Temple Shalom Annual Report 2014

Annual Report May 2, 2014

Yale Freeman, President

Table of Contents

Agenda President’s Report Rabbi’s Report Cantor’s Report Finance Proposed Budget Committees Membership Committee Report Education Religious School Report Preschool Report Auxiliary Organizations Sisterhood Report Men’s Club Report

Page 1 2 4 5 8 10 11 14 15 16

Board of Trustees 2013 - 2014 PRESIDENT

Yale Freeman

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

Bobbie Katz

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

Tracey Albert

THIRD VICE PRESIDENT

Debra Antzis

FINANCIAL SECRETARY

Scott Newman

RECORDING SECRETARY

James Knafo

MEN’S CLUB PRESIDENT

Ed Cohen

SISTERHOOD PRESIDENT

Sandy Stone

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Donald L. Shapiro

TRUSTEES

Shelly Berkle Michael Feldman Alicia Kelley Merrill Hassenfeld Stan Lipp Suzanne Low Susan Ritter Michael Rubner David Rutstein Helen Weinfeld

Annual Meeting

Of the Congregation May 2, 2014 · 10:00 a..m.

Agenda 1. Determination of a quorum 2. D’var Torah (Rabbi) 3. The President’s Report 4. Vote on proposed budget 5. Election of Trustees 6. Final Remarks 7. Adjournment

-1-

President’s Report Submitted by: Yale Freeman, President of the Board of Trustees

I’m grateful for these past two years. Many thanks to my fellow members of the Board for your help, support and hard work.

My sincere thanks to our staff who has worked so hard to keep us on track: our education directors, Caren Plotkin and Seyla Cohen; our office team, Jo Icaza, Maxine Gould, Randi Butterworth, and John Kepsel and his staff; and to Susan Daugherty for her years of dedication to Temple Shalom.

Thank you to Rabbi Miller and Cantor Azu. For your ideas, your enthusiasm, your support and your leadership – both spiritual and in all Temple matters.

Thank you to Sisterhood and Men’s Club for feeding us, sponsoring so many activities, and providing generous financial support, year after year.

Thank you to each and every member of our congregation. I’m so fortunate to have met and gotten to know many of you. So fortunate that so many of you work for the betterment of our Temple.

Thank you to every Temple member for choosing to be affiliated with Temple Shalom. Thank you to those who have participated in activities, attended services, given to causes and contributed to our funds.

Thank you to all who pay your annual dues, your Bar and Bat Mitzvah fees, and your religious school or preschool fees.

Thank you to each and everyone who has volunteered your time at an event, for an activity, on a committee, in the Temple office, or in our Religious School or Preschool. You’ve made a difference.

Thank you to each and everyone who has taken the time to contact me and meet with me, to not only present problems, but also offer solutions and sometimes even offer to be part of the solution.

Thank you to those whose exceptional financial support has been abundant and frequent. You give when asked. Above and beyond. Again and again. In good times and bad. Your generosity is a blessing.

As a Temple family, we have achieved much. We’ve scribed Our Torah which is taken from the arc every Shabbat and has already been read from by several B’nai Mitzvah. We are restructuring our management and have restructured our committees. We have prepared a strategic plan and have begun implementation. Our One Family initiative driven by “relational Judaism” has gotten off to a good start.

There is so much more to accomplish as we move forward as One Family. Like any family, we’ll have difficulties. We’ll have disputes. We’ll have financial concerns. We will need to deal with how we educate our children and how we practice our religion. But we will move forward, together, on that next part of our journey.

I want to apologize to those whose initiatives or suggestions could not be moved forward during this two-year period. I apologize to those who I may not have been adequately responsive to or those who feel I did not deal with other issues facing the Temple. I am sorry.

-2-

As this portion of our trip draws to a close, I thank you for this incredible opportunity to try to make a difference, and to kick off the next 50 years of Temple Shalom. Most importantly, thank you for sharing your stories with me.

Todah Rabah!

