The temple is alive! No matter what time of day, Temple Sinai is jumping with activity. Our nursery school and religious school are packed. We’ve simply outgrown our buildings. If you believe in the perpetuation of Judaism as I do, then you know that we need the physical facilities to serve people. The reason to support the project is simple – we need it.
- Bob Fischer
Temple Sinai has been a home to the Jewish community in Oakland for over 130 years. Over the past 20 years our congregation has seen tremendous growth, increasing from 600 to 975 households. In 2003, the Temple approved a strategic plan, Lech Lecha, with recommendations about how to ensure that we remain a vibrant, responsive, well-run and caring community in the face of the challenges presented by this growth. One of the main recommendations of Lech Lecha was for the Temple to improve and expand its facilities to accommodate both the existing needs and future anticipated growth of the Temple.
Hundreds of people walk through the doors of Temple Sinai every day. Our facilities have served us well, but they are old, too small, and worn out with years of loving use. The current facilities were built and sustained by the faith and generosity of generations that have come before us. What we enjoy and use was built for us by them. Now it is our turn to build for ourselves and the future — for all who wish to participate in Jewish life.
This expansion project is critical if we are to serve the needs of our congregation, to attract the best rabbinic leadership, and to reach out to Jews still unaffiliated.
