As we begin to move towards the end of summer vacations, fishing excursions, and general lolling around, I think it is time for me to clear my desk of accumulated notes; tidbits of information gathered and surely held for some useful purpose. So I've gathered these snippets together and list them here for you.

Has anyone recently inquired or visited the local Mancuso Cheese Co. to see if their products can be used here at the Temple? I am told that many of their products are quite tasty.

We are pleased to report that Dr. Kranzler will again be our Cantor for our Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services. Dr. Kranzler is a very knowledgeable and skilled chazzan and we are looking forward to his music again this year.

And speaking of the holidays this year: many of the holidays fall on Friday night and Shabbat so I'm looking forward to a marked increase in synagogue attendance.

The Ritual Committee will be meeting soon to select various prayers in the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services to be read from the pulpit by our members. When you are contacted, please say yes. Congregational involvement from the Bimah is crucial and adds immeasurably to our services.

Hebrew is being reintroduced into our school curriculum. We are working hard on establishing a schedule that will attract as many of our children as possible - stay tuned! Speaking of our religious school, if you know of a family or two who have been "sitting on the fence" waiting to see if we will expand our school, now is the time to get them to call the Temple office for more informtion.

The Joliet Area Community Hospice will be holding their semi-annual memorial service here at the Temple on October 25. The event will be free of charge and open to the public. We'll have more on this as the time approaches.

My conversion class begun last January is proceeding very nicely. Of the 5 original students, 4 have remained with the program and all indications show that they will complete their studies by the end of 2009 and will be ready for conversion. One student has already become an Associate Member and I expect at least 2 others will join soon. Two students have joined in recently which means I will be splitting the group soon to allow the original group to complete the work and get the new folks on to the right track. I am truly excited about the progress of all my students!

Finally, Michelle and I will be taking a one week vacation beginning Aug. 6, but we will remain "reachable." Just call Beth and she'll get in touch with us.

I hope everyone's summer has been pleasant. I'll be adressing the approaching holidays in our next newsletter.

Rabbi