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KesherTEMPLE SINAIMAY - JUNE 2021 IYYAR, SIVAN, TAMUZ 5781

0306141925SINAI NEWSA LETTER FROM BOB STEINELISA THORNERCLERGYRABBI RICK RHEINSRABBI JORDY CALLMANSERVICESCLASSESYOUTHPRESCHOOLRELIGIOUS SCHOOLPROGRAMSB'NEI MITZVAHSTAY CONNECTEDPROGRAMSVOLUNTEERJEWISH WAR VETERANSRECOGNITIONCONFIRMATION CLASS OF 2020GRADUATE SPOTLIGHTSMEMBER RECOGNITIONDONATIONSIN MEMORIAMSTAFF & BOARD MEMBERSContentsKESHER

BOB STEINEPRESIDENTTHANK YOU FOR TEACHING ME!Over the years I have learned so much from Temple Sinai and its members. Having little formalreligious school training, in 1984, Rabbi Zwerin put me on the path to become a lifelong student ofJudaism. Meetings to discuss various topics, reading lists, and before I knew it, I was off to Israelwith Rabbi and Rikki Zwerin which turned into a passion for Jerusalem and our homeland.When our oldest daughter started religious school, Diane Samet somehow convinced me thatteaching religious school was a good idea and sent me to CAJE to become a Fellow and StudentTeacher. Thanks to Diane that experience started my career in teaching - first at Temple Sinai forseveral years where I had the honor to teach our children, and now as a law enforcement trainerand instructor at the Police Academy and at my Department.I learned how well a team could pull together by watching our fantastic staff, rabbis, religious schoolteachers and pre-school teachers overcome overwhelming challenges and put aside their selfinterest for a greater good - to serve Temple Sinai.I learned about dedication and commitment from our teachers, volunteers, and members of theBoard of Trustees whom I had the utmost pleasure to serve with.I learned about generosity and compassion from those who gave to Temple Sinai and our manycauses.And of course, I learned from our Temple Sinai family.Whether we traveled together, stood at a table handing out clothes to the homeless, gone to dinnerafter services, laughed and learned in Torah Study, setup and worked a Purim Carnival, talkedabout a concern or a suggestion, or shared in joy and sorrow together - I learned the most fromyou about caring for each other and how to be a friend.As my term as the Temple Sinai President comes to a close at the end of June, it will be time towelcome a new President and a new Board. So, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you forteaching me. Whether you realized it or not, you made an enormous impact in my life!Sinai News 3Thank you!

LISA THORNEREXECUTIVE DIRECTORCONGREGATIONAL UPDATEDEAR TEMPLE SINAI CONGREGANTS,It is hard to believe that it has been nearly six months since beginning the role asTemple Sinai's Executive Director. As I continue to acclimate to the position, it hasbeen a welcomed challenge and truly a pleasure serving our congregation.There are so many benefits to a synagogue membership, but perhaps the mostimportant is connection to a community and one of my ultimate goals as ExecutiveDirector is to continue to build upon Temple Sinai's amazing community. Anindividual's Jewish life experience is significantly enhanced when it is expanded into alasting community partnership. That partnership results in many experiences includingspiritual, educational, personal development, and relationship building, and of course,having clergy and a congregational community to stand beside you in both good andbad times. The privilege of pastoral care, including the Opportunities to make a difference in the livescounsel and support of our clergy for lifecycleof fellow temple members by participating in ourevents (B'nai Mitzvah, Confirmation, weddings, many Caring Community projects.etc.) and in times of difficulty and bereavement. Membership in the Union for Reform Judaism, Complimentary tickets for High Holy Daythe national organization of the Reformworship services.movement, giving each member a subscriptionto URJ's quarterly magazine, discounted tuition Eligibility for burial privileges in our beautifulto URJ Camps and NFTY youth programs,Mount Nebo Cemetery.educational programs, and leadershipopportunities for adults. Eligibility for enrollment of your children in ourreligious school. The privilege of studying with our clergyin weekly Torah study groups, and in other Discount at our preschool.learning opportunities in which we explore avariety of fascinating topics. Subscription to our monthly Kesher newsletterand to our email blasts. A broad array of worship, educational, culturaland social opportunities for members of all ages. Opportunities to travel in our programs forOur members of every age and backgroundadults, families and individuals guided by ourcan expect to learn with depth, find inspirationclergy in Israel.through worship, and join in an inclusivecommunity devoted to chesed ("kindness") withinand beyond our walls.Sinai News 4Everyone joins a synagogue for different reasons. Below are some of the benefits ofbelonging to Temple Sinai:

