Dear Congregants:
We are at a point of transition in the life of our congregation. This year we conclude one chapter of our history, and next year – 2020 – we will mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of our beloved Temple. In many ways, the story of Temple Emanu-El tells the story of the Jewish community in Union County and beyond.
To prepare for our future we are pleased to announce that we are launching a Listening Campaign. The purpose of the Listening Campaign is to hear from you, from everyone in the congregation. We want to engage with you in conversation and hear your views about our Temple and about our Temple’s future.
You will see below that we have set up a number of Listening opportunities in the coming weeks. With your help and active participation, we will begin to ensure our community’s next 70 years.
Every congregant is invited to participate in these important Listening opportunities. The primary purpose is to hear your voices; your input and your questions will be most welcome. Our Listening opportunities will be limited to twenty people in each group. This will help assure that everyone can fully participate.
We have asked for several “congregant facilitators” to lead these small group sessions. The facilitators were chosen for a variety of factors, especially for their ability to be good listeners.
We have established the following dates for our Listening opportunities. We invite you and encourage you to register for any Listening opportunity by simply choosing from one of the following dates and times. You may use the sign up form on the right to sign up.
- Tuesday, September 24 at 4 PM
- Tuesday, September 24 at 7 PM
- Wednesday, September 25 at 4 PM
- Wednesday, September 25 at 7 PM
- Thursday, September 26 at 4 PM
- Thursday, September 26 at 7 PM
- Wednesday, October 16 at 9 AM
- Sunday, October 20 at 9 AM
- Sunday, October 20 at 11 AM
- Wednesday, October 23 at 4 PM
- Wednesday, October 23 at 7 PM
- Sunday, October 27 at 9 AM
- Sunday, October 27 at 11 AM
At this time, we cannot predict the number of responses to our invitation. We hope that many members of the congregation will choose to participate. We are prepared to hold a sufficient number of listening sessions to accommodate all congregants who choose to be part of the Listening campaign. This is our opportunity to hear from everyone and your opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas with us. Let’s be full partners in preparing for the future.
Thank you, in advance, for your participation in our Listening campaign. Please be sure to sign up for one of the Listening sessions listed above.
As we begin the Jewish New Year, we wish you and your loved ones a year filled with good health and much joy. As we prepare to celebrate the New Year, and the 70th year of Temple Emanu-El, together we will continue to be a congregation of excellence, serving as a beacon of Reform Judaism – in Westfield, in Union county, in North America and in Israel.
L’Shalom,
Bennett Miller Marc Epstein
Interim Senior Rabbi President
