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Reflections on My "Pregnancy"/Presidency (Excerpted from the Annual Meeting Address, May 17)
June 2007
By Outgoing CBI Board President Barbara Haworth
I have now arrived at the moment in my presidency that so
many past presidents have told me was the best moment of all
— the farewell address. Some have compared it to Moses' final
address to the Israelites as he peered into the Promised Land.
While I would never suggest that my journey belongs in the
same category as Moses, I will tell you that unlike Moses, I do
intend to reach the Promised Land with you!
I became president exactly two years ago tomorrow. Shortly
after my election, I saw a life-long friend who said,
"Congratulations on your pregnancy." We had some good
laughs about her faux pas. But you know what? That comment
haunted me throughout the two years because every time I
referred to "my presidency" I was afraid I would accidentally
say "my pregnancy." So over the two years, as I very carefully
chose my words, it became clear to me that a temple
presidency and a pregnancy have an awful lot in common. For
example, it goes so quickly to everyone else.... Another example
is that in both instances, it is astounding what people have the
nerve to say to you. During a pregnancy, complete strangers will
walk up to you and address intimate
details of your life, your plans and
certainly your appearance. During a
temple presidency, you will hear
remarkable commentary about you from
people you have never even met....But
the main thing that a presidency and a
pregnancy have in common is that the
only thing that really matters about
either of them is the outcome.
So let me discuss with you what is
hopefully the outcome of the 729 days
of this presidency, a gestation period
which was 84 days longer than the
longest pregnancy of any animal on
earth, that of the Asian elephant.
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A Guiding Vision for CBI
The primary role of the board of a
synagogue is to focus on vision, policy
and resources....Over the last two years I
have updated you several times about
our Long Range Plan which commenced
in September of 2005. We originally
undertook the Long Range Plan for three
main reasons. The first was to formulate
a guiding vision for our synagogue. While
other synagogues frequently look to us,
what can we learn from the successful
endeavors of other institutions? Are our
congregation's resources aligned with
member needs?
Involving the Congregation
The second reason was to engage
members by involving them in the work
itself. We deployed a virtual army of
volunteers, who first had to be trained,
to interview our members. We were so
successful in recruiting help for this
portion of the work that on occasion
there were more interviewers than
interviewees. We also viewed this as a
means to identify members with interest
in and potential for leadership of our
synagogue.
Developing Operational Resources
And the third reason was that we need
to immediately develop our financial
resources and operational capacity. It is
time for this institution to reflect up to
date business practices to meet the
realities of an ever changing world. CBI,
like all synagogues, cannot meet its
financial needs on dues alone, therefore
other forms of revenue must be
immediately explored and realized. In
short, the need to become a proactive,
planning-based organization was
absolutely pressing. As Albert Einstein
said, "we can't solve problems by using
the same kind of thinking we used when
we created them."
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Filling Three Key Staff Positions
There were several important things that
were already underway even before the
first phase of our long range plan work
was finished. On July 1, 2006 our
Development Office opened officially
with the addition of the first ever CBI
Development Director, Lesley Mills. On
the same date, our Youth Department
was doubly blessed by the promotion of
Michelle Berkowitz to full time Youth
Director and also the addition to our
clergy staff of Rabbi Glenn Ettman.
Taking Care of "Low Hanging Fruit"
After careful study of the findings of the
Long Range Plan interviews, we began
implementation of the obvious or simple
things, that which we lovingly referred to
as the "low hanging fruit." Some
examples of that are: We commissioned
a task force to study the trends in our
membership and to re-assess the
membership function on both the staff
and lay side. The teen lounge was
inaugurated as a place for kids to hang
out and be comfortable in their "second
home," their synagogue. We began to
have greeters at services and major
events to help members and visitors feel
welcome. We studied the weekly Oneg
Shabbats and developed a hospitality
group to provide for a more hamishe
setting. And we brought back ice cream
to the Oneg Shabbat! You see, we heard
you on both the large and small issues.
43 Broad Goals and 187 Objectives
Following this internal and external
review, it took the next nine months to
develop the Long Range Plan into a fullblown
document. This effort, mostly a
staff undertaking, brilliantly led and
authored by Lesley Mills, is now an
amazing piece which spans the next five
years up to our congregation's 150th
anniversary in 2011. This plan is a
living document and is expected to grow
and change over time. It will take our
new Senior Rabbi to bless it, literally and
figuratively, as our partner in realizing
the vision for our future. The plan is
entitled "Building Community &
Connectedness" and is grouped into four
strategic initiatives.
