Mandy Patinkin in Our Homeland!

Words cannot express how spectacular last Saturday's closing event for the 150th anniversary year was! From the jewel-box decor and lighting, to the delectable hors d'oeuvres and perfectly prepared food, the impeccable wait service, the ideal temperature provided by the outdoor heaters, the smooth logistics at check-in -- really there could not have been a more perfect evening for Beth Israel. 

 

Mandy Patinkin was an outstanding performer and his graciousness shone through in every way in his performance and in the genuine warmth he feels for our congregation. We are so grateful to Joanne Gimbel, Mandy's sister, for talking Mandy into such a marvelous performance.

 

We had such a glittering and happy full house to close out the 150th anniversary year!

The event was chaired by Bev and Len Bernstein and Carol and Ron Fox. Mary Ann Scher chaired the whole 150th anniversary year. All the hard work over many months -- six more than originally planned -- were well worth it. The energy, creativity and dedication that all the volunteers put in made the event far more fabulous than anyone could have anticipated.

Thanks in no small part to all the excellent programming of the 150th year, Beth Israel today is celebrating a glorious era of engaged members, stability, and peace in our house. Now that the celebration is over, we will be there, continuing to create fascinating, cutting-edge programs, and heartfelt and meaningful worship services. So please come back often and see us at Beth Israel.





 

 

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Emily's Welcome Remarks:

 

I’d like to add my welcome to this dazzling Closing Gala and thank the wonderful chairs who’ve made it happen: Bev and Len Bernstein and Carol and Ron Fox.

And what a spectacular year we have celebrated. We opened with San Diego’s political elite. And we’re closing with one of Hollywood and Broadway’s elite.

At the beginning of our 150th year, our Opening Celebration was joyful, with dancing in the aisles and cupcakes for all.  But it was also solemn because we were embarking on the creation of a sacred Torah.

That year-long project engaged as many as half our families in scribing.  When completed, on Simchat Torah, our members processed with the new Torah into the Glickman-Galinson Sanctuary in a pageant of great majesty. Under a bridal chuppah, the Torah was carried through the Price Family Courtyard through an aisle lined with hundreds of congregants, many with tears brimming in their eyes.

 

We unrolled the Torah scroll all the way around the sanctuary with hundreds of members, young and old, supporting the parchment in their hands. This visual drove home that this really is our new 150th anniversary Torah. And already it is being used each Shabbat by our b’nai mitzvah children.

Several families dedicated the Torah’s beautiful silver accoutrements.  And most fittingly, Beth Israel dedicated the Torah’s splendid crown in honor of Mary Ann Scher, chair of this entire, incredible, 150th year.

This evening’s Concluding Gala is one of just pure joy.  We are thrilled to have among us at dinner tonight the family of Jewish-American legend Mandy Patinkin.  When the doors of the concert hall open after this beautiful dinner, Beth Israel will fill the entire hall for Mandy’s performance.

Beth Israel is stronger today than a year ago when our celebration began. For that, I speak for the whole congregation, when I thank you, our most generous supporters.  Because you are committed to ensuring the strong future of Reform Judaism in San Diego, Beth Israel will continue to serve San Diego’s Jewish people for the next 150 years.

I’ve attended nearly all of the dozens of programs, events and celebrations of the 150th.  It’s been truly inspiring to me to see how involved you’ve all been in our celebratory year. 

In closing, I encourage you to come back to Beth Israel often. Beth Israel today is celebrating a glorious era of engaged members, stability, and peace in our house. When the celebration is over, we will be there, continuing to create fascinating, cutting-edge programs, and heartfelt and meaningful worship services.

We will be there as the historic center of Jewish life in San Diego. An inclusive Reform congregation – that offers a warm welcome and a nurturing home to all who seek a meaningful and enduring connection to Judaism.
 

Rabbis Michael Berk, Arlene Bernstein and Michael Satz
President Emily Jennwein and Cantor Emeritus Sheldon Merel.

Greeting First Church for our 32nd Annual Interfaith Service

Let me add my greeting to the members of First Church. I’m Emily Jennewein, president of Beth Israel, and I’m very pleased to be with you again. Since we met together a year ago in your beautiful sanctuary, a lot has happened for us at Beth Israel.  

Just last weekend, we concluded a full year of celebrating our 150^th anniversary -- a year we marked with large, inclusive events and small, focused programs. Many opportunities for our members to engage and re-engage in positive, pleasurable and meaningful ways.

As we commence our 151^st year as a synagogue, Beth Israel is still the largest and oldest synagogue in Southern California.  We’re ready to start building our next 150 years together as the historic center of Jewish life in San Diego.  We’re always striving to be an inclusive Reform congregation, and to offer a warm welcome and a nurturing home to all who seek a meaningful and enduring connection to Judaism.

And one of the most enduring examples of the openness we value is this interfaith service; a historic and enduring gathering now in its 32nd year. Thank you everyone from First Church for joining us this evening at Beth Israel.

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And during the service, it was my privilege to read the Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation:

 

Presidential Proclamation -- Thanksgiving Day, 2012

On Thanksgiving Day, Americans everywhere gather with family and friends to recount the joys and blessings of the past year. This day is a time to take stock of the fortune we have known and the kindnesses we have shared, grateful for the God-given bounty that enriches our lives. As many pause to lend a hand to those in need, we are also reminded of the indelible spirit of compassion and mutual responsibility that has distinguished our Nation since its earliest days.

Many Thanksgivings have offered opportunities to celebrate community during times of hardship. When the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony gave thanks for a bountiful harvest nearly four centuries ago, they enjoyed the fruits of their labor with the Wam-pa-no-ag tribe -- a people who had shared vital knowledge of the land in the difficult months before.

When President George Washington marked our democracy's first Thanksgiving, he prayed to our Creator for peace, union, and plenty through the trials that would surely come.

And when our Nation was torn by bitterness and civil war, President Abraham Lincoln reminded us that we were, at heart, one Nation, sharing a bond as Americans that could bend but would not break.

Those expressions of unity still echo today, whether in the contributions that generations of Native Americans have made to our country – the Union our forebears fought so hard to preserve – or the providence that draws our families together this season.

As we reflect on our proud heritage, let us also give thanks to those who honor it by giving back. This Thanksgiving, thousands of our men and women in uniform will sit down for a meal far from their loved ones and the comforts of home. We honor their service and sacrifice. We also show our appreciation to Americans who are serving in their communities, ensuring their neighbors have a hot meal and a place to stay. Their actions reflect our age-old belief that we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers, and they affirm once more that we are a people who draw our deepest strength not from might or wealth, but from our bonds to each other.

On Thanksgiving Day, individuals from all walks of life come together to celebrate this most American tradition, grateful for the blessings of family, community, and country. Let us spend this day by lifting up those we love, mindful of the grace bestowed upon us by God and by all who have made our lives richer with their presence.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 22, 2012, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage the people of the United States to join together -- whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place of fellowship for friends and neighbors -- and give thanks for all we have received in the past year, express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own, and share our bounty with others.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

BARACK OBAMA