Dear Friends,
As we approach Rosh Hashanah and prepare to welcome the year 5787, I find myself reflecting with a full heart on the year we have shared together at Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel.
Our Torah portion, Nitzavim–Vayelech, gives us two powerful words: “standing” and “going.”
Moses tells the Jewish people: “Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem” — “You are standing today, all of you.” All of you. Those words resonate deeply with me as I look at our Temple family.
We are a community made up of different generations, different backgrounds, different stories, and different experiences — yet we come together as one family. We stand together.
This past year, I have had the privilege of witnessing the warmth, generosity, and extraordinary spirit of our congregation. I have seen our Temple filled with prayer, learning, celebration, friendship, and Jewish joy. I have watched families gather, children grow in their connection to Judaism, members reach out to one another, and so many people give of themselves to make our community stronger.
There have been beautiful celebrations and meaningful moments of reflection. There have been times of happiness, and there have also been moments when we needed one another for strength and comfort. Through it all, we have been together. And that, more than anything, is what makes Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel so special.
A synagogue is not simply a building. It is the people who walk through its doors. It is the voices that rise together in prayer. It is the laughter shared around a table. It is the hand extended in friendship. It is the embrace offered in times of sorrow. It is the joy we share when one of our families celebrates a simcha. It is the memories we create and the traditions we pass from one generation to the next. This is what gives our Temple its soul.
Our Torah portion does not end with Nitzavim — standing. It continues with Vayelech — going forward. After we stand and reflect, we are asked to take the next step. That is the message of Rosh Hashanah. We look back with gratitude, but we look forward with hope.
We ask ourselves how we can become better — as individuals, as families, and as a community.
And I believe that we have so much to look forward to.
Our responsibility is not only to preserve the beautiful Jewish heritage we have inherited. It is also to bring it to life for the next generation. We must make sure that our children and grandchildren know the beauty of our traditions, the richness of our Sephardic heritage, the warmth of our community, and the timeless values of Torah.
We must continue creating a Temple where people feel welcome, connected, inspired, and at home. And we will do that together. Because the future of Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel is not something that belongs to one person. It belongs to all of us.
As your rabbi, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you. Thank you for your trust.
Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your support. Thank you for every prayer, every contribution, every volunteer hour, every kind word, every act of generosity, and every effort that helps make our Temple the special community that it is.
I am deeply grateful for the privilege of serving as your rabbi and of sharing life’s sacred moments with so many of you. As we enter the New Year, my heartfelt prayer is that 5787 will be a year of blessing for each and every member of our Temple family.
May God bless you and your families with good health, happiness, peace, prosperity, and abundant joy. May our homes be filled with love of Jewish values of family and tradition.
“Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem.” Today, we stand together. And tomorrow, we will continue to walk forward together — with faith, with courage, with love, and with hope.
May the New Year bring new beginnings, renewed strength, and countless blessings to you and everyone you love.
Tizcu Leshanim Rabot Neimot veTovot!
With deep appreciation, affection, and heartfelt blessings.
Rabbi Refael Cohen