Miriam R. arrived at Temple Emanu-El for her first day of Religious School as an eight-year-old in 1947. Seventy-nine years later, Miriam is still an active member of the Temple Emanu-El community.
During her seven-plus decades of membership, Miriam has been involved in nearly every facet of temple life. As a child, she was a Religious School student and member of the temple’s Girl Scout troop. She was confirmed as a teenager and then joined the temple’s Junior Society. She attended college locally and remained a member during her university studies.
When she married and became a parent, Miriam brought her growing family into temple life. All five of her children attended the temple’s Religious School. She and her husband each served on the Religious School faculty; Miriam taught for six years and her husband taught for 16 years. Miriam also served on the Religious School PTA.
Miriam has been a vital part of the temple’s social action volunteer programs. She helped organize the temple’s annual blood drive for years. Over the last 37 years, Miriam has been a linchpin of the Sunday Lunch Program, serving as the program’s chairperson for the past 25 years. She recently retired from her role as Sunday Lunch chair but will continue to volunteer on Sunday mornings.
“I get a great deal of satisfaction from volunteering with Sunday Lunch,” Miriam said. “I know that at the end of the day, I have done something that is worthwhile and helped people.”
In addition to her work with the Sunday Lunch Program, Miriam will continue to volunteer with the Herbert & Eileen Bernard Museum of Judaica, cataloguing items and helping preserve documents for the temple’s archives.
When Miriam worships in the Fifth Avenue Sanctuary, she is often in the presence of family. Her daughter, Rabbi Sarah H. Reines, is a member of the temple’s clergy. When Miriam sees Rabbi Reines on the bimah, she thinks how proud her husband and father would have been.
“They would be so ecstatic if they knew about Rabbi Reines being on the clergy,” she said.
For Miriam, Temple Emanu-El has been a place where she has found education, raised a family, and built a community. She is still close with friends she made from her Religious School PTA days. Several old friends attended a recent luncheon that celebrated her contributions to Sunday Lunch. As the temple looks toward its next 180 years, Miriam hopes it continues to grow and thrive.
