At Beth Tzedec, we’ve also been actively engaging in a great deal of ongoing change over an extended period of time. I’m sure it’s been met with excitement and concern, and sometimes a little of both, by everyone whose life is touched by our shul.
I know you will find that the ongoing operational changes will positively impact the experience you have in your dealings with the Synagogue: computer systems which were sorely out of date have now been updated; we have wireless access in the building; and our website redevelopment project is under way. Under the leadership of our Executive Director, Randy Spiegel (who has now been with us for eight months), we are continually working to improve how our administrative offices function, how we communicate with and serve our members, and how we work with our community to deliver excellence in everything we do.
Catering Update
We are pleased to officially welcome our new in-house caterer, Applause Catering, who will be serving us beginning January 1, 2012. We are confident that Applause understands what our members and the greater community are looking for: a diversity of menus, presentation styles and prices, with consistent excellence in terms of taste, delivery and service. We look forward to adding outstanding kosher food preparation and service to what Beth Tzedec offers as a Community Destination for Jewish Living.
In the coming months, I hope you will meet the Applause team and give them the opportunity to earn your trust and your business.
During the past month, the staff at Beth Tzedec (particularly our Property Manager, Brian Dias, with the support of his team) has put an enormous amount of energy into ensuring a smooth transition for the kitchen and catering offices, and I thank them wholeheartedly for their extensive efforts. Welcome, Applause Catering!
Why an Exclusive Caterer?
In response to our solicited feedback, many people have asked why we have not opted to move to a non- exclusive catering arrangement, where members may choose from several different caterers when booking an event at Beth Tzedec. The Catering Committee did consider that option and ultimately chose to continue the exclusive caterer model because our research told us that the model of engaging multiple caterers works best in smaller, less busy venues. Here, on any given Shabbat, there can be as many as four smahot happening concurrently for which catering services are required. The complexity of managing multiple caterers for multiple events out of a single kitchen would be logistically impossible. In addition, a multiple catering model requires that the host venue have dedicated staff members to monitor the use of the kitchen to ensure that all equipment is in working order after each event, arrange necessary repairs, and ensure our on-site stock of supplies and small wares is maintained. We concluded that an exclusive caterer will best serve our members and the greater community, allowing Beth Tzedec to provide consistent high-quality catered events throughout the year.
What's Next
As we begin 2012, we will delve back into the strategic planning process. If you would like to participate in one of our focus groups and offer your frank views about the kinds of changes you would (and would not) like to see at Beth Tzedec, please be in touch with me at president@beth-tzedec.org. Clearly, building a community, as we work with limited resources to meet the needs of so many members of our Synagogue family, is different from building a house. With your collective input, I am confident that the choices we make will leave us well set for the long term and bring us many years of enjoyment in what we hope you and your families will continue to think of as your second home. Please keep the feedback coming.
Best wishes to all of you for a happy, healthy and successful 2012.
