Dear Rabbi Oler,

Thank you again for inviting our family to visit, and to experience, your wonderful congregation. We were welcomed with such kindness and warmth and could not have felt any more comfortable. Not only were we struck by the acceptance and generosity of your adult congregants, but we were completely smitten when those same traits became so apparent in their children. It was so beautiful for us to see our children included so readily, easily and without bias by a group of complete strangers.

I guess that Perron and I had some idea of what to expect during your Shabbat service, however, we were not prepared to have your words touch us in such an intimate and personal way. It felt like the service was written with our family in mind. It is hard for me to find words to effectively describe the feelings that your service evoked...everything just felt "right."

Perron and I have struggled to finda place where we can both belong since moving to Glenview, but I think that we have finally found a community for ourselves, and for Isaac and Eli, at Congregation Beth Or. We would be honored to become members of your congregation and to raise our children with respect to its philosophy and mission.

We would love to be able to start Isaac in Sunday school and to become part of your community as soon as possible, so please let me know where to start!

Thank you again. We look forward to sharing many special occasions with you and your family.

Sincerely,

Debbie Thurston