President's Message

Every month, I use this space to focus on one important value from Jewish tradition that I believe many of us share. I enjoy exploring the various ways that each of us are living our values in the work we’re doing and the community we’re building here. My hope is, of course, that I will touch on values that you find to be important, enhancing the bond we share as we move forward together.

 

This month’s value is that of Leading By Example.

 

I have to admit that I wrote my President’s Message after reading Mike Sobel’s "On Board" articleand Peter Lehrman’s "Meet Our Volunteers" feature story  (both in the May 2012 Kol Kehillah). These two articles unknowingly both hit on the same theme (or value) - that of taking responsibility to be a role model in our Kehillah and in the Jewish community. It’s the idea of "voting with your feet," an expression I have come to know very well this year since becoming President.

 

There truly are so many examples at TKC of people who were not raised particularly observant or who never belonged to a synagogue growing up (that would be me) but have CHOSEN a different path for themselves and their family. The choice is not easy because it involves taking action. It requires something of us. But as I know from my own personal and spiritual journey, the rewards are numerous and the effects can be far reaching.

 

I look forward to seeing each of you at our Annual Membership Meeting on May 6 as we vote to elect people who are indeed "voting with their feet" on behalf of this Kehillah. If you have a desire to get more involved, I hope you will contact me: tkcpresident@gmail.com.

 

B'shalom,

Renee Sevy-Hasterok

I was thinking about children today. It’s incredible the number of truly good things our children do in an average day. When it comes to my own children and those I know, I always try to praise them for the good things they’re doing, in hopes that they’ll want to do those things again in the future. Recently, I found myself praising my children with what I see as the ultimate compliment, "what you just did was a mitzvah".

 

So, in keeping with my plan to use this space in the Kol Kehillah to focus on some the important core values that we at TKC hold dear, this month’s focus is on the meaning of Mitzvot.

 

I think the most common definition of "a mitzvah" is a good deed. But as I came to learn many years ago, that definition is only partially true and in my opinion, misses the essence of what "a mitzvah" truly is.

 

By definition, a mitzvah is actually a commandment. While most people would consider it a good deed to visit the sick or feed those who are hungry, those deeds are actually our obligation as Jews, not something we do only when it feels good to us. The truth is, we, as Jews, have an obligation to do so many of the things that society considers good deeds. I believe that these mitzvot are the acts that make the difference in the quality of our life and the beauty and richness of our world.

 

To all the members of TKC, as we embark on the Festival of Passover, I wish for you a month full of mitzvot and the multitude of blessings that follow.

 

B’shalom,

Renee Sevy-Hasterok

 

By the way, check out the awesome "Mitzvah projects" our B'nai Mitzvah students are working on. They are doing some incredible work and making a difference in their community. www.kehillatchaim.org/mitzvah-projects

 

 30 Years Ago.....

With all the talk about our kehillah’s 30^th anniversary, I was thinking back to what I was doing 30 years ago. 

 

Interestingly enough, it turns out I was being installed as President of my BBG (B’nai B’rith girls) chapter. As I think back, I realize that so much of who I am is tied back to my experience in youth group.

 

L'Dor Vador

 

 

As I mentioned in last month’s Kol Kehillah, I will be using this space to focus on the important core values that we at TKC hold dear. This month’s core value is L’Dor Vador, from Generation to Generation.

 

L’dor Vador is one of those things that seems to reach into every aspect of life. In a way, it’s a mirror of our life. It reflects the continuity that is built on the little things we do throughout the year and the many things we do year-in-and-year-out that show our commitment to a Jewish life.

 

Thinking back on my own experience, I grew up in an interfaith household and I have to say that next to Shabbat dinners and Passover sedars at Bubie’s house, youth group was the one thing that gave me a personal connection to the Jewish community. But youth group gave me so much more that that. Suddenly, I had a Jewish circle of friends, a place to contribute my volunteer energy, and a chance to see myself as a leader in my community. I had no idea at the time that the leadership skills I was learning in BBG would be the same skills I would use as President of this congregation 30 years later. This is truly L’dor Vador at work.

