Wow.
Let me say that again: wow.
From the amazing High Holy Days season, back in the sanctuary for the first time in 3 years, to the Gala celebrating Temple Emanuel’s 60th anniversary, my heart is full of gratitude for the blessings bestowed on us all and on this cherished community of ours. A huge THANK YOU to the Gala committee and so many volunteers that helped make it a night to remember!
The vision of our founders lives on. The community they so lovingly built continues to be maintained and sustained by the new generations of TE members, even as many of the founders and the ‘early adopters’ continue to bless our community with their love and support. Our Religious School continues to provide the opportunities for children and parents to learn and to grow – both Jewishly and personally. Our teens step up to engage not just with each other, but also with the next generation of students. Our expanded building is once again abuzz with excitement of learning. My heart overflows with gratitude.
Our world is far from perfect – and yet we continue to respond the best way we know how: by supporting those in need, by loving our neighbors and our friends, by comforting the bereaved, by supporting those who struggle with illness, by rejoicing any time we have something to celebrate: a wedding, a baby naming, a coming of age to fulfillment of mitzvot… We celebrate and we mourn, we support and surround with love, we continue to engage with the modern world while holding fast to traditions that go back centuries.
At 60, we are young and vibrant. We look back with the gratitude for our past, and with excitement for our future. Mazal Tov, TE!