Recently, 73% of our members, representing 191 out of 262 possible voters, made their choice about our future when 135 of the members who voted chose to stay on Lowe Road.
Rabbi and I have been discussing changes that we would like to offer to the congregation for Shabbat services, improvements that encourage greater participation. Some of these will work, and others will need revision, but we are committed to trying different approaches. Shortly in the new year, we will convene sessions of Talkin’ Tefilah to hear your ideas of what you would like us to possibly incorporate in our services going forward.
Sandy Flaksman has offered to start working on a second-night Seder. Other FUN-RAISING events are in the pipeline, including a Purim Party for the adults in our congregation, and even a revival of the Silly Supper. Let’s not forget the incredible effort that the Bingo folks have been doing over these past 10 weeks. Get some friends together and make an outing on a Tuesday evening to JTown Bingo.
Fresh Start, the opportunity to gather, enjoy a great buffet breakfast, work on an easy Tikkun Olam project, and socialize with other members is coming Jan. 5. There will even be a raffle for a $100 gift certificate to our Gift Shop, which has some amazing items for sale. Activities are planned for kids. Have you sent or called your RSVP to the office?
What are you able and willing to do to encourage change in how we work for each other and see the congregation? Contact Michael Ginsberg (m.ginsberg45@gmail.com) and let him know how you want to become even more involved. Remember, we are the “small” congregation that gets so much done by the dedication of its members.
I am planning to reorganize the Board of Trustees to make it more representative of our membership and more responsive to the needs of the congregation.
Our Treasurer has been working with the accountants to make our monthly reports to the Board of Trustees and congregation easier to understand. Ann Waterman has taken over Marketing & Communications and has spent countless hours reviewing and updating our website. She will also be trying to once again put Kol Shalom in your hands each month; that is what I have asked for, a hard copy to put up on your bulletin board once again. Dues will need to be raised to reflect the reality of our situation. John Silletto has suggested a number of painless ways to raise funds. For example, if each of us puts away $1 a day for Temple Shalom, we could raise $95K. That, along with Bingo, rentals for the building, and other fund-raisers would allow us to move forward with confidence.
WOTS and Men’s Club continue with their programs for our members and friends. Hanukkah Helpers just concluded another successful season and looks forward to doing so well into the future, although they would welcome the day when no child in our community would need such a service. Our tenants are both happy that they will be able to continue their programs where they are.
Now that the decision to remain on Lowe Road is behind us, we should all respond with support of our leaders for plans to get us back to the way we thought when the group of Founders met in November 1976 as they put pen to paper and breathed life into Temple Shalom.
Celebrate with us at Shabbat services over the coming weeks. Connect with your fellow members and volunteer. Whatever you able to do, remember that we are back on track and more committed than ever before.
L’Shalom,
Rich Goldwin
