Annual Report April 30, 2017
Debbie Zvibleman, President
Board of Trustees 2016-2017 PRESIDENT Debbie Zvibleman FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Debra Antzis SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Daryl Sissman THIRD VICE PRESIDENT Neil Heuer FINANCIAL SECRETARY Neil Shnider TREASURER Harriet Lickhalter RECORDING SECRETARY Beth Wolff IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Neil Shnider
MEN’S CLUB PRESIDENT
Ed Cohen
SISTERHOOD PRESIDENT Debra Antzis SISTERHOOD REPRESENTATIVE Sandy Stone ONE FAMILY LIAISON Bobbie Katz HISTORICAL SOCIETY Helen Weinfeld TRUSTEES Tracey Albert Shelly Berkle Michael Diamond Michael Feldman Bruce Graev Merrill Hassenfeld Ed Kaufman Suzanne Low Jeremy Schaab Perry Switzen
Proposed Board of Trustees 2017-2018 PRESIDENT Debbie Zvibleman FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Debra Antzis SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Daryl Sissman THIRD VICE PRESIDENT Neil Heuer FINANCIAL SECRETARY Neil Shnider TREASURER Harriet Lickhalter RECORDING SECRETARY Beth Wolff IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Neil Shnider
MEN’S CLUB PRESIDENT
Ed Cohen
SISTERHOOD PRESIDENT
Carole Flegel
ONE FAMILY LIAISON Bobbie Katz HISTORICAL SOCIETY Helen Weinfeld TRUSTEES Tracey Albert Shelly Berkle Michael Diamond Michael Feldman Bruce Graev Merrill Hassenfeld Ed Kaufman Jeremy Schaab David Silberg Perry Switzen
Table of Contents
Agenda & Slate
6
President’s Report
7
Executive Director’s Report 8 Rabbi’s Report 9 Cantor’s Report 10 Finance Proposed Budget 11 Treasurer’s Report 13 Investment Report 13 Education Religious Education Report 14 Preschool Report 15 Auxiliary Organizations Sisterhood Report Men’s Club Report
16 17
Committees Building & Grounds 18 Marketing & Branding 19 Endowment 20 Tikkun Olam 21 Worship 22 Caring Connection 23 Membership 24 One Family Iniative 25
Annual Meeting Of the Congregation April 30, 2017 at 10:00 AM Agenda 1. Determination of a quorum 2. D’var Torah (Rabbi) 3. The President’s opening remarks 4. New pledge system 5. Review of budget 6. Vote on proposed budget
7.
Election of Trustees and Officers
8. Final Remarks 9. Adjournment
2017-2018 Slate The Nominating Committee was appointed by Debbie Zvibleman, President of Temple Shalom and approved by the Board of Trustees. The Committee included: Dan Spintman (chair), Nancy Brother, Ken Goldstein, Bruce Graev, Harriett Lickhalter, John Little and Daryl Sissman. The Committee recommends the following candidates: Trustees: 2 year terms Michael Feldman Merrill Hassenfeld Ed Kaufman Jeremy Schaab David Silberg Respectfully submitted,
Beth Wolff
Beth Wolff Recording Secretary 6
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: DEBBIE ZVIBLEMAN, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES It is hard to believe that it has been a year since becoming your Temple President. They say it takes a village to complete tasks. We are blessed with a fantastic board of Trustees, Executive Committee, Clergy, Executive Director, Director of Congregational Education, Preschool Director and staff who go above and beyond every day. This year we have seen tremendous growth in our Temple congregation, which we can attribute to the One Family initiative, being a more open and caring community and having a Membership Engagement Coordinator, who I am happy to say is now full time. On Friday nights we also have a group of volunteers, “Shalom Chaverim” who greet visitors and congregants from the time they are walking into the temple through the Oneg Shabbat. This year we worked on branding and marketing our Temple. We updated our mission statement and designed a new logo that reflected our congregation. The Voice is now printed in color with thicker paper, and has a fresh look on the cover and the inside. We would like to thank the Baer family for donating furniture for our front lobby. The hearing loop was also installed in the sanctuary along with new carpeting. Congregants were also able to stream services at home if they were not able to be here. The first phase of the Tribute Garden was completed and we are now working on Phase 2 with adding trees, benches and personalized pavers. All of this was accomplished through generous donations of our congregants who had a passion for these projects. FROM DUES TO PLEDGES: Probably the biggest change as we go forward is the concept of moving from dues to a pledge system, L’Shalom. We wanted to remove the barriers to membership engagement. The Board of Trustees studied and evaluated this for several months and looked at other congregations that had success. We felt this was the right time to introduce this new concept of giving from the heart. However, we realized that this was a risk when we ask congregants to give what they can, rather than give them a bill to pay for dues. We know that we have very generous congregants that give Above and Beyond and this campaign was very successful this year. In addition, our Endowment and Planned Giving Program was brought to the forefront and we have had a great increase in those funds due to a very well thought out campaign. Our Bimah to Broadway Encore fundraiser was also a tremendous success, as it was well attended and everyone was thoroughly mesmerized by the Cantors voices. Our pledges alone do not sustain the temple. We depend on Above and Beyond, Fundraising, Endowment and general donations as well as our pledges to meet our budget. We thank all of our congregants as well as Sisterhood and Men’s Club who give so willingly to Temple Shalom. I feel very fortunate to be a part of this great congregation. From our exemplary Preschool, Religious School and our Adult Education, to our wonderful services and special events we have something for everyone. Thank you for allowing me to be your President.
