Page 5 - 2020 High Holiday Shofar
P. 5
Jonathan Gelchinsky
President
It’s hard to believe that it has been half a year
since we gathered together in person at our
synagogue. Since March, all prayer, celebration,
mourning, and learning has taken place from
home or in small groups. While we may join
together through our screens, we remain distant, Meanwhile, our building is undergoing a much-
and that loss of connection and community is needed rehabilitation. The courtyard project is
palpable. nearing completion, and is going to impress all
who step foot through the new space. And, using
The pandemic still ravages our country, and our funds from the sale of the land across Deering
state, and leaves us feeling vulnerable and Ave., we’ve embarked on a number of major
anxious about the months ahead. To say that this building repairs and renovations, including
is a difficult time would be a vast roof repairs, replacement and updating of
understatement. HVAC units and controls, mechanical and
electrical improvements, and grounds work.
When the Board passed the budget for the
current term, it was assumed (for good reason) Our 13-member Board is also off to a great start.
that this would be a challenging year financially We’ve begun our new organizational
for Temple Beth El. We figured that dues would management and leadership development
be dialed back as congregants struggled through initiatives, and there’s a lot of creative energy in
the economic effects of the pandemic, and that the (virtual) room during our meetings.
we might even lose members as personal ties and
5781 connections were stretched thin and broken. In closing, I acknowledge that this year’s High
Holidays will look substantially different from
And, while there are aspects of this forecast that anything anyone has experienced in the past.
did prove true, I am pleased to report that the But, Temple Beth El is finding ways to stay
picture for this coming year is substantially connected with its congregants despite the
better than we anticipated. Membership dues physical distance, and we will all continue to be
are flowing in, and are tracking what we’ve there for one another during this challenging
raised in previous years. Our overall time.
רפוש membership continues to grow, with new
members and families joining despite the L’shanah tovah, best wishes to all for a healthy
5 closure of our physical space. new year.