 

I would like to pledge my personal commitment to the youth of TKC by making sure that our youth programming is kept a top priority. If youth programming is where your heart is, you should know that we are currently looking for the right person to serve as chair of the Youth Committee. We have been without a chair for some time. The person in this position does not plan the various youth activities, but rather serves as a liaison to the Board by overseeing and supporting the Advisors of our junior and senior youth groups (JYG and RAFTY), as well as klub345. It’s an important position if we truly want our youth groups to grow and thrive. Think about it and smile when you read about the wonderful things our kids are doing around the kehillah. Our kids are amazing!

 

B’shalom,

 

Renee Sevy-Hasterok

 

P.S. I will definitely be sending this issue of the Kol Kehillah to Arnie Weiner, recently retired Executive Director of Michigan Region BBYO, as a tribute to his 30+ years of service and the incredible difference he made in my life. Thank you, Arnie!

 

Photo: Taken at Renee's Installation as President of her BBG chapter, 1980.

Greetings fellow congregants:  

 

What an exciting time to be a part of TKC! Since the beginning of the year, there has been an absolute flurry of activity around the kehillah with so many wonderful people contributing their talents and energies to our beloved congregation.

 

In my monthly message, I would like to use this space to focus on some important core values that we at TKC hold dear. I will explore how we are living our values in the work we’re doing and the community we’re building here. My hope is that I will touch on values that you find to be important, enhancing the bond we share as we move forward together.

 

This month’s core value is Connection. I chose to focus on this particular value for my first President’s message because what I’ve learned in my own life is that life is richer when shared. I have so many memories of my mother and grandmother giving of their time to numerous Jewish organizations and to the synagogue. I didn’t realize until I was an adult that that’s how a connection is built.

 

It seems that everything we do at TKC is about building or maintaining connection. Our connection to the community is evident through our long-standing relationships with both the Drake House and the Zaban Night Shelter. Our commitment to keeping our children connected to their Jewish identity is unwavering and supported by an excellent Education Director and dedicated corps of religious school teachers. But I have to say, the strongest connection we value is the one that is built between each other. It’s built by people who want to work together, learn together, pray together and grow as a stronger community…together. This is the kind of connection I seek through my involvement at TKC and I hope you do too.

 

You should know that we are working on some interesting new ideas for creating that sense of connection that I believe we all want. Among other things, you can look forward to more themes at our Shabbat services, something our Religious Life and Practices Committee has identified as one way to make the service more engaging to more congregants. I hope you and your family will plan to join us. 

 

I don’t want to miss the opportunity to celebrate some of our successes over this last month.

 

▪  Sisterhood Shabbat: Sisterhood honored Linda Greenhill, active member of the Kehillah, who now serves as Kabbalat Shabbat coordinator, and has been Chair for Sisterhood Shabbat for several years, with the coveted Sisterhood Salutes Award.

 

▪  JYG (Junior Youth Group): Kudos to newly-organized JYG and committee chairs, Shauna Maher and Kari Lieber, for planning a very successful JYG bowling party with 16 of our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders there.

 

▪  Fundraising Fun: Mazel Tov to Carole Liebman and Debbie Newman for hosting another successful Mah Jongg Tournament and for offering free Mah Jongg lessons at no charge to the community in preparation for the next Tournament. What a great idea!

 

Lastly, I’d like to thank all who attended Shabbat services on January 27 and showed your support as I officially received the gavel as your 17th President. It meant a lot to me and my family to see so many of you there.

 

B’shalom,

 

Renee Sevy-Hasterok

TKCpresident@gmail.com

This is my twenty-fifth (counting the first term) and, for certain, final “President’s Message.” I am stepping down in favor of an energetic and talented congregant, one with whom I’ve worked closely since May in preparation for this transition. I believe that Renee Sevy-Hasterok is exceptionally well-prepared to assume the presidency of TKC, and I thank in advance our entire congregation for the support I know she’ll have, just as I have enjoyed. We are fortunate indeed to have Renee, her husband, Rod, and their family as part of our community.

