Last year I reviewed many of the wonderful “firsts” we celebrated together in our new shul. This year I’d like to look forward to some of the developing ideas on which the Board is working. We have “uncoupled” the annual meeting from the traditional September rush of a new school year and the high holidays. Having the annual meeting and setting the budget early gives us the summer to focus on membership and on high holiday planning. This Fall we will have a more varied approach to the high holidays that we hope will meet the different needs of people, including a carefully-timed first day service at West Village Meeting House and a more informal, less-structured second-day service at our shul. We will also make similar changes in our Yom Kippur service to accommodate the differing spiritual needs of our congregants. You will hear more about this in the September newsletter.
In a similar vein, we have “uncoupled” Hebrew School registration, moving the bulk of that effort to the end of the school year in the Spring, as opposed to the beginning of the school year in the fall. Thus, we urge parents of returning and prospective students to be in touch with us as soon possible, both to maximize the opportunity of having an assured place, and to support of our educational planning for the Fall.
I’d like to point out some of the other challenges and aspirations of the year. The newly-formed group, Women of BAJC, is looking forward to participation and involvement in the life of our Jewish community. The Ritual Committee is looking forward to getting the new URJ prayer book and to learning how best to integrate it into our prayer life. Our booming Hebrew school and the Education Committee are looking forward to solving problems of space, non-member registrants, increased family participation. There’s a group exploring the possibility of having a mikveh on our property. We have started a Families in Need Fund, to be sure that we can respond to the emergency needs of our larger community.
The Board is looking forward to strengthening the committee system, forging bonds with other synagogues in the region and with both URJ and the Grinspoon Foundation; to developing policies regarding dues, membership, fees for life-cycle events and use of our building; to encouraging support from non-members who attend our high holiday and other services. We need to find ways to make the State of Israel part and parcel of who we are. We need a capital fund on which to base plans for the future, and we need to consider how and when we will enlarge our space.
The state of the synagogue is excellent. True, we face significant challenges – physical, financial and spiritual. That will always be the case. The central and enduring challenge of BAJC is to create a spiritual community for people with different religious needs and experiences, who wish to worship, sing, dance, learn and share with one another. As long as we honor this mission and as long as we remember that “people are us”, we will remain in excellent health.
The Board and I are appreciative of all of our members. Each and every one contributes to what BAJC is.
B'Shalom,
Paul
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