MONTHLY MESSAGES

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 1^st, 2022, that we will form a good partnership, and that together we will grow as a congregation.

Be well,

David Muenchrath

Executive Director   

Whether you call it 2022 or 5782, it has been quite a FULL year.  As a congregation, we have been challenged with change and transition.  You have been patient, present, and invested in our Jewish community during this time—asked to evaluate where Temple B’nai Jeshurun is right now, and where you would like it to be in the not so distant future.  It is my hope that you were heard and that you heard each other.

What I gained from the past year is that we have an incredibly passionate community of Reform Jews who care deeply for our congregation.  Passion, as I have come to understand it, can be expressed through many different emotional facets.  I listened as you shared your pain, your anger, your fears and even your enthusiasm as we spoke about change.  Ultimately, the passion was directly related to the same idea: a desire for our congregation to thrive, grow and continue to be a sacred space for worship and community—indefinitely.

So, what did we do?  We asked Rabbi Nemitoff to help us process our passion and work through our year-long transition.  We asked our lay-leadership, musicians and staff to be superhuman—leading services, operating new technology to stream services, and making it all work when it was really, really difficult.  Our dedicated Rabbinic Search Committee spent hours on zoom vetting applicants and interviewing candidates.  The Board of Trustees held countless meetings, some late into the night, working tirelessly to ensure we would have an excellent, qualified rabbi to lead our congregation on July 1st, 2022.  We asked you, our congregants to show up (sometimes last minute) and speak passionately about your wishes for the future of Temple B’nai Jeshurun.  And we did it.  It took some patience, vigor (and Chardonnay), but we did it!

All things considered, I am so proud of our congregation and all we have achieved.  I believe that Rabbi Neal Schuster (call him Rabbi Neal.  I promise, he approves!) is a fresh beginning—and what excellent timing for our 150th year as Temple B’nai Jeshurun.  Please welcome him with all your “Iowa nice” and warmth.  I look forward to taking these next steps with all of you as we continue to grow into a stronger and more beautiful congregation.  Toda Raba

Kindly,

Dana Dickson

515-556-2375

DanaforTBJ@gmail.com