Rabbi's Messages
September - October, 2025
Shalom all,
We live in an age of constant alerts. Phones chirp at us, headlines shout at us, and emails clamor for our attention. Noise is the default setting. Yet as the month of Elul unfolds and the High Holy Days approach, we are invited to hear a very different kind of summons — the ancient, unpolished cry of the shofar.
The shofar is not a melody. It is not even music in the usual sense. It is a raw, primal sound — as Rabbi Art Green wrote, “a wordless voice that speaks directly to the soul, bypassing the intellect entirely.” It is not there to be analyzed. It is there to be felt.
In our tradition, the shofar calls us to teshuvah. Often translated as “repentance,” it more accurately means to turn, to return, or to re-align our lives with our deepest values. But in a noisy world, this turning requires discernment. The shofar’s voice is not the loudest sound we hear; it is simply the most visceral. Its urgency comes not from volume but from meaning. But we can only set the stage for you. Temple Sinai’s brand of Collaborative Judaism means that you have to not only show up but also be ready to work towards personal growth while you’re with us.
Rabbi Rami Shapiro teaches that “Teshuvah is not about becoming someone else, but about remembering who you already are.” Our High Holiday season does not wash away sin nor absolve us of our past choices – it provides a space in which we look right at the reflection in the mirror and have a deep conversation with what we see looking back.
In the days ahead, the shofar will sound again in our sanctuary. My prayer is that you will hear it not as an interruption to your day, but as an invitation — an opening to pause in the cacophony of life and listen for the still, small voice within. That inner voice does not compete with headlines. It will not go viral and has no associated memes. But it will tell you which relationships need healing, which words need speaking, and which silences need breaking. It will remind you that life is finite and holy, and that the year ahead is a gift placed gently in your hands for you to do with as you choose. What will you choose?
This world places enormous demands on us, and it seems to be only getting more challenging. As it tries to pull us away from each other, the themes of the Jewish holidays work to bring us closer to each other by expressing our truest selves. May we have the courage to answer the shofar’s call, to carve out pockets of quiet in which its echo can take root, and to step into the new year ready not only to hear, but to respond.
Shanah tovah u’metukah — a sweet, good year to you and all you love.
Rabbi Jay TelRav
Go to top
President's Messages
NOVember - DECEMber, 2025
In my High Holy Day remarks, I spoke briefly about the growth and vibrancy of Temple Sinai.
What we experience in our sacred community is truly unique. Please permit me to elaborate.
Over the past decade, our congregation has grown by more than 25%, now numbering over 400 households. At a time when religious affiliation is declining across the country, our growth is a testament to the strength of our clergy, the dedication of our professional staff, the passion of our volunteers, and the vitality of our Sinai community.
That vitality is especially evident in our schools. This year, our Religious School reached a milestone: 192 students, the largest in Sinai’s history. Each Sunday, 13 teachers, 34 teen congregant madrichim, and 9 classrooms burst with energy, learning, and joy. Our Early Childhood Education Center, which was piloted only three years ago, is thriving as well, with 26 children from as young as 6 weeks to as old as 5 years, who are beginning their Sinai journeys.
At Temple Sinai There is an abundance of opportunity for congregants of all ages for engagement, learning, connection, worship, and Tikkun Olam — repairing the world. To meet the needs of our entire community, clergy, staff, and volunteers together offer a remarkable range of programs, including 26 congregant-led Circles; traditional, outdoor, family-oriented, and spiritual Shabbat services; new musical offerings; Sisterhood and Brotherhood-sponsored activities; and social action and social justice initiatives focused on underserved communities, including our annual Mitzvah Day. There are also learning opportunities ranging from Jewish history to challah baking to Zentangle; men’s and women’s retreats; caring programs for our congregants; and a wide variety of social gatherings. You can explore these in our Scroll of Living, which you can get to from the home page of our website, or request a printed copy from the Temple office.
The heart of Temple Sinai beats because of the participation in, leadership of, and support for all of the ways this community comes together.
So, I have an invitation for you:
Try something new. Come to a service you haven’t experienced before. Join a Circle. Worship a little more. Volunteer for something. Use your talents to lead. Give, and give back. Then let me know what you think.
The second half of our new mission statement reads “creating opportunities for spiritual growth, lifelong learning, meaningful connection, and purposeful service.”
I hope that you will find, among these many opportunities, ones that speak to you, fill your soul, and connect you even more fully to our kehillah kedoshah.
Judaism is alive at Temple Sinai. Community thrives. And Growth Happens Here.
L’Shalom,
Steve Zales
Go to top
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
A Sacred Beginning
As the inaugural Executive Director of Temple Sinai, I am deeply honored, blessed, and fortunate to serve this extraordinary community. I have spent my career leading and growing both businesses and non-profit organizations, but this is my first time doing so within a Temple. That distinction has prompted me to reflect: What does it truly mean to lead in a Jewish spiritual community?
