President's Monthly Meanderings
July 2007
by Gary Lerman

In this, my initial message to my Temple Family as President of Temple Beth Elohim, I want to thank my immediate predecessors Joe Greenfield, Bruce Edelson and Larry Hepner. It is through their tireless efforts, along with the enormous efforts of all the Board and Committee members and our very special employees that Temple Beth Elohim has thrived.

Today, committees are busy scheduling interesting and exciting programs and events that, I expect, will be of interest to the entire congregation, young and old. Youth group events for all grade levels are being planned. Social events for adult individuals and families and educational programming for all ages will be announced with regularity. I promise, there will be events and programs that will be of interest to you; and I ask that you do your best to make room on your busy schedule to attend.

As you are probably aware, we are hoping to modestly increase the size of our Temple family. Perhaps you could ask a friend or neighbor or extended family member to join you for one of the events or programs you plan to attend. Bring someone you think is interested in affiliating with a temple to a Shabbat service. Try to promote Temple Beth Elohim from your little corner of our small world.

I hope that you have a wonderful summer and that your Temple home will be a part of your summer plans. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Shalom,
Gary Lerman

Final Message
June 2007
by Larry Hepner, President

Over the past four years it has been my honor and privilege to serve as President of Temple Beth Elohim. It has been a momentous term of office. We have built a new Temple home and moved in. We have also assumed a huge debt to acquire our new home. The future is going to be challenging, exhilarating and require renewed dedication by all to our Temple family.

Many of my themes have covered the need of us all to be involved in the Temple. Our mission statement calls us to dedicate our Temple home as a House of Prayer, a House of Learning and a House of Gathering. As we welcome a new set of officers and board members, I urge you to make a home in one or more of the houses in our mission.

How does one accomplish this? Reach out. It's that simple.

I know many feel that the Temple needs to make the effort to find a place for you. You are a member, and now what is the Temple going to do for you? You sit back and wait for someone to request your involvement. I look at the Temple as a place where many hands are reaching out, but at times they are grasping at air. With the exception of about half a dozen employees, the officers, board, and committee chairs are all volunteers. Volunteers also have jobs, families and other obligations and may not have the time to know who wants to participate and how.

Over the last four years, I have seen a number of new people become involved in our Temple life. New groups have formed and new religious and adult education programs have started. Some of the members of these groups are new to participation. It is a delight to get to know new people that I didn't know very well before. We need more people participating.

I have also noted a concern associated with the tone of our times, and how it affects our Temple family. It seems that in our society today many people are easily offended. As President, I have noted this tendency in the fabric of our Temple. Let me state here and now that in no way was there ever any intention to offend anyone by the staff, Board of Directors or committee chairs. As in any large family, friction will occasionally occur between people whose intentions are good. We are all in this together. We all need to take a deep breath and put the welfare of the Temple first.

This brings me back to you and the fact that through active participation, with the interests of our Temple family at heart, you will receive so much more out of your membership. To be an involved member of our Temple takes effort. You need to be active, not passive. Join something. Volunteer to do a job or project. Make a positive impact. You will find those hands that are grasping for air will be helping hands that will welcome you. You need to reach out to the Temple as the Temple is reaching out to you. It's a two way street.

As the next Board comes in, there is plenty to do to make our Temple family continue to grow. The Temple will need new members to sustain us in this beautiful new building. We will have to find ways to continue to fund our Temple needs. We will make our home a resource for the community. We have lots of work to do, and I am looking forward to the next few years as we expand and grow. We need your brains, your hands, your leadership, your prayers, your donations, your involvement and most of all your loving support. It will take us all reaching out to our Temple and each other to make our Temple family grow and prosper.

Shalom,
Larry Hepner, President

Many Hands
May 2007

You know the saying, "Many hands make light work." In fact, many people continually chip in to help out. We will need more of this.

With the larger building there are expanded activities and needs. As for staffing, we will have to continue with what we have and maybe a little less. That little less is what worries me. Yes, some of the current committee job descriptions remain the same, but some have expanded greatly. Additionally, new committees need to be formed and staffed to handle the myriad activities planned for the Temple. Increased administrative needs will require more volunteers.

