Temple offers six months dues free

To attract new members, Temple Sinai in Cranston is offering a chance for people to get to know the congregation without dues for the rest of 2023.

“Joining a temple is not an automatic choice today, especially for young families,” says Gregg Rosen, president. “We want to give them a chance to get to know us before asking them to be a part of our community.”

The Temple is offering free membership to new members for the rest of the secular year, including tickets to High Holy Days services. New members would still be required to pay tuition for religious School for their children from the beginning of the school year.

“I often hear our members say that Temple Sinai is a real community. That’s what they like about it,” says Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser. “I think that is what people are looking for in a Jewish community. They want to be engaged in a place where people socialize, learn and pray together – a place where they all feel like they belong, no matter what.”

Temple Sinai has recently made its message of inclusion more explicit. It proudly states that it is “a community of all ethnicities, races, nationalities, sexual orientations and identities, gender expressions, ages, and abilities, and are open and welcoming to multifaith and interfaith families.”

The congregation is hoping that by making the experience of membership available to prospective members without up-front commitment, people will like what they see and stay on as members in 2023 and far beyond. It’s a gamble it thinks will pay off.

For those who want to get a taste of Temple Sinai’s Shabbat service, there will be an open house service, specifically for prospective members, on Friday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. Check the Temple’s website, www.templesinairi.org, for more details.

For more information on Temple Sinai, contact the congregation at 401-942-8350. The Temple’s email address is dottie@templesinairi.org.