Chanukah and Shabbat, Dec 8-9

December 6, 2023 by •

Hello Temple Beth Shalom Members and Friends, today is the last day to enter your reservation for this Friday’s Chanukah dinner and celebration!  To reserve, contact Lorraine Mixter at lorrainemixter@aol.com.
 
If you can’t make the dinner, it is followed by a brief, traditional Shabbat service at 7:30 pm.
There will also be Torah Study this Saturday, December 9 at 9:30 am.

Polk Museum of Art Trip — Sun Dec 10, 1 pm

December 4, 2023 by •

Hello Temple Beth Shalom Congregation, see again this opportunity to view an exhibit of the art of Samuel Bak on Sunday, December 10 at 1:00 pm (CORRECTION: not 3 pm as shown in the Chai Lites)

Join us on  December 10th, 2023, 1 p.m.

 Temple Beth Shalom Brotherhood/Sisterhood

 “Remembering Vilna: The Holocaust and the Art of Samuel Bak”

Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College

800 East Palmetto Street
Lakeland, Florida 33801-5529

The Museum is located in Downtown Lakeland just two blocks north of the Florida Southern College campus across from the Lakeland Public Library on Lake Morton.

Limited spots are available for this session.

 Please RSVP  to: Bobby Baum at: rbaum428@gmail.com

Parking is FREE!

No payment is necessary, but donations are accepted by the museum.

December 2023 Chai Lites

December 3, 2023 by •

Hello Temple Beth Shalom Members and Friends, the December 2023 Chai Lites are here for your reading pleasure and edification!  Many thanks to our monthly columnists and our other faithful content contributors, especially to our President and Editor, Lorraine Mixter.

 
Chanukah is more meaningful than ever this year as our family, friends, and other loved ones in Israel are engaged in another struggle for strength and presence in their Jewish homeland.  We can celebrate the holiday and also observe its important meaning by continuing to come together this Friday for the Chanukah dinner and celebration, followed by a traditional Shabbat service.  You still have a few days left to get your reservation in for the dinner and lighting the chanukiyot, as shown on the flyer below:
 
 

Get Ready To Light The Candles! 

  Hanukah Celebration

Learn about Jewish resistance and survival.

Gather at the table with friends, songs and lots of food to eat.

Bring your menorah for the candle lighting. We will provide the candles.

Dinner is followed by a short service.

Friday evening, December 8th at 6:00 pm

 Dinner will be catered by Publix

Chicken Tenders, Deli Trays, Salads, Potato Latkes and Dessert.

Members $18.00. Non-Members and Guests $20.00.

No cost for children ten and under.

Please RSVP no later than December 6th.

Your check is your reservation. Send your check to Temple Beth Shalom

P.O. Box 313, Winter Haven, FL 33882

For more information: lorrainemixter@aol.com 863-409-8509

ChaiLite2023DEC

TBS Ride Sharing

November 1, 2023 by •

Ride Share

Can’t drive at night?

You can still attend services or 

help someone who cannot drive.

What is Ride Sharing?

It is an arrangement in which drivers

who wish to offer rides and passengers 

who wish to obtain rides contact a 

central person who coordinates the 

sharing of individual automobile trips to 

religious services for the passengers.

Bert Devorsetz has agreed to coordinate this

 program.

Please RSVP to Bert if you are interested in participating:

727-914-8329 Home or Cell 863 397 6967

bertdevorsetz@gmail.com

November 2023 Chai Lites

November 1, 2023 by •

Hello Temple Beth Shalom Members and Friends, our President and Editor, Lorraine Mixter, and her many columnists and contributors worked hard on your November issue of the Chai Lites.  See inside all of the activities in development and the ways you can get involved in your synagogue and in your Jewish community.

ChaiLiteNov2023

Temple Emanuel Hosts Stand with Israel Rally, today at 5:30 pm

October 11, 2023 by •

Join us on the front lawn of Temple Emanuel, 600 Lake Hollingsworth Drive, Wednesday, October 11 at 5:30 pm for a community wide Stand With Israel Rally.  Please join us for this community solidarity rally as we seek comfort and strength through unity at this dire moment in history.
 
Please help us out by inviting your congregants and members to the rally.  Thank you.

Statement from President Joe Biden Condemning Terrorist Attacks in Israel

October 7, 2023 by •

As President of the congregation of Temple Beth Shalom, our hearts and minds are with Israel as they respond to this unprecedented attack on the country on this day of peace and celebration of the end of war. We pray that Hamas does the wise thing and steps back from its current position.

October 2023 Chai Lites

October 1, 2023 by •

Happy Fall, Temple Beth Shalom Members and Friends!  The October 2023 Chai Lites issue is here and attached for you.  There are plenty of activities announced there for you to join, and many events in the works.  Stay tuned to join us in the newly-decorated Sukkah this Friday, weather permitting, for a Sukkot ceremony at the end of our Shabbat service.  If you are joining on Zoom, we will bring you out with us!  Many thanks to our Board, Brotherhood/Sisterhood, and other contributors to the Chai Lites; and special thanks to our President and Editor, Lorraine Mixter, doing it all the way from Canada while making it feel so much at home.  🙂

ChaiLites Oct2023

Sukkah Decorations

October 1, 2023 by • , , ,

We have a nice group come out and decorate the Sukkah!

Decorate the Sukkah — Sun Oct 1, 11 am

September 24, 2023 by • ,

JOIN IN THE FUN
Decorate the Sukkah
Sunday, October 1 at 11:00 am
Bring a snack or lunch to eat in the Sukkah
1029 Bradbury Rd., Winter Haven

«‹ 6 7 8 9›»

From the Union For Reform Judaism / Reform Movement

For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard

For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard jemerman

Death and Mourning
star of david starry lights
As we head into the holiday season, I am acutely aware of how much different this year is going to be than previous ones. I will be celebrating without my mom for the first time. My mother died in January 2021, and I'm still dealing with the unexpected waves of grief that wash over me, sometimes out of nowhere. As I head into this first winter holiday season without her, I'm not quite sure I know what to expect, other than everything is going to be very different.

Enjoy A Crockpot Shabbat

Enjoy A Crockpot Shabbat jemerman

Entree Recipes
Photo of a chicken stew dish in a bow
As the weather begins to get chillier, many home cooks pull out their trusty slow cookers to create easy yet warm dishes. Slow cooking is nothing new. It hasn't had staying power with Jewish communities just because the resulting food is delicious; it also allowed observant Jews to keep Shabbat by kindling a fire before sundown on Friday and keeping food warm until Saturday afternoon.

The Cost of Free Land

The Cost of Free Land jemerman

Native American issues
The author's Great-Great-Uncle Louie Sinykin posing with men in Dakota garb in South Dakota's Black Hills. Date unknown.
When I was a child growing up in the 1980s, the story I learned about Thanksgiving followed the classic script: it highlighted amity between the Pilgrims and their Indigenous neighbors. Due to this connection, the hunger of the European settlers was met with squash and turkey.

Ten Things We Say When We Talk About Antisemitism

Ten Things We Say When We Talk About Antisemitism sdolgov

Modern Day Issues in Antisemitism
star of david
URJ leaders have had thousands of conversations about antisemitism over the past years, especially after October 7th. The following list summarizes the ideas that arise most often in these discussions.