You Observed: Temple Sinai reaches milestone

Temple Sinai’s Tabs for Souls campaign reached its first goal to collect 1.5 million aluminium tabs to represent the Jewish children who died in the Holocaust.

The campaign was started by the students in Reb Ari Shapiro’s seventh grade Holocaust class and aims to collect 6 million aluminum tabs to represent all of the Jewish people who died during the Holocaust. The powerful meaning of which students, families and adults of Temple Sinai feel each time they gather. 

Students poignantly discussed whether a broken tab should be counted and the decision was that it should as people may have died with amputated or broken limbs. They also discussed what it might mean when two tabs were linked together and some suggested that perhaps two people died in each other’s arms.

As we weighed and counted the tabs we worked more slowly than usual so we would be sure to pause and mark the moment. When we reached 1.5 million tabs we stopped, talked about what our work to date represented and read the poem “Each One a Life” by Fred Rothzeid, which begins, “Each one precious, full of promise, filled with hope, each one a life.”

We have collected 1.6 million tabs, and are still counting. The community is encouraged to help the students reach their goal of 6 million by continuing to collect and donate tabs. 

All aluminum tabs including those from drinks, soups, cat food, pineapple, sardines, etc. are accepted. Schools, businesses, doctors’ offices and many individuals in our local community and beyond are participating. 

There are collection containers at Temple Sinai, 4631 S Lockwood Ridge Road. Business that wish to participate in the collection process may request a container. For more information, contact Sue Huntting at [email protected].