January 2010 It's hard to believe it's now 2010 and four months have already passed since Rosh Hashanah. At that time, I addressed the Congregation and, among other things, committed to you that we would work hard in the coming months to re-energize our programming for families and youth - groups within our larger Beth Tzedec family who are essential to our future - and that we would actively solicit your thoughts about Beth Tzedec today, and your vision for the Beth Tzedec of years to come. Here is an update on our work, so far:

Our Year-To-Date: Programming Successes Weekend after weekend, our building this fall was filled with the prayers and songs, shouts and laughter of children, teens and young adults. We are grateful for the excellent support of our Klei Kodesh and professional staff, and for the efforts of our dedicated volunteers, all of whom worked together to deliver high-quality, relevant programs, including two musical Family Kabbalat Shabbat Programs and a Beth Tzedec/Camp Ramah dinner and Oneg Shabbat, all held in November, our Family Chanukah celebration which we co-hosted with USDS, and this year, for the first time, Beth Tzedec's December 25th Family Fun Day, which provided more than 200 members and friends in the community with a vibrant, creative, action-packed Jewish destination for their children. We are also pleased to report that a Task Force on Youth has been formed, and it will begin meeting in the coming weeks, under the leadership of Ellen Kachuck-Rosenbluth and Laura Orzy. As a Congregation, we participated in a "Weekend of Twinning" of Mosques and Synagogues across North America and Europe on November 14th. Rabbi Frydman-Kohl hosted Imam Abdul Hai Patel, Director of Interfaith Relations at the Canadian Council of Imams who joined him for a pulpit dialogue, as well as in subsequent discussions with members. You will find Imam Patel's enthusiastic letter of appreciation on page 19 of the Beth Tzedec Bulletin. Later that week, Beth Tzedec hosted a speical and widely sponsored community event featuring Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, a Palestinian-Gazan physician who practised medicine in Israel and is now on faculty at the University of Toronto School of Public Health. Dr. Abulaish spoke to a packed room of more than 400 people on "Building Bridges of Healing Between Israelis and Palestinians." Also in November, Beth Tzedec was honoured to host the Toronto community's annual Kristallnacht commemoration. Our Family Outreach Initiative Over the busy (and snowy) week before Chanukah, approximately 550 Beth Tzedec families received Chanukah gift bags at their door, thanks to our highly motivated volunteers and office staff. The packages included items to help families celebrate the holidays on the Jewish calendar for the balance of the year, with a reminder of the dates and descriptions of the engaging programs planned for Families and Youth. Special thanks to the Beth Tzedec Men's Club for providing us with the Chanukah candles, and to the Beth Tzedec Sisterhood for providing funding for the b'dikat chametz kits. We are also very grateful to the Beth Tzedec office staff for their hard work in assembling the packages and readying them for delivery, and to all of the volunteers who hand-delivered these packages to our families. Discussion Forums: Thanks for Your Valuable Input As promised, we held two discussion forums in November and December at which members were encouraged to attend and share their thoughts, concerns and hopes about the future of our Synagogue. We were happy to meet with more than 50 members, representing a broad cross-section of ages, interests, family stages and years of membership. During these sessions, participants shared their views, questions, concerns and aspirations about our congregation, our building, our services and programs, the role of women in public prayer, as well as our affiliations within the Conservative movement and our local community. We appreciate the time invested by those of you who attended, and by members who have taken the time to talk to us in person, and by email. We value your honest opinions and heartfelt hopes for Beth Tzedec's future, as we consider together our Shul's place in our lives, in the lives of our family, and our larger role in the local and world-wide Conservative community.   Our Current Challenges Your Board, Executive, and professional staff are continuing their diligent work to measure and manage the financial crisis we face as an organization. We are reviewing all aspects of our operations, our partnerships, our spending and sources of funds. We are strategically assessing the full spectrum of services that we provide as a congregation against our aspirations and needs, in the context of the realities of today's community and marketplace. Like so many not-for-profit organizations today, Beth Tzedec suffers from negative cash flow in our day-to-day operations. At the same time, our mid-1950s landmark building, designed with systems having a lifespan of only 50 years, confronts us with the constant challenge of unscheduled expenses. Beyond basic maintenance, increasingly large amounts of capital are needed to replace and upgrade our deteriorating and obsolete building systems, as well as for safety improvements and compliance with current building codes. The results of this critical review are essential to our short-term viability; they will also be informing our Stragetic Plan. Our Strategic Planning Committee is charged with creating a comprehensive roadmap for Beth Tzedec's future. In it, we will outline our current situation, and explore carefully considered strategic options and scenarios, necessary to ensure a secure, vital place for Beth Tzedec in our community. Once this important document is completed, we plan to distribute it to you by email, and we will announce the date of a Town Hall meeting to discuss it, in order to ensure you have the opportunity for your questions, comments, and concerns to be heard and addressed. Email: Your Vital Beth Tzedec Connection To ensure that you are always 'in the loop,' it is essential that we have your up-to-date email contact information. Your email address on file allows us to communicate with you regularly, through our Weekly Email Updates, as well as guaranteeing you receive timely messages and important documents - such as the upcoming Strategic Planning Report - at great savings to our operations, and with sensitivity to the environment. Please send your preferred email addresses to Terri Humphries by clicking here or by calling her at 416 781-3514, ext. 212. Of course, you may request printed copies of any documents or publications from our office. What's Next? Shabbat Shira, Tu B'Shvat and Purim are coming, and we hope to see you here at Beth Tzedec for the many events for members of all ages detailed on this Bulletin's cover! As always, we want your feedback about what you think, what you've seen, what you've heard, what you'd like to see and hear. Please email me at president@beth-tzedec.org, or contact Carolyn Kolers, Chair of the Board, at chair@beth-tzedec.org. You may also get in touch with either us by phone, leaving a message at the synagogue office, and we will get back to you. We hope to continue hearing from your - please stay in touch. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2010.   Norman Kahn President, Beth Tzedec Congregation P.S. As you may recall, my October 19, 2009 letter to Prime Minister Harper, congratulating his government for its principaled decision to instruct our delegates to leave the UN General Assembly as the Prime Minister of Iran rose to speak, appeared in the last bulletin. Please see Mr. Harper's response to me on Page 10 of the Beth Tzedec Bulletin.