Why We Tried “Robocalls”

This week, we used an automated calling program to update congregants about the status of our annual membership giving. Here’s the script I used to record the message:

This is Adam Bernstein, Temple Beth El president.

The recession has hit our Temple family hard. An unexpectedly high number of congregants reduced their annual pledges or can’t pay anything.

Since these pledges fund our operations, the trend is a concern.

We’re doing all we can to contain expenses. For example, calls like this one cost less than half of what mailing a letter would.

You can help by paying your annual pledge fully and on time. And if you are able, please consider increasing your gift to make up for those who are facing financial hardship.

For more information, press one after this message and someone will contact you. Or call the temple office at 704.366.1948.

Thank you for being a part of Temple Beth El, and have a Happy Hannukkah.

We decided to try “robocalling” for several reasons. Foremost, it was the most time- and cost-efficient way to reach congregants. The alternative would have been mailing a letter, with the postage alone totaling nearly $400.

Most of us, including me, loathe automated telemarketing messages. On the other hand, schools and other institutions utilize the technology effectively for public information and educational purposes. For example, my son’s high school uses its system often to inform parents about incidents on campus, health issues, programs and other news of interest to parents.

There was trepidation among some board members and others, but we decided it was worth a shot. Our hope was that congregants would find the approach novel, compelling and — upon further review — ultimately worthwhile.

We’ll evaluate your feedback to determine whether and how to use “robocalling” again. So far, clergy, staff and I have heard from a handful of congregants — two were very positive, one was very negative, and the rest were neutral. I would be most interested in additional comments; please post them here and encourage others to do so as well. Thanks.

Taking Action Against Domestic Abuse

Almost two years ago, Marsha Stickler challenged Temple Beth El to formally acknowledge the presence of domestic violence in our congregation, and our collective intent to do something about it. In response, the board passed this resolution:

WHEREAS Judaism affirms the sanctity of life and the inherent right of each person to a life of dignity and respect, and to a home that embodies such values, and

WHEREAS a Jewish House of Worship should be a safe haven for anyone who is suffering from any form of domestic abuse, and

WHEREAS domestic abuse, especially the battering of women, is a problem that has too often been minimized, ignored, or denied in the Jewish community, and

WHEREAS certain misconceptions exist regarding battered women and men that dismiss, deny, and blame the victim rather than the perpetrator,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Temple Beth El and its members acknowledge the presence of domestic abuse in our Temple family and the Jewish community.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Temple Beth El and its leadership will offer guidance about domestic abuse and make it known to our congregants that victims may come to us for help and that we will educate our congregants in order to recognize and help prevent domestic abuse.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Temple Beth El will take the steps that are necessary and appropriate to become a safe and welcoming place for anyone in our Temple family who is in a domestic abuse situation.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Temple Beth El leadership will offer educational and ethical action programs about domestic abuse, and that we will institute appropriate forums in our congregation and community regarding the issue of domestic abuse.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Temple Beth El will call upon and work with other religious and secular organizations throughout our community to educate and engage in a campaign of outreach and awareness regarding domestic abuse.

This weekend marked a major step forward in this important initiative. Rabbi David Rose, Founder and Director of JDiscover and chair of Jewish Women International’s clergy task force on domestic abuse, came to town for a series of educational programs about domestic violence in the Jewish community. His visit was a collaborative effort of TBE, the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, Jewish Family Services and some 16 other local agencies. Rabbi Rose spoke to our Brotherhood in the morning, gave a public lecture in Lerner Hall last night, and will lead a training session for our clergy this morning.

Rose was ordained at The Jewish Theological Seminary and had pulpits in Florida, Washington and Maryland before refocusing his rabbinate on combating domestic abuse through the lens of Jewish wisdom and values.

Since 1997 he has been at the forefront of Jewish efforts to end domestic abuse. Rose has counseled hundreds of women from across the country toward safety and new lives. He was featured in the documentary film “When the Vow Breaks” and in 2004 was awarded a certificate of Special Congressional Recognition and the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse’s Community Service Award for his work.

As Temple Beth El president and someone who has personally worked for many years to combat domestic violence, I am proud of our board resolution (we’re one of only a few congregations nationally to take such a step, according to Rabbi Rose) and to see these programs happening as a reflection of our collective resolve and intent to address this problem in tangible and meaningful ways.

