Words from our Congregation President, Ricki Bauman
May, 2026
No matter how you slice it or dice it, the world changes; if you stand still, the world leaves you behind. As you know, we modernized our building, modernized our business software, and now it’s time to look at other things. For instance, our 100-year-old Torah scrolls.
All three of them need thousands of dollars of work each to bring them to a state of good repair, as they really haven’t been maintained. We had Holy Roller sessions (the scribe’s name for a lay person trained on Torah maintenance) where we’ve cleaned the scrolls, repaired tears, etc. We even had to make emergency repairs during the service on Simchat Torah last fall when we unrolled the scroll. But there is a limit as to what I can do, as I am not a scribe. I have my Torah scroll up for sale to finance the work for the other scrolls on the Union for Reform Judaism marketplace (no takers yet) — that is one of the ways that I say Hineini — I am here, ready and willing to do what needs to be done. But, as Dr. Seuss says, that is not all, no, that is not all. The next step is to look for grants to fix the scrolls — especially the little one and the tall one — the little one as it is so lightweight (but hard to read) and the tall one as it is so beautifully written (it’s also our original scroll, just too heavy) — and we can lighten it about four pounds by having the scribe trim the parchment down and change the Eitz Chayim (the rollers). Conceivably, we could also part with the middle Torah to finance the other work if needed.
Our Social Hall, thankfully, has new flooring, but the rest of the room is showing its age, as it is now 25 years old. The hanging baffles and wall baffles really need to be replaced by an acoustical ceiling with new planned adjustable LED lighting and a new sound system. Hopefully, we will get a FEMA grant to remove the Social Hall windows on the East Del Webb (west) side and replace them with concrete block for security purposes. That would enable us to have two large monitor screens on the west wall on either side of the mural. That would be the perfect time to do the ceiling; we’ll see!
If you know of available grants, please contact me directly.
L’shalom,
Ricki
