Signs of Spring (March 2013)

Dear Fellow Congregants,

I hope you all survived Storm Charlotte safe and sound and I am sure we are all looking forward to better

weather. I think the groundhog predicted an early spring, but certainly didn’t say anything about two feet of snow! Although a snowstorm can be an inconvenience for many, it is an opportunity in other ways. It gives us the chance to stay close to home with loved ones and be grateful for our blessings — a warm house, plenty of food, and the chance to stay in touch with those who mean the most to us.

Spring at Temple Sinai will be ushered in by our annual Seder on March 25th. l hope many of you can join us in celebrating this wonderful holiday to remember what our ancestors endured and survived. Our Membership/Family committee will be organizing this event and I know it will be great as have been other events they have sponsored.

Please mark your calendars for the Temple’s Annual Meeting which will be held on Sunday morning, May 19. This meeting has traditionally been held in June, but our board decided to tryy this earlier time and we hope that you will furd it more convenient. Information including the agenda for the meeting, nominations for the board, and the proposed budget for 2013 – 2014 will be sent in April.

I trust you have had an opportunity to visit our new website and many thanks go to the commiffee who worked so hard to bring us this new look — Jerry Schwartz, webmaster, Eric Jacobsen, and Sara Milch. There is helpful information such as Shabbat candle lighting times, Jewish news of note, and upcoming events all easily seen on the home page. The committee is open to suggestions for changes, so feel free to email Jerry at webmaster@sinaict.org. We would really like more pictures on the website, so if you have any that you think are appropriate (with permission from those in the pictures), please email them to Jerry.

The Safety committee continues to review options to assure as much as possible the safety and security of all members and staff when in our building. Many of us are in contact with peers in other temples and every congregation is struggling with this same topic. We need to balance the issue of safety with other concerns such as costs and the desire to keep our building a wann, welcoming place especially for our children.

By the time you receive this bulletin, we will have celebrated Purim, but I am sure we will still be smiling after the wonderful program that Rabbi Bennett and Cantor Gordon created for us once again!

b’Shalom,

Carol Benjamin, President new-message24