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT SUBMITTED BY: ELI MONTAGUE
In February I celebrated my first anniversary as your Executive Director. This year has given me many wonderful opportunities to meet many of you, attend programs, services, board and committee meetings, as well as to get a feeling for the ‘spirit’ of Temple Shalom. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many of you and participating in the breadth of programing that goes on in our One Family. I am especially proud of our rebranding through which we created our new logo and tagline. We also revised our mission statement to reflect our new brand. We incorporated these changes into various communications, including our VOICE newsletter, emails to the congregation, letterhead and even staff business cards. I am deeply indebted to the members of the Marketing and Communications team for all the hard work done, the staff for their input and execution of these changes, and to the Board of Trustees for their support. More important than the changes to our visual and written presence, however, are the important changes in ‘actions’ we have undertaken. Most notably is the complete elimination of our dues structure which represented an old, transactional relationship between you and the Temple. Dues have now been replaced with the L’Shalom pledge system by which members choose to make a meaningful commitment which best reflects their ability to support their congregation. This changes our relationship to one of a mutual covenant between you and your temple. L’Shalom allows our members to form a relational connection to their congregation, while removing barriers others have felt prevented them from making a commitment to join you as part of our Temple family. The results as of this writing are heartwarming. Furthermore, we have 501 membership households and have 13 additional memberships already joining under the new pledge system. Based on this early experience, I’d have to say we are continuing to move in the right direction.
It has been an honor to join with all of you in strengthening our connections to one another.
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RABBI’S REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: RABBI ADAM F. MILLER One Family, Many Connections Four years ago, my rabbinate changed when I heard Dr. Ron Wolfson teach from his book Relational Judaism. Dr. Wolfson opened my eyes to realize that synagogues needed to move away from the transactional model that developed post-World War II. Instead, congregations should focus on the importance of the relationships that exist between individual members, as well as relationships with clergy, God, Torah, Israel, Jewish identity, and the community as a whole. Inspired by Dr. Wolfson, I returned to Naples and began sharing his ideas with our congregation – spawning the One Family initiative. This year we built on our foundation of relational Judaism. Rebranding Temple Shalom, “One Family, Many Connections,” we unveiled our exciting new logo. Most significantly, we ended our status as a “dues-based” congregation. Working as a team, our senior staff and leadership developed “L’Shalom” – our voluntary pledge system. With this new model, we place the emphasis on the importance of everyone’s relationship with Temple Shalom and our mission. We believe in the value of engaging the Jewish community, while transforming today’s youth into tomorrow’s mensches. We invite members to fulfill that mission with meaningful gifts from the heart. Investing in our congregation, we strengthen relationships with one another and brighten Temple Shalom’s future. As this transformation takes place, we remain committed to strengthening all relationships at Temple Shalom. Under the guidance of Dr. Anna Salomon, our adult education and Religious School thrived this year. The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning classes are overflowing with students, including our first year of the core class curriculum. Religious School evolved with a Hebrew choice program, and joined a URJ Community of Practice to further enhance our ability to engage youth and their families. Cantor Azu added new musical Shabbat services and touched our souls with the remarkable Bimah to Broadway Encore. Member engagement efforts continue to grow with new programming, including a revamped Shabbat greeter program. 2016-2017 also demonstrated the power of our relationship with the surrounding community. After vandals damaged our Temple sign, we asked our interfaith partners and fellow citizens of Collier County to stand with us in solidarity against acts of hate. I remain in awe of what we accomplished – with nearly 1500(!) at Temple Shalom for a Shabbat of Solidarity – cars parked half a mile on each side up and down Pine Ridge. I hear regularly from members and non-members alike about how much that night touched them – with the message, “There is no us and them, only us.” We unified our community and demonstrated our role as leaders in Collier County. As we enter my 8th year at Temple Shalom, I am proud of how far we have come in my tenure. We reached this point through the sacred partnership that exists between our lay leadership and staff team. I remain grateful for the leadership shown by our presidents over that period – Don Shapiro, Yale Freeman, Neil Shnider, and now Debbie Zvibleman – who embraced leading our congregation through the transformation of L’Shalom. While we have come far, I am even more excited by the potential that we for the future. I feel blessed to be the rabbi of Temple Shalom – and look forward to another year ahead full of blessing for our community.
