers where the children are, and we take it further. We had a number of new teachers this past year, and I am grateful that we have found so many that have connected deeply with our children. This connection is further demonstrated by the fact that nearly all of our teachers are returning to us this fall!

Ben Gamla’s advice is not only about putting teachers where the kids are physically. It is about teachers understanding where each child is intellectually, socially, emotionally and spiritually. Each child brings a distinct set of strengths, struggles, and ways of learning. One student may come bursting with questions— we need to make space for their curiosity and, at times, help them find paths to keep exploring. Another may feel hesitant with Hebrew or even English reading. Our job is to help them move forward at a pace that feels possible, building confidence step by step.

Another student may arrive carrying frustration from other parts of their life; they need patience, consistency, and the sense that they truly matter. This is what our teachers do every day—meeting students where they are while guiding them into meaningful engagement with Jewish values. It’s why students feel comfortable here, and their parents tell us so.

Many of our wonderful teachers are undergraduate students at Yale. This is a coin with two sides. On one side, they are young, energetic and full of ideas. The kids bond easily with them for all of those reasons. On the other side of the coin, they will only be with us for a short period – at most three more years. I have always believed that having members of the congregation serve as teachers is critical.

You bring something the undergrads cannot. You are part of the fabric of the congregation and the communities in which our students live. It makes a tremendous difference to the kids to see their teachers on a Friday night at temple or at Stop and Shop. And it is the only way one of our students might say to another “It is so cool that your dad/mom/grandma/grampy/aunt or uncle is our teacher.” I invite you to think about becoming a teacher. Talk with me. Let’s have a cup of coffee or tea chat about teaching and maybe try subbing on a Sunday or a Wednesday. You can make a difference!

L’shalom,
Ira J. Wise, D.J.R.E.
Temple Educator

Rabbi's Column - May 2026

Dear Friends,

The Torah teaches that two master artisans, Betzalal and Oholieb, completed the ancient Mishkan (sanctuary) with beauty and breathtaking skill. They were not liturgists, or priests, or rabbis. Rather, they worked with their hands, and their hearts. From this we learn that every member of our congregation brings different gifts to bear, regardless of our backgrounds. And we are all learners, too!

This premise led us to design Kesher, our small groups initiative at TBT. It’s open to anyone who is a member of our congregation.

Do you have a special passion, a particular expertise, or simply a topic you’d love to explore more deeply with others in our community? Consider forming a Kesher group. Kesher, which means “connection” in Hebrew, is TBT’s umbrella for small groups that bring congregants together around shared interests. Our current Keshers cover a wide range of subjects—including cooking, woodworking, spirituality, hiking, young families, and mussar (practical Jewish ethics)—and we’re eager to add more.

Recent ideas include photography, Israeli Folk Dancing, and Jewish literature. If any of those are up your alley, please let us know!

As a Kesher leader, you would:
Choose the focus of your group
Set goals and agendas
Schedule meetings at a pace that works for you and your participants

TBT will provide logistical support and periodic gatherings for Kesher leaders to share ideas, resources, and solutions to common challenges. Whether you’re an artist at heart, a craftsperson, a philosopher, or something else altogether – Kesher is for you!

If you’re interested in starting a new Kesher group, please contact the Kesher Leaders group Chairperson Michael Feldman at michael@mafeldman.com.

Shalom,
Rabbi Danny Moss
Michael Feldman

President's Column - May 2026

Dear Friends,

As we move through May, we find ourselves deep in the Omer, that stretch of time between Passover and Shavuot when we count each day with intention. After the dramatic crossing of the sea, the Israelites didn’t arrive at Sinai overnight. They walked. They waited. They prepared themselves for revelation one day at a time.

There’s something beautifully honest about that. Transformation doesn’t happen in a single moment; it unfolds through steady steps, small choices, and the quiet work of showing up. And this spring, our community has shown up in extraordinary ways.

In April, we gathered for what may have been our largest Temple Passover Seder ever, more than 120 people, spanning multiple generations, sharing stories, songs, and a sense of belonging that filled the room. Watching grandparents, parents, teens, and young children experience the Seder side by side was a powerful reminder of what it means to be a Jewish community rooted in tradition and open to all who walk through our doors. It was joyful, warm, and deeply meaningful. Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening so special.

