President's Welcome
Welcome!
Our congregation, Temple Sinai, is an inclusive Reform congregation that offers a warm welcome and a nurturing home to all who seek a meaningful and enduring connection to Judaism. We are currently entering our 35th year as a congregation and our 5th year with our beloved spiritual leader, Rabbi Annie Belford.
Temple Sinai is the only Reform congregation on the west side of Houston amidst a diverse and growing community. Here we have created a sanctuary for prayer, study, tzedek and mitzvot. Our membership is comprised of a mixture of Jewish and interfaith families from many different backgrounds. All are welcome at Temple Sinai.
Our congregations is proud to have been recognized for the past five years as an ADL “Community of Respect’®. As such, we are committed to creating an environment of respect and appreciation of all, both at Temple Sinai and in the greater Houston community.
We invite you to come and experience our many activities and programs. Whether it's Shabbat
services, classes for children and adults, special events, social gatherings or community celebrations - you are sure to find something to suit your interests and needs.
Shabbat Services: Our services are held every Friday night and the second Saturday morning of each month. Rabbi Annie Belford leads services that are both joyful and inclusive and filled with song, friendship and reflection. By the end of services you are sure to feel released from the week’s tensions, by the atmosphere of our Shabbat service. Services are also held for the holidays and festivals throughout the year.
Jewish Federation investing in Temple Sinai
Submitted by webmaster on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 11:08pm
Jewish Federation investing in
Temple Sinai, Beth Israel, Beth Yeshurun and Emanu El schools
The Jewish Federation is partnering with PELIE, Partnership for Effective Learning and Innovative Education, to provide funding for our synagogue/congregational school to participate in the first cohort of Houston schools using the JSASIP, the Jewish School Assessment School Improvement Process. The JSASIP is an effective comprehensive tool used in Jewish communities across North America to assess their schools’ effectiveness and assist in developing an improvement plan. This tool creates a snapshot of the synagogue/school culture, makes the invisible visible, describes best practices in synagogue schools, and provides a shared vocabulary about synagogue school practices for community stakeholders.
OUR CARING COMMUNITY NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Submitted by webmaster on Mon, 08/08/2011 - 8:50pm
The Caring Committee is looking for congregants who have time and are willing to participate in caring activities. We are looking for both new members to the committee (who could attend a monthly meeting held every 2nd Friday at 12:00 noon at the temple and assist in guiding thecaring program) and those congregants who simply could provide some time to make caring calls to fellow congregants, occasionally make a meal and deliver to a needy member, send get well or sympathy cards, deliver shabbat baskets to families, provide transportation to assist a member to shabbat services, or help, when needed, during a gri
Temple Sinai School Director Receives Harold Reingold Yavneh Award
Submitted by webmaster on Tue, 06/15/2010 - 10:16pm
The 2010 Harold Reingold Yavneh Award for Jewish Educators was presented to Rina Mesarwi, the Director of Temple Sinai ‘s Religious School, at the 74th annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston’s Annual Meeting on June 3, 2010 at Seven Acres. The Harold Reingold Yavneh Award for Jewish Educators is presented to a professional for outstanding contributions to the field of Jewish education in Greater Houston. Nominations for the Yavneh Award are solicited from the community-at-large. “Being an educator for many years…you get awarded daily by the lives you touch and the changes you make to improve Jewish education. Being recognized by the community just validates the idea that I should continue trying hard to bring the best education as possible to our students. The Yavneh award is a great honor for me to receive, as it puts me in the company of great Jewish educators who won before me and who will receive the award in the future” expresses Rina.
Rina Mesarwi has been engaged with Jewish Education for over 30 years and has been the director of the Temple Sinai Religious school for 10 years. Rina’s goal is to create a loving, safe environment to which kids want to return, to have happy kids, to prepare them for life, and have them be proud and love to be Jewish. The Temple Sinai Religious school has programs for 3 years old to grade 12. Rina has developed innovative and creative programs like the Ktantanim (trans: Little Ones) program for 3 year olds. This is the only 3 year old program in Houston. Also, she developed the very successful Post-confirmation program for 11th and 12th graders. This program keeps kids involved with Temple and Judaism. It prepares students for college and beyond. Sessions are every other Wednesday night and features visiting speakers, both Jewish (Conservative and Orthodox Rabbis) and secular (e.g. MADD, Interfaith Ministries, Planned Parenthood) who present to the students. This program has been a great success in keeping students involved in Judaism and aiding the move from High School to adulthood.
Mazel Tov to Rina on the occasion of receiving the Harold Reingold Yavneh Award!
