REGULAR NEWSLETTER ARTICLES FROM OUR TEMPLE PRESIDENT
Tova McGilvray
President@SinaiReno.org
President from 2023 to Present
Tova McGilvray was “Battle Born” and raised in Reno, Nevada, and is a graduate of UNR’s writing program. Her mom and bonus-dad still live in Reno, and all three are members of a different Reno Jewish congregation. She has worked in Title and Escrow since 2013 and looks forward to a long career helping people make Reno their home. Tova trained most of her life as a dancer and thespian, and cut her teeth at leadership managing, and choreographing theatrical productions. Her experience co-founding the Nada Dada Art Show exposed her to the plight of the residents in Reno’s weekly motels and introduced her to community activism. While always identified as a Northern Nevada Jew, it was not until joining Temple Sinai that she found a home where she could practice community service from a proudly Jewish perspective. A Temple Sinai member since 2017, Tova is a past chair of the Temple Sinai Social Action Committee and has served on the Temple Board since 2017. She is also a Past President of the Rotary Club of Reno Midtown. Tova resides in Carson City with her supportive, affectionate, and not-at-all Jewish husband, Jeremme, and has two grown step-children, Destiny and Presh. Tova hopes to share her joy for Reno’s unique brand of Reform Judaism with everyone and is always game for singing and dancing.
Y’all Are Sleeping On Purim
In February’s newsletter, the Rabbis explained why Purim gives a uniquely Jewish opportunity to dispel bigotry and prejudice with laughter. Today, I’m making a case for you to celebrate Purim for a less lofty reason: You’re missing out on a good time! There are already “secular” religious holidays that Americans celebrate simply because they are […]
How To Catch Lightning in a Bottle – or – Our Mid-Year Congregational Forum
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 […]
Leadership is Listening
Some people think that being a leader means always having good ideas and taking decisive action. While I’d like to think that’s true at least some of the time, the best leaders I have known are willing to listen to those they are leading. The ability to hear the needs and wants of the congregation, […]
A Year of Renewal at Temple Sinai
I’m not gonna bury the lead: We are launching 5784 as a Year of Renewal at Temple Sinai. This will be a deliberate campaign to invite old and new friends back to Temple Sinai and to ask our members to invite Temple Sinai back into their lives. As one of our first steps in this […]