Within the four strategic initiatives
are 43 broad goals and 187 objectives.
Over the next several months you will
hear much more about the Long Range
Plan as it is more fully developed over
the coming months....
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Hiring, Retiring and Staying Put
Our board is heavily focused on
resources for our congregation....In the
first area, human resources, it has
indeed been a busy time. Each of the
two years entailed a major rabbinic
search. The first year it was to find an
assistant rabbi and we were pleased to
have engaged Rabbi Glenn Ettman.
You are well aware of the senior
rabbi search process and that we feel
the selection of Rabbi Michael Berk is a
great blessing and accomplishment....
you will each play an important role in
welcoming Rabbi Berk who will begin on
July 16. Watch for important
announcements in this regard in the
coming months.
What you may not realize is that
during the first year, Cantor Bernstein's
contract was also negotiated. Thank G-d,
Cantor, you made a commitment to this
congregation, in which you could not be
more beloved, for what we hope will be
the rest of your cantorial career. Next
spring, we will all celebrate Cantor's
tenth anniversary with a congregational
gala....We [also] undertook to provide for
an appropriate retirement for Stuart
Simmons. Stuart, we send you a royal
salute as you become our Executive
Director Emeritus on June 30 and we
thank you for twenty years of service to
our synagogue.
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Grooming the Next Generation of Leaders
In a synagogue, the most precious
human resources are the members....
These are passionately committed and
dedicated individuals who are the
custodians of your children's and your
grandchildren's Jewish future. And on top
of their incredibly hard work, this board
has had to weather a crisis of confidence
wrought by recent turbulent years.
It is critical for us to work on the next
generation of leaders. We need to find
and groom successors for every position
in this congregation by making
leadership a desirable, rewarding and
appreciated experience. The Talmud tells
us that "those who are occupied with
the needs of the community...it is as if
they are studying Torah."
Planned Giving Provides a Future
In the area of financial resources, over
the last two years we built our
endowment by $1 million to almost
$7.2 million, which is especially
significant in light of the operational
demands during the same period. Our
focus on planned giving was well worth
it — during this time we received forty
new bequests and have almost satisfied
our objectives through the Endowment
Leadership Institute, or ELI Program of
the Jewish Community Foundation in
which we are privileged to participate. I
cannot stress enough to all of you how
important it is that each of you include
CBI in your estate plans. It is our children
and grandchildren who will see vibrant
Jewish life if we have each have the
foresight to leave them a Jewish legacy.
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Jewish Survival is Our Responsibility
We live at a time and in a place where
synagogue membership has become
discretionary. This is not the health club
to which we "belong" as long as we
"use" it. We must belong to a synagogue
to insure that the Jewish people survive.
Every Jew is responsible for our survival.
I ask you to challenge your friends and
family to accept their responsibility and
make sure that they support their
synagogue with their membership. It is
during the kinds of challenges that we
have faced over the last several years
that we need you the most.
What It's Meant to Have Your Support
Going back to the pregnancy analogy
and, at the risk of sounding immodest, I
need to thank many people for assisting
me in this "labor" of love over the past
two years. Like childbirth, it was painful
but I am so glad to have gone through it.
First and foremost I must thank my
family. I undertook this temple
presidency because I wanted to set an
example for my children so that they
understand that they are responsible to
ensure the survival of the Jewish people.
...And to my husband, Gordon, I don't
really know where to begin to thank you
for your unfailing support, encouragement,
assistance, listening, laughter and love
over an intense and often very stressful
time....I had the help, support and
friendship of so many members of this
congregation... I don't think any of you
can really grasp how much it meant to
me to have your words of kindness and
your appreciation....Leading change is
never easy....
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Your Next Board President
And so I am so pleased to pass this
"torch" to one of my closest friends, Amy
Corton. Amy and I joined the Board
within a month of each other in the
spring of 1999....Amy, I want to express
my gratitude for your hard work in all
areas and especially for stepping up and
taking on the presidency. I promise to
help you in any way possible and I will
be there for you, without fail, as part of
your team....
The Bible teaches us that the job of
a leader is to take leave with a blessing
and so I thank each of you and pray that
Congregation Beth Israel may continue
to go from strength to strength. Chazak
Chazak V'nitchazeik. Be strong, Be
strong and let us strengthen each other.
Amen.
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