Dear Friends,

Shavua tov,  a good week.

This past week was marked by numerous end of the year activities. A very special moment for me personally was a surprise birthday celebration for me on Tuesday June 24th. I want to thank the staff not only for the wonderful gesture but also to express my appreciation for the great job they continue to do. One of our preschool teachers, Liora, made a birthday cake for me shaped as a guitar. She is very creative, especially when decorating the preschools. This cake was beautiful!! She also made a huge guitar- shaped greeting card with pictures of each child in the preschool on it. As I entered the synagogue, the children were all seated and they shouted: "Happy birthday Rabbi Edgar!". Then the children came to the stage in groups to congratulate me. Also on Friday night, with a full synagogue of more than 200 congregants, I was blessed again by the members.

In the past week and in the weeks to come many friends are visiting Or Hadash.
The Balder family from Needham, MA came to Israel to celebrate Harrison Balder's bar mitzvah. On Monday, June 23rd, three families (the Balder, Aliber and Fruman families) who came to Israel to participate in the bar mitzvah, visited Or Hadash for lunch. I wanted to get acquainted with them before the ceremony and again I learned what a small world it is. The Aliber family belongs to Temple Sinai of Sharon. Rabbi Joseph Meszler visited Or Hadash with a group from Temple Sinai last February.  Elyse Balder, and her parents are also very good friends with our friends from Temple Israel in Boston, Sandy and Don Perrin. What a small world! On Thursday, June 26th, I had the honor to lead Harrison's bar mitzvah in Massada, which was memorable for all of us.

Yesterday, June 30th, another American boy celebrated his bar mitzvah in Israel at the Southern Wall in Jerusalem. We are continuing our relationship with the Sapers family from Congregation Beth Avodah in Newton, MA, who come to Israel to celebrate their second son, Josh's, bar mitzvah. We were all moved by the Torah chanting by Josh Sapers at the Southern Wall of Jerusalem. I had a chance to meet with Bill and Rhoda (grandparents) and Jude and Aviva, the aunts, from our sister congregation, Temple Israel in Boston.

Last Shabbat, June 27-28, Rabbi Steven A. Chester joined us for Kabalat and Shacharit LeShabbat with a nice group of congregants from Temple Sinai in Oakland, CA. Thank you for coming!

This evening, 19:30 our Sisterhood will host Cantor Roy Einhorn from Temple Israel, Boston and Cantor Jodi Sufrin from Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley, MA, distinguished and loved leaders in Jewish music in the United States and Israel. As singles and as a duo they have performed together for 25 years. They also happen to be happily married (it was an honor for me to be hosted at their home three years ago and together with their two daughter, they are lovely people). The evening will begin with a performance by our Haifa teenagers in the group "Kolot Be'tnua" ("Voices in Motion") under the guidance of Ilana Tovim with Benny Rom and Vered Israely from the Haifa-Boston Partnership as guests of honor.  All proceeds will go to "Gan Cherniavski", a preschool for new immigrants from Ethiopia.
Rabbi Barry Lutz and a group from Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge, CA will also be joining us this evening. They are coming to hear about our congregation and then they will stay for the concert and for dinner.

On July 10th Or Hadash will host Cantor Arlene Bernstein and the choir from Temple Beth Israel in San Diego, CA. All proceeds will go to help two refugee-women from Sudan whom we "adopted" three months ago.

This Shabbat, July 4th Cantor Meryl Weiner from our sister congregation, Temple Micah in Washington DC will join us for Kabalat Shabbat as guest cantor. She will visit our preschools on Sunday, July 6. We look forward to meeting her and her family next week.

In summary we finished a lovely year full of activities, but we are expecting a full and exciting July-August. I wish you and your family a wonderful summer.

From Haifa with love,
Edgar

P.S Don't worry, I'll take some time to go to the beautiful Haifa beach!! I will not spend all of my time at Or Hadash.