It gives me great honor to announce Rabbi Kieffer has signed a two year contract with Sunrise Jewish Center to be our new Spiritual Leader. Rabbi Kieffer will begin serving as our Spiritual Leader on September 1, 2012. We welcome him and his wife, Diane, to the Sunrise Jewish Center Family.

I was to encourage our membership to join our Grand Re-Opening committee chaired by Steven Resnick. We are in the beginning stages of planning our big Grand Re-Opening, which will be held on Sunday, September 9th, 2012. We want this open house to be a major slash in our community as we welcome Rabbi Kieffer. If you are interested in volunteering your valuable time to make this open house a hit, please contact Steven in the office.

Sunrise Jewish Center promises it’s members a very bright and rejuvenated future ahead. I encourage everyone to stay supportive of our religious home as we move forward. Remember to keep in touch with us via facebook, twitter and by visiting our website for all of our upcoming events and the latest news.

Remember to spread the word around the community about our monthly indoor Flea Market. Racquel Salka has made this a successful growing project for the Sisterhood and we thank her for her hard work. The monthly calendar is now loaded on our website to get the future Flea Market dates.

Happy Birthday to my daughter, Natalie Berger, on May 25th.

Baruch Hashem,

David Berger

One of the things that we are proud of is that /Sunrise Jewish Center is always here to serve our members and the general community. This is reflected in the many programs that we offer and the many activities, such as those sponsored by the Sisterhood, that reach far beyond the walls of our building. Since it’s inception, Sunrise Jewish Center has made it’s missing clear: to improve the spiritual and social lives of all those who we are able to reach through the various facets of our congregation.

Perhaps the most essential element of the services that we have brought to the general community is the knowledge that if someone has a Yahrzeit, a simchah, or just needs a place to pray, we are here for them. That has always been important to our members. Today, however, it is getting increasingly difficult to provide that service. Our daily minyans, both morning and evening, need your help! All of us understand how crucial it is for our shul to have a minyan everyday, but too few of us are willing to make it happen.

It is very disappointing for our members to turn out for services only to learn that we do not have a minyan. It is also a disappointment for those who depend on us to help them fulfill such duties as the recitation of Kaddish. Your help is needed. On Sunday morning and evening, we often lack a minyan-your presence would really make a difference. We also need your support on Tuesday and Friday mornings. These are the days that seem to “fall through the cracks,” as often to muster a minyan.

If you believe in the importance of having a congregation than you need to help make it possible. There is no bigger mitzvah than daily prayer but without your attendance, we will be unable to fulfill that mitzvah. Please plan to help whenever you can. The result of your individual effort will be reflected in the well-bring of our entire congregation.

Fertility is defined (on dictionary.com) as “the ability to produce offspring,” and the word Elders as “an influential member or a tribe or community”. Now do you see where I’m going with this? As the Sunrise Scorpions move onto the next chapter, we’d like to thank our elders: Sarah Jarvis, Nicole Berger, Hunter Kabat and Myles Hyman. They have each had a major impact not only on the younger members of our chapter or the Synagogue as a whole, but on me as well. I speak for the entire Synagogue when I say that I wish them well in this next chapter of their lives and I hope they come back to visit VERY soon and often!! As sad as I am to say “so long” to this Senior class…I am also VERY excited to welcome a new class into Kadima!

On another note: it is also time for our Synagogue to start anew. It is time for a spiritual and physical face-lift. I have volunteered to chair this years Grand Re-Opening (formerly referred to as our Open House) Committee and I need your help! I’d like to go all out for this year’s Grand Re-Opening, with complimentary food, games for kids and parents, information booths and vendors that cater to the Jewish community! If you would like to volunteer your precious time to this committee, I’d greatly appreciate it! All you have to do is contact me and I will let you know when our next meeting will be! If you’d like to donate monetarily, you can leave your cash or check, made out to Sunrise Jewish Center, with Flossie in the office…just make sure you tell her what your donation is going to! You can also make your donation online at SunriseJewishCenter.org/payment. Thank you so much in advance for your support!!

As a closing, I’d like to leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

“Don’t go through life, grow through life.” – Eric Butterworth

Thank You,
Steven Resnick
Youth & Social Media Director
SJCYouthDirector@gmail.com