This Shabbat marks the start of Rosh Hodesh Elul, the beginning of the Hebrew month Elul. There are several ways that this is significant. First, the start of a new month in general is considered a small holiday; treating it as such really connects us to Jewish time and our national calendar.

Laura and I were recently driving west on Beaverton Hillsdale Highway when we saw it. The old Pier One had relocated, and in its place was a Halloween store. It seemed so incongruous. The temperature was in the nineties and summer seemed reluctant to go. Or maybe I'm the one who is reluctant to let summer go. Regardless, in just a couple of months, kids will be trick or treating.

Tisha B'Av means the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av. On that day, we commemorate and remember the destruction of the first and second Temples. Over the centuries, people hostile to the Jews maliciously chose that day to inflict further tragedies upon us. For example, the tradition records that we were expelled from Spain on the 9th of Av in 1492.

Sephardic Adventure Camp (SAC), which was founded in the 1940's, is one of the oldest Jewish camps in the Northwest. It was created by members of two Seattle congregations to preserve the unique culture of Sephardic Jews while offering their children a rich camp experience. Anyone who has attended a Jewish summer camp knows the power it has to build a life-long Jewish identity and happy memories.