TBE Financial Update – June 2025

Have you ever asked the question: Why is it so expensive to belong to a synagogue, and in particular, Temple Beth El?  TBE has created a Financial Security Task Force charged with taking a holistic view of the temple’s finances and improving our transparency. We, as leaders of this task force, are reaching out to you with an admittedly lengthy communication in an attempt to provide a clearer understanding of what drives the cost of membership and our recent emphasis on significantly growing our Annual Fund.

Synagogues, unlike many other religious or cultural institutions, are financially independent and do not benefit from an umbrella organization that provides funding infrastructure. Traditional sources of revenue include membership and religious school fees, along with annual and long term philanthropy. Costs are largely driven by clergy and other staff salaries, along with general operations and capital investments. This communication will explain those dynamics for Temple Beth El specifically and shed some light on a few nuances that shape our finances.

Schools: TBE is recognized for our best in class Religious School and Early Childhood Center (ECC), both of which create a strong foundation for future generations. We take pride in the comprehensive programs we have built, leveraging well-researched curricula taught by highly qualified educators, enabling students of all abilities and educational profiles to thrive. Our schools’ reputations have driven growth in our membership over the past decade. As a sign of our success, an overwhelming majority of our students continue beyond their B’nei Mitzvah by participating in teen education and as madrichim (our teen teaching program).

While the ECC is self-funding, the Religious School, consistent with other synagogues nation-wide, is subsidized by membership dues and the Annual Fund. Religious School tuition covers only about 70% of the cost of running the program and paying our teachers and staff. What you may not know is that due to our stellar reputation, the number of students in our program is comparable to synagogues whose membership is 2-3x larger than ours. The Religious School is also affected by external factors. The cluster of towns that make up our congregation are renowned for their excellent public schools, which is reflected in the local housing stock and tax levies. The population migration to our area is primarily families with school age children taking the homes of families whose children have graduated. As a result, TBE has fewer single young people and older adults contributing to the Religious School’s operating costs through their membership dues than most congregations. As our Religious School has grown, the magnitude of financial subsidies required to run it has also increased, and we take that challenge as an honor in delivering our core mission of educating the next generation. Membership dues and the Annual Fund serve as critical lifelines to properly support the Religious School. 

This chart is based on market research conducted by CCS Fundraising during TBE’s 2024 strategic planning process.

People: Our congregation’s growth requires a larger staff to serve our members at every age and stage of the life cycle. A traditional rule of thumb is to enlist one pulpit rabbi per ~500 families Temple Beth El, now approaching 700 families, hired Rabbi Londy two years ago to keep pace, while allowing Rabbi Linzer to focus on her primary responsibility as our Rabbi-Educator. We experience a greater need for clergy hours dedicated to everything from baby-namings to funerals, local advocacy to interfaith bridge building, and preparing our young adults to enter college and the wider world with a deep sense of pride in and understanding of their Jewish identity. Temple Beth El offers something for everyone from tots to seniors. Religious studies, social events, community service and educational travel are available for all congregants, requiring a significant time investment by our clergy in advance of, during, and after every event. Your membership support pays for our programming and operational staff, which ensures the success of the events you and your family enjoy each year.

Endowment: Many synagogues' budgets are supported by investment income from sizable endowments developed over generations, minimizing annual cost increases to membership and providing a safety net during challenging times. TBE has not historically focused fundraising efforts on building such an endowment, instead prioritizing immediate needs such as the purchase of land and construction of our original building, adding the new ECC wing and social hall, paying down the associated $2.5 million mortgage for that expansion, and repairing critical infrastructure like the sanctuary roof. TBE’s endowment of $3.5 million does not produce enough income to meaningfully offset our operations, and so the budget each year is funded almost entirely by you through dues, tuition and Annual Fund donations. We envision a future in which TBE’s operations are buttressed by a healthy endowment that generates income while ensuring long-term financial security. 

This chart is based on market research conducted by CCS Fundraising during TBE’s 2024 strategic planning process.

Security: The tragedy of October 7, 2023 and the alarming rise in anti-semitism require significantly expanded safety and security measures. As described in the November 2024 Security update,, in the past 18 months, we have significantly upgraded our security presence. Not too long ago, our security was comprised of a friendly greeter welcoming congregants who entered with key fobs, whereas today we enlist trained professionals with deep security experience, assessing all who enter the property, checking ID at entry, and actively surveying the campus. We have reassessed nearly every facet of our physical space and operational protocols and upgraded infrastructure and technology both visible and invisible - all to ensure the safety of everyone who enters our building. In order to do this, we have relied heavily on increases to our security fees and donations to the Annual Fund. The unfortunate reality is that we do not foresee our security needs decreasing, and these additional costs will continue to be supported by our congregation through our operating budget. 

Responsible stewardship of your dollars and financial transparency remains a top priority. We hope you find this summary to be helpful and would love to answer your additional questions in future communications. Please use this form to share financial topics of interest.

We are tremendously proud of the community you have helped us build over the last 75 years, and look forward to engaging with you as we pave the path to a bright Jewish future together. The success of our mission is only possible thanks to your continued financial support and commitment. Thank you for sustaining Temple Beth El as a thriving center of Jewish life and learning in Northern Westchester.

Sincerely,
Kelly Aidekman & Vanessa Baker
Co-chairs of the Financial Security Task Force