-3-

Rabbi’s Report Submitted by: Adam F. Miller

From Strength to Strength – Our Past to Our Future What a fantastic year! In just one year, we have witnessed the transformation of Temple Shalom. We felt this momentum start last year with the opening of Our Torah. As each letter of our Torah was written, it grew. Every participant shared their stories connected to Torah, and became part of our story here at Temple Shalom.

We began feeling more connected to one another, as expressed by the Lego blocks at Rosh Hashanah.

The sanctuary filled again when we completed Our Torah – a living legacy in our congregation. Energy continued to build at the amazing One Family Kick-Off with Dr. Ron Wolfson. We learned at that event the importance of establishing real relationship, sharing experiences, and working together toward our common goal of building One Family at Temple Shalom.

Ruth Messinger inspired us this year as our Scholar-in-Residence, demonstrating the global responsibility we have as Jews to perform acts of tikkun olam across the world. Cantor Azu and her colleagues thrilled our spirits with a remarkable night of music. At the premiere of Skokie: Invaded But Not Conquered, we learned the importance of speaking truth in the face of injustice. In May our students will transform Lego blocks into a scale replica of the city of Jerusalem. And those are just some of the highlights!

As in any year, there have been challenges. Changes in staff and leadership present obstacles, as well as opportunities for new prospective and growth. Our Temple Family said farewell to many dear friends. We honor their memories and legacies by sharing their stories, embracing the lessons they taught in life, and recalling their impact on Temple Shalom and the Jewish community of Collier County.

As we near the end of this year, let us finish with a blessing. When one ends a book of Torah, it is done with the words, “Chazak, Chazak, v’Nitchazek” – “Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened.”

Take strength from the blessings of this year – from our new Torah and all the joy we experienced. Draw strength from having faced challenges and moving forward. Let us be strengthened, knowing that we are One Family – building a community in which we are connected together by our relationships.

May the new year be full of hope and blessing for us all.

-4-

Cantor’s Report Submitted by: Donna M. Azu

This July will mark my four years serving as Cantor at Temple Shalom. I continue to be very happy working with Rabbi Miller, Caren Plotkin, Seyla Cohen, the Temple Board and our fantastic office staff who are committed to our Temple. I consider Temple Shalom my home and I look forward to many continued opportunities to serve our members as clergy, musician and Jewish educator.

B’Shira,

From Bimah to Broadway As part of our Temple fundraising efforts, with my fantastic committee chaired by Nancy Wiadro, I organized a concert entitled “From Bimah to Broadway”. I was joined by three talented Cantors from around the United States for this evening of music. This was the first time a Cantor’s concert was held at Temple Shalom and the evening was a huge success. We had 600 attendees and raised almost $100,000. I look forward to presenting many more concerts in the future!

Worship and Music My musical choices have reflected my desire of using eclectic music that aims to please different ages and backgrounds of our congregants. I try to make the services truly upbeat, spirited and soulful at the same time. I like to combine compositions of contemporary American Jewish composers that are becoming standard repertoire of Reform services as well as traditional Jewish folk melodies and Cantorial chants (Hazannut). I also try to engage the congregants to sing a long and to create a more participatory service. As I believe that singing or praying together has a special value and is one of the ways of building a strong community.

Between the months of October and May we continue to dedicate the first Friday of the month to our 6pm Shir Joy Shabbat service giving our Religious school students and Jr. choir an opportunity to be involved in leading parts of the service. Jane Galler joins me in in leading this lively service. We have also continued our successful Shabbat and Havdalah services on the beach.

Adult Choir The volunteer Choir rehearses twice a month on Thursday’s from 6:30-8pm under the direction of Musical Director Peter Lewis. Peter and I work closely together in choosing the music for each choir Shabbat.

We currently have 21 members of the choir.

High Holy Days On the High Holy Days, we engaged 8 professional singers to join the choir and we had 6 weeks of rehearsal dedicated to preparing for the holidays. In addition we had 15 of our students chant Torah during the holiday. I organized the Torah readers, made Torah recordings of what they were chanting, and met with many of them regularly to insure that they were prepared.

