Kathy's Corner: A Beth Emeth Story

People have called me a ‘people person,’ meaning I like people and I love to learn more about them. With nearly 750 Beth Emeth members; some have just joined, others have been members their entire 90+ years; some I have known my entire life and others I just met. All people have something unique about them. The one constant is we are all on this earth for a finite period of time.

Choosing a cemetery plot can seem like a daunting task, however the anticipation is usually much worse than the actual process. Recently, I had the good fortune of receiving a call from Jo Anne Milhausen. She wanted to do some pre-planning and pick out a cemetery plot in Loudonville. I suggested she meet me at temple and we could drive out together. I did not know much about Jo Anne, except that she was a former Sisterhood President and a Jew by Choice.

Well, I have a new BFF! We chatted the entire time in my car and now I know Jo Anne’s Beth Emeth story. As a child, living outside of Syracuse, she always had Jewish neighbors and felt a strong Jewish connection. After moving from Auburn, NY via Watertown to Albany, Jo Anne divorced and joined a support group for new divorcees. A woman at the group encouraged her to visit Beth Emeth for services. She attended and was drawn in within a few years. With a conversion in 1999 led by Rabbi Shpeen, Jo Anne got involved and felt very much at home. She became an adult bat mitzvah, traveled to Eastern Europe with temple and even was Sisterhood President, and sat on the Board of Trustees. Jo Anne explained to me that she has been a congregant for 25 years and Beth Emeth has been a wonderful part of her life. So wonderful, that she has just updated her will and she is leaving her home and many of her assets to Beth Emeth. I hope that Beth Emeth does not reap the benefits of Joanne’s generosity for decades; however, I want her to know that it is appreciated, worthy of acknowledgment and an absolutely beautiful gesture. I only wish the car ride back and forth from Academy Road to Loudonville was a little longer.

Kathy Golderman
Executive Director

This article first appeared in the July/Aug '24 edition of The Bulletin.