I joined Temple Sinai soon after moving to Vermont in 1982. I
had never lived in a place with such a small Jewish population, and was happy
to find a reform congregation to affiliate with. At that time, we were
wandering Jews, using space down the street at the Faith Methodist Church,
setting up and tearing down the sanctuary every Friday night. I remember a
group of us would go out to Howard Johnson’s for a bite to eat after services
on Friday nights – we made community wherever we could. And we were growing -
we needed our own space and we bought a plot of land and built a building,
which we then outgrew and renovated and expanded into this wonderful facility
we enjoy now.
Temple Sinai is a place where our lives change: where we
learn and pray, where we sing and dance, where we eat, where we laugh and where
we weep. We measure time with those life events. I remember the first function
I attended in this building – when there was no ceiling in the sanctuary and
the windows were covered with plastic – was the funeral of a colleague of mine
in the Chemistry Department at UVM (Claus Wulff). After Barb and I married, we
started a family – Eli and Rubin were named in that sanctuary, they grew up
here, attended the religious school, had their B’Nai Mitzvahs (and Eli’s
confirmation) in that sanctuary.
Like many busy young families, I never stopped to think of
who was making sure that the bills were paid, or who organized the Purim
carnival that our kids loved, or designed the curriculum that taught them about
their Jewish heritage and the Hebrew language. I never stopped to think of who
was making sure that the eternal light was lit and that there was a Temple
Sinai for our community. Don’t get me wrong, we paid our dues and participated
in Temple activities, but I took for granted all that it takes to keep a place
like this running.
So, thank you – to the members who took it upon themselves to
found this Congregation, to do the hard work of managing, organizing, cajoling,
knowing when to and when not to take risks so that we can have this rich,
vibrant Reform Jewish Congregation. We are all indebted to the years of service
on previous Temple Boards and Committees provided by so many and I am humbled
and honored that you have entrusted me to follow in their footsteps. I am
fortunate to have followed – and had the opportunity to learn from and work
with – some amazing people, like Bruce Hicken (as Treasurer) and our past two
presidents (Howard Kalfus and Tim Cope). And while I also know that they have
set the bar pretty high – higher than I imagine I can come close to reaching –
I also know that I will be working with an accomplished and dedicated Board,
supported by tireless Committees, and a Staff that is second to none.
Lastly, I am thankful for your trust and encouragement and
devotion to Temple Sinai. Over the next couple of years, I look forward to
working with you to continue to build our community and provide an open,
welcoming and supportive environment for Jewish education, spiritual growth and
fulfillment.
A final note: I want to hear from you whenever you have
questions, concerns or if you just need to talk. I will not pretend to have all
of the answers or to even be able to immediately address your concerns in the
ways that you may wish – but your voice will be heard and I will make sure that
any appropriate action is taken. You can reach me at home on the phone at
985-9329 or via email at templesinaipresident@gmail.com
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