In 1968 my husband and I came to Connecticut for one year of his residency. We had no plans of putting down roots, since this was simply another stop along the educational road. We had both grown up in New York, and hardly realized we were a minority group. Neither of our families were observant, nor did we have any formal religious education. As young adults, we had gone alone to High Holiday services, where we felt less than welcome. However, we both had done our own study of Judaism and felt a spiritual need to further our understanding. Although being Jews by birth, we were now Jews by choice.
We heard of a small group of people who had organized in 1962 with “a keen sense of Jewishness, a pioneer spirit, and desire to practice their religious beliefs and educate their children in a more meaningful manner than was available from other reform congregations.” Within 5 years, the small congregation became Temple Emanuel and was given recognition. We joined this unique community, with its basis of volunteerism, and held our services throughout the New Haven area with a student part-time rabbi. Once we realized that Orange was going to be our home, we became more active members, teaching and serving on many committees.
Temple Emanuel has changed and grown from its inception. However, its basic values and the spirit of our special community have remained the same, first with the expert guidance of Rabbi Mark Winer, and then with Rabbi “Jerry” Breiger. I am truly grateful to both of these men and the friends of TE who not only helped educate my family, but supported us through both the most joyous and most difficult times of our lives.
As one of the more “mature” members of TE, I have been lucky enough to experience the advances our synagogue has made and now share the presence of our remarkable Rabbi Farbman in our new home. I have pledged to the “Leave a Legacy” program to make sure those of the next generation have the same opportunity that those before gave to me. Someone recently said that “we are the memories of tomorrow”… and I want us to be remembered as passing on the gift of Temple Emanuel.