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PRESIDENT'S ROSH HASHANAH rEMARKS
SEPTEMBER 23, 2006
By Barbara Haworth, President, 2005-07
Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova!
For those of you who just prayed silently that the President of the Board of Directors would not have to give a speech this year, let me just say that I hope all your other prayers are answered -- and soon.
I have been praying about these remarks for some time. I have prayed that I can impart to you how important your synagogue membership is. If not for the synagogue, there would be no Jews, for there would be no foundation for Jewish education, worship and Jewish life. We "belong" to a health club as long as we "use" it. We belong to a synagogue to insure that the Jewish people survive. And it is a good thing to "use" the synagogue too. I have prayed that all Jews will understand what a difficult world we live in and that this year, unity is our only alternative. We have enough real problems and real threats to our very existence without making those stakes higher ourselves.
And my biggest prayer is that I hope you will each see what strength there is in this congregation and that on this day of new beginnings, Rosh Hashanah, it is imperative for us to work constructively together--for the future of the Jewish people is indeed at stake.
Last year at this time I told you that we were embarking on a Long Range Plan for Congregation Beth Israel. I said "the process of developing a Long Range Plan will ideally engage every part of our congregation, its clergy, staff, leadership, and members. We will examine ourselves from the inside out and the outside in. Our goal is to identify, honor and strengthen those aspects of our congregation that have made us strong. Simultaneously, we will identify those aspects of our congregation that need strengthening."
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Twelve months later and we have learned so much. The Long Range Plan represents thousands of hours of work. At the peak of activity, over 70 members were actively engaged in the work itself. We asked all members of the congregation to give us their opinions. And there is certainly no shortage of opinions at Beth Israel! We feel we have a better understanding of who we are, what we value and where we want to go than at any time in our history.
Our rich and long history has instilled a strong loyalty among our members. This, and the connections most members make with one or more groups within our diverse congregation, has proved to be sources of strength. Even in difficult times, such as rabbinic transitions, our membership has remained fairly stable, and there has been no disruption in programs, services or schools.
We have a beloved Cantor, Arlene Bernstein, who is in her tenth year of service to our congregation and recently signed a new long term contract with us. A veteran and passionate senior staff is a source of great strength and we thank:
- Executive Director Stuart Simmons
- Program Director Bonnie Graff
- Director of Education Dr. Harvey Raben
- Director of Early Childhood Education Tammy Vener
- Director of Accounting and Human Resources Bridget Weiss
- Director of Development Lesley Mills
- Cantor Emeritus Sheldon Merel
And we are happy to have recently welcomed Assistant Rabbi Glenn Ettman, who has already instilled infectious energy and enthusiasm into our youth programs, worship services and beyond. And Glenn was "installed" last weekend so he is, we hope, permanently affixed to us!
And Rabbi Citrin, we thank you for the two years you have been with us and, with still almost a year to go, we acknowledge the contribution you have made and will continue to make at CBI. We will create many more opportunities to express to you our wishes for your future in New Mexico.
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This congregation has so many programmatic strengths, including:
- an active, award-winning Chavurah network that comprises more
than a third of our membership
- a booming early childhood education program
- a joyous religious school
- a thriving adult education program
- innovative social action and outreach-to-interfaith programs
- a vibrant men's club
- an outstanding women's group
- three youth groups
- groups for young adults and for seniors
- large volunteer adult and youth choirs and a Friday night band
- and an inspirational, lay-led Shabbat morning minyan
In addition, a new Friday night service was just added to the second Friday of the month. Soul Food Shabbat received extraordinary reviews for its music and soulful experience.
On the third Friday of the month, beginning next month, Shabbat Kaleidoscope, yet another new Shabbat experience will be added and will explore the Jewish and secular world.
Our Long Range Plan goals are to make certain our resources are aligned with our member needs. Our emerging focus is on building community and your sense of connection at Beth Israel. We are making a number of changes to make you feel more welcome and more at home in your synagogue. We want you to know that we heard you and will be addressing many areas that came up in our Long Range Plan examination.
We were within two months of completing the Long Range Planning work when we learned we would be facing a rabbinic transition next year. The Long Range Plan findings will influence and frame the search for a new rabbinic partner to guide and inspire our congregational vision.
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As part of our Transition structure, a Search Committee has been seated and a parallel group, the Search Advisory Committee is in formation. Together these two groups will provide all the capacity to conduct the Search, meet and greet the candidates, inform and engage congregants and finally, advise the congregation in the selection of a new Senior Rabbi. There are many new elements involved in this search and we invite you to visit a new segment of our congregational Web site which deals only with the Search and will allow you to have real time up-dates all the time. You will also be able to contact us with any questions or suggestions you may have. We expect the site to be launched within the next two weeks and you will receive a notice in the mail when it is complete.
One of the things we learned from our outreach to you during the Long Range Plan, and then again in the Transition Plan work, is that our congregation does not truly understand the workings of our Board of Directors. There are widely held misperceptions as to what a synagogue Board does and also what it does not do. Our temple members are often unaware of who is on the Board and what their temple involvement is really about.
Your Board members represent all walks of temple life and temple activities and our ages range from 29 years old to almost 80. We cover every single demographic and every single committee and auxiliary in this temple. Your Board members are the leaders of the temple groups and understand their workings intimately. When this Board votes on matters that affect you, it is with a great understanding not only of how Congregation Beth Israel works, but also with a focus on Jewish values and guiding principles.
Your Board is a working Board and its members view their work as a sacred duty. All Board members are expected to serve the congregation in committee work and other endeavors in addition to serving on the board. For some Board members, their service is beyond a full-time job. And your Board is always in attendance at all functions and gatherings at Beth Israel. Visit the Web site and read the biographies of your Board members who are working hard on your behalf.
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When you get a moment, thank your Board members for being the custodians of your children's and grandchildren's Jewish future -- for that is the motive behind their hard work to insure the future of this synagogue.
A few years ago, the Prime Minister of Israel and the President of the United States were comparing their respective roles and their work loads. The President of the United States claimed he had the hardest job since he is responsible for a country of nearly 300 million people. The Prime Minister of Israel said, "Yes, but I am the Prime Minister of a country of over 5 million Prime Ministers".
And I am the President of a congregation with over a thousand Presidents. And that is a good thing because we all have to see that each of us matters when it comes to preserving the synagogue, the cornerstone of Jewish life. We need more presidents! Join us if you haven't already. And to our members, we thank you for your support and for your commitment to the preservation of Jewish life.
Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova Tikatevu! May our new year be bright with promise, filled with hope, and blessed with peace.
Barbara Haworth, President, 2005-07
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