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Dear Congregants,
It would be an understatement to say that the events of the last year and a half were challenging. Like many synagogues, our congregation found itself grappling with the possibility of declining membership and engagement as COVID-19 quarantined and distanced us from our spiritual community. Amidst this uncertainty, our clergy, staff and lay leadership sprang into action, re-inventing our operations for the new environment. Equally important, we embarked on last year’s Annual Fund Campaign knowing how vital it would be to maintaining our operating budget as we navigated changes created by the pandemic.
Aided by continued congregant generosity, we not only survived but thrived. Support of the Annual Fund allowed us to balance our budget. Moreover, it also provided a solid foundation from which our clergy and staff built upon our mission by providing educational and religious programming for a new era. For example, we:
• Created an outdoor campus to host our Religious School students in the fall and spring, offering various activities and electives within a safe environment.
• Generated new and innovative ways to digitally engage with our community in prayer, Religious School and adult education, resulting in an increase in all forms of participation.
• Provided a hybrid option of in-person and virtual High Holy Day services for our congregants to participate however they felt most comfortable.
• Galvanized congregants towards various charitable initiatives and connected our seniors with technically adept members to help secure vaccination appointments.
• Buttressed by these innovations our synagogue continues to grow, welcoming over 50 families in the past year, watching our Religious School increase to more than 400 students, and our preschool extend into additional classrooms.
With each pivot made, we gleaned information from our collective experience to better plan for the future. Along the way, we discovered areas of need in our operations, such as the need for outdoor educational spaces on our campus. Our technology continues to be upgraded so that we can elevate our digital programs and services. Finally, we seek to sustain our financial health by maintaining a stabilization fund which extends beyond current expenses. As shown below, our $3.6M annual budget needs $300K from a successful Annual Fund to maintain the strength of our synagogue operations.
We are calling upon you to join us as a donor to TBE’s Annual Fund 5782 campaign. Only with your contribution, made today, can we continue to grow - healthy and strong - toward a vibrant future.
We remain humbled by the generosity of our temple members. Thank you for continuing to make Temple Beth El a priority in your lives.
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| Rhonda Regan, President |
Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe |
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