Our Leadership L’Shanah Tova! by Ned Duhnkrack President, Board of Trustees L’Shanah Tova! I am so honored and grateful to serve as your Temple president. Lots of meetings and hard work were what I anticipated, but serving as president has also brought me much joy. You may be wondering, “Why the joy?” Let me explain. The learning curve is steep during the first months of being synagogue president. One of my first lessons occurred while I was sitting on the bima next to Rabbi Joseph. I noticed that the prayers frequently referenced “oneg,” a word I associated with eating, so I asked Rabbi Joseph what “oneg” meant. “It means joy, Ned, not cookies,” she replied. Well, the cookies are great, but the joy I feel at our onegs is even better. Dancing with our
children at Shabbat on the Plaza, planting flowers at the cemetery on Mitzvah Day, and sorting books in our library to get ready for the start of Religious School all filled me with happiness. Those meetings? Time and conversation with our amazing clergy, hard-working staff, and committed board members are inspiring and rewarding. My joy comes from being part of our community, a caring and compassionate extended family committed to learning, faith, and active engagement. In the new year, I hope you, too, will have an opportunity to share this joy. Join us for a Friday night service, an Adult Education program, or a cup of coffee and conversation at the Brotherhood Café. Participate in the choir, a chavurah, or one of our social action programs. Bring a friend. In this coming year, do one more thing to increase your connection to Congregation Beth Israel. Create one more link between you and CBI. By connecting here, by being part of this community, and by supporting Congregation Beth Israel, your life with be enriched, and you will be enriching our synagogue community for now and for the future. I wish you much joy in the new year.
Thank You to Renee and Irwin Holzman and the Holzman Family Leaders are inspired and inspiring. Renee and Irwin Holzman exemplify these traits, and their continued acts of generosity and commitment further enhance the high esteem in which they are already held. Congregation Beth Israel is grateful to be the recipient of a $1,000,000 endowment from Renee and Irwin Holzman and family. The funds from this incredibly generous leadership gift will establish the Holzman Family Religious School Scholarship Fund, providing our education program with permanent scholarship funding. This fund will ensure that all CBI families can receive the high-caliber Jewish education provided by CBI’s Religious School and that no child will ever be denied a Jewish education because of a family’s inability to pay. The Holzmans are well-known and highly-respected philanthropists. They understand the need to break down the economic barriers that inhibit some people from affiliating with a synagogue. CBI is proud to welcome all Jewish families, and we are especially pleased that so many families in our community pursue quality Jewish education. These families seek assurance that this opportunity not be taken away because funding has run out. The Holzmans’ gift ensures that a joyful and meaningful Jewish education will be permanently available to everyone in our community.
Renee and Irwin have said they love CBI and are committed to educating our next generation. They continue to be inspired by Rabbi and Cantor Cahana’s joyful leadership and style of worship and love that the Cahanas invite us to take a moment to introduce ourselves to others at services and wish them Shabbat Shalom. They believe that it creates a warm and welcoming community for all. When making this generous gift, Renee shared the motto which inspires them and guides their foundation:
We are proud of and strengthened by CBI’s Open Door Policy, but it comes with a hefty “price tag.” Our Religious School currently operates at over a $140,000 deficit on an annual basis. Religious school education is a core mission of synagogues, and it is common for them to subsidize the cost of this opportunity. But for many families, even the subsidized cost is an excessive burden. Our congregation strives to never turn anyone away due to a lack of financial resources, and this most generous endowment gift will have a positive impact on that annual deficit. In addition, the Holzmans believe that this gift will inspire other generous donors to step forward. In a very literal sense, this Legacy Gift will remain in place forever, impacting the lives of generations to come. With this gift, the Holzman family is helping CBI shape a more promising future.
September 2014
“I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” – Stephen Grellet
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