Our Leadership Thank you for so many memorable moments by Sydney A. Baer, Executive Director
It is bittersweet that I share with the congregation that I will be retiring at Thanksgiving. An appropriate time to leave as I give thanks for the opportunity to have been a member of the CBI team for over 15 years. I have loved working closely with our families, community, clergy and our dedicated lay leaders. We have shared many joys, nurtured Jewish lives, created opportunities for connections, worked hard to plan for today and tomorrow and weathered a few challenges. As I look back over my years at CBI, I have worked with eight presidents: John Rosenthal, Rhonda Kennedy, Craig Hartzman, Roger Cone, Michael Simon, Jill Rubinstein, Stuart Chestler and Ned Duhnkrack, plus one President-Elect, Ted Nelson (all of whom I love to call my BFF’s); two Senior Rabbis: Emanuel Rose and Michael Cahana; three Associate Rabbis: Ariel Stone, Kim Rosen and Rachel Joseph; two Cantors: Judith Schiff and Ida Rae Cahana; four clergy interns, and lots of amazing board members and dedicated committee chairs. Team CBI has also been blessed with devoted staff members, many with long tenure.
I will be forever grateful for this amazing professional opportunity. Rabbi Rose first called me in 1993 about this position. I was flattered, and during the course of the conversation, I asked, “Is this a full time job?” He responded, “Yes, and then some.” Our children were young and I wasn’t ready. When Rabbi Rose called again in 2000, I was ready. And yes, this is a very full time job. John Rosenthal was President and was also very instrumental in my hiring and in creating a smooth transition. I was lucky to follow in the footsteps of Joy Alkalay, Eve Rosenfeld, Barbara Durkheimer, Dodie Harrison, and Cindy Bambam. There were many “Temple secretaries/administrators” before Joy, but Joy and Eve were my early mentors. I have always shared CBI’s pride in being ahead of the curve on all issues of social justice and equality. I love our diverse community involvement as we actively teach and practice Tikkun Olam, leading by example that it is our responsibility to leave the world better than we found it. I have connected with so many and have made some very dear friends working on our social action committee, programming and projects. It has also been a privilege to work closely with our many generous donors. It is heartwarming to see their passion and commitment to securing CBI’s future. I love their stories; they are truly an inspiration to us all.
I have also cherished being part of our commitment to lifelong learning. Favorite memories include; the little girl who shared that God was one and she was two, the pure delight when our first graders are given their first Torah during their Consecration Service, and then in a blink of the eye, they are Bar & Bat Mitzvah. I have appreciated the Confirmation students sharing how transformative their trips to the Religious Action Center have been for them and the gratefulness of our high school graduates for the Jewish foundation and home they were given through their participation at CBI. I also admire the Adult B’Nei Students, many who shared their meaningful journeys with all of us. And in 15 years, we have had many inspiring scholar-in-residence weekends. Learning is such a core Jewish value and is integral to CBI’s kehilah kadosh. I was fortunate to be part of three Rabbi Searches; one senior and two assistant, working closely with the board and congregation as they thoughtfully planned for our next chapters. Being the first to welcome all of our candidates as they arrived in town remains a highlight. It was very meaningful to help plan our extraordinary sesquicentennial celebration. (Michael Simon –note another chance to use this fun word!) We invited Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, author Michael Chabon, guest Cantors for an amazing concert, our Governor and other politicos, and ended the year with a successful community fund raiser. It has been a treat to welcome the Oseran Family, the Daniel & Elizabeth Cohn and the Milliard and Carolyn Rosenblatt Lecturers; including Jeffrey Greenberg, Robert Reich, EJ Dionne, Morris Dees, Anita Diamant, Sister Helen Prejean, Myrlie Evers Williams, and Representative John Lewis to name a few. We have welcomed many URJ and HUC-JIR leaders; Rabbis David Saperstein, David Ellenson, David Fine, Richard Address, Sam Joseph and Jonah Pesner, again, to only mention only a few. My thank you would be incomplete without acknowledgement of my outstanding professional organization, the National Association for Temple Administration (NATA.) It was an honor to learn from and work with the best in our field, they were always such generous colleagues. The camaraderie and their sharing of wisdom and expertise was exemplary. I had the privilege of sitting on the NATA board for six years, chairing committees, co-chairing a national conference and helping host the national conference when they came to Portland. And last year I was deeply touched to be awarded one of NATA’s highest awards, the Service to NATA Award. Thank you for the extraordinary privilege to be an integral part of your life and community. I appreciated that we are a business with a heart and that core Jewish values are an essential part of every decision, every day. I also am grateful to my husband Bill (my biggest fan) and our children for being my partners, I wouldn’t have been able to do this job without their understanding and support. As many know, my husband has been retired for seven years and we have a darling grandson back east – it is time to have more time to play! CBI is 158 years strong. I know this will be a sought-after position. I have assured our leadership that I am committed to a smooth and seamless transition. And while I won’t be part of the day to day operations, I won’t be going anywhere. CBI has been a central part of our lives. We have been members of this community for almost 40 years, raised our family here, our friends are here - we look forward to many more years of involvement. May CBI continue to go from strength to strength,
Sydney
October 2015
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