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WILMINGTON — The last seven months have been a great time to be part of the Temple of Israel in Wilmington.

Part of the excitement is due to Rabbi Paul Sidlofsky's arrival in Wilmington in July. He is the 18th rabbi installed in the congregation's history.

"I think that we have a lot of people feeling re-energized and a lot of people who are stepping back into more active roles in the congregation and i think growth leads to growth," said Rabbi Sidlofsky.

In the past year, the Temple has seen a 50 percent increase in its religious school.

"This is really an exciting time. At the end of the last school year, we had about 37 students and now we are up to 55,"  said Director of the Religious School Joel Frank.

The congregation has also seen a 20 percent increase since Rabbi Paul's arrival. They moved their classes and administration into a new building in recent months and have already outgrown the space.

"As we are all excitedly happy with our new rabbi, we are also very passionate about where we are, who we are, where we are going, and that just continues to build. I think people kind of inquisitively come in and say, 'Hey! I want a part of that!,'” said, President of Temple of Israel Melanie Frank.

Rabbi Paul Sidlofsky said he has high hopes for the temple's future.

"Continued enthusiasm, continued growth, not only in terms of numbers of members or our schools, but also in terms of the quality of the programs we are offering and the variety of programs that we are offering," said Sidlofsky.

The Temple of Israel became first Jewish house of worship in the state when it was built in 1876.