A Message from Our President

Words from our Temple President, Ricki Bauman

March 2024

There are a lot of moving parts right now at Beth Israel. We have active
committees, events, and projects that are moving ahead. Our Facilities Committee, chaired by Jon Gamson, is actively seeking bids for lighting renovations in our sanctuary that are badly needed, as well as a flooring replacement in our Social Hall. These will be funded primarily by an incredibly generous donation from our Past President (and Ritual Co-Chair) Rochelle Lafer.

Our Caring Committee, chaired by Sophie Kingson, has formed and is contacting our Mi Shebeirach list congregants (not the confidential ones) on a regular basis. This outreach is a perfect example of the URJ’s program that was rolled out at the 2012 Biennial. We just can’t say that we are warm,
welcoming, and caring; we have to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk.

In addition to this, you’ll see me greeting you at the entrance doors regularly and again after services at the Social Hall doors. That is an old Reform Judaism tradition that I felt needed to be put back into practice. Sure, I get into the Social Hall later, but that’s fine, too. I’m in no rush for the calories of all the goodies!

Our Long Range Planning Committee, chaired by Ron Boyarsky, is hard at work preparing questionnaires for our 6-8 member focus groups. We did this
seventeen years ago, and it resulted in us hiring a Rabbi. After all this time, the world has changed and we need to lay out our priorities so that our membership tells us what you want, not what the Board thinks.

Our Legacy Committee, co-chaired by Barbara Grossman and Rochelle Lafer, is just getting started to reinvent our Legacy efforts. Legacy helps us going forward to the next generation of Beth Israelites, making sure that Beth Israel is on a sound financial footing going down the road.

We also have a Bylaws Committee, chaired by Jerome Levy. Our Bylaws
were last changed in December of 2015, over eight years ago. At a minimum,
Bylaws need to be reviewed every few years, and we are overdue. And besides, the world has changed with the pandemic. We now do many things
electronically that we used to do on paper or in person that don’t necessarily
have to be that way. Of course, many things are preferable on paper, but as an example, contracts are regularly signed electronically now or are signed and scanned back.

And, as a final note to the above, I am very happy to announce that Cantor
Murray Simon is joining us again for the High Holy Days.

Whew, that’s a lot going on!
 

L’shalom,
Ricki

 

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