-5-

Torah Trope Class - 6th grade I started teaching Torah Trope class last year in our Religious School 6th Grade. The students acquire the necessary skills that will help them chanting Torah at their Bar/Bat Mitzvah services. In the past year I have noticed a higher level of readiness and confidence as students begin the B’nai Mitzvah tutoring process.

B’nei Mitzvah This year we have 29 students in our B’nei Mitzvah program. Our tutor’s Perry Switzen, Dr. Michael Rubner, Howard Moeckler, and Hari Jacobsen are continuing to teach and contribute their time to the success of our students. Each student receives 28 one hour long tutoring sessions beginning 7-8 months prior to their date. Our B’nei Mitzvah program has always focused on meeting the needs of our individual students. I have loved this special time getting to know Temple Shalom’s students and families and sharing a momentous sacred celebration with them. Our B’nei Mitzvah services receive compliments and praises form the guests and family members.

9th Grade Confirmation During the year students learned about Comparative Religion. In my class we learned about each of the world's major religions and how Judaism is both similar and different from them. Part of the year was spent learning about Jew’s living outside of the United States. Although there are Jews living around the world, each culture has their own unique way of expressing and celebrating their Judaism. We explored the traditions, music, clothing, and food of Jews around the world.

Rosh Chodesh Temple Shalom’s Rosh Chodesh Group - a Women’s Gathering meets monthly at 5:30 pm on the Thursday Closest to Rosh Chodesh. Jane Perman and I lead a wide variety of activities and discussions that center around issues of importance to Jewish women, deepening learning and promoting spiritual growth. Together, the group meet’s to celebrate the new month and their lives as empowered Jewish women; learning and sharing as a community

Adult Education Over the summer I taught Shabbat 101. A three part course using biblical text and music, we looked at the history behind where many of our Shabbat customs come from and how they have evolved over time.

Last year I taught an adult Torah Trope class where student’s learned how to chant from the bible. I’m happy to say that 3 of my students from the class used the skills they learned last year and chanted Torah for the first time at our Shabbat morning service’s this past March.

Purim Due to the success of last year’s Purim Spiel performed by congregants, we once again engaged Marc Simon to write this year’s Spiel, “Little Orphan Esther” based on the musical “Little Orphan Annie”. Fifteen congregants including myself, Rabbi Miller, and Miss Jane met for a month to rehearse. The entire Purim Spiel team succeeded to create a show that was funny and educational at the same time.

-6-

Pesach Seders’ I was happy to once again be involved in various Temple Seders’. I co-led the Women’s Seder with Caren Plotkin as well as our annual Community Second Night Seder with Rabbi Miller. This year also marked the fourth year that I have organized and lead the Children’s Chocolate Seder. It’s always a joy watching the kids sing and dance while their faces and hands are smeared with chocolate!

Community Involvement In the greater collier county community I was involved in the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue Kristallnacht service, the Interfaith Thanksgiving service, Federation candle lighting at the Mercato, Chanukah Tea, community Yom HaShoa service, as well as PFLAG. Nationally, I serve on the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music Alumni working group.

-7-

-8-

-9-

Membership Committee Report Submitted by: Bobbie Katz, Membership Committee Chair

This year we welcomed 39 new families to our congregation. They include a diverse group including families, associates, young families with children, singles and those who are retired. As of this writing we have a total of 495 family member units.

In August of 2013, we held another Open House. It was the perfect opportunity to invite those who have an interest in what we have to offer. A lovely brunch was served and we had several families who joined.

Our annual Welcome Back dance in November was a wonderful way to rekindle friendships and start off the season with dancing, schmoozing and delicious desserts.

In November of 2014, we will be having a Cabaret Night to kick-off our season. Watch for details.

In February, we held a Pot Luck Dinner before our New member Shabbat service. It was a huge successful with everyone sharing a lovely Shabbat dinner together. Our New Member Shabbat service was a meaningful evening for all our New Members.

