From the Past-Rabbi

One of the members of our community is in need of help. Jonathan Haupt is a young man who has been struggling with Leukemia. He is the son of our congregants Cliff and Anna Haupt.

None of us will soon forget the recent events in Riverdale, NY, leading to the arrest of men planning violence and spouting hatred against the members of a synagogue. But it does not and cannot stand alone in our memory as we meet one another as Muslims and Jews.

Rabbi Nosanchuk and other area Jewish leaders were quoted in an article written by Richard Greenberg entitled "Fighting Fear with Faith: Rabbis Offer Solace in Brutal Economic Times," published in the March 12, 2009 edition of the Washington Jewish Week.

We encourage you to see the link below and to contact Rabbi Nosanchuk at 703-437-7733 if you or a member you know at Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation might benefit from rabbinic counsel and support during these challenging times. There are also support and assistance available through the Jewish Social Service Agency and other communal organizations as so many families in our communities face this recession.

Regarding the Attack in Mumbai 

Each week, you may utlilize the link below to draw connections to a weekly Torah commentary on that week's Sabbath Torah portion, prepared by a member of the Rabbinic Cabinet of the United Jewish Communities.

The Torah Commentary is called Mekor Chaim and we hope you will take the opportunity each week to look into the teachings found in our Torah, and consider incorporating these lessons into your homes and lives.

In addition to Mekor Chaim, you will find at this link related resources on Jewish holidays, peoplehood and enriching Jewish life available through this ongoing resource of the United Jewish Communities.

The single most vital partner we have in building a connection to Judaism for your child or grandchild are the summer camps sponsored by the Union for Reform Judaism.

Our region's camp is called URJ Camp Harlam, and it is located in Kunkletown, PA, in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains, just a few hours away. More than a dozen of our NVHC students attend URJ Camp Harlam each summer and we hope to grow this community of kids participating in this special opportunity.

Part of our synagogue's membership in the URJ supports Camp Harlam and the movement's high school programming for NFTY youth groups, Israel trips, conventions and Israel programs. So our kids have a special incentive to attend URJ camps, youth and travel programs.

As the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving approaches, all of us at NVHC wish you every happiness during this holiday!   

Perhaps you'd consider adding to your holiday dinners the following blessing from our prayer book, Mishkan Tefilah: 

God of goodness, we give thanks for the gift of life, wonder beyond words; for the awareness of soul, our light within; for the world around us, so filled with beauty; for the richness of the earth, which day by day sustains us; for all these and more, we offer thanks."

Our upcoming holidays such as Purim and Passover are not complete without the Jewish value of combining our celebration with caring for those who are vulnerable and in need. As you may know, our synagogue is a founding member of Reston Interfaith, through which we and many of our social action projects provide substantive support for those who are vulnerable and in need locally.

(Excerpted from Rabbi Nosanchuk's Erev Rosh Hashanah Sermon- September 12, 2007)

My rabbi, Dannel Schwartz, once told me of a time when he was just minding his own business at an airport terminal awaiting a flight that was running late. But he couldn’t escape noticing a young woman crying and then sobbing in the corner of the terminal. She was truly in distress. She was a young girl with an overstuffed backpack and a look about her that she had been away from home for a very long time. He saw how sad she was and walked over to her and asked what was wrong. “I lost my ticket!” she cried.

Growing Ecumenism
Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk October 2007

One of the things which gives us great pride at NVHC is our ecumenical work. At NVHC, in a variety of ways, we work with interfaith partners in dialogue, projects of social action and advocacy for the most vulnerable. We hold dialogues, participate in Works Sunday and other social action projects, and have strongly supported Reston Interfaith as a founding institution and through all of its endeavors.

I really believe that part of what God wants of us is to help members of all faiths to joyfully work to improve our world through learning, caring and acts of kindness. As we think about how to grow such ecumenical commitments, I think we would do well to grow our learning- about our own tradition and the insights of other faiths.

In that respect, I want to announce to you an expansion of our program of interfaith dialogue. In addition to our fall and spring panel discussions held on the first Sunday evenings of November and April, we and St. Thomas a Becket Catholic Church have agreed to expand our dialogue in an important way.

First, on Sunday, November 4th at 7:00p.m., we will gather for a Interfaith Panel discussion hosted at St. Thomas a Becket Catholic Church. The panel will feature lay members of our synagogue and the church speaking about their faiths and what we can learn from one another.

Then for two successive weeks, Father Tom Ferguson and I will conduct a pulpit exchange. On Friday, November 9 at our 8:00pm Erev Shabbat service, we will welcome Father Tom Ferguson as our speaker and invite members of his parish to join us and learn from Jewish Sabbath worship.

Then on Sunday, November 18 at 10:30am, Father Ferguson has invited me to speak at the Mass held that morning at St. Thomas a Becket Catholic Church, and I hope you and friends of yours will join us at the church to learn further about Christian worship.