YOM KIPPUR – 2011

The job of being President seems to always be about asking for money, or asking for volunteers. And that is so.  Because to keep our congregation going in a way that we like, it takes money, and it takes volunteers.  And this morning I will ask for both. The fastest growing congregations among our Christian friends seem to be Fundamentalists, and most require tithing of money, time, and talent.  I am just asking you for a LITTLE of each.

On Rosh Hashona I asked for your High Holiday Appeal contributions which are more important than ever. If you haven’t mailed in your blue card and pledge or check yet, PLEASE do so.  I received a lovely e-mail yesterday from one of our members who attended her congregation in Elkins Park. When she read my Rosh Hashona speech in our High Holiday Appeal mailing, she wrote that she was so moved by it that she changed the amount of her contribution. I hope some of you will do the same. I also spoke about the need to continue raising money for our New Building Capital Campaign.  In order to build our much needed new facility NOW, rather than wait a few years, we had to borrow money from some of our members and friends. These funds must be paid back, and while we are using these funds we are paying interest on them. I mentioned that we have had some sizable contributions from non- members who wanted to be a part of our project. This morning we have many guests and adult children of members worshipping with us.  We welcome you and hope you will continue joining us. Next year we will have even more seating capacity.  I hope some of you will also consider being a part of our effort to have a meaningful Jewish presence on the Island of which all Jews can be proud.  This can be done by becoming a member of the JCC, or by contributing to our Capital Campaign.  We need your help.

While many people who only visit the area for a week or two each year have participated, we have a significant number of our members who are here for the summer or the whole year, but have not been a part of this effort.  I ask you to re-consider. IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO STEP UP.  Remember, a cup of coffee a day for three years adds up to well over $1,000.  Our new building will have a permanent ROLL OF HONOR plaque recognizing contributors of $1,500 or more. This will be prepared over the winter, and I urge everyone to make a contribution or increase the one you have made, so that your names can be included on this plaque.  Here is an opportunity to make sure that your children or grandchildren will be able to point to it and proudly say  “MY family was a significant part of this project”.  Please contact Rose Valentine, our Campaign Chairman to MAKE or to INCREASE your pledge.   Pledge and give an amount of which YOU can be proud.

And by the way, in my Rosh Hashona message I mentioned that a non-member made a $10,000 pledge as a result of seeing our new building information at our Arts Festival. This week he increased that to $20,000.  So, in addition to other smaller amounts, we have now received a 30 and a 20 thousand dollar contribution from non members. Please join in this effort.

In our new building we will still need volunteers for such projects as mailings, Kitchen help, Bazaars, and other events. This morning I would like to talk about some other areas of volunteering which involves your working on a committee with others. We need a EVENTS committee to investigate and set rental prices for the use of all or part of our Social hall, or a room for group meetings, or our kosher kitchen. We will need a HOUSE Committee to supervise the maintenance and upkeep of our facility.  This doesn’t mean doing the fixing or cleaning, but working with people or companies that do the work.   In our larger building we have to do a total review of our insurance needs. We need a committee of people to evaluate what insurance coverage we have, look at what we need, and then get proposals and bids to cover this.   We need lots of help on identifying and planning future FUNDRAISING activities for next year and future ones. These can include raffles, auctions, dances, entertainers, cultural events, bingo, and other possible things we haven’t even thought of yet.   On Rosh Hashona, Rabbi Jack challenged us to have a CARING committee to check on older, single members, to visit shut-ins, and do some shopping or other errands when necessary. Step up and help perform this mitzvah.   And we need more committee people to plan and work on our gala DEDICATION WEEKEND. It will finish with a dinner event which is already scheduled for Sunday eve, June 24, 2012.  Mark your calendars now so that you will be able to participate, whether it is in working on this exciting event or just attending. So there will lots to do next year, and I hope all will be a part of it.

Harold Farin, our transition chairman, will need lots of help in getting everything back to our new facility.  These items will come from the 8 to 10 places the stuff is now being used or stored.  And ‘THANK YOU’ to those who have let us use their homes or garages to store these items for almost a year. When Harold calls, please say “YES” to help on this project. Once that is completed, we won’t need our ‘schleppers’ as often as we have these past 4 or 5 years.  But I promise, we will have other volunteer opportunities for you.

You have HEARD me speak.  Hopefully you LISTENED to me.  If you did, that means you will get your High Holiday Appeal gift in, and you will make or increase your Capital Campaign pledge. And that you will be generous in these.  That means you will continue, or begin, volunteering for the many things at the JCC that must be done.  That means you will attend services on occasion. That means you will say YES when asked to be part of one of our many activities.  In this Holy Day season of Repentance, Reflection, and Generosity, step up and do your part.  It means that you will pledge to be a significant part of our—  NO,  YOUR—  JCC of LBI.

Continue to check our web site to get your questions answered or learn what is happening. Please call the office to tell us what committees or events you can volunteer for.  I will ask our staff to have lists available on which you can sign up.  Don’t TELL me, because I will forget, but you can e-mail me,  or call the Office.   And 2 reminders — on your way out today, please check out the display of the Torah Cover  and Wimples in case you want to bid on one of them next spring,  and pick up your copy of our Membership Directory.

Thank you for listening,  and the best of everything good in the coming year for YOU and YOUR family from ME and MINE.    L’Shona Tova.

10/10/2011 kps

ROSH HASHONA —2011

LA SHONA TOVA.  You knew I would be back again this year to ask for your support and generous contributions to our annual High Holiday Appeal.  I am sure this comes as no surprise. Congregations throughout the country rely on the generosity of their members and guests at this time to help balance their budget.  We plan to be in our new building in early November.  It is almost 3 times the size of our old one, and that means a great increase in such expenses as utilities, insurance, and maintenance.  Such costs as salaries and postage continue to escalate, and we have the added expense next year of paying interest on the almost $500,000 we have had to borrow to complete and pay for the project.

