September 2022

I haven’t been in the magazine publishing industry for several years, yet here I am, writing my first regular bulletin article on deadline day, August 12th.

My first few weeks as President of Temple Beth Sholom have been both exhausting and rewarding at the same time. Every morning, I wake up to several new emails or text messages that must be answered. My phone’s calendar app is being used more than ever before to keep track of meetings…and there have been a lot of them. Most of these meetings are just to prepare for the many wonderful things to come this year.

The most rewarding part of being President so far has been seeing and meeting with all of you – whether on Zoom or in-person for minyan, Shabbat services (Yes, I see your smiles and waves as you enter the sanctuary), or even somewhere outside of Temple. Recently, I was at my apartment complex’s pool with my mother, when a congregant was on her daily walk and spotted us soaking up the sun. It was only a coincidence that she was walking in the area and that we were at the pool. She came and sat with us (and cooled off a bit!). We chatted and I learned so much about her and her family – about where she came from, and why she came to TBS, what she loves about it, what her children do, etc. When she left, I made sure I gave her my phone number so she could text me that she got home safely (which she did!).

It’s moments like these that I look forward to as President. Although I can’t invite everyone to a poolside chat, I hope I will be able to chat with you bimah-side, pew-side, table-side, car-side, and so on.

There are also other ways to chat — if you’re on Instagram, please follow us @tbshamden; or if you’re on Facebook, “like’ us at www.facebook.com/TBSHamden; or you are always welcome to email me at president@tbshamden.com.