From the President
Jim Singer
June/July, 2007
This month two wonderful related events occurred. Harlene and Marvin Wool contributed $117,000 to the Endowment and $225,000 to the Rabbinic Fund. This brings the Endowment to almost $1.1 million.
The Wools’ donation to the Rabbinic Fund made it possible to extend Rabbi Plotkin’s contract to June 30, 2011 with the money in the bank to fund the contract extension. I am pleased to report to the Congregation that at the May Board meeting, the Temple Board unanimously approved the extension to the Rabbi’s contract, and Rabbi Plotkin signed the contract.
The signing ceremony at the Board meeting was a touching moment that I wished could have been shared with the entire Congregation. Our short term to mid-term future is now secure. This is a great time for B’nai El. We need to pause and consider how far we’ve come in the last six years. Rabbi Plotkin is performing a remarkable job for us.
Today, we are sitting at the top of the mountain and we can plan our long term future with confidence. There is still much work to be done in order to secure the financial future of the Congregation. We remain a relatively small Congregation of about 210 families. It is difficult for a Congregation of our size to pay for a Rabbi and the other Temple staff and maintain our Building.
The Endowment is the critical piece to our long term survival after 2011. The Wools have given us a four year breather to continue to build up the Endowment so that the Temple can fund for the Rabbi’s salary when the Rabbinic Fund has been depleted. This is an achievable goal. Along with controlling our expenses and steadily increasing our dues revenue and fund raising programs, if we work together, the Endowment can provide the necessary funding for our future.
Now is the time for all of us to follow the leadership of Harlene and Marvin Wool and make a five year pledge to the Endowment. You will be part of our community effort which has saved our 150 year old Congregation and which has renewed our spiritual community. We have come so far. We cannot let this historic opportunity slip through our fingers. The time to act is now.
Jim Singer
April, 2007
We are in the midst of the 2007 B’nai El Endowment Campaign. The Endowment is an essential part of the financial package which will fund the Congregation’s long term relationship with Rabbi Plotkin.
The Endowment campaign is based upon a conversation between congregation members. Within the next few months, each congregant will be called by a member of the Endowment Committee and invited to meet for lunch or some other face to face meeting. Of course, you don’t have to meet, but we prefer a meeting. There is no outside solicitor. This is a conversation within the B’nai El Congregational family. Believe me when I tell you that few if any of the Endowment Committee members feel comfortable about asking members for money.
During this meeting, the Committee member will be asking you to engage in a conversation about your B’nai El experience: What does B’nai El mean to you? What is working? What is not working? These conversations will give us an opportunity to listen to each other for the purpose of enhancing our spiritual community.
It is the goal of the Endowment Campaign to obtain a meaningful Endowment pledge from every member taking into account the financial circumstances of the member. While we ask you to stretch yourself, and give as much as you can, we recognize the importance of all the contributions large and small when they are an expression of your commitment to our congregation.
During Rabbi Lane Steinger’s recent leadership training program for the Temple Board and other Temple leaders, Rabbi Steinger took the Board through an exercise of the importance of listening to each other. Rabbi Steinger asked the attendees to select another person who they knew the least and spend 10 minutes talking and listening to the person. The end result of this 10 minute exercise was an eye opening spiritual experience which brought the group together. The Endowment Campaign will be a similar listening experience on a
Congregation wide basis.
With the permission of Ruth Berg, I wanted to relate to the Congregation a part of my Endowment conversation with Ruth about her beloved husband, Ralph, and their life long commitment to B’nai El. Ruth explained to me that Ralph had a greatinterest in Judaism and had spent his life time reading and thinking about our long history, religious teachings and great traditions. I asked Ruth what Ralph made of all of it. Ruth responded that Ralph had concluded that “God is a verb.” In other words, Judaism is about leading a righteous life and healing the world. What a thoughtful and simple synopsis of our religion. I had been asked by several people to identify the large bronze object that sits in our “Temple museum” connecting the entrance from the School Wing to the main entrance. I had no idea of the identity of the object which looks very exotic. I had not thought to ask Ruth until our meeting. Ruth explained to me that this large object held the eternal light at the old B’nai El at Clara and Delmar. There you have it.
Let me end by thanking all of the members for their support for the Congregation. It would be a great help for the Endowment Committee if the members would be proactive and call a Committee member for an appointment. Please start the necessary personal thought and conversations about your Endowment pledge.
