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HEArbeat: Opening the Door to Belonging

11/11/2022 09:17:25 AM

Nov11

HEArbeat: Opening the Door to Belonging

Alice Levin
HEA Greeter / Safety Team Volunteer

Volunteering to serve as a greeter for shul would seem to most almost inconsequential. Open the door, smile, say “Shabbat shalom,” and keep safety and security in mind. And yet, this small mitzvah became the doorway through which I would walk to find myself at home at HEA.
My husband and I have been members of HEA for several years. We would, on occasion, attend Shir Hadash together; I would venture to the Traditional service alone some weeks. Family services and Tot Shabbat were our go-to as we could socialize in the perpetually interrupted and self-effacing way that parents do. Together or alone, we would shake hands with a few total or near-strangers, perhaps encounter a face or two we had some familiarity with, and would depart after the service – kiddush seemed too much to two people who feel the pangs of social anxiety (though we fake it well).

A little less than a year ago, an email went out to the HEA membership from James McKeon, Director of Communications, whom I happened to know a bit through the adult b’nai mitzvah class in which we were both enrolled. He was calling for volunteers to participate in the Greeter/Security Team. I don’t know what it was about his email, but something compelled me to raise my hand, to take the step to volunteer in a way that seemed accessible to someone who felt “outside,” a participant but not fully vested in some way. I met the requirements: I am accustomed to being on my feet, don’t mind being outside regardless of the weather, can open doors (albeit heavy), and can be generally pleasant and safety conscious. So it began, a journey I never anticipated, a journey that brought me closer to the Judaism I chose and the “Jewish family” I never had.

It felt a bit strange the first time I was a greeter. My face was unfamiliar to most. The “Greeter” lanyard we wear provided some comfort: “I belong. I’m official. I’m not a stranger.” That first shift, Amir Kaufman, HEA Safety Team leader, made me feel at ease in the way only an Israeli can, and afterward, he and Rabbi Gruenwald raised a l’chaim with me in honor of my first greeter shift. It felt… communal; that I had done something for and with my community. I had engaged in a way that was more than coming to services and scurrying shyly out afterward.

Each time I serve as a greeter, whether I enter into the service – or not, go to kiddush – or not, I am enveloped by a sense of community. Amir, James, Leslie, Adam, Ted, Steve, Arnie – the list goes on and on. These are faces and people I now know. These are smiles and hugs or handshakes or both that I am now greeted with whether I am a greeter, attending services, or yes – even kiddush.

When I tell our daughter we are going to see “our Jewish family” at synagogue – and she sees those smiles and the community embracing us, she sees that it is real. That Judaism and HEA are home. That we are home. That we belong.

Shabbat Shalom!

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArbeat: Lecha Lecha - My Jewish Journey

11/04/2022 07:18:30 AM

Nov4

HEArbeat: Lecha Lecha - My Jewish Journey

Yuri Tavbin

Director of Youth Programs

This week we read in Parshat Lech Lecha about the journey of Abraham and Sarah to a new place physically, spiritually, and communally as the founding Jewish family in our tradition. The Torah portion raises questions for each of us about the spaces from which we have departed and the places we find ourselves seeking. As I begin a new position at HEA as Director of Youth Programs, I reflect upon my own Jewish journey and how it has led me to this special opportunity to serve HEA.

Many of you might know me as an HEA Preschool parent, a congregant sitting next to you in services, or as “Dani Tavbin’s husband,” but my real name is Yuri Tavbin. I am originally from Belarus. My family fled from persecution and immigrated to Colorado to seek a better life when I was five years old. I am thankful to my parents for bringing my family here and for giving us the opportunity to be Jewish without fear of repercussions.

Now, as I raise my own two children, Blake (6) and Oliver (3), I consider how to best guide their Jewish journeys in America. As parents, Dani and I try to set a tone for our kids in which they can live out their Judaism authentically and passionately, just as we have been blessed to be able to do. I have had the opportunity to model my commitment to Jewish life to my own children and to youth in the Denver Jewish community through working in the Jewish non-profit sector for the last decade. It all started with my first job out of school as the Athletics Director at the JCC in Denver. In this role, I had the pleasure of leading many youth trips for the Maccabi games and multiple trips for teens to Israel. My passion has always been connecting with teens and children while helping them see the world through a Jewish lens.

During the past couple of years, I served as the youth advisor for the MCHY youth group here in Denver but was not able to dedicate as much time as I would have wanted due to my other responsibilities. With the expansion of the Youth Program Director position, I knew it was the right time for me personally and professionally to step back into the role at HEA. I’m looking forward to growing our USY chapter while building strong relationships with the core group of kids we already have in our community.

I am thrilled to “officially” be a part of the HEA family and welcome suggestions and partnerships from members of the community. I am stationed at the GYC (Goldberger Youth Center) and love visitors. Indeed, the characteristic of Abraham and Sarah’s journey that speaks to me most at this point in my life is the very fact that it was not their journey alone; rather, their journey was that of their family but also that of the Jewish people collectively. In the end, their journey was our journey. I look forward to taking this journey with you and our HEA families together.

Shabbat Shalom!

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArbeat: Standing Up to Hateful Rhetoric and Bigoted Violence

10/28/2022 04:09:58 PM

Oct28

HEArbeat: Standing Up to Hateful Rhetoric and Bigoted Violence

Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald

Four years ago, on October 27, 2018, we all witnessed the deadliest attack ever on the Jewish community in the United States. This week we mark the anniversary of the antisemitic attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were murdered and 6 others wounded. It was a shocking event to the nation, but for us Jews, it came as no surprise.

Antisemitism has been steadily on the rise for several years, along with hate crimes directed at other minority communities. And according to the FBI, Jews are the most targeted religious group in the US. Since 2010, there have been over 15,000 religious-based hate crimes in the US. Over 50% of those attacks were directed against Jews, even though Jews make up less than 3% of the US population.

Antisemitism is as old as the Jewish people and has taken many forms, but today in America, antisemitism has taken a virulent and violent turn, fueled by conspiracy theories and political movements on the extremes across the ideological spectrum. On college campuses, Jewish students are singled out for hostility by those who deny the right of Israel to exist. According to one ADL study, fully one-third of Jewish college students report having experienced antisemitism. Christian Nationalists and White supremacists fuel their violent hatred with myths of Jewish control over media, banking, or government. What all of these have in common is a reliance on pernicious conspiracy theories about alleged Jewish power and influence.