This year we welcomed 31 Seasonal Affiliates which included renewals and a few new ones. This is a wonderful way to have families join us during the time they are in Naples.

We are still meeting and greeting our visitors on Friday nights and we encourage people to sign in at the information table in the Social hall with an email address. There is always a follow-up with the email and it was been appreciated by the visitors.

As we move forward to our One Family initiative, our Membership committee will be playing a wonderful role in the process.

I want to thank all the members of the committee: Beth Adelman, Ruth Dorfman, Millie Sernovitz, Sandy Diamond, Anita and Phil Freeman, Marilyn Dano, Jan and Shelly Whitman, Mark Malone, Nancy Wiadro, Gene Helfand, Debbie Zvibleman and Susan Pittelman.

A very special thank you Jo Icaza, Yale Freeman, Rabbi Miller and Cantor Azu for their special help and continued support. Another thank you to Randi Butterworth, Maxine Gould and to John Kepsel and his staff.

- 10 -

Religious School Report Submitted by: Caren Plotkin, Religious School Director

School Data: The Religious school had 170 students enrolled this year. Of the 101 families registered, 62 paid tuition in full and 39 were on scholarship. The total amount of scholarship approached $33,062.56. Each class has 1-2 teachers staffed according to size. In addition, our PreK-5th graders had 1-2 student Madrichim volunteers.

Enrollment and Curriculum: The school curriculum is enhanced throughout the year with special programs in each grade as our students learn about Jewish Holidays, Life cycles and their curriculum focus. The enrollment and curriculum focus per grade is as follows: Grade

Students

Curriculum

Pre-Kindergarten

6

Jewish holidays and Bible stories

Kindergarten

13

Shabbat, Jewish Holidays

1st grade

15

Bible Heroes, Holidays

2 grade

16

The Synagogue

3rd grade

22

The Ten Commandments

4 grade

9

Jewish Life Cycle and Holidays

5th grade

16

Israel

6 grade

15

Intergenerational relationships and traditions, Holocaust

7th grade

24

Tikkun Olam, Mitzvot and Jewish American History

8 grade

10

The Torah’s ethics and values and how they apply to our lives

9th grade

10

Comparative Religions

10 grade Confirmation Class

5

Jewish Identity

11th and 12th Senior Study

8

Current Issues

nd

th

th

th

th

School-wide Programs: Our first day of Sunday school (9/22/13) and the first day of Hebrew school (9/18/13) began with orientation and a breakfast sponsored by the Men's Club. All students and parents congregated in the Sanctuary for Tefillah and then proceeded to class. The parents attended an information session with the teachers, reviewing the curriculum and class expectations.

We begin each Sunday and Wednesday sessions with Tefillah, which has been tremendously beneficial in preparing our students in their Hebrew reading and holiday celebrations. Classes give a curriculum-based presentation during Tefillah and lead the service throughout the year.

Our Consecration service for our 14 kindergarten and new students and their families took place on September 27, 2013. We held our annual “Pizza in the Hut” Sukkot celebration when the families come - 11 -

together for a pizza dinner and take turns shaking the luluv and etrog. We continue to celebrate Shabbat at the Shir Joy Shabbat Family Service on the first Friday evening of each month when the students participate in the service together.

Some other highlights and activities during our first semester included Torah-themed Maccabee Games, creating a prayer canvas for the Boston Marathon survivors, and the “Our Torah” ceremonies. Our ongoing studies of the values of Tzedekah, Mitzvot and Tikkun Olam culminated with each class’ participation in “Be the Change Challenge – 30 Acts of Kindness in 30 Days.”

During the second semester, the students and parents participated in Temple Shalom’s annual Mitzvah Day program. Our Passover candy sale kicked off in January and raised $658.40. An annual citywide Teacher Appreciation Shabbat service was a beautiful tribute to our Preschool and Religious School teachers and all community teachers, leaders and mentors. A delicious oneg was provided by the Sisterhood.

The Purim Carnival was fun for everyone, and we are grateful to Jeremy and Jessica Schaab, who chaired the event, and to the Men’s Club and Sisterhood for their help and support, which made this event a success.

