Kramer's Remarks

R U A.............B O O? 

Betty Crawford has been working at Temple Beth El for seventeen years. During that time she has processed all of our membership applications. Of course, when we had eighty families that was very easy. She knew everyone and kept the information all in her head. If you wanted to know which one of our congregants was a doctor or who was in real estate, all you had to do was ask Betty. 

We have now grown to more than one thousand family units and the system is slightly more complicated. As with everything else, it's all done with computers. We have a three-letter code for each profession. Each time someone joins the temple Betty enters the information. The other day a newcomer asked us if we knew anyone who could do some repair work at her house. We discovered two problems. First, Betty  has become very creative with her three-letter codes and we've developed specialists. We now have Builders (BUI), Carpenters (CPR), Handymen (HND) and Contractors (CON). Second, when we did find the right person and try to call him at work we found that his number had changed. He had actually changed professions and become an LCS (locksmith). 

So we decided to do two things. Shortly you will receive a form containing information we think we know about you. Your birthdays, anniversaries, children's names, yarhzeit information and employment facts. Please take the time to review this and send corrections to us. We also would appreciate it if you would let us know when you move, change jobs, or have something significant occur in you lives. 

As for us, we are going to review Betty's entries. As it stands now we have fifty-two attorneys (ATT) and three lawyers (LAW), seventy-three physicians (PHY) but only five doctors (MDS). Actually, we really are a diverse group. Nineteen ACC's (accountants), six BOO's (bookkeepers) and fourteen people in FIN (financing). There are ninety-nine SAL's (sales representatives), five in CLM (men's clothing), three in CLW (women's clothing) and even one in UND (underwear).

 We are also very proud of our fifty-one TEA's (teachers), twenty-six RES's (real estate sales people) and four MUS's (musicians). And, you don't want to overlook our HYG's (dental hygienists), LBR (librarian), PHA (pharmacist) or RCP's (recepctionists). We even have one each of PFS (professional figue skater), SCS (security system person) and PNT (painter). 

So if you are ever looking for a TRV (travel agent), MGC (management consultant) or HEA (health care person), just call us. In the mean time, please return the form when you get it. It will help us get to know you better. 

This month's quiz is obvious. Be the first to identify the following Occupation Codes and win six free bagels. REP, HOT, RSR, SOC and RAN. Email me at: Info@beth-el.com, fax me 704-366-1365 or call at 366-1948 or write to 5101 Providence Rd.  with you entries. 

No one knew all of the trivia answers from last month's quiz, although together you did answer them. The answers were: The three honorary life time presidents of Temple Beth El have been Herman Blumenthal, Norm Levin and Irving Richek, Frances Liss and Thelma Thacker have been working at Temple Beth El for  more than thirty years and Allen and Ethel Gordon, Harold and Clarice Breitman, and Iris and Alan Friedlander served as Brotherhood and Sisterhood President.

Arthur B. Kramer