April also brought moments of celebration and connection in the wider Jewish world. We marked Yom HaShoah, a time of remembrance, and Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, a time to honor the resilience, creativity, and spirit of a place that lives deeply in the hearts of Jews everywhere. In early May comes Lag BaOmer, that joyful pause in the Omer that reminds us that even in seasons of reflection, there is room for light, music, and community. I still think back to the Lag BaOmer celebrations of my childhood, the games, the camaraderie, the sense of belonging, and I’m reminded how powerful Jewish joy can be when we experience it together.

This month also marks a season of transitions. Our students are finishing their school year, our b’nai mitzvah families are celebrating milestones, and our teachers, clergy, and volunteers continue to nurture Jewish learning with such devotion. I am grateful for every person who helps our young people grow into confident, curious, and connected Jews. On May 21, I hope you will join us for our Shavuot / Confirmation service when we celebrate the giving of Torah on Mount Sinai and celebrate our confirmands.

I also want to invite you to our Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 6 at 7:00pm. This gathering is more than a formality; it is a moment to reflect on the year behind us, to look ahead with clarity and hope, and to engage in the shared stewardship of our synagogue. This year, we will also be voting on a full new slate of candidates for the Board of Trustees, an important step in shaping the leadership that will guide TBT into the future. Your presence and your vote truly matter.

As we count our way toward Shavuot, toward the moment when we stood together at Sinai, may we continue to make each day count. May we find meaning in the steps we take, strength in the community we build, and purpose in the journey we share.

B’shalom,
Josh Broder, TBT President

Temple Educator's Column - May 2026

Families at the Center

We are all incredibly busy. Some of us are overwhelmingly so. We sign our kids up for so many activities – the wider community seems to believe that this is a good and important thing to do, so we do it. And if our kids enjoy those activities, and especially if they become passionate about them, we are delighted. We want our kids to find their passions. Some of them will go on to engage in those activities for a long time and at the highest levels. Most will enjoy them until their interest takes them in other directions. These are all good things.

Being Jewish, I believe, is something that to which we should ascribe a high value for our kids. Ideally it will not be about interest, but about identity. It is who we are and always will be. We are part of a people that has been around for over 3,800 years! And we have developed and adapted to the world around us as the world has changed. Reform Judaism is one of those adaptations, begun by Jews who wanted to retain their connection to our people and being fully engaged in the modern world around us.

There have been a lot of people and institutions who were instrumental in making that happen. I could spend hours listing them. I believe, however, that the most significant institution to help children develop Jewish identity is the family and the most important people in making that happen are their parents. TBT is here to help make those connections here on the Shoreline for all of us. Our religious school and our teachers and I are here to help families build Jewish relationships: kids with kids, parents with parents and families with families. I want to invite you – all of you – to engage more deeply with one another and with us. Help us build the school into a Kehilah (community).

We have a variety of opportunities to bring groups of families together throughout the year. Sometimes in groups of classmates and their families, others through shared experiences organized around a value or an idea. We want kids to learn with their parents and for parents to model Jewish learning and connecting. And we want to fashion those opportunities in ways that work for you. Please reach out to me. Let’s grab coffee or tea and talk about what that might look like.

I often talk about how we want our school and faculty to be important and meaningful tools that help you rear connected Jewish kids. We don’t want to be your proxies in doing that. We want to be your partners.

L’shalom,
Ira J. Wise, D.J.R.E., R.J.E.
Temple Educator

Rabbi's Column - March 2026

Dear Friends,

In 1941, Nazi sympathizers destroyed a window at Chicago’s Anshe Emet Synagogue. In response, Senior Rabbi Solomon Goldman commissioned what is now called the Liberty Window. The beautiful stained glass depicts immigrants peering over a ship rail as they enter New York harbor, in search of a new life.

It was a remarkable decision to include American iconography on the same plane as texts from Torah and the Prophets. But Rabbi Goldman — a notable scholar, Zionist leader, and visionary community-builder — saw it as an opportunity to double down on the congregation’s values. He believed that the American Jewish experience was as significant in the story of the Jewish people as our Biblical origins.

Rabbi Goldman’s grandson, Rabbi Danny Zemel, is an equally bold leader. He is also an important mentor to Susan and me. Many of you remember Rabbi Zemel from the special weekend he spent as our scholar-in-residence four years ago. I am delighted that he will visit us once again for Shabbat on March 20th-21st.

