My, that was a relentless second half of 2023! It has been a strange and challenging time in the world and while our resilience was tested at Temple Sinai, these challenges brought our community together in remarkable ways. Reflecting back on the year that just ended, I am so incredibly grateful and proud of our achievements. The upcoming Mid-Year Congregational Forum will be our chance to review the events from this previous year and set out a plan to harness some of that spark and energy for 2024 and continue our Year of Renewal.

I will remember 2023 as the year of The Women Who Saved Rosh HaShanah and all the powerful ways that our members stepped up when the Rabbis were laid low. The High Holy Days saw an incredible rally from our lay leaders and the entire congregation, and even the rough moments had an alertness to them that resonated with me. We have long had plans to expand upon the core group of Temple Sinai members whom we rely on to lead services from time to time, and this was another example of why we need to invest in training and empowering our members to take on the spiritual growth of leading services.

Just when the excitement of the holidays was ending, we were thrown into crisis again with the horrific attacks on Israelis on October 7. That crisis moved closer to home when anti-Semitism colored the public debate about the war and American communities began to splinter. The news coverage left me feeling detached and alienated, like I didn’t have a home anywhere in the discussion, but the humanity, respect, and emotion displayed by my Temple Sinai community helped me regain my ground. Together, we had hard discussions and opened our hearts to take in different perspectives. The Israel Shabbat, led by the Social Action Committee, was a triumphant event and a beautiful outlet for so many emotions. The support we’ve provided each other during this war shows the importance of strong personal relationships, vibrant committees, and good communication between Temple members and the Board of Directors. While this was not what we planned for our Year of Renewal at Temple Sinai, the values of Relationship, Engagement, and Communication shone through in how we responded to the challenge.

While the last six months have at times felt like the triage of governing from crisis to crisis, I believe the Board’s vision for a Year of Renewal guided us in both the immediate challenges and in attending to the regular business of the Temple. The mid-year congregational forum is our chance to highlight the energy and skills that carried our congregation through the recent months, and commit to applying that same energy to 2024, hopefully in a calmer environment. I had the personal mission to strengthen our Temple Sinai Committees because the best programming and ideas come up from our members rather than down from the Board, and now more than ever I feel committed to that goal. I hope you’ll join us for the mid-year forum, Sunday, January 21st, and commit yourself to the Year of Renewal at Temple Sinai.

In closing, I’d like to share a snippet from A Prayer for Healing Relationships Within the Jewish Community:

May I never forget, Hashem, that we are the family Israel… Together we dwell in Your house. Help us embrace one another again. Amen.

Shalom,
Tova McGilvray