Twenty years ago, Jon and I packed up our toddlers, sold our house in Boston, and moved home to St. Louis. We came to raise our children near their grandparents, but we got so much more than we dreamed. I was thrilled that St. Louis had just opened Reform Jewish Academy, where I took a part time job as a Jewish studies teacher, knowing my children and their cousins would grow up there. 
I was teary like so many parents when my boys were blessed under the tallit to launch their first day of kindergarten. I proudly watched them chant Torah and lead prayer in third grade.
And I cried as they graduated and moved on to other schools. At Mirowitz, they learned more than the subjects they were taught. By being part of this magical school, they became not just students, but members of a community – a role that comes with responsibilities.
They learned that they have a job to do – making our world a better place in small ways and large ones. They learned that they are legacies of a people that thinks deeply, draws strength from text and ritual, and values education. 
Sunday night, we will celebrate together at our annual gala fundraiser. My children are long gone from Mirowitz, but I want for your children the childhood I was blessed to be able to give to my own.
I hope you’ll join me in giving generously to Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School. Together, let’s raise a generation of leaders who are ethical and compassionate, and driven to make an impact on our community and our world.
Over the past 20 years, I’ve seen Mirowitz from the perspective of a teacher, an administrator and a parent. I’ve seen it transformed and reimagined during our 2012 merger with Solomon Schechter, and I’ve maneuvered safely (with you!) through the coronavirus pandemic. We have been able to open our doors every day and deliver a Mirowitz childhood because of the loving and generous support of our community.
I hope that like me, you feel joyful and proud to be planting seeds for our Jewish future when you make a generous donation to our gala. I hope you agree that it is upon us — every one of us — to ensure that the world will always have young leaders who are passionate and compassionate, knowledgeable and capable, and grounded in Jewish values.
