2009 Annual Report

Temple Sinai Brotherhood

   Once again, the Temple Sinai Brotherhood has had a busy and productive year.  We are continuing our role of providing exceptional service not only for ourselves, but also for the congregation as a whole.  Our ultimate goal is to support the overall needs and desires of the men of Temple Sinai.  Some of this year’s significant activities are listed below.

Religious and Educational Programs

• We are continuing to make a formal presentation to all B’Nai Mitzvah graduates by presenting them a copy of the book, "The Jewish Book of Why".  Our goal is to begin each teen’s Jewish library, and to encourage them to further explore their education.

• On April 11^th, we sponsored another Matzoh Brie Breakfast.  The event was held in conjunction with the informal Shabbat services during the week of Passover.  All 30 people in attendance, as well as several members of the Houston Fire Department, were treated to a delicious variety of Matzoh Brie.  Each person quenched their “thirst” for religion while satisfying their “hunger” for breakfast.  Many thanks to our cooks - Marc Boin, David Frishman, Bob Horowitz, and Roger Rochman.

• There have been a variety of interesting guest speakers at our meetings this year.  In October, Rabbi Jack Segal gave us a fascinating introduction into the differences between Judaism and Christianity.  Ed Gardner spoke to us in November about how to survive these difficult economic times.  David Gold enlightened us in January about meteorology and the business of storm chasing.  In March, Joel Eisenbaum, the investigative reporter and creator of the news segment “The Wheel of Justice”, shared his experiences with us.  Then in April, we were visited by one of the coordinators of the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, who spoke about the logistics of blood donation.  Each of the lectures was well attended, and all were quite entertaining.  Thanks go out to Ralph Gardner, Irv Berger, and Norm Berlat for their coordination of these speakers.

Community Service Programs

• We are continuing to sponsor Quarterly Blood Drives.  Temple Sinai donated almost 50 units of blood this year, 30 of which were dedicated to Dave Hoffman.  Many thanks go out to Norm Berlat for all of his coordination.

• Members of the Brotherhood were active participants in the setup and breakdown of the sanctuary for the High Holy Days, for the Mah Jongg Tournament, and for Tu B'Shevat.  We set up and broke down the Temple’s Sukkah, as well as all of the chairs for Sukkot.  In addition, we were honored to perform all of the ushering duties for the High Holy Day Services.>

• Schlep Sunday – On December 7^th, members of Temple Sinai donated an entire U-Haul trailer full of gently used furniture and clothing, which were then transferred to the Star of Hope homeless shelter.  Many thanks go out to Ralph Gardner for all of his help and coordination.

• We donated a significant sum of money to a family “adopted” by our Social Action Committee to help them celebrate Christmas last year.  Of note, we gave an even larger sum to two of our own congregants in order to help them celebrate Chanukah.

• Our group contributed money to the Sunday School for the construction of quilts for Christmas, as well as for pesadiche food baskets donated to cancer patients at MD Anderson during Passover.  This was truly a mitzvah and we were honored to help.

• We hosted a Spaghetti Dinner in mid-January, which was held in conjunction with the Open D’Or service and the New Member Shabbat.  Over 140 people attended and enjoyed a delicious dinner.  20 new and prospective members got a great introduction to the friendliness of our congregation.  Thanks go out to Bob Horowitz for chairing the activity, and to Spencer Marmelstein for coordinating the sauce.

• We are working with the Interior Committee to construct a pair of Tallit, Kipot, and Siddur bookcases at the entrances to our sanctuary.

• Two camp “scholarships” are being donated to members of our Sunday School in order to help them attend Greene Family Camp this summer.  We are pleased to announce that this year’s winners are Rachel Aaronson and Shaye Mueller.

• On April 24^th and 25^th, the Brotherhood sponsored participation in the construction of a home for the Habitat For Humanity.  10 of our congregants assisted in this memorable project.  The Brotherhood purchased T-shirts for each of the participants.  Although the work was hard, each person that helped received an enormous sense of pride, charity, and accomplishment.

Fellowship and Social Programs

• On May 31^st, we will sponsor attendance at the touring Broadway performance of “Fiddler On The Roof.”  The show promises to be exhilarating and memorable.  We are already making plans to see the play “Young Frankenstein” next year.

• In September, a crowd of over 60 people from Temple Sinai witnessed the Houston Dynamo defeat the Kansas City Wizards at Robertson Stadium.

• In November, along with the Sisterhood Fun Night, we hosted the First Annual Chili Cookoff.  Six chefs competed for the title of best-tasting Chili in the congregation.  Accolades go out to Michael Burg for his winning recipe.

• On December 1^st, we met at the home of Michael Burg to watch the Houston Texans make their debut on Monday Night Football “the way G-d intended it to be seen.”  All in attendance had a great time, and enjoyed some of Houston’s best Bar-B-Que.

• We hosted a Movie Night in March to watch the movie, “Cast a Giant Shadow.”  Thanks go out to David Frishman for all of his coordination.

• A Brotherhood team participated in the TeSTY Trivia Bowl in April.  Despite a valiant effort, we were defeated by the Sisterhood team in double overtime.  Our guys are anxiously awaiting next year’s competition in order to reclaim our title.

• Astro’s Games are already scheduled for the near future.  We will attend a Men’s Night Out game on May 7^th and a Family Day game on June 7^th.  All congregants are welcome to attend these exciting events.

• In the near future, we are planning another Movie Night to view the movie, "Defiance".  In addition, we are making plans to host an Art Auction sometime in the early Fall.

   The Brotherhood is now an active and vibrant organization that is dedicated to helping the synagogue, helping ourselves, and having a lot of fun in the process.  We are in the process of increasing our enrollment and our involvement.  Any adult male congregant who is interested in becoming a member is strongly encouraged to join our ranks.  Now would be a great time to join in order to help make a difference in our congregation.

Respectfully submitted-

Marc H. Boin, MD

President

Temple Sinai Brotherhood