The members of the B'nai El Endowment Committee and their phone numbers are:
Marci Rosenberg 636-227-9616
Bill Levin, 314-878-2119
Margie Sacks 314-569-3138
Art Bernstein 314-878-5688
Dave Siegel 314-432-8864
Shirley Schwartz 314-434-5396
Marcia Goldberg 314-727-6756
Bryan Loving 314-567-6282
Jim Singer 314-725-1993
Please be proactive. Call a member of the Committee to schedule your appointment.
March, 2007
The Official Kick Off of the 2007 Endowment Campaign
We have officially kicked off the 2007 B’nai El Endowment Campaign. We have an active Endowment Committee of Marci Rosenberg, Bill Levin, Shirley Schwartz, David Siegel, Art Bernstein, Margie Sacks, Marvin Wool, Jim Singer and Rabbi Plotkin.
I would like to briefly review with you our successes over the last five years. Most importantly, we hired Rabbi Daniel Plotkin who is committed to spending his career with us. In the time that I have worked with Rabbi Plotkin as an officer and as your President, I have marveled in what a remarkable young man we found. He is mature beyond his years, intelligent, a tireless worker, a creative thinker, and a mensch. I recall that when we were looking for a rabbi, the Rabbinic Search Committee told us that it maybe unrealistic to find a good young rabbi who would spend his career with the Congregation. Yet, this is exactly what we found with Rabbi Plotkin. He is completely committed to our Congregation.
At our recent leadership training program, URJ Midwest Director Rabbi Lane Steinger asked us to think about the first 125 years history of B’nai El when we had few rabbis and compare this with our last 25 years when we had a laundry list of rabbis. For the last 25 years, our members have justifiably longed for the connection to one rabbi who will teach us, marry us, bar/bat mitzvah our children, and be at our family funerals. With Rabbi Plotkin and Rachel we have found what has eluded us for the last 25 years.
We have also made tremendous progress towards achieving the Congregation’s long term financial stability. Our dues revenue continues to increase which reflects the confidence of our members in the Congregation. The Reform Jewish Academy is signed to a current lease which provides a more equitable distribution of the costs of maintaining our building and has brought increased revenue to the Congregation. The RJA has stated that they wish to make B’nai El their permanent home with a long term lease with the Congregation. We have accumulated almost $900,000 in the Endowment which is paying 5% interest to pay for Templecapital improvements.
We are at another important moment in our long history. Within the next several months, each of you will be contacted by a member of the Endowment Committee to schedule a solicitation meeting. If you want to be proactive, you may call one of the members of the Committee and schedule your Endowment solicitation meeting.
There are different ways that our members can choose to contribute to the Endowment. First, B’nai El now accepts Mastercard and Visa. You can earn frequent flyer points or other credit card points and make your Endowment contribution. Second, because of a short term change in the tax laws which was part of the Pension Protect Act of 2006, for calendar year 2007, members who are over 70 and ½ on a tax free basis may transfer up to $100,000 from an IRA to the Temple. This provides a special opportunity for some members to contribute to the Endowment. Finally, senior members may prefer to participate in the Endowment by providing for the Templein a will or estate plan. The Templewill provide interested members with expert advice if requested.
I want to end by thanking you for your past support of the Congregation, and for the opportunity that you have given me to serve as your President. It has been a very exciting time in our long and rich history. We need your help in finishing the job we started five years ago to ensure the long term future of our Congregation.
February, 2007
Some Thoughts on Congregation Leadership
On Sunday, January 21, 2007, the Congregation will be sponsoring a leadership training seminar with Rabbi Lane Steinger who is the Midwest Director of the Union of Reform Jews. Rabbi Steinger aptly fulfills the definition of the word “rabbi” as teacher. I am excited to participate in Rabbi’s Steinger’s program. I guarantee that each of you who attend will find this time well spent.
I have now served as President of the Congregation for over one year. This has given me the opportunity to come to a few conclusions of my own about Temple leadership. The new year is a time for resolutions and reflections. On the eve of Rabbi Steinger’s program, I wanted to share with you a few of on my thoughts about Temple leadership.
We must look to the future. B’nai El will continue to thrive if we engage our members in Jewish life today and in the future. The key is to look forward and not backwards. No one has a stronger past than the Jewish people in general and B’nai El in particular. While recognizing the importance of our traditions, we must focus on the future in order to continue our growth.
Ideas must have traction. Often members and committees become frustrated by the new ideas generated by brainstorming and the limited time and energy available to implement these ideas. We need to borrow the political concept of “traction.” Some ideas catch on and some don’t. Part of Temple leadership is identifying the projects that can engage the interests and energies of our membership, and letting go of the projects that don’t.