 

If we have accomplished anything these past seven months – and, as I noted last month, I think we have – the credit goes not to me but to the many great people around me. I am grateful to our clergy, staff, my fellow Board members, and our many volunteers for their support; to my family for again “sharing” me with the temple; and, especially, for the constant backing of my co-congregants. You conferred upon me an honor that I always tried to take both seriously and humbly. In my new capacity as immediate past president, I look forward to working with Renee and the Board so we may continue our momentum.

 

So now, on the eve of our temple’s 30th Anniversary, it’s my honor and pleasure to share the remainder of this space with Renee so she can “introduce” herself.

 

B’Shalom,

Tim Weiss

 

 

   Thank you, Tim, for ten years of exceptional leadership and service to this kehillah.

 

As we enter our kehillah’s historic 30^th year, my first order of business is to introduce myself to the congregation that I call home.

 

I truly believe that every day we are placed in situations that challenge us to live up to our ideals. That was exactly what happened last spring when I picked up the Kol Kehillah, just as you are now, and read Rabbi Winokur’s powerful words. He wrote that he was struck by the fact that the Nominating Committee was about to send out the proposed slate and that the position of president and executive vice president were both blank. The next part of what he wrote resonated with me for days:  “We need to think together about what it means to build community, and about how one's personal identity is tied up with being part of that community.” 

 

Now, I have always felt very connected to the Jewish community, whether it be through involvement as a teenager with BBYO, or as an adult with Women’s American ORT and the American Jewish Committee’s Black-Jewish Coalition. I know how much the Jewish community has enriched my life over the years, but as I read the Rabbi’s words that day as a relatively new member of this kehillah, I realized that it was a sense of community that I was truly seeking for myself and my family. When I put down the newsletter and really thought about the idea of community, something clicked. The community I was hoping to have was right here, waiting for someone to step up. And I realized then that that someone could be me.

 

I am excited to begin this incredible journey with all of you. I hope that during my term as President, we can strengthen what we have here at TKC, continue to build something meaningful and lasting, and most importantly, enjoy the journey as we build the kind of community that we all want. We are fortunate to have such a solid foundation and rich history to build on. I truly look forward to every new experience as we enter the kehillah’s 30^th year.

 

On behalf of my husband, Rod, and our children, Julia, Alex, Shane, Lauren and Troy, my wish for us all is that we may go from strength to strength, together.

 

Renee Sevy-Hasterok

As I write this, six months have passed since I returned to the honor of serving as president of our temple, and barely more than one month remains before I will step down in favor of my successor, Renee Sevy-Hasterok. It is, therefore, appropriate to review for our congregants those areas in which I believe progress has been made; given the short amount of time since May, most of these initiatives are, of course, ongoing.

 

Largely due to the efforts of our new fiscal team, Treasurer Shelley Miller and Bookkeeper Suesan Phillips, we have strengthened our financial picture. We have continued to cut costs, not by compromising congregant services or further reducing payroll, but by realizing substantial savings in several other areas: negotiating a new MUM (dues) arrangement with URJ; lowering the interest rate on our building mortgage; and embracing new vendors or revising arrangements with existing ones. We are operating far more efficiently, despite the fact that our membership numbers, while now stabilizing, have declined over the last few years.

 

We are continuing to improve our front office structure. Shelley is working closely with Suesan and Office Administrator Joy Salenfriend to improve procedures and eliminate redundancies, to enable them to provide the best possible support to our clergy, education director, and congregation.

 

Rabbi Winokur, Mark Silberman, and Shelley have launched a monthly training series that is identifying and grooming future lay leaders. Those who complete the classes will eventually buttress the large – and talented – group of new people who joined the Board of Trustees this past May.

 

Trustees Michelle Erste and Mike Sobel have taken charge of the new Marketing & Membership Engagement Committee. The success of the recent membership survey (which produced an astonishing response rate of about 30%) and ongoing upgrades of our various online and social media platforms (such as the new TKC app for iPhone and Android) are only two examples of the important work this group is doing.

 

We have implemented new fundraising ideas, including offering premium parking for the High Holy Days, and Friday night Oneg Shabbat sponsorships.

