Member Musings – July-August 2017

Return of the “Fab Four”—The Confirmation Class of 1991

Meet these members who were confirmed at TBE now bringing their own children to our Torah School.

Scott Allen

 I have many fond memories of TBE. I enjoyed Torah School, our class had a lot of fun. I attended events including camp outs, dances, and movie nights with the temple youth group TOSPY (now SPeTY). I celebrated my classmates becoming bar and bat mitzvah. I played for the TBE softball team, attended Shabbat Services and sang in the Youth Choir. Our family never left TBE throughout my teens and twenties; we stayed pretty connected. After Rosa and I became parents, TBE has continued to be part of our weekly life. It is a blessing to stay connected with our Torah School classmates; we have very unique friendships that have lasted over 30 years. Raising our kids at TBE and being able to do so with families we have known for 30 years is fantastic. Sammy and Talia feel that TBE is their second home. They look forward to Torah School each Sunday and to Friday night services. Watching their faces and listening to them sing in services is one of our favorite things.

Carrie Jacobs Hernandez

 My fondest childhood memories of TBE? That’s easy…I still get to see them today. Dani, Rachel and Scott ARE my best memories of TBE! They were my closest friends growing up and now we get to raise our kids together at TBE. Doesn’t get much better than that! When I relocated back to Southern California, I knew that I would raise my kids here. Rabbi, Cantor and Debi just sweetened the deal for me…and did you know that Debi was our Torah School Educator, too? My children love to look at our Confirmation photo hanging on the wall and it makes them feel good to know that their mom, their aunt and their grandparents call TBE “home” and have for many generations. I get flooded with emotion when I see my children at Torah School reading from the same Torah that I read from, standing on the same bimah that I stood on, and growing up in the same warm community as I. It is a blessing for my family. We are very grateful.

Rachel Morris Tu

 My fondest childhood memories of TBE can be summed up in these phrases: Truth or Dare; limbo lower now; Indiana Jones, Domino’s Pizza  and  Hydrox cookies; Red Vines-induced laughing fits; “Boogie in Your Butt” and “The Pajama Game”; “The Creation”; and “Everybody’s dying to get in there, but that’s the last place I want to be.” These words are meaningless to most, but there are a few folks from my TBE generation who get it. Growing up at TBE meant I had a home, a multi-generational community that gave me comfort, and life-long friends. When we moved back to the area in 2011, participating in temple events felt like a homecoming. Whether attending Half Pint Havurah events, b’nai Mitzvah, or Torah School, my children Maya (5) and Elliott (3) feel as though they belong, just as I did at their age. My parents, Josie and Steve Morris, joined TBE because it was the first congregation that made them feel truly welcome. For my brother, Kimo Morris, and me, TBE was essentially a second home. I continue to feel that warmth to this day, and I hope that my children find the same sense of belonging in this community.

Dani Paquin

 The social bond of our years together was so special that many of us are still friends. We weren’t just Temple friends, we were the best of friends—and TBE was the backdrop to our many adventures. I loved singing (ended up with a career in music), and being in Youth Choir was a huge part of my passion for music. Without a doubt, my goddaughter Maya’s baby naming brought us back. The sanctuary was filled with love and old friends. My husband Dan and I looked at each other and said “this is our place.” There is truly nothing better than watching my son grow up with Rachel, Scott and Carrie’s kids. Because of these close relationships (and others!) Max loves being at Torah School and TBE events and so do we.