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CANTOR’S REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: CANTOR DONNA M. AZU I’d like to start by thanking our senior staff, Rabbi Miller, Seyla Cohen, Dr. Anna Salomon and Eli Montague for working together as a team in collaboration for a wonderful year. I’d also like thank our incredibly hard working staff who are often behind the scenes making everything come together seamlessly. Thank you Randi, Maxine, Jeanette, Alicia, Victor and Rick. We appreciate all that you do for us! It was an exciting beginning of the year kicked off by the High Holidays. Our Adult choir, directed by Peter Lewis, sang beautifully and continued to inspire us with their music at Shabbat services throughout the year. We also created a new service, Soulful Shabbat, occurring 4 times this year. It is a lively, completely sung service accompanied by a 4 piece band. The service was very well received and will continue next year as well. As part of our Temple fundraising efforts, with my fantastic committee chairs, Nancy and Jack Wiadro, I organized a concert entitled “From Bimah to Broadway, Encore!” I was joined by four talented Cantors from around the United States for this evening of music. This was the second time a Cantor’s concert was held at Temple Shalom and the evening was a huge success. We had 350 attendees and raised $87,000. I look forward to presenting many more concerts in the future! This year we had 9 students in our B’nai Mitzvah program. Our tutors Perry Switzen, Dr. Michael Rubner, Howard Moeckler, and Hari Jacobsen, are continuing to teach and contribute their time to the success of our students. Next year we have 21 students who will become Bar or Bat Mitzvah. It’s a pleasure working with our children in the Religious School in different aspects including 9th and 10th grade Confirmation, our 6th and 7th graders preparing for them for Bar and Bat Mitzvah in our blessings and prayers class, as well as school wide programs. Highlights included our Wizard of Oz themed Purim Spiel and our children’s chocolate seder. In the greater Collier County community, it was a pleasure to be involved in the Kristallnacht Service, Interfaith Thanksgiving service, Federation Chanukah candle lighting at Mercato, Community Day of Learning, Celebration of Israel, community Yom HaShoah service, as well as PFLAG. As we end the year, I thank all of our volunteers, as well as our Board of Trustees, who give so much of their time to the temple. Your hard work and dedication helps to ensure the future of Temple Shalom. I look forward to another wonderful year with my Temple community!
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Temple Shalom of Naples Proposed 2017/2018 Consolidated Budget As Approved by the Board of Trustees, March 8, 2017 FY 2015/2016
FY 2017/2018
FY 2016/2017
Total Year Acutal
Approved Budget
Revised Budget
Proposed Budget
1 Revenue 2 3 Membership Annual Commitment
611,993
590,000
605,000
4 Seasonal Affiliate
14,570
12,000
19,000
5 Golden Shevet Donations
10,000
10,000
-
214,303
198,000
6 Above & Beyond 7 Prior Year Carry Over
-
8 Major Fundraising Income
-
9 Fundraising -Various Projects
130,000
245,000 125,000
625,000 245,000 54,751 100,000
208,943
-
3,000
3,000
10 Memorial Booklets Income
14,445
15,000
15,720
16,000
11 General Fund Donations-Tributes
19,117
25,000
25,000
30,000
12 Member Income
22,329
20,150
17,850
19,500
13 Holiday & Miscellaneous Income
35,185
30,300
27,550
22,000
14 Rental/Bldg Grounds Inc
28,970
40,000
41,000
40,000
15 Preschool Income
816,209
780,750
886,750
887,300
16 Religious School Income
103,016
129,800
126,050
124,000
1,000
1,000
17 Youth Group Income
1,000
-
18 Investment Income
1,498
2,000
600
4,000
2,101,578
1,983,000
2,138,520
2,171,551
19 20 Total Revenues 21 22 Expenditures 23 24 Clergy Dept.
378,190
359,356
361,156
373,150
26 Music Program Expense
25 Clergy Staff Expenses
8,024
9,791
11,025
11,000
27 Misc. Clergy Dept. Expenses
1,185
1,000
1,000
4,000
387,399
370,147
373,181
388,150
319,757
28 29 Total Clergy Department 30 31 Administration Dept.
215,698
304,560
313,859
33 Marketing and Member Communications
32 Payroll Staff Expenses
54,423
58,300
64,000
63,500
34 Business, Corp. Expenses
99,311
96,900
111,420
107,200
369,431
459,760
489,279
490,457
35 36 Total Administration & Business Expenses 37 38 Member Services & Member Programs Dept. 39 Member Programs Expenses
24,326
17,350
22,850
21,350
40 Holiday & Miscellaneous Expense
31,462
22,690
22,550
23,100
41 42 Total Member Services & Program Expenses
55,788
40,040
45,400
44,450
125,934
43 44 Building, Maint and Repair Dept. 45 Payroll Staff Expenses
108,034
125,013
117,582
46 Repairs and Maintenance
48,161
55,300
90,400
75,960
47 Utilities
30,566
27,899
27,900
29,600
186,762
208,212
235,882
231,494
48 49 Total Building and Grounds Dept.
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Page 1
FY 2015/2016
FY 2017/2018
FY 2016/2017
Total Year Acutal
Approved Budget
Revised Budget
Proposed Budget
498,534
500,736
522,507
26,401
21,000
32,000
44,000
54 Business & Professional Expense
103,553
99,250
105,650
114,000
55 56 Total Preschool Dept
628,488
620,986
660,157
719,846
173,675
185,220
170,259
189,054
19,292
28,100
24,200
27,000
192,968
213,320
194,459
216,054
65 Youth Group Expenses
9,500
8,500
9,500
10,500
66 67 Total Youth Group Expenses
9,500
8,500
9,500
10,500
70 Payroll Staff Expenses
1,184
1,435
-
-
71 72 Total Library Dept Expenses
1,184
1,435
-
-
76 Major Fundraising Expenses
-
60,000
25,000
25,000
77 Fundraising -Various Projects
67,492
-
2,000
3,000
78 General Fund/Donations Exp
656
600
575
2,600
68,148
60,600
27,575
30,600
-
-
-
40,000
50 51 Preschool Dept. 52 Payroll Staff Expenses 53 Camp Expense
561,846
57 58 Religious School Dept. 59 Payroll Staff Expenses 60 Business & Professional Expense 61 62 Total Religious School Dept. 63 64 Youth Group Dept.