In search of an answer, I did what Jews have done for millennia — I opened a book. In his powerful work Lessons in Leadership, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks wrote:
“There is no better way to flood life with meaning than to have lifted others and helped them to a greatness they never knew they had... to have brought others with you, for the greatest leader on earth or in heaven cannot lead alone.”
These words moved me deeply. Leadership, at its best, is not about command — it’s about community, connection, and shared purpose.
During my very first week at Temple Sinai, I was introduced to a potential new member who asked each of us to describe the Temple in one word. People said “community” and “authentic.” My word was immediate: “family.” Never before have I joined a workplace that so quickly made me feel like I belonged.
That sense of belonging was powerfully reinforced during the Rosh Hashanah service, when all the children were invited to the bimah to help the Rabbi and Cantor blow the shofar. I watched their faces—lit up with joy and genuine excitement. They weren’t there out of obligation. They wanted to be there. That desire, that engagement, is something I’ve seen not only in the children, but in every adult I’ve met as well. People are drawn to Temple Sinai because it is their home. Their community. Their chosen and authentic family.
In my previous roles, my focus was on building capacity, streamlining operations, and amplifying efforts to create sustainable, meaningful change. Those skills still apply here. But Temple Sinai is more than an organization — it is a sacred space where Jewish families can gather safely, share openly, grow spiritually, and live with purpose.
When I first introduced my wife Yvonne to my mother, she smiled and said, “It’s beshert”—Yiddish for “meant to be,” or more literally, “destiny.” After just one month in this role, after meeting so many passionate, thoughtful, and kind individuals, I can honestly say: my being here feels like beshert as well.
I feel welcome. I feel wanted. I feel needed. And I feel like I am part of something that serves a higher purpose. And it is that sense of purpose that gives meaning to all our lives.
Thank you for welcoming me into your family. I am honored to walk this journey with you.
L’Shalom,
Jeremy Stein, Executive Director
Cantor's Messages
september - october, 2025
For more than twenty years, Ruach has been the musical heartbeat of our community; sharing their time, talents, and deep love for Jewish music. Their melodies and harmonies have touched countless hearts, and we are profoundly grateful for all they have given.
Though this musical chapter of Temple Sinai came to a close in May, Ruach’s legacy will forever enrich our shared journey. As we honor Ruach’s incredible contributions, we are excited to usher in a new musical chapter with two new musical Shabbat offerings.
The first is Shabbat B’Shir — Shabbat in Song. Shabbat B’Shir will operate as a Sinai Circle, whose participants will meet monthly to explore Jewish music and deepen their connection to prayer through song. It’s not a rehearsal for a performance, but an opportunity to learn, grow, and discover one’s voice in sacred community. For those interested in joining the Circle, no musical experience is required; you don’t need to read music or speak Hebrew. Just bring your love of music and an interest in our rich Jewish liturgical tradition. Together, we’ll fill our circle with music, meaning, and connection, explore the magical resonance of singing together and discover the divine beauty of music. And don’t worry, there’s no conflict between Shabbat B’Shir and Kolot Sinai. If you love to sing, you’re welcome and encouraged to join both! Circle members will then lend their voices to four services throughout the year. Together with instrumentalists, Barbara Orwick on piano and myself, we’ll lift the congregation’s prayers in joyous, harmonious song.
The second is Avodat HaLev. Continuing the success of our Saturday morning meditation service with Avodat HaLev, every other month, on the 2nd Wednesday evening, we’ll explore a prayer’s Hebrew and English meaning, its historical context, and its modern relevance. We’ll then learn a melody for that prayer so you can carry it into Shabbat. Two nights later, we’ll gather for a spirited, collaborative Friday service that weaves that melody and others into a joyful, thoughtful, and meaningful worship experience. Come to either evening or both, and bring an open mind and a willingness to both learn and unlearn ways of connecting with prayer.
For both of these new services we invite you to come as you are, let the music lift you, and add your voice to our sacred song.
B’Shira,
Cantor Micah Morgovsky
Go to top
DIRECTOR OF CONGREGATIONAL ENGAGEMENT'S Messages
november - december, 2025
We don’t have time to waste.
Every day when I walk into Temple Sinai, I pass the tree beside the rock in the front yard with the plaque for Roberta Leury. Many of you have passed it too, and — like so many plaques — you may not give it much thought. Roberta’s image also hangs in our school hallway as a confirmand in 1983. She was my high school classmate, a beautiful soul whose life was tragically cut short in a car accident. Whenever I walk past her plaque, I pause with intention. It reminds me to make the most of my time.
We don’t have time to waste.
