President’s Message (January – February 2015)

Dear Temple Sinai Members,

As Jews we have a unique opportunity as we can celebrate two New Years, one religious and one secular. Both of them give us the same chance to reflect on the past and prepare for the coming year. We also do not need to separate our thoughts between religious and secular, and can focus on priorities that are appropriate for us at the time. I hope with this New Year, 2015, you will include resolutions that involve your religious community, Temple Sinai. Please consider joining your fellow members at a service and/or event at the Temple that you haven’t participated in before. As an example, there is a service every Sunday morning for the Religious School at 11:00 a.m. It truly is a treat to see our children engaged in prayer and song! Even if you do not have children or grandchildren in the Religious School, feel free to come to this service and enjoy the spirit.

In our bulletins and on our website there is information about upcoming events and special services. Our committees try to plan programs that meet the interests of a variety of groups. If you have an idea for something new or have an unmet need, please contact me and I will forward your input to the appropriate group. Change can be a good thing and new thoughts are always welcome.

As mentioned before, our board is focused this year on lifelong learning in three age groups: Religious School age children, teens, and adults. I am happy to report that all three groups are making progress on their goals. The Religious School group is developing a room parent program so that parents are both informed of and involved in the many activities in the Religious School. The group addressing the teen age population is writing a brochure that outlines curriculum from pre-K through high school. And lastly, the adult education committee, with input from board members, has published a survey to determine the interests of congregation members. I hope you have completed this survey so that programs in the future can be planned with your needs and input in mind.

Most of all, I wish all of our members and their families a happy, healthy, and peaceful new year!

b’Shalom,

Carol Benjamin, President new message24