Matching Donor
We support Temple Emanu-el for many reasons.
Branden:
I grew up at Temple Emanu-El where I was called to Torah as a bar mitzvah, and was confirmed in our sanctuary. Rebecca and I were married under the beautiful sanctuary dome. My recent activities at the synagogue include the technology committee (helping get tablets/ipads for the Religious School), now chairing the Ritual Committee, and serving on the Board of Trustees. I'm also responsible for helping coordinate the live stream of our High Holy Day services from the Heritage Theater.
Rebecca:
When I first came to Temple Emanu-El, I didn't realize that something had been missing in my life. I grew up in a church community but never really felt connected, and I drifted away as a young adult. When I first met Branden and started getting more involved in the life of the synagogue, it immediately filled a void that I didn't even know was there. In addition to being active in the preschool, I also love working with Bobi Levine on the Havurah Committee, where we help connect families, especially those who are new to the congregation.
Judaism is largely based on community, and being a part of the community is something that is very important to our family. Temple has been there to support us through hard times like the loss of loved ones, and happy times like the birth of our daughter.
Because we have brought our daughter to services since she was a baby, she feels very much at home at Temple Emanu-El. This was evident when she started in the preschool. For her, it was a very easy transition because it is "her" temple. Pretty sure that the first day drop off was much harder on us as parents! Now that we are also a part of the preschool community, it is yet another way that Temple keeps us involved.
Any organization needs money and time to keep things going. We enjoy working with other congregants on shared activities, and we support the annual campaign on #GivingTuesday because we want to continue to see our synagogue thrive in the coming year.
