Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-El

From Our Cantor...    

The Women's Retreat - A Comment on Community

As I write this column, I have just finished spending a beautiful Shabbat with over 40 women from our congregation on our now annual Women's Retreat. It has left me exhilarated! Each individual brought her own talents and questions, her own stories and strengths, her own challenges and opinions, heartaches and joys.  Over the course of 24 hours at the Rye Town Hilton, we were able to form a community within our community.  We prayed together, ate together, and shared our hopes and our concerns.  We were open minded and cared for one another. We learned each other's stories, forged new relationships, crafted a mitzvah project, and (how is it possible?) we rested. 

As remarkable as the retreat itself is (I certainly encourage all women to join us next year, if you have not before), even more striking is that the idea came from one woman in our community.  She had a thought, she shared it with a few others who liked the idea, and all of them were willing to dedicate themselves to making the idea into a reality. With the support of the professional staff, we now have a yearly event that attracts women of all ages and backgrounds. It is the kind of event that, as one woman on the retreat commented, helps one understand that "belonging to a congregation is so much more than paying your dues or bringing your children to school." It provides opportunities to connect with others in meaningful ways and to feel strengthened by a community. 

As a congregation, we want to be responsive to the needs and ideas of our members.  Certainly, the professional staff wants to hear from you. But, more importantly, we want to work with you on the projects that are close to your hearts. The Women's Retreat provides only one example of how each individual in our community matters. Each of you can make a large difference in the life of our congregation. Ideas that come from the congregation, coupled with a commitment from our members to put their time and energy into those ideas, can truly transform us.  As this Pesach brings us a chance to cleanse and renew, may we all be inspired to bring our whole selves to the sacred work of strengthening our congregation and our Jewish lives as well.