“At 70, fullness of age.” - Pirkei Avot 5:21
In April 1953–70 years ago—eight young couples, most of them recently moved to the suburbs, met at Dr. Roly Mindlin’s home on Dickel Road, with the intention of discussing how best to provide a Jewish education for their children whom they were raising in Scarsdale.
Among them was our congregant Judy Weinberg and her late husband Charles, z”l (of blessed memory). Judy was recognized at our annual Chai Society Shabbat this May as our surviving Founding Member.
Together, these families emerged from that fateful meeting with a dream that would soon become a reality. By the High Holidays of 1953, WRT was officially chartered with the UAHC—the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Reform Movement’s synagogue arm (now called URJ, the Union for Reform Judaism)—and WRT was on the way to becoming a beacon of Jewish life.
It says much about the vision of our Founding Families that they chose to name our synagogue Westchester Reform Temple, both for its proud identification with Reform Judaism and our principles of informed choice and Jewish compatibility with modernity, as well as the declaration that our Temple would serve all of Westchester and not just Scarsdale.
Now, 70 years later—a milestone the Rabbis identified as “fullness of age” (Pirkei Avot 5:21)—we salute the vision and strength of our Founders. But even more, we commit ourselves to realizing and extending their vision for new generations of our people and for a bold and challenging new era of Judaism.
Your membership at WRT gives you access to a community of caring, purpose, learning, spiritual inspiration, social action, and connection to the global Jewish community, especially Israel. It also ensures that today’s youth will grow up in a joyful and transformative Jewish environment that will spark a lifetime of Jewish connection and commitment.
Those who support WRT through our Inspired Giving Annual Fund go above and beyond in fulfilling the 70-year dream of our Founders. By offering additional financial support for our mission, you are helping us to achieve bigger dreams, commit the resources we need to confront the challenges and realize the opportunities of today and tomorrow, while making WRT membership accessible to all who are interested in joining our sacred community.
Inspired Giving and support of our other dedicated funds allow us to attract and retain outstanding professional leadership, develop innovative programming for all ages and stages of life, and bring extraordinary engagement to our community, such as our conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Jodi Kantor this spring, our annual Music Series, and a Congregational “Trip of a Lifetime” to Israel this coming December to celebrate WRT at 70 and Israel at 75. (Click here for more information.)
Inspired Giving also allows us to maintain our state-of-the art, environmentally conscious campus as a spiritual home and community landmark.
We welcome your ongoing commitment and participation in the life of WRT to ensure a strong future for our tradition and our People in the face of rising antisemitism and a societal culture that too often promotes values at odds with Jewish teachings. Ours is a tradition of loving our neighbors, cultivating wisdom, and living beyond ourselves.
We look forward to your continued engagement as a part of WRT, so that the next 70 years will build on the strong foundation that our Founding Families established.
Now is the time to renew your membership. We encourage you to renew promptly, to allow you to sign up for your preferred high holiday services, once registration opens in a few weeks.
If you have previously participated in our Inspired Giving Annual Fund—thank you! Please consider moving up to the next level of giving for this year’s annual contribution. Levels of Inspired Giving are indicated on the Membership Renewal Form.
And if you have not yet participated in our Inspired Giving Annual Fund, please consider joining this milestone year with a special gift to honor Judy Weinberg, our Founding Families, and the 70th Anniversary of Westchester Reform Temple. In addition, if you have special interest in any of our programs or offerings, please let us know if you would like to discuss a more specific giving opportunity.
Thank you for your generosity and commitment that allows our community to go from strength to strength.
Bivrakha - with blessing,
