Guest Blogger, Rabbi Brynjegard-Bialik:Israeli Army saving lives in Haiti

I have been watching the videos of the Israeli Army field hospital in Haiti; I am so impressed with what the Israeli Defense Force has been able to do so quickly and so well.

CNN has been covering the Israeli response:



This report shows how advanced the IDF field hospital is:

I have also been following the IDF on Twitter; it is incredible what they are able to do, and the lives they are able to save, in the aftermath of the earthquake. There are also some amazing videos direct from the IDF on You Tube.

Posted by:

Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik

Guest Blogger, Rabbi Brynjegard-Bialik:Does the ECEC predict future TAS involvement?

The videos of the "So You Think You Can Shpiel?" talent show are up on the TAS YouTube channel; you can find links to all of the contestants here.

The acts were all great and you can enjoy them again or watch them for the first time and vote for your favorites. When you look at the list of acts you might notice the number of kids performing in the show. During the live performance Debi Chesler, talent show host and ECEC director, pointed out how many of those kids are ECEC alumni. It became a running joke: "yet another talented kid who went to the TAS ECEC; they must have learned it at the ECEC."

While I can not say for sure what the cause and effects are between ECEC graduates and temple involvement, there are several possible conclusions about involvement in Jewish life:

1. Families that send their children to the TAS ECEC are more likely to stay involved with TAS as their children grow up.

2. Children who grow up at TAS get involved in temple activities.

3. Children who grow up at TAS are comfortable enough in temple and in our community to get up on stage and perform for our community.

What do you think?

Posted by: Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik