September 2014:

Rabbi, outgoing and incoming, officers, board members, family, friends and fellow congregants.

Just last month, Eta and I celebrated 53 years of marriage, 48 of those years are here at Temple Beth Sholom. It only means that I know a good thing when I see it. In those 48 years we have grown from approximately 200 families to over 400 families, due in part to the wonderful congregants and the past leaders and board members.

31 years ago we took a big leap in membership. The young Rabbi from Maryland may have had something to do with it. Thank you Rabbi for being the reason for our growth.

We have added and expanded and will soon be getting a new roof. Thanks to the many volunteers and donors who answered our pleas. We will continue to grow and, like any business or profession, you always need new customers, clients, congregants and at the same time, we must not forget or ignore, as we used to say in Brooklyn, “Those who brung us to the dance”.

We are a caring community and we must continue to not only keep our shul strong and active and our Hebrew school thriving; we must also keep our Adult Ed programs going strong. The L’Chaim lecture series attracts the entire community.

Our social action committee is second to none. We are a caring community. The Isaiah Fund, the clothing drive, the so-called little things we do for others-not so little to those who receive our help. All we ask of you, be a part of all this.

Come to Minyans, Shabbat services, volunteer and join a committee, be a part of Temple Beth Sholom, it’s a win-win situation. There is no “I” in shul and it is not about individuals, we are a team, a congregation, a community, I thank you for the honor of being President of Temple Beth Sholom and I will do my best to keep us on the right track as we grow. We have a wonderful team of officers, board members and committee chairs. I am confident that working together we will make TBS a shul to be proud of.

Thank you
Sy Kaplan
TBS President