Page 11 - Microsoft Word - Flip Pages Book of Life Aug 30 2016 final v1.docx

Cantor Kathy Gohr
It's hard to believe that I am beginning my fourth year here at Or Chadash! What began for me as a part time position in 2011 has built into a relationship that I treasure with a community that I consider to be my family. Seeing the students who celebrated their B'nei Mitzvah my first year becoming confirmed this past spring was incredibly rewarding for me. It was almost as if I were Kvelling as much as my parents!
When I speak of "my congregation" to folks whom I know in Allentown where I live, I feel honored to be able to call Or Chadash my home. As both a single person and a Jew-by-choice who has been adopted into the tribe, the subject of legacy has always been a struggle for me. Not having given birth to children of my own brings to mind the thought of how I can I pass my values and principles on to the generations that will follow me. How can I help to insure that Judaism will have a future in the world to come? Not having descendants is an anomaly in Judaism, where our immortality is expressed through our children and their children, as well. Fortunately, Judaism is a tradition that transcends its own boundaries, giving rise to new traditions that embrace a changing culture.
While engaged in casual conversation one day, I learned of the Legacy Circle, an endowment program recently introduced here at the temple, a simple program that allows one to leave a portion of your estate as a gift to insure that Or Chadash will remain viable when we are gone. I felt immediately drawn to this concept, and it wasn't long before I added my name to those who have decided to participate in the future of our community. As I stand on the bima celebrating the B'nei Mitzvah of our children, it is reassuring to know that they will have a place where they can raise their own children to become active parts of a thriving Jewish community. Or Chadash can provide that community if we nurture it with love and care, supported by a foundation of financial stability.
In the Talmud (Sanhedrin 19b) it is stated, "Anyone who teaches someone else's child Torah is regarded as if he had begotten them." I guess if this is true then I'm the luckiest mother in the world.