68 69 Library Dept.
73 74 Fundraising Costs 75
79 80 Total Fundraising Expenses 81 82 Annual Funding Maintenance Reserve 83 84 Total Expenditures 85 86 87 Net-Gain/(Loss)
1,899,667
201,912
1,983,000
(0)
2,035,433
103,087
2,171,551
(0)
Assumptions: 1 Revenue is assumed to be relatively constant with the June, 2017 estimate 2 There is a slight increase in employee wages.
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Page 2
TREASURER’S REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: HARRIET LICKHALTER As Treasurer, I am happy to report that Temple Shalom is financially sound. We have completed two years of good fiscal management and are expecting that this year will make it three in a row. Our net surplus for this year should be in the $100,000 range. This should position us well for next year when we are entering the new Annual Commitment program. The last time Temple Shalom had an independent CPA firm look at our financial records was 2005. At that time Audited Financial Statements were issued. The Board is responsible for the fiscal management of your Temple and we believe it is important for you to have confidence that we are managing the finances in a proper way. This year an independent CPA firm reviewed our procedures, and our financial position, and issued Reviewed Financial Statements. They are available to be viewed, upon request to Eli Montague, at the Temple office.
INVESTMENT COMMITTEE REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: NEIL SHNIDER, FINANCIAL SECRETARY AND MICHAEL FELDMAN, COMMITTEE CHAIR The Temple Shalom Investment Committee, chaired by Michael Feldman, meets on a periodic basis to review and evaluate the position of the investment funds, excluding investments with the Community Foundation. The Committee consists of Neil Shnider, Financial Secretary; Harriett Lickhalter, Treasurer; Eli Montague, Executive Director and Michael Feldman, Board Trustee and Chair of the Investment Committee. This fiscal year the Committee moved to Fidelity Investments all of the funds, which previously had been held at both Wells Fargo Bank and Fidelity Investments. The Committee believes it was in the Temple’s best interest to consolidate the accounts to one discount broker for ease of operation and continuity. In addition, Wells Fargo had limited access to certain investments that the committee found attractive. The investments have grown nicely throughout 2016. There was a net increase in contributions from members of the congregation and a net return on investment amounting to $169,448, for a total return on investments exceeding 9%. The balance of the funds as of December 31, 2016 was $874,638. This compares favorably to the December 31, 2015 balance of $705,190. The funds are invested in a combination of low fee stock index funds, low fee bond funds and balanced funds that have been selected by this Committee for the past eight years. From 12/31/08 through 2/28/17, the Temple’s net return on these funds has been $507,834. The Committee respectfully submits this report to the membership and encourages any participation and questions.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: DR. ANNA SALOMON, RJE, DIRECTOR OF CONGREGATIONAL EDUCATION Religious School The 2016-2017 school year began with two significant changes for our families. First, we completely replaced our 8th-10th grade post b’nai mitzvah confirmation program. Recognizing the change in maturity, interests, and schedules, we introduced Journey. For this program, students in 8th-10th grade have class twice monthly (one Sunday morning and one Tuesday evening), as well as planning an individualized course of study and activities. The students are assigned a Journey guide/advisor and all classes are taught by Dr. Salomon, Rabbi Miller, and Cantor Azu. The focus is on helping students identify their interests and ways to participate meaningfully in the “adult” Jewish community, while building/maintaining a strong community of peers. The Journey program has been well received by both students and families. We’re excited to celebrate with our newest confirmands, as our eight students in tenth grade lead our community in worship on May 19 at 7 PM. Mazel tov to Bryce Albert, Brooke Flegel, Dylan Flegel, Jacob Klein, Adam Mitrani, Samantha Roth, Marley Van Dam and Connor Willits! The second big change was with Hebrew School. This year we offered two options for Hebrew School – the traditional Wednesday offering, as well as offering one on Sunday afternoons. The Sunday afternoon Hebrew class has been exceedingly popular and appreciated by the families. We again celebrated many simchas this year – among them the bar and bat mitzvahs with the Baer family, Cole family, Albert family, Waltzer family, Goebel family and Deering family. Our Religious School has the honor of being one of thirteen schools selected by the URJ to participate in a Community of Practice (CoP) exploring ideas around reimagining Religious School education for K-7. As part of our participation in the CoP we benefit from individual and group consulting, collaboration with the other schools, and a multitude of education, guidance and support. Teacher training and education has been a priority this year. We held our first ever teacher retreat, welcoming guest speakers to enhance our work and offer important training to our Religious & Hebrew School teachers. Our sixth grade students participated in a powerful program with local Holocaust survivors for our Yom HaShoah community commemoration. In partnership with the Federation and the Holocaust Museum, we paired students with survivors to conduct interviews and learn their stories. After a visit to the museum with the survivors, our students created video summaries and essays about the survivors. They ended with reflections on the experience and what they learned. We would like to give extra special thanks to Sisterhood, Men’s Club, and the Jewish Federation for all of the support and love they give to the Religious School. We couldn’t do what we do without you! Adult Education This was the second year for our Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning. Our first ever Core Courses (the curriculum Melton is most famous for) began with a full house. The Core Courses will run for 15 weeks a year over a 3 year period. Next year we will offer year 2, as well as begin a new cohort of year 1 students. We also offered a Holocaust course using diaries and memoirs. This ten week course offered a unique perspective and experience that was enjoyed by the class. We have begun an Advisory Board for our Melton School and are excited to continue with year 3 of our programming. Our Scholar in Residence, Dr. Stephen Berk, provided an engaging and meaningful weekend of learning. With a full slate of guest speakers throughout the year, we had a chance to hear about a diverse array of topics ranging from things like Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean, to Rabbi Abraham Lincoln, and Bobby Kennedy. Next year’s calendar is already filling up fast and we’re looking forward to a great year. 14
