Minyan Story / Minyan Katan A Supportive Community
Minyan Katan
I am not a member of Temple Emunah, but I have been welcomed and embraced by the “regulars” at morning minyan since November 2021. Our grandson tragically passed away from cancer early that month. When I spoke with our Rabbis at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, they recommended contacting Rabbi Lerner about attending minyan at Temple Emunah. Daily minyan is not a part of the usual Reform practice, and my family generally is not very observant. But I am traditional, and I felt strongly about having someone say Kaddish for Zachary. After speaking with Rabbi Lerner, I was eager to participate in the morning services. I planned to attend morning minyan for the shiva week to say Kaddish. I found the experience with your congregation to be so supportive that I continued beyond shiva through Shloshim. Three months later, I continue to attend minyan at least a few mornings a week. Several of the messages of the Shacharit service serve as reminders of the way people should morally and altruistically conduct their affairs. So many of those passages in the Hebrew and the English recur to me throughout each day. They truly instruct me and guide me in living my life b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. To be wrapped in my tallit and tefillin and embraced by your members several mornings a week has helped me through times of terrible despair and loss and provided reminders of what it means to try to be a good person. Your congregation will have my thanks l’dor v’dor. – Stuart Kleeman (Belmont)
We are saddened by the passing of Sam Silverman, one of Minyan Katan’s longterm members. We fondly remember Sam’s welcoming presence and his willingness to engage in conversation on any number of diverse topics. In April Minyan Katan hosted a live outdoor Post-Pesah. Pizza event at the home of Leon and Joelle Gunther. The event began with Havdalah and continued with the consumption of h.ametz obtained from the Upper Crust of Lexington. It was both a great way to finish Pesah. together and a tasty return to the eating of h.ametz. In May Minyan Katan hosted an at-home in-person outdoor Kabbalat Shabbat, including live music and a potluck dinner. Minyan Katan’s annual planning meeting will take place on Sunday, June 12 from 4-6 pm at Temple Emunah in the social hall. At this meeting we plan our agenda for the coming year and we solicit volunteers to coordinate individual events and activities. All who are interested in participating in Minyan Katan are welcome to attend. In other news, congratulations to Susan Lutwak for winning this year’s WERS-FM Chagigah Movie Maven contest. The finals took place at the WERS-FM studio on May 1. Ken Maser
Social Justice Kids Club
Join us at minyan – help make sure we have at least ten people to pray. If you have a minyan story, please send it to Dawny@aboutfacepr.com so we can share it here. – Dawny Gershkowitz
Be a Shabbat Summer Speaker! During the July and August we invite Emunah members to be a summer speaker during Shabbat services. Topics in the past have been far ranging, including: personal stories – both triumphs and trials, work-related professions, recent trips, Jewish identity and, of course, the speaker’s individual take on the weekly Torah portion. If you have an interest in speaking this summer to our community, or if you know a Temple Emunah member with an interesting story you’d like to hear, please contact Terri Swartz Russell, summer speaker coordinator, to sign up for a date: terrisrussell@yahoo.com or 617-448-3996.
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The Social Justice Kids Club was visited by local author Adria Karlsson who read her book “My Sister Daisy” and talked about transgender and non-binary gender identities.
