September 2010 Sunday School News
from Education Director Dawn Friedman

There are a lot of Jewish holidays in the fall, and they are earlier than usual this year (though there is an old joke that Rosh Hashanah is always the same date each year—the first of Tishri, the first month on the Jewish calendar!).

As we settle into our school routines, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur offer us a chance to come together as a community of all ages for celebration and reflection. After the High Holidays, we enjoy the splendor of autumn with the harvest holiday of Sukkot. Our family Sukkot celebration is Sunday, September 26, at the Heller Nature Center. If we’re lucky, we’ll have some red and gold leaves by then. Rabbi Chalom leads the service, with student participation. We’ll eat, schmooze, enjoy a hike in the prairie. It is traditional to invite guests to the sukkah, so feel free to bring family and friends to ours.

The following Sunday, October 3, we observe Simchat Torah in Sunday School, when students will have the chance to see our congregational Torah “up close.”

Our cycle of holidays appeals to many aspects of ourselves, from the quiet of reflection to the inspiration of nature to the joy of learning.  Whether or not you have a child or grandchild in our Sunday School, I invite you to come celebrate with us. You are always welcome.

Just as a reminder, Sunday School is right around the corner. Our first day of Sunday School falls right between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, on September 12.  Feel free to call or email me if you have questions about the coming year. I look forward to seeing you again soon.