“It’s our wish that the temple lives on as a vibrant institution for future generations to love and enjoy as we have.”
Some of the most touching stories are from congregants whose dedication to Temple Beth Sholom has evolved because a spouse converted to Judaism, thus inspiring the other to participate in a journey back to their Jewish roots. Marte and Paul Singerman and their two college-age daughters are a shining example of this. Thanks to Marte’s conversion years ago, the Singermans chose to leave a generous Legacy gift to TBS.
They tell us that by doing so, it was a natural extension of their other philanthropy and a way to express their gratitude. They feel passionately that it was the right thing to do. By contributing to the long-term financial wellbeing and security of the Temple, they sought to lead by example.
Looking back, Paul’s maternal grandparents from Poland communicated with each other mostly in Yiddish. They were observant and kept kosher; however, they raised his mother in a town where they were the only Jewish family. They observed the major Jewish holidays, and when Paul was born and raised in a small town in Ohio, his experience with temple life was uninspiring. He went on to attend boarding school, falling out of touch with Judaism, remaining unaffiliated throughout that time and through the first 12 years of his marriage to Marte following their second year of law school at the University of Florida where they met.
What inspired Marte in her Jewish journey is that she comes from a highly educated family which welcomed her conversion to Judaism. Her paternal grandfather was a Dutch Reformed minister and her maternal family were Mennonites. After being married for 12 years, she decided to convert to Judaism, following her father’s advice that she and Paul “share a common religion.” Marte enrolled in the local conversation class with Rabbi Glickstein as her mentor. She invited Paul to participate with her, resulting in his greatly renewed interest in his Jewish heritage. They had moved to Miami Beach and became neighbors of both Rabbi Pomerantz and Rabbi Davis. Marte and Paul feel they have had the good luck of having them as their spiritual leaders and dear friends.
Their connection TBS includes Marte and both of their daughters having their Bat Mitzvahs here and Marte serving as a VP of the Board of Trustees, as well as on the Board in prior roles. Most notably the Singermans’ philanthropy includes underwriting a musical Shabbat series in 2016 and 2017, and they currently underwrite the Kavanah spirituality initiative which brings a visiting scholar to the Temple each year.
Marte and Paul each hold leadership positions in other organizations and both of them endeavor to give back to the community and help the less fortunate.
Marte and Paul reiterate that TBS has enriched their lives beyond measure and they feel blessed to be able to make these gifts for its present and future.