Restoring our Souls

By: Sam Shamoon

My family joined Temple Emanu–El over 36 years ago. My wife, Linda, and I have found

great satisfaction in our interactions with other congregants, clergy and staff, and are deeply

involved in life at the synagogue.

Following the death of my mother earlier this year, I literally became embraced by the

Temple Emanu-El community, which loved and consoled me during my time of sorrow. As

I tried coming to terms with losing my beloved mother, spending time with fellow mourners,

friends and clergy in the Temple's chapel had been a great source of consolation. This

experience made me feel incredibly lucky to be a member of Temple Emanu–El.

Aside from being a place to console the bereaved, Temple Emanu-El offers times of prayer

for contemplation and restoration of our souls; it offers us enormous opportunities to study

and learn. It is a community to help us celebrate joyful times in our lives, and to share with

others the meaning of being Jewish.

When we first joined Temple Emanu–El, we learned of the three pillars of a synagogue; a

house of worship, a house of study, and a house of assembly. In our 36 years here, Linda and

I availed ourselves to almost every pillar of synagogue life. To enumerate all of our

experiences here would take far too many pages. However, to express my gratitude for

Temple Emanu-El and the joy it brings to my life, I would like to sign off with two thoughts.

My satisfaction with the synagogue more than repays the efforts I put into it, and life without

Temple Emanu-El and it's three pillars would be less fulfilling.