Try us on for size

Take us for a test drive!

By Deborah Fidel, JD, MAJPS, Temple Shalom Executive Director Deborah

Whatever cliché you like better, the idea is the same – we know that if you come to Temple Shalom for the High Holy Days this year, you will be back for more of the rabbis’ thought-provoking sermons, the Cantor’s angelic voice and the smiles of the people you will meet and befriend. You don’t have to wait until the holidays. Please come to a Friday or Saturday Shabbat service. We want to meet you!

Choosing a spiritual home is a big decision. When my husband and I settled down and started a family, we knew we wanted to join a synagogue – but which one? In our neighborhood, there were almost as many synagogues as flavors at the Baskin and Robbins ice cream shop (31, for those of you who don’t remember!). I grew up in the Conservative movement and my husband’s family belonged to a Reform Temple (who says that two Jews can’t still be in an intermarriage?!). We weren’t sure where we would both feel most comfortable, so I went shul shopping.

I learned a great deal from those experiences in other places that I bring to my work at Temple Shalom. I can still remember standing around awkwardly at an oneg Shabbat where no one said a word to me, and sitting by myself at another congregation, wondering how everyone else seemed to know one another so well. At Temple Shalom, we pride ourselves on the warm welcome we offer to everyone who enters our building as well as the ways we help visitors feel at home every day.

On the High Holy Days, we do require tickets for security reasons. Just call the office to make arrangements (239- 455-3030). Tickets are available for nonmembers for a suggested donation. We are so confident that the sermons and music will leave you wanting more that we will gladly apply the cost of the ticket(s) to your membership if you decide to join by Nov. 1, 2022. And that amount is up to you, by the way!

What? We want our members to feel good about being part of “One Family” in every way, including their support for the congregation. Approximately five years ago, we moved away from traditional dues, so that each member of our community feels that their support of Temple comes from their heart and is a donation. When people ask me how much membership costs, I tell them the suggested amount (the “sustaining amount,” which is based on our total expenses divided among all our members), but the decision is yours. All we ask is that the gift is meaningful to you. There are no questions, no committees and no forms.

Many of our members contribute much more than the sustaining amount. Some give less, based on their circumstances. Whatever the amount and the reason for it, we say the same thing to each and every person – Thank you!

Please join us for a Shabbat service and/or the High Holy Days. From the moment you enter our newly renovated, beautiful Sanctuary and gathering spaces, where you will be warmly welcomed, you will understand what One Family is about. And I am sure that you will be back for more!