President's Monthly Column
January 2010
Most of you are now reading the Family Record 'online.' I hope that you are able to read and enjoy this format just as much as those of us involved in producing it have for the past several months.
We do realize this change alters your personal experience with our Family Record. I hope you'll find it to be for the better. This new format will allow you to see the full color pictures and graphics that are always carefully selected to accompany the articles and information that we produce for you each month. It also brings about a significant cost savings and should eliminate the postal delay that some of you have experienced.
In order to make this electronic experience even more meaningful, we encourage your feedback to family_record@congregationbethtorah.org.
When I started getting involved in Beth Torah and later agreed to serve as your president I knew that I would have experiences and face challenges that would place me outside my comfort zone. Much like physical exercise, our mental and physical growth comes from the stretch goals that we set for ourselves. On the 22nd of this month, a group of your fellow congregants, as adult B'nei Mitzvah, will lead services, read Torah and celebrate Shabbat. From personal experience I know that this can be one more, rather large, step along each of their Jewish Journeys. The adult B'nei Mitzvah program, led by Elizabeth Stein and Leslie Morgan, has done much to enrich the lives of many congregants, and has enabled many of its graduates to be counted as regular Shabbat service leaders.
Other programs like the Adult B'nei Mitzvah program, our Gateway service led by Gail Greenberg, and various classes led by Rabbi Raskin exist to help you and me move along our paths in a way that is practical and meaningful to each of us. If you don't have time for a class and have a copy of Siddur Sim Shalom, open to the introduction in the pages with the Roman numerals to gain a small insight into our service and liturgy. Can't read Hebrew? Try downloading a copy of our very own CBT Transliterations (Home page, Religious Life menu item).
http://www.congregationbethtorah.org/religious/Transliterations/index.html
If these are not right for you, don't forget about our Mark A. Siegel Scholar-in-Residence weekend March 12-14 with Dr. Jason Kalman, our popular Sisterhood Book discussions, or your ability to join our Adult Education Committee to help define the programming we offer.
The opportunities are there and are yours for the taking. It can be quite rewarding to pick a goal and stretch for it.
B'yedidut
Tony
*Our Mission Statement: Congregation Beth Torah is a welcoming, Conservative synagogue community. We inspire the lifelong Jewish journeys of individuals and families by promoting active participation in Jewish life and learning.