Recently, one of the most prominent hip hop artists and cultural icons in America threatened to go “DEATHCON 3” on the Jewish people (whatever that means), whom he accuses of controlling the entertainment industry – an industry that has made him very wealthy while indulging his odious views, dismissing his antisemitism and bigotry as mere artistic eccentricity. His antisemitism is hardly new, but it is shocking that media and apparel companies continued to give him a platform until the recent public outcry.

It can be tricky to publicly challenge expressions of antisemitism. When the Jewish community speaks up against antisemitism – calling on companies to distance themselves from celebrities like Kanye West – it can feed into the very antisemitic tropes of Jewish power and influence he disseminates. Nonetheless, we must speak up loudly against antisemitic rhetoric online because online conspiracy theories have real-world consequences. The attacker in Pittsburgh was motivated by “replacement theory” – a belief he acquired online that purports a Jewish-led conspiracy to flood America with dark-skinned foreigners.

And antisemitism cannot be separated from other hate ideologies. As the “replacement theory” shows – antisemites don’t discriminate when it comes to the targets of their hatred. Wherever we see antisemitism thrive, we also find racism and other expressions of bigotry. Antisemitism is the proverbial “canary in the coal mine” warning us that hatred is on the rise.

Yet we also have reasons to be hopeful. Four years ago, when the Pittsburgh synagogue was attacked, I was at that time the President of the Rocky Mountain Rabbis and Cantors association. In that role, I witnessed the outpouring of support for the Jewish community that came from everywhere in Denver. At the vigil our community organized in the wake of the terrorism, there were people of all races representing the Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and Sikh communities. And, when just five months later, a mosque in New Zealand was attacked, I was proud to stand alongside the faith community in supporting our Muslim neighbors.

What gives me hope is when I see that people of goodwill from every faith community and racial group coming to understand that antisemitism is integral to the DNA of American racism. We cannot combat hate in our own silos.

While it breaks my heart to witness antisemitism on display, perhaps Kanye West did us a favor this week when we remember the domestic terrorism of the Tree of Life attack. He exposed the reality that antisemitism cannot be decoupled from other forms of hatred. And just as we Jews have to be vigilant for our own safety, we need to unite with other marginalized communities to stand up to racism and bigotry.

That is why we at HEA work so hard to be both a secure and a welcoming, inclusive community. We will do everything in our power to protect ourselves, and we will never lock our doors to anyone seeking unity and peace with the Jewish people.

Let us resolve to hold one another in love and compassion as we stand up to hate and violence.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArbeat: Introducing Shir Shacharit

10/21/2022 07:36:46 AM

Oct21

HEArbeat: Introducing Shir Shacharit

Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald, Rabbi Sarah Shulman,

and Music Director, Eitan Kantor

שירוּ לה' שיר חָדָש כִּי נִפְלָאות עָשה

"Sing to Adonai a new song, for God has wrought wonders" (Psalm 98 from Kabbalat Shabbat)

We began this year in song, both beautiful new ones and comfortable, familiar ones. In partnership with our dedicated davening team, choir, Musical Director, clergy, and congregation, we plan to continue building Jewish experiences at HEA, where music is at the center of what we do to create meaning and worship together. We are committed to holding sacred space for the diverse religious needs of our community while we elevate one another with our voices in song and connection.

As one expression of our musical community, we are thrilled to announce that Shir Hadash will be returning with greater frequency in the coming months, beginning with a Shir Shacharit service at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 29!

You might be wondering, what is Shir Shacharit?

On Shabbat morning, October 29, HEA will have two options for morning services:

Our Traditional Service will be held in the Sanctuary from 9:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
A new offering called Shir Shacharit will be held in Bay 4 of the Social Hall from 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.

Shir Shacharit will be in the style of Shir Hadash, but the service will only include P'sukei D'Zimra and Shacharit. The service will not include a Torah reading or a sermon. At the conclusion of the service, attendees will have several interesting options:

Participate in a class on the Torah portion taught by Cherie Karo Schwartz (in the Chapel, geared toward adults)
Participate in a Jewish learning experience with Rabbi Shulman (Bay 4 of Social Hall, geared towards children/families)
Join the Traditional Service for Torah reading and Musaf
Shmooze in the library

We will also hold Shir Shacharit on December 3.

The purpose of Shir Shacharit is to provide additional opportunities for Shir Hadash-style prayer in 2022 as we move towards more frequent full Shir Hadash services in 2023.

The dates for all Shir Hadash services in the coming months are as follows so you can mark your calendars and join us:

October 29
November 12
November 19
December 3
December 17
January 7
January 21
February 4
February 18

May we all sing new songs together -- literally and spiritually -- in the coming year!

Shabbat Shalom,
Your Bimah Team
Rabbi Gruenwald, Rabbi Shulman, and Eitan Kantor

Feel free to reach out to Eitan Kantor at eitan@HEAdenver.org with any questions.

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArbeat of Chesed: Answering the Call in Our Season of Joy

10/14/2022 06:01:28 AM

Oct14

HEArbeat of Chesed:

Answering the Call in Our Season of Joy

Lisa Soicher

Jewish Community Liaison at JFS

lsoicher@jewishfamilyservice.org

Rabbi Shulman’s Rosh Hashanah sermon got me thinking a lot about chesed (loving-kindness). My earliest, most memorable experience with chesed occurred when I was eight years old, on a family trip to the Chicago Zoo with my five siblings. We encountered a distinguished-looking elderly gentleman in a soiled three-piece suit and bow tie resting on a park bench. His hair was quite disheveled, but with his tattered briefcase on the ground beside him, it was obvious he cared about keeping up appearances.

To preserve his dignity and avoid potentially embarrassing him, my mom gave my sister and me a $10 bill and instructed us to wait near the bench for a bit. We were told once he got up to walk away, we were to approach him, show the money we found under the bench and say it obviously must have fallen from his pocket. My mother’s generosity and compassion were overshadowed only by her sensitivity to protecting his dignity. Chesed is the intersection where empathy and action meet.

