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THERE'S NOTHING NU UNDER THE SUN June 2000 by Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon Or perhaps there is. When a city gets as much sun as Tucson does, there ought to be something new now and then. And for Temple Emanu-El, there are so many wonderful new things happening that it's worth taking a moment to notice and celebrate them. First, let me clear up one minor matter: after 12 months in this position, I am officially no longer the "new rabbi". If you still haven't met me in person-and you are not truly house-bound, in the military overseas, or in the Peace Corps-it has been too long since you came to temple. Attend a service, enroll in a class, come to a hike or a cultural or social event, or just stop by to chat and share in all the great new things going on at Temple! Looking back at our congregation just a year ago, it is truly amazing what we have accomplished. Some of that is reflected in simple numbers: we now have 525 member families (as all congregations do, we include individual and couple memberships as "families"), up from 360 families a year ago, an increase of 45%. We have a gorgeous new preschool complex, licensed for 80 children, with a wonderful director, Allison Richter, a fine staff in place and a current enrollment of 22 children. We have had a very successful first year of our Adult Education Academy, with over 200 students having completed classes ranging from Hebrew Marathons to Biblical Archaeology to Jewish Ethics to Jewish Music to Kabbalah. Over 200 people participated actively in leading our High Holiday services, and literally hundreds more have become active in our Caring Committee, our Welcoming Committee, our choirs, and our Ritual, Education, Youth, Membership, Social Action, Bilgray Lectureship, and Publicity committees. Our Temple budget is balanced, and we are working hard to maintain that and develop our financial resources while we expand and improve programming and involvement in every area. Some of the growth and development at Temple is less numerically obvious. We are well started on writing a brand new Torah Hadashah for our congregation to celebrate our 90th year. We have reconnected with our roots at the Stone Avenue Temple, all the while committing ourselves to a dramatic focus on our future. We have been blessed with two outstanding scholars-in-residence, terrific Shabbat programs with visiting cantors and rabbis, and enormously successful holiday events. Our temple is alive in every way, and assuming its proper place in the leadership of our community. We have a lot to be proud of, even if there is much left to accomplish. There is something new under the Sonoran Desert sun, and it is here at Temple Emanu-El. Much of the credit for this magnificent transformation should go to Cary Marmis, our outgoing president. Cary's tireless, inspired leadership has seen the beginning of a complete revitalization in the life of our synagogue. In the course of Cary's presidency Temple Emanu-El has risen-like the proverbial, excuse the expression, Phoenix-from a near-death experience to become the hottest Jewish ticket in Tucson. He has been an outstanding president, always committed to the success of the congregation, willing to use his time and talent to improve the quality of Reform Judaism in Southern Arizona. On a personal note, it has been a great privilege to work closely with Cary this year. His constant friendship and support have been invaluable to the evolving successes of our congregation. I know that he and Fern remain committed to continuing the growth and development of Temple Emanu-El in the same spirit of dynamic Jewish development. We are blessed, as well, with outstanding continuity of lay leadership. In our tradition, at happy occasions, we pray that people may go from "strength to strength". Our Temple will have just that experience. In Peter Eisner we are deeply fortunate to have a caring, committed, thoughtful new president. While his style is quite different from Cary's, Peter provides exceptional, leadership to our developing congregation. We are truly gifted with his ascension to the presidency. There is a buzzword prevalent now in the Reform movement: transformation. Congregations nationwide are seeking to experience transformative change, to become re-energized and recommitted to their visions of what a temple can be. Here at Temple Emanu-El, we are well on the way to just that sort of transformative change. We are entering an extremely exciting period now; much of what we will ultimately become is still being shaped. But that which is new, here at Temple Emanu-El, is also wonderfully good. From the June 2000 Temple Times |
