Shalom.  In our Jewish liturgy we ask God Sh'ma Koleinu, to listen to our voices.  If there is any one phrase that captures Temple Sinai's essence, it is that one.  At Temple Sinai we attempt to listen to all of the rich variety of Jewish voices -- of men and women, young and old, people of different races, sexual orientation, and national origin, and all of them Jewish.

In the past, unfortunately, some of those voices have not been heard -- the voices of women, the voices of single seniors, of interfaith families and of gay people, just to name a few.  I am truly proud to be the rabbi of a congregation that includes many who in the past were left out.

Judaism exists and prospers only through the power of each individual Jew.  Ultimately the synagogue belongs to its members and its members alone.  The rabbi is a resource and a guide, but it is only through the empowerment of individual lay people that the tradition can grow and be transferred to the next generation.  I believe that the potential for the Jewish community has never been greater, but without the requisite commitment from each of us, that potential will remain merely that.  At Temple Sinai I have found great potential and the commitment as well.