Fast-forward fifty years, I find myself working in the chesed business for one of Colorado’s most well-respected human services agencies, Jewish Family Service (JFS). Before joining JFS a year ago, I, like many others, had no idea about the economic vulnerability of Jews in our own community.

Yet the 2018-19 Greater Denver Jewish Community Study commissioned by the Rose Community Foundation revealed that 18% of the approximately 91,000 Jews living in the Denver Metro area reported having difficulty making ends meet or were unable to do so. 13% skipped rent, mortgage, or utility payments, and nearly 80% reported experiencing mental health issues (anxiety, stress, depression, or other serious mental health issues). Given the study was conducted before the pandemic, it’s safe to assume these statistics underestimate the magnitude of the problem. What’s even more troubling, only 6% of these people described as economically vulnerable sought help from a Jewish agency or synagogue. Part of my job is to disseminate the key takeaways of the Study to the Jewish community in hopes of shedding more light on this growing issue, and the stigma Jews feel about asking for help while also spreading the word about the 30+ programs and services JFS offers to tackle some of the issues. In short, JFS is here to serve the entire community, including its Jews.

As we celebrate Sukkot this week by spending time outdoors in our sukkahs, vulnerable to the elements, we’re reminded of the risk and uncertainty our ancestors faced. For many Jews, this vulnerability and uncertainty remain a very real threat millennia later. Housing insecurity, inadequate access to food, and mental health issues are among the many modern-day challenges people face.

If Rabbi Shulman has you thinking too about chesed, there are lots of opportunities via JFS. Assisting with our mobile food pantry, leading Shabbat services at assisted living facilities, and becoming a Best Buddy to an adult with intellectual or developmental disabilities, among them. Check out the full list here. You can contribute in other ways by:

Bringing items from this list High Holiday Donation List flyer.pdf to the JFS High Holiday Food and Hygiene Drive barrels located in HEA’s lobby
Helping JFS raise the matching funds needed for the Claims Conference on Material Claims Against Germany, demonstrating our community is invested in the welfare and wellbeing of our survivors.
Participating in the Adopt a Family Bright Holidays gift program by providing families in need with holiday gifts. Details available soon.

I’m happy to answer questions about JFS, the Community Study and how you can get involved. Contact me at lsoicher@jewishfamilyservice.org!

Shabbat Shalom!

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

Heartbeat of Sukkot

10/07/2022 09:20:30 AM

Oct7

Heartbeat of Sukkot

Shira Teed, Director of Engagement

shira@HEAdenver.org

This year High Holidays at HEA really felt like we were, as Rabbi Gruenwald described in his sermon, Panim al Panim (face-to-face). It was such an amazing feeling to greet so many of you in person at HEA and Bethany Church. Each time I connect with a new member, a congregant of 20 years, or even our preschool toddlers, it reminds me of why we do this important work.

Guess what? Our season of holiday joy is just getting started! Today I am writing this HEArtbeat looking forward to a wonderful week of joyous celebration as we move into the harvest holidays of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah. HEA has so much in store for you all, and I cannot wait to see you at our amazing holiday celebrations.

This Sunday evening, October 9, marks the beginning of Sukkot. To usher in my absolute favorite Jewish holiday, we will be hosting the 2nd annual HEA Fall Sukkot Festival Sunday, October 9, from 11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. Register TODAY to get the pre-festival pricing, which closes at 3:00 p.m. TODAY. This event will have something for everyone! For the youngest HEA members, you can expect many fun festival activities like:

Clydesdale Horse Drawn Hayrides
Petting Zoo
Face Painting
Bouncy House Basketball
Science Experiments for Science Matters
Construction Equipment Demos
Gaga Pit
Sukkah decoration crafts
And many more fun activities

For our members of all ages, you will not be left out. We will also have plenty to keep you entertained, such as:

Amazing musical and dance entertainment on the main stage from Hadgaba (Featuring HEA’s own Eitan Kantor), The Timberline Troubadours (Bluegrass band), and Dance Kaleidoscope dance troop
HEA Market Shuk, where you can shop for glasswork, pottery, jewelry, skincare, suncatchers, and many more homemade goods.
Sukkah Banner sales courtesy of the Sukkah Project (sukkot.com)
Shake the Lulav with the Rabbis
Tikkun Olam group activities
Community Partner area

Unable to make it on Sunday? Next Friday, October 14, HEA will host a special Friday night full of activity. Our wonderful Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat will begin with a Happy hour at 5:30 p.m. During this wonderful service, we will be honoring our HEA history with the first presentation of our “West Side Tales and Treasures.” Come hear some of our wonderful West Side HEA members share their stories of growing up at HEA when it was located in Denver’s Northwest neighborhood. Afterward, join us for a lovely dinner from our Sisterhood in the HEA Sukkah.

The last big Hurrah of the Holiday season is Simchat Torah. This year will be unlike any other that HEA has seen. You will not want to miss Gora Gora Simchat Torah on Monday, October 17. Celebrate the new cycle of the Torah as we finish the last words of the Torah for the year. We will sing and dance along with Gora Gora Orkestar, a lively brass band that will get us all up and dancing with the Torahs! Join us for dancing, drinks, and so much fun. We will begin the evening with a special Simchat Torah children’s service at 5:30 p.m. and look forward to the entire community joining us at 6:30–8:00 p.m.

As you can see, the HEA staff is not yet done with the Holidays! Join us in the fun as we continue Panim al Panim. See you Sunday!

Shabbat Shalom!

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: Thoughts for the 10 Days of Awe

09/30/2022 07:05:00 AM

Sep30

HEArtbeat: Thoughts for the 10 Days of Awe

Laura Intfen

CEO
laura@HEAdenver.org

After two years of experiencing the oddest High Holy Days of HEA’s history and my career, earlier this week, I watched with eyes of wonder as Rosh Hashanah 5783 rushed into our building and our community.

You came through the north and west doors into the main building. You came off of Hampden Road into Bethany. You brought yourself, your parents, your neighbors, your children, and your friends.

You joined us online. You joined us on You Tube, on Facebook, or on Stream Spot. You watched and let us know that you felt part of the community. It didn’t matter if you watched online due to illness or distance, you were here.

