La Shanah Tovah and Shabbat shalom.
On Rosh Hashanah I discussed with you the critical need for all of our members to participate with us in the functioning of Temple B’Nai Chaim. I am happy to report that we have had a good number of our members step up and volunteer and I want to take this opportunity to say that there are still plenty of places where we still need your help. As I mentioned on Rosh Hashanah, Micki Averick is now our volunteer coordinator and we have an e-mail address specifically for that purpose. Please do contact me, any other Board member, or Micki, with your area of interest.
I want to speak for a moment about our interim year. Rabbi Lipper will be a bridge between Rabbi Cohen and our next permanent rabbi. We are not just marking time — it is our objective to use this year to learn more about ourselves, to thoughtfully plan where we want to be, and how we want to get there. By design, we chose an exceptional rabbi who will guide us through our transition period. Rabbi Lipper’s specific training in these subjects will help to guide us through this
But equally importantly, Rabbi Lipper is our rabbi for this year and we are grateful that he has chosen us too. We will celebrate mitzvahs and life cycle events together and he will be part of our community as we walk over that bridge together. Together, we will practice Judaism at TBC and build our community.
TBC has not traditionally done a Yom Kippur appeal, but as we have observed repeatedly this High Holy Day season, this year is different.
This year, we have another need associated with the rabbinic transition. The search processes necessarily involves expenses that were not budgeted — mostly travel to meet with candidates, bringing them here, seeing them at their current jobs. We incurred expenses similar to that during our brief but intense search for the interim rabbi. We will also have relocation expenses for our new permanent rabbi. None of these were budgeted.
Therefore, this year, I’m asking for those who can to make a contribution to our High Holy Day appeal. The monies we raise will be specifically earmarked to our unbudgeted search and relocation expenses.
Our congregation is proud to be financially strong and fiscally conservative. This has served us well and I’m personally gratified to be part of this legacy. But we could not foresee the rabbinic change when we budgeted for this year, and therefore now see these unplanned expenses.
Please pick up a pledge card here or at TBC and help make our congregation financially stronger.
Again, my thanks to Rabbi Lipper, Cantor Sobel, our cantorial soloist Ethan Nash, and the choir who have enriched our worship this year. And thanks again to all who have taken a role in our services: Torah chanters, other readers, organizers, ushers. Your participation truly lifts us up and I am personally proud to work with each and every one of you.
May you all have an easy fast.
Thank you.
David Abraham, President