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My thanks without measure go to my colleagues on your Board of Governors and Executive for their unstinting commitment to service and constructive collaboration during a demanding year of change. I am also deeply grateful to our talented and tireless Klei Kodesh and our dedicated professional and office staff who have been essential partners in navigating through transition, especially during this interim period as we work to hire our new Executive Director.
To our Committee chairs and Task Force heads, all Committee members, and our many volutneers who have supported Beth Tzedec throughout the year, thank you all for bringing our synagogue to life, through programming and services. Thanks also to all of you who worked so incredibly hard to produce our sold-out Purim shpiel which engaged so many members - on stage and behind the scenes. And thanks to our Past Presidents who have provided sage advice on a myriad of issues over the course of the year.
Thanks as well to those of you who have joined in conversation with us about our future - encouragingly, critically, and constructively - by attending discussion forums, and taking the time to talk to us in person, by phone or by email. Your input is necessary and appreciated, and it has enriched our Strategic Planning process, from its earliest stages. This ongoing process, guided by our excellent volunteer committee, is expected to deliver, within a year's time, a fully developed blueprint for our future. That committee's work moves into its next phase of focus group research and consultations in June. And we are all benefiting from a revitalized Ritual and Religious Services Committee, which has been meeting regularly since the fall.
In a year when we have begun to address the critical challenges of funding operations and growth, the value of your membership contributions, generous donations and special gifts is greater than ever. Thank you all for ensuring our continued ability to serve our members. To this year's Friends of Beth Tzedec in particular, I offer my thanks and admiration: your increased numbers and commitment sustain and inspire us all.
After announcing our strategic priorities last September, I am gratified at the substantial progress we have made over the past months in the vitally important areas of youth and family programming. Planning is under way for enhancements to the substance and structure of next year's program offerings, building on this past year's successes, such as our new Family Fun Day on December 25, which saw an unprecedented number of member and community families participating in a variety of programs spread around our shul, and our recent third annual Mitzvah Day which also exceeded expectations. Our family Friday night dinners and Kabbalat Shabbat programs have sold out consistently; we are planning more! In addition, a special task force on youth and young adults, whose focus includes our Bar/Bat Mitzvah program, has worked diligently to solicit input, consider best practices and deliver recommendations. Our planning for next year will incorporate many of those suggestions, as well.
Our stated commitment to strategic partnerships has led to a revitalized relationship with USDS, now known as Robbins Hebrew Academy (RHA). You will see their new signs, and our new flags, on the west (school/parking lot) entrance to our building. Realizing that we share more than a roof has benefited us in joint program development and marketing, and we are engaged in exploring new ways to cooperate, collaborate and enrich our shared commitments to Conservative Judaism, quality education, and the building of a vibrant destination for our children and youth.
We are in the process of making changes in our Congregational School. Watch for its relaunch this summer and fall, featuring Sunday classes, with smaller group study mid-week focused on Hebrew tutoring. Our new model offers the possibility of having classes off-site with a choice of mid-week days, depending on the preferences of the students, grouped according to their level of Hebrew instruction. We're very excited about these new innovations!
A newly recruited Marketing and Communications design professional joined us in April, and we are working hard to assess and design all our communications materials, in print and online, for relevance, consistency and our members' ease of use. You'll notice our bulletin looking different already, and we will shortly field a member survey about Beth Tzedec's print and electronic communications, including our Website, which will provide us with key member input into the re-design of all our communications vehicles. This year's innovations in communcation-from our comprehensive Beth Tzedec Program Guide distributed last fall, to the new and soon-to-improve weekly e-blast-will continue, as technology upgrades and new design templates come online. Your suggestions and feedback are, and will always be, welcome.
Finally, I know you all join me in wishing a special Mazal Tov to our Ritual Director, Lorne Hanick, on two special milestones: his 50th birthday, and ten years' service to Beth Tzedec. Plans are under way for a special tribute to Lorne next fall.
Over the seven weeks of counting the omer, we study Pirkei Avot, in which Rabbi Tarfon teaches, "The day is short, and the task is great..." We have done much together since our mandate began nearly 12 short months ago, yet much remains to be done. The pressing need for change at Beth Tzedec has inspired so many of us to action. Thank you for devoting your resources, creativity, industry and passion-over so many precious hours-to the work of sustaining and re-creating our shul as a vibrant, relevant and viable destination for this generation, and for generations to come.
As we have just marked the end of the sfirah, it is my hope that you had a sweet, inspired Shavuot. My wife, Jackie, joins me in wishing you a wonderful and safe summer. Beth Tzedec never sleeps; we are always here to serve you. We look forward to welcoming you at daily and Shabbat services over the coming months, and we encourage your participation in shaping your shul in the year ahead.
With sincere thanks for the opportunity to serve,
Norman Kahn
President, Beth Tzedec Congregation
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