We want to offer a space where everyone can grow spiritually and intellectually,enrich one's Jewish identity, and engage in meaningful acts of caring and socialjustice. We can share holidays, joyous occasions, and count on our caring communityfor support in times of need - all while making lifelong friends. Our clergy and staffwelcome your ideas, involvement, and seek out opportunities to address you andyour family in meaningful ways. We also want to get as many congregants activelyinvolved in committees, attending our wide-range of programs, joining a Chavurah, orenhancing your educational and religious experiences.Our goal is to build an enduring connection between you, your family, and the TempleSinai congregation to make your membership a meaningful lasting part of your life.If you have questions about how we might help you become a greater part of theTemple, or to make your time in our synagogue more enriching, please be in touchwith me at lisa@sinaidenver.org.A BEAUTIFUL NEW LECTERN FOR OUR ZWERIN SANCTUARY!We are thrilled to welcome a beautiful new lectern to grace the bimah in our ZwerinSanctuary! The lectern (also known as a Shulchan) sits proudly in the center ofthe bimah and it is from there that we will lead services and read Torah. Thismagnificent lectern was crafted by Steve Reinhardt, who for 38 years has beenone of Denver's preeminent fine furniture and cabinet makers. Over the years,Steve also crafted many other pieces for Temple Sinai, including the gorgeous arkin the Study-Chapel.Sinai News 5We are dedicating the new lectern in appreciation of Max and Elaine Appel andtheir family in recognition of their extraordinary generosity that has helped usthrough the COVID pandemic.

FOMO? FUHGETABOUT IT!Many of you are already familiar with theacronym FOMO. I first came across a fewmonths ago when I read the last book writtenby the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Morality. Hementioned it as an anxiety that is exasperatedby social media. So what is it? FOMO is the"Fear of Missing Out."Sacks analyzes the FOMO as a modernsymptom rooted in the human instinct tocompare ourselves to others. But the modernversion is exasperated by the artificiallyenhanced images people post about their liveson social media. As he wrote:In the past, if your friends were invitedto a party to which you were not, thismay have given you some anxiety, but atleast it wasn't public. Today, everythingis public. Everything is shared. Everythingis there for the presentation of self, andthe selfie. Social media invite us into aworld of "advertisements for myself" and acompetition for attention that few can win.(Morality, p. 50)Even before the COVID pandemic, our humaninteraction was increasingly taking place overcomputers instead of face to face. Expertsnoted that because of our growing reliance onelectronic communication, there has been anerosion of fundamental human skills such asempathy. Making eye contact is difficult forsome to maintain.The text "I'm sorry" means on the onehand, "I no longer want to have tensionwith you; let's be okay," and at the sametime it says, "I'm not going to be next toyou while you go through your feelings; justlet me know when our troubles are over."Well, after more than 14 months of a worldwidepandemic, we have more than a fear of missingout; we HAVE been missing out. We haveexperienced a world in which school, work,important life-cycle events, and even day to dayinteraction has been almost entirely overelectronic media. What had been the choice ofthose so inclined to spend hours on socialmedia became, because of a pandemic, the onlyoption for human connection. It has given us anentirely new perspective of FOMO.I found it interesting to learn that the first paperon the Fear of Missing Out - FOMO, the ailmentof our cultural moment - was written back in theyear 2000 by Dan Herman, a marketingstrategist. The tragedy of 9/11 in 2001 led to agreater awareness of the concept. The fear ofterrorism and the fear of flying caused people toworry that they were missing out on life. By 2013the term entered the lexicon of majordictionaries and articles by pundits and socialscientists began to weigh-in with explanations ofthe phenomenon. Still, none of the experts couldhave anticipated the explosion of the feeling ofFOMO that we've had this past year.Throughout the pandemic the Temple Sinai staffand I have done everything we could tomaintain social, emotional, and spiritualconnections with our members. In addition to afull schedule of virtual programming we haveoffered opportunities for in-person services andclasses. We've made thousands of phone callsand have arranged visits to those in hospitalsand at-home care. After all this time, what reliefit is that we are finally seeing the world slowly,cautiously, but surely open up.clergy 6RABBIRICKRHEINSPeople apologize by text, break up relationshipsby text, and avoid complex situations by text. Asone expressed it:

So what have we learned? We've learned thatas soon as we can, we want, we need to seeand be with family and friends. We've learnedthat virtual classes and services can be ablessed alternative to those who are unable toattend in-person. We've learned that socialmedia is a very good supplement, but that is allit is. Human beings are social creatures and thedistance and isolation we have experiencedhave caused a major outbreak of FOMO. Butwe have also learned that being given thechance to be together is the cure - all for thefear of missing out.For the rest of us, human togetherness: a joyoussmile, a gentle touch, sharing a meal, singing,laughing, talking, studying, and simply being withone another is the greatest blessings of all.I look forward to seeing and being with moreand more of you as this pandemic wanes. If youhave not done so, please get your vaccination!No longer should we suffer anxiety thatsomeone is living a grander, finer, cooler lifethan we have. If someone wants to post theirgreat achievements, kol ha-kavod, "good forthem."SICK? STRUGGLING? WANT A CALL OR A MEETING?INFORM THE RABBIS!Adding to the agony and frustration of dealing with illness or struggling with a difficulttime is the nagging thought that you are forgotten and that no one cares. Temple Sinaimost certainly cares about every one of our members. Rabbi Rick Rheins and Rabbi JordyCallman will be quick to make a call. Depending on COVID restrictions, we will also doour best to visit Temple Sinai members. In addition, we have a group of volunteers onour Caring Committee who will do their best to respond with cards, calls and offers ofassistance.So please call or write to our Rabbis and let them know that you'd like their help andclergy 7attention. Confidential messages can be made directly to our Rabbis at:rabrheins@sinaidenver.org rabbicallman@sinaidenver.org