February Shofar Article

Nominations Sought for May 2009 Annual Meeting


The Nominating Committee has begun evaluating candidates for the governing slate that will be presented to the congregation for approval at the May 2009 Annual Meeting.

Officers of Brith Sholom Kneseth Israel serve for one two-year term; Board of Trustees members serve for three-year terms. The Nominating Committee seeks candidates to replace the eleven Board members whose terms are ending and to replace any retiring Officers.

Board members are expected to attend monthly meetings and support the various Synagogue activities during their terms of service. Officers may meet more frequently.

We are seeking candidates who represent the variety of views and perspectives of our membership, who work well with others and who are committed to serving BSKI in this important way. Anyone interested in serving or in recommending others for consideration may e-mail me at rbkodner@gmail.com or Harvey Leader at Harvey@e-bski.org.

Please include contact information for any names submitted — along with a sentence or two about why you are offering yourself or recommending another.

These are turbulent times, for our economy and for us. The difficulties and uncertainties do not just touch far away places, people we don’t know, or government policies that touch us only in theoretical ways.

They impact us as individuals, they affect groups and institutions we care about, and they hold sway over our future. We have seen a steady flow of announced job losses and drastic financial downturns reported by companies, nonprofit organizations and government agencies. There are also less visible, and sometimes invisible, repercussions as individuals as families fall on hard times, or live with the fear that they will soon have a drastic change in their circumstances.

How do we respond, as a Jewish community, to the consequences of this economic situation?
The short answer is that our response should be guided by sensitivity, compassion, and planning. None of us has a roadmap for this journey. We may not know how long it continues, what the turns and twists will be, and where it will end up. But we should be able to count on our collective BSKI community to face these uncertainties together, with a commitment to each other, the Synagogue community and the wider community in which we live.

The needy in our local area will need our help now, more than ever.  It should be our goal as individuals and as a community, to help meet those needs as best we can.  Just as our biblical forefathers and mothers were reminded to leave the corners of their fields and the fallen fruit for the poor and the stranger, so should we remember to provide for those less fortunate from our own resources.

Our congregation aspires to be welcoming to all, in difficult times as well as in times of celebration, and regardless of financial resources. We seek to comfort those within our own congregation dealing with hardship or stress, including those who may have lost a job or be struggling to stay economically sound.

Our intention is to provide a warm community where personal concerns are acknowledged, but do not define us. Our commitment to each other and to the future of our Jewish community is a strength that will help those individuals among us who are in need, as well as those among us who help meet those needs.

We will all do our part to support one another and find strength in these times from the values and teachings we share. But, we need good people to join our Board of Trustees and our Committees who are dedicated to keeping our Synagogue strong, independent and a viable House of Worship for the next generation to come.

B'Shalom
Ricky Kodner

 

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