The past five months, since October 7, have been challenging for Jews around the world. Although our politics may be different, we all want to see a resolution to the war between Israel and Hamas. We are seeing a rise in antisemitism locally, nationally, and worldwide. Our hearts might be heavy, but our resolve is clear. We stand with the people of Israel, we want all hostages to return home and we pray for the innocent victims, regardless of which side of the border they call home. We will not hide our collective identity; we will stand strong as Jews and continue our lives and practices with our heads standing tall. We will also continue our mission of Tikkun Olam, Repairing the World.

Bnai Israel is here for everyone at all stages of life.  Within a few weeks, we had multiple lifecycle events. We started April with a baby naming, followed the next week by an Auf Ruf and a week after that by a Bar Mitzvah. Unfortunately, we also had a funeral for our beloved Jon Alper. Together as a congregation, we both celebrate and mourn together. Our Bnai Israel family came together for a wonderful Congregational Seder and Tot Seder this week and will say Yiskor at the end of Passover.

We hired a new Digital Media Coordinator, Barbie Washington. We are delighted to welcome her aboard. Cindy Chroman, our treasurer, is working on our next budget in concert with our finance committee. I would like to give a huge shout out to Laurel Westreich who went over and above to fill in for Jon Alper’s duties. We discovered that a bit of restructuring for the Vice President of the House and additional volunteers are needed.

Make sure to check out our full calendar on our website. You will find an upcoming Bat Mitzvah, Greater Wilmington Yom Ha’atzmaut Festival, Port City Music Festival, learning opportunities, and local events such as the Wilmington Jewish Film Festival and the UJA luncheon. We have scheduled our semi-annual congregational meeting for Sunday, June 9 at 11:00AM.  Mark your calendars now and you will be treated to brunch.

As always, we want you to participate in any way that is meaningful to you. Come learn and/or try something new, join a committee that might be of interest to you. Not sure how you can fit in or join, give me a call and together we can explore the possibilities.

B'Shalom

Pam Sender, President