We are very fortunate to have Rabbi Rose, a nationally prominent expert, and Marsha Stickler, a dedicated and passionate advocate, to lead and inspire us in this important work.

Bereishit for our Project

There were lots of smiles, handshakes, hugs and back slaps yesterday at the official groundbreaking event to mark the beginning of our construction project. The sunny, windy and chilly conditions didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits — or their appetites for the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Tizzert’s cake.

The crowd of 100+ arrived to the sounds of Patty Torcellini and her team of teenage guitarists singing and strumming Hebrew tunes. Rabbi Schindler began the program with a d’var torah and the theme of Bereishit: “In the beginning there is today. The beginning of the Torah. The beginning of this building project. With an excavator. With construction hats. With shovels. With prayers. With dreams. With reality. With passion. With desire and with will. Today is that beginning. In just a moment our children with their shovels and our adults with theirs will move forward as together, our dreams become reality, our long hours of labors of love begin to bear their fruits.”

After a shechiyanu by Cantor Bernard, yours truly and Jonathan Howard thanked the dozens of donors, volunteers, staff and the entire congregation for their support and commitment in bringing us to the historic day.

But the highlight of the morning had to be the digging. Our construction supervisor, David Hatch, fired up a big yellow back hoe and took two big bites out of the turf. Then several congregants donned white hard hats with Samet Construction logos, grabbed silver plated shovels and started digging. Each represented a different facet of Temple:

• Our past: Marc Silverman, whose uncle “Happy” Schloss was one of the founders
• Sustainers: Jill Blumenthal
• The Present: Moira Quinn, First Vice President of the Board
• Our Future: Zoe Kronovet, president of the LIBERTY youth group
• Volunteers: Fred Dumas of the Building Committee; a past president and the person credited with conceiving the idea for the project
• Clergy: Rabbi Streiffer and Rabbi Judy, who wielded a gold-plated shovel that was used at the groundbreaking for the current building some 18 years ago. Staff found it when they were packing up for the move
• Staff: Bill Loya

The adults were joined by a dozen or so kids who brought their own shovels and scrambled happily into the hole to dig on their own.

Here’s a short story that News 14 ran about the event.

The true beginning of this project came more than five years ago with an idea from one visionary congregant. But yesterday, that idea became tangible. It’s going to be fun to watch what grows out of that big hole.

Samet Corp is Our Contractor

I am pleased to announce that the Building Committee has selected Samet Corporation (www.sametcorp.com) as the general contractor for our renovation and building project.

Based in Greensboro, Samet is a midsize contractor ranked #72 in the Southeast based on revenue. Among its extensive portfolio of work, the company has built many prominent Jewish institutional facilities in the Triad, including Temple Emanuel, Beth David Synagogue, Greensboro Jewish Federation, B’nai Shalom Day School, and American Hebrew Academy, as well as the UNC-Chapel Hill Hillel House, Camp Ramah in Clayton, Georgia and the soon-to-be-built Jewish Community Center in Durham.

Other notable Samet projects include Data Centers for Google in Lenoir and Charleston, the Greensboro Grasshoppers Baseball Stadium, ISP Sports Headquarters, Childress Racing Headquarters, Childress Vineyards Winery, Consolidated Theatre-Asheville, the Village at High Point University, Union Hill Elementary.

Arthur Samet, CEO, wrote to me that the company “is excited to be a partner in the renovation and expansion of Temple Beth El. It is an honor to add this project to a list of Jewish landmarks we have built in the North Carolina.” According to its web site, Samet prides itself on delivering “the experience, resources, and structured processes of a large company, combined with the responsiveness, management accessibility, and personalized service of a small company.” Norman Samet, Arthur’s father, founded the company in 1961, and Arthur became CEO in 2000.

In recent years, Samet has broadened its geographic coverage to include South Carolina and southern Virginia. In addition to civic and religious institutional construction, the company has recently developed expertise in high-growth segments such as health care and technology.

Ben Benson, our Building Committee chair, said that among a strong field of contenders, Samet distinguished itself with a combination of experienced personnel, depth of similar experience and competitive bidding. The company also sees our project as a major factor in building its client base and profile in the Charlotte region. “Samet stood out in the bidding process. They are well respected and a growing presence in their industry, and it was an added benefit that they have so much experience working with Jewish institutions in our state and region. We could not be more pleased with having them on board,” he said.