To the many of you that contribute your time: you are a blessing. I am constantly amazed at the initiative displayed by some of our members, both veterans and newer members, as they see a need and try to fill it. If you have a talent or just wish to help in a small way, you are needed. But we will need a new corps of leaders that are willing to make the success of Temple Beth Elohim a priority.

As we settle into our new Temple home, and as the current active group matures, the time is coming to turn the future of the Temple over to a new set of leaders. With all the work that needs to be done, we will need many people that are willing to step forward.

In many cases, that is easier said than done. Many people will hesitate because they may not know how or what to do to take a leadership position. That is where a leadership development program will come in. While there is still some definition to the program to be worked on, my basic plan is this:

A written invitation to join our leadership development program will be sent to current members who have displayed a proclivity to volunteer. By accepting, the congregant will learn about Temple history, how to handle committee work at Temple Beth Elohim, how to interface with the Board of Directors, to understand and influence policies and procedures, special insight from our Rabbi and most importantly, how to take a leadership position in the Temple.

For all this, the congregant's commitment is to take an active role, leading a committee as a chairperson or co-chair person. In my mind it is a mitzvah of the highest order to ensure the successful growth of our Temple home.

Look for this to come about in the second half of next year. I, and many others, have had a hand in leadership positions out of love for our Temple family. It is time to share the love.

The State of the Temple
April 2007

Just a few months ago we moved into our new Temple facility. We have had some wonderful celebrations, enjoyed several months of religious school in our spacious new classrooms, and expanded our opportunities for worship and study. These are momentous times. However, it is also time to make sure we are all aware of where we stand when it comes to the operational and financial needs of our congregation and its new home.

First we need to understand what we have spent. The cost of constructing the building as it stands now is $6.5 million. Although many of the original estimates received way back in 2003 and 2004 from various construction managers were in excess of $7.5 million, we asked the professionals retained to work with us to reduce that amount and successfully reduced the pre-construction budget to $4.5 million. The cost increases incurred were primarily due to price increases and the unexpected requirement that the level of the land be raised to accommodate the construction site. There were also design factors that affected the increase in cost that were not anticipated by the professionals retained.

The Building Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee worked very hard to contain costs. Many items in the building were "value engineered" for cost savings or eliminated altogether to achieve budgetary relief. However, at the end of the process, when you combine all the costs related to the construction of our new home including, but not limited to land, architectural fees, closing costs and fundraising, the total cost of the project will be in excess of $8 million dollars.

As for the cost of financing the building, we raised in pledges approximately $2.5 million of which approximately $2.1 million has been collected and approximately $1.8 million has been disbursed. When the pledging process began for this land site, a building fund balance had already existed from a previous pledge drive and was disbursed along the way with other funds received from non-pledge donations, initiation fees and proceeds from fundraising events.

It appears that, when all costs are incurred and paid, the construction loan balance will be approximately $5.9 million and will require interest only payments in excess of $400,000 per year until the end of February, 2008. The principal will be reduced to perhaps $5 million with the sale of the old building, and, when the mortgage is made permanent in March, 2008, will be amortized over 25 years and will require an annual mortgage payment in excess of $400,000. This amount is approximately two thirds of our current operating budget.

We still have some pledges coming in, but, as you can plainly see, we have a strong need to reduce our mortgage debt and to fund our debt service payments. We will have the opportunity to reduce the principal and re-amortize the loan on an annual basis. But the need remains for us to do all we can to meet our financial obligations.

I want to state that there will be no "white knight" riding in to subsidize our need. We have had many generous donors and continue to expect support, but there is no one individual who will resolve our financial issues. It is on all of us to do what is in our power to insure the continuation of our congregation and our congregational home. How can we do that? First we need to recruit new members. Second, we need to find ways to increase income from building usage. Third, we need to rely on each and every Temple member to annually make a financial commitment above and beyond our dues to service and reduce our debt. In Bruce's report below you will find additional financial details and recommendations as to how you can help.

