DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
We knew that the last twelve months would be a time of major transition for our Temple community. Times of transition, like we experienced, can be difficult, but our Temple leadership, community, and staff have done all that we could to meet the challenges of the last twelve months.
We knew that we would have to say goodbye to Rabbi Kaufman, welcome our interim Rabbi, Art Nemitoff, and begin the search for a new permanent Rabbi. Our Temple Board and Rabbinic Search Committee did a wonderful job finding some impressive candidates, and after hearing the feedback of our congregation, selecting Neal Schuster to serve as our new Rabbi.
I want to thank our staff and volunteers who helped make some challenging technical programs work extremely well. The interviews that we conducted in the sanctuary were logistically and technically challenging, but I think that everyone was happy with how they turned out. It was great to see so many of our congregants participate in these interviews either in person or via Zoom.
One thing we could never could have predicted is that one of our candidates for our Rabbinic position, would be taken hostage and must go through a horrible ordeal shortly after interviewing with our search committee and Temple Board. This situation was a stark reminder that we need to continue to be vigilant regarding the safety and security of our congregation.
Thankfully, when we had law enforcement professionals come out, they were impressed with the security measures we had already taken, but reminded us that we need to regularly provide training for our congregation so that we might be prepared for any scenario.
This year our staff is undergoing extensive training to be prepared to handle any situation, and we have started to offer for members of our congregation, active shooter training. That training was eye opening for all who participated. Our trainers fired blank shots in the building and the sound of those shots will remain with me for years to come.
Soon, we will be offering Stop the Bleed training in the Temple Social Hall for anyone who wants to attend on that day. Sadly, recent news has reminded us that despite how much we wish we didn’t need training like this, if having this training could save even one life then it will be worth it for our congregation and community.
Lastly, over the last twelve months we have continued to do all that we could to slow the spread of COVID-19, while slowly bringing our congregants back together for worship and programs here at the Temple. We knew this transition would need to be a slow one. Once vaccines became readily available, we knew we could allow people back in the building, but we wanted to be cautious and continued to require masks and limit attendance. Just recently we lifted the mask requirement, but we are continuing to be cautious by maintaining proper sanitation and air purification of our facility.
The pandemic has left an indelible mark on our congregation, and we will continue to see how we can evolve to address the needs of our congregation. It is my sincere hope that when Rabbi Schuster begins on July 1st, 2022, that we will form a good partnership, and that together we will grow as a congregation.
Be well,
David Muenchrath
Executive Director