Shelter Rock Jewish Center

Joan and I are away for the week--up in Millenocket, Maine, wandering around on Mount Katahdin, if all goes according to schedule--but I wanted to write to you this week anyway to bring something of great importance to our community to your collective attention.

This fall, on Thursday evening, September 18, we will have a very special evening at Shelter Rock and I'm writing about it this far in advance so that everybody can make plans to attend. Many of you know that we are publishing a book for young people, written by myself and illustrated by about two dozen of our Hebrew School boys and girls, as a memorial to the late Dr. Jeffrey L. Siegel. The book, called Riding the River of Peace: A Philosophy of Mitzvot for Young People, is an attempt to present the essential nature of Jewish observance as a rational, thoughtful system of worship in a way that young people will understand and appreciate. The book is pitched primarily at young teenagers, but I'm hoping that all who read it will find something of interest to consider and that it will become a staple part of the curriculum of our school, and perhaps of other schools, including day schools, as well. And the art work is just great!

It's just the kind of project of which Jeff would have approved wholeheartedly, and which he himself would have been pleased to support. (As a trustee of the congregation, he was wholly devoted to the welfare and to the education of our children.) I'm very proud to have played my role in making this a reality, and I am looking forward to seeing the volume once the books are printed and bound. I hope you all enjoy the book, and I also hope that reading it, and participating in its publication and launch, provides us all with an opportunity to remember Jeff Siegel warmly and fondly, and to feel that we have all done our part to guarantee that he remains an enduring presence for good in our midst and, particularly, in the lives of the children of our synagogue.

You will receive printed invitations in August. All are very welcome. There will be books available that evening for purchase, and we will also be making special presentations that evening of leather-bound copies of the book to members of Jeff's immediate family. I look forward to seeing you all there and especially to hearing what you think of the book.

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Martin S. Cohen