Our members seek spiritual joy. As a religious organization, we need to be mindful of the joy that the Congregation brings to its members. Our members rightfully expect Congregational life to be different from the work day world. B’nai El should be a refuge from the stress and hassles of the outside world. We succeed in engaging our members when we provide spiritual joy.
Under Rabbi Plotkin’s leadership, we are reinventing B’nai El. Reform Judaism is a dynamic movement and is always evolving to adapt to changing times. We hired Rabbi Plotkin to bring in new ideas and to work with us to reinvent B’nai El to make the Congregation relevant for today’s Jewish people. Rabbi Plotkin has worked tirelessly to bring positive change to the Congregation. Rabbi’s Plotkin’s leadership paid off in 2006 with 8 new families joining the Congregation and the addition of 10 new children to our Religious School. However, all change meets some resistance. As with any organization in a state of change, it is important to express differing view points while recognizing the advantages brought forth by progress. B’nai El is making great strides.
How we make decisions is important. In making decisions at the Congregation, the right process is as important as the right answer. It is important for us to allow all of our members to express their points of view. Our Committee and Board meetings should focus on fostering a spirit of respect, openness and support for our members to express themselves. We should elicit opinions and listen to the members who are less inclined to speak up.
Taking a positive approach is important. We need to be positive. We have diverse view points which necessarily means that nobody will get their way all of the time. That is the nature of the Jewish people. We are encouraged to think and question by our faith. However, the Jews’ ability to survive for so many years is also due to our ability to come to terms with disagreement and move forward. We must focus our attention on solutions to problems rather than on merely pointing out a problem. Positive and proactive thinking will enable our Temple to evolve and prosper.
Let me end by expressing my optimism for the future of B’nai El, and my pride in being part of this organization. We have accomplished much in the last few years and we have every reason to be hopeful about our future.
Jim Singer
January, 2007
2006 State of the Congregation
(The following remarks were given by Jim Singer at the December 10, 2006 Annual meeting of the Congregation membership)
I am please to report that the state of B’nai El has improved this year from both a spiritual and financial standpoint. Our improvement is due to the leadership of Rabbi Dan Plotkin and the commitment and creativity of our members. I also want to thank Sue Baseley. In addition to being the heart of our temple administration, Sue is our property manager with our large and understandably demanding tenant, the Reform Jewish Academy. I would also like to honor three people at B’nai El who hold a special status in the hearts of our membership. The three are: Cantor Dan Brodsky, Tommie and Ron. I would also like to recognize your officers who served last year: Vice Presidents Larry Klenofsky, Shirley Schwartz, and Dave Siegel and; Secretary Debbie Branson and Assistant Secretary Art Bernstein; and Treasurer Mike Jacobson and Assistant Treasurer Emma Avgust. I also want to thank Past Presidents Margie Sacks and Marci Rosenberg who have remained engaged at the Temple and are ready and willing to serve in a time of need. It has been an honor and pleasure to serve as your President in 2006 and I look forward to continuing as President in 2007.
In listing our accomplishments in 2006, I am only hesitant that I have left out something that I was either unaware of or forgot about. The credit goes to all of you. Looking back, it has been a busy and productive year.
Here are some of our accomplishments in 2006:
1. As of last week, the Endowment had increased past $870,000 while paying out 5% income to fund capital expenditures.
2. We re-financed our debt at a favorable interest rate of 6.5% and are now paying off the principal accumulated debt which we have not done in recent years.
3. Thanks to Marci Rosenberg, we renewed our lease with the URJ which provided increased rental income to B’nai El.
4. Under the leadership of School Director Essie Mitchell, School Board Chairperson Rose Rifkin, the School Board and Rabbi Plotkin, the School enrolled 10 new children and implemented the new BERAH curriculum which is designed to foster a positive Jewish identity in children.
5. Eight new families joined B’nai El in 2006. Make a special effort to welcome our new members. Our new members in 2006 are:
Sandy Solomon, Trent and Liz Soldwish-Zoole, Essie Mitchell, Daniel and Michelle McKeown, Ann Kusher, Richard Glassman, Beth Wannemacher, and Bob Rosner and Carolyn McGinty
6. We started a Social Action Committee which has become very active under the leadership of Louise Levine.
7. Our Sisterhood started intergenerational programming which is key to keeping the Sisterhood as vibrant in the future as it is today.
8. We now have an active Membership and Marketing Committee under the leadership of Nancy Goodman.
9. The Brotherhood has been reactivated under the leadership of Bill Levin. The Brotherhood’s Shabbat service and dinner showed the great things that we can expect from the Brotherhood in the future.
10. We established a Long Range Planning Committee under the leadership of Reece Weingart and Marci Rosenberg. While the Committee has not yet made written recommendations, the brain storming that has taken place at these meetings has contributed a large part to our progress this year.