You heard the sermons. Rabbi Shulman expressed the need for chesed, Rabbi Gruenwald expanding the normality of a coffee shop chat into thoughts of Torah and Buber. But did you hear the “to dos”? Did you hear the “action items”? They were plain and simple:

Come to Kol Nidre and be together.
Attend the Yom Kippur services that speak to you.
Come back together at N’eliah and share your Yom Kippur with another soul.
Repeat this process of coming together throughout the year.

Tuesday evening, starting at 6:00 p.m., HEA is offering a unifying evening of prayer in our sanctuary for everyone. Put on your tallit and join us. Whether you show up online or in person, together, we will ignite the lamp of God that is the human spirit and light the flame of healing and forgiveness. One Alliance personified.

Then on Wednesday, step up to the buffet of worship that is offered and be filled. The day offers Traditional, Family, Shir Hadash, Healing, and Yizkor prayers. Each worship service offers different connections to God, different tones, and different messages. Be present wherever you land and take away whatever you need.

At the end of the day on Wednesday, you may feel vulnerable. Prayer is work and the fast is not meant to be easy. You may have that feeling of being all alone with yourself. It is in that state of being and with that mindset that you are asked to come together again in your HEA sanctuary.
Bring the day with you and join us as together we watch the gates and the day close with Mincha and Ma’ariv services at 5:30 p.m. and then stay for N’eliah as we gather shoulder to shoulder for Havdalah and to hear the shofar one more time.

Come to share your day of prayer with another human being. Share the thoughts you had as you massaged your heart during the Al Chet prayer, or what stuck out in your mind as you recited Vidui, or how you felt lifted in spirit as you sang Avinu Malkeinu and acknowledged that there is something outside of ourselves that is bigger than the differences between us.

Ask another soul about their experience based on the four questions that Rabbi Gruenwald introduced to us on Rosh Hashanah:

What road did you travel today on your Yom Kippur journey?
How are you feeling at this moment?
How will today affect the upcoming year for you?
How can being together right before the gates are locked and shuttered help to fill your cup?

N’eliah gives us the opportunity to realize the implications of carrying the diversity of our community into our sanctuary walls. May the upcoming Yom Kippur week and year allow us to find peace within us and peace among us. May we accentuate our togetherness to help alleviate our loneliness. And…

“May the One who makes peace in the high heavens make peace for us, all Israel, and all who dwell on earth; and let us say: Amen.”

Click HERE for a complete schedule of our upcoming Yom Kippur worship services and programs, or to watch the Rosh Hashanah services and read Rabbi Shulman’s and Rabbi Gruenwald’s sermons.

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: Many Paths. One Alliance

09/23/2022 08:50:47 AM

Sep23

HEArtbeat: Many Paths. One Alliance.

Caron Blanke

HEA President
president@HEAdenver.org

Six weeks ago, HEA launched the first of several personal stories, captured on video, of some of our congregants. These stories represent the diverse and meaningful ways in which our members connect to HEA. I hope you have had an opportunity to watch them. They are not only beautiful and unique, but they capture what you will be hearing more about this holiday season- there are many pathways that people travel to HEA, ultimately connecting them to one Alliance. While this is the title of our High Holiday giving campaign - “Many Paths. One Alliance.” the concept has never rung more true. More and more, we are hearing from members about the ways in which they have connected to our shul, whether it be from 50 years ago on the west side of Denver to just recently through a new program that we hosted. These stories illuminate the diversity that is created when these journeys converge to create one community.

Modern Hebrew translates a journey made by foot as masa. The Torah uses the word masa to describe the generation-long journey made by the Israelites to the land of Israel. Recalling and reflecting on this part of our history requires that we understand that our individual life journeys are both reflected in and impacted by the larger journeys of our people (and vice versa). Listening to the Pathways’ stories illuminated by this campaign, we are reminded that most journeys are somehow a continuation of those that came before and are shaped in part by those with whom we travel.The power of community is critical both for our individual momentum in life as well as for our communal success.

We are asking each of you, members of our sacred HEA community, to think this holiday season about the path you have walked to arrive at HEA and to please consider making a financial contribution that reflects your connection to our one Alliance. Your path, your story, and your connection matter to us. And your financial gift to HEA allows us to perpetuate and strengthen the important work of the congregation.

Please participate in our HEA Pathways Campaign by making a contribution HERE and sharing your HEA pathway story by emailing James McKeon at james@HEAdenver.org.

By sharing what we believe, about what we care the most, and from what and whom we have learned and grown, we create ripples that are not bound by the laws of nature but are rather galvanized by the unbreakable connection between the past and the future. Thank you for being a valued member of HEA.

Wishing you and your family a meaningful, healthy and peaceful 5783.

Shana Tova,

Caron

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: A High Holiday Message from the HEA Clergy

09/16/2022 02:37:46 PM

Sep16

HEArtbeat: A High Holiday Message from the HEA Clergy

Enjoy this video message from Eitan Kantor, HEA's Director of Congregational Music, Rabbi Sarah Shulman, and Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald.

Shana Tova!

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: Elul in the Shul In-Town Shabbaton

09/09/2022 07:11:16 AM

Sep9

HEArtbeat: HEArtbeat: Elul in the Shul In-Town Shabbaton

Shira Teed

HEA Director of Engagement

shira@HEAdenver.org

Borne out of necessity in 2020, Elul in the Shul was a program designed to offer our community an opportunity for true connection in a safe way to the clergy, staff and lay leadership of the HEA. During the first year of this innovative program, hundreds of you came into the synagogue, drove through our parking lot, or came by to experience the connection of community while preparing for the High Holidays.

Those times were tough, but because of those unique moments that we experienced together, I definitely look back with a smile and a light heart. It is those memories that encourage me to continue the work of bringing community together, even when the together was apart.

Luckily now the together is together! In our third year of Elul in the Shul, we have shifted the programming, much like we have done throughout these last three years. This year we are focusing on the meaning of Elul once again, but rather than giving you our theme for the year, it will be up to you to create your own theme for Elul, with our help, of course.

The first year, our theme was Ayeka (Where are you). We were all lost, trying to find ourselves again. Last year we flipped the theme to Hineni (Here I am). Like Abraham answering G-d’s call, we, too, were asked to show up for our community once again. This year, we will be enlisting the expertise of a very special Scholar in Residence to find our theme for our own High Holidays. We all have something that we would like to hold on to for our upcoming year or perhaps let go of. Elul in the Shul this year will help to prepare you for the work of letting go of the things not serving you and holding on to what does.