State of the Union – 5770/2009

Following is the text of my address to the congregation on Rosh Hashanah, 5770 (9/19/09):

Good morning. I hope you are enjoying today’s service. Our clergy and staff work very hard to plan for High Holy Days, and there are many volunteers who support them in creating a meaningful worship experience. Please take the time to thank them today or sometime soon.

My remarks today will focus on the Temple’s building program. I’ll begin with the renovation and expansion project.

As you know, we moved out of the building in early June. Many wondered why this happened so soon, leaving the building empty the entire summer. It was because operations of this scale and complexity take a long time to plan and execute. My family recently moved our daughter in for her freshman year at Carolina. It took months of planning and we were only moving ONE HUMAN BEING into a 10 foot x 12 foot space.

Staff knew it would take a long time to inventory, move or store everything that was in the building.

Plus, mid-July until the end of September is the busiest time of the year at Temple, with the annual membership renewals and preparation for religious school and High Holy Days. Clergy and staff wanted to get settled in their temporary offices, work out the kinks with the interim worship space in Lerner Hall, among other aspects of the move – well ahead of the onslaught of the busy Fall calendar.

It is a testament to the planning and hard work of our staff and volunteers that the transition has gone as smoothly as it has.

The Building Committee is wrestling every day to keep this project on schedule and budget. It ain’t easy but they are a determined and capable bunch, and you can be assured they are protecting your investment.

For example, they commissioned an independent review of plans for the heating and air conditioning system. It cost a little extra, but the committee wanted to ensure that you would be comfortable during services, the new system would be energy efficient, and we would avoid costly repairs down the road.

Eight firms submitted bids for our project. All but one were within the negotiating target range — confirming our expectation that there would be plenty of competition for our business and market conditions would be favorable to start the project now.

The Building Committee will select our contractor next week. Mark my words: by the time you take down your sukkah, there WILL be activity on that site, if Ben Benson and I have to go up there with shovels and start moving dirt ourselves.

A side benefit of the project has been that we’ve been able to help other houses of worship. Temple Beth El has become our own Habitat ReStore, selling or giving away items that we won’t need in the new building. A start-up congregation in Baltimore got our podiums, bima chairs and a yartzeit board. A small church in Shelby took 100 chairs from the sanctuary and another company bought the wooden pews.

By the end of this year, we will unveil designs for the arks in our new sanctuary and chapel. We have also notified other congregations about the availability of the Great White Ark in our sanctuary. Once construction begins, the ark will be taken down and stored until we can determine its future.

The renovation and expansion project is at the forefront of Temple affairs, but it is by no means the only construction that is going on – or even the most important work we’re doing, for that matter.

What else are we building at Temple Beth El?

We are building community. One thing is for sure: this congregation is passionate about its community. You support each other in good times and bad. You volunteer when help is needed – we asked for ushers for High Holy Days and literally dozens of you answered the call. And you have strong opinions about how we’re doing – that you’re not afraid to share — at all hours of the day and night.

If we weren’t hearing from many of you regularly, we’d have a problem. And believe me: we do NOT have a problem.

In these difficult times, many are turning to Temple for comfort and support. While congregations across the country are reporting declining attendance at worship services, we are averaging 250+ on Friday nights.

Some 200 congregants are active on three dozen committees. Hundreds more are involved with groups for every age and interest, including Brotherhood, Sisterhood, singles, interfaith families, NextDor for 20s-30s, Chai-Lytes for 40s-60s, Keshet Committee activities for our GLBT community, SPICE for seniors, and thriving youth programs.

The Membership Committee is working hard to make new members feel welcome at Friday services, enhance communications, help you find ways to engage, and make sure you know where to go during the building project.

We recently hired Shari Hackman, our new Membership & Outreach Director, who has experience in the hospitality industry. The Temple launched a new web page and is exploring strategies for using social networking sites such as Facebook.

We are building a solid financial foundation. We’re operating on a leaner, balanced budget. We have no debt and no balance on our line-of-credit. Our endowment took a hit last year like everyone else’s, but the asset balance is rebounding under the watchful eyes of our endowment committee. They are also preparing to launch a planned giving program for the first time in our history.

We are building leaders. The new class of our Farber Leadership Program has been named. There are more than 100 congregants who serve on various boards or as committee chairs, or represent Temple on boards of Shalom Park organizations. Our clergy continue to distinguish themselves here and nationally.

