Did you know it has been ten years since the TE house came down?
Six months have passed and I still think one of the best things about being TE’s President is chatting with members of our community. One thing that always makes me smile is how folks identify their relationship with TE based on the different buildings they were in. We have members who attended events “in the barn”, others who “spent a lot of time in the house.” For anyone who joined more than a decade ago, myself included, we brought our kids to Asepha in the house, we had meetings in the house and we remember the distinction between the house and the sanctuary.
For newer members who joined in the past ten years, TE looks today mostly how it was when you joined – minus the two new classrooms near the kitchen. Some might not even know what “the barn” or “the house” means. If that’s the case, be sure to ask around and you will hear some great stories of TE’s history.
Summer 2015 was when TE moved into the expanded main building and February 2016 was when the house came down. These were momentous events in TE’s history and we feel the impact of them every time we enter TE.
By having our school in the house and our services in the sanctuary, many in our community felt that there was a big divide, a “moat” as many called it, between our young families and the older members of our community. Our lay leaders kicked off an important project to unite TE called the One Campus Project. The goal was to bring all of TE together under one roof, so our community could learn, pray, meet, eat and interact all within one space.
I love the vision and energy that went into this project and I am grateful for those who invested so much time and resources into creating our one, united, TE building.
One thing I’m focusing on this year is to make sure that all our members feel connected to all that TE has to offer, including our amazing school and services. I want our established members to connect with our younger families and share their TE stories. If you haven’t experienced a Sunday morning Asepha in a while, I highly recommend you attend- the room is packed and the energy is perfect. I want people showing up, signing up and helping out. We all make TE the special place it is today. Lately, there have been many events that bring us all together, like the Dreyfus lecture that Ed organized with the Adult Ed committee, the Havdalah event in November put on by our religious school parents and teachers, and Chanukkah Shabbat organized by Holli, Jill and Ann.
My hope for 2026 is that we continue to appreciate the beauty of our community and come together within our TE home. Happy 10th birthday to our One Campus and united community.