Quote from Mitzi Kastner Saeman, Associate member:
I was born and raised in Piqua. I went to Sunday School at Temple Anshe Emeth, was confirmed there, met my husband at a wedding there and was married there. That is why this little Temple means so much to me.
I am amazed at the amount of activity that takes place there with congregants from all the little towns surrounding Piqua. I commend the leadership on the hard work they do to keep the Temple alive.
I know that money is a problem and I would ask that any former members who have good memories of this wonderful Temple try to make a donation to be able to keep the doors open.
Quote from Francine Shuchat Shaw, Associate member:
I still have vivid images of myself as Queen Esther every Purim. My wonderful photos of all holiday celebrations at “Sunday School” are precious not only because of the friendships and community they captured among us as kids, but also because at least one or both of my parents were always in them. My parents’ loved the Temple and were active over many years in both the “adult” and the children’s activities, and those experiences will be with me forever.
The Temple was an anchor for us, and I can still picture and name all of the families with whom we shared services, Sunday School, holidays and a succession of student rabbis on the holidays, and many dinners at each other’s homes. The Temple families created for us a small but vibrant Jewish community in a predominantly non-Jewish region, an important “second culture” for us, parallel to the mainstream culture. As a New Yorker for the last 38 years — where it seems that Jewish culture is predominant — I still trace my Jewish identity, and my pride in it, back to the Temple.