Cantor is vice chair of the Reform union’s Joint Commission on Worship, Music and Religious Living. Rabbi Judy will lead Shabbat worship services at the Union of Reform Judaism’s upcoming Biennial Conference in Toronto – a very prestigious honor. The board recently promoted Rabbi Micah to associate rabbi, in recognition of his outstanding work.

We are building bridges, within the Jewish community and outside. Temple is a committed partner in the Charlotte Jewish Preschool, Consolidated Hebrew High School and Tikvah Charlotte, the religious school for special needs children. We work closely with the Foundation for Shalom Park, The Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, and the Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community on matters of common interest.

The Social Action and Justice Committee, and its signature Mitzvah Day, are outreach juggernauts. And Mecklenburg Ministries will honor our own Sid Sussman next month with its Bridge Builder Award, for his tireless and long-time community relations work on Temple’s behalf.

Finally, and perhaps most important, we are building Jews.
• Enrollment in our religious school is 468 students and counting.
• 59 seventh-graders are in cue for b’nei mitzvah training.
• 82 youth are signed up to be madrichim in the religious school.
• Another 63 are tutors for b’nei mitzvah students.
• There are more than 100 kids in our youth groups.
• 4 of our youth went to national Reform movement leadership programs this year,
• And 2 of our high schoolers spent semesters studying in Israel.
• Enrollment in post-confirmation study and the Consolidated Hebrew High School remains robust – in fact, 100% of our 8th graders signed up – the first time that’s ever happened.
• Participation in our Anshei mitzvah and conversion programs also remains strong.

We’re all under construction as Jews. This year, think of Temple Beth El as your spiritual general contractor. Tell us what you want to create for yourself or family, and we’ll help you build it. Use the building construction site as a visual cue.

Once again, I thank you for your continuing support, and for the privilege of serving your spiritual, religious and life needs. Tammy, Shayna, Asher and I wish you all Shana Tova.

Project Update

(The following is text of a letter that congregants will receive with their High Holy Day tickets.)

“When will construction start on our renovation and expansion project?” This question is on the minds of many of you, especially since we moved out of our building back in early June. Here’s where we are.

Pre-construction began in late summer, and our move-out was set accordingly. Staff needed a lot of lead-time to inventory and pack up or store everything in the building, and relocate their offices — far in advance of the High Holidays, mailing of the annual membership renewal packets, and the new religious school year.

We’ve stayed pretty much on schedule, although there has been some “slippage” – not surprising given the complexity of the project. The architects requested additional time to prepare planning documents, with the goal of avoiding costly changes during construction. A minor issue arose regarding the zoning of our property, which we are working with the city’s Planning Department to resolve.

In most respects, the project remains on schedule. Most important, we’re still planning to move back in next Fall. We expect to select a general contractor in early September, with construction beginning by the end of the month.

Consultants are helping us refine budgets and plans for important systems such as heating and air conditioning, audio/visual and lighting. Plans for furnishings, landscaping and interior design are completed. Artists are refining plans for our arks and stained glass in the main sanctuary and new chapel. A task group of congregants has made recommendations for how to handle yartzeit boards and recognition of donors, leadership and temple history in the new space.

Look for updates during High Holiday services; upcoming issues of the Voice and its sister publication, the Whisper; and on the “Transition Updates” link on our Web site home page. As the project proceeds, please do your best to keep pledge payments up to date; the more cash we have on hand, the less we’ll need to borrow.

If you have questions or comments, don’t hesitate to call or email. Thank you for your patience and continued support.

Cantor’s Revenge, Indeed

From sundown until late last Friday night, music and laughter radiated from Lerner Hall as we celebrated a decade of Cantor Bernard at Temple.

Event co-chairs Moira Quinn and Susan Jacobs did a stellar job putting together the evening, which had a little something for everyone.

It began with Shabbat worship featuring unusually rich vocal and musical offerings, even for our congregation. One of Andy’s oldest friends from cantorial school, Cantor Jennifer Frost of Congregation B’nai Johoshua Beth Elohim in Glenview, Ill; Mary Thomas, a former cantorial assistant and 4th-year cantorial student at HUC-JIR School; and talented Maddy Frumkin and Josh Brown of the teen ensemble, all sang individually and together — to moving and often dramatic effect.

