Members feel they are part of a community that depends upon their active participation and their care in order to survive. For that, members come as often as they can because they feel responsible to support the community, because the activities are meaningful and because the synagogue is the place in which they find people who care for them and about whom they care. At my synagogue, members consider the leaders of the congregation important people in their extended Jewish families. Members don t turn to the professionals only when they need help or have a question. They would never ignore these Jewish teachers, whom they value as friends and spiritual companions.
People come here to create and discover a wealth of Jewish connections.
Of course, some people confuse the health club with the synagogue. We use the synagogue only when we need it or when we feel like it or when an occasional program interests us. What a loss for all of us. As I write, the March Trustees' Meeting is still over a week away, but its agenda and resolutions are the products of many months of work and discussion, so I expect that these resolutions will be approved by a substantial majority. The architects have already started to consider the many suggestions that came out of the Capital Campaign meetings, and to develop a schedule.