11. Rabbi Plotkin led the membership and Board in the drafting of a mission statement which the Board and our members approved.
12. Under the leadership of Nancy Goodman and Emma Avgust, the Board approved our first annual plan.
13. Shirley Schwartz has been appointed to the Board of the URJ which is the first time in recent years that B’nai El has had representation on the governing body which oversees the Reform Jewish movement.
14. Aaron and Nancy Goodman attended the URJ biennial meeting which is the first time in recent years that B’nai El sent delegates. This is a great source of new ideas.
15. After many years, we resumed the annual event of honoring congregants who have devoted their lives to our Congregation. This year’s honorees were Greta Forsman, and Harlene and Marvin Wool.
16. Rabbi Plotkin has set up a blog on our webpage which I hope will become a much used forum for our members to discuss their views and experiences on Jewish related topics.
Coming up in early 2007 (the month of January), we will be:
1. Engaging in leadership training on Sunday, January 21 from noon to 4pm in a program put together by Rabbis Lane Steinger and Plotkin. I encourage all officers, Board members, Committee Chairs and members, and other members who are interested in learning about Jewish leadership to attend. Lunch will be served.
2. In January 2007, under the leadership of Marci Rosenberg and Bill Levin, we will be kicking off a new Endowment Campaign to encourage congregants to re-pledge with the original 5 year pledge ending and to have newer congregants who were not around in 2001 pledge.
3. Under the leadership of Marci and Marvin Wool, we will be negotiating with the RJA for a long term lease so that our Building under our ownership will be the long term home of B’nai El and the RJA.
4. Rabbi and Rachel will be having their first child in January.
5. Under the leadership of Buddy Loebner, on Saturday, January 27, the Fundraising Committee will be sponsoring Trivia Night which will be bigger and better than last year and which is a major fundraising event for the Congregation.
I invite each of you to get active in 2007.
Jim Singer
December, 2006
A Lesson from Argentina
Imagine a run on all banks; a freezing of bank accounts; and when the banks reopen, accounts are reduced to 30 cents on the dollar (or peso). Jews as well as non-Jews lose everything. How does a congregation pay for the operating expenses of a temple when an entire Jewish community has lost everything?
Imagine a Jewish community center being bombed by agents of the Iranian government with 80 resulting deaths. How do Jews openly practice their religion when fellow Jews in your own city have been murdered simply because they are Jews?
Welcome to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
On Shabbat, November 10, Janet and I had the fortuitous opportunity of joining the URJ Mission to Latin Americain Buenos Aires. We met the mission at TempleIsrael, the oldest non-orthodox Jewish congregation in Buenos Aires. The current Templebuilding was constructed in 1920 when Argentinawas at the heights of its wealth, and was designed in the model of the great synagogues of Europe, many of which were destroyed in the Holocaust. My first impression was that the building had been magnificent years ago. However, now it was worn around the edges and the congregation had suffered a significant decline.
The URJ mission gathered into a meeting room where Rabbi Sergio Bergman addressed the group in English (his second language). In an hour presentation, Rabbi Bergman explained how the Jews of Argentina were creating a community under difficult circumstances. He explained that the Jews of Argentina were the same people as the Jews of the United Statesexcept that we Americans had been fortunate that our relatives had immigrated north while the Argentines’ relatives had come south. Many of the civic and charitable practices that we take for granted in the United Statesare not known in Argentina.
Even though Argentinahas moved from dictatorship to democracy, it remains a country with a “strong man” government where there is no tradition of an open public debate of important issues.
According to Rabbi Bergman, Argentinahas no tradition of charitable giving, and that the wealthy take from the community instead of supporting community organizations. Rabbi Bergman explained that these attributes of Argentine society permeate into the Jewish community.
Rabbi Bergman explained that while the Jewish people have a tremendous tradition going back 5000 years, the true challenge of Judaism is: What does it mean to be a Jew today and in the future? Unlike the Orthodox, as Reform Jews, we seek to integrate with the non-Jewish society and to consider non-Jews as our brothers and sisters. However, in seeking to integrate, we Reform Jews want to avoid assimilation into the larger secular society. A successful Jewish community must fulfill the spiritual needs of its members.
In spite of all of these challenges, I am pleased to report that TempleIsraelof Buenos Airesis thriving. After our meeting with Rabbi Bergman, Friday night services started. The sanctuary was full of people (I estimated 250) of all generations. The service was conducted in Spanish and Hebrew (Janet and I didn’t understand a word of it), and it was thoroughly enjoyable. The service was a continuous musical feast (we were given a cd of the music) with both female and male cantors, and a youth chorus. After services, we moved to the social hall where we had dinner and a continuation of the service which went on until about midnight.