This year we held our first Intergenerational Passover Model Seder. Each class invited some Temple congregants to join them at the Seder and participate in the readings and songs. They shared their favorite memories of their family’s Seders, and we established new friendships. Thank you to all of the parents who assisted and set up that morning.

On our last day of school, May 18th, we will participate in a School-wide Lego building of Jerusalem program, led by architect Stephen Schwartz. This program has been partially sponsored by Temple Shalom Men’s Club. We appreciate their continued support.

Class Programs: Throughout the year, each class participated in a Parent/Child Interactive program, focusing on the grade’s curriculum. Parents were invited to join their child in an interactive learning experience. Our Kindergarten students created a class quilt, which is displayed in the hallway of the Religious School along with our collection of quilts made in prior years.

In November, our 5th grade students received their Bar/Bat Mitzvah dates during a special ceremony with their parents, and our 6th graders and parents attended a B’nai Mitzvah Orientation where they learned about each aspect of the preparation process and the celebration of their own Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

As part of the 6th grade curriculum, our 6th grade students hosted Operation Nachas, an intergenerational program for their grandparents and some invited guests and attended a field trip to the Collier County Holocaust Museum.

B’Nai Mitzvah Program: We hope that everyone has had an opportunity to attend one of the 29 B'nai Mitzvah this year and see how well our students lead us in Shabbat prayer and chant Torah and Haftorah so beautifully. Cantor Donna Azu and our B’nai Mitzvah tutors: Hari Jacobsen, Howard Moeckler, Michael Rubner and Perry Switzen have been instrumental in each of the students’ success. We are so very fortunate to have these role models at Temple Shalom.

- 12 -

Confirmation Program:

This 3-year cumulative program begins in 8th grade and concludes with our 10th grade students and a Confirmation ceremony. Classes are held on Sundays from 9:30am-12:00pm. The Confirmation Program includes three components: a thirty-minute Madrichim (Student Assistant) Leadership & Skill-building session held from 9:30-10:00AM. This takes place while our younger students are in Tefillah; one hour of curriculum instruction; and one hour in an assigned classroom as a Madrichim (Student Assistant) The Confirmation service, led by our 10th grade class will be on June 1st.

Senior Study & College Connection Our 11th & 12th graders met once a month and were introduced to topics on business, social, legal, and medical ethics from monthly guest speakers. We also keep in contact with our college students throughout the year through our College Connection program, where we send care packages on special holidays and our Temple Voice monthly newsletter.

Conclusion: In closing, I would like to thank all our dedicated teachers and staff, our parent volunteers and Rabbi Miller and Cantor Azu, who have worked with me to make this busy year so successful. I would also like to thank the Room Parents, the Temple Board, Sisterhood, Men's Club and Congregants for investing in the future of Temple Shalom by their support of our children in Religious School.

- 13 -

Preschool Report Submitted by: Seyla Cohen, Preschool Director

Temple Shalom Preschool has an enrollment of 95 students. There are three classes for two year olds, one class for little two year olds (this class started on January for children that turned two after September), three classes for three year olds and two classes for four year olds. Program offerings can be two, three, four or five days and times can be 9:00 – 12:30 or 9:00 to 2:00 and 9:00-3:15. Every classroom is staffed with one teacher and one assistant. We also have 8 children in our early drop off program; we offer 8:00am-9:00am for parents that need to drop their children early in the morning.

Enrichment opportunities in science, music, technology, movement, art and storytelling provided to children in the two, three and four year old classes. We are offering Spanish classes on Wednesdays from 2:00-3:00. There are 18 children enrolled for Spanish classes. Special activities such as Science days, Story hour in the Storyland, Safety Day, Super Family Shabbat, Mitzvah Day, Thanksgiving Feast, Chanukah Sing along, Art Auction, Passover Seder, focusing on holiday celebrations provide opportunities for family participation. Parent and community involvement is encouraged and parents volunteer for a variety of activities.