Let there not be any confusion. We have a responsibility to ensure the continuation of Temple Beth Elohim. This is a long-term commitment and one that we certainly can shoulder.

Where Are You?
March 2007

That question or variations of it have come up recently. Let's explore this question a bit.

It came up in one of the adult classes, not as a "where are you?", but, " how are you displaying Jewish values in your everyday life?" I started thinking about where I was in my life in general. We are all in different stages of our lives. For example, Shirley and I are at a point where our kids are grown and independent, and we are pre-grandchildren.

Where are you in your life? Maybe a growing family with young children is your main focus today. Perhaps those fun and challenging years with teenagers is what has your attention. You might be in the empty nest syndrome and enjoying your work, hobbies and your interests. It could also be that retirement is where you are. Maybe you are just starting out or maybe you are single and looking toward a wide array of future options.

Another question has also come up with regards to where are you in the life of our Temple. It has only been a little over three months since we moved into our new home, and already we can see changes starting to occur.

New programs include adult study programs with Rabbi Leah, Torah study and services on Shabbat morning, a thriving adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah class, and an expanding Senior Youth Group. Rabbi Acrish is planning to start a Conversational Hebrew Class shortly, and one of our members, Stan Smith, has kindly offered to facilitate a Bereavement Support Group if there is interest.

Of course, our vibrant religious school is making strides in our new facility. Our traditional offerings from the Sisterhood and Men's Club continue to engage Temple members. Rosh Chodesh, The Great Debates, and both Adult and Junior Choirs also are regulars for us to select from. New offerings will most likely come in the months ahead.

Tying the two themes together, where you are in your life and where you are in the life of the Temple? Clearly, busy lives at work and at home are very important and key determiners of how much spare time you have and how you plan to use it. But how do you plan your time for Temple activities? With all of the above offerings, surely one will fit in your schedule.

If those activities don't interest you, maybe there is something you would like to see the Temple organize. Let us know. We will look to do more in 2007 if you let us know.

The key here is for us all to decide where we are when it comes to the Temple. Can we fit in one special program a month? Can we come once every two weeks to a class with Rabbi Leah? Can we make a minion every week on Shabbat morning? If you are not making a Temple activity a part of your life, I ask you to take a look at what we offer and make the effort to include Temple Beth Elohim in where you are now.

Prayer
February 2007

It has been a real delight that our Rabbinic Intern, Leah Berkowitz, has taken to teaching about prayer. For those of you at the January Family Service, she taught us the prayer that is said when one completes the reading of one of the books of the Torah. Perhaps, like me, you didn't know that there was such a prayer. Given our faith, it makes sense to have a prayer for this occasion and many other things.

Rabbi Leah also taught her class on that following Sunday about the prayer that is said upon wakening each morning. This prayer gives thanks to God, who restored my breath again for another day. This got me thinking about all the things we have to be thankful for. Many thanks to Rabbi Leah for bringing a new and fresh perspective to our Temple.

Think of the things that God has granted you each day. When you wake up in good health, that is a blessing. When you wake up to a sheltering home along with a warm and loving family, that is a blessing. When you wake up with a purpose to your day, that is a blessing. Let's face it, when you wake up, period, that is a blessing.

For us here at the Temple on the Hill, waking up as a member of this Temple Family in a new building is a blessing. With our new home come some stresses. Everything is new and changing. New needs are developing along with changes to how things are done. This is creating expectations about our Temple that will take time to meet.

There's plenty of work to do in many areas of our Temple. Some examples are marketing our Temple to attract new members and increase building usage, improving our religious school offerings, expanding our program offerings, new options for ritual and spiritual fulfillment, and many interesting unforeseen ideas to come.

All this takes time. I know we all want it done now, but patience needs to be the order of the day. Take time to say a prayer for the advancement of our Temple Family. Take time to say a prayer for those that work at and for our Temple. All that we do involves time and sometimes mistakes.

Remembering to be thankful to God at the beginning of each day puts the day in perspective.

2007 Already
January 2007

It's hard to believe that we are starting 2007 already. Many people like to make resolutions at this time of year. But for this writing, I would like to take a look forward into our new Temple home.

