New temple phone number.
(843) 325-0389
...a blend of faith and friendship
for over 100 years.
Georgetown, SC
TEMPLE BETH ELOHIM
NEW TEMPLE EMAIL:
info.bethelohim@gmail.com
TBE LEADERSHIP
Richard Dimentstein - President
Joy Birnbaum - Vice President
Tish Richter - Secretary
Michele Bennett - Treasurer
TRUSTEES
Seymour Birnbaum
Andy Friedman
Ariane Lieberman
Butch Miceli
Carrol Sallas
Services at Temple Beth Elohim...
VISITORS:
Please call (843) 325-0389 for information about attending services.
THE RISING STAR NEWSLETTER
*LAY LEADERS
Michele Gershman Bennett
Joy Birnbaum
Lynn & Michael Davidson
Richard Dimentstein
Andy Friedman
Shirley Giegerich
Ariane Lieberman
Kathy Weiss
Rabbi Scott Weiner - Rabbi (Part Time)
Robin Shuler - Musical Service Leader
*For information about becoming a Lay Leader, email info.bethelohim@gmail.com and write 'Lay Leader' for the Subject.
SERVICE SCHEDULE
03/14 Ki Tisa Andy Friedman
03/21 Vayak'hel Rabbi Scott
03/28 Pekudei Lynn & Michael Davidson
Reform Leader's Letter to Senators
Ahead of Gov. Huckabee's Confirmation Hearing
February 21, 2025 - The following letter was delivered to all 100 United States senators today from Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism:
Dear Senators,
On behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, whose nearly 850 congregations across North America encompass 1.8 million Reform Jews, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), whose membership includes over 2000 Reform rabbis, I write to share our concerns about the nomination of Gov. Mike Huckabee as U.S. Ambassador to Israel. We urge you to address these concerns in his confirmation hearing.
The essential goal of any ambassador is advancing U.S. interests and values abroad. In the case of Israel, the United States' oldest and closest ally in the Middle East, the two nations' interests and values have historically overlapped: a commitment to democracy and rule of law; opposition to extremism and terrorism; and advancing regional and international security through the pursuit of peace, including through the recognition and advancement through peaceful means of Palestinian national aspirations. Gov. Huckabee's record raises serious questions about his commitment to these values and interests that have persisted across Republican and Democratic administrations alike.
As a presidential candidate in 2008, Gov. Huckabee declared that "There's really no such thing as a Palestinian." In 2017, Gov. Huckabee denied the reality of Israel's decades-long occupation of the West Bank. In an interview with Israeli radio that took place after his recent nomination, Gov. Huckabee welcomed the possibility of broader Israeli annexation of the West Bank. Each of these views runs counter to U.S. interests in advancing the causes of peace and regional security.
In the same post-nomination interview, Gov. Huckabee made clear that as ambassador, he would not make policy but rather carry out the policies embraced by the President. Yet as ambassador, Gov. Huckabee would also have a responsibility to advise the president when proposed policies, even those from the President himself, run counter to U.S. interests. Gov. Huckabee's comments do not suggest any appreciation of or willingness to play that role.
Gov. Huckabee's views may be shaped in significant part by his deeply held evangelical faith, including what is known as "Christian Zionism." This ideology professes a love of Israel rooted in the belief that Jewish sovereignty over the biblical land of Israel will hasten the return of Jesus Christ. Let us be clear: we celebrate the American commitment to religious freedom, which must never be a barrier to participation in public life. Gov. Huckabee can hold whatever faith views he believes. At the same time, as Jews and Zionists, we are gravely concerned by a teaching in which the well-being of Jews, of Israel, and of America are not ends in themselves but means to the fulfillment of Christian eschatology. Whenever personal faith is transformed into government policies without being tested in the free marketplace of ideas through reasoned discourse rather than faith assertions to assess whether the strategic well-being and moral values of the U.S. are advanced, America's interests are ill-served and the wisdom of the founders' separation of religion and state is betrayed.
As you consider Gov. Huckabee's nomination, we urge you to explore these issues in full, ask for clarity on his views related to these concerns, and cast your vote accordingly.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner