 The first Sabbath this month is Shabbat Shira, the Sabbath of Song, so on Saturday morning, February 4th, I will be – what else? – singing with the Union Temple Singers. Our wonderful leader, Temple Musician Shinae Kim, has assembled a fine selection of music, including some familiar hymns, and some with settings that are new, at least for us. And of course one of the songs will be Ozi V’zimrat Ya, a verse from the Song of the Sea, the centerpiece of Shabbat Shira, which celebrates the Israelites’ crossing the Red Sea, from slavery in Egypt to freedom in, well, a wilderness at first. But that’s another story.
Most Wednesday evenings at 7 PM, our handful of singers can be found rehearsing at the Temple. During the Engaging Israel series and other Wednesday evening adult education programs, we start and finish a little earlier so that we can attend. We invite you to join us! We can always use a few more voices. Don’t fret about being a total amateur (we all are!) and don’t imagine that it’s stressful at all. Quite the opposite, for me the rehearsals are a fun and relaxing change of pace. So drop by one Wednesday evening and start singing with us. The congregation will thank you.
-Steven Segall, Secretary
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Have you noticed the new feeling at UnionTemple? The growing enthusiasm is palpable.
Each event draws in more and more people. At two well-attended congregational meetings, the Strategic Planning committee led discussions of the plans for the next 5 years. Some of these plans are already underway. For instance, a beautification committee has been working hard on improving the exterior appearance of the temple. They plan to fix the doors, take down the faded awnings, put up new banners, install planters, and add lighting.
We are planning social and fundraising events, social action initiatives, and a host of artistic and educational programs. Changes are in store also for the ReligiousSchooland the Preschool.aim to grow membership to 200 families by 2011. We have applied for a grant to add a Synaplex dimension to Shabbat. (More on this next month, if the grant goes through.)Plus, with our new TempleAdministratorin place, we hope for a more streamlined, efficient, and effective administration.
Of course, the emphasis will remain on keeping services beautiful and trying new things to continue to attract members, old and new., there’s a lot of excitement about the future. But it will take a lot of work.We need your involvement – planning for events, attending programs and services, and lending a helping hand in any way you can. Together we can make Union Temple grow even better.
-Jeff Stein, Vice President and Ellen Kolikoff, Secretary  
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Beatrice Hanks
President |
Vice President
Henry Singer |
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Jeff Stein
Treasuer |
Ellen Kolikoff
Vice President |
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Abe Barnett
Vice-President |
Steven Segall
Secretary |
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