RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

Birthday Bash Remarks

Temple Shir Tikvah 25^th Anniversary
Birthday Bash Remarks

Sunday, March 21, 2010
by Joan Forman, Education Director

Welcome to our Birthday Bash for Temple Shir Tikvah! As many of you know, I am a founding member of Temple Shir Tikvah. Twenty-five years ago, a group of intrepid families got together and launched a new congregation founded on inclusiveness, social justice, and caring for one another. One of the first orders of business was to create a Hebrew School for our children where they would feel that they were part of a community of Jewish children. Jerry Blaine was the first School Committee Chair. Judy Avnery was hired as the first Head Teacher. She not only established the Religious School, which was held at the First Congregational Church in Winchester (a neighbor of our Temple building), but she set us on our current path. Judy has remained one of my dearest friends, my closest personal and professional confidant, and a deeply admired and honored professional within the community of Jewish educators.

Participating in the founding and ongoing development of Shir Tikvah has been the best thing I’ve done in my life with the exception of marrying Steve and having Sarah, Louisa, and Max. I have to say that like being a parent, the demands are never-ending, the rewards not immediate, and a long-term commitment is required.

So, in honor of the Temple’s 25^th birthday, the Religious School has a gift for the community. This gift is made up of a variety of reflections from grades 1–6 that will go in a time capsule. The time capsule will be sealed, decorated by some of our High School students, and exhibited in the large display case on the ground level of the Temple near the stairway.

This is a 10-year time capsule — meaning that we will open it in 10 years. Why 10 years? 10 is a great Jewish number. 10 is the value of “yod,” the first letter of the unpronounceable name of God. In the Torah the number ten symbolizes absolute completeness. The court to the Tabernacle measured ten times ten ells long, and five times ten ells wide, and in the Holy of Holies the Ten Commandments were preserved . It is also the number of plagues God rained down upon the Egyptians — just enough for Moses to make the case for freeing the Jews. Ten years is also enough time to be significant but still within our realm of imagination.

Since we are operating in increments of 10 years, think about what you were doing 10 years ago. In 2000 my son Max, who is now a freshman in college, was a third grader and my daughters were both in High School. Both my daughters are finishing graduate school this year! The Religious School was half the size it is today, and we were meeting at Harrington School and at Follen Church, both in Lexington, during the week. We were renovating the building that is now the Temple, and I was trying to figure out how to fit our weekday program into this new space. We had a sense that our new Temple building would have a significant impact on growth and programming, but we did not have any idea of the extent to which it would energize our community.

Now take a moment to think about what your life will be like 10 years from now. Your first graders will be sophomores in High School, and your sixth graders will be finishing their last year of college! I hope I am still around to be here when we open up the capsule so that I can reminisce with you and take joy in the Temple Shir Tikvah in the year 2020!

—Joan Forman