At last night’s Annual meeting many people thanked Nick Levitin for his service as President of Shomrei. I can’t just let this moment pass without making a comment myself.
Nick Levitin’s term of office as Shomrei’s President has just concluded. I’ve been working closely with Nick for three years on many things — Shomrei. He was Executive Vice President at the time I started to volunteer in earnest. As I started to get more involved in getting things to operate better on the technological front Nick was my constant working partner.
We’ve developed the habit of having breakfast together at least once per week to discuss things. Over eggs and English Muffins we strategized about publicity, technology, invoicing (an exciting topic!), encouraging volunteerism, among many other things. Through it all Nick was always 110% there, and always concerned about Shomrei and focused on his job as President.
Over the breakfasts alone, I’ve gleaned how hard it is to be a Synagogue president. A synagogue (perhaps like any volunteer driven institution) is sort of a big mess. Everybody going three directions at once, tight finances, zillions of ideas bouncing all over the place. Like herding cats, it seems an impossible task! But not for Nick! The thing I learned from Nick is that the messier, in some ways, the better! A sleepy shul is much easier to organize. Messiness (like any act of creation) means something is going on! The only way to keep up is to get more people involved.
There’s been a significant uptick in participation and volunteerism at Shomrei. Nick will tell you it’s all due to the new membership model. But I don’t believe that. I think Nick had a lot to do with it. He’s tireless. He never stopped, ever. Energy breads energy. People see someone making a difference and they join in. So, thank you Nick! You’ve made a tremendous difference! I don’t know where we’d be without you! Oh, and Nick, Red Eye tomorrow? The usual time?
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Nick has been a model of President. I will never be able to fill his shoes
I honestly wonder when the man sleeps. He is tireless, and when you ask for five minutes, he gives fifty. He is one of the best mentors I’ve ever had. Wouldn’t have been able to do my first volunteering job at Shomrei without him giving me the opportunity. Thank you, Nick. Looking forward to continued partnership. Shomrei’s thriving is in large part due to your absolute commitment to the shul, patience and process. And that smile!
I second everything already said. There have been flashier presidents, more photogenic presidents, presidents with more administrative experience when they took office. But there have been very few with the quiet presence, the spiritual gravitas and the determination to reach out and touch–often literally–every single person who walks through Shomrei’s doors. Thank you, NIck.