My two years as president are up at the end of May. I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to serve this community in this capacity. With the introduction of the new membership model and the congregation’s embrace of it, there is a significant change at Shomrei. All of the reasons for recommending it – membership accessibility, engagement, and a renewed sense of purpose – have come about. Of course, there is still much, much more to do, but at least we have begun the journey.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank a number of people whose tireless work on behalf of Shomrei has made it possible to get to this point.
My deepest thanks to:
- My predecessor Rich Epstein for all that he brought to this effort by championing the 2020 Committee during his tenure.
- Fern Heinig and Andy Silver, who brought their outstanding leadership to this strategic endeavor and were a driving force in the exploration and implementation of the new membership model. The committee did an outstanding job and the entire process benefited enormously from Rabbi Greenstein’s vision, support and encouragement.
- Fern Heinig (again), Executive VP, who played a significant role in virtually every aspect of Shomrei’s operation during these past two years – a major force in promoting the Sustaining Share Membership Model, in reviving Hinei Mah Tov (along with congregant Allison Task, chair of HMT), and in volunteering for MESH, she proves the adage, “those who can do. Those who can do more, volunteer.”
- The Executive Board for their commitment to Shomrei; Sarita Eisenberg, VP of Programming, who in addition to programming, took on communications, the financial task force and half a dozen other responsibilities; Adrienne Shulman Lasiter, VP of Education, who (along with the wonderful Shirley Grill – not currently on the board) brought the Education Committee back to life and with the committee reimagined Shomrei’s educational program.
- Béla Schwartz, VP of Finance, and Pam Golden, Treasurer, who together with Sarita made up our Finance Team and created our first bottom-up budget in recent years.
- The Board of Trustees who throughout the past two years have brought their commitment and thoughtfulness to every meeting, engaging invariably in substantive issues that have helped to bring us to this moment. In particular, I would like to thank the following members of the Board for their constant and ongoing work on behalf of Shomrei: Rich Epstein for initiating and chairing the Accounts Receivables Committee, which has been so effective in resolving arrears. Marc Chalom, VP of Building and Grounds, who has served in this capacity for more than 14 years, for maintaining our building and ensuring that our physical plant is taken care of; Geoff Sadow, who has chaired the Ritual Committee for the past nine years and for being a stand that first and foremost, Shomrei is a House of Worship. Thanks also to our board secretary, David Kanegis, for his meticulous minutes and to VP of Legal, Gordon Braverman for his advice and counsel. To those members of the board who are completing their terms and stepping down, our deepest gratitude.
- Carol Katzman, who without a moment’s hesitation assumed the responsibility of acting chair of Shomrei Emunah’s Cemetery Association upon the untimely death of its chair and our beloved member Eric Singer z”l.
- Heather Brown, our Preschool Director, and Sara Birnbaum, our JLC Director for their work throughout the year – giving our children a meaningful and often fun filled educational experience. It will be sad to see Sara leave and we wish her much success in her new endeavors. Heather and her new education team – Aylah Winter and Rabbi Susan Lazev – will bring our children the very best they have to offer as we introduce a new model for our school.
- Marge Wise, our Executive Director, who many of you know as the “face of Shomrei.” She brings to everything she does her can-do spirit, her warmth, compassion and caring for all things Shomrei.
- Marita Falconer our office assistant who’s positive approach and conscientious work is helpful to us all.
- Our custodial staff: Carlos Rymer, Jorge Moreno (who recently retired), and newly arrived Oren Lawrence for their devotion and dedication to keeping our building clean and cared for.
- The many, many volunteers who are responsible for keeping the engine of Shomrei running all the time – whether it is those who prepare the kiddushim, the Ritual Committee, those who help out in the office, the IT volunteers who keep our computers running, or those who work tirelessly on our special events, including the Shomrei Celebrates dinner; the Ad Journal; the Purim Carnival; Purim Spiel and Shalach Manot; the Shomrei Band; the Park Street Band; our MESH Café feeding the hungry, IHN housing the homeless and the Mensch Squad taking care of our own when in need; and of course one of Shomrei’s gems – the Hinei Mah Tov services.
- One volunteer in particular who has contributed in so many areas that it would be hard to name them all without danger of leaving something out: John Lasiter has made an enormous contribution to Shomrei during the past several years. He has brought his brilliance to our promotion of Shomrei, the JLC and Preschool, to our new invoicing system, online payment options, and to Shomrei’s kitchen. His remarkable talent for design, his cooking skills, and his understanding of the integration of how everything works here is a major contribution to our operation. With the introduction and implementation of our new invoicing system alone, John has single handedly resolved one of our major challenges – persistent cash flow problems and timely payment of membership dues.
- Three people, mentioned before should be thanked again for being indispensible to me personally: Sarita Eisenberg, Andy Silver and Béla Schwartz. All have provided me with much needed support and wise counsel.
- All the past presidents and previous board of trustee members for everything they did to ensure Shomrei’s future and continued success.
- Each and everyone one of you. The past two years have been a team effort –– not just of the board –– but of the entire community. Together we have moved Shomrei to a new level. You make Shomrei possible through your generosity, your commitment and your engagement. You have strengthened our community, enabling us to move in a different and more purposeful direction.
On Wednesday, May 25 at 7:30 PM Shomrei will have its annual meeting. At that time a new president, slate of officers and trustees will be voted on. The slate is headed by Fern Heinig as the nominee for Shomrei’s next president. She is uniquely qualified to move us forward. It has been a pleasure to work with her on the 2020 Committee, in her capacity as Executive Vice President, and on a whole array of projects not only during the past two years, but the two years that preceded them. Her decisiveness and commitment to produce meaningful results has served Shomrei well. In anticipation of her becoming our next president, I wish her and the board – new and returning members – all the best in working together to further realize our vision for Shomrei.
Finally, a very special thank you to Rabbi Greenstein for everything he brings to Shomrei – for his learning, his vision, his passion, and specifically for his enthusiastic support for adopting the new membership model. Day in and day out, his wisdom and tireless devotion to our community has been a continual source of inspiration. We are so fortunate to have him as our rabbi and I feel particularly grateful for his partnership and his leadership in moving Shomrei forward.
One last expression of gratitude… My deepest thanks to my wife, Audrey, and our children Josh and Nina for their support, encouragement, and patience. I feel blessed to be a part of such a family!
Image(s): Walk Away From Me © Valentin Ottone used with permission via Creative Commons License
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Nick – we thank you for your tireless energy, your vision and implementation of that vision and your devotion and hard work. We know we will continue to see you at Shomrei and that you have left us in good hands with Fern at the helm and Rabbi Greentein’s outstretched arm leading the way.
Ditto what Merrill says! Thank you for all the time you have given these last two years. You have indeed accomplished quite a bit to be proud of! We will miss you but look forward to continuing to see you around the halls. I hope you get to take a long and well deserved vacation!! : )