Preserving the Jewish Legacy
Joan Roberts
L’dor v’dor. From one generation to the next. My favorite part of any Bar or Bat Mitzvah is the tradition of the generations of a family lined up on the Bimah handing the Torah from the oldest family member to the young person
who will now take their place as an adult in the Jewish community. It always brings tears to my eyes. I remember my paternal grandfather crying at my
brother’s Bar Mitzvah. I had never seen him cry and when I asked him why he did, this escapee from Nazi Germany said he never thought he would live to see a grandson have a Bar Mitzvah. This was proof to him that there would be a next
generation of Jews in our family—a prospect that had not always been certain in his younger days. In my mind, Judaism is not just a religion or a culture. We are a people —a community. I
have always loved the Midrash which teaches that we were all at Mt. Sinai receiving the Torah from Moses. Not just those who were alive at that moment, but ALL of the future souls who accepted the Torah from that day forward.
So why make a legacy gift to the Create Your Jewish Legacy Program? Because we believe that when you are
part of a community, you give what you can. There have been years when we could not give much to support the Temple. Others who had the means had to make up for that. Now we are in a position to give more, so
it is our turn. Just like the Torah is passed from one generation to another—the responsibility to support the community is passed from generation to generation. As a member of the Rockdale Board, I heard a presentation about the Create Your Jewish Legacy program. Before I heard the presentation, I imagined it was complicated and only the wealthy participated. But I was mistaken on both counts. Anyone who
has a desire to take their place among those who have supported and will support Rockdale Temple and the
Jewish community at large can do that through the Create Your Jewish Legacy program. Preserving the goodness of Rockdale Temple for future generations is important.
