Page 5 - Microsoft Word - Flip Pages Book of Life Aug 30 2016 final v1.docx

Susan & Steve Albert Family
My parents, Joan & Stan Weinstein, founding members of Temple Beth El in Somerville, each held a number of leadership roles in the temple during their 40+ years in the community. My mother was the Temple Secretary for 10 years and my father was the Temple President in the late 1950’s. My dad and the Temple Board hired then Student Rabbi Richard Steinbrink as their spiritual leader and their time together at Temple Beth El fostered a lifelong friendship between the two families that continues today.
My brother, sister and I all attended Religious School at Temple Beth El. Steven became a Bar Mitzvah and Steven, Kathy and I all became Confirmands and participated in the Youth Group there and carried our firm Jewish foundation with us as we each went off on our own.
Steve and I met in college and later got married, moved to Hunterdon County and began to raise our family. Although Steve is not Jewish, after my having grown up in a family that was actively involved in temple life, we agreed that we would raise our children in Judaism. We soon returned to my roots and joined Temple Beth El. Our sons, Marty and Brian, began their formal Jewish education and I continued my family’s tradition of temple involvement there. As Marty was approaching the start of his training to become a Bar Mitzvah, we realized that the additional Hebrew school classes and driving distance would put a significant strain on us. We learned that Rabbi Steinbrink had recently become the spiritual leader of a new Reform congregation in Hunterdon County and we joined Or Chadash in 1992.
Soon after becoming temple members, I took over the coordination of the already thriving Religious Education program. As the temple grew, I became involved in a number of other areas in life of the young congregation including the fundraising drive to build a permanent home for Or Chadash and had the honor of becoming Temple President as well. My dad honored me during my installation service when he shared a few words with the congregation. Apparently at that time, he and I were the only father and daughter in the then UAHC who had become presidents of Reform congregations, and clearly, the only ones who had the honor and pleasure of sharing congregational leadership with the same rabbi!
Steve and I were very proud of Marty and Brian’s involvement in temple life as they grew up and became active young Jewish adults at Or Chadash. They became B’nai Mitzvah and Confirmands here and were among the earliest Teaching Assistants in our Religious School program. Marty was one of the founders of our youth group, OCTY, and both grew spiritually during their summers at URJ’s Teen Leadership program at Kutz Camp as well.
Our involvement in the growth of Or Chadash has been incredibly rewarding and the friendships formed during my time on the Board and the Rabbinical Selection Committee will be part of our lives for many years to come. It is our hope that the future of Or Chadash as the spiritual, educational and social center of Reform Jewish life in Hunterdon County remains strong for many generations to come. We have chosen to join the Legacy Circle of Or Chadash to support our hopes and dreams for the temple, now and in the future.