Lindsay: I grew up in Indianapolis. Judaism wasn’t a huge part of our lives, and I didn’t have many Jewish friends. That’s why it’s important to me for our kids to be involved in Temple. I want them to have a sense of community that I didn’t have, to feel connected to other Jewish kids in a way that I didn’t. It’s important that not just our religion, but our culture, heritage, history, and traditions are carried on. Everything about Judaism is positive. It’s all about teaching us to be good people.
Seth: I wasn’t raised Jewish, and church was no big deal. My big deal was baseball. I played college ball at UK and played in the minor leagues for the Chicago White Sox before getting injured and released. Being part of a baseball team my whole life, there was a sense of community and my best friends in life are from those situations. This same feeling is what drew me to Wise Temple. It’s a community of people with similar goals and I feel a part of something bigger. When I met Lindsay and started learning about Judaism, it just made sense to me.
Seth: My parents are super supportive of what we’re trying to do. They come to everything at Wise. They want to be a part of it.
Lindsay: It makes everything richer because we celebrate Jewish holidays here, with both our families. And it has furthered our knowledge of Judaism. Sometimes Seth’s parents will ask a question that we don’t know the answer to, which prompts us to find out. So, we’re all learning more in the process.
Seth: Wise Temple has opened up our world. We go to Family Shabbat where we all meet a lot of people. We also helped plan the Family Retreat at the Great Wolf Lodge which was a lot of fun. One of my favorite things is Sunday School. The kids go to their classrooms and then we sit outside the Temple gift shop with other parents. Lindsay grades papers, and we watch people come and go. We’ve met people that way, just talking about what we’re involved in at Temple and hanging out.
Lindsay: I think the social action piece is important for our kids. We’ve done Freestore Foodbank, Sweet Cheeks, Bedtime Bundles. We love that the girls have chances to help people who are less fortunate. Service projects like the ones we’ve done at Wise Temple have inspired us. There’s a little island in Mexico that we go to on spring break. This year we brought supplies to a school for kids
with disabilities. They gave us a tour and the kids got to see the impact of their project. It’s a lesson they can’t get out of a book.
Lindsay: I want the kids to appreciate their Jewish background, and to pass it on to their families. I want them to love learning all throughout their lives, and to cultivate a love of service. There are so many opportunities at the Temple to help kids develop these important values.
Seth: Hey kids, what’s your favorite part of Wise Temple?
Isabel (7): My favorite thing is learning Hebrew words and the music at services.
Harper (8): My favorite thing is how kind everyone is. And on the last day of Sunday School we have ice cream!
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