Rabbi Zemel has taught me so much about Judaism, synagogue excellence, and menschlichkeit. Over several decades, he shaped Temple Micah (Washington, DC) into one of our country’s visionary congregations. One of the things that inspires me about Danny is his insistence on a deeply examined, joyfully realized life as fully Jewish and fully American. Grandpa Goldman’s vision lives deeply in him. As a friend of Danny’s who shares his Chicago Jewish pride (though we do differ on baseball teams), Grandpa Goldman’s story lives in me, too. This heritage seeds an insatiable curiosity: who are we? What are we here to do? How does our past inform our future? How can we maintain our pride amid the rising tide of antisemitism? What must we build for the future? What is our Jewish story?

These are some of the questions that Rabbi Goldman confronted boldly, literally placing them front and center in Anshei Emet’s sanctuary. You see, at the same time that the vandalism was repaired, he also commissioned a beautiful skylight. It reads, “All men [sic.] are created equal, a mirror image of the accompanying text from Genesis that proclaims that all humanity was created in God’s image (Genesis 1.26). The Bible and the Declaration of Independence, side by side; two aspirational concepts held in harmony.

The promise of America is a vital chapter in the Jewish story. Over the next year, I hope we will consider that story more deeply as a congregation. I hope we may consider how the privileges and responsibilities of this precious existence ramify for us today. Rabbi Zemel will help us to begin the conversation. I hope to see you there!

Shalom,

Rabbi Moss

 

President's Column - March 2026

Dear Friends,

As we enter March, we find ourselves approaching one of the most spirited and surprising moments in the Jewish year: Purim, which we will celebrate on Monday, March 2 at 6:30 PM. Purim is a holiday of masks and merriment, but beneath the costumes lies a profound teaching about what it means to reveal our truest selves.

The rabbis point out that the Megillah is filled with hiddenness, G-d’s name never appears, Esther conceals her identity, and the turning points of the story unfold quietly, almost imperceptibly. Yet Purim is also a holiday of revelation. Esther ultimately steps forward, choosing to be fully seen at the moment it matters most. Her courage reminds us that sometimes the most powerful transformations begin when we allow what is hidden to come into the light.

That message feels especially resonant in our community right now.

Over the past months, I’ve watched so many of you reveal your own gifts, your time, your creativity, your presence, your generosity. Some of these contributions are public; many happen quietly, behind the scenes. But together, they shape the vibrant, welcoming, resilient synagogue we are building every day. Like the Purim story itself, our strength emerges from the countless acts of commitment that might not always be visible, but are always deeply felt.

And of course, Purim is also a time for pure, unfiltered joy. I’m already looking forward to celebrating with all of you at our Megillah reading, with my large, homemade wooden grogger that I crafted as a child. It has survived many moves, many Purims, and more than a few enthusiastic spins. I’m thrilled that our cantorial soloist, Rachel Policar, will be joining us that evening, bringing her incredible spirit and energy to our celebration.

This month also brings an opportunity to carry that joy and connection into another cornerstone of our community life. On Saturday, March 21 at 6:30 PM, we will gather for our 3rd Annual TBT Gala Celebration & Auction. This evening has quickly become one of the highlights of our year, a night filled with laughter, community, and the unmistakable energy that makes TBT feel like home.

The gala is also essential to our financial health. The funds raised help sustain our synagogue and support our programming. If you are able to contribute an auction item, a vacation home, tickets, a special experience, or something uniquely yours, your generosity will make a meaningful difference. And of course, I hope you will join us for the celebration itself. It is a night that captures the very best of who we are. Details and registration can be seen here.

Purim teaches that joy is not a distraction from responsibility; it is a pathway to it. When we laugh together, when we gather in celebration, when we choose to show up for one another, we strengthen the bonds that carry us through every season.

As we prepare for Purim and look ahead to our gala, may we each find the courage of Esther, the generosity of Mordechai, and the joy that comes from being part of something larger than ourselves. May this month reveal new possibilities for connection, purpose, and hope.

Chag Purim Sameach, and I look forward to celebrating with you throughout this meaningful month.

B’shalom,

Josh Broder, TBT President