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Shabbaton

May 24th & 25th


Join us for a Shabbaton weekend with Rabbi Aaron Weininger, senior rabbi at Adath Jeshurun Congregation, Minnetonka, MN, and former rabbinic intern at Temple Beth El. Be inspired by Rabbi Weininger and connect with Rabbi Braun as we pray, learn, and celebrate together this weekend.


Schedule

Friday, May 24th at 5pm: Oneg and Kabbalat Shabbat

We will begin the weekend with a social time and a lively and festive Kabbalat Shabbat service. Rabbi Weininger will offer a teaching grounded in the celebration of Shabbat. Look for lots of singing with melodies that will carry us through this special Shabbat at TBE.

Saturday, May 25th at 9:30am: Shabbat Morning Services followed by Kiddush

Our service on Saturday morning will include participation from our teens and community members and Rabbi Weininger. A delicious kiddush lunch will be followed by blessings offered to Rabbi Braun as we look ahead to the future of TBE. 

Saturday, May 25th at 7:45pm: Seudah Shlishit (third meal of Shabbat) followed by Havdalah

Seudah Shlishit, the third meal of Shabbat, will offer social time with friends and Rabbi Braun along with a light meal. Rabbi Weininger will lead us with lots of singing as we let go of Shabbat with song and Havdalah.


Please RSVP by May 17th.


Blessings for Rabbi Braun

As we anticipate celebrating Rabbi Braun, in addition to your attendance, we invite your participation in two ways.

First, write a one-sentence blessing for Rabbi Braun and/or for the Temple Beth El community in appreciation of her leadership and legacy. Your blessing can relate to the emotional, intellectual, spiritual, or physical. It can be concrete or more abstract, even playful if that's your style. All that matters is that it comes from your heart.

Second, think about what the congregation as a whole needs to help make that blessing (and/or other blessings) a reality, and then write down one thing that you're willing to commit to doing that you hope others will do as well. This could be a specific action or a way of speaking or thinking or showing up (e.g., anything from "I'll come to minyan more" to "I'll give others the benefit of the doubt.") Again, one sentence is perfect.

Please send your submissions to office@tbemaine.org by May 19.

We will share these blessings and commitments at the kiddush lunch on May 25.



Rabbi Aaron Weininger


Rabbi Aaron Weininger joined the Adath Jeshurun Congregation in Minnetonka, MN in 2012, upon receiving rabbinic ordination and an MA in Hebrew Letters from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he studied as a Schusterman Fellow. In June 2023 he assumed the Max Newman Family Chair in Rabbinics. In addition to becoming the first openly gay person admitted to rabbinical school in the Conservative movement, he became the first openly gay person appointed to the position of Senior Rabbi in a large Conservative congregation. Drawing from his unusual experience, Aaron cultivates the spark each person brings to Torah, prayer, and acts of kindness through the warmth of building community. Knowing what it feels like to be on the margins, he embraces Judaism as disorganized religion that thrives on questions of curiosity rather than answers of certainty. Everyone has a place to ask and to belong. 
 
During rabbinical school he was welcomed into communities as a teacher, preacher, and prayer leader in Statesville, NC, Portland, ME, Sag Harbor and White Plains, NY and across New York City. He trained as a chaplain in Clinical Pastoral Education for two summers at Bellevue Hospital Center, and a third with the Educational Alliance at a Kosher soup kitchen for older adults on the Lower East Side. 
 
From 2018-2021 Aaron served as co-chair of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association and joined Honeymoon Israel as rabbi for the MSP cohort in January 2020. He serves on the Editorial Committee of Siddur Lev Shalem for Weekdays and the JTS Chancellor's Rabbinic Cabinet. He is a board member of Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis as well as the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, of which he is an alum of its Clergy Leadership Program that fuses mindfulness practice with Jewish learning.

Concert and Festivities

June 16th, 5pm


Join us to celebrate and remember Rabbi Braun's tenure at Temple Beth El. There will be a performance of an original musical composition, "Peace Cantata," by Howard Frazin, written in her honor. Light refreshments and additional festivities to follow.


Schedule

5pm Concert and Program

6pm Festivities and Light Dinner


Please RSVP by June 2nd.

In Partnership With

Donate

Donations in Rabbi Braun's honor will support the Rabbi Emerita fund and help make both of these celebrations a success. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.


If you're interested in becoming a sponsor or discussing an in-kind or other type of donation, please reach out to Sheri Olstein at slolstein@gmail.com.

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