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From the President

  • June, 2010 Ma'aseem - Find Your Place at TBI - 7/16/2010
    Almost a year ago I was elected to a two-year term as President of Tiferet Bet Israel. It has been a busy and exciting year with many opportunities. I have been fortunate to have the support of a... Continue Reading
  • May, 2010 Ma'aseem - Their Memories Are A Blessing - 5/21/2010
    Sunday, May 2 will be a very special day at TBI -- an ambulance dedication in the morning and the Noa/Mira reception, concert and dinner in the evening. If you read this before May 2 and you... Continue Reading
  • April, 2010 Ma'aseem - This Joint is Jumpin' - 5/18/2010
    I'm writing this at the end of February (30 days until Passover!) right after attending our spectacular Purim services. The Sanctuary was overflowing, children and adults were excited, and a... Continue Reading
  • March, 2010 Ma'aseem - 3/17/2010
    From 1996 until the middle of 1999 I worked as the technical coordinator on a large-scale Year 2000 conversion project for the company where I worked for nearly 20 years before retiring in 2007. ... Continue Reading
  • February, 2010 Ma'aseem - From Hamantashen, Crumbs of Wisdom - 1/27/2010
    For several years I've had a reputation for being able to tell you, at any given time, how many days until Passover begins. My method is pretty simple since I can do basic math in my head: January... Continue Reading
  • January, 2010 Ma'aseem - 1/20/2010
    After Hanukkah ends and we are in the month of Tevet, I remember my parents, with my mother's fifth yahrzeit on 11 Tevet and my father's thirty-third yahrzeit on 21 Tevet. Imagine how upset I... Continue Reading
  • December, 2009 Ma'aseem - 12/4/2009
    I'm writing this page at the end of October, a month before you'll read it. The last of the fall holidays, Simchat Torah, was three weeks ago, but my family's sukkah is still up. We try to make... Continue Reading
  • November, 2009 Ma'aseem - 11/13/2009
    I spoke about some of these topics on the high holy days and am repeating them in this column. During the holiday season I find myself thinking of my parents, of blessed memory. I grew up in... Continue Reading
  • October, 2009 Ma'aseem - 10/2/2009
    As the High Holy Days began this year, our TBI building celebrated its 20th anniversary. I remember vividly how glad we all were that the holidays were "late" that first year, since we needed all... Continue Reading
  • September, 2009 Ma'aseem - 10/2/2009
    As the new TBI President, I would like to introduce myself. My family joined the Norristown Jewish Community Center -- Tiferes Israel -- in August 1982, when our sons were 2, 4, 7 and almost 9... Continue Reading
  • June, 2009 Ma'aseem - 6/4/2009
    In a few short weeks, our terms as Co-Presidents will be over. TBI has been through many changes and challenges during this time, and we have many people to thank for their support during the... Continue Reading
  • May, 2009 Ma'aseem - 5/19/2009
    One of the challenges we face as a congregation is to continually identify, recruit, mentor, train and support leaders. We are not alone in this--every organization needs leaders. Googling... Continue Reading
  • January 2009 Messenger - Gems Revealed - 3/26/2009
    One of the privileges we experience as leaders of the congregation is to learn how many people work tirelessly to keep the many facets of our congregation running smoothly. Many committees are... Continue Reading
  • February, 2009 - Ma'aseem - To Maintain and to Build - 3/26/2009
    As Rabbi Kalev said in his column in last month's Messenger, TBI is standing at the brink of a "new age." Our educational, religious and social programming is rich, with a menu of options that... Continue Reading
  • March, 2009 Ma'aseem - 3/26/2009
    Our community has much to look forward to in the coming weeks. We hope you will join us for the Megillah Reading on March 9. Then we will all be preparing for Passover, with the first seder... Continue Reading
  • April, 2009 Ma'aseem - 3/26/2009
    For the past 18 months, our Etz Chaim campaign committee has been working hard to substantially increase our endowment funds to help achieve long term financial stability for TBI. We are now... Continue Reading
  • December 2008 Messenger - 12/16/2008
    Coming Together

    The following is an edited version of our Kol Nidre speech:

    As we come together tonight like Jews all over the world, we must realize that the future of... Continue Reading
  • November Presidents' Message - 10/30/2008
    As the holiday season ends, the regular weekly Shabbat Torah reading cycle begins again at TBI. Beginnings are a very powerful time. One place to learn about beginnings is in the first parasha... Continue Reading
  • September 2008 Presidents Message - 10/7/2008
    As we welcome Rabbi Joshua Kalev to TBI, we look forward to a bright and exciting future for our synagogue. We are fortunate to have a team of talented and dedicated professionals in place,... Continue Reading
  • October 2008 Presidents Message - 10/7/2008
    Over fifty years ago, Abraham Joshua Heschel, in his book The Sabbath, emphasized the importance of Shabbat to modern life. Rabbi Heschel described Shabbat as a "palace in time" whose... Continue Reading
  • June 2008 - 5/30/2008
    As summer begins, we are ending a year of many transitions. Cantor Shammash has now been with us for a year and will provide continuity for us in the coming months. She has developed close... Continue Reading
  • May 2008 - 4/30/2008
    As we welcome springtime and celebrate Passover, we are also beginning a new chapter in the history of our sacred community. Joshua Kalev will be our new rabbi starting July 1.

    Rabbi... Continue Reading
  • March 2008 - 4/2/2008
    It is hard to believe that we are over halfway through our first year as co-presidents. We began the year hoping to find ways to make TBI a more welcoming community, and many of you have been... Continue Reading
  • April 2008 - 4/2/2008
    At the High Holidays, we challenged everyone to think about ways to make a stronger connection to Judaism and TBI by increasing religious observance in ways that are uniquely meaningful to each of... Continue Reading
  • February 2008 - 2/13/2008
    Winter at TBI is a quieter time in terms of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, but a very active time in the life of our congregation. We hope that you have all met Rabbi Sylvan Kamens. He has jumped right... Continue Reading
  • January 2008 - 1/8/2008
    As we enter the new secular year, our focus at TBI is on welcoming.

    Please come to Shabbat services and take the opportunity to welcome Rabbi Sylvan Kamens, our new full time interim... Continue Reading
  • Messenger Article December 2007 - 12/4/2007
    This month we say good-bye to Rabbi Ackerman as our full time rabbi. He has been our spiritual leader and friend for 15 years, and has inspired, supported, and taught us in so many ways. For... Continue Reading
  • Messenger Article November 2007 - 10/30/2007
    We hope you were all able to join us for the installation of Cantor Shamash at the end of October. It was a fabulous event for our community. In November, we welcomed Cantor Walters back,... Continue Reading
  • Presidents' Message October 2007 - 10/16/2007
    As the fall holidays end, we can look back at several milestones in our life as a congregation. We welcomed Cantor Shammash and were inspired by her davening at Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur. We... Continue Reading
  • Presidents' Message September 2007 - 9/16/2007
    As the new TBI Co-Presidents, we would like to introduce ourselves. - Jane Greenberg

    I converted to Judaism in 1981 before marrying Mark. We joined Beth... Continue Reading
  • Presidents' Message February 2007 - 2/1/2007

    We hope you enjoyed all the events in January as much as we did. From the Cantor's Shalom concert which delighted all who attended, to the Synaplex event on the 27th and the Affair Fair on the... Continue Reading


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