From The President

Dear friends,

On May 16th, we will hold our semi-annual congregational meeting at which time the new slate of officers and directors will be presented to the congregation. As always, it is a difficult chore to find members who want to serve on the Board to lead the congregation, but it is work that needs to be done if CBS is to survive.

I have spoken with many of you over the past 2 years. I have heard the compliments and the complaints. I have heard that we need to change and I have heard that we need to stay the same. And that is a good topic that needs to be discussed again. For many, we are leaning toward a more traditional, observant congregation, while for others, we are becoming less traditional and more lenient and members are becoming agitated because it doesn't seem to be the shul we once were, or we are evolving into something that was not previously envisioned. We are not the only synagogue in the country to have this debate and in fact we are typical of most shuls in the country. The question is, do you want to see change or not?

Before my term as President began I approached a potential recruit for an open slot on the Board of Directors. The member agreed to be on the Board because "I can't complain about what is going on if I don't help with the problems" or, in other words, "I can't complain if I didn't vote."

We need new people to serve on the Board. We still have a couple of vacancies and we need representation from all factions of our membership. Currently, 80% of our Board either have no children or no children living at home any longer. We need representation from parents of the pre-school and of the religious school. We need representation from the young adults, the 20-30 year old group. We need energetic, innovative people to step forward and take their turn at the helm.

Whether you want change or want things to remain the same, if you are concerned with the future of CBS, now is the time to raise your hand, step forward and become one of the leaders of your congregation. It may be a lot of work, but it is also very rewarding and I encourage each of you to consider being a member of our Board of Directors.

On July 1, new officers and directors will be leading CBS. I would like to thank all of the Board members who I have served with over the past 7 years, especially the past 2 years. They have not been easy years and we have gone through some major transitions. You have all been very supportive of the synagogue, the rabbi, the religious school and the staff. You have given a part of yourselves to make CBS a warm welcoming place for Jews to meet, pray, and, of course, eat. You have fulfilled a mitzvah that has taken years of your life. For your time, your effort, and your support, I commend you. Yasher Koach and Todah Rabah.

Religious School News

This past week was rewarding at CBS Religious School!

In conversations with our teachers, we realized that our students are learning at such a quick pace that we will have the need for an additional Hebrew class in 2010/2011. That means you, as parents and mentors at CBS, have helped shaped the knowledge of our youth! Thank you from the staff and on behalf of the kids. Your energy and enthusiasm make a difference.

Then, I had the wonderful opportunity to experience the success of our teachers, Nir Vegvizer and Aleah Gonsalves.

Yesterday Nir and I gathered all of our Sunday School students on the lawn and formed a semi-circle around Nir. He had his guitar (ask him about this unique find from the 1960s!) and wanted to teach the students contemporary and Israeli versions of songs we all sing at services. So picture this, we had 15 kids and parents all sitting outside singing to the accompaniment of Nir on his guitar. The kids loved it. He told stories about songs he learned as a child and had everyone giggling. It was a true spiritual event that we will continue. I know the kids all loved it!

Earlier last week I was able to observe Aleah teaching her Hebrew class while sitting outside. The kids had whiteboards and were helping each other with spelling and reading out loud. The camaraderie was contagious. Later that same day, I was able to observe the students reading prayers in Hebrew. What a difference a year makes...I heard students annunciating words in prayers that I know they could not even consider deciphering a few months ago.

And then, in my Sunday School class we were reviewing the reasons "why" the kids should learn to read Hebrew. One of the reasons was so that each of us would be able to go to a Synagogue anywhere in the world and be able to participate. As an example, the students started shouting out prayers that they know for Shabbat. Not only did we get a long list of prayers that the kids know, but also they were able to recite them as the prayers went onto the list.

The bottom-line...our teachers and students are fantastic! They've all worked hard this year to teach, learn and share. To me it was a wonderful display of another successful year at CBS Religious School. Consider this article a thank you to the all of the teachers, students and directors that laid the foundation over the years for the success we shared this week. And a warm thank you to the teachers and students who have worked so hard this year. Mazel Tov!

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