I left Temple Israel of Buenos Aires feeling that I had been privileged to meet Rabbi Bergman, to hear him speak in English, and to participate in the Shabbat service. Our problems at B’nai El pale in comparison to the challenges faced by TempleIsrael. TempleIsraelof Buenos Airesis living proof that a congregation will thrive when it meets the spiritual needs of the Jewish people. We Jews have faced many difficult situations during our long history in many different nations and times. Let’s keep our problems of B’nai El in context (we are really very fortunate), and let’s continue to strive to create a spiritual community which will touch the lives of our members. If we can do this, we will share the success of our Jewish brothers and sisters in Buenos Aires.
Jim Singer
October, 2006
Our Mission
(This column is based on the President’s Speech to the Congregation at Kol Nidre Services)
The High Holidays is a time for introspection and reflection.
Some years ago, Rabbi Steinger told me that B’nai El’s challenge was to find its special purpose. Rabbis are many times like therapists. They ask good questions, but won’t give you the answer even if you beg them. Rabbi Steinger’s question is like the riddle of the Sphinx. Of course, another view is that it is the journey in answering the question that counts, and not necessarily the final destination.
Consider our geography. There is a spot in Frontenac somewhere between Conway and Ladue Roads and a little west of Spoede where you could draw a circle with a one mile radius and probably enclose four Reform Congregations.
Consider the demographics. We live in a St. Louis Jewish community that is not growing. Many of us have a notion that the ideal new member is the Jewish equivalent of Ozzie and Harriett from the 1950’s with two classic Reform Jewish parents with two children. In our Long Range Planning Committee we have learned that only about 30% of Jews fit within the traditional Jewish family unit of a husband and wife who are both Jewish and have at least two children. When I attended the URJ Scheidt Seminar along with 110 new temple presidents from the U.S. and Canada, I learned that only 50% of this group were raised in a classic reform Jewish background.
I am pleased to report that over the last year, there has been much brain storming on the future of B’nai El in three separate but inter-related processes.
First, when I became President in January, my first official act was to establish a Long Range Planning Committee which is chaired by Reece Weingart and Marci Rosenberg. In the past, the temple officers had considered long range planning as part of the day to day operations of the Temple. I asked the Committee to devote itself solely to developing long range goals and projects for the Congregation.
Second, late in the Spring of this year, Rabbi Plotkin proposed to the Board that we engage the entire membership in developing a mission statement. Many of you participated in the parlor meetings and then completed questionnaires on proposed mission statements.
Third, also in the Spring, Nancy Goodman, one of our new active members, asked about whether the Congregation had an annual plan. I was not sure what this was, but Nancy assured me that with an annual plan, our programming and participation would improve. We began another process of planning the Temple’s activities for the period September 2006 through September 2007 which involved all of the Committees and the Board.
The Rabbi has asked me to talk about the mission statement project. The mission statement has benefited from the two other planning processes that have been going on at the same time.
While a recommended mission statement has not yet been submitted to the Board and ultimately the membership, where we are headed is a recommendation that B’nai El’s special purpose (its mission) is to engage our members in different facets of Jewish life. This plays to our advantage as a small to mid-size congregation. It also appeals to a spiritual longing of all people to be part of a community.
More importantly, this mission to engage our members in Jewish life rings true with our own sense of who we are. Many times I have heard members and others say: “B’nai El is the family congregation” or “B’nai El is a place where you can be yourself.” Also, we have many members who care passionately about what goes on at B’nai El. This passion is something you may not see in some other reform congregations.
I could not end this article without mentioning the Endowment because it fits so neatly with our draft mission statement. Harlene and Marvin Wool and most of our entire membership were certainly engaged when they performed the mitzvah of establishing and supporting the Endowment. With the fifth anniversary of the Endowment, it will be part of the Congregation’s mission to engage our members in a renewal of support for the Endowment so that the Endowment can play an even bigger role in securing our financial future.
I hope that you had a happy and uplifting High Holiday.
Jim Singer
September, 2006
Dog Days of Summer: Difficult days to be a Jew, but much good going on at the Congregation.
These are troubling times to be a Jew. Israel is engaged in a two front war with Hamas and Hezbollah. Both organizations advocate the destruction of the State of Israel and are not interested in a “two state” solution. These groups are being financed and armed by Iran which seeks to erase Israel off the map. In planning for High Holy Days, I am told that it is necessary to arrange for an armed police guard so that our members feel safe. With war and peace, there is little that we can do other than watch events unfold and be grateful and we live in a country that is relatively free of the anti-semitic hatred which has gripped much of the world. In the midst of these disturbing events, daily life goes on at B’nai El. We are making major steps to make the Congregation a better religious community.
