Congregant Sheila Aronson will be honored at an enhanced Shabbat morning service at Temple Beth-El on Saturday, April 13, at 10:30 a.m. The community is welcome to attend the service followed by a delicious bagel brunch.
“Sheila is a thoughtful, insightful, and dedicated member of our board. She brings a broad perspective and sharp, clear thinking to our decision-making process,” said Rabbi A. Brian Stoller. “Sheila is also a deeply committed Jew, dedicated to learning and prayer. Our Shabbat morning community had the honor of saying kaddish with her for her dad over the last year. Sheila is always here for TBE, and we’re so excited to celebrate her!”
The active member and volunteer spent her first years of marriage and motherhood attending her parents’ synagogue. When her daughter was four years old, and she and her husband began looking ahead to her Jewish education, they decided it was time to join a temple.
“I contacted several Great Neck synagogues; and after speaking with a few, I knew that Temple Beth-El was a fit for us in terms of how we wanted Jewishness to fit into our family life,” explained Aronson.
Initially, she wasn’t a particularly involved member, but as her children grew, she found more time to volunteer at Temple Beth-El.
“It started with an invitation to work on what, at the time, was the Mitzvah of the Month initiative,” Aronson noted. “I partnered with a good friend to work on that program, and our involvement—particularly with providing for the food insecure of Great Neck—grew from there. When you start working on one committee, you discover all the wonderful, hardworking people at the temple and begin to volunteer more and attend more events. From there, your connections to the Beth-El community grow.”
Currently, Aronson serves as a vice president on the Temple Beth-El board.
“In that role, I partner with a dedicated group of people to maintain Temple Beth-El today and chart the future of our congregation for the decades to come,” disclosed Aronson. “I continue to be involved in some of our food insecurity initiatives, attend a variety of social events and participate in Torah study.”
Temple involvement is significant to her for several reasons.
“It is important for Reform Judaism to have a vibrant home in Great Neck,” expressed Aronson. “By working alongside other lay leaders in our synagogue, I can have a hand in ensuring that our resources are put to the best use for TBE members, future members and the wider Great Neck community.”
Being a member of Temple Beth-El enriches her life in many ways.
“Over the years, I have met wonderful people who I enjoy spending time with at a variety of programs: services, Sisterhood, social action,” conveyed Aronson. “I have learned a great deal from our clergy as well as from other lay leaders and members. It is a community that I am proud to be a part of.”
Come and hear her discuss the parashah Tazria, which details diagnosis and procedures for a severe illness during biblical times.
“I will discuss some of the ways, in recent times, that we have reacted to severe illnesses as a community and within the Reform tradition,” reported Aronson.
Founded in 1928, the peninsula’s first synagogue is located at 5 Old Mill Road in Great Neck. To learn more, call 516-487-0900, visit www.tbegreatneck.org or email info@tbegreatneck.org.
