Over the course of our Board meetings, we hear often of our obligations and responsibilities as Board members. We hear how important our work is and I know that it is important. What we do here affects every aspect of our Temple’s life and ultimately, the lives of our members. But I would like to take this opportunity to speak tonight about what happens when we do our jobs correctly, when, as a Board, we function in the best spirit of cooperation. And I would like to use our children (mine and Ron’s) as examples.
This summer, our daughter Erin, is a camp counselor at Camp Coleman. She could not conceive of being anywhere else. She has spent every summer since she was 8 years old at Coleman, with the one exception being the year she went with her Confirmation class and NFTY to Israel. Once again, TBS has the largest number of children at Coleman of any congregation. This is what happens when we do our job correctly.
Our son, Jason, left yesterday for the NFTY trip to Israel. 22 children from Temple Beth Sholom joined 140 kids from around the nation for this group trip. An additional 300 kids will be in Israel from the US and Canada this summer on NFTY trips. Again, we have the largest group of students participating of any congregation or youth group. This is what happens when we do our job correctly.
Our Clergy, Staff and Lay leadership, understand the need to foster a love of Jewish camping and of Israel. Studies show that children who participate in Jewish Camping and in Jewish youth trips to Israel are much more likely to remain or become affiliated Jews. TBS makes a financial commitment every year to provide scholarships for those members who cannot pay for these programs. We do not leave any child behind. This is what happens when we, as a Board, and as a Temple, do our jobs correctly.
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