Happy New Year!

January 2021   Keeping Connected

We made it to 2021 and I am optimistic that this will be a year of hope and renewal for many of us.  As a congregation, we have persevered and found a way to maintain our sense of community and I am truly hopeful we will be together again at some point this year, and maybe even hug each other, one thing I really miss.  So, let me provide an update on some activities going on.

We continue to remain vigilant in making our building a safe place.  A few new additions have included the purchase of five indoor air purifiers.  These are scheduled to be delivered very soon.  These purifiers will allow us to now close the doors to the outside (and stay warm) during school.  We also made some other minor safety modifications to our bathrooms, which now allow the exhaust fans in the bathrooms to remain on when we are in the building as well as the addition of toilet seat lids in all stalls; both of these help to reduce the spread of the virus.  Right now, our school will remain remote until at least two weeks following the New Year, at which point we will re-evaluate returning to a hybrid approach.

Our state of the art security system is installed and complete.  We have also installed brand new shades in all windows in the temple as part of our security plan to help prevent people from seeing in the building.  Special thanks to Mitch Hyatt and Tim Miranda for seeing this security project to completion; it was not an easy task.  The solar panel installation is complete and operational.  Special thanks to Larry Cohen for leading this important project.

We have recently reinvigorated an Investment Committee to help make sure our funds are being managed properly.  Special thanks to Rob Berkovitz and Scott Reiter who are co-chairing this committee as well as the following volunteers who have agreed to serve on this committee: Alan Fidler, Michele Maltby, Cory Myers, John Segal, Fred Wikander, and Tony Zimmerman.

We are getting ready to put together the next Nominating Committee.  I did want to let everyone know that I have volunteered to serve another term as President (if you will have me😊).

Finally, this Hanukkah season was very special in our community and for the first time in a while, allowed us to partake in something as a community at the temple.  A lot of work went into the Hanukkah menorah lighting this year at Congregation Shalom.  I want to take the time now to really thank the folks who made this happen: Rabbi Perry, Deborah, John, Abigail, Jeffrey, & Nathan Morrissey, Neil, Valarie, & Philip Rosen, Matthew & Dan Weinberg, David & Simon Ebersman, Jason Katz, Matthew Kaplan, Lyla Kiloski, and Sarah Maltby.  These people represent our Chai Schoolers and some dads who helped build the menorah, the Morrisseys who helped orchestrate the lighting of the candles every night, and to Neil Rosen who designed the menorah and led the building of it.

Stay well.

L’Shalom,

Liz