Our Elul in the Shul experience this year will be set up as an in-town Shabbaton with a special guest, Scholar in Residence Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz. Rabbi Shmuly is the founder of Valley Beit Midrash, which partners with HEA for Educational programming. Rabbi Shmuly was named one of America's most inspiring Rabbis by the Forward. This is your chance to learn with him and your HEA community in a fun, warm and inviting atmosphere. We will be hosting many events throughout the weekend, but we will kick things off on Friday, September 16, with a wonderful musical Azamra Kabbalat Shabbat and congregational dinner. All are encouraged to join us for this meaningful evening catered by Cohens Cuisine.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR DINNER AND AZAMRA

Saturday morning will bring our Shabbat services, where you have the choice to join us in our traditional Shabbat morning service or at Shir Hadash. After services, we will gather together in the social hall for a lovely oneg, and our first ever joint chevrutah learning in the social hall during kiddush! It will certainly be a lively way to get into the spirit of the holidays.

Our big Shabbaton weekend will come to an end with a very special cosponsored Selichot event with HEA, Rodef Shalom, and Minyan Na’aleh. Starting off with dessert and drinks, we will delight in Havdalah, music, learning and a special Selichot service led by our musical director, Eitan Kantor and Moshe Kornfeld from Rodef Shalom.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR HAVDALAH AND SELICHOT

This weekend is not to be missed. So call up a friend that you have not seen in a while, and bring them along to what we hope will become an annual event of reconnection and renewal. I wish you all Shabbat Shalom, and I look forward to seeing you at our Elul in the Shul Shabbaton!

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: High Holiday Tunes

09/02/2022 01:33:30 PM

Sep2

HEArtbeat: High Holiday Tunes

Eitan Kantor

HEA Music Director

eitan@HEAdenver.org

But if a prayer leader is just trying to have people hear his own voice, and is rejoicing in the mere quality of his voice – this is a travesty.

- Shulhan Arukh, Orah Hayyim 53:11 (#130), translation from The Torah of Music by Joey Weisenberg.

Sometimes, when a person sings, he cannot raise his voice. But when someone comes to help and sings strongly, this in turn gives the first person the ability to raise his own voice [to match]. This is of the secret significance of uniting, soul to soul.

- Pinhas of Koretz, Midrash Pinhas, vol. 1 (Lvov, 1872), translation from The Torah of Music by Joey Weisenberg.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are nearly upon us, and I need your help. Please help everyone in the HEA community connect soul to soul by raising your voice and helping others raise their voices. Every singing voice is welcome at HEA. And please help me avoid the travesty mentioned in the Shulhan Arukh – if you sing strongly with me, you will help me avoid any suspicion that I am singing merely to rejoice in hearing my own voice.

We in the music department will be introducing several new melodies for the High Holidays, both in Shir Hadash and the Traditional Service. I’ve included links to some of the new melodies below so you can listen and learn the tunes. There are also two upcoming opportunities to learn these melodies with me in person before Rosh Hashanah:

Post-kiddush high holiday song learning sessions at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow, September 3, in the chapel
Selichot Service and Concert on September 17 at 8:15 p.m. in partnership with Rodef Shalom and Minyan Na’aleh.

Thank you! I can’t wait to sing with you and connect with you!

Eitan Kantor, Music Director

NEW SONG LIST

Ochila by Rabbi Yosef Goldman and Eitan Kantor (this song has not been officially released yet, and this file is not the final version – keep an eye out for the official track release in the next few weeks!)
El Nora Alila by Eliana Light
Ya’aleh Koleinu by Joey Weisenberg
Min Hameitzar by Deborah Sacks Mintz
Elul Nigun by Eitan Katz
Modim by Cantor Alisa Pomerantz-Boro
Rachamana, a classic Chabad Nigun
Mima’amakim by Joey Weisenberg

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: Jewish Education - It Takes a Tribe

08/26/2022 07:19:13 AM

Aug26

HEArtbeat: Jewish Education - It Takes a Tribe

Amanda Eckert

HEA Education Director

amanda@HEAdenver.org

It’s my pleasure to introduce myself to you all! I’m Amanda Eckert (she/her/hers), the new Education Director here at Hebrew Education Alliance. I come to HEA with ten years of education experience and working within communities. Teach for America brought me to Colorado from New York, where I was a Special Education team lead for many years in Denver Public Schools. For the past five years, I’ve led the Girl Scout of Colorado program team by developing new ways to engage young people. I’m very active in the Denver improv theaters, including performing, teaching, and leading their educational school. I also come with a lifetime of Jewish values, identity, practices, and love. As I write this, I am finishing my third week at HEA. In these short weeks, we’ve successfully launched Religious and Hebrew School, hired new instructors, led teacher training, started planning youth programs, and so much more. Who said that slow and steady wins the race?

You may want to know what my educational philosophy is and what my goals are for the HEA Education Department. Rooted in Jewish values, I come from the belief that learning happens by doing, the need to engage creative opportunities for youth to learn, and building a conscious community in the classroom. My goals for this year are to evaluate what is currently working at our school and identity the gaps we want to fill. I will be creating data-driven strategies to allow for meaningful and community lead conversations on how to improve our program opportunities. I’m excited to bring authentic and fun multi-culture programs to HEA through my equity and community partnerships skills.

They say it takes a village to support a child. I say it takes a tribe! What we do, doesn’t happen in a vacuum. What we do, doesn’t stop at the classroom. What we do happens because of the larger community and environment we welcome young people to. The HEA community exemplifies how we show importance and joy in Jewish life and that it is a lifetime journey. Even if you are not active in our school, I greatly appreciate the larger community that welcomes everyone and models the values we want to teach kids.

I’m really excited to be a part of the HEA family and look forward to connecting with you all! Feel free to reach out to me directly at Amanda@HEAdenver.org.

B’shalom,
Amanda

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: Back to School

08/19/2022 07:06:29 AM

Aug19

SERVICE TIME CORRECTION: The start time for Shir Hadash this Shabbat is 10:00 a.m., not 9:30 a.m. as it was listed in the Wednesday HEAdlines email.

