Temple Beth Elohim - Leah Berkowitz, Rabbinic Intern

Dear Temple Beth Elohim,

Shalom! These past few months have been very exciting ones for me. I am coming to the end of my studies. The next time you see me, I will no longer be "Rabbi Leah." I will officially be Rabbi Berkowitz, an ordained rabbi. I still can't believe it.

In July I will be starting my first full-time position: I will be the very first Assistant Rabbi at Judea Reform Congregation in Durham, North Carolina. I am very excited for this opportunity, but I am also very sad to be leaving Temple Beth Elohim.

I want to take this moment to say thank you to all of you. It is because of your patience, understanding, and openness to new things that I was able to have such a positive experience at Temple Beth Elohim, an experience that has shaped me as a rabbi and as a person. I have learned so much from being a part of your congregation, and your support has given me the confidence to continue to pursue my dream.

I am especially grateful for those of you who took the time to study with me in our Torah study or Prayer class, the teachers that invited me into their classrooms, and the teens that so enthusiastically got on board for our High School Experience.

I also want to thank Rabbi Acrish, the office staff, and the board for having the vision to hire a rabbinical student as an intern for the first time. I hope that it was a positive experience for all of you. It certainly was for me.

Please join me for the following activities during my last few visits to TBE:

Thursday, May 8th, 7:30 p.m.: Join me and the Rosh Chodesh Group as we explore some of the biblical stories I wrote about for my rabbinical thesis, "Who Built up the House of Israel: Reproductive Power Plays in the Biblical Narrative."

Saturday, May 17th, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.: Join the High School Experience for our last event of the year, a Shul-Out! Come in your PJs, bring games to play and snacks to share. It's like a shul-in without the sleeping over (and a trip to the Red Rooster may be involved :-)

Sunday, May 18th, 10:30 a.m.: Join the Prayer Class as we finish our study of the Friday evening service. We will be discussing the Kaddish.

Kol tuv,
Rabbi Leah

P.S. Please stop in and say “Shalom Y'all” if you are in the NC area. I will be very close to Duke and UNC if you are looking at colleges!

Text Study with Rabbi Leah

Have you ever wanted to know more about the prayers we say in services? Join us two Sunday mornings a month for "A Roadmap to the Prayer Service". We will be exploring the basic components of our prayer service, such as the Shema, Amidah, and Kaddish; looking at new interpretations of familiar prayers; and adding our own voices to prayer.

March 16th: The Amidah: Our Conversation with G-d

Next Dates: Mar. 16, April 6, 27, May 18.
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