President's Message from Harvey Weinberg:

July 1, 2011 marks the first day of my third term as President of our synagogue.  To some this may seem like a huge burden, but for me getting involved in the leadership of our congregation has been a blessing.  It all began with a simple request from the Rabbi to join a fund-raising committee back in 1994, and little did I know about the many friendships that would develop with other like-minded people, and the personal satisfaction that would ensue.

This past decade has been one of tremendous progress for our synagogue. In 2001, Rabbi Mosbacher joined us. A few years later, we completed our expansion, providing us with a wonderful new sanctuary, a social space we desperately needed, and more classrooms and offices. In the middle of the decade, our two congregations (Beth Haverim and RTOS-Shir Shalom) came together to form Beth Haverim Shir Shalom, strengthening us in so many ways. And by the end of the decade, Cantor Perper was fully entrenched as the spiritual partner of Rabbi Mosbacher. We continually renew our efforts to serve the spiritual and education needs of our members, to aid all those in need both within and beyond our Jewish community, and quite simply, to enjoy each other’s company.

We cannot sit complacently and assume the next decade will be as successful as the past one.  BHSS is a strong, vibrant, expanding organization. And there is no better time than now to step back and consider the steps we need to take to ensure that we will be here to serve our community for generations to come.  My goal for the next two years will be to encourage the Board and the congregation to explore all potential paths to fulfilling our mission.

From the perspective of a potential member, I would encourage you to take the time to meet with Rabbi, with Cantor, with our wonderful religious school principal Rebecca McVeigh, and with Iris Greenberg, the heart and sole of our administration. Like our members, I trust that you will find them all to be warm, caring individuals, who aim to make each member feel a part of our house of friends.