March 2013 President's Post

The congregational meeting on Sunday, March 24, in the social hall, at 9:30 a.m., will be more than the usual report from the Board of Trustees. Instead, we will engage in a congregational conversation. We want to know where you are in our rabbinic transition, and as we search for our new temple educator, we are interested to learn about your vision for our religious school. In addition, we can begin a courageous conversation on our commitment to the future success of our temple. This is not always easy, but is both important and, ultimately, a way to enrich our congregation.

Let us begin the courageous conversation by quoting Rabbi Aaron Bisno, who says: “The sacred ground upon which we have built our house is shifting beneath our feet.” Let’s admit that past assumptions about the sustainability of temple life is now undermined by new patterns of affiliation and changing demographics. It’s no secret that the profound economic downturn, coupled with the societal realities redefining our Jewish world, has resulted in dwindling synagogue membership.

Therefore, the expectation upon which our financial model and budget has long relied – membership fees and donations – is suspect. The costs associated with serving our temple community and the expense of operating our building increases each year, while the income we generate from membership dues and donations, at best, remains stable. This unworkable formula causes leadership to shift focus away from a transformative vision to merely one of sustainability. Most every Jewish institution and organization is grappling with what this will mean for its future, for its staff, and for its programming priorities.

As a house of worship and a holy community, we hold dear our spiritual values, and yet, when facing a financial challenge, we must display the courage to entertain difficult discussions even when we fear it may lead to difficult decisions. This includes considering shared services with other temples, supplementing our cost structure with more coordinated volunteer efforts, and reviewing all our options to create more cost effective programs. We must also find ways of creating new revenue streams from our building, and we must be aggressive in our fundraising.

We are faced with a budget deficit caused not by fiscal imprudence, but rather by the shifting ground beneath our feet. The deficit is not impossible to overcome. We must receive a communal helping hand to serve as a bridge, to gently place us safely on the other side, until our turnaround plans and new revenue streams begin to flow. The resulting three-year period may require certain visions and dreams to be deferred until our fiscal house is in order. Until then, we must be open-minded to imagine new possibilities, to consider new options, and to accept an inevitable new reality that, during more robust economic times, might have been unthinkable.

Let’s admit it; the ground is shifting. The purpose, the role, and the structure of synagogue life needs reimagining as alternative models of affiliation and participation are already emerging in our community. The innovations taking place on social media enable Jewish gatherings to occur in less formal settings. Congregations within movements are merging and congregations across movements are coexisting in one building.

As the landscape changes and evolves, one constant will always remain: Temple Beth El is a strong, cohesive community that has proven time and again to be resilient. In the past, whenever presented with a difficult hurdle, we faced it together and as one community we always prevailed – and we will prevail once more. Today’s challenge is great, the need is real, and yet, thanks to this opportunity for creative thinking, the future is bright with amazing possibilities. We can and we should feel optimistic, because we have the strength, the resolve, and the resources to emerge again as a vibrant and meaningful part of our members’ lives.

Indeed, let’s all be reminded of the fact that there is so much goodness and community building that is happening right now at Temple Beth El for which can be proud – in the worship, education, programs, and deeds that make our world a better place. Temple Beth El has always, and will always, enhance people’s lives through Judaism, and we will continue to do so perpetually, for generations, if we stick together and work together for the common good.

I urge you to please participate in the upcoming courageous congregational conversation. See you on Sunday, March 24, in the social hall, at 9:30 a.m. All are welcome.



Comments are welcome!

VOLUNTEERING IS CARING AND SHARING

In today’s busy and complicated world it is not always easy to step back and see where we are going as a temple community. We are so busy putting out fires and just trying to maintain the day-to-day work that we lose track of the big picture. We must, however, take time to reflect.
 
We are what we give back to our temple family, and as volunteers, we have the courage to believe that what we do will make a real difference. Sharing is the keyword to describe the way in which volunteers approach their work. They do not seek to impose their values, their ideas or their agendas. Rather, they find out what people need and want, and they work with them to make it happen.

We have volunteers who help B’nai Mitzvah students learn to read their Hebrew prayers. Volunteer students who act as mentors for younger students. Volunteers who help clothe the needy, feed the hungry, and house the homeless; volunteers who look after friends who are sick, or drive them to appointments if they have no family to care for them. Some volunteers make hospital visits and shiva calls. Others beautify our temple grounds and improve our building. Whatever they do, they do in the interest of making the world a better place.

