Rosh Hashanah Address

It is my honor and privilege to serve as President of Temple Beth El for the next two years.

I want to share the State of Temple Beth El. I’m pleased to tell you that it is sound.

Here’s a quick snapshot of Temple Beth El…by the numbers.
– We are currently a congregation of about 1,100 families.
– We welcomed 40 new families in the last 6 months …however, the explosive growth we experienced a few years ago has leveled out. We have held steady at close to 1,100 families for the last five years and expect to remain in that ballpark for the foreseeable future.
o Part of the reason for this strategic assumption of stability is the thriving Reform congregation in Lake Norman and a congregation that formed in the Rock Hill/Ft. Mill area.
– In the Religious School, we’re expecting about 470 students…so far, there are 36 new students…22 of those are in kindergarten…taught by 27 excellent teachers.
– The B’Nei Mitzvah program is robust – 61 children will become Bar or Bat Mitzvah this year.
– There are 145 Madrachim…student tutors.
– We have 134 in our youth groups from the youngest through Liberty.
– Now, it’s hard to count the number of young adults in our NextDor program for 20’s and 30’s, but we have 150 members on our Facebook page, so there you go. We are engaging these young Jews in creative and meaningful ways…and clearly getting the hang of Social Media as a way of communication with them.
– We have 350 Senior families or individuals in our membership…close to half belong to our Seniors group called “SPICE”. That’s Special Programs of Interest and Concern to Everyone, (so long as you’re over 50). In fact, 39 SPICE members are traveling with Rabbi Judy to Israel in February…that’s the largest group ever from Temple Beth El.
– Temple Beth El cares about our community.
o 465 congregants participated in Mitzvah Day last May.
o Our congregation leads the way in the Jewish community and in our City in the areas of Social Action and Social Justice.
o Our initiatives on Domestic Violence, Affordable Housing and the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness are models for congregations here and nationally.
– Inclusiveness is one of the foundations upon which Temple Beth El stands.
o We welcome LGBTQ participants and congregants.
o We have multiple programs for interfaith couples…providing the warmest welcome and the tools to create Jewish homes.
– And in 4 short months, we will cease our wandering…as the work of renovating our Temple home ends and we make our way to the “promised land” of our renovated Temple home!

We thank those who gave gifts of any size to the campaign. And every contribution of time, volunteer hours and patience during this transition was incredibly valuable. Thank you.

A few deserve special thanks: Jonathan Howard and Ben Benson, Larry Polsky, Fred Dumas (who had the dream in the beginning), Adam Bernstein, who led us during the tough years of wandering; and especially our Temple Beth El staff who have tirelessly, Shabbat after Shabbat, created sacred space where there is just an empty room. Please thank them.

If all goes according to plan, work will be complete in late November…and we’ll get the keys…champagne MAY be involved. We’re shooting for the first services in the building on January 7 (that may change-you’ll get communication on that, so stay tuned).

And our official celebration and rededication weekend will be February 11…mark your calendars. Rabbi Bennett (our former Senior Rabbi, now at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis) will deliver the sermon at that Shabbat. Let’s all start praying now for “no winter weather”!

The building will have spaces we need to accommodate the congregation we are today and will be for the foreseeable future…spaces to study and to gather as a community that we haven’t had before. If you haven’t taken a tour, you can get a sneak peek on the website with videos and photos!

We hope, hope, hope…that we can bring High Holy Day services back to the Temple without relying on the kindness of Forest Hill, Myers Park Baptist and St. Matthew Catholic Churches. Imagine staying “home for the holidays” next year…what a blessing that will be!!!

Now, one question I often get is, can our budget sustain this new facility? The answer is “yes”…in fact, the new building offers opportunities for revenue that we lost when we moved out.

Our budget for this fiscal year is incredibly lean. Just like every family in this room, we tightened our belts and cut.

To get a balanced budget, we scaled some things back…I think it’s OK. Onegs are simpler…you get a Voice one month and a smaller no-frills “Whisper” the next…more communication is electronic…no robes for the choir this year (I actually had to think about what to wear to services…bummer).

And, there are many bright spots regarding the budget. For example: thanks to an unexpected gift from the estate of Michael Miselman, we retired our retained debt. For the first time in years, Temple Beth El’s operating accounts are debt-free. That’s news worthy of celebrating.

