“The two things that are most important in our lives are family and faith – and Temple Emanu-El is truly our larger family and place of comfort. Actually, for both of us, the Temple is where Judaism begins – and it gives us purpose through a Jewish lens and provides the foundation to be a better person. It has been Allan’s life’s guide to care for others, be a good person, and bring joy to others. Therefore, it is so important to us that we all invest in our congregation. It is not as important how much we give, but supporting our synagogue shows that we value who we are as a Jewish people.

For both of us, our Temple has been more than just a house of worship, it has been our community or “Temple family” for many years. Since moving here from Cleveland, we found that just like us there were so many people in our congregation that didn’t have loved ones in town to celebrate the holidays. So many people just like us that needed to be together and have a connection.

With Sherron’s pleasure to cook, the idea dawned on us to create a Break-the-Fast experience at Yom Kippur. There are many people who come to worship just once a year at Yom Kippur, so we created an endowed Break-the-Fast Fund, knowing that “If you feed them they will come.” We love starting the new year together with our congregation enjoying a meal. It makes you feel so good, for just one day, for people to have “family”.