Summer is often a time when things slow down, but this year, the summer will prove to be a busy time at the Temple. There will be several special services such as Zoo Shabbat on June 29, but I would like to draw your attention to a few things that will be coming up and remind you that you can always view our Temple activities calendar at www.jewishdesmoines.org (we are the red calendar on the community calendar page.)

First, in June we have our Annual Meeting on June 9. This year’s meeting will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. A light brunch will be served and we will have a lot of material to cover, including approving the slate of officers and board positions, reviewing our finances from the previous fiscal year and presenting our budget for the 2013/2014 fiscal year. We will have a presentation on the Gitchell building renovation plan.

Also, in June we will send out our first Temple dues statements for the 2013/2014 fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. If you have questions concerning your statement, please contact me at the Temple Office.

July may look like a quiet month on the calendar, but it will be a busy time at the Temple. Rabbi Kaufman and many of our young people will be at Camp. Our facilities manager, Jake Heilman, and his wife are expecting a baby boy in July. We will not be printing a bulletin in July but please make sure to "like" the Temple’s Facebook page where we hope to post pictures of Rabbi and the kids at Camp GUCI, and if we are lucky, maybe a few pictures of the Heilman’s baby boy.

Things will really start to get busy in August as we begin to prepare for the High Holidays. This year the High Holidays begin the first week of September, and our staff and volunteers are already preparing for them. Make sure to mark your calendars with the dates and times of our High Holidays services because September will be here before you know it.

I hope that all of you have an enjoyable summer. The Temple office will be open this summer if you have any Temple needs. I look forward to seeing you throughout these busy summer months.

David Muenchrath