Kol Nidre 2010

Good Yom Tov. I guess this is my turn to yell at the congregation. Why should the Rabbi only have the pleasure to yell at the congregation? The good news is that I won't be yelling at you for as long as the Rabbi. The bad news is that I hope I can sustain the few minutes of yelling, without ripping out my vocal cords.

I would like to begin by saying to the congregation that we are embarking on a new chapter in the history of Ohav Sholom. With the arrival of Rabbi Ebbin two short months ago, I know that the Rabbi has been on all cylinders trying to settle in, getting to know the Ohav Sholom ropes, meeting congregants, conducting life-cycle events, counseling people, conducting classes, getting ready for the high holidays, planning future events, all with having to help manage a household of 3 children while Chevi is nine months pregnant. This is the reason we hired a young Rabbi.

I believe that the Rabbi has gotten off to a great start and we look forward to many years with Rabbi Ebbin as our spiritual leader. I hope you had a chance to meet the Rabbi and Chevi during the summer, when we had our parlor meetings. The meetings were productive, as people got to know the Rabbi and Chevi and visa versa, as different topics and issues were discussed.

While I still get plenty of complaints, there is a positive vibe and I see a lot of good things in the future for Ohav Sholom. For one, we have formed a new marketing committee, headed by Lonnie Otrow, which has begun publishing a weekly bulletin publicizing events, minyan times, etc. The bulletin is being distributed on shabbos, and the Rabbi already gave us permission to read it during his sermon. We hope to bring back the quarterly newsletter that was distributed many years ago. We will continue to develop our web site by posting video and pictures of events at Ohav. Lonnie has already posted a video on You Tube and the Ohav You Tube Channel. And from what I understand, the video is also on Facebook. In addition, we are going to be taking pictures and video at as many events as possible and post them are on web site. This is just a taste of what we want to do.

There is so much potential at Ohav Sholom. With a new Rabbi comes different perspective, different ideas, and many opportunities. And I would like to focus on that word – opportunity. We need to take advantage of opportunities before they become missed opportunities. We need to do outreach to the community, develop additional programming whether it is social or educational. We have capability to be whatever we want to be and to do whatever we want to do. You are all here because of your devotion to Ohav Sholom.

So get involved. Volunteer your time. Be part of a committee for the good of the shul and the community. Speaking of opportunities, the bingo kitchen needs help. The bingo kitchen serves refreshments to our bingo players during the game and we are in desperate need for volunteers. Without the bingo kitchen, we might as well close up Bingo, since we do not permit outside food in the shul. Bingo is the biggest fundraiser of the shul and we can't afford to lose it. We usually have our Bingo game on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. If you could volunteer your time, either speak with our Bingo Chairman Ira Kolko or myself.

Don't let things become a missed opportunity. If you missed the shul BBQ a couple of weeks ago, you missed an opportunity to have a great time, to socialize, to meet new people. And of course, eat some good food. But there will be other opportunities if you don't like a big get together. Come to a sisterhood event, men's club event, or a chaverim event. Come to a class given by the Rabbi. You might learn something. Take advantage of your membership and opportunities to grow. There is a lot going on here. See for yourself in the newsletter or online.

Tonight is Kol Nidre and as we do every Kol Nidre, the President of the shul makes the appeal to the congregation for funds. The Kol Nidre line item in our budget represents 10% of the annual revenue needed to run the shul. This number has had significant decreases over the last 2 years. We must meet the budgeted amount of at least $80,000 in order to maintain our current operations. We have salaries to meet, repairs and maintenance on the building, and programming to pay for. We have held the line on dues and Hebrew school tuition for the last 3 years without any increases.
People have approached me that it has been warm during Rosh Hashanah services and that the air conditioning might not be working properly. Well, we have the air conditioning checked 4 times a year by a professional air conditioning company and they say there is nothing more that can be done with our current system. The system is old and must be updated. Without getting firm quotes, we could be talking about $35,000. This has got to get done so that people are comfortable during the high holidays services. I am urging all of you who have participated in the Kol Nidre appeal to significantly increase your pledge this year to cover this cost. And those that have not participated, I encourage you to do so to fulfill the mitzvah of Tzedakah. Remember, we have not raised dues, Hebrew school tuition, and for that matter any fee, in the last 3 years and I hoping everyone can reach deep in their pocket and participate in this appeal.

I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. G'mar Chatima Tovah.