Rosh Hashanah – Join our Journey

L’ Shana Tova. What a journey it has been! Together, we are working through the multicolor tickets, parking passes and buses; we are seeing last minute additions to the sanctuary (many within the last few weeks); we have GINORMOUS screens in the social halls to give everyone the best view…but we made it!

And it is my absolute joy and privilege to be the President who welcomes each and every one of you home to our own Sanctuary for the holidays!

It’s also my privilege to thank those who are making these Days of Awe sacred and special:
– The Temple Beth El staff and Clergy
– Our lay leadership team, especially the Board of Directors and Jonathan Howard
– Our volunteers
– Incredible ushers
– All of our musicians, choir director and soloist Dr. John Blizzard, Bill Ward (organ sounds great!)
Thank you to all! Your hard work is making these holidays special.

I want to use our time together to tell you how far we have come, look at our shared vision for the future, the State of Temple Beth El, our finances and ways you can help and get involved.

We passed a balanced budget. It is aggressive and challenging, but it has new stress on it, with the unexpected costs of executing the High Holiday services here. As a team, we are committed to do what it takes to meet it.

I want to remind you that during the renovation, we built for flexibility. We never planned to build for the High Holidays. Building to accommodate the entire congregation for 4 days would have been impractical at best; irresponsible at worst.

We built for the other 361 days…and have an outstanding plan for using our flexible space to accommodate our congregation for the High Holidays. I’m pleased with this plan, and hope you are, too.

Here’s a snapshot of Temple Beth El:
– 1,160 families…about 34-hundred people.
– Welcomed about 62 new families since June…that’s a net gain of 72 since last year…but we don’t expect skyrocketing growth.
– Religious School: 480 students…up 10 from last year.
– Charlotte Jewish Preschool is finally a standalone 501(c) 3 and going strong
– We have the largest Confirmation class in Temple Beth El history with 30 students
– Youth programs are robust
– 65 will become Bar or Bat Mitzvah this year

THAT’S when we see this building work as it should. We often see 2 Kiddush luncheons or B’Nei Mitzvah parties going on at the same time. We are marketing the space and producing income.

– 80 Madrachim…teen tutors who stay connected, post B’nei mitzvah.
– More than 200 in our youth groups (70 more than last year)
– 20’s and 30’s through Next DOR.
– Their Facebook group has 177 members and their Vodka Latkes Chanukah Party drew more than 100, so it’s a vibrant group…that knows how to party.
– We have 360 Senior families or individuals…close to half belong to “SPICE”.
– Awesome Tot Shabbat program learning that coming to Temple is fun!

Temple Beth El cares about our community…here are just a few headlines:
– 465 participated in Mitzvah Day 2011
– We led the creation of the Shalom Park Freedom School
– We will host this year’s Interfaith Thanksgiving Day Service
– Judy took same-sex couples to Washington, DC for weddings

And so many more. Our values are reflected in all this vibrant congregation does. We have fun, we laugh, we care and we keep people connected across all age ranges. That rocks.

This year, we will capture all of that with a 3-year Strategic Plan. It is supported through Federation, URJ and the Lee Institute. I will call on many of you for input. By Spring, we will have a road map and framework for future budgeting, staffing and programs.

We are also looking ahead to our 70th Anniversary in 2013. We are planning to observe this milestone in a number of ways…including:
– Community-wide celebrations to focus on history
– Creation of a robust endowment campaign to secure our future
More on that later in the year.

Last year, I asked your help in a few targeted areas. Let me tell you a story about how you responded.

Sara took a call this year, before the Confirmation class trip to Washington. A congregant told Sara she had been blessed and wanted to do something specific for a family who was in need. Sara said one family couldn’t afford the trip to Washington and would the donor consider a scholarship so that the teen could be with her class and have that Jewish experience.

Done.

Mom was moved by the kindness and wrote a lovely thank-you note…delivered by Sara, anonymously. Came Hanukah and the congregant donor decided she wanted to help that same family again, so she sent a check of “gelt”, through Sara, as another anonymous gift.

Mom said…oh no, it’s too much kindness. We’re OK…I know there are others who need help more than we do. Please give to them.

So Sara paid the kindness forward and another family benefitted. These are the kind of congregants we have. This is the result of personal gifts and personal philanthropy.

You can:
– send a child on a confirmation trip who can’t afford it
– pay for a scholarship to provide a child with a Jewish education from preschool through high school
– help finish the repair and restoration of our precious Torahs
– You can even help offset HHD expenses with the help of a matching grant from lifetime President Norm Levin…thank you Norm…

It’s all important and all here. If you are so moved – you help create a richer experience for your fellow congregants.

I am SO proud to be President of Temple Beth El. This Congregation leads the way in so many areas. We are thought leaders in the Reform movement. We lead the way in Music and Worship innovation. We are leaders in the region, the Charlotte community and here in Shalom Park. This is a vibrant, growing and engaged congregation led by incredible Clergy and staff.

I value your thoughts and your commitment, at whatever level you make it. Commitment brings enrichment, I promise. Join me for this continuing journey. Leave your comments here of send a private message to moiraqklein@aol.com. L’ Shana Tova. May your year be a sweet one.

« Renew, Rejoin and Recommit

December State of the Temple…and help? »