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                            Temple Beth Jacob             phone (603) 228-8581
                            67 Broadway                      fax       (603) 228-4929
                            Concord, NH 03301           e-mail office@tbjconcord.org

Mold: 1. A superficial often woolly growth produced on damp or decaying organic matter or on living organisms; 2. a fungus By now, most you know that we had a “mold problem” in the basement of TBJ - a.k.a. the TBJ Religious School. Thanks to the efforts of Marty Bender and professional mold remediators, our basement environment has been returned to its previous “pristine” condition (What do you expect from a 100 year old basement!). The TBJ Board has approved a number of air circulation and dehumidification projects that we hope will improve the air quality in the school. But when I think of “mold” my first thought is of the verb - 1.To knead into a desired consistency or shape; 2. to give shape to. I don’t think that “Miriam” Webster was Jewish (sorry about that pun!), but he captured the essence of the TBJ Religious School experience with that definition: a place where our children are “molded “ by a wonderful faculty into members of our Jewish community with knowledge of their Jewish identity, values, and practice. Not only do we succeed in the preliminary “molding” of our Jewish youth, but also the percentages who choose to remain involved in Jewish studies after Bar/Bat Mitzvah remains a strong testimony to the efforts of Rabbi Richard Klein, Principal Alice Kinsler, our dedicated teaching staff, and you as involved, caring parents and congregants. Mold - the noun - is gone from the TBJ Religious School, but as a verb it is alive and living in our basement, our sanctuary, and throughout our community! Every organism has its place in the universe. Ancient Israel was an arid place; modern Concord basements are not. We won’t let this four letter word get in the way of our larger purpose. B’Shalom, Carol Sobelson, 1st Vice President

We are a member of Union for Reform Judaism (formerly UAHC)

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Last Updated: 02/02/2004