The finishing touches will be completed. The new kitchen for the social hall and new chairs for the sanctuary will make terrific additions to the functionality of the space. There will be more and more functions scheduled in our social hall, which will come to be known as the Vista on the Hill at Temple Beth Elohim. We have already seen that there is an ambiance that lends itself to memorable events.

More programs of adult, youth and senior focus will be founded. Our intern, Rabbi Leah, has made plans for some and others will come about as we plan on launching new initiatives. Now there is plenty of space for meetings.

Membership will increase. This one is a tough one to call, but there is a sense of destiny in the air. I believe that people will see the potential here and feel the warmth and spirituality of our Temple family. I will go out on a limb and say that we will have about 10% growth in our membership.

We will serve our community. We have some interest in setting up programs that would be of interest to those outside of our membership, including interest in setting up programs for the seniors who are our neighbors. I believe that more community programs will come our way from other sources.

Rentals will come our way for other classroom use and educational purposes. The word will go out that our facility can host any size meeting or function. The local Chamber of Commerce along with some other groups have indicated that there is a need for a facility like ours. It will be exciting to see the Temple utilized on a regular basis.

I am looking forward to the many unique opportunities that will come our way. In many ways, our Temple family at the Temple on the Hill will go through a transformation in the year ahead. As we approach 2008, we will look back and realize how much we have changed as we now look back and realize that one year ago, the Temple on the Hill was just a big hole in the ground. Look at us now.

Let us resolve to make 2007 a terrific year of change and excitement.

Our New Home
December 2006

We are now in our new home and that is quite an accomplishment. Thanks to all the members of the Building Committee, past and present, who dedicated so much of their time to get us to this time and place.

So, what do we do now? Where do we go from here?

First and foremost is our need for new members. If you know people looking for a spiritual home, bring them to a service. When there is an event for prospective members, bring someone. When there is a Temple function, like Shabbat Across America, Comedy Night or evening Adult Programs, bring someone. Growth is necessary in order to keep our Temple family strong.

Second, use the Temple for your parties and meetings. If you are having a Bar or Bat Mitzvah party, use our social hall. If you are planning a Sweet 16 party, wedding reception or anniversary party, use our social hall and treat your guests to the beautiful view of the Hudson Valley. If you are a member of a civic club or group, use one of our meeting rooms for special meetings or events. Our building offers spacious rooms with spectacular views. Promoting the usage of our building as a place to meet and hold functions is what we should all have at the top or our minds.

Third, involve yourself in our Temple. Create new programming ideas for Youth or Adult Programs. In our new Temple home there is plenty of room in which to hold events. Look for regular Torah Study sessions, Youth Group functions, adult discussion groups, lectures, and more. We have the space. Lead your own group.

We have so much to be thankful for, but the issue really is about paying for the new building and your involvement. All of the above will help us cover the debt load. New members, functions, building rentals, and innovative programs will help lighten the financial load for all of us.

The real key is you. How much of a priority in your life is your Temple involvement? You don't have to be like a few of us who eat, sleep and breathe Temple life, but I am asking you to move it up a notch. There is more to Temple life than just the basics of Religious School and Shabbat Services. Join a group, serve on a committee, be a chaperone for the Youth Group, and attend special programs that are held.

Be warned that this will take a little effort on your part. If you are waiting for someone to call you with a personal invitation, then you are not making the effort. You need to extend your hand to someone in the Temple. Believe me, someone will gladly take your hand and will make you feel welcome. That's what we do best.

Hakafot to the Promised Land
The Temple on the Hill
November 2006

Sunday, October 15 - the sky was clear, and it was a crisp autumn day - what an ideal day for our Hakafot, the walking of our Torahs to our new home. For most of us, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience - the opportunity to participate in one of the most memorable events in the history of the Temple and the local Jewish community. What could be more significant than carrying our sacred Torahs to our new Temple home?

But the day was more than just beautiful and perfect. The entering into our promised land was filled with consummate joy, the joy of a confident tomorrow. I cannot get over the smiles on all the faces, youth to seniors that made such a great impression on me. There were also tears of joy as the significance of the event enveloped everyone who participated.