Professional training opportunities are provided for the staff by colleagues and invited guests. Some of the training classes were; First Aid/CPR by American Heart Association, Science by Kowiachobee Animal Preserve, Social Development through the curriculum, Promoting Children’s safety by Collier County Safety Organizations. Teachers and the director work closely together, sharing ideas and strategies that support the education of young children.

Parents and children participate in fundraising activities that support enrichment opportunities.

“Shalom Cafe” which is nutritious hot lunches we offer to our children, the sale of school T-shirts , school pictures, spirit nights , Square Art projects and Parent directory are some of our fundraisers. On May 1st, 2014, we are having our annual TSP Art Show. We are so proud that this event made $20000.00 last year.

With moneys raised from the Art Show, we were able to build the “Technology lab” an amazing tech lab for the preschool children to learn different aspects of technology in a fun and exciting atmosphere. We were also able to offer partial financial assistance to 7 families. We are anticipating a huge success this year also.

The P.O.T.S (parents of Temple Shalom) continues to help the preschool with different activities.

This committee consists of preschool parents and teachers and their role is to help and advice the preschool in special fund raising events under the direction of the director.

Temple Shalom Preschool continuously participates on Mitzvah projects. We helped St Jude Children’s Hospital, Boys & Girls Club, Humane Society, Abused women’s Shelter, Homeless children of Collier County, and many more…..

Miss Jane Galler, Temple Shalom Preschool music teacher, also is our Mommy and Me and More teacher. The children in our Mommy and Me and More program then register for the school base program when they are age eligible.

We are currently offering 7 weeks of summer camp in June and July. In addition we are offering Camp Einstein, an academic summer camp program for children between 5-8 years old. Summer camp hours and days are very flexible, this makes it easy for families to sign up their children. We get a lot of children from other schools. They fall in love with TSP and end up signing up for the school year.

- 14 -

Sisterhood Report Submitted by: Sandy Stone, Sisterhood President

Sisterhood has 71 Life Members, 104 annual members, and 4 honorary members for a total of 179 members.

We run the Oneg Shabbat 52 weeks a year; help with shivas when needed; run the Judaica Shop; plan various enlightening programs for women of all ages, both lunch and evening venues; host the Chanukah Tea, the Women's Seder, the book bag meetings; we serve the entire congregation by providing financial support, along with helping to foster friendships and leadership opportunities to our temple family.

The religious education of all the children of temple continues to be the primary mission of sisterhood. This year we have raised $3,800 from our successful Stay at Home Tea; $4,700 from our inviting Judaica Shop; donated $500 to Mitzvah Day; $15,000 to the Religious School; $1000 to the Torah Closing Ceremony; $135 for the Purim Carnival food; $100 to the Holocaust Museum.

Sisterhood has presented with pride our Woman of Valor 2014 award to Debbe Faunce and our Volunteers of the Year are Helen Weinfeld and Sandy Stone.

- 15 -

Men’s Club Report Submitted by: Ed Cohen, Men’s Club President

Our major activities for 2013/2014 include, Baseball night at Hammond Stadium, Baseball Afternoon’s at JetBlue Park, Annual Deli night/membership event, a very successful combined Men’s Club and Sisterhood Luncheon. Our annual Dinner Theatre Fundraiser raised $7500.00.

Our Jeff Marks Mensch of The Year award was presented during Men’s Club Shabbat to Cohen, Men’s Club President.

Men’s Club consists of approximately 125 members.

Major financial contributions for 2013: ($) Funded the “Lego Project” for Religious School:

3000.00

Jewish Federation:

1000.00

Jewish Family Services:

1360.00

Holocaust Museum:

1000.00

Bibles and Graduations Gowns for Confirmation Class Students:

850.00

Jewish War Veterans:

500.00

Mitzvah Day:

650.00

Kiddush Cups for B’nai Mitzvah Students:

250.00

Provided Religious School Back to School Breakfast

200.00

Food Sponsor for Congregational Square Dance

125.00

Funded Shabbat Babysitting Program

200.00

- 16 -

Ed