Inauguration of December 1
On December 1, we officially inaugurated the synagogue by lighting the fourth Hanukkah candle in the presence of Geoffrey Boulard, mayor of the 17th arrondissement, and Brigitte Kuster, member of the 4th constituency.
As a reminder:
The work to bring safety standards up to date has been completed.
Security: The armor is now installed and we are safe at the synagogue! It has been a very long process, but we have succeeded. A big thank you to former president Anne Sebbag and to our “New Home” committee for their perseverance and patience, and of course to our architects, also members of the synagogue, Isabelle Cyr and Bruno Quijano.
Shabbat services: Friday 7:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:30 a.m.
The synagogue is open and we look forward to seeing you again in person during services. In the meantime, you know you can reach us online or contact us. You will easily find us at the synagogue during the day on weekdays, so if you would like to meet us there, just let us know by email.
Health pass
Please note that Shabbat evening and morning services are always open to all members and non-members; you must of course be masked. If you plan to participate in activities, classes or meals after services at the synagogue, you must present your health pass.
Heating and air conditioning
The administrative parts of the synagogue building and the library have heating. The galley room doesn’t have one yet and we know this is our next big job. Our architects have received several more or less equivalent quotes, and we hope to do this work soon.
Talmud Torah
Our wonderful Sunday morning Talmud Torah classes and pre-bar / batmitzvah age classes are once again face-to-face. If you would like to enroll your children in our Talmud Torah classes, Hebrew classes, or Sunday Funday, please write to Javier at talmudtorah.education@kehilatgesher.org.
Lunch and learn
Lunch n Learn starts again in December! Study the books of Nehemiah and Ezra with the Rabbi and other members while munching on delicious home-cooked food. Health pass required of course!
Shabbat potluck lunch
These meals continue to be organized for the whole community. You must of course have a health pass to attend. Please write to me if you want to know more.
Shabbat dinners for singles
Many of you have requested a Singles Shabbat dinner. So we organized our first dinner at the beginning of November and it was a success! Contact us if you would like to attend the upcoming dinners on December 3 and 17 or if you would like to share the invitation with Jewish friends or family who may be interested. All ages are welcome and if some require babysitting we would arrange for the organizer. Health pass required.
Shabbat dinners for all
Our Shabbat dinners (with cost) were on the Friday night before COVID and will resume next year. For all Shabbat dinners, a health pass is required if you wish to participate.
Chabbat of the Choir
Do you like to sing? If you would like to know more about the choir, write to pascal.tursan@kehilatgesher.org
Reading Club
If you are interested in joining the Rabbi’s Book Club, who would be happy to see you there, please write to him to participate in this dynamic discussion that takes place once a month.
Cultural activities
In addition to the courses and classes you already know
I am proud to introduce Ilan Girard, longtime member of KG and now member of the board of directors, as our new head of culture. We will soon be offering you a program of events that will be unveiled during the new year around film screenings followed by discussions with the directors, interviews with authors, visits to museums, musical evenings, etc. set up a new meeting for our members: “the lives of others”, through a series of stories to share.
Do you have any friends who would love to join a shul as vibrant, dynamic, musical, engaging, thoughtful, warm and welcoming as KG, led by a character as inspiring, funny, humble and intelligent as Rabbi Tom Cohen? If the answer is yes, don’t hesitate to take them to a service!
Your new board of directors has settled down.
We usually meet on the first Monday of every month. We will be posting the minutes of our board meetings in the future so that you know what is going on and also can see the progress we are making.
Presentation of roles:
Samantha – President
Pascal – Head of Communication and Technology at KG
Stéphanie – Responsible for the logistics of the big events of KG and make sure things go well!
Jean Marc Nerson – responsible for the New Home project and member of the board of directors who leads the construction work and responsible for communication on the project with major donors
Emmanuel – Leads and liaises with the legal affairs of KG and works closely with Jean Marc and Pierre and our architects on all aspects of the New Home project.
Eileen – Eileen leads fundraising campaigns and chairs board meetings.
Marjorie – Past and present KG members, retention actions and minutes of board meetings.
Pierre Elkaim – Principal Treasurer
Sabine Eshkanazy – Deputy Treasurer
Ilan Girard – Culture Manager
Action
If you are a retired accountant and would like to help Kehilat Gesher balance his books, we would love to hear from you. Write to me at samantha.woolfe@kehilatgesher.org
With my warmest wishes, I wish you a happy Hanukkah.
Chag sameach and see you all soon,
Samantha Woolfe, President, Kehilat Gesher