On May 8th, I was honored for my 18 years as Director of Education at Congregation Etz Chaim. I want to again thank the congregation for a wonderful celebration. Thanks to all of you who made it happen. It was so wonderful to see so many of you there and I particularly loved the posters made by the children and the special napkins at the oneg.

When I was given the opportunity to invite someone to speak on behalf of NATE, National Association of Temple Educators, I asked Vanessa who is an outstanding educator at Lakeside Congregation in Highland Park. We have worked together in many capacities over the last twenty two years including many years on the NATE board. We’ve shared ideas, curriculum and lots of stories. Many of you may remember our Israeli superheroes that visited us last year. The idea was crafted as Vanessa and I were floating in the Mediterranean Sea! We traveled to Israel together many times, we’ve written curriculum for OSRUI and collaborated on many projects. You’ve been a good friend to me as well as many of our colleagues.

In this week’s Torah portion Emor we read that Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: These are My fixed times, the fixed times of Adonai, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions. It continues with the set times of Adonai, the sacred occasions which we should celebrate by telling us when to observe Shabbat, the high holidays Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot.

We are here tonight because we know it is Shabbat. We know that on Shabbat we should cease our work from the regular week and have a special and restful day. The Torah tells us this and we know we should follow messages of Torah.

We are creatures of habit. Most of us know that on Rosh Hashanah we will be here to listen to the sound of the shofar; on Yom Kippur we will be sitting in the sanctuary listening to Mark chant Kol Nidre. Some of you are here every week, maybe even sitting in the same seats. Some of us come some weeks and, on others celebrate Shabbat in our own way.

While we know that we should do these things we don’t always know why. If we are not sure why, then how can we teach it to our children? That is where Jewish education comes in. In Deuteronomy we read “and you shall teach your children”. It doesn’t mean Anne Stein or Rabbi Bob or Rabbi Cosnowsky should teach our children; it means that we must all be Jewish educators teaching our children, especially parents. We must all be partners in educating the next generation; thus as many of you know, my passion is family education. We need to give our parents the tools in order to teach their children.

Our staff does a wonderful job of inspiring our children to be knowledgeable and proud to be Jewish. Our school is extremely unique. No one else in the country that I know of has a school our size that relies upon volunteer teachers. Our Judaica staff gives to us their time and commitment to the future of Judaism. For some of our students this is the only exposure they have to Judaism. When our fifth graders take home the Havdalah sets they made during their sleep-over, many are introducing a new tradition to their home. Some parents have shared with me that they never observed Havdalah before they got their set and now it is a regular part of Saturday night.

I feel very blessed to work in a synagogue that puts Jewish education at the top of its list of priorities. Both rabbis are involved in the school Wednesdays and Sundays. Each Shabbat morning that I am here for a bar or bat mitzvah I hear the student thank Rabbi Bob for his fun stories. All of the students in our school know that we were taken out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an OOOUUUTTT stretched arm. Rabbi Cosnowsky is always thanked for being such a great 7th grade teacher. Students rarely miss her class. I’ve sat in on her class many times and I know why they love it. If you see a student here tonight in 7th – 10th grade, ask him or her about it.

Tonight begins the 30th day in the counting of the Omer. It is interesting that in our society people usually count down to things – birthdays, days until school ends, days until camp begins. In December we are constantly told how many shopping days left until Christmas. In Judaism we count up. We are more than half way through counting the days from Pesach to Shavuot.

Most of us are aware that top ten lists be it on Letterman or for music are popular these days so I decided to create my own top ten list. These are the top ten reasons I love working at Etz Chaim. But, it is the Jewish way, I will count up:
1. We have lots of great restaurants around Lombard
2. I love watching my grandchildren (and all of the other children) marching around the sanctuary with their stuffed Torahs on Tot Shabbat.
3. We have a wonderful support staff- Susan, Mike, Michele, Herbert and Skendar. Thanks for all that you do to keep things running smoothly to support the school and me.
4. Diane Roubitchek was my assistant 18 years ago. She worked with me in the office the first two years and taught me the ropes. She has returned to the same position this year and I’m thrilled to have her back.
5. The three senior staff that work closely together making sure we are all on the same page at the same time most of the time! I always enjoy our schmooze time during staff meetings. Thank you Carol, Rabbi Bob and Rabbi Cosnowsky.
6. We have a terrific Hebrew staff that works tirelessly to make sure our students learn and feel good about their Hebrew skills. Watching our 7th graders perform Cinderella and Snow White totally in Hebrew is one of my favorites.
7. We have Rachel Wood, Ellen Simsohn, Mike Blonder and Ann Mehrman who have all been teaching longer than I have been here. They are the backbone of our staff and a role models for all of us.
8. The huge group of volunteer teachers we have year after year. You are amazing. Each year over 70 people help out in our classrooms in one way or another. This year we have 24 high school juniors and seniors in that group. I am in awe of your dedication to the children of Etz Chaim.
9. The dozens of other volunteers that sit on the board or on committees, that cut up challah or set up bagels each week, that keep our parking lots safe both here and at Westlake each Sunday and those that help out for all of our holiday celebrations during school year.
10. Marilyn Streit has been involved with the school in one way or another since before I started. When
I came she was an 8th grade teacher and then moved to the school committee, became the chair of the committee, then vice president over the school committee and now president, still with great fondness for the school and Jewish education. Marilyn and I worked together fifteen years ago putting together our school mission statement that still reflects who we are today.

Let me conclude by thanking my wonderful family who are always supportive of whatever I do, even when they think I am crazy. I am most appreciative of your patience, support and love.

Etz Chaim is really a special place. My colleagues around the country are amazed when I talk about our school. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you for 18 years. I look forward to the future and continuing to enjoy being a part of Etz Chaim.