Happy Passover! I hope this note finds you and your family well and looking forward to celebrating this weekend, either in person or virtually. (If you would like to join your Temple Sinai family for our seders and services on Zoom, see yesterday’s Temple Sinai Weekly email for how to join us.)
Passover is a time of growth and change and I am writing to inform you of an important change at Temple Sinai. Risa Tannenbaum, our Early Childhood Center Director, will be retiring at the end of June.
Risa joined the Temple Sinai staff as our ECC Director 13 years ago, at the exact same time as I did. Working with Risa these past 13 years has been such a privilege and pleasure. Her warmth, kindness, creativity, passion, educational skills, commitment to Judaism and, most of all, her love and care for every child and their family make her an outstanding Early Childhood Center Director as well as a cherished colleague and friend. I, along with the Temple Sinai staff, the teachers in our Early Childhood Center, and countless children and families have been fortunate to be the beneficiaries of Risa’s wisdom. We will miss her and will surely find a proper way to say farewell before she leaves, despite whatever pandemic restrictions may still be in place.
Risa will remain on staff through the end of June and the start of summer camp, and has generously offered to consult with a new Director during the transition period. In the meantime, the Board of Trustees is forming a search committee to hire a new Director of the Early Childhood Center. We will be reaching out to members of our community, including ECC parents and teachers, to help inform our search for the next Director.
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to be in touch with us at education@templesinaibc.org. We will continue to update the community as we progress through the search.
Have a Zeisen Pesach – a sweet and happy Passover,
Rabbi Jordan Millstein
p.s. Risa’s email announcing her retirement to the families of our Early Childhood Center is below.
Dear ECC Families,
When I first arrived at Temple Sinai thirteen years ago, I knew that this would be my home for the remainder of my career. Throughout the years, I had the overwhelming joy to watch our teachers educate and inspire our young children to create, explore, and connect. I have the privilege to know each child that walks through our doors and it continues to be a blessing to be a part of each child’s journey.
My own personal life has grown in many ways as well. My three daughters have gotten married and I am now a very proud grandma of four grandchildren. Like I am sure many of you, I have been unable to spend as much time as I would have liked with my family due to Covid this past year. One of my daughters and two grandchildren are in Florida and I miss them tremendously.
I have decided to retire at the end of this school year so that I can devote more time to being with my family. The decision to retire and to leave Temple Sinai has been a difficult one for me. I have loved every minute of my tenure here and feel privileged to have worked with such an incredible group of teachers, families and lay leaders.
It has been the greatest honor to serve the Temple Sinai community. This is indeed a unique community filled with the most gifted early childhood educators. We are the school that we are because we have nurtured an exceptional community. It has been a privilege to travel this journey together with you.
Although I will be stepping down as the ECC Director in June, I am committed to supporting the transition of new leadership. I will be here as needed throughout the summer and upcoming school year with the same energy and passion that I have brought to this work over the past thirteen years. With the talent and steadfast support of our amazing teachers, administration, and Board, we are in a strong position and are committed to a smooth transition.
I thank you in advance for your support and understanding and look forward to a wonderful 2021 ahead.
