Welcome To Our Temple

WORKING TO PRESERVE JEWISH TRADITION

The mission of this congregation is to cultivate the tenets of Reform Judaism through prayer, worship, study, fellowship and good works. In pursuit of this, we commit ourselves to ongoing innovation, seeking new challenges and continually evaluating our progress and results while building and sustaining an environment necessary to realize our mission.

WELCOME RABBI BENJAMIN SHULL

EXCITING NEWS FROM TEMPLE B’NAI SHOLEM

Dear friends,

We are thrilled to report that Temple B’nai Sholem has engaged a part-time rabbi to lead us monthly on Shabbat and for the High Holidays. Rabbi Benjamin Shull will begin on Friday evening, March 3, 2023. We hope you will be there to welcome him as he leads us in Shabbat services. Usually, we will also have programming on Saturday led by Rabbi Shull, but we are not yet sure of the full schedule for his first visit. (In general, we will plan some combination of: Torah Study, Adult Education, Lunch ‘n Learn, discussion with children in our Religious School, or just general “schmoozing” in and around the temple to get to know each other.)

Rabbi Shull and his wife recently moved to the Wilmington, NC area from Florida to be closer to family in Raleigh. He has been a congregational rabbi for many years and has training and experience in social work. He will be working full-time as a chaplain in the Wilmington area but contacted us to see if we would be interested in having a part-time rabbi. We had been starting to think of that possibility, since we have been grappling with easing the load of our dedicated group of lay leaders. At the same time, our dear Rabbi Whiman and Cantorial Soloist, Sherry Cohen, who have been leading us in High Holiday Services for several years, informed us that they had the opportunity to lead another congregation, but hesitated to leave us without a rabbi.

So, when our Search Committee met Rabbi Shull — and was impressed with his manner, experience, and ideas — and when he indicated he would be available and interested in leading High Holiday services as well as Shabbat services, we felt this was “bashert” (i.e., “meant to be”).

I want to thank the Search Committee (Chair Irv Joffee, Howard Neviser, Maxine Weisman, Marsha Luhrs and Carla Byrnes) who helped enormously with this important task. The Board of Directors unanimously approved their recommendation to engage Rabbi Shull through 2023.

Shalom,

Howard Neviser, President

SHABBAT SERVICES – WATCH THIS SPACE FOR CHANGES

As is our tradition, Shabbat services will take place on the first Saturday of each month at 10:30 a.m. and all other weeks they will be on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. Each service will take place at the Temple and will also be streamed via Zoom for those who cannot attend at the Temple.

Please continue to check the website each week for the current schedule.

We invite you to join us. For information about joining our Zoom service or any other Temple functions please call the Temple at 252-638-4545 or contact us via this website. After speaking with you we will be happy to send you a link to a Zoom service.

COMING EVENTS – See Our New Temple Brochure

TU B’SHEVAT TREE DRIVE – Tu B’Shevat, the New Year for Trees, fell on February 6, 2023. Each year Temple Bnai Sholem collects money for the Jewish National Fund to plant trees in Israel. We are leased to have collected $486 for planting trrees in Israel.

PURIM WEEKEND – Purim comes this year on March 6. On Friday, March 3, Rabbi Shull will lead Shabbat services at 7:30 pm. On Saturday morning, March 4, Rabbi Shull will lead a Purim get-together in the sanctuary at 10:30 am. It will be informal and everyone is encouraged to come in costume. We’ll meet and greet, relax and sing the story of Purim to Beatles tunes. After that we wiill have a luncheon next door at the Session House and shmooze. Suggested donation for the lujncheon is $5. RSVP to Maxine at maxjoyw@gmaiil.com or to Jody at Sherman.jody@gmail.com by February 27.