June 2018

Collaborative Musical Outdoor Service

What: A Shabbat Service with Temple Emanu-El and Congregation Beth El.  Bring your own picnic dinner to follow.

When:  Friday, July 6, 2018 @ 6:00 P.M.

Where: Temple Emanu-El

July & August 2018

The Social Action Committee begins this summer with a Mitzvah Corps in place and a readiness to be part of a Mitzvah Day community garden at the Temple.

All of our core programs are going well:

  • Our connection to the soup kitchen where we prepare and serve a meal continues on the third Tuesday of each month at the Community Meals Center in New London.
  • Habitat’s monthly Sunday Builds are scheduled for the afternoons of July 15 and August 12. Although there has always been sufficient volunteers working on these Builds, a plea goes out for new people from the Temple to become involved.
  • This area’s Start Fresh program has just welcomed a refugee family–a single woman and her three children–into the community. Help is always needed and Karen Bloustine is the person to talk to if you want to get involved.

The Social Action Committee hopes to continue to do good work through the summer and beyond. If anyone needs help or if you know someone who needs help during the summer please contact the Temple Office and the Mitzvah Corps will try to meet the need. Although this is not the time to think about autumn, Social Action expects to bring new energy in new ways to the New Year. Enjoy the summer!!

Marty Zeldis

Religious School Committee

Temple Emanu-El’s Religious School Committee (RSC) serves as liaison between the Board of Trustees and the Religious School Administration. The goal is to address the evolving needs of the students and their families within the framework of the Temple’s overall mission.

Together, Rabbi Marc Ekstrand, Cantorial Soloist Sherry Barnes, the Religious School Administrator and other members of the Religious School Committee (a volunteer sampling of the school’s staff and parents) work together to aim to enhance the religious education experience for our students, their families and prospective students and members. Through the network between the Religious School Committee, the Board of Trustees, the Communications Committee and the Membership Committee, our Temple will no doubt be able to capitalize on great opportunities which arise through a strong dialogue between these groups.

We look for ways in which the religious school curriculum can create a sense of community at our Temple so more learning, varied experiences and connections can materialize across generations, not only among the children, but also between the families within our congregation and the greater community. If you would like to help with this committee, please contact Lisa at religiousschool@tewaterford.org or Roberta in the Temple office.

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee helps people who are unaffiliated with a synagogue find a spiritual home at Temple Emanu-El. Our job includes welcoming new members and ensuring that current members remain engaged within the temple community. Among other things, we organize dinners for our new and current members so they can get to know one another, and host open houses. Contact Armi at membership@tewaterford.org to get involved!