The old shall dream dreams, and the youth shall see visions.

It is written in the book of Joel (3:2-3): "The old shall dream dreams, and the youth shall see visions." This week we have two wonderful opportunities to gather as a community to reflect on life, to share in the joy of family and friends, and to celebrate the youth of our synagogue. First, we hope you will join us tonight as we welcome Shabbat at 7:30 PM. This service is lay-led, and everyone is invited and encouraged to participate.

Then, on Tuesday, May 22nd at 7:00 PM, it is my pleasure to invite the entire Or Chadash community to the Festival of Shavuot and Service of Confirmation. Confirmation marks not only the culmination of a decade of religious education, but the development of a more mature understanding of one's religious identity.

As I state in the program for the evening:

Reform Judaism presents both the opportunity for creative expression and the challenge of discovering an authentic path to Jewish living. This year’s Confirmation class learned about the rich diversity of belief and practice within Judaism. We studied familiar topics and unfamiliar lessons about them. We traveled to the RAC in Washington, DC, to try to change the world. We ate a lot of pizza and Chinese food and had a great time as a class and as a community.

I often remarked that Judaism speaks with many voices. Tonight we take pleasure in celebrating the many voices of Reform Judaism, voices of my first Confirmation class at Or Chadash.

During this moving and inspiring service we will celebrate twelve voices of Reform Judaism. We invite you to get a glimpse of our Confirmands’ vision and hear their rich and diverse voices.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach.

Rabbi Joseph M. Forman