 

We have a committee in place to plan and oversee a litany of events that will commemorate our 30th anniversary observances throughout 2012.

 

I cannot stress strongly enough that I accept no credit for what is going on around us. Few of these projects originated on my watch; some were being discussed even before my first term as president (2008 – 2010); all are the inspirations of others, not mine. These measures will continue on Renee’s watch and even beyond. Let us resolve to continue this momentum into 2012, and far beyond.

 

B’Shalom,

Tim Weiss

On the morning of Rosh Hashanah 5772, several hundred of us heard an evocative speech by our former president, Mark Silberman. Mark spoke powerfully, yet very personally, about his own “Jewish journey,” how it brought the Silbermans to us, and how they found a home with our congregation. He pointed out – quite correctly – that “everyone sitting in services this morning has a Jewish journey, a story, on how they came to be here today.”

 

Mark spoke in an equally compelling manner about the realities of supporting one’s congregation. He pointed out how, by our presence in the Sanctuary that day, we, the congregants, are demonstrating the value that lies in being affiliated with a synagogue (which, as Mark stated so well, is “an optional, discretionary financial decision”). He told of how, despite financial fluctuations, he “always had just a little extra money to make a donation to the temple.” He then closed by asking each congregant there that day to consider a donation of $50.

 

Mark is hardly the first lay leader to make such an appeal at the start of the High Holy Days (nor will he be the last). But the requested amount is by far the most modest that I can recall. Mark wanted to work with an amount that would be realistic for the largest possible number of members; he understands the importance of establishing breadth in our donor base – the percentage of total membership that participates in our appeals.

 

At this early juncture, I’m gratified to report that the 2011 / 5772 High Holy Days Appeal is off to a very good start in both breadth and depth of participation. As I write this (in mid-October), we have raised almost $15,000 from several dozen donors; not only are people responding to the appeal, but they are participating most generously. On behalf of the clergy, staff, and Board of Trustees, I would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to those who have given, including those who gave after this was written. Our temple is stronger because of your “optional, discretionary financial decision.”

 

B’Shalom,

Tim Weiss

 

I recently reported to the Fulton County courts building in downtown Atlanta, ready and willing to serve the people as a State Court juror (as usual, I was sent home without being selected). Once all prospective jurors had been checked in, we watched a video on the importance of the ordinary citizenry participating in the time-honored common law tradition of jury service. Now, this production wasn’t exactly an Oscar candidate, but I was struck by a segment featuring former Georgia Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, who remarked that “Service to the people should be an honor, not a burden.”

 

           

Service as an honor rather than a burden; it’s a broad concept that’s rather difficult to dispute. It’s a belief that applies, or most certainly should apply, to how we, the congregants (“citizens”) of Temple Kehillah Chaim, view our relationship to our congregation. Service is commitment and dedication, but at a community of faith, it’s also very much a covenant.

 

           

All of our temple’s past presidents – myself included - have issued various calls and appeals for volunteer assistance and/or financial support. You’ve heard the same messages at your previous affiliations, too.  But while there is no doubt that, as our membership numbers slowly decline, our Kehillah would greatly benefit from access to additional human and monetary resources, I do not write this month to ask for such. Rather, I am appealing for all of our congregants to come join us for worship in the near future (over and above Yom Kippur, that is). Come and hear Metro Atlanta’s longest-tenured Reform clergy tandem. Come in – drop your troubles by the entrance for a time – and enjoy about 75 minutes of spirituality and edification, followed by fellowship and noshes at Oneg Shabbat. Experience the sights, the sounds, and other sensations of Shabbat. Come on in – you might find an old acquaintance, perhaps even make a new friend. You may find more than you were expecting; you might even find an interest.

 

           

That’s all I’m going to ask this month – please come attend one of our services very soon. I truly think we can exceed your expectations. If we can get more worshippers into our Sanctuary on Fridays (and some Saturdays), then I know the challenges we face, such as stabilizing and growing our membership ranks, rejuvenating our cadre of volunteers, and strengthening our financial base will be successfully met.