There is a concerted effort at B’nai El to get organized and define our special purpose. At the same time, we are writing a mission statement, a long range plan, and an annual plan.
The drafting of a mission statement is an effort to define the congregation’s purpose in one or two sentences. A clear mission statement will help guide future Temple activities. All congregants were invited to attend one in a series of mission statement parlor meetings. From the parlor meetings, a Mission Statement Task Force of Brian Loving, Ralph Willen, Dan Friedman, Margie Sacks, David Siegel, Bill Levin, and I sifted through the materials from the parlor meetings, and drafted five versions of a mission statement which are now being circulated to the congregation for further comments. Once the members have responded, the Task Force will meet again in an effort to recommend one or more mission statements to the Board and, assuming Board approval, to the Temple membership at the December 2006 annual meeting.
Early in 2006, I established a Long Range Planning Committee which is chaired by Marci Rosenberg and Reece Weingart. This Committee is made up of Bill Levin, Dan Friedman, David Zar, Larry Sparks, Bob Rifkin, David Siegel and myself. The Committee is currently considering what motivates unaffiliated Jews to join a congregation, and how can the congregation differentiate itself from other area Reform Jewish congregations.
Annual planning was an idea whose time had come as congregational activities increased. The goal of annual planning is to work off a single master calendar for the upcoming planning year, September 2006 through September 2007. Annual planning will avoid scheduling conflicts. More importantly, it will provide our various committees with opportunities to work together on events which will make the events better. At the July Board meeting, Nancy Goodman and Emma Avgust led a workshop for the Board and committee chairs. The committee chairs are now to go back to the committees and plan out the committee events for the next year. At the September Board meeting, the Board will hold another work shop with the goal of completing the annual plan. The annual plan will be posted on the congregation’s website and otherwise made available to the members.
It is important for B’nai El to reconnect with its roots in the Reform Jewish movement by getting active in the Union of Reform Judaism. Remember, B’nai El is a founding congregation of the Reform Jewish movement. We have two opportunities coming up to get active in the URJ. The URJ’s Midwest board is open for nominations with a September 1 deadline. The URJ is also conducting its Midwest Biennial Conference in Kansas City on November 2 and 3. Both of these present opportunities to get active in the URJ and bring new, fresh ideas back to congregation life. Please contact me if you are interested.
The process for nominating Temple Board members and officers will be starting soon with Margie Sacks serving as Chair of the Nominating Committee. If you are interested in serving in a leadership position, please contact Margie or me.
There are changes taking place at the Temple. If you visit the office, you’ll see that we have split the office in two with the Reform Jewish Academy (RJA) taking half the space. This makes for more cramped Temple office quarters, but it is another step in the Temple sharing the Building with the RJA and increasing our rental income. We are pursuing discussions with Ner Shardah, a Reconstructionist Jewish congregation, to share our Building with them for the High Holy Days and Saturdays for a four month trial period. It is our hope that this will result in joint programming opportunities between the two congregations.
The Sisterhood is pursuing efforts to engage in intergenerational programming with a meeting scheduled for appeal to all women on Sunday, September 17 at noon.
I want to hear from the Temple membership. I am interested in knowing your views on “how are we doing” here at B’nai El. I encourage suggestions, constructive or otherwise. We don’t have an old fashion suggestion box here at the Temple. However, I invite your suggestions by email, letter or phone call to me. My email address is jis@schuchatcw.com.
July/August 2006 -- Thank you Harlene, Marvin and Greta
On Sunday, June 25, 2006 B’nai El Congregation awarded to Harlene and Marvin Wool and to Greta Forsman the Ner Tamid Award which recognizes special service to the Congregation. The last recipients of this Award were Ruth and Norman Goldberg. While we have an excellent and dedicated professional staff, it is nevertheless true that most of the activities at the Congregation would not take place without the efforts of volunteers who both give of their time and their financial support. When viewed in the context of our relatively small size, the number of volunteers and volunteer hours of service at B’nai El are amazing. Our volunteer hours prove that B’nai El is a religious community which touches the lives of its members. Because we serve a number of congregants with limited means, we are especially dependent on the generosity of our members to financially support the Temple.
