First Order of Business - Focus on the Holy Days and our Temple building

Temple Beth El, I somehow thought that once the High Holy Days were over, life at the Temple would slow down. Starting four weeks prior to the holidays, I was prepared for the chaos of services here and at St. Matthew Catholic Church, dealing with membership renewals, greeting new members, mailing tickets, getting materials printed, and everything else that made the holidays
go smoothly. In addition to these normal things, painting and carpeting the Silverman Social Hall was completed just in time for the High Holy Days and the new chairs arrived in time to be unwrapped for Erev Rosh Hashanah.

I can't begin to thank everyone who made my first weeks here so warm and welcoming. Whether answering the phone, making phone calls to members, greeting new members or helping with the mailings, you were so generous with your time and your offers to help with anything I needed. I
received many wonderful compliments on the holidays and could only say it was the volunteers and the great staff here at the Temple.

If you've been to the Temple lately, you may have noticed the work being done around the building has not stopped and life at Temple Beth El has not slowed down. While preparing for the holidays, we discovered moisture and mold inside and damage to the exterior of the building that was allowing
moisture to penetrate the building. The first thing we had to do was get the water away from our building and I am pleased to report that the French drain on the side of the building has been installed and the stucco repairs have been completed. All interior repairs will be finished within the next few weeks.

We've also spent time organizing the kitchen, nursery, chapel and rooms used for meetings and storage. With the opening of the education building, we have new venues for meetings and
for our Wednesday night adult education classes. The flow of people and activities between the Temple and the Education building is constant and exciting. One of the new opportunities we have is the use of the Luski meeting room, which is now attached to our education building via a wonderful lobby. Luski can be used for Bar and Bat Mitzvah family Shabbat dinners, family events, youth activities and other activities planned by the Temple. Please stop by the Temple to see this new space.

As you might imagine, making the necessary improvements and repairs to the building did not come without a major cost to the Temple. There are many people who have generously contributed to help defray the cost of these recent expenses and I want to acknowledge their generosity. Others have paid their building fund pledges and new members have made building fund pledges. I encourage you to make a building fund pledge if you have not yet made one and to pay on your
new or existing commitment. Your continuing support is vital to the Temples financial health.
The volunteers and staff at the Temple continue to be generous with their time and we have a constant need for volunteers to make calls, help with mailings, staff the gift shop and participate
on our various committees. If I have not yet had a chance to talk with you, please stop by the Temple or give me a call. I do want to hear from you and to get to know you.

Sara H. Schreibman, Executive Director