It is amazing how fast one year can go by.  It seems like it was just yesterday that I was installed as President.  But in this year, many great things have happened at Temple Beth Sholom and a large part of it is due to our Board of Directors, Officers, and Committees.  Over the course of this meeting, you will hear reports from Officers and Committee chairs highlighting our accomplishments, but I would like to take a few minutes to highlight a few from this past year.

            First, I would like to thank our incredible Executive Board who works very hard to ensure that the Temple runs smoothly.  They were always responsive to the needs of our membership and were willing to help the Temple, even if it meant attending the only Executive Board meeting probably ever held on New Year’s Eve.  We held this meeting after the boilers died to start the process of replacing them. While it might have taken a little longer than anticipated to replace them, we all came together to find work arounds so the Temple remained open for business and services occurred as scheduled.  

As soon as the water leak in the basement, which caused the boilers to die, was discovered, Jeff Krupel stepped up to ensure the water leak did not get worse and the water in the basement was cleaned up.  Our House Vice President David Stern worked with insurance, electricians, and different vendors to make sure that the boilers were replaced, that there was heat in the library and chapel, and, as the winter reached it coldest point, there were space heaters in the social hall and sanctuary to protect the pipes in that part of the Temple.

            David Margolis prepared the Chapel, so, while we could not use the Sanctuary for services, we were able to Zoom from that location without any interruption in our usual routine.  An unintended benefit is that, after several post-Covid years of holding Morning Minyan in the Sanctuary, Morning Minyan is back in the Chapel.

While we were not able to hold large Onegs and Kiddushes in the Social Hall, the Food and Services committee ensured that we did not miss a single Shabbat and that members were still able to enjoy each other’s company after Shabbat services.

Fran Bernstein worked with David Stern and our bookkeeper Jessica Dzierlatka to ensure all the bills were paid and that insurance reimbursed us for all of our costs. I am happy to say that other than our deductible, insurance did reimburse us for all our costs, even down to the additional electricity needed to run the space heaters.  

            To everyone who helped out with this situation, I send you a heartfelt Thank You.

While there are many events and initiatives that started or continued this year, I would like to highlight just two new ones.   First, thanks to our Ritual Vice President David Slossberg and the Ritual Committee, we started a Simcha Shabbat service celebrating birthdays and anniversaries each month.  These events have been a success with members participating in the service, sponsoring special Kiddushes and even just attending Shabbat morning services in person.  Thank you to David and the Ritual Committee for planning these Shabbat services.

            Last fall, Brian and Michelle Lakin wrote to me and the Rabbi suggesting a new fundraising initiative for the spring – The Chai Society.  They said that they would put together a committee to reach out to members who would be willing to donate $1,800 annually each spring.  To say that this initiative has been a success would be underselling it.  When talking with Brian and Michelle, we were hoping that maybe 10 members would join, but as of now, over 25 members have joined the Chai Society this year!  Thank you Brian and Michelle and your entire committee for the overwhelming success of the Chai Society.

            I would like to conclude by thanking all of the Officers, Directors, Committee chairpersons and all those members who have made this past year so successful.