Carol Safran, Executive Director April, 2012
It’s April! The days are getting longer. The weather is balmy. Passover is on the way. What does this all mean to a synagogue Executive Director? It must be time to put together next year’s calendar!
Looking back on the year that is drawing to a close, I’m amazed by the amount of programming and activity that we’ve packed in so far. We’ve enjoyed wine and cheese and fun hors d’oeuvres on Friday nights. We’ve celebrated the New Year with beautifully spiritual worship Services led by our incomparable Rabbi Alon and the beautiful voice of Cantor Tanya. We’ve had fun holiday celebrations, too, from a July 4th barbecue to kick off the summer, to a fabulously fun Chanukah party and an awesome Purim Celebration. Our weekly Tuesday Night of Learning covered scintillating topics. We discovered and ate delicious food at the TBA Gourmet in January. February’s Movie Nights ranged from the serious to the silly. We hosted nationally reknowned authors, Cokie and Steve Roberts, as well as Sylvia Rouss. Our Parent Education Workshops brought experts on a wide variety of issues for young families. We’ve helped homeless families get back on their feet through Family Promise, fed the hungry at St. George’s, and cleaned the beaches. We’ve provided important information and support to cancer survivors and previvors, caregivers, and sufferers of fibromyalgia. Our Religious School families celebrated Tu B’Shevat, the holiday of the trees, with an engaging, fun, and educational program at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. We’ve played mah jongg. We’ve studied sacred texts on Thursday afternoons and discussed important books at TBA’s Book Club. We’ve celebrated our dedicated members at the Men’s Club Man of the Year Brunch honoring John Marzina and the PTO’s Spring Fling honoring Liz and Brian Cohn. We’ve hosted each other with great food and fun at Progressive Dinners. Of course we also celebrated Shabbat together in many, many ways, too. There was Sephardic Shabbat, Shabbat on the beach, Light Up Shabbat, Kids Shabbat, Camp Shabbat, Sisterhood Shabbat and Choir Shabbat. And we haven’t even gotten to Yom HaAtzmaut yet.
Trust me, there were even more great things happening at Temple this year; they’re just too numerous to list.
So as I’m looking forward to planning the calendar for next year, I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has made this year such an incredible success. First, a special shout out to all our congregants who proposed great new ideas and then made them happen: Amy Shainman for organizing an amazing panel discussion on BRCA genes; Norma Alkon for forming and facilitating our Caregivers Support Group; Nava Viniar for creating and running TBA Gourmet; Mary and David Elias (and their committee and hosts) for making the Progressive Dinners happen; Debby Baker, Audrey Ades and Lois Remick for bringing Family Promise to our congregation; Harvey Silverman and the Men’s Club for organizing fun nights out at local restaurants; Joan Weinberger for running the weekly mah jongg game, and Krista Alterman for creating a beautiful Autumn atmosphere in the Temple lobby to enhance our celebration of the Fall holidays.
Many, many thanks also to all the other TBA members who put so much time and effort into making our ongoing programs successful and to our Board of Directors for their leadership. And thank you to outgoing Sisterhood President, Anita Tuber. There are tons more people who deserve thanks. Unfortunately, there are simply too many of you to name individually. If you’re in this group, I hope you know how much you are appreciated. Without you, TBA would not be the great congregation that we are.
I’d like you to join me in thanking our staff for always going above and beyond and never limiting themselves to what’s “required”, but always stepping and doing “whatever it takes”. A huge “todah rabah” to Cantor Tanya, Paula Deakter, David Sherman, Carol Sleeper, Margot Hauser, Debbie Baseman, Sara Ward, Joey Abrin, Alfredo Montes, and all the teachers in the Preschool, Religious School and Shalom Chai. It is a rare pleasure to work with such a caring and dedicated group. As for Rabbi Alon, I don’t know what to say. “Thank you” seems like too small a sentiment for all he does for all of us in a million different ways.
So, back to next year’s calendar. It’s going to be a real challenge to top this year, but with your help I know we can do it! If there’s something you’d like to make happen at TBA, give me a call or send me an email (csafran@templebetham.com). I can’t wait to hear from you!