Meet the Board:
Janet Mauro, Director-At-Large

This article is part of a sometime series highlighting members of the Temple Beth Elohim Board of Directors.

Why did you become a Board Member?
I was asked to join the Board when I was a Temple member for just one year. I said yes because I like to be involved in the organizations to which I belong, whether it was the Greater Danbury Mothers of Twins Club, the PTO or Girl Scouts. The Temple was no different, in fact it seemed more important to be involved if I wanted to really feel part of this ‘family.'

What do you think about how the Board of Directors operates and deals with issues?
I feel that the Board of Directors operates very prudently on matters that affect the Temple and congregation. We often take several meetings to discuss an issue that may come up so that we can be sure that we have looked at it from all angles. Although the time that this takes is sometimes frustrating, this is in the best interest of the congregation.

What do you see as the role of the Board of Directors in relation to membership recruitment and retention?
The Board of Directors has many roles to play in the recruitment and retention of members. We need to be sure that the Temple operates efficiently so that the services and programs congregants need and desire are in place. The membership committee of the Board actively publicizes the wonderful things we do here in order to entice new families to join us, but just as important, the committee is also there to listen to members who may be thinking of leaving us to find out how we may better serve their needs. The Board of Directors must be open and available for congregants to air their concerns.

How do you think completion of the new building will effect Temple Beth Elohim in the coming years?

I believe that the new building will allow us to be an even more welcoming place than we are currently. We will have the space necessary to plan programs for adults concurrent with our children's' religious school. We look forward to having a space for parents to spend time together socially, as well as space for adult education classes, Sisterhood and Men's Club meetings in our own building. Our library will not have to double as a classroom so adults will have access to the books and other media that are housed there. I look forward to teaching, worshiping and socializing in our more spacious, safer, healthier environment.

What other volunteer work have you done at the Temple? I serve on several committees - Curriculum, Ritual, Worship, Prayer Book, Building, and College. I teach 4th grade, serve as Webmaster, and co-edited the Sisterhood cookbook, Traditions. I am also a member of the Temple Choir.

Tell us about your family.
My husband Joe and I will be celebrating our 29th anniversary this October and have three daughters, Sharon (23), Jillian (23), and Samantha (18). We look forward to welcoming Justin Gray into our family when he and Sharon marry this summer.

Are you currently employed and what is your career/job
I presently work with my husband, Joe, in our New Media business, Twin Media Interactive.

What is your educational background?
I graduated from Queens College, CUNY, with a double major in Elementary Education and Speech and Hearing Science. I did one year of postgraduate work at the University of Bridgeport with classes in Reading as a specialty.

Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Was it a predominantly Jewish community? How did that effect your Jewish identity?
I was born in NYC. I grew up in the Big Six Towers in Woodside, Queens. Half of the residents in the complex were Jewish and the other half Catholic and not much mixing occurred. The surrounding neighborhood was not Jewish at all. The weekly newspaper delivered to our door when our housing complex first opened was a neo-nazi tract published by a very active group in the next neighborhood.

When did you first become aware of your Jewish identity?
As a child, being Jewish for me was just part of who we were as a family - we ate Jewish food, we celebrated Jewish holidays, and some Yiddish was spoken at home. It was more of a cultural/ethnic connection than spiritual one for me. My parents did not find a synagogue that they were comfortable in until I was 12 years old so I didn't have much formal Jewish education. A catalyst to the development of a strong and conscious Jewish identity occurred when I was in High School and had an extremely ignorant and bigoted Social Studies teacher. She angered me so, that at every opportunity she gave to us to select our own topic to report on, I selected something to do with Jewish history. I don't know if she ever learned an appreciation for the Jewish people but I surely did. Since joining TBE I have taken many classes with Rabbi Acrish and continue to develop how I identify with Judaism.

When did you join the Temple?
We joined Temple Beth Elohim when Sharon and Jillian were beginning third grade in 1991.

Why did your family select Temple Beth Elohim?
We joined the Temple in response to a very innocent question asked by the girls. Many of their friends had had their communions or other religious ceremonies in 2nd grade. They basically said “…&… got a communion, what do we get?” Joe and I realized that we needed to do some real soul searching to decide what formal religious background we wanted to provide the girls. After much looking around at varied options available to our interfaith family we both found a comfortable home for our family at TBE.

What are your interests, hobbies?
I like to read, cook, embroider, garden, visit with my friends on-line and spend time with my family.

Who do you think is a good Jewish role model for our children? Why?
I feel that the best Jewish role models for our children are their parents. When parents model ethical behavior it becomes second nature for their children.

Do you have a Jewish hero? Who is it and why?
I would have liked to have had the opportunity to meet Henrietta Szold and Golda Meir, both women well ahead of their time.