Volunteers can help transform their community for the benefit of all. They put their hands and their minds and, most of all, their hearts at the service of others. Their courage and dedication should be an inspiration for others, for all of us, to act. But we need to promote volunteerism as a valuable activity and to facilitate the work of volunteers.

The motivation of volunteers can be summed up in one word: Sharing! Volunteers share their time. They share their skills and talents, even their money. But above all, they share human experience. They know that this attitude is the true measure of success in life and that it makes society strong and healthy.

Volunteering is an action deeply rooted in the human spirit. Human beings help each other because of their love and compassion for one another. Yet volunteering is not simply something that we do for others. Our own values and humanity are at stake: We are what we give. Volunteering is a freely assumed moral obligation. We help one another because we feel a sense of satisfaction in doing so. It is not an action imposed by an external authority. By caring and sharing we become more fully human while, at the same time, enhancing the moral texture of our community, the social fabric of our society. Caring and sharing have been major components of human behavior throughout our civilization. Caring and sharing are a necessity, not a charitable act.

SAUL'S DUES SEMINAR

Dues. Membership commitment. Financial support. It is important to educate each congregant about his/her obligation to the whole. That is why a Very Important Jewish Think Tank held a seminar explaining to temple leadership the many options to assist them in creating successful congregational support systems. My dear friend Saul Rabinowitz, past president of the Schenectady Jewish Center, attended such a seminar.

Saul reports that three wise men from the Very Important Jewish Think Tank stressed to those in attendance that they must convince existing and prospective members that synagogue membership is worthy of being a major recipient of their charitable and philanthropic giving, because only the temple teaches and inspires Jews to manifest the ideals that are central to all other Jewish institutional endeavors. That was Power Point Slide No. 1.

Only one of the wise men spoke; the other two were drinking iced teas and eating jelly donuts. The wise speaking man continued: “Once your members have accepted in theory the idea of supporting the synagogue, they must be asked for their financial commitment. Presented below are some commonly utilized congregational support systems.”

Saul yawned, but sipped his Sanka hoping for a jolt of caffeine as the next slide was revealed.

“Fixed Minimum: Every membership unit is obligated to contribute the same annual amount, regardless of family composition or financial status. Next slide, please.

Family Support: This system is correlated to marital and family status. It is based on the theory that family size and configuration correlate to the cost of providing various congregational services. Next slide, please.”

Saul devoured his jelly donut in two bites, a personal best! Another slide flashed onto the screen.

“Fair Share: This system is designed to insure that every member pay equitably so that support of the temple is reasonably distributed among all members. Its purpose is to sufficiently fund the temple’s programs by establishing a commitment level based on a certain percentage of members’ incomes. Next slide, please.”

Saul was getting bored, and devil he is, began to think of ways to liven up the proceedings. An idea came to him with a sheepish grin.

“Free Will: With this system, each member can pay whatever he or she wants – or nothing at all. “

“We’ll all surely go out of business if we try this,” said Saul. “Only the church can get away with this system.”

Before the wise man could say “Next slide, please” Saul Rabinowitz raised the question that was on everyone’s mind.

“What if your congregation has many members who are blessed to live a charmed life, but for some reason, do not give to their temple one penny more than the dues required?”

A buzz raced through the crowd, a sea of heads nodding in agreement.

“We have slides for that,” said the presenter, as he switched to another laptop already loaded with a special presentation.

“Slide No. 1 is The Landscaper Dues System. A family pays the temple the same amount that is spent on landscaping at their primary residence. Dues relief adjustments can be negotiated for landscaping at a summer home.

“Slide No. 2 is The Manicure Dues System. A single woman or widow pays the temple the same amount that is spent on manicures during the temple’s fiscal year. Many temples now include pedicures and waxing in this calculation. Since the economy began to tank, spa treatments and electrolysis are often considered part of this membership package.

“Slide No. 3 is The Tee Party Dues System. A family pays the temple the same amount that is spent on golf, golf equipment, golf instruction, and golf attire. This system works particularly well for the congregations in Pebble Beach, Augusta, and Bethpage.

“Slide No. 4 is The Sushi Restaurant Dues System. In its original context, this system required a family to pay the temple the same amount that is spent on dining out for sushi during the year. The system has now been amended to include take out, as well as to be all inclusive of Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean barbeque, and Hibachi dining.”

Saul Rabinowitz raised his hand and inquired, “Which temples are most successful; which system works best? “

To which our wise man replied: “Sushi rules. Temples using the Sushi Dues System can buy and sell your struggling little shul ten times over.”

Confucius could not have said it any better. In bed.