This past year, we’ve lost many bedrocks of the Temple Sinai community — people who helped build the foundation that sustains us today. They embodied what it means to give, to invest in community, to live with purpose. When we speak of miracles, it isn’t only about seas parting; it’s the miracle that we are alive, capable, and here. Each day we wake is another opportunity to create, to mold, to make a difference, to define our purpose.
We don’t have time to waste.
Yesterday, a dear friend’s children were in a horrific head-on car accident. On her way home from work, she unknowingly drove past the scene — never imagining it was her own children inside. When she later learned the truth, her heart sank. The sickening realization of how life can change in a matter of seconds washed over her, as the thought of her children being anything less than whole raced through her mind.
Miraculously, they walked away with only bumps and bruises, though the car was completely destroyed. We can only ask “how?” and take it as a reminder that our time on earth is fragile, fleeting, and never to be taken for granted. It is a wake-up call to use every moment in a meaningful way.
We don’t have time to waste.
So — who inspires you? What difference can you make? How can Temple Sinai help you live your purpose?
ü
Say yes to making a meal for someone in need.
ü
Deliver Mishloach Manot to fellow congregants.
ü
Lead a Circle that offers a safe space for growth and connection.
ü
Make sandwiches.
ü
Deliver Shabbat bags to those in the hospital.
ü
Polish the Temple silver.
ü
Cook for the New Covenant Christmas dinner that feeds hundreds facing food insecurity.
ü
Lead a project on Mitzvah Day.
ü
Guide a B’nei Mitzvah student through writing their D’var Torah.
ü
Usher on the High Holy Days, greeting your Temple Sinai family at the holiest of moments.
ü
Serve on a team.
And if the opportunity you feel called to doesn’t exist yet — help us create it.
Act today. Right now.
As George Eliot said, “it’s never too late to become what we might have been.”
Larry Stoogenke
Go to top
Educator's Messages
NOVember - DECEMber, 2025
Spotlight on Hebrew Learning at Temple Sinai – Morah Liat Feller’s Inspiring Program!
Dear Temple Sinai Families and Friends,
I am proud to shine a spotlight on one of Temple Sinai’s most meaningful and impactful offerings for students — our Hebrew Learning Program, led with heart and dedication by Morah Liat Feller. This program is for students third grade and up.
Morah Liat brings warmth, expertise, and deep love for Hebrew and Jewish learning into every session. Her teaching style is more than just language instruction — it’s a doorway into our shared heritage, traditions, and community life.
Under her guidance and through the enthusiastic instruction of our Hebrew Learning Program staff , students of all levels experience:
§ Personalized Hebrew instruction, whether they are just beginning or building on prior knowledge
§ Confident Hebrew reading, including decoding, fluency, and comprehension
§ Engaging, joyful lessons, where learning is interactive and tailored to each learner’s pace
§ A meaningful connection to Jewish identity, prayer, and the rhythm of synagogue life
At Temple Sinai, Hebrew learning is not just about mastering letters and words — it’s about building confidence, community, and connection. Through Morah Liat’s innovation, students feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow.
Our Hebrew Learning Program provides a beautiful step towards our B’nei Mitzvah Program. Morah Liat works in partnership with our Hebrew faculty to deliver high-quality Hebrew learning for our students.
Join me in thanking Morah Liat and her passionate staff of Hebrew teachers for
their dedication to our students and
Temple Sinai families.
L’shalom,
Morah Erica Santiago, LMSW
Go to top
DIRECTOR OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTER
Fall has arrived, and our children are loving their time spent outdoors.
The cooler weather and colorful leaves make every walk and playground adventure feel exciting. The children have been noticing the little changes in nature — falling leaves, pine cones on the ground, and the squirrels gathering food. It’s such a joy to watch their curiosity and excitement as they discover the beauty of the season all around them.
November brings with it our Thanksgiving celebration, a special time for families to gather together. The children will be busy preparing foods to share, and the smells filling our school always make it feel warm and festive. We are so happy to invite all of our families to join us for this tradition. After enjoying the food, we’ll gather together for a Thanksgiving sing-along with Rabbi Jay — always a highlight for children and grown-ups alike. It’s a time to be grateful, to celebrate, and to make memories together.
In December, we look forward to celebrating the Festival of Lights. We’ll talk with the children about how families celebrate in different ways during this season, and each child will make their very own menorah to bring home. Before our winter break, we’ll gather once more with families for a special Chanukah Shabbat, filled with songs, candles, and families. These traditions bring so much joy to our classrooms and help our children feel the warmth and love of the holiday season.
As we move into this busy and meaningful time of year, I wish all of our families a season filled with joy, light, and togetherness.
L’Shalom - In Peace,
Phyllis Lyons
Go to top
