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We have an opportunity, right now, to build a home for Judaism
in Southern Vermont. We are building not just for ourselves but
for our children and grandchildren. True, the house is a modest
start, but it is a start. As the difficulty of fundraising for
this relatively small project has pushed our dream of a new synagogue
even further into the future, the importance of this modest start
has grown even greater.
It is my intense hope that this will be the last time I will need
to address the issue of fundraising in the newsletter. In fact,
after the next few months, I hope that I won’t need to be
writing about the building at all. The building should become the
background, the setting that enables us to provide the spiritual,
educational, and social content that enriches our lives. Over the
next few months, however, we will need to focus our time, energy,
and creativity on the building. We need to build a physical home
for ourselves and the generations to come. We need the space for
our school and for congregational programs.
Once we have completed the work to move us into our building,
we will be able to devote our energy to our growth as a community.
How can we challenge ourselves to dig into our heritage and connect
with our history? How can we make our services even more meaningful
and holy? How can we be more welcoming, friendly, and caring, reaching
out to connect with other Jews, as well as with people of other
faiths? How can we include our non-Jewish family members in our
religious practice in a way that is heimisch, welcoming, and comfortable
while remaining true to our faith?
In our continuing quest to make our congregation vital, dynamic,
warm, and inclusive, I am finding myself inspired by the group
of teenagers who have been meeting with Jim and myself on Monday
afternoons. Let’s let our wonderful young people inspire
us to build a future worthy of them.
B’shalom,
- Rachel
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