HEArtbeat: Back to School

Rebecca Paradis

HEA Preschool Director

rparadis@HEAdenver.org

“Wherever children are learning, there dwells the Divine Presence”

-Yiddish Proverb

This is the week of first day of school photos and lots of learning! We have had more smiles than tears from the children and their parents. Our hallways are buzzing in a way they haven’t since March 2020. We are delighted to have our families back in the building, able to see our spaces and each other, making connections to strengthen our school community.

Our educators returned early for a week of classroom setup, professional development, and reconnection. We are fortunate to have both new and returning staff. We worked to create intentional, beautiful, and playful spaces. We joined forces with Temple Sinai Preschool to begin a year-long learning experience for our teachers around Outdoor Education. This opportunity is grant funded by the Circle Grant we were awarded in June. On Friday, we hosted a classroom open house, Shabbat Sing, and some cool treats to beat the heat.

We resume our weekly school-wide Shabbat Sing Fridays at 9:15 a.m. and invite families and friends to join us.

This fall, HEA Preschool is celebrating its 25-year anniversary, and I would like to recognize our Assistant Director, Jamie Lambert, for being here since we opened our doors. Also worth mentioning, Joann Dare, our founding Director, is back in Denver. Our school would not exist without these two amazing women! While Joann is retired, she did offer to be a substitute if we really need her, and we always need subs! If you love spending time with young children and are interested in substitute or part-time work, please give us a call.

We would love to see all our alumni families, so stop by our preschool tent at the HEA Sukkot Festival on Sunday, Oct 9!

Shabbat Shalom!

SERVICE TIME CORRECTION: The start time for Shir Hadash this Shabbat is 10:00 a.m., not 9:30 a.m. as it was listed in the Wednesday HEAdlines email.

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: Rabbi Dollin's Last Shabbat Service

08/12/2022 07:04:15 AM

Aug12

HEArtbeat: Rabbi Dollin's Last Shabbat Service

Rabbi Bruce Dollin

rabbi@HEAdenver.org

My Dear Congregation,

As I pondered the last few days of my role as Senior Rabbi of HEA, I reflected on how many services I led on the bema in my 36 years in the Rabbinate. Including all the Shabbatot, High Holidays, and Festivals, it adds up to roughly 2100 services. So many simchas, so many B’nai Mitzvah, so many birthdays, so many anniversaries and anniversaries of B’nai Mitzvah! What a joy it has been. Tomorrow will be the last one: service 2101. It would be great to see you in shul tomorrow to celebrate with my family and me.

I have had many thoughts about this transition in my life. When the Torah ends, and we read the last sentence on Simchat Torah, we pause not even a minute before we read the Haftorah, where we take up the action again with Joshua leading the People into the Promised Land. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks once wrote that the Torah ends in the middle of the story. It is hardly an ending. One might say that we all live in the middle of our stories, stories that continue to be written each and every day. As my career as Senior Rabbi ends, it is only the middle for me. Family, study, reading, enjoying, and waiting for the next opportunity to pop up: that is where I will live after next Tuesday, my last day of professional work at HEA.

For 35 years, at this time of year, I would glance up at the moon to see where it was in its cycle. On Tisha B’av, it would be waxing, leading up to its full size on the 15th of the month, which, interestingly enough, was last night. Then it would wane again to disappear for a day as the month of Elul begins. Wax again, wane again, and then there is Rosh Hashanah (which for me always arrived too soon!). Sukkot begins when the moon is full once more.

Everyone knows that when the moon disappears, it is still there, but we just can’t see the sun’s rays reflecting on it temporarily. It is gone for a day, and then a sliver returns, the new month begins, and it's on its way to the great blazing in the sky once more. I see my retirement like that as well. One part of my life is ending, but it is only a day before the light returns, and the cycle continues.

We live in the middle. One part seems to end, but the light returns, and the cycle begins yet again. I so look forward to all of this that is happening in my life.

I end my HEArtbeat today with gratitude. I have had the privilege of being a part of your lives in the good times and hard times and times when you just wanted to be in community with me and others, learning and praying. I have loved it all. Thank you!

I want to wish Rabbi Gruenwald, Laura Intfen, our new clergy team, our professional staff, our lay leaders, and the Congregation only the best in the years to come. The shul is in good hands, and I look forward to its thriving into the future.

Tammy and I will remain in the neighborhood. “Kenahora,” Shai and Rebecca Dollin, and Kivi and Michelle Dollin live close by. Yoni is doing his training in Dayton, Ohio, and we see him often and miss him. Vivi and her fiancée, Ryan Fleisher, live in Chicago but are coming home often now to prepare for their wedding here next Spring. Perhaps one day, all the Dollins will live in Denver, and our Shabbat dinners will be loud and crowded with kids everywhere. With God’s help, may it be so. We have much joy to look forward to.

So I bid you all so long. I know we will see each other often in community in the days ahead.

With gratitude and love,

Rabbi Bruce Dollin

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities – How to Get Involved!

08/05/2022 02:03:30 PM

Aug5

HEArtbeat: Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities –

How to Get Involved!

Eitan Kantor,

HEA Music Director
eitan@HEAdenver.org

“I’ve often told children the story of a man who stood before God, his heart breaking from the pain and injustice in the world. ‘Dear God,’ he cried out, ‘Look at all the suffering, the anguish and distress in Your world. Why don’t you send help?’ God responded: ‘I did send help. I sent you.’”
― David J. Wolpe, Why Faith Matters

This story invites each of us to see ourselves as essential workers in the creation of a just and vibrant world. In the HEA community, we do our best to uphold the values that we hope to see upheld in the wider world – values such as kindness, justice, service to others, safety, and gratitude. As in the story related by Rabbi Wolpe, we can’t wait for some outside force to bring these values to life. Instead, we must each take it upon ourselves to enact these values.

In that vein, I’m excited to share a list of volunteer opportunities through which you can connect with new and old friends, have fun and help create the community you hope to be part of.

Please fill out THIS FORM to let us know about which volunteer opportunities we should send you more information

Filling out the form indicates interest, not an official commitment. There are opportunities to volunteer for the High Holidays (ushers and greeter/safety team members), and year-round opportunities (participating in services, serving on committees, and heading up HEAconnect groups).

Thank you for the volunteer work that you already do and for the future volunteer work that you will do at HEA and throughout the wider world. Our community is active and dedicated! The Jerusalem Talmud says in Tractate Peah 1:1 that “Deeds of loving–kindness are equal in weight to all the commandments.”

