It’s About Us
As you know by now each month, as President, I am invited to discuss or inform the congregation about an aspect of Temple Judah. Reading many of these columns of mine, you may realize I often muse on items much different than the tasks of running a temple. Frankly, I feel the assets of this community are not the land and structures, but rather the individuals who make up our membership and the people to which we comprise. This month I want to highlight one family in our community and hope to occasionally do so with other members in the future.
Ina Loewenberg and her late husband Jerry, have been Temple Judah members since 1971, resulting from a friendship with Ruth Rogers – all connecting through Coe College. Ina cannot be adequately summarized within the limits of this short introduction. You may know, or be surprised to learn, she is a published author, photographer, philosophy teacher, poet, wife, mother, grandmother, and a Jew. The Loewenberg’s chose Temple Judah because it was a reform Temple congregation. This is still important to Ina. Ina explained that she was not raised with much religion and when young they did not belong to nor attend a temple. As she has matured, she has become fonder of Jewish study including not only the Torah, but commentary and richness of their stories. If you know Ina, you know her love of language, poetry, and music. Even today, I accidentally interrupted her Yiddish speaking class she attends via Zoom; continuing her zest for learning.
Ina is excited by those in our greater community who have chosen to become Jewish and has come to understand that even within her own family this ability to welcome all under our tent can enlarge us and make us stronger. She also recognizes that often in our small community the work of keeping the temple functioning seems to fall on a few that willing give their time. And for this she is grateful, but also wishes that more would want to participate.
I asked Ina a question ‘of those Jewish, writers, playwriters, poets, comedians, actors singers, etc., is there anyone you particularly admire’? I realized after asking this to Ina, a woman so well read in the arts, that such a limited response time would not be fair. But without hesitation she settled on two responses: the first was the polymath, holocaust survivor Primo Levi, and her second response was that she’d like to think about the question and come up with a list. This led us to other interesting discussions and a challenge to our community to think what that list may include for yourself and to share it with us.
When asked if there was a particular Jewish holiday that resonated with her, Ina responded how much she loves Rosh Hashanah. The words, music and optimism it inspires. And she lit up even more recalling how much she appreciates Simchat Torah and the unrolling of the entire Torah scroll and reading the end of one Torah scroll and continuing the cycle with reading, “In the beginning…” at the beginning of the second Torah scroll. This brings much joy to Ina. This cycle of renewal, this idea that we never end but use the occasion to start again, seems to be within Ina herself.
Thank you, Ina, for allowing me to spotlight you. To my dear readers know this, that Ina is a treasure of our community, as you and I are too. Take time to reach out and have meaningful dialog with someone you may not know very well – we are each just a Zoom invite away.
Robert Becker
President