I haven’t mentioned Mussar practice in months….it seems like it is time to begin again. Repetition is one of the essential parts of this practice. You must identify traits you want to work on and then revisit them again and again. Although I am always grateful to TE, the end of the year seems like a wonderful time to thank all of the TE community for their willingness to participate, give-back, pay forward, lead, follow and belong to an extraordinary group of people.
If we include holiday services, Religious School events, social events and fund raisers, we have had something going on almost every week of the year. Thank you to the many TE members who led each of these projects. Thanks to Hilary, Ariette, Jodi, Kim and the Rabbi for providing the professional framework within which we volunteer. Thanks to the Board, the Executive Committee, all the Committee chairs and members who kept us on track. The daily/weekly activities are vital to our strength as a community. Thanks to the “worker bees” who have kept our congregational life humming: Shabbat dinners- Randi Rubin Rodriguez and Fran Grodzinski, High Holy Day kiddushim- Robin Levine-Ritterman, Passover seder- Lily Katsovich & Olga Marcus, Music- Laurel Shader and the band, organizing Friday night Onegs- Barbara Goldhamer, creating the Shofar- Caryn Shaffer and Jen Poulsen, and getting the Shofar out- the Larkins.
One Campus: We are “One” and done with the project. From digging the foundation to erecting the building, to re-landscaping the grounds, to affixing the mezuzah, to taking down the old House–we did it! We have moved on to what the synagogue is really about: people not buildings.
Going Green: This last year we have put up solar panels, replaced our bulbs with LED ones and put in an energy efficient HVAC. We continue to find ways to shrink our carbon footprint. And then, of course, we love the real green of our lovely grounds!
Tikkun Olam: It has been another vibrant year with our second blood drive, amazing success with the Food drive, our yearly school Hanukkah basket program, our Martin Luther King school activity, our 7th year doing Abraham’s Tent and the resettlement of our first refugee family as part of JCARR.
Amazing Adult Education: We have had a successful year of small group learning, speakers, outings to plays and exhibits, a weekend of learning, and films. A special thank you to Bennet Graff for leading the new series on Jewish short stories
Men’s Club and Sisterhood: These revitalized groups have had book clubs, lectures and outings. They have also provided generous monetary gifts to TE for the Memorial Boards, college scholarship, and other necessary TE items.
Leave A Legacy: Our thriving legacy program is one of the best in the community.
All this help has made my life as President easy. It’s allowed me to concentrate not just on money but on doing the right thing: on building and sustaining relationships, so that we to change our own lives, or community and the world.