Rabbi Cathy L. Felix

[Rabbi Felix on the web:  Parsha warns against 'skin-deep' diseases, Evil In Your Own Eyes]

I am so excited about coming to the Jewish Center of Sussex County.  Let me introduce myself.  I was born in Chicago and came east to go to college.  I went to Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Rabbinical School in New York. After ordination, I was the first Pembroke Chaplain at Brown University.  I went on from there to hold a pulpit in Massachusetts, and congregations in New Jersey.  I know this year is going to be filled with excitement, learning, and enthusiasm.  The JCSC has a long and proud tradition, and I look forward to celebrating those customs and rituals that the membership holds dear.  A great advantage to a smaller congregation is the personal relationships that can develop between congregants and the rabbi.  I look forward to getting to know each of you.

The theme of this year is "Give the world your best, and the world will give its best to you."  I am eager to learn from each of you how the JCSC can help you grow personally this year.  Whether thru experimenting with a new Jewish ritual, studying a new Jewish text, taking on a new tzedakah project, there are so many ways we can grow as human beings.  I hope the JCSC becomes the launching pad of the big dream that every individual nurtures in their heart.

Our congregation, too, is undertaking some new projects to move it towards its best.  One new program the Ritual Committee and I are eager to begin is a new Family Service.  This program will be called Families First, to emphasize the importance of family life in our Jewish tradition, and to remind us all that the first Friday of every month our service will begin at 7:30 PM.  It will be more oriented to learning and I will tell stories instead of a formal sermon.

A second initiative we are exploring is strengthening our religious school.  The Education Committee and I are working on several fronts.  First we intend to bring more music into the religious school.  Music is a wonderful vehicle for our spiritual expression and an important tie to our Jewish heritage.  As so much of our religious services are in Hebrew the we are working on a list of prayers and songs to be mastered at each grade level so by the time they are ready for their B'nai Mitzvah they will have mastered significant portions of the service already.

I look forward to a year of growth and excitement.  As we begin the year 5765, I challenge each of us as individuals and as a community to reach deep inside our hearts so every day we can give the world the best of who we are.

My husband Elliot, and children Daniel, Ari and Gabe join me in wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 5765.  May it be a sweet year for us all.

Warmly,

Rabbi Cathy L. Felix