This past week’s
Torah portion, Shelach l’cha reminds
us that we all have our own perceptions about what is a reasonable
challenge. We can imagine ourselves
like grasshoppers in the face of nephilim,
or we can remain focused on our skills, strengths, and the vision that has been
set forth before us. Choosing the
latter does not mean that we ignore real obstacles. It doesn’t mean we proceed with
overly-confident, rose colored visions of the future. No, it means we engage in the work, often time
consuming work, required to meet challenge and overcome obstacle as best as we
are able.
This
annual meeting provides the opportunity to thank our lay leaders for doing just
that – our executive committee (members of which are seated here and from whom
you will hear), our Board of Trustees, and our Visioning for the Future
committee. These are the leaders in our
midst, who like Caleb and Joshua are willing to proceed forward with great
effort and expenditure of time and creativity in order to help Temple Emanuel
have a promising future. Please don’t
take \their efforts for granted! Their work is for all of our benefit.
The end of a fiscal year is also an appropriate time to reflect on the successes and challenges of our congregation. Let me first enumerate just a few of the successes:
Shabbat morning
worship: unlike many Reform congregations around the country, we have a regular
gathering every Saturday morning, and we pray as one community celebrating milestones
together and enjoying each other’s company.
We create Shabbat community, week after week.
TESCA: Our Temple Emanuel
Studio of Cooperative Artists not only bring a beautiful aesthetic to our
midst, but more importantly TESCA is a modern and creative extension of Torah and
gemilut chasadim. And, I’m proud
to say that it is uniquely ours.
We have
drastically reduced our operating budget, and we have done a remarkable job of
reigning in deficit. When I first attended Board meetings in 2000, budget deficits
were pushing into the 6-figure range.
There is still work to do in order to get us to a predictably fully balanced
budget, but the effort to get us this far in just a few years must be
recognized as a success!
Our Religious
school is vibrant and compelling. Our
building is at our liveliest when school is in session. Our teachers are sincerely interested in
raising up a new generation of Jews, our students are interested and engaged,
and our program is continuing to be current, educational, and creative.
We have shared in
each other’s joys celebrating weddings, Bar/t Mitzvahs, and baby naming. And, I’ve watched our members comfort and
support each during times of challenge and loss, both communal and individual
loss.
I feel great pride
in serving this congregation, and the source of that pride is you: the
members and the programs you support and prioritize. The vision of Torah coupled with social
justice, and interest in worship that expresses our liturgy with integrity
- this is what gives me immense pride as
this congregation’s rabbi and cantor.
Are challenges
still present – no question. There are nephillim
that at times feel insurmountable and make us feel reduced to grasshopper size. From my perspective, I see two:
Friday night
worship. As our Shabbat morning
gathering has grown and become a stable fixture in our congregation (something
that was not so 20-25 years ago), regular Friday night attendance has dwindled.
And 2: We face the
continuing challenge of fostering Jewish engagement and making synagogue
affiliation and involvement – involvement that translates into financial and
volunteer support -- a priority.
We are not unique
in facing these two challenges; they reflect national trends in suburban
communities; and, I don’t have an magical or easy solutions to these two
challenges. But, I don’t believe they
are obstacles that should make us turn away or give up hope on synagogue
life. It is clear to me that our successes
far, far outweigh these challenges. I
hope that it is clear to you as well.
As we continue our
meeting, let us remain mindful of our leadership’s need of our support. Can we remain committed to the expression of
Jewish values through the synagogue? As
we offer our respect to the presentations our lay leadership has for us, may
each of us be further inspired to continue our journey towards future promise,
as a cohesive progressive congregation!
Chazak,
chazak v’nitchazek – may we be strengthened as we proceed into a new fiscal
year in our congregation.
