Temple Emanu-El will dedicate the Rebecca Katz Family Library and Youth Center on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 4:30 p.m.
The facility honors the memory of Katz, who died at age 22 in 2010. Developing the library and establishing a fund for its upkeep and growth has been a labor of love for the Katz family and friends.
“The inspiration for this library comes from Rebecca’s passion for literature, her deep love of family and her strong Jewish identity,” says Rebecca’s father, Jonathan Katz. “It is our hope that children, families and teachers will benefit from our daughter’s love of reading and writing by having a warm and inviting library available to them. With the generous contributions of our family, friends and congregation members we have been able to transform a simple classroom into a beautiful and charming library filled with hundreds of delightful new Jewish children’s books. We hope to get the number of books into the thousands so that we can make it a true lending library as well a meeting place for groups of all ages. We are in the process of scheduling regular activities such as story time, movie nights, writing workshops, holiday craft-making projects, dance, yoga, and much more.”
The new space, which also includes games, space for laptops and digital technology, and comfortable furnishings, is already proving to be a popular meeting spot, says Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon, Temple Emanu-El senior rabbi.
Temple Emanu-El Men’s Club will provide pizza and soda for the dedication. The library is located in the Kurn Religious School Building on the south side of the synagogue campus. For more information, call 327-4501.
