It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we were together at the last congregational meeting and we have been incredibly busy at TBS.
Throughout the year we have had wonderful and diverse programming both virtually and in person. From book clubs to cooking, from musical programs to guest speakers, there has been something for everyone. Creative and meaningful services have brought our community together. We continue to have Shabbat on the road where we bring the Shabbat experience into a congregant’s home. I know that many of you said you felt let down when we held staggered services during the High Holidays – and we heard you. We are working on having this year’s services at South HS again so that we can accommodate all of us together at each RH and YK service. Our second day community Passover Seder at Paramount was a huge success with everyone attending experiencing the joy of being together with their Temple family, thank you to the Men’s club who worked so hard on coordinating with the venue. Our Women’s Seder organized and sponsored by Sisterhood was a truly memorable evening. Thank you both Sisterhood and Cantor for all your hard work to make this event happen.
Our Religious School, under the leadership of our educational director, Shanna Straut, has thrived at the JCC and it was a vibrant and exciting year. Thank you Shanna for your commitment to our students. Parental involvement has been at an all time high thanks to both the school & PEP committees. We look forward to continuing the school’s positive momentum next year with our families, and continuing our excellent teen programming that our rising 8th graders will now be able to join.
I would like to take this opportunity to update you on the sale of the building and the move to the RJCC campus. After we submitted all the required paperwork to the AG’s office for review, additional information was requested – not only from us but also from the buyers of the building. Once the AG’s office lets us know that the package is complete we can schedule a vote where our congregation decides whether or not to approve the sale of our building.
I also have some exciting news to relay to you. After much collaboration with the JCC and the town, we were informed that the JCC will be able to rent us space for 2 – 4 hours a week for services in their event room on an as needed basis. I want to make sure that I am very clear and that everyone understands the difference between our lease of 3rd floor space from the RJCC (Rockland Jewish Community Campus) and the rental of space for services from the JCC (Jewish Community Center). The RJCC is the owner of the campus and leases space to various entities including Jewish Federation and Foundation, Rockland Jewish Family Service, Israeli bonds, and the JCC.
The reason for this arrangement is that the town has told us that due to zoning laws, TBS will not be able to hold services in our space on the 3rdfloor, but will be able to hold them in space rented to us by the JCC.
This means that we can move our congregation fully to the campus for offices, school, programming and worship.
There are so many who have put much time and effort to help us achieve our goal of being able to hold services at the JCC, and I want to thank Donna Sobel, Brian Smith, Susan Marquith and David Scheichet. A special thanks to the JCC Board & David Kirschtel, JCC Chief Executive Officer, without his perseverance this would never have happened. He has truly demonstrated the spirit of partnership that exists between TBS and the JCC.
What would an annual report be without thanking those that have worked so hard for our Temple. I have been truly lucky to work with an incredibly dedicated and committed Board and I want to give a special thank you to Tamra Eker who is stepping down from her position as Financial Secretary. We are blessed to have congregants who have given of themselves to ensure that our community has remained vibrant and active. The Men’s Club and Sisterhood boards have worked hard to keep us engaged and have supported the temple in so many ways. Thank you to Howie Zales who has worked diligently to keep our streaming services up to date to provide the best virtual experience and the many others who have volunteered their time to run educational, social action, and youth engagement programs, just to name a few.
Rabbi, thank you for your spiritual leadership and commitment to TBS, for being there for all our life cycle events, for the creative and innovative ways you’ve led our congregation, and for the countless hours you have given to make sure that there will be a meaningful future for TBS. Cantor, thank you for your boundless energy, the beautiful music you have given us, for making sure that our students are well prepared for their B’Nei Mitzvah, and for your care and commitment to TBS. Thank you to Michael who has kept our building running and is a jack of all trades. A very big thank you to Valentina for your dedication to TBS and for always going above and beyond. I also want to thank the congregation for putting their trust in me as president, I can’t begin to express how rewarding it is to work with so many of you.
Temple Beth Sholom has proven over and over again that we are strong and resilient. After all, we not only made it through a global pandemic, but we also made it through these last several years of uncertainty while we explored our options for the future. So I’m very optimistic about what’s to come. TBS’s super power is that when we all work together, our congregation not only survives, but thrives. And with your support, I know we will continue to do so.
