From TI President & Executive Director

It is hard to believe this is my last Insight column as President of Temple Israel. While the last two years have flown by, I can honestly say no one chooses to lead an organization during a pandemic, but then we rarely have warning of such occurrences. What is clear is that I am filled with gratitude for all the incredible work, tenacity, and creativity that our Clergy, Staff and whole community poured into Temple Israel during this time of COVID. We have not only survived, we have thrived, as we nimbly transitioned to online presence, observance, learning and governance. We widened our reach and expanded our orbit during this past year. We innovated new rituals, Marc Maxwell reconfigured our familiar events, accommodated our safety and made sure every member of our Board President community had access and connection to all we have to offer. We continued planning for our future, with our Ongoing “Inventing our Future” and are planning for our re-entry into in-person gatherings at Temple, as we safely can. We are making plans for our “Welcome Home” changes to our building, technology, and operations, starting this summer and planning for “hybrid” High Holidays come September. It is difficult to list everything we have accomplished in the past year. It has both been “business as usual”, while truly nothing has been normal in the way it unfolded. We have said good-bye to seemingly irreplaceable members of our Clergy and Staff team and successfully integrated Cantor Stillman and new staff members. We lent our space to others and turned our Atrium and Auditorium into a Vaccination Site. We supported minority and mainstream organizations, while staying true to our core values and mission. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have served in this role, for the constant support of Clergy, Staff and Congregants, and to step aside so others who have agreed to step up can lead us forward. These two years have been among my most rewarding, to be given the opportunity of giving back to an institution that has so supported me over my decades of association. It is clear Temple Israel will continue to thrive and advance as we collectively create our own rich and engaging future. I hope you will join me in supporting those leaders who follow and in assuring Temple Israel’s expansive journey into our collective future. This has been a year unlike any other. I invite you to join us over Zoom for our annual gathering on June 10 at 7:00 p.m. We’ll celebrate our past year, take a moment to mark where we are, and look toward the future. We’ll also have the opportunity to thank some of our staff who are moving on, including Rabbi Jen Gubitz and the founding director of the FJECC, Helen Cohen. Helen is retiring after raising up a full generation of our youth, and setting them on the path to success. Those of us who have been lucky enough to have a child attend the FJECC have been witness to the deep and abiding values that Helen and her staff have instilled in their students. We’re grateful to all who have helped to strengthen our organization over the years, but I would be remiss if I didn’t take this moment to express my deep gratitude to our outgoing Board President, Marc Maxwell. Over the last two years of his presidency, Marc has been generous with his time, money, and wisdom. He has led us with a supportive and direct vision, as he has a full understanding of the many facets of our community and what it takes to strengthen our work. His steady approach and presence have been a gift to us.

Dan Deutsch Executive Director

As we look toward the next fiscal year, our team is working hard to plan for many contingencies. Soon, we will have more details to share about our vision, including how we will spend the High Holy Days. Stay tuned! As we’ve learned throughout this pandemic, the only constant is change – but we are learning to be excellent change-managers here at Temple Israel. Our doors, whether physical or metaphorical, are always open to you.