Originally published in the Lakeland Magazine, Fall 2006

Tireless Worker for the Temple

When Jane Renz and her husband decided to move to Lakeland, the first place she went was Temple Emanuel.
"I introduced myself and met a lot of people, and go involved right away," she says.
That was in 1980, and she's been active in Lakeland's only synagogue ever since. She has served on the board of directors fro more than 10 ears and is the current second vice president.
Renz, now 55, wasn't always so interested in her heritage, although she grew up in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in New York and got a healthy dose of religious education. "I wasn't particularly interested in Jewish life in college or graduate school," she admits, "but when I moved to Lakeland and decided to have a family, it became important again in my life."
Renz went to Michigan State University, where she met her husband, Brian. "I met my husband the first day of class," she recalls. "I had calculus, and the teacher didn't show up. Brian and I started to talk, and that's how we met. We started to date. We dated all through college, and when we graduated, we moved to Chicago."
In Chicago, Jane Renz pursued her MBA at the University of Chicago, while her husband studied medicine to become an opthalmologist. After graduating, the couple moved to Lakeland, where Brian joined the Lakeland Eye Clinic and Jane worked in the financial department at a phosphate company.
Although Brian was raised Catholic, he attends services with Jane and volunteers at the temple.
Temple Emanuel on Lake Hollingsworth comprises about 240 families and is home to the active Jewish community. Rabbi Eddie Fox is a memer of the Lakeland Ministerial Association, and frequently speaks at area churches about Jewish traditions and holidays. He also leads an interfaith service every year, often at the synagogue.
The temple's Sunday school members participate in many community events, including sponsoring an annual walk to raise money for cancer research and treatment, delivering items for hurricane victims and serving meals at homeless shelters during the holidays. Temple Emanuel also partners with neighboring Florida Southern College and has helped bring in guest artists for the college's fine arts series as well as assisted with educational programs.
Tammy Serebrin, a congregant at Temple Emanuel, says "It's people like Jane and her husband and her kids who keep a synagogue able to thrive, because what they do is extremely important to the whole. Ever since Jane came here, she taken that as an obligation to herself, and it's amazing to see her husband get involved, too."
The temple is not the only thing that keeps Renz busy. She also has volunteered in the school system for the past 15 years, currently serving on the advisory board at Carlton Palmore Elementary, her children's home school. She is co-president of the Pold County chapter of Hadassah, the larges women's organization in the United States with more than 300,000 members. Hadassah, which is the Hebrew name for Esther, has built and maintains two hospitals in Israel and builds homes and schools for at-risk youth and Israeli immigrants. In the United States, Hadassah promotes women's health education, Jewish education, and volunteerism.
Renz is now working to add a community center to the temple. "We're hoping that will bring in some Jewish people who aren't affiliated with our synagogue right now in addition to getting congregants to be more active," she says. "It's going to be the center of cultural events, social events and educational events for the greater Lakeland Jewish community. We're very excited about that. We have to serve a diverse population and a variety of needs - not just religious, but social and cultural. We have a wonderful relationship with everybody in town, and we're very proud of that. We'd like to see that grow."