But because our budget cutting knife was so sharp, each of you has an opportunity to step in…and step up… in very targeted ways. Here are some examples:

We know we will not have enough money to accommodate all requests for religious school financial assistance this year. That money comes from sales from the Gift Shop through the hard work of our Sisterhood. Without our building, the gift shop has lost the volume of walk-in traffic. The gift shop is still open in the lobby of the Blumenthal entrance to the JCC…and it’s always open on line. We engaged the professionals at Jewish Family Services to help us evaluate requests for financial assistance this year and make sure those MOST in need get the limited resources. We also held two Town Halls to solicit feedback on this process and got excellent ideas. But the bottom line is, that budget line is short. This year, you can be a hero and help send a child to Hebrew School or Hebrew High.

We also have a reduced budget line for financial assistance for Youth Camps. Brotherhood is pitching in here, but you can also contribute to help. It’s particularly rewarding to send ONE specific child to Camp.

And our Torahs…Torah expert Rabbi Druin visited Temple Beth El this summer to examine the Temple’s Torahs and to teach volunteers – called our “Holy Rollers” — how to care for them. All of our Torahs require repair, including our Holocaust Torah. The total bill is just under $30,000. Our Torahs are more valuable than we knew and need additional insurance.

The Board of Directors took immediate action. Part of the Meiselman gift will be used to make the most pressing repairs and the increased insurance is in place.

But more is needed. Because our Torahs are the center of our congregation…our trees of life, I hope many of you will be willing to step in to help supplement this very specific, unbudgeted need. If you can give, please contact Rabbi Judy or Sara.

Also, don’t forget to link your Harris Teeter VIC card to the Temple Beth El Religious School…number 3611.

My good friend and mentor, Jonathan Howard, reminded me to use this time to set my agenda for this year. My agenda is simple…get back into the building on time, on budget with few problems and as much joy as possible. I want our young adults as members and to provide engagement opportunities for them. And I want to create an open atmosphere of listening when all opinions are valued.

I want to look strategically at our future, and we’re doing that in multiple ways.
– We are beginning a strategic 3-5 year plan.
– My predecessor, Adam Bernstein, turned to our Past Presidents for help in evaluating and enhancing the Temple’s funding model.
– And we’ve begun to ask you to think about Planned Giving and include Temple Beth El as part of your estate planning. My husband Robert and I are including Temple in our estate planning as are Adam and his spouse Tammy and our next President, Rick Glaser and his wife, Ellen. Our Endowment Committee will reach out to each of us.

If we accomplish those goals, we’re golden.

Finally, having said all of this, I want to remind all of you that we are a covenant community. As a Jewish people, we know covenants. A covenant is a promise…with responsibilities…a vow. The Temple vows to ALWAYS be there for you and your family…to be the circle of community when you need it…especially now, when the world around us seems awash in conflict.

But a covenant carries responsibility in return. Temple Beth El needs you. Please know that each of you is valued for the special gifts you bring. We value your commitment, at YOUR level. We promise your experience will be more enriching if you have a commitment.

I promise that I…and the rest of your lay leadership team…are committed to you, available for discussion, compliments or complaints as warranted. Call or email me. My contact information is available on the website or through the Temple office, or just grab any of us when you see us.

It’s going to be a GREAT year!!! Join us for the journey and the celebrations.

L’Shana Tova

L’Shana Tova, my friends! This promises to be a sweet and exciting new year for all of us at Temple Beth El.

This is the year we move back into our newly expanded home…how sweet that will be! We have wandered throughout the halls of the JCC for the last 18 months or so. We count ourselves fortunate to be part of a giving community with resources like the JCC. We continue to share facilities and stay inside the Park for services and programs, while also utilizing our Education Building.

We are talking to each other in new ways through our website and social media…through newsletters and hand-written notes…through Town Halls and Shabbat services…through special programs and outings with our affinity groups. Temple Beth El is a place where you can find your place and your home.

We reach out into the community together. We advocate for social action and social justice. This year, the Temple committed to advocate for more affordable housing in our community based in part on the congregation’s overwhelming volunteerism for the homeless and the Reform Movement’s commitment to this issue. In two weeks, we will celebrate the holiday of Sukkot when we were all homeless in the desert. As part of our Sukkot observance, we will utilize our Temple website and blogs to educate congregants on the housing bond issue that will be on the city ballot this November and to solicit your feedback on how the Temple should be involved with the bond vote.

Finally, we are a covenant community. We vow to care for and share with each other. A covenant is a promise to be there, one for the other in good times and in bad. The Temple will be there fur us. We need to be there for the Temple.

I wish you all a sweet and happy New Year my friends. May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a good year.