Rabbi Judy gave a terrific d’var torah that featured Andy actually teaching the congregants trope, which she used to illustrate his spiritual stewardship to our temple, and leadership in the community and Reform Judaism. He was then presented with a gift of a tree sculpted from metal to symbolize the role he has played in helping root so many congregants and future generations to our faith.

After a festive dinner, congregants, friends and peers shared stories — in song and verse — about Andy and their relationship with him. His colorful personality and mannerisms offered rich material (an understatement if there ever was one). The Temple adult choir, Mary Thomas, Cantor Frost, madrichim, senior staff, peers at Levine Children’s Hospital (where Cantor does chaplaincy work), youth ensemble members and others took their shots and heaped praise. There were more gifts as well, including an over-sized coffee mug, magic wand and stress ball.

To honor the other half of Charlotte’s Association of Cantors, Temple Israel’s Cantor Elias Roochvarg sang a medley of Jewish liturgical songs with witty and funny lyrics about Andy. He brought down the house. Listen to Cantor Roochvarg’s performance.
Read the lyrics.

Overall, it was a great evening that showcased the enormously positive impact that Cantor Bernard has on people’s lives, and the deep affection our congregation and others have for him in return.

It’s Not Easy Being Green

Many congregants – particularly members of the TEVA subcommittee of our Social Action and Justice Committee – are wondering whether our newly expanded temple will be a “green” building.

The short answer is yes. But not surprisingly, building and operating a facility that is environmentally friendly is a complex challenge that involves a lot more than simply installing solar panels or water-efficient plumbing fixtures.

This issue has been on the Building Committee’s agenda for some time. Simply put, the goal is to make design decisions that result in substantive and prudent benefits for the environment and that don’t bust our budget.

To repeat: ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP THAT DOESN’T BUST OUR BUDGET.

Probably the most significant decision toward this goal is to re-use much of our existing building, rather than tearing it down and starting over. Similarly, we’re re-using kitchen equipment, display cases and office furniture, and will require our contractors to recycle construction materials wherever possible. All of these “re-use” measures will save landfill space and cut down on the volume of materials needed.

The new building will have low-flow and sensor-operated plumbing fixtures to conserve water, and its heating and air conditioning system will be designed to use non-CFC refrigerants and exceed state operating efficiency requirements by at least 10%. We’ll also use roofing that is Energy Star compliant.

Many interior finishes such as carpet, ceiling tiles and flooring will have recycled and/or bio-based content. We’ll use low VOC paints, carpets and adhesives to minimize “offgassing”, or the release of chemicals into the interior air through evaporation.

Outside, a stormwater management plan will control run-off from our site into nearby streams and the water table. For example, instead of asphalt or concrete, we’d like to use (if we can afford it) an interlocking grid made of recycled plastic and filled with gravel, soil and grass for a section of our parking lot. This surface will also cut down on reflective heat from the sun; urban parking lots are considered to be a major contributor to global warming.

Finally, the Building Committee has charged the TEVA Committee with developing a plan for operating the new facility in an environmentally responsible manner.

Annual Meeting Highlights

On May 4, approximately 80 congregants attended the Temple’s annual meeting. Following are highlights for those who could not be there:

BUILDING PROJECT – Ben Benson, the chair of the committee that is managing our renovation and expansion, reported on the status. He noted that the committee had been working hard to refine plans in order to address space and functional needs in the most cost efficient manner possible. As a result, we’ve shaved $1.4 million from the construction budget and 3,000 square feet from the building plan while retaining “all essential spaces” that “will enable us to accommodate our growing congregation as originally envisioned for this project.” Ben discussed the “green”/sustainable features and extensive landscaping planned for the new building. He also reviewed the intent to create a new ark as part of the effort to create a larger, more functional and open bima. The committee will soon host a town hall-style meeting for congregants to share ideas for what the new ark will look like.

BUDGET – Kathy Rosenfeld reviewed the proposed operating budget for next year, which was approved unanimously. (Details are noted in my April 11 blog posting.)

NEW CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS – A revised document was presented and approved. This was the result of a comprehensive process shepherded by a congregant, Alyson Grossman Traw, in collaboration with clergy, staff, board members and other leaders. There were three overarching principles in undertaking the rewrite:

1) Bring management more in line with the current organizational structure. One of the biggest differences between the Temple of old and today is that we have professional staff and additional clergy who are responsible for certain functions that used to be handled by lay leaders. Many of the proposed changes reflect that reality and define the roles and responsibilities of staff and volunteers in that context.

