When I was growing up in Topeka, Kansas (yes, there are Jews in Topeka) I could never believe how much time my mother devoted to our small congregation, the only congregation in town. She was a single mom with three kids who worked full time, yet she took on almost every role needed at the […]
My husband, Peter Winkler, his parents, Joan and Ralph Winkler, and our children, Paul (now 33) and Hannah (29), brought me into the fold of Sinai. Sunny Sunday mornings I’d drop Paul off at Religious School and notice the warm, welcoming life in the hallways and classrooms, the lively discussion and laughter in the adult […]
My story has been primarily about community. From my first exposure decades ago to the Interfaith Couples Group (my on-ramp to becoming Jewish as well as a source of lifelong friends), I’ve always found meaning, wonderful people, and a sense of belonging within smaller groups at the temple. Participation in the choir and the Music […]
On March 4, 2017, we had the blessing of partaking in a double mitzvah. Our daughter, Elana, co-led the Shabbat morning service and became a Bat Mitzvah. It was a beautiful service and multiple family members remarked about how warm and welcoming it was. The clergy, Rabbi Rosenwasser and Cantor Croen, played a crucial part […]
Whenever someone learns where I grew up, they say “I never met anyone from Wyoming!” And, when they learn I’m Jewish, I hear “They have Jews in Wyoming?” So, to begin this Sinai Story, I want to confirm that yes, I did grow up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and yes, they do have Jews in Wyoming. […]
On hearing that I had converted to Judaism many African-Americans — family members, friends and even recent acquaintances, have all basically asked the same question “How are you being treated…?” Typically I give recent acquaintances the succinct response of “Well.” With family and friends I offer a more nuanced response. I tell them of my […]
I loved my grandmother. I always thought of her as the typical Jewish grandmother. She worried and kvetched. She bragged about famous Jews as if she knew them. She used coupons to buy things at the store whether she needed them or not. What she didn’t do was cook. At least well. She also didn’t […]
When I was a teenager attending High Holy Day services, the liturgy did not speak to me. “Who shall live, and who shall die,” part of Unetanah Tokef, the central prayer of the Rosh Hashanah service, had little meaning to me then or even later when I was in my 20s and 30s. I am […]
Those people who know me understand that once I make a connection, I often become very invested in the connection and don’t like to let go. That’s why I am still involved in Temple Sinai’s Nursery School, despite the fact that my youngest of three boys is about to graduate from high school this coming […]
When I first discovered the YAWS group (the acronym for parents of young adults who struggle), I didn’t know what I wanted from it. I just knew that it was important that I attend, and I expected that I would figure out the why as I went along. What I quickly came to experience was […]
