Resources to Help

One of Temple’s best kept secrets is our library, and we owe a great amount of appreciation to our volunteers who come in each week to keep it organized and ensure our holdings are up to date and interesting.  We have, what I believe, to be one of the biggest congregational libraries in our area.  You may not know it, but several years ago we had our library books digitally catalogued, allowing us to see all our resources online.  In fact, you only need to go to Temple’s tidayton.org website to access it under “study.”  I am proud to be a part of a community that values education and lifelong learning.  With our comfy coffee room, Temple is a great place to sit down and get lost in an interesting book.  I encourage you to stop by and peruse our shelves when the building is open. 

Rabbi Sobo and I just returned a few weeks ago from a convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis in Philadelphia.  One of the things that we enjoy most at these gatherings is the opportunity to look at newly released books that publishers put on display.  As always, Rabbi Sobo and I come back with many new books and resources to add to our library collection.  And, throughout the year, we try to ensure that the books we recommend to you are ones you can find in our library.  I hope you will explore these books and find something that piques your interest. 

In addition to our typical books, I have been focusing on adding some specific resources.  As you are aware, our community has faced several challenges in the past few years – tornados, mass shootings, a global pandemic, a war in Israel to name a few.  I wanted to let you know that during this time I have added many books related to healing, overcoming trauma, and creative new liturgy to help us through these challenging times.  If you or a loved one might benefit from these, I hope you will find that we have the resources to help.  If you don’t see what you are looking for or are interested in books on mourning and loss, they could be in our new bereavement room. 

If you haven’t been into the library or learning resource center in a while, it is time to come in and check it out.  Your clergy are always here to talk but also to help you find your next book.  I hope to see you soon.