“I interviewed Martin Snit0w, one of the Sinai elders. “I was born in Brooklyn, and grew up in Queens.” He recalled, “I moved to Queens in a year and a half... all my school was in Queens, including college.” He took Economics in college, getting a bachelors degree. Once he finished college, “I went to Yale Law School, graduating with a JD. Five years later, I met my wife while bumping into her and asking for directions. We hit it off after a course of letters and married 3 days after her graduation.” In 1982, I had a son and later in 1984, I had a daughter.”

When I asked one thing he was proud of in his life, he answered back, “I had a nice life and didn’t hurt anybody.” A holiday he really enjoys would be Simchat Torah and Purim. Both are full of energy and life. A valuable life lesson for him would be, “Having children. Having children isn’t just a life lesson, it’s a life time.” For something he wishes he did more, he simply replied, “I wish I smiled more.”

Havdalah was a special moment for him, “We would all turn on the music & run around the couch. It wasn’t a formal celebration; it was our celebration.”

Abe Seiden was born in Berlin and moved to Brooklyn when he was 2 years old, then moved again when he was 14 to New York. In junior high, he took Spanish class and went to high school in Manhattan. He was a valedictorian at Columbia University. His favorite holiday was Passover in New York with a few other families, including his own.

He enjoyed his mother’s cooking, and his favorite memory in Sinai was watching his father pray. When I asked him what information he wished he had when he was my age, he said to be careful in New York.

I interviewed Kyra and Hal. Kyra and Hal didn’t grow up in a Jewish household. Kyra and Hal came into the Jewish life when they were older.

When I asked Kyra about how being Jewish affected her, she said that she had seen the dangers of being Jewish and wanted to give back to the Jewish community and keep them going. Hal said that he taught history, and doing that, he taught religion. He realized that they didn’t teach Judaism, so he started researching Judaism and wanted to teach it. He said that the Jewish people are wise and wanted to teach it to other people.

Kyra and Hal decided to join Sinai because of Rabbi Josh. They attended his classes and wanted to support his community. When I asked them about life lessons they would have wanted at my age, they said to “engage with others” and that “what ever made all of this, it’s wonderful,” and to “pave the way from others.” Hal said, “understand things... make the world better.”

I asked about what they thought about memories and traditions. Hal told me that he thought every day was important. I asked them about how things are different now than they were. Kyra told me how people aren’t kind to people, and that she has a sticker on her car that says, "G-d should have stopped with dogs." Hal told me that it was frightful how anti-Jewish people are acting and that Judaism is being lost in some places.

He said to never stop learning, that it is never too late and you are never too old to learn.

Bob is a passionate Jew who joined Sinai in 1959 and transferred between several synagogues before settling at Sinai. Bob grew up in Massachusetts and moved to California when he was in his early teens. He grew to be very passionate about his Jewish religion. He loves the Sinai community, and likes the kids. Bob likes the feeling when he prays and tries to often come on Saturdays and Sundays. He likes the Jewish education that Sinai gives to All the kids. He told me to not rush to grow up.

My interview with Lorraine went very well. I learned a lot about her life. She liked to ride her bike and play handball. She was born 1944. She did not get a bat mitzvah. She had her 60th wedding anniversary at Sinai. She also grew up in Brooklyn. I learned a lot today.

My name is Noah Katz, and today, I interviewed Elizabeth, who has been a member of the Sinai community for about 48 years. She was born in communist Romania and was named after her grandmother in a small Jewish town with a large population of Holocaust survivors. Both of Elizabeth's parents were Holocaust survivors who met in the camps. Although she went to religious school in Romania, Elizabeth did not have a bat mitzvah and does not remember many bnei mitzvah in her hometown. Elizabeth did not have many family traditions relating to the Jewish holidays. On a similar note, she did not remember what she did for holidays, including Rosh Hashana. Her mother did not talk much to her or her brother about her experience in the Holocaust.

She immigrated to the U.S. at 14 with her family from Romania. Shortly after arriving, her father died of leukemia at the young age of 40. She later became a teacher, taught middle school in many different places, and taught Yavneh's fifth-grade class. When her eldest daughter was born, Elizabeth and her husband joined Congregation Sinai and have been here ever since.

One of the most breathtaking things she said was that the rare times there was antisemitism in her small village, she felt, "Being called a Dirty Jew once is enough for a lifetime." She also said that there are many problems in the world, and the future is very uncertain. When I asked Elizabeth about her greatest achievements were her teaching career and children. Elizabeth enjoys walking, playing the piano, which she wishes she had more time to practice, and reading.

My name is Asher Lewis, and today, I interviewed 76-year-old Sinai senior Steve Levin. He grew up in a place smaller than San Jose, where the children could freely walk around. He had an enjoyable childhood, with lots of Jewish friends and summer vacations to Yosemite. His favorite family tradition was Passover seders with around 2 dozen people. To this day, Passover remains his favorite holiday. He also grew up with medical issues in a world with no Internet and more direct communication (unlike most teens today). Since then, the world has changed tremendously. With more access to planes, he travels a lot more. He's gone to 46 states, most of Western Europe, Israel, Canada, and even lived in London for 5 years! He joined Congregation Sinai 3 years ago. Seeing as he joined during COVID and that Sinai was still open, coming for the 1st time was his most meaningful experience here at Sinai. He hopes that our congregation can attract more members, particularly youth and families, in the future.

Today, I interviewed Maureen and Sy. They were both proud of their children and grandchildren. Some Life lessons they said were to listen more than speak and to be aware of your Judaism. Both of their favorite traditions were Passover. Jewish traditions have not changed but the people have. They both said that the world has changed and that technology changed tremendously. My name is Ezra Fronen. They both went to college. Sy went to CCNY and Maureen went to UC Berkeley.

My name is Eva, and I interviewed Miriam Leiseroff about her life. Miriam grew up in Berlin. In 1972, she moved to California. While in Berlin, she experienced the building & the destruction of the Berlin Wall, which was a big event in her life. While also in Berlin, she liked visiting the Grunewald Forest to have picnics & visit the cabin that her grandfather built. She converted to Judaism in 1981 at Sinai & has been here ever since. Her favorite Sinai memory was her Bat Mitzvah.

Her favorite thing about Judaism is the freedom & ability to question things. Miriam said that Sinai has acted as her anchor over the years & loves the community because of how caring and supportive everyone is. She hopes that Sinai will stay the same loving community for years to come.

Her favorite holiday is Passover. Her favorite holiday memory was her first Seder.

When I asked her about the most challenging thing that has happened in her life, she said it was leaving everything, including her family, to move from Berlin to California.