PRESCHOOL REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: SEYLA COHEN, PRESCHOOL DIRECTOR This year is the 27th year of Temple Shalom Preschool. We currently have 150 children registered in our preschool. Temple Shalom Preschool has been acknowledged by local educators, prestigious publishers and parents as a top rated preschool in the Naples area. Enrichment opportunities in science, music, technology, STEM, movement, art and storytelling are provided to children in the two, three and four year old classes. We are offering Spanish classes on Wednesdays from 2:00-3:00. Special activities such as science days, story hour in Storyland, Safety Day, Super Family Shabbat, Mitzvah Day, Thanksgiving Feast, Chanukah sing along, Purim carnival, Art Show, Passover Seder, focus on holiday celebrations providing opportunities for family participation. Parent and community involvement is encouraged and parents volunteer for a variety of activities. For the first time this year, with the support of The Jewish Federation of Collier County, the Sisterhood of Temple Shalom and Cantor Donna Azu’s Discretionary Fund, we hosted a Community-wide children’s concert with multi-award winning artist, Ellen Allard. This event was open to all children of the community. Professional training opportunities are provided for the staff by colleagues and invited guests. Some of the training classes were CPR and first aide by Brian Torres, Jewish holidays and traditions by Dr. Anna Salomon, active shooter training by Sheriff Rambosk, and technology by Jeremy Satterfield. 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. School T-shirts, school pictures, holiday workshops and parent directory are some of our fundraisers. On May 4th we are having our annual TSP Art Show. This year’s theme is “Around the World”. We are so proud that this event made $30,000.00 last year. With moneys raised from the Art Show, we were able to enrich our school and purchased some classroom furniture and offer partial financial assistance to families. We are anticipating a huge success this year also. Temple Shalom Preschool continuously participates in mitzvah projects. We helped St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Humane Society, abused women’s shelter, Homeless Children of Collier County, activity bags for Foster children project and many more….. We are currently offering 7 weeks of summer camp in June and July. Camp Shalom for children 2-4 and 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.
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SISTERHOOD REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: DEBRA ANTZIS, SISTERHOOD PRESIDENT Since it was first formed 52 years ago, Temple Shalom Sisterhood has grown in number and responsibility. Sisterhood’s primary mission is to promote Jewish continuity through safeguarding the education of our children. Over the last fifty-two years, Sisterhood has provided more than $300,000 in funding to Temple Shalom’s Religious School, and over $200,000 to the Temple itself. Sisterhood gives $15,000 every year to the Religious School Scholarship Fund. In the past two years alone, Sisterhood helped fund the hearing loop in the sanctuary, live stream broadcasts of services and celebrations there, the renovation of the Temple’s garden, a Religious School teacher education retreat, a free concert at the preschool, and a new washer and dryer and a new tablecloth service for the Temple, among other things. We help pay for the meals made on Mitzvah Day, and we help fund our tenth graders’ annual trip to the Religious Action Center in Washington, D.C. with Rabbi Miller, where they join together with teens from across the country to lobby in support of Jewish and humanitarian causes. This year, we revamped the format of the Temple Directory, which we publish every two years, and mailed a copy to every member of Temple, to ensure that members can get in touch with each other easily. We are a social organization as well! Our monthly meetings are an opportunity to come together and enjoy the treasures of Southwest Florida. This year, we’ve been briefed on hurricane preparedness by Rob Dunns of NBC2 News, fascinated and entertained by the amazing life story of conductor Max Rabinovitsj, enjoyed a tour and lunch al fresco at the Naples Botanical Garden, and were moved and impressed by a presentation on the invaluable work of the Naples Equestrian Challenge. In March, bestselling author B.A. Shapiro (The Art Forger and The Muralist) spoke to us about the writing life. In February, our signature event, C’est La Vie - A French Afternoon, gave us a chance to hear about the jet-setting life of Helaine Gaillet de Neergard, author of I Was a War Child, while enjoying French cuisine and informal modeling at the Hilton. On top of all that, Sisterhood runs the Judaica shop, holds a monthly Book Bag discussion, and provides a delicious Oneg Shabbat every single Friday night that there are services at Temple, in order to make sure that our members feel welcome and have a great reason to stay and talk to each other and build our community. We also prepare special “sponsored” Onegs for Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations, baby namings, anniversaries, Board and Clergy installations and other Temple celebrations. In short, Sisterhood does a lot! We welcome new ideas and new volunteers. So if you have not joined Sisterhood, please consider doing so. If you are already a member of Sisterhood, please consider getting more involved. I know from personal experience that the more you give to it, the more you will get!
