Our family has a long history and great love for our synagogue. I moved to Birmingham at the age of sixteen from Montgomery, where my family had deep roots at Temple Beth Or. My husband, Paul, was raised here — in fact, his father became a member soon after he arrived in 1897 and he often said his earliest memories of Temple were of his mother singing in the choir. Paul and I were so proud to be one of the first couples married by Rabbi Grafman — a day I shall never forget. We both were very active in Temple functions with Paul serving on the Board. After our children were grown, I was a regular volunteer, helping in the office every Tuesday…and did so for years.

We both really love the Temple; and Paul, especially, always wanted to do something special. In the mid 80’s, we looked for a lasting way to honor both of our parents. Nothing that was suggested really appealed to us until we learned of the Czechoslovakian Torah Scrolls that had miraculously survived the Nazi’s occupation of that country. We arranged to have one of these scrolls on “permanent loan” for our congregation.

Then, several years ago, we wanted to make another meaningful and lasting gift as part of the Shofar Initiative. When the idea was introduced that we could endow our dues with a special fund bearing our family name, we knew that would be the perfect fit. Now, the Temple benefits from our gift each and every year and will do so long after we are both gone. This way our deep roots continue to bear fruit for generations to come.