Thanks to Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York

While the responsibility for rebuilding Beth Shalom rests on its members, it is good to know we are not alone. Our brothers and sisters around the country, as individuals and as congregations, have been offering their assistance. We certainly appreciate and need their monetary contributions, but it is at least as important to know that they care about us.

Just before our last board meeting, I received a contribution to the Beth Shalom Renewal Fund from Congregation Emanu-El in New York. Being able to announce this gift to the board gave our hard working leadership a tremendous lift.

Emanu-El is the world’s largest synagogue and is attended by over 3000 families. Our entire synagogue membership would be a chavurah there. But as the Rabbis teach us, among the people Israel we are all responsible for one another. The people of Emanu-El recognize their kinship with us, and if we are in distress they are as well. So a tiny shul in a small city matters to them. Their caring makes our burden easier to bear and reminds us that we are one people.