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MEN’S CLUB REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: ED COHEN, MEN’S CLUB PRESIDENT
As our fiscal year draws to a close, we have had a very successful year. We have achieved many goals toward our mission: promoting friendship and charitable giving for our Temple, community and Israel. Here are just some of our accomplishments this year: Major Fundraiser – Dinner Theatre: Net profit raised $7300.00 Total Membership – 150 (Including 48 Mitzvah (higher level) members) Honored by Temple Shalom as Members of the Heritage Society • Funded Security Doors for Religious School
$5,000.00
• Supported local Holocaust Museum, Jewish Family and Community Services, and Jewish Federation of Collier County
$3,000.00
• Funder for student trip to Washington DC
$1,000.00
• Major supporter for Mitzvah Day “Kids Against Hunger”
$1,000.00
• Major Sponsor of 25th Anniversary Honoree Reception
$500.00
• Jewish War Veterans of Collier County
$500.00
• Contribution to “Bimah to Broadway” event • Purchased new barbeque grill for the Temple • Provided gowns and Bibles for Confirmation Class • Breakfast provided to all Mitzvah Day volunteer participants • Breakfast provided for Religious School back to school event • Golf Outing in memory of Steve Barolsky • Gifted Kiddush Cups to each Bar and Bat Mitzvah Student We eagerly look forward to the upcoming events, some of which include: • • • • •
Supporting Mitzvah Day 2018, Kids Against Hunger Annual Dinner Theatre at the Broadway Palms Dinner Theatre Baseball game and fireworks, Hammond Stadium Joint Men’s Club/Sisterhood Luncheon Annual Paid up membership deli night
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BUILDING & GROUNDS COMMITTEE REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: MICHAEL DIAMOND, COMMITTEE CHAIR Last year the Building and Grounds committee overcame some challenges and enjoyed some successes. The greatest challenge during the past year was the failure of our 30-ton air handler in the Sanctuary right before the High Holy Days. Victor Lucas and Eli Montague successfully oversaw the installation of a temporary air conditioning system that despite its appearance, proved to be more than an adequate replacement. The new unit finally arrived in October. The age of our building has resulted in constant maintenance issues relating to other areas as well, including the roof, which Victor and his staff have been ever so vigilant in staying on top of.
Some key achievements for the preceding year were as follows: • Updates to the front entry landscaping were installed prior to the High Holy Days. • Security enhancements were made following a review performed by the Collier County Sheriff’s Department including magnetic door locks, camera upgrades and parking lot light maintenance. In addition, the Board agreed to have a Sheriff’s Deputy present during religious school hours, as well as Shabbat Services. • Installation of the hearing loop – installation previously scheduled was interrupted by the realization that its installation would necessitate the replacement of the sanctuary carpet. Baer’s Furniture, through members Claudia and Larry Baer, were kind enough to offer their company’s resources to us to have the new carpet purchased and installed at a lower cost to the Temple. This work has now been completed. • Refurbishment of the ladies’ restroom. • Plans are being developed for the renovation of the preschool wing which is in need of updating to its classrooms, hallways and playground. • The dedication of the Tribute Garden and the ground-breaking for Phase II took place on April 2nd. The plans for Phase II have been announced and include naming opportunities for pavers, benches and trees to honor loved ones. It is expected that work on phase II will commence later this year. Plans for Phase II and information on naming opportunities are available by contacting the Temple Office.