 

G’mar tov,

Tim Weiss

While on our summer vacation, Hiedi and I followed the advice I had often given my former Judaics students: when on a trip, do something related to Jewish culture and / or heritage. Pursuant to this, when our cruise ship docked in the small city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, we made our way to the Saint John Jewish Historical Museum.

 

We arrived at an expanded Victorian house that the museum shares with Conservative Congregation Shaarei Zedek (“Gates of Righteousness”), the only synagogue in the city of about 68,000, and one of three – none Reform - in the entire province. An excellent tour guide (a non-Jewish college student) showed us around both the museum and synagogue.  This didn’t take very long as the tiny congregation has only around 30 members. She explained how the house once belonged to the first Jewish couple in the city; we saw old photos of a downtown containing many Jewish-owned businesses (only one remains); she told us that Shaarei Zedek hasn’t had a rabbi for many years, though they continue to hold weekly lay-led services, and that the congregants have somehow managed to retain their Conservative identity over the years, even though kosher foods must be ordered from Montreal. Easily the most poignant part of the tour was when we saw the congregation’s religious school – a single classroom set up for four students.

 

We truly experienced a textbook example of a greatly shrunken Jewish community struggling to remain viable and relevant. It’s a somber thing to see in person. As a synagogue president, I can’t help but wonder if the Saint John Jewish community’s story contains any parallels to our own community’s present and future. Are there any signs we should take note of? What was the thinking of past rabbis and lay leaders of Shaarei Zedek as they watched their congregant base steadily decline? Could they have done something differently? It’s a scenario that raises some questions.

 

Clearly, any comparison of Saint John and our portion of the Metro Atlanta Jewish community can only be figurative. But, both worldwide and here in the U.S., Jewish communities and populations are stagnating at best, and declining in many instances. The example of Saint John is no anomaly; it is a trend, one we hope to avoid here.

 

B’Shalom and Good Yontif,

Tim Weiss

Since I have been asked to fill this space each month with a “President’s Message,” it is my intention to use the space as a means to keep the congregation informed as to what is going on at the Kehillah. So please read on as I have lots to share this month!

This past month, Peter Lehrman, Vice President of Membership, reinstituted TKC’s Shalom Squad.  Members of this committee will be at each service and at each event held at TKC.  At Friday night services, you will now see a Shalom Squad member sitting at a table in the lobby where he or she will meet and greet all who are arriving for services.  All newcomers are being asked to sign our guest book, which has been modified and simplified with basic contact information.  Furthermore, we have instituted a “Prospective Member Follow-up Plan” that identifies and documents the how, what, when, and who of contacting those prospective members.  Cantor Margulis recently made phone calls to our entire list of Prospective Members who have visited this year and her calls were very well received! Please contact Peter if you would like to join the Shalom Squad – it is a great way to get to know people!

Speaking of Cantor Margulis – a Havdallah Service was led by the Cantor on Saturday night, July 17.  This was a lovely casual service, followed by a fun-filled ice cream social which was organized by Hiedi Weiss, VP of Programming.  As everyone introduced themselves, the warmth and friendliness (and diversity) of our community enveloped the social hall.  A really great time was had by all – not to mention yummy ice cream and tons of toppings!! Many thanks to Hiedi and her team for setting up and cleaning up.

As everyone struggles with the current economic situation, I am trying to find ways to increase revenue without burdening our membership.  To that end, please take a look at the new Advertising Agreement for our Kol Kehillah Newsletter.  I encourage you to print some copies (we will also have copies available in the lobby) and take some with you as you are “out and about.”  Ask your doctors, dentists, hairdressers, manicurists, florists, caterers, accountants, plumbers, electricians, painters - any other vendors that you use – if they would like to purchase an advertisement in our newsletter.  If you have a business that you would like to promote, consider this opportunity for your own businesses as well.  Because these ads are online, there is the opportunity for millions of people to view these ads at very little cost.  Feel free to have anyone call me directly as I am happy to share my own personal experience of how valuable these advertisements have been in my own business.

As always, I thank you all for the opportunity to serve in this capacity and wish you all a wonderful August!

Todah Rabah,
Joyce