The recipients of the Ner Tamid Award stand out as examples to all of us for service to the Congregation. Harlene and Marvin Wool believed in B’nai El at our lowest hour and provided the financial support to get us to where we are today. Without the Wools, the doors at B’nai El would have closed years ago. The Wools had the vision to start the B’nai El Endowment Fund which today provides $40,000 a year to pay for necessary capital improvements in our physical plant. The Wools also established the B’nai El Rabbinic Fund which allows B’nai El to employ a full-time Rabbi. The Wools’ support has been far beyond financial. Harlene and Marvin actively participated in the process of finding Rabbi Plotkin who in the last two years have overseen a renewal of congregational life at B’nai El. Marvin is a Past President of the Congregation and Harlene has been active in the Sisterhood for many years.
When I think of Greta Forsman, I think of a caring, giving person who is always willing to volunteer and lead at any time of need. Greta is always looking out for B’nai El. As Maryellen McSweeney told me when she took over the Library from Greta, there would have been no B’nai El Library without Greta. When I became an officer of the Congregation, I recall at a Board meeting that Greta asked if the younger officers were consulting with the past presidents. When I told her that we were working with Norman Goldberg (I forgot now what the topic was), Greta reminded us to be sure to listen to Norman and do what he said. Recently, Greta has been battling a serious illness which requires that she turn over some of her
Temple responsibilities to others. We want to thank Greta for all of her service, caring, and looking out for all of us here at B’nai El.
I am thrilled that so many members of our B’nai El family attended this great event. Janet and I had to be at an out of town wedding. Marci Rosenberg has graciously agreed to preside at the Award ceremony and served as acting President in my absence. I looked forward to hearing the report of the event when I returned to St. Louis. The Temple served a very nice brunch in honor of Harlene, Marvin and Greta. What could be a more fitting tribute to Harlene and Marvin than for each Congregant to make a special contribution to the B’nai El Endowment in the Wools’ name. Similarly, please consider a special Tribute to the Library, the Sisterhood or the Endowment in Greta’s name. The day was truly a wonderful way of saying thank you to Harlene, Marvin and Greta.
June, 2006 -- What I learned at the Scheidt Seminar
During the weekend of April 20, 2006, I had the opportunity to attend the URJ Scheidt Seminar outside of Atlanta for 110 new congregation presidents. The URJ professionals were inspirational, and my head was swimming with all of the new ideas. I want to “spread the word”. Here are 10 ideas that I got out of the Seminar, some big and some small.
1. 50% of the Reform Jews do not come from a Reform Jewish background. We come from conservative, orthodox, and conversions. This diversity of backgrounds reflects why we have different expectations for our religious services. We were not all raised as classical Reform Jews.
2. People come to religious services for different, incompatible reasons. Some people seek solitude and meditation. Other people seek community. The Rabbi may tailor a portion of the service to one person while the other person will not like it. Some people enjoy the presence of children as building on a religious community. Other people may view children as interfering with solitude and meditation.
3. Five good questions to ask ourselves:
· First, how does it feel to be a stranger here?
· Second, do I feel safe and secure here? This means psychological security.
· Third, do I feel that I am made in the image of God here?
· Fourth, is there a culture of honor in the congregation? At Board and Committee meetings, do people listen to each other even if they don’t agree?
· Fifth, is there pervasive “menschleikeit” (good will and graciousness)?
4. We are not alone at B’nai El. We are part of an inspirational, energetic and talented Reformed Jewish movement. We need to reconnect with that movement to get new ideas and inspiration. I would like us to encourage officers and Board members to attend URJ events. For those of you who use the internet, I encourage you to visit the URJ website at http://urj.org/index.cfm Visit the website and sign up for a URJ listserv.
5. While Jews tend to be a consensus people, decisions cannot be made by consensus. Otherwise, a small minority can prevent progress.
6. New members join congregations for the people not because of programming.
7. A congregation has a culture. It is important for the members and the leaders to be aware of the stated culture including the artifacts that appear in the interior of the building, and the unstated cultural assumptions. Imagine how a new member reacts to a Congregation’s culture. For example, collective memories of past rabbis, the prior buildings, etc.
8. A test of Congregational leadership is the ability to state an unstated assumption of a Congregation’s culture, bring the assumption to light, and see if the assumption can be changed. This is a tough one. Here is my best effort: We need to be aware of the collective scars left by 25 years of declining membership and believe that we now have taken charge of own destiny.
9. The test of fund raising is whether the input of time and energy is worth the monetary results. This doesn’t mean that an activity should be canceled because it doesn’t raise much money. For example, a Purim carnival is fun. It is not a fund raiser. Another key to fundraising is the “ask.” Fundraising for the Congregation is a great mitzvah.
