From Our President

Dear Congregants:

If someone had told me last April that I’d be standing here before you now as your incoming President, I would have thought they were very confused! But here we are. A lot has happened in all our lives since then. It’s again my honor to become your President beginning in June. Let me assure you that I will do my best to help this Congregation continue to thrive. I know that we will not always agree, there isn’t a family anywhere that does, and that’s to be expected. Let me assure you that the Board will always work to do what’s best.

I want to thank the outgoing Board for its hard work; they were very dedicated, and we were lucky to have them. I want to thank Barry Zweiban for stepping in when so much else was going on in his life. Sandy Shapiro just gave us a great financial report. Thanks Sandy, It’s never easy to present a budget with a deficit, but our current situation requires it. We have been gifted a wonderful inheritance which will give us security for a long time if we’re not casual with it. I hope we don’t become like some families we’ve heard of: you know, those that come into an inheritance, and it tears them apart. We have chosen to invest it carefully to ensure the future security of the Congregation.

Our organization is built on volunteerism – it only works because so many of us have given our time and energy over the years. One of my goals this year is to create some redundancies in our systems. We need backups for the essential systems that we utilize to run this Synagogue. If you have computer skills, we need you; if you are a people person, we need you; if you want to give a little of yourself to those in need, we need you. When we send an email looking for help, consider stepping up. That is how we will continue to grow. We have many younger members now and I am so happy to see some of them coming on the Board.

You know there are numerous individuals who give of themselves to this Congregation, too many to name here. You know who you are, and I thank you for your generosity of spirit. I’m of course including the members of the Brotherhood and Sisterhood Boards.

So, let’s begin this year with the spirit of “Tikkun Olam”. They say, “Charity begins at home”, I think Tikkun Olam does as well. Let’s come together to work toward a common goal with a spirit of loving kindness and generosity toward each other. I said earlier that I know we won’t always agree. I understand that! I am asking, however, that you be generous with your praise, and gentle with your criticism. We are all volunteers just doing our best.

Terrie Weintraub