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Dear Congregation Members,
As a child living in Communist Romania during the early 60s, I went to shul once. When I was 5 years old my grandfather took me by the hand to my very first, and last, traditional Jewish service for the next 30 years. I remember walking down a bleak alleyway and inside a black door, a few steps down from street level. White caped men were sprinkled throughout the room bathed in yellow-orange light. Almost at once they fell on their faces, wholly prone, onto the muted reddish carpeted floor, while a hushed voice murmured something. There was no grand synagogue, no overflowing crowds, no stained glass windows, no by-standers to inform an onlooker that something notable was going on. This memory continued to whisper to me for the next three decades of my life.
Only as a Jewishly observant adult did I realize that in the same way my parents brought me into the covenant of Avraham Avinu, in secrecy and at risk of imprisonment, so too these Jews hid on that day to pray earnestly, quietly, to Hashem on one of the Yomim Noraim, with simple candles to light their prayers. Who would have predicted that more than 50 years later I’d live in Atlanta, Georgia, and have the honor of holding this office at an Eighty Year young, Torah based Congregation? Who would have ever predicted or believed such a thing was possible for that wide-eyed child? And that would have been enough. But that this shul would also be composed of loving, caring, beautifully committed Jews who never have to hide their faith, who don’t have to cower due to antagonistic authorities, who want the world to know that it’s because they’re Jews that they strive to become gloriously better each day? Even that, Hashem, even that? It’s not possible as I sit here three days into this role not to cry with gratitude and amazement at what Hashem has done.
Built into all of my past is a sense of wanting to connect in a real way with that 5-year-old kid and to honor every single one of my Jewish struggles by working for you, with all my heart. There are many other personal stories that flood my mind urging me to try and contribute my efforts to the long line of Jews who brick by brick built our inheritance that is our shul today. I’m sure we’ve all risked and sacrificed for our Judaism. And for this reason, we cannot allow any day to evaporate without some kind of work that moves us forward and thus rewards every person who lived in our midst and took their last breath as part of our community, every past Board of Trustees member, every person who donated a few dollars here and there because they believed in us, every sleepless night our Rabbis spent for any one of us, and every hopeful dream had by our original community builders. That is a heavy debt we are in a position to repay. We live a meaningful life in part because we enjoy the fruits of what has been planted for us over the past Eighty Years. We have to be able to hand over to the next members of this incredible community a shul that is even better, in every dimension. By doing so we teach our children that the reason Jews participate in beautifying their precious communities through consistent personal effort is because we owe so much to those who were, who are, and who will be members of Beth Jacob. This is a lesson about Jewish community life taught over for thousands of years.
Accordingly, as our new Board of Trustees works to build our shul’s agenda this year, we want to engage with you, to hear from you about what we can do to improve our community and shul. Tell us how strongly you feel about it. If we’re already doing some good things, tell us what they are, tell us what you will do to help perpetuate that goodness. If sometimes we’re missing the target, be specific, tell us how to improve our aim, tell us, most especially what you’re willing to do even in some small way to help fix it. We have a suggestion box at the main office, leave us your thoughts, even if they’re anonymous. Or come up to any of us Board members and gently share your thoughts with us.
Bottom line, we want to be in touch with YOU, we care about what you think, and we want to be of service to you as soon as possible. Call me at 303-523-8755 or write me at president@bethjacobatlanta.org . If you want to send an anonymous comment electronically, please go to https://xoyondo.com/op/OxwnWvx4C4BteoK . I hope to report in a short while what official agenda items we will have adopted for 2023, especially containing some ideas which you’ve suggested over the next week.
My sincerest thanks go to Matt Lewis, our outgoing president, Chava Neiditch, the outgoing Vice President, former Treasurer Nachi Friedman, and our outgoing Paliamentarian Larry Beck. They have all led this Congregation for many years with distinction, strength, courage, and professionalism. I hope that their example will continue to inspire all of us in our work and ensure our Congregation’s ongoing progress and resilience. So much gratitude is owed to Rabbis Feldman and Foxbrunner and their entire staff for their tireless excellent work in the support and guidance of our community. We are beyond fortunate to have such a talented team of professionals. Most importantly, thank YOU, our members for your ongoing commitment and generosity that helps make our shul uniquely special and beloved.
In the coming months I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you better. Thank you for allowing me this chance to work for you and our precious holy community.
Sincerely,
Yisrael Herscovici
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