Dear Friends,
Exodus. The story of a people enslaved in Egypt, and a Moses that ultimately leads them to freedom. In the unfolding drama prior to the happy ending, king Pharaoh, hoping to annihilate the future redeemer of Israel, decrees that all Jewish male babies be thrown into the Nile. The day was saved by two heroic midwives, who whisked away the babies before they can be found by the Egyptians. This, amongst other heroic acts of the Jewish women in Egypt, brings our sages to teach that “Our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt in the merit of the righteous women.”
The Rebbe, of blessed memory, taught that we must learn from this to never underestimate the power of the Jewish Woman. The woman must utilize her feminine qualities to bring Judaism to the world, one child a time. This will bring us closer to the ultimate redemption. The Rebbe's message inspires the thousands of "Shluchos" from around the world who will gather at the Annual Conference of Chabad Lubavitch Shluchos in New York. They are at the forefront of the Jewish renaissance in thousands of cities around the globe. As the co-director of Chabad of Uptown and Chabad Hebrew School in addition to teaching and other responsilbities, Chanie will join this conference (and of course, visit family) to gain inspiration to impart Jewish spirit in our world around us. I hope we all follow her shining example.
The Uptown Shul...
- Anyone want to write the lyrics for "The Uptown Shul"? :-) Your reward: We will sing it in Uptown! (No, I do not know the song - in fact I do not even know how it goes! A friend of mine just alerted me to this Billy Joel favorite).
- OK, back to serious stuff: THIS WEEK: Friday Night: 6:30 pm followed by dinner, Shabbos Day 10:00 am followed by lunch (as if anything has changed besides our age...) (RSVP)
- Mommy & Me dates have been set for the winter session. Six Tuesdays, Feb 20 - March 27; 10-11:30 am. Spread the word!
- JLI Parsha Series for the book of Exodus, BIRTH, has taken off with a strong following! As it is a parsha class, you can join for any class that fits your schedule! Tuesdays, Lunch & Learn 12-1:15pm & Thursdays 8-9pm.
- SAVE THE DATE: Uptown Young Adults Shabbaton for next Uptown Shabbos on Friday, Feb. 2 as part of the One Shabbat, One World project (to be held in Houston in six locations),
In other news:
- Many of you have probably seen by now the Building Expansion Project brochure for the Chabad Lubavitch Center - Texas Regional Hdqtrs. Save the date for the groundbreaking ceremony to be held Sunday, Feb. 4, 2007 at Noon with guest speaker Rabbi Sholom B. Lipskar of Bal Harbor, FL and many local dignitaries including City of Houston Mayor Bill White. You will not want to miss this historic event for the Houston Jewish community!
- Mendel (now 4) and Chaya Mushka (now 5) had their birthday parties with their friends in Uptown two weeks ago, in their classes at TDS, and at their home this past shabbos together with Bubbie & Zaydie Lazaroff.
- Levi turned one month old (boy, time flies) this past Shabbos.
- Rivkie... well, she turns two this Wednesday.
Our mailbag:
- We sure enjoyed your class! When I always start your class (each time) I feel like I am viewing it with foggy glasses on. I am not sure about what the lesson will be, I am not sure where the subject will go. But by the end of class, the fog is gone from the glasses and I feel like I am wearing 3D glasses! So many different facets to a subject.
-
Shalom everyone [Houston school administrators and volunteers],
The community-wide Chanukah (Israeli-style) celebration on Dec. 21st far exceeded our expectations! Over 250 parents and children came to celebrate at the
We would like to thank those of you who were actively involved in promoting, volunteering, and organizing for the celebration. We would especially like to thank
Sincerely,
Renee and Tali
Consulate General of
See you in the Uptown Shul!
Rabbi Chaim & Chanie