10. Robert’s Rules were written by a French Huguenot. If it had been written by a Jew, it would have been 10 volumes. We shouldn’t over rely upon Robert’s Rules.
If you would like a complete copy of 26 pages of my notes from the Scheidt Seminar, please email me for an electronic copy at jis@schuchatcw.com or call the Temple Office for a hardcopy. While my notes are not well edited, the notes are full of many more ideas than I had space for in this column.
May, 2006 -- The B’nai El Endowment
We are nearing the fifth anniversary of the B’nai El Endowment. I wanted to take this opportunity to review with our new members the history of the Endowment and reiterate the important role that the Endowment plays in our future.
For some years, B’nai El has faced the financial challenge of being a small to medium size congregation which provides a full range of services. In addition, many of our members are either seniors living on a fixed income, or young families with many demands on their incomes. Membership dues pay about40% of the cost of operating the Congregation.
During the summer of 2001, a group of officers and members began to plan for the then new B’nai El Endowment which would provide on a long term basis income to supplement the Congregation’s dues. During the High Holidays of 2001, the Endowment Campaign started. The Campaign was kicked off by an incredibly generous matching grant by Harlene and Marvin Wool of $500,000. Congregants were solicited to make 5 years pledges to the Endowment. The Endowment had recognition levels of: $100-$999; $1,000-$4999; $5,000-$9,999; $10,000-$14,999; $15,000-$19,999; $20,000-$34,999; and $35,000 and up. As you walk into the Sanctuary, you will see the contributors to the Endowment.
From the beginning, a commitment was made to the Congregation that the Endowment principal would not be used to pay operating expenses. At the Congregational meeting two years ago, the Endowment Bylaw was amended to limit use of Endowment income to pay for capital improvements. With a large building to maintain, the Endowment income has helped pay for a new roof, a new boiler, new air conditioning, and other necessary building improvements.
Since the summer of 2005, Endowment investments have been actively managed by Sparrow Capital Management, an investment management firm located in St. Louis County. The Endowment is invested in a balanced portfolio of equities (stocks) and fixed income. Currently, 5% of Endowment earnings are paid on a quarterly basis to the Congregation. The balance of the earnings remains in the Endowment to protect the principal from inflation and to ensure future growth. Our congregants have already given almost $400,000 which has been matched by Harlene and Marvin Wool. Our goal to hit $1,000,000 is within our reach with your continued help.
The Endowment is currently administered by two membership Committees. The Endowment Investment Committee is chaired by Alan Shaffer and Milton Levin. Sam Wool and Jim Singer also serve on this Committee. The Endowment Investment Committee worked with Sparrow Capital to develop investment guidelines and meets with Sparrow Capital twice a year to monitor and review the Endowment’s investment performance.
The Endowment Committee is chaired by Larry Klenofsky and Marcia Goldberg. Norman Goldberg serves as honorary chair. Other Committee members are Debbie Branson and Shirley Schwartz. The Endowment Committee’s mission is to grow the Endowment through continued membership participation. There are a number of ways that members can participate in the Endowment. New members or members who never pledged should consider making a pledge. Matching monies remain from the original Wool grant. For each dollar that you pledge, the Wool grant will match your dollar with another dollar paid to the Endowment.
Many of the members who pledged have either completed their 5-year pledge or are in the process of completing it. It is important that pledges be paid. If you completed your pledge, we ask that you consider re-pledging. By adding to your pledge, you can move up the recognition ranks of the Endowment. For example, if you contributed $2,500 to the Endowment and pledge an additional $2,500, you will be moved to the $5,000-$9,999 recognition category. For our senior members who are reluctant to part with assets that are being relied upon to provide support in retirement, we ask that you consider providing for the Endowment in your wills. The Wools will match an Endowment pledge appearing in a will. For our members who have limited means consider this: A $5 per week pledge to the Endowment is matched by the Wools; this will result in $10 per week, $520 per year and over $2,500 over a 5 year period. It all adds up.
The Endowment remains as important today as it did 5 years ago when it started. In our Long Range Planning Committee meetings, the discussions keep coming back to the Endowment, the central role that it plays in funding Temple operations, and the need to make the Endowment grow. The last 5 years have witnessed the rebirth of B’nai El with the hiring of Rabbi Plotkin. Both Rabbi Plotkin and Rachel have thrown themselves into the job with incredible energy, creativity and results. B’nai El is being revived before our eyes. As one member told me, there is now a “buzz” at the Congregation. The Endowment is an important way that all of us can participate in the rebirth of B’nai El. On behalf of the entire Congregation, I want to end by thanking each and every member who has participated in the Endowment, and hope that this letter will encourage everyone to participate.