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MARKETING & BRANDING COMMITTEE REPORT SUBMITTED BY: BRUCE GRAEV, COMMITTEE CHAIR
• Established the Marketing and Branding Committee to create a consistent look and feel for all forms of communication from Temple Shalom • Created a new Mission Statement for Temple Shalom that communicates our beliefs and values Temple Shalom of Naples is an inclusive Reform Jewish congregation where all individuals are equal partners in making our world whole and holy. We are One Family, believing in the sacredness of relationships, fostering connections - one to another, Temple, Israel, Torah and God. We are living Jewish values and nurturing future generations. • Created a new tagline for Temple Shalom Temple Shalom One Family, Many Connections • Designed the new Temple Shalom logo to better reflect our Mission Statement
• Redesigned all Temple Shalom stationary to be consistent with our new logo and look and feel • Redesigned The Voice to be consistent with our new logo and Mission Statement • Created all collateral materials to support our L’Shalom pledge system
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ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE REPORT SUBMITTED BY: SUZANNE LOW
The endowment committee is pleased and proud to take the opportunity of our annual meeting to update you on the continued progress of our revitalized endowment and planned giving programs. • Temple Shalom Endowment Funds established at the Community Foundation of Collier County (CFCC) for cost-effective administration and management o Five named funds established with total value of $254,000 as of March 1, 2017 o Funds are being continually augmented by family and other gifts, including tributes • Eternal Light Society established for completed Endowment Gifts of at least $10,000 - – 6 as of March 1, 2017 (recognized in new video display in foyer) • Legacy Society established for all who sign Letter of Intent to make a Planned Gift - 22 individuals or couples as of March 1, 2017 • Verified planned gifts with known current values total approximately $1.2 million (most donors have not provided estimated values) • So we have reached 15+% of our $10 million, 10 year goal for endowments and planned giving to date • Naming opportunities list established of Temple facilities and endowed chairs for major gifts (over $100,000) • For Now and Forever endowment and planned giving marketing brochure, designed by committee o On naplestemple.org website under Donate button o Distributed to event attendees, Board members, Committee members o Available at various Temple locations, including entry foyer, library, religious and preschools, oneg table o Provided to professional advisors, others as requested • Two high level, well-received information/social events held at homes of Temple leaders, for potential donors and thought leaders • Committee members pledged 100% participation in current endowment giving • Recognition criteria established for endowment, planned giving, and cumulative lifetime and other major gift categories • Voice articles prepared by committee members in Endowment Corner explaining program and opportunities for giving; highlighting major donors • Solicitor’s Toolkit prepared and 3 relationship building/solicitor training sessions held to date (4-17-16, 5-17-16, 11/17/2016) • Educational events about endowments and planned giving for Temple members being prepared for next season
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TIKKUN OLAM COUNCIL REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: KEN GOLDSTEIN & MARSHALL SUTKER The Tikkun Olam Council (TOC) is the social action committee of Temple Shalom. Our mission “… is to assist in, enhance and advance opportunities for members of all ages of Temple Shalom to participate in and fulfill their obligations of Tikkun Olam and of promoting Social Action and Social Justice.” This past year has been one of some accomplishment as we have striven to encourage members of Temple Shalom to become more involved in social action and social justice. In particular, we organized the first of what we hope will be a series of forums dealing with important issues that affect us here in Southwest Florida, as well as across the country. Our goal is to examine these issues from a Jewish perspective. The Health Care Access Forum was held in January and our panel was moderated by Dr. Jaclyn Faffer, President and CEO of JFCS of Southwest Florida. We were pleased to have a distinguished panel of experts including Dr. Allen Weiss, President and CEO of NCH Health Care System, William Ertag MD and Ms. Leslie Lachied, CEO of the Neighborhood Health Clinic in Naples. The TOC worked closely with Rabbi Miller regarding the recent rise in anti-Semitism around the country. We asked a simple question…What can we do? Here is what we did…we sent a suggested additional reading to all Temple Shalom members to include at our Passover Seders. Focusing on the roasted egg, it teaches us that the longer one roasts the egg, the stronger it becomes, much like the response of the Jewish people needs to be to acts of anti-Semitism. Our goal was to encourage all of us to talk about current events as well as specific ideas that we can implement to address the concerns of anti-Semitism in our community. We have worked hard to encourage our members to volunteer at organizations here in Southwest Florida. Some of our members are volunteering at organizations such as JFCS, Harry Chapin Food Bank and the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee, but the needs are great and much more help is needed. As we look ahead to the coming year we need members’ suggestions and ideas, and, most importantly, greater active participation. So far, participation has not been as robust as we hoped it would be. Our goal for this new year is to encourage more members to join the TOC, to contribute their ideas and time and to expand participation in our social action and social justice pursuits. Please contact Ken Goldstein at kengoldstein@ mac.com or Marshall Sutker at marshall@sutker.com with your thoughts, comments and questions
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WORSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: PERRY SWITZEN, WORSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR & SHELDON STARMAN, WORSHIP COMMITTEE ASSOCIATE CHAIR The Worship Committee had a very productive year. The following agenda items were completed by the Committee: Purchased new Selichot prayer books for use on the Saturday evening before Rosh HaShanah Purchased an American flag and an Israeli flag for the Sanctuary Purchased new Shiva Minyan prayer books to be used at a house of mourning Applied for and received a grant for the purchase of 166 prayer books. Purchased new Shabbat prayer books for each seat in the sanctuary and chapel. The books are thinner, lighter and easier to hold in one hand. • Recommended to the Board of Directors the need of a cell phone booster device as part of the temple security program, to assist cell phone use in the Sanctuary when needed. The device is now in use. • A program is being developed inviting congregants to attend Shabbat morning services. Congregants will be given Torah honors of their choice and participate in the Rabbi’s Torah discussion as we study the brilliance of the Bible. • • • •
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CARING CONNECTION COMMITTEE REPORT SUBMITTED BY: BOBBIE KATZ, CHAIR
The Caring Connection Committee has been involved with the congregation for several years. The purpose of this committee is to reach out to our Temple Family in times of bereavement, in times of happiness and in times of need, connecting with each other. Carole Greene sends out notes to the B’nai Mitzvah families and the children wishing them a Mazel Tov. We also send out notes for special occasions such a milestone birthday, anniversary or a special honor someone in our Temple has received. Sherry Spielman is involved with making sure there is enough people for a Shiva Minyan and also attending a funeral of a congregant. She has a large committee who is available to help out. We make personal phone calls to congregants on the MiShebeirach list to check in and make sure they are doing okay and if they need any help with meals. Nancy Brown and Harriet Lickhalter are in charge of making sure if someone needs a meal, we can provide that for them. We send out notes to these who have lost either a family member or friend. Judy Picus has been sending the notes and the response has been well received. Phil Freeman has been visiting our members in the hospital and reports this information to the Rabbi and Cantor.