Yes, a rare event indeed. As I was reflecting with the press as they stopped during the Hakafot, I came to the realization that the fruition of all of our labors was ordained by God. Yes, we have wandered in the wilderness for twenty years or more to secure a new home.

Review with me a bit of the trail that began with the rapid growth of our congregation during the 1980's as well as the report that Route 22 would be widened, resulting in a loss of 20 to 30 feet of road frontage of our current Temple property. The Board of Directors formed a Building Committee whose task was to find a suitable piece of land on which to build a new home for our Congregation.

Those that served on that committee at various times can attest to the frustrating process of finding a workable building site. Many times we found a plot of land in a good location only to find that it could not handle a septic system, had wetland issues, or was just not a fit. Once we thought we had found a location, but there were some town and zoning issues that would have taken years to settle. Then the Mt. Ebo property became available. One look, and it was love at first "site" - and, even better, there was an approved site plan on which our proposed new temple would fit.

And now we have nearly completed our new home. It has taken approximately two or more years to get our building to this point of completion. We have had headaches and had to scale back on some of our building plans. But we now have a new home.

The morning that we were setting up for the Hakafot, the new building was warming to its new task. It was nice and shiny and new; however, when the procession of Torahs arrived, there was a noticeable transformation. With our beginning in our new home with the reading of Bereshit, God settled into the Temple on the Hill. As we concluded our first service and feasted on that joyous and special day, you could feel that Temple Beth Elohim was indeed, bet Elohim, the house of God.

High Holy Days - 5767
October 2006

A year ago, I stood here and committed that we would not be in this Auditorium again. Three weeks ago, the Board of Directors could arrive at no other decision than to come back here due to not having completed our new home in time. It was a great disappointment to the Board of Directors and me that we could not honor our commitment.

But in a way, it seems appropriate that we are here one last time. In the Torah portion of two weeks ago, God was preparing the people of Israel to enter into the Promised Land. Truly, they had wandered for many years to arrive at that time and place.

We have truly wandered for years to get to our new home and like Moses, Joshua and the Israelites, we can now see the Promised Land!

It will now be only a matter of weeks until we receive our certification to occupy our new Temple home. I want to thank Joe Greenfield and all the members of the Building Committee for their continuous work in monitoring the construction process. I also want to thank Gary Lerman and all the members of the Budget & Finance Committee for the tough job of overseeing our financial responsibilities. This was a true labor of love and without the dedication of all these people, we wouldn't be as close as we are today.

Even though disappointed for today, I am truly excited about the future of our new home. We will have new classrooms with appropriate classroom furniture. The sanctuary will be our beautiful center of worship. We will have a wonderful social hall for functions and gatherings that will have the best views of any in the area.

We will bring much of our current fixtures and furnishings, and some of it may be what I would call hand-me-downs, but we will call it home. We will need to push ourselves to financially support our new home. We will need for all of us to be individual promoters of our Temple to draw new members or for facility usage. It will certainly be a challenging and rewarding time for us.

I was also reflecting on why this change is so significant to us. In today's troubled world, why is our new home so important now and to our future?

It is the year 5767, and as we say during High Holy Days, in every age there are those that seek to destroy us and we have persevered for thousands of years. One writer recently commented: "Our willingness to retain our loyalty to our identity and our heritage has been the key to our survival throughout the ages…"

That is why we build. This is the next chapter in the identity and heritage of the family of Temple Beth Elohim. As we look inward to ourselves for the coming year, we need to take a stand.

Look up to our Temple on the Hill and make a new commitment to our identity as Jews. Look up to our Temple on the Hill and make a commitment to enriching the heritage of our Temple family. It will take us working together, sharing our Jewish identity together and praying together to keep us strong and growing. This is how we as Jews stand the test of time.

It should be exhilarating for us all to feel as though we were all Israelites poised to enter the Promised Land for we truly are. I am looking forward to the future in our new home as we develop the next era in the unique and dynamic heritage that is our family, that of Temple Beth Elohim, the Temple on the Hill.