The Caring Community of Temple Concord serves the Temple Congregation with visits to the chronically ill and homebound and to those hospitalized for brief stays when Rabbi Goldman-Wartell is unable to cover the visit.  The Committee aims to offer long term support in bereavement, and check-in by phone to people who need the contact.  A number of our volunteers transport congregants to Friday night and Holiday services upon request.  A subdivision of the Caring Community provides meals of consolation and Shiva preparation upon request by families who do not have friends in this community who can offer such help.

Meals have been provided to families  who have had pressing medical needs or crises, bur for a finite amount of time.  At Rosh Hashanah, the Caring Community delivers baskets of Apples and Honey to members of Temple Concord who have lost a close family member.

Each August the committee meets to assign high holy day honors to congregants.  It also contacts congregants to lead summer services.

Current members of the committee are: Co-chairs Allan Krongold and Suzanne Holwitt; and members Rabbi Rachel Esserman, Dennis Foreman, Carol Herz, Jean Hecht, David Sperber, Merri Pell-Preus, Hollie Levine, Barbara Thomas, Carol Bernstein, Shalom Shoer and Rob Neuberger.

We have had two Services in the Garden this year.  This year the weather was beautiful and the tent overflowed with congregants. Shabbat in the Garden is preceded by a picnic, also in the garden.

During the summer months, congregants conduct services.

On Saturday mornings, Rabbi Barbara Goldman-Wartell leads a service especially geared toward our school children, but enjoyed by all ages.  Kolot, directed by Shari Freed, provides music each week.

Earlier in the day, the rabbi leads Torah study.

Last fall at Simchat Torah we again unrolled the Torah scroll in a giant circle around the social hall as congregants held it.  Individuals then read selected passages aloud.  This is a powerful ceremony that symbolizes that the Torah belongs to all of us.  If you haven’t taken part in holding the scroll or reading from it, try it this coming October.

The Temple Concord Archive has become the permanent source for documentation of the history of Temple Cocnord and the history of some of the larger Southern Tier Jewish Community.  The archive has been established and a space has been allocated withinthe Solis-Cohen library on the second floor of the Kilmer Mansion.  Many materials have been moved to this location.  Files have been set up and many articles of historical value have been filed.  During the coming year we plan to move the archive to a more permanent location on the third floor of the Kilmer Mansion.

Our work in establishing this archive has been done in convert with the American Jewish Archive at Cincinnati.  Through the effort of the Hanukkah House Committee, Temple Concord has become a member of the Council of American Jewish Museums.

We wish to invite any member of Temple Concord or of the larger community to make available their own collections for permanent storage.  Such collections may include artifacts, photos, textual other materials which may have historical value to either Temple Concord or the larger Binghamton Jewish community.

The archive has been indexed.  Anyone interested in utilizing th archive or in contributing to the collections should contact the Temple Concord Office at (607)723-7355.