A Few Words from Rabbi Craig Marantz

Shalom Chevrei,

I thought I’d share with you some words I wrote in our shared travel journal, written during our recent trip to Israel:

We are map makers. Every step in Israel charts out a map that only each of us can make for ourselves—a map that guides us to awareness as a people of faith, as members of an ancient community, as participants in an enduring and collective force for good, covenanted with our just and compassionate God. Rand-McNally cannot make this kind of map--only the steps of our own journey can, girded with the intentionality of spiritual pilgrims, not tourists.

I want to thank my fellow sojourners who made our 2018 journey to Israel such a joy: Rosalie Bertocchi, Ellen and Gus Caicedo, Luc Dodinval, Devorah and Bob Heyman, Pam and Dwight Maness, Noreen McGowan and Seth Fetter, Donna Melkonian and Ted Raichel, Sue Normoyle, Maija and Jay Rothenberg, and Rachelle Sheffer. I am also grateful to our guide Jeremy Aron, the rest of our ARZAWorld/Da’at team that helped us along the way.

I am hoping, as a function of adult learning, to organize an Israel planning team that will help us set an agenda for learning more about Israel. In addition, I’d like to put together a travel immersion team that will help us organize our congregational commitment to the art and practice of spiritual journey--whether to Israel or other points of Jewish significance, here in the US and abroad.

This summer I’m also hoping to assemble three other working teams. First, I’d like us to develop leadership around senior programming and better serving the elders in our congregation. Second, our congregation would benefit from a strong caring community organized to help those in need of loving care. And third, I’d like us to advance the work of our fledgling youth engagement team which is dedicated to strengthening our youth experience and teen involvement in Emanuel life. If any of these opportunities peaks your curiosity please let me know, I would love to involve you. Please contact me at rabbimarantz@emanuelcong.org, and let me know of your interest.

Make it a day of blessing and be a force for good!