President’s Message
No time for winter doldrums! There is too much to be done in February! Let’s get going…
Communications:
· Stay in the now and in the know. Get WhatsApp and join the Sinai Synagogue Community Chat, FEAST, or Ta’am Shabbat groups.
· Register for the Sinai website’s Member Site Account to gain exclusive content in the Sinai secure portal, e.g., Yahrzeits, Learn to Daven, the Directory... Ask Julie for the secret link in case you deleted the December 30 email about it.
Development:
By now, you know Steffi Decker leads our Development Committee. She’s doing bigt stuff and has asked for additional help. Please contact her.
The big push now is coordinating with the Rabbi Retirement Event’s Steering and Programming committees to raise money for the Rabbi Michael Friedland Legacy Campaign.
Monies raised for the campaign will be used to develop initiatives that reflect the values Rabbi Friedland has championed and to program events that welcome all who seek connection and meaning through Judaism at Sinai Synagogue.
The Big Event:
By the end of this month, you will have received an email inviting you to celebrate Rabbi Friedland’s illustrious 30-year Sinai career on Sunday, May 31.
This is a fundraiser. Ask your friends, family, colleagues, and employers to make a tax-deductible contribution to Rabbi’s legacy campaign, because Sinai is important to you. It’s also a building block to our financial wellbeing so that Sinai may continue building a vibrant, active, and inclusive congregation that fosters education, social justice, and interfaith understanding that enriches and serves the greater good of all of us living in Michiana.
It’s going to be great event. A reception in the social hall with adult beverages and heavy hors d’oeuvres followed by a lively program in the sanctuary. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be served in the social hall. Expect a few surprises, too!
The invitation includes a link to a folder where you are asked to upload photos of Rabbi Friedland, you with Rabbi, Rabbi and his family... You get the idea: We want photos of Reb Michael over the years, so please start digging through your photo archives!
Rabbi Search Update:
· The Rabbi Search Committee has invited three candidates to South Bend: Alex Hamilton, February 19-22; Jacob Lipkin, February 26-March 1; and Max Davis, March 5-8.
· Please mark your calendars. This is an all-hands-on deck call to action, and your attendance and participation are greatly needed! In this tight market where many congregations are chasing only a few rabbis, we must sell ourselves and Sinai to these sought-after candidates. We need as many congregants as possible to demonstrate that we are the warm and welcoming community that we say we are!
· Volunteers are greatly needed to make Sabbath lunch and Sunday brunch each of these special weekends. Contact the office today to help, please!
· Participate in post-lunch Question and Answer sessions with the candidates. Be on the lookout for emails about each candidate, a form to submit questions, and a form to submit your feedback.
· We are looking for members of our “Next Generation” (aged 50 or younger) to host small Havdalah and light dinners in their homes, as well as participants to attend these intimate gatherings. This is a wonderful opportunity for younger members to share their perspectives with the candidates and their significant others. If you are interested, please contact Katie Berlent soon!
· Show up for 8:30 a.m. Sunday minyans and stay for brunch and the candidates’ adult education programs. Please RSVP so we will have enough!
· A special Zoom Congregational Meeting is planned for 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 15. The Rabbi Search Committee will share its recommendations, followed by a congregational vote.
Beyond the needs necessitated by the rabbi candidate visits, I urge you to volunteer to prepare lunches every weekend. Our website advertises Shabbat lunches, and it’s clear from everything I have ever heard that having Kiddush lunches is important to you and our synagogue culture.
People are willing to sponsor lunches. However, a more complete effort must be made to find and schedule helpers to prepare lunches. If you believe these lunches are essential to our communal cohesion, then contact Terry Feldbaum, Donna Richter, or Betsy Rossow, or let me know what solutions you propose so that we don’t read about “no lunch served” in the next News & Events email you get.
See you at shul!
Will Turbow