Or Atid Celebrates Sukkot and New Members

Led by Rabbi Sherry Grinsteiner, Congregation Or Atid celebrated Sukkot at a recent family musical Shabbat dinner and welcomed 22 new members/families who have joined the shul between Rosh Hashana 2024 and Rosh Hashana 2025.

In all, 75 people enjoyed this unique Sukkot celebration bringing together music, meditation, movement, and prayer to create a “Sukkah of sound, rhythm and intention.”

The goal of the evening was to create a Sukkah of peace and reflection bringing together body, mind and spirit with our ancestors, offering a profound journey of connection and spirituality.

  Students Learn About Jewish Values and Holidays

Or Atid’s students returned to religious school in the past month. As Education Director Rebekkah Kline explained, the first month of school focused on the Jewish value of Teshuvah and the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. 

Guest speaker, Dr. Bill Moskowitz taught about the children about the Shofar during a schoolwide Rosh Hashanah celebration. In addition, the students were allowed to choose among different activities to learn about the holidays.

Also during the month Tal Bahar, our Sh’licah from the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, came and taught the students about Teshuvah, creating a bulletin board of the Clouds of Teshuvah.

For Sukkot each class created decorations which were hung up in the Sukkah. Rabbi Sherry explained the symbolism of the four species and how they relate to parts of the human body. The students also got to shake the Lulav.  

For October and November, the youngest students will be learning about Shabbat and Bikkur Cholim (visiting the sick) while our older students will delve deeply into the Jewish values of B’tzelim Elohim and Gevurah.

Garden Still Producing as Season’s End Approaches

The seasons may be changing, but Or Atid’s Gan Chesed Kindness Garden harvest of organic veggies and herbs is still going strong. Most recently a total of 8 1/2 pounds of eggplant, green beans, tomatoes, beets and peppers were harvested, taking our total donation to the Jewish Community Center’s Elmer Toth Food Pantry this year to 175 pounds.

Or Atid’s contribution, along with similar donations from the JCC’s grocery store partners, have been a welcome blessing this year to the JCC’s food pantry.

Shari Menlowe-Barck, coordinator of the Food Pantry, has expressed her great appreciation for the continuing flow of fresh organics from the Or Atid garden.

For more information on involvement with the garden project at Or Atid, contact Sue Geller at (804) 387-7643 or email her at susanrgeller@gmail.com.