2) Improve financial transparency and accountability. For example, the new document clarifies the roles of our VP Finance and Treasurer in relation to staff relevant to the Temple’s financial affairs; requires annual financial reports to the board from our Sisterhood and Brotherhood; and addresses our fiscal and legal relationship with the national Reform movement and how we invest our endowment funds.

3) Enhance governance and organizational effectiveness. The bylaws and constitution were combined into a single document, which is consistent with current best practices among congregations. The new document has term limits for board members, establishes greater accountability from the board for how the religious school is run, and other improvements.

LEADERSHIP SUCCESSION – Outgoing board members were honored for their service:
Mickey Aberman – Brought valuable legal counsel combined with insight about our evolution over two decades on the board.
Larry Fleishman – A quiet leader with a soft voice but strong convictions.
Peter Hindel – His legacy included organizing CPR training for staff, board & volunteers, and purchasing defibrillators for our building.
Amy Lefkov – Really hit her stride in the trenches on the capital campaign.
Martin Multer – Informed, opinionated and respectful; and a constant presence at Temple.
Kathy Rosenfeld – Clear-minded, disciplined and skilled, her accomplishments as our supreme numbers-cruncher were surpassed only by her love and support for Temple.
Susan Cernyak-Spatz – Strong convictions and never hesitant to share them.
Larry Schwartz - Moving on to be president of the JCC next year.

We also paused to remember Mike Martin, another board member, who died suddenly in April. In addition to being a dedicated congregant and leader, Mike was a genuinely good guy. He’ll be missed.

Finally, new officers and board members were installed . (To view the slate, go to http://www.beth-el.com/officers_board.html.) As is our custom, the clergy assembled the incoming leaders on the crowded bima and blessed them all — which was good, because we’re going to need all the help we can get next year!

Wrestling With Next Year’s Budget

At the Temple’s Annual Meeting on May 4, the congregation will vote on our budget for the next fiscal year that begins July 1, among other important matters. You should have received notice of the meeting this week.

I hope all of you will come prepared by reviewing the proposed budget beforehand. Copies of are available at the Temple’s front office.

The current economic troubles that we’re all experiencing have also affected Temple. The Finance Committee, staff and Board labored long and hard before agreeing on the proposed $2 million operating budget that you’ll vote on. It’s balanced, but getting to that objective required discipline, creativity and some tough decisions that will affect all of us in some way.

Going in, among the biggest challenges leadership faced was the sudden loss of two major sources of annual income that helped cover operating expenses. Principal amounts in the our endowment funds are way down because of market conditions, prohibiting us from drawing any of the interest. We also lost funding for the Merkin Outreach Program because the donor withdrew. These two income sources alone totaled more than $130,000 –- a big dark hole to fill.

In response, we dramatically cut overhead across the board. Salaries for non-clergy staff, religious school teachers and madrichim were frozen at current levels. Fortunately no layoffs of full-time employees were necessary, although we did eliminate a part-time administrative position. Lines for everything from conventions and travel to supplies and printing were cut. Subsidies for programs were all but eliminated; all offerings must now have built-in revenue to cover expenses.

With spending cut to the bone, we took a long hard look at revenues. And after a long debate, we increased membership dues by 4% in keeping with current policy. For most families, that will mean an additional $4-$8 every month. We understand that ANY additional household expense can be a burden under the circumstances. But this was the only way we could see to deliver a balanced budget without “cutting into the muscle” of what Temple provides, or worse, putting some or our staff on the street.

That being said, no one has ever been turned away from Temple Beth El because of financial hardship, and this situation is certainly no exception. If it will be difficult for you to pay your dues, call us and we’ll work something out.

We also drew a couple of major breaks. The Union of Reform Judaism reduced our annual congregational dues as part of a major restructuring and in response to the economic troubles, resulting in a one-time savings of $25,000. The impending construction project was a double-edged sword: moving out of the existing building will save $80,000 in utilities and related expenses but will cost us $30,000 in facility rental income.

I hope this information is helpful in providing context for how next year’s budget was developed. The process was complex and very challenging, but I believe the outcome is both reasonable and fair, and reflects fiscal accountability and prudence.

Please contact me or any other board member with questions or comments. Hope to see you all on May 4.