The Caring Connection is an important part of our Temple family and our One family initiative.
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MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: BOBBIE KATZ, MEMBERSHIP CHAIR As of this writing, we have welcomed 57 new families to our congregation. They represent a diverse group including families, associates, young families with children, singles, those who are retired and empty nesters. We have a total of 501 family member units as of the writing of this report. We also have 5 new families who have committed for the 2017-2018 new fiscal year. On September 23rd, we held a Wine and Cheese reception for New and Prospective Members before Shabbat services. It was the perfect opportunity to invite those who have an interest in Temple Shalom and Welcome Members who had joined since July 2016. On November 6th we held our annual Cabaret Night with Jebry and Company. Everyone who attended had a wonderful time and rekindled friendships, danced, schmoozed and had wonderful desserts. In January, we held our Pot Luck Dinner before our New Member Shabbat service. It is always a huge success and brings everyone together to share Shabbat. Rabbi Miller and Cantor Azu did a special blessing for our New Members and everyone felt very special. This year we welcomed 45 Seasonal Affiliates, which included renewals and many new ones. In February, we held a pot luck dinner for our Seasonal Affiliates and it was very successful. It made them feel a part of our One Family. Rabbi Miller and Canor Azu did a blessing for the Seasonal Affiliates during Shabbat services. This program is a wonderful way to have families join us during their time in Naples. We are still meeting and greeting on Friday nights and we encourage the visitors to wear name tags so we can greet them at the Oneg Shabbat. We also ask our visitors to sign in at the welcome information table so we can email them. A follow–up is made, which is appreciated by the visitor. Our name tags have been very successful and we keep up to date on new members and new seasonal affiliates. I want to thank you the members of the committee: Jan and Shelly Whitman, Mark Malone, Nancy and Jack Wiadro, Gene Helfand, Debbie Zvibleman, Susan and Joel Pittelman, and Tussy Shnider. A very special thank you to Jeanette Fischer, Alicia Browner, Randi Butterworth, Maxine Gould and Victor Lucas and his staff for their help during the year. Another thank you to Rabbi Miller, Cantor Azu, Dr. Anna Salomon, Seyla Cohen and Debbie Zvibleman for their continued support.
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ONE FAMILY INITIATIVE REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: TUSSY & NEIL SHNIDER, BOBBIE KATZ, MEMBERSHIP CO-CHAIRS Relational Judaism, implemented as One Family at Temple Shalom, is a way of thinking, a way of doing things. It is who we strive to be. At Temple Shalom, we are in the midst of a transformation, a cultural shift, from programmatical/transactional thinking, attitudes, and behavior to a culture based on the relationship of one member to another, of member to Temple, of member to Torah and God. Believing in the value and sacredness of relationships, many aspects of life at Temple Shalom continue to be impacted. From the first contact of a newcomer to Temple Shalom through the years of being part of our Temple family, the experience of belonging is much more than a financial commitment. Our ultimate goal is to build a community of engaged congregants, a religious home in which the connection between Temple and congregant is centered on our member’s needs and what is important to them. Creating the systems that promote relationships and an environment that is conducive to connecting with others are tools for furthering this transformation. One Family, a three-year-old initiative at Temple Shalom, has engaged in many such systems. Some of the on-going ones are: • Name badges and cabinet now in our lobby • Additional new member engagement opportunities • Additional seasonal affiliate opportunities • Tribute Garden with seating (see detail below) • iTemple – a members only, member-driven computer platform connecting our members • Live and archived streaming video of services and events in our sanctuary • Affinity group for Empty Nesters (more affinity groups to come) • A “hearing loop” in our sanctuary to assist the participation of congregants with hearing impairment • Shabbat Senior Transport – providing rides to and from Erev Shabbat services for those seniors who don’t drive • Shalom Chaverim – a structure for providing greeters for Erev Shabbat services (to be followed later by providing a similar system for other events held at Temple Shalom; see detail below). Our new Tribute Garden was sparked by interest shown at one of the first meetings of our One Family Team. Even though there was no budget with which to complete such a project, the committee was formed and planning began almost immediately. The generosity of several caring members made possible the renovation of the garden space and the development of a beautiful garden with trees, shrubs, lawn, and pavers. With the new foliage growing, the second phase has begun. The sale of pavers, benches, plantings, etc. is under way, making this project both a place for quiet contemplation and conversation as well as a fund raiser for the Temple A new system that has just been introduced to the congregation in recent weeks is our Shalom Chaverim project. This group of members, supported by an on-line sign-up system, provides a warm welcome to all who come to our spiritual home for Erev Shabbat services. Shalom Chaverim members assist with name badges, seating, and special needs of those attending services. They keep a watchful eye at the Oneg Shabbat to ensure guests and newcomers are engaged with other attendees. The support of the Temple Board, our clergy, and our staff have been central to the transformation taking place at Temple Shalom. This support is evidenced by the new mission statement, the new Temple logo, the new member pledge system (L’Shalom), and the presence of our Membership and Engagement Coordinator. All of these changes reflect the values of Relational Judaism, of our One Family. This support is greatly appreciated. 25