Children have returned to school.  Parents have returned to a more regular schedule.  Summer vacations have concluded and now the Jewish holiday season is upon us.  It’s a time for reflection…a time to think about the past year and consider the coming year. 

This year it’s impossible to reflect on our own lives without considering what our brothers and sisters are enduring in the land of Israel.  As Hamas rains bombs on the people of Israel, killing children without remorse, we have the blessing of living in peace.   At the same time, the world continues to pressure the State of Israel to show restraint, while those who threaten them ignore all codes of civility, we have the blessing of living half a world away from the chaos. 

As a Jewish community, it’s important that we show support to our friends and family in our homeland during these trying times.  We can do this in a number of ways.  We can send money to support the war efforts.  We can attend meetings and gatherings to visibly show support.  We can send emails and letters to those we know, or don’t know, to remind them that we’re thinking of them and will continue to support them.  Most importantly, the Torah tells us to be better Jews and better people.  This is the strongest way to support our brethren in the land of Israel.

On a lighter note . . . have you noticed some improvements at the synagogue?  A new floor in the Oneg Room!  A new door exiting the sanctuary and new light bulbs in the sanctuary.  A new driveway by the entry gate.  I must send a huge THANK YOU to Rosemary Watson and Bill Schwartz for all of those amazing improvements!  Please be sure to let them know how much we appreciate their contributions.

I also want to recognize Francine Van Scoyoc for putting together a wonderful Open House.  We had many new faces come to visit and we added several new members to the TBA family.  Way to go, Francine!

Without the commitment and contributions of our many volunteers, TBA would not be the extraordinary community that it is.  Please help us continue to make TEMPLE BETH AMI THE PLACE TO BE!  Email me anytime and let me know how you can contribute.

president@templebethami.org

Eddie Nathan

This is my first article as your new President.  I’m extremely humbled that this congregation and its Board has given me the opportunity to contribute in this way.  I’m looking forward to an enjoyable and productive year. 

The previous synagogue boards have effectively put our synagogue on the right path, both as a community center and as a fiscally sound organization.  I intend to work with our new Board to continue down that path.  Last month, the Rabbi talked about synagogue growth by both reaching out and reaching in.  This will be the focus of the 2014/15 TBA Board of Trustees.

We intend to reach out to the community on several levels, to share our traditions and beliefs, to help those in need, to partner and share with other faith based organizations, to connect with our vibrant local community, to provide information and education, and to share our amazing TBA community with other local Jewish people looking for a religious/spiritual, social, and educational home.

We also intend to reach in by providing more opportunities for participation in both religious and social events.  One of the reasons I have come to love TBA and taken such an active role is because of the warm and generous people that define the TBA community.  In order to continue to build and further strengthen this sense of community, we’ll come up with fun and exciting ideas that will attract more participation in our religious events, continue to improve our already successful social events, adapt as necessary to build on strong educational programs, and generate some new ideas that will connect in some way with more of our members.

To make anything happen at an organization like ours, we certainly need a strong and effective Board.  However, the Board cannot do it alone.  We need literally every member of TBA to contribute in some way.  As our immediate past president was fond of saying, “We all can contribute in one way or another.  Give us your work, give us your wisdom, or give us your wealth.”  The bottom line is we need each other to continue to make TBA great.  And the more you give to the organization, the more you’ll get out of it!

So, what I’m asking each and every member to do is this…do one more thing this year for our synagogue that you didn’t do last year.  I can promise you that if every TBA member commits to doing this, our congregation will show the kind of growth we can all be proud of.

I hope you’re all enjoying your Summer and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Eddie Nathan 
President