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Board of Trustees

Temple Sinai Board of Trustees: 2023-2024


 

Trustee - Jason Collier 

President- Sherry Thomas

Trustee - Kathy Stern

President-elect:  Robert Krasow

VP Administration- Richard Greenspan

Trustee - Michael Rubin

VP Development - Elana Margolis

VP Education - Wende Kozlow

 

VP Facilities - Chester Perlinski

 

VP Finance - Marvin Rosen

 

VP Membership - Daryl Worobow

 

VP Ritual - Barbara Pollack

 

Financial Secretary - Amy Drachman

 

Secretary - Elyse Gordon

 

Parliamentarian - Peggy Miller 

 

Immediate Past President - Ellyn Bender

A Message From our President:
Sherry Thomas

Dear Friends,

As I write this message, I am trying to find the words that will bring comfort and support to this congregation. That is not an easy task and is quite a tall order, but it is my responsibility to provide that comfort and support to each of our members, their families, and friends whether near or far. So, the question is, how do I do that? I know I cannot do it alone. As a matter of fact, I don’t even like to use the word “I”. It’s such a lonely word and after this sentence, it will be rarely used in any of my communication going forward.

Today, we face some challenges. Some that we may fear we cannot overcome but that’s simply not true. Many synagogues have faced membership challenges, financial burdens, staff, and volunteer shortages, yet they grew stronger and rebuilt together. Remember the saying “there is strength in numbers”? Let’s look at what we have: The Gan Early Childhood Center has a multi-year waitlist, Our JQuest religious school program grows each year, and we continue to have programming, fundraisers, social gatherings, sisterhood, men’s club and so much more. We continue to have members volunteering in all areas of our synagogue and the list is growing all the time. You may be saying, “Is she living in reality”? Yes, absolutely!

So, what are the challenges? We have fewer members than we did 5 years ago, and we have a more significant deficit than five years ago, but does that mean we just give up? Absolutely NOT! What this means is that we may need to make some changes, we may need to adopt new ideas and new practices, we need to recruit more members, engage more with each other, understand why certain decisions are made and know that by accepting all of that, Temple Sinai will continue to thrive and be the vibrant community we all love.

It would be remiss if we didn’t talk about what’s happening in the world around us and the horrific acts of hate and violence occurring in our beloved Israel, a place where we can only pray will one day know true peace. As a congregation, as a Jewish community, it is imperative that we stand together, support each other, talk to our children, check in on those who have family and friends in Israel and join with others outside of our congregation who are here to stand with us.

Please know you are never alone and no matter what, we are in this together. We need to open our hearts, our hands, and our minds to what the future may hold. Although there are no guarantees for tomorrow, we need to believe there is hope for a bright future.

L’shalom,

 

 

Sherry Thomas
President

Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784