Mindy's Musings
May 2023
Dear Friends,
I hope you all had a wonderful Passover and school vacation. Somehow Passover doesn’t feel much like a vacation, with all the cooking and cleaning, but hopefully you were able to enjoy family time and had some good moments around the seder table.
I want to express on behalf of the religious school community how sorry we are to see Cantor Vera move on to the next phase of her professional journey as she leaves Temple Emanu-El. Cantor Vera is beloved by this congregation and has been a wonderful friend and mentor to me since the moment she arrived. It’s such a blessing to have a successor who is so loving, kind, and humble, and I am so grateful to her for allowing me to become part of this community again. I know what a strong impact she has had on all our families; her energy is an inspiration to us all.
I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by. I feel like I just started the school year. We’ve had so many great learning moments with our students. The energy in our building is just so exciting. I love seeing our kids pounding on cups, singing at the top of their lungs, and skipping through the halls. I will be thrilled to return to Temple Emanu-El next year and make sure that our learning experiences remain rich and exciting.
South-of-the-Border Tot Shabbat, Friday, May 5, at 6:00 pm
This will be our last family Shabbat of the year, and we will have a south-of-the-border Shabbat (apropos of Cinco de Mayo) with stories and songs from the Ladino-speaking Jewish tradition.
End-of-School-Year Party & Potluck Lunch, Sunday, May 7, at noon
By now you should have received notice that we are also going to be wishing farewell to Trudy Zakin, who has been a master educator with us for more than thirty-five years. Please join us in Winer Auditorium for a potluck lunch to honor Trudy as she enters retirement. If you’d like to contribute a potluck dish or make a donation in Trudy’s honor, please email Lisa Anthony at office@TempleEmanu-El.org. Please note our allergy and kashrut policies. May 7 is also our last day of school.
Confirmation Service, Friday, May 19, at 7:00 pm
Please join us as we honor our 2023 confirmands. Congratulations to Benjamin Fitts, Zack Hannula, Jacqueline Lampron, and Angelina Lucia. We applaud their commitment to lifelong Jewish education, and we are so happy to be able to finally celebrate with them at Temple Emanu-El.
A major thank you to our teachers—Rachel Hanson, Trudy Zakin, Kim Callan, and Ándrea Pentabona—for their incredible work this year with our students, to Andi Hannula for her service as our Religious School Committee chair, and to Morry and Alicia Korinow for spearheading a new PTO. We’re very grateful for all your hard work!
Religious school registration forms for the 2023–2024 school year will be available in the next few weeks. To help us determine how to configure classes for next year, we need to know how many students will be attending, so please fill out the form and put down a deposit for your child(ren) no later than May 31. More instructions will be forthcoming.
Warm regards for a wonderful end of year, and onward to summer!
Best,
Mindy Harris
I hope you all had a wonderful Passover and school vacation. Somehow Passover doesn’t feel much like a vacation, with all the cooking and cleaning, but hopefully you were able to enjoy family time and had some good moments around the seder table.
I want to express on behalf of the religious school community how sorry we are to see Cantor Vera move on to the next phase of her professional journey as she leaves Temple Emanu-El. Cantor Vera is beloved by this congregation and has been a wonderful friend and mentor to me since the moment she arrived. It’s such a blessing to have a successor who is so loving, kind, and humble, and I am so grateful to her for allowing me to become part of this community again. I know what a strong impact she has had on all our families; her energy is an inspiration to us all.
I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by. I feel like I just started the school year. We’ve had so many great learning moments with our students. The energy in our building is just so exciting. I love seeing our kids pounding on cups, singing at the top of their lungs, and skipping through the halls. I will be thrilled to return to Temple Emanu-El next year and make sure that our learning experiences remain rich and exciting.
South-of-the-Border Tot Shabbat, Friday, May 5, at 6:00 pm
This will be our last family Shabbat of the year, and we will have a south-of-the-border Shabbat (apropos of Cinco de Mayo) with stories and songs from the Ladino-speaking Jewish tradition.
End-of-School-Year Party & Potluck Lunch, Sunday, May 7, at noon
By now you should have received notice that we are also going to be wishing farewell to Trudy Zakin, who has been a master educator with us for more than thirty-five years. Please join us in Winer Auditorium for a potluck lunch to honor Trudy as she enters retirement. If you’d like to contribute a potluck dish or make a donation in Trudy’s honor, please email Lisa Anthony at office@TempleEmanu-El.org. Please note our allergy and kashrut policies. May 7 is also our last day of school.
Confirmation Service, Friday, May 19, at 7:00 pm
Please join us as we honor our 2023 confirmands. Congratulations to Benjamin Fitts, Zack Hannula, Jacqueline Lampron, and Angelina Lucia. We applaud their commitment to lifelong Jewish education, and we are so happy to be able to finally celebrate with them at Temple Emanu-El.
A major thank you to our teachers—Rachel Hanson, Trudy Zakin, Kim Callan, and Ándrea Pentabona—for their incredible work this year with our students, to Andi Hannula for her service as our Religious School Committee chair, and to Morry and Alicia Korinow for spearheading a new PTO. We’re very grateful for all your hard work!
Religious school registration forms for the 2023–2024 school year will be available in the next few weeks. To help us determine how to configure classes for next year, we need to know how many students will be attending, so please fill out the form and put down a deposit for your child(ren) no later than May 31. More instructions will be forthcoming.
Warm regards for a wonderful end of year, and onward to summer!
Best,
Mindy Harris