/Thanksgiving2019

Dear Friends,

How wonderful it is, that the season of giving and gratitude is upon us. Thanksgiving is for us Americans, a holiday beyond compare. For despite our vast diversity within the American people, this is the day we all come together, each of us a colorful part of the whole beautiful endeavor of freedom and celebration. And what is it that we all celebrate together? Nothing more than the essential gifts of life, the right to be, each of us, the unique individuals that we are. We come with a million differing backgrounds, cultures and stories and on this day, the day of Thanksgiving, we share with each other our gratitude not only for our own blessings but for the right and privilege of living in a land that insures these rights to all of her citizens.

 It was the description of Sukkot in the Torah that inspired the Pilgrims to model a day of gracious celebration that has become Thanksgiving. And it was the simple joys of family, the welcomed responsibility of community care, and the gratitude for blessings of shelter and food that inspired the creation of such a day of thanks.

We are each blessed beyond measure. Even on the worst of days, the sunshine alone becomes a gift of warmth and comfort. Life is so much more that what happens to us that is defined as abundant. Life is every single second that we know we are alive. It is every single breath we breath into our lungs that animates our souls. Life is everything, the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, it is not what happens to us in life that determines the value of our lives, it is the gratitude that we greet our minutes that tells the story of a life well lived.
I am abundantly grateful this year for the blessing of Temple B’rith Shalom and my new path to walk as your Rabbi. I am deeply grateful for every new face I meet, new heart I engage and the new dreams we will weave together. Mostly the dreams are for all of us, that this new chapter of our Temple’s life will be filled with meaning and joy, with the quest for peace and the building of the sacred that our Jewish community calls us to.

Gratitude will carry the day. It is not something that appears without intention, yet once we receive its call, it can change one’s life by turning every moment of life into a moment of grace. Gratitude is one of the essential key ingredients to living our best lives. It is what makes the food we eat taste so good. Without it, we are constantly looking for the salt!

Gratefully our services at TBS are unfolding beautifully. Friday nights seem full every Shabbat and our Saturday morning services are growing weekly, we had fifteen for services last Shabbat WOW!!!! We also have had a lovely showing for our Shabbat after services stroll down the Peavine Trail. It’s a 6 mile walk and I am sharing one of the memories from a few weeks back.

Please join us for services, the hike, or all the above!
We will be so happy to have you join us!

It is with a full heart that I introduce you all to our newest members to join Temple B’rith Shalom,
Please welcome Jessica and Remi Dreifuss. Of course most of you are already getting to know Jessica who has joined our administrative team and who adds such a sweetness to our office management. She herself is a ray of sunshine and we are so blessed and so grateful to have her on board. We can’t wait to get to know Remi better, but what we do know is that he’s got a fabulous wife, and so we think he is pretty fabulous as well. Help me to welcome them both to our Temple B’rith Shalom family, we are thrilled to have you!

I want to extend the most heartfelt thank you to the Jewish Foundation for hosting the lovely Meet and Greet on my behalf this past Sunday. It was sheer joy to meet so many of you and to share with you my passion for creating meaningful and deeply profound Jewish community. Your kindness towards me was heart-warming and touching. I really dont have the words to express how deeply blessed I feel these days. I have found a truly loving and beautiful community. Thank you!!!

We are, by all accounts, off and running!!!!!!! Hallelujah!

One of the greatest preoccupations as I begin my new job as your Rabbi, is how to find the many Jews out there, and the ones they love, to let them know that we are here and ready to receive them with open arms and to help make Temple Brith Shalom their new spiritual home. You can help. if you hear of someone who is searching, please get the number or give them mine, just make the connection and then pass it on to me. It’s going to take time, but I am committed to unifying our amazing Jewish community of Prescott, but I will need your help.

I will be traveling to Los Angeles next week to share Thanksgiving with my beloved children and grandchildren. Please enjoy the holiday and be sure to count your blessings. It is such a special time of year. Keep your eyes open incase there’s someone who is alone and afraid to let you know, this is the time to open wide both your hearts as well as your doors, and lets pass those blessings on.

And as excited I am to go and be with my family, I also know that I will be very excited to return home to you when the holiday is over!

I am thankful for each and every one of you, especially to our hard-working leadership team Jim and Trudy, Abby and Dan, Jessica and the entire board, the many committee heads, teachers, Peggy, and all of you. Together we make up, one wonderful family!

We are extremely grateful to Dan Marcus for his incredible assistance in helping us transform the office so that Jessica could adjust smoothly to her new work surroundings. We are greatly indebted to his kind and generous expertise. We couldn't have done it without you.

With blessings of gratitude, Happy Thanksgiving!
Rabbi Julie Kozlow