Shabbat Shalom!

Tisha B’Av at HEA
Saturday, August 6
7:00 p.m. - Mincha
8:00 p.m. - Seudah Shlishit
8:30 p.m. - Teaching

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat of Morning and Evening Services

07/22/2022 10:56:58 AM

Jul22

HEArtbeat of Morning and Evening Services

A note from HEA: We are so thrilled to be able to offer in-person daily minyan again and hope that you will feel the pull of community and join us. Whether it is your first time or you have been coming for years, for whatever reason you are coming, you will be welcomed. Find a time and day that work for you, and we will see you in the Chapel:

Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m.
Friday Mincha/Ma’ariv: 6:00 p.m.
Saturday Mincha Ma’ariv: 7:30 p.m. (this time may change in the future, please check our website for any changes)
Sunday morning: 8:00 a.m.

Thank you, Jonathan Defez, for sharing your story.

__________________________________________________

Jonathan Defez

HEA Congregant

My fellow congregants:

Nearly 20 years ago, I started attending daily minyan at the HEA. At the time, all it sounded like to me was a bunch of old men mumbling. That’s all I knew.

With the loving guidance and instruction from Fred Karp, I began to understand the prayers, nusach (melody), and meaning. After many years of repetition, I was able to participate more and even started to lead. The service became meaningful.

My primary reason for attending was essentially selfish: I was there to communicate and deepen my relationship with G-d. My secondary but much more powerful reason for being there was to be a part of and support the HEA community. Several people were there to honor a loved one that had died, and by being part of ten adult Jews, a minyan, I helped focus the presence of G-d on our gathering. This allowed us to recite Kaddish and perform a complete service.

Due to COVID restrictions, for over two years, this sacred practice went online. Despite my aversion to this medium, I attended and even led prayers on Zoom. I overcame my aversion for the sake of the community. The clergy has determined that this is the week when we will finally start meeting in person again. They have also determined that only ten adult Jews present in the room will count as a minyan.

I am concerned that after years of the safety and convenience of the online minyan, people will be reluctant to return to the in-person minyan.
I need your help.

My family and I have decided to move my mom home from the hospital into in-home hospice care. I don’t know if I have days, weeks, or months left with my beloved mother. One way or the other, sooner or later, I will need to start saying Kaddish. I do not believe this is merely coincidental timing now that in-person minyans are starting up again.

My request of you, similar to my reasons for attending minyan, is both selfish and communal. Selfishly, I want you there so I will be able to say Kaddish with my community. You will find me there every Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. and every Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. until sundown dictates otherwise.

My communal request is more impactful. Not only do I need you, but your community needs you as well. Every Monday-Friday morning, your fellow congregants will be there, many of them needing to say Kaddish. If you aren’t there, they will not be able to.

I’ve been there for all of you for nearly 20 years. I’ve attended shiva minyans, daily minyans, Friday evening minyans, and Mincha/Maariv Shabbos minyans to support those saying Kaddish. Now my fellow regular minyan attendees and I need you.

I promise you will be warmly welcomed and feel good about yourself and your contribution when you are done. If you want to know more about the daily prayers, I would be happy to learn with you, as Fred Karp once did for me.

Thank you for your consideration.

Jonathan Defez
HEA member and regular daily minyan attendee

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: Reintroducing HEAdenver.org

07/08/2022 07:02:58 AM

Jul8

Reintroducing HEAdenver.org

James McKeon
Communications Director and recent bar mitzvah boy)
james@HEAdenver.org

We’ve updated the way our website looks and upgraded the way it works.

Entering 2022, we had a goal to update our website. The template we were using was expiring—meaning ShulCloud could no longer support it, and your user experience would suffer as some updates would no longer take place. So we took the opportunity to build on several years’ worth of user feedback to streamline content, make it more easily searchable, make the website more mobile-friendly, and feed our ever-growing social media audience with timely and engaging posts.

We turned to Strat Labs, a Denver-based Marketing & Communications firm, to help bring our vision to life. And a little more than halfway through the year, here we are!

Take a look at the annotated snapshot of our new homepage below. You can click on it to see a larger image in your browser.

Our website provides our members with more than good looks and accurate information. It’s also a membership data system that gives every member access to their member account. With this system powered by ShulCloud (used by over a thousand other congregations), you can connect more easily with other members through the online directory, manage your information, and register for events. Via the “My Account” section of the website, ShulCloud provides a secure and private way to view your transaction history, enter payment methods, set up recurring payments, and make donations.

But, to use all these amazing features, you need to be logged in. If you have not already signed into your account, please contact me, and I’ll send you a password link and help you get started.

HEAdenver.org has been revamped with you--the HEA member--in mind, and because a website is an ever-adaptable space, we don’t have to wait until the next rebuild to make it work better. Based on the needs of this community, our website content and functionality will keep pace, not by AI or robots, but through your feedback. So poke around and let us know what you think.

Shabbat Shalom!

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: Announcing the Return of Daily Minyan

07/01/2022 07:00:26 AM

Jul1

HEArtbeat: Announcing the Return of Daily Minyan

Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald
RabbiG@HEAdenver.org

The experience of the pandemic has taught us many lessons. One of those lessons is that there really is no true substitute for in-person community. For the past two years, we’ve used technology effectively to deliver synagogue programs on Zoom and stream worship services live on the internet. These technologies have given our community access to Jewish religious life when in-person participation was not possible.

Our ancient ancestors could never have imagined technology that would allow people to gather “virtually” at great distances from one another. Yet, they understood that a group of people gathered together is more than the sum of its parts. Sacred community can only really happen when people are in physical proximity. That is why our Sages established the rules of minyan – a prayer quorum of ten adults required to recite communal prayers that invoke God’s holiness. These “divrei bik’dusha” include barchu, kaddish, Torah reading, and the repetition of the Amidah. For thousands of years, these elements of the service were only said when 10 or more adults gathered in the same place.

During the coronavirus pandemic, HEA followed guidance provided by the Rabbinical Assembly, allowing for the constituting of a minyan through video conferencing technologies such as Zoom. For the past two years, we at HEA have been conducting morning minyanim and shiva services via Zoom, counting all the online participants as part of the minyan.

As the danger of the pandemic subsides and most people have returned to in-person activities, it is time for HEA to resume in-person daily morning minyan, weekly Kabbalat Shabbat minyan, and Shabbat afternoon mincha services. Starting Monday, July 18, 2022 we will resume these services in-person, constituting a minyan of those gathered in the room together.

We will continue to stream daily morning minyan, which will allow people to participate remotely in communal prayer, but only those gathered in person will be counted toward the quorum. At the same time, we recognize a countervailing value – the need of mourners to find comfort in reciting mourner’s kaddish.

In 2001, long before Zoom or the pandemic, the Rabbinical Assembly issued a teshuvah (position paper) authored by Rabbi Avram Reisner, addressing remote participation in a minyan. Rabbi Reisner’s well-researched teshuvah concluded that if a duly constituted minyan of 10 or more adults is gathered in one place (like synagogue or a house of mourning), other individuals can participate in the services through video or audio technology. Remote participants can respond to communal prayers and mourners are allowed to fulfill their obligation to recite mourner’s Kaddish with the community.

We at HEA take Jewish law and tradition seriously, and we also desire to make Jewish communal life accessible for our members. After careful consideration of the halachic sources and the guidance of the Rabbinical Assembly, we offer the following policy regarding minyan starting on July 18.

A prayer gathering only counts as a minyan if there are 10 Jewish adults present in one physical location, such as the HEA chapel or sanctuary, or in a house of Shiva.
The shaliach tzibbur – the prayer leader – should be chosen from among the minyan gathered in person. The service should not be led remotely.
Those participating through video or audio conferencing (e.g., Zoom) and those viewing a live broadcast of the service (e.g., YouTube) do not count as part of the minyan, but may participate fully in the service, respond to prayers such as Barchu, and may recite mourner’s kaddish along with the community.

These policies are intended to align our practices in a way that is both true to Jewish law and normative practice, while also making worship and community accessible to those who cannot attend in person. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Rabbi Gruenwald at 303-758-9400 or RabbiG@HEAdenver.org.

Shabbat Shalom!

Weekly Services Schedule

Weekday Shacharit: Monday – Friday at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel, Sundays at 8:00 a.m.
Kabbalat Shabbat: Fridays at 6:00 p.m. (year-round)
Shabbat Mincha: Saturday afternoons, times vary (check HEA calendar)

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

HEArtbeat: A Message from Tammy Dollin

06/24/2022 07:01:12 AM

Jun24

HEArtbeat: A Message from Tammy Dollin

Dear Friends,

For the last 27 years, I have been a part of this HEA community as your Rebbetzin and as your friend. I have postponed thinking about saying 'goodbye' because I simply cannot.

Too much has been shared. Too many moments where I was witness to your deepest sorrows and highest joys. Serving you throughout the years as a teacher, confidant, mentor, reassuring presence, Jewish professional, leader and so much more; this was a job I was called to do, not paid to do.

My children were shaped by our experience here. You watched them grow. We came in 1994 when Yoni was just 3 and Shai just 18 months. Kivi quickly joined as our first Rose baby, and Vivi followed in 1997. Those were busy days and nights, raising a family while building a community. I focused on supporting my husband so he could serve you and stay in good health and educating my children to be good and kind people, surrounded by love and acceptance. In my spare time, I managed to work on behalf of our larger Denver Jewish community, as the first Jewish educator of the JCC, initiator of the Hebrew-Israel Immersion Program at what is now DJDS, President of the Board at Denver Academy of Torah, first employee helping to create Ramah in the Rockies. I led a Women's Mission to Israel in 2013 that helped me find my own voice, as it raised up the voices of those who joined me. Bruce and I led two other congregational trips to Israel, sharing our love of that special place to those who traveled with us. I rekindled my own spirit as we ventured forth to start Shir Hadash, which became a point of entry for so many to connect to our shul in a different and new way.

I am so proud of my husband and what he has built and accomplished here at the HEA. Working in deep partnership with an incredible staff and dedicated volunteer leaders, he showed up each and every day – determined to work through whatever came his way. Sometimes he used his rabbinical training – composing and delivering sermons week after week that would connect hearts and minds to Torah and the questions of the day. I was proud of his craftsmanship – reading books, probing sources, weaving ideas and original thoughts together to bring insight, guidance and comfort. He created his classes with the same rigor and discipline, using his intellectual gifts to search for meaning and enrich lives.

Other times, he relied on intuition and his own moral guide, as he raced to your homes in heartbreaking moments, to be with you as you experienced pain and sorrow. He officiated at your life cycle events, welcoming ritual into your lives. He navigated the politics that inevitably occur in organizations, deftly restoring peace when invested volunteers working on behalf of the shul, always with the best of intentions, complained, disagreed, felt dissatisfied or disenfranchised. Rabbinical school didn't teach him how to juggle the needs and demands of an institution that grew to almost 1,000 family units, while being a devoted husband and father.

The last few years have been challenging for us all. To be a leader in the Jewish community at this time presented challenges – managing fear, misinformation, toxic national politics, changing cultural norms, new technologies and social media platforms, and through it all keep the priorities in sight – connecting people to one another and to Jewish tradition. Keep the synagogue relevant. Reinvent. Innovate. Do something! Anything! Fix it! Fix the world and fix us. Do it while managing your own fears and doubts. Set a new course. Envision what we will need in the future. Raise more funds. And keep doing what you've always been doing…

It's time for new spiritual leadership, new melodies, new ideas. It's time for Rabbi and Tammy to give over this mantle of leadership to Rabbi Salomon and Melanie, embrace our growing family, inviting in new life partners for our grown children – Rebecca, Michelle and Ryan, at last count.

Bruce will spend the next period reflecting, resting, reinventing this new chapter of our lives. We're not going anywhere, and our HEA story doesn't end here. We may be absent for a little while to give the new leadership team space to set a new course. We are content and fulfilled. We are grateful for the opportunity to know you all and serve you. And we look forward to what comes next – for you, for us, and for us both together.

B'shalom, but really l'hitraot (until we see you again),

Tammy
With Bruce, Yoni, Shai and Rebecca, Kivi and Michelle, Vivi and Ryan

Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 South Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80237
info@HEAdenver.org

www.HEAdenver.org

06/23/2022 01:37:21 PM

Jun23

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