As the lights of Hanukkah 2022 flicker and fade, and we close down a raucous game of dreidel with more Hanukkah gelt than any of us have seen, I delight in my family celebration. What a treasure that it follows on the heels of our Congregation Tifereth Israel family festivities: Menorah lighting in Mitchell Park, then back to the shul for latkes, donuts, and hot cider shared with a crowd of synagogue and community members, accompanied by our own “three-piece house band.”

And almost at the same moment, in the midst of the festivities, we celebrated the life of my friend Irma Strimban — a life close to my heart and fueled by mutual love of the arts and the evolution of the creative process. Somehow this confluence of events captures the very essence of who we are. It defines a pathway through this life.

This is all part of the Congregation Tifereth Israel story. It speaks to us as a community, our initiative and determination to respond creatively to the pandemic with great success in programming and growth in membership. And, as we close 2022, we applaud our High Holiday Leadership Donors who made it possible for us to raise almost $90,000, a high-water mark in Tifereth Israel fundraising. I would
say that enhances the after-glow of the Lights of Hanukkah.

Judith K. Weiner