As my daughter prepares to graduate I am anxious about her next steps. How will she adjust to middle school? Will she feel comfortable in a much larger environment?  Is she really ready? Then when I take a step back, I see a child who is competent and confident in her ability to negotiate the variables that will arise on the larger landscape of life. Hanna and her classmates are so excited about graduation and ready for all their new adventures, I realize I don’t have to worry.  They have been served well all these years at Sinai.

Small classes, Jewish values, and nurturing teachers have taught my daughter and her classmates how to become knowledgeable and responsible participants in Jewish life; sensitive and ethical human beings and custodians of an enduring heritage.The guiding principles of tzedakah, mitzvah and tikkun olam that define us allow a framework to teach students to step outside of themselves and be present in the world. This year the word Hineini was introduced at Sinai. Hineini, or “Here I am” is mostly used when God personally calls on someone or group to do something beyond that which they would ordinarily do. Implied in this expression is a willingness to take part and be counted. By expanding our spiritual lives we strive to be the very best Jewish day school that we can be and are so wonderfully enriched by our students, faculty, parents and donors.

Against the backdrop of all these enormous accomplishments we are not without our challenges. Like every other Jewish Day School, Sinai has had to make difficult decisions about how we operate. It has not been simple or easy to strike a balance between preserving our school's mission and ensuring out short – and long- term goals. But I have witnessed firsthand an unbelievable group of people who have given so much to do just that. Parents, Board members and donors have continually stepped up and said "here I am." Their commitment to ensuring a Jewish education for children throughout Berkshire County has been unwavering.

In my ten years as a Board member at Sinai Academy I have witnessed the power that a Jewish Day School education can have on children and in the creation of a vibrant Jewish community. A hardy “Todah Rabah” to all our supporters. May we continue to go from strength to strength.