EDUCATION
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Tu B’shvat is a time for sharing our gifts – United Hebrew Congregation Terre Haute
This month, we celebrate the minor festival of Tu B’shvat — the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar month of Shevat. We call Tu B’shvat the “birthday” of trees, because it is a marker of time from which we count whether a tree is old enough to bear tithe-worthy fruit. That is, is this tree mature enough, strong enough, to…
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The best miracles could be the ones we make ourselves, every day of the year – United Hebrew Congregation Terre Haute
December is a month steeped in the stories and expectations of miracles. Across different faiths and cultures, this season is the time when we remember powerful acts of divine intervention, from the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days during Hanukkah to the Christian belief in the miraculous birth of Jesus. These ancient stories serve as anchors, reminding…
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Hanukkah brings light to our mikdash me’at as we gather to celebrate the holiday – United Hebrew Congregation Terre Haute
Hanukkah reminds us of our longing for light, and the Torah portions traditionally read at this time of year reflect upon the building of the mikdash — a dwelling place for God on earth, literally, a “place for the holy,” which we often translate as “the Temple.” Our synagogues are sometimes called a mikdash me’at, or a “miniature Temple.” In…
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High Holidays 5786 schedule to begin with Erev Rosh Hashanah services Monday, September 22 – United Hebrew Congregation Terre Haute
Rabbi Jennifer Lewis will officiate High Holidays services in the sanctuary at United Hebrew Congregation and via Zoom for the New Year 5786, beginning with Erev Rosh Hashanah services at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22. Izaak Skillman will handle shofar duties. UHC will observe a mask-optional policy that may change depending on local Covid infection rates and CDC recommendations. Members…
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Check, please! It’s the season for heshbon hanefesh — an accounting of our souls – United Hebrew Congregation Terre Haute
L’shana tovah tikateyvu, Happy New Year, and may you be inscribed for good in the coming year! I’m looking forward to returning to Terre Haute to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Days of Awe, and the coming year, 5786, with the United Hebrew Congregation community! We have entered the Hebrew month of Elul, the month during which tradition teaches us to…
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Spice up your Shabbat schedule with UHC’s new, twice-monthly Havdalah service – United Hebrew Congregation Terre Haute
We are delighted to invite you to a new ritual offering at UHC: a twice-monthly online Havdalah service — a short and meaningful way to close Shabbat together and welcome the week ahead. Our first service will take place at at 7:45 p.m. Saturday, August 9, 2025, via Zoom. Whether Havdalah is familiar to you or brand new, you are…
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Cicely, Alaska, is not the end of the journey – United Hebrew Congregation Terre Haute
I’d like to discuss a television show that I loved watching in the mid ’90s. No, I’m not talking about Baywatch. My favorite show was Northern Exposure. The show is a basic fish-out-of-water tale. The main character is a Jewish New York doctor who upon completion of his medical training is set to begin a carefully planned career that would…
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For 49 days, we’ve counted the Omer and examined our spiritual selves. Happy Shavuot! – United Hebrew Congregation Terre Haute
Starting on the second night of Passover, we began the period of the Counting of the Omer, which in Jewish tradition helps us with spiritual preparation for our next festival, Shavuot (when we celebrate Moses’s receiving the Law at Mount Sinai). This period represents the time between our liberation from slavery and our formation as a people in covenant with…
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The Passover seder dinner means matzoh, wine, bitter herbs and the miracle of the shared meal – United Hebrew Congregation Terre Haute
This year our Passover seder will be celebrated on Saturday, April 12, starting at 6 p.m. We will be led by our rabbi, Jennifer Lewis, and we will have a full seder meal. We will drink the wine; we will break the matzot and eat the bitter herbs. We will celebrate while reclining (at least symbolically) the Exodus from Egypt…
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Passover represents a period of change. As Rabbi Nachman said, approach it without fear – United Hebrew Congregation Terre Haute
As we prepare to celebrate Passover together, beginning the evening of Saturday, April 12, we also note the start of the Hebrew month of Nisan. The trees and flowers are finally blooming in Terre Haute (and Cincinnati)! The Festival of Freedom will soon be upon us. And yet, the transitional period from Winter to Spring, beautiful as it may be,…
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