Many donations that we normally receive throughout the year for the general upkeep and running of our JCC have instead been given by our members as contributions to the Building Fund.  Your Board of Trustees has worked diligently to curb as much of our expenses as possible, but as a congregation with a small religious school, our expenses for education on a per-student basis are higher than most.  And this is an area where we WILL NOT skimp.  One of our most important obligations as Jews and as a congregation is the education of our children.  And we have a talented and dedicated staff making sure this happens.

As New Jersey synagogues go, we are still considered small.  We don’t have as large a data base as others.  National Jewish and secular charities can reach out to millions. We must rely on the generosity of a limited number of members and friends.  So YOUR gift makes up a larger part of what we take in, and is therefore MORE IMPORTANT to us.  Give to other charities and congregations, but make your response to this High Holiday Appeal for the JCC of LBI a meaningful one.  The dues at most congregations are several times ours.  And many encourage an even higher dues level from those that can afford it so that services can be provided to all members regardless of income.  We do not have various levels in our dues structure, but your contributions to this Appeal provide the opportunity to do your part.

Gifts of all sizes are important.  Last year we had 23 gifts of less than $100, and 26 of $100. These are important, and they brought in about $3600.  For many this was a significant contribution, and I say “Thank you and G-d bless”.   I hope you can do the same this year, or perhaps raise a little.  And I hope some of you that did not pledge last year can join this group. There were also 35 gifts between $101 and $499, and 22 gifts of $500 or more, including 9 between  $1,000 and $2,500.  Obviously this is where the majority of the $29,400 came from.  If you can, please join this latter group.  Imagine how much more our congregation could do if the 22 gifts of $500 or more were increased to 30 or 40 people.

Do you remember the amount you pledged and gave to this appeal last year?   Please think of ways you can increase that amount by 25 or 50 per cent.  If $36, how about raising it to $50?  If $100 last year, can you raise it to $125 or $150?  For others, you can do the math.  We also had a dozen non-members give to this Appeal with several of $500 or more.  Those of you that are just visiting the Island or Mainland Area and are here as guests, we welcome you and are glad that we are able to provide a place and a service for you to worship with us. We ask you to also participate to do your share in maintaining a Jewish congregation on Long Beach Island serving all Jews on the Island and nearby Mainland. We can use your help.

You may have received a blue pledge card when you came in this morning, and they are also available near the door as you leave.  Also, our members should receive a letter and card in the mail next week.  Please respond.  We need your help.  In past years you may remember that I spoke about not only HEARING me, but more importantly – in LISTENING TO ME.   Don’t just hear my words, LISTEN to them,  and to their importance for our congregation.

Take a look at the Appeal Card.   If you can, consider the larger amounts on the card.   As I reminded you in past years, Jews learn how to read from right to left.  Please start the new Jewish Year with my premise that Charity should begin at HOME.  And follow with a very generous gift to the JCC of LBI as a response to this very important High Holiday Appeal.   Your contribution is very important to us.

My Rosh Hashona Appeal is usually confined to the request for additional funds to run our congregation, as you just heard.  But, with our new facility nearing completion, I would be remiss if I didn’t also take a few moments to talk about it.  We hope to occupy it by mid November.  Our old building was in bad shape and was totally inadequate.  In order to build now, before we raised all necessary funds, we had to borrow a significant amount from some of our members. This is costing us interest, and the dollars must be paid back. Our Capital Fund Drive continues.  I am still asking our members to make a pledge, or to increase their commitment.  But I am also appealing to non members.  Whether you live in the area and are not members of JCC,  or are frequent visitors to the area, we welcome your participation.

At our recent JCC Arts Festival held at the Surf City Firehouse, a non member saw our display on our new facility, asked some questions, and told us he wants to support it. He filled out paperwork to contribute $10,000 to our Campaign. The same thing happened last year, but the stranger pledged $30,000.  In both cases we were told that the donor has no interest in joining our congregation, wants to remain anonomous, and said that because he is on the Island he wanted to be a part of our project.  So non-members, we welcome your financial support. We hope you want to participate in having a Jewish presence on the Island of which we can all be proud.  Call Rose Valentine or check our website to learn how to make or increase your pledge.

Our new building will have a ROLL OF HONOR listing our major contributors.  We would like to include you–members and non members — on this.  We expect the plaque to be prepared over the winter, so it is important to contribute soon to be a part of it.  Join our efforts on behalf of Judaism on LBI.

Many of the charitable contributions you make are solicited through professional fund-raising companies who take a portion of your gift as their fee.  At our JCC of LBI, 100% of your pledge to the JCC, either to the High Holiday Appeal, or to the Capital Campaign, will be used by the JCC.

And one more area I have been asked to cover.  In the entrance way there is a display of original hand made needlepoint work. It consists of 3 wimpels –the sash that is wrapped around the Torah, and a larger Torah cloth, depicting The Tree of Life rising from the earth and sprouting the 10 Commandments.  These were created, stitched  and donated to the JCC by Judith Pripstein, and will be part of a silent auction conducted in the spring with all proceeds going to the building fund. The purchase of these items will include an “in honor of, or in memory of”  affirmation on the back.  The auction will culminate at our Gala Dedication dinner which will be held Sunday eve, June 24, 2012.  Mark your calendars, and save the date, and plan to attend.  On your way out of the building today, take a look at these, in case you may want to bid on any of them.    Thank you for Hearing and for Listening. And Shona Tova.

Updated 10/10/2011 kps

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Updated 2/12/12 kps