Dear Friend,
This week’s Torah portion, Va’era, was my bat mitzvah portion, and what comes to mind for me is not the first time I read this portion as a Jewish adult, but just a few years ago when I read my bat mitzvah speech for a second time as part of a Shabbaton with teens from Temple Beth El. We are blessed with an abundance of opportunities in our lives to try again, to improve on what we have done before, and to share what we’ve learned with others.
Over the past few months in my role as interim executive director I have learned that in the past 95 years, our Federation’s current successes, innovations, and challenges are not new: like in our Jewish calendar with the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we have a built-in opportunity to reflect on the year behind us, and prepare for the year ahead. As we move into the Gregorian new year, the 2021 Annual Campaign closes, and the 2022 Annual Campaign begins. At our Annual Meeting on January 18, we will come together as a community to reflect and celebrate, and I hope you will take part: you can register now by clicking here.
In the next 14 hours, if you have not yet made the decision to support our work together as a community through the 2021 Annual Campaign, I hope you will take a moment to reflect and, if you are able to do so, make a donation in any amount. If you are in need of support, or just a friendly ear, I hope you will reach out and know that you have a friend here ready to listen and connect you with our community’s many resources. We are here for each other, and I am confident that our shared strength will only continue to grow.
I look forward to hearing from you; please reach out at any time.
Shabbat Shalom,
With great appreciation,
