PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE April 2020
We are still in the midst of sheltering-in-place and avoiding large crowds. We have created a viable situation at CBI by not meeting at the synagogue for worship services. We are using the zoom platform like thousands of other businesses/religious services in our country. We use this platform for Fri and Sat. Services, as well as board meetings and educational classes. It is working well, so far. Our administrator – Sue Barush – wants people to know that email is the best method to communicate with her – cbi.amarkal@gmail.com
Speaking of communication, our website has been in service for many years. It’s time for a change! We have hired a website designer to update and revamp our offerings. This will allow more community exposure and updated information. The designer is Susan Schwartz and she will begin designing our new site – with the same address – immediately. Our thanks go out to Ignat and Katya Mayzeles for their work over the years on our previous site.
Our education committee reports that the Sunday school and the adult education program are both going well. Other synagogue business is the 2020/2021 budget, which the finance committee is preparing for presentation on May 18th.
Our programs and Events Committee is doing a great deal of “reshuffling” to accommodate new on-line offerings, as well as reconfiguring classes to the new state-wide requirements of CA. Current classes include a Rosh Chodesh program on this Sunday (4/26) in conjunction with Hadassah and Chabad. We had a Yom Hashoah meeting this past week in memory of the Holocaust with Yiskah. She will also continue teaching the Kabbalah classes in May. We have temporarily cancelled the auction, the open house, and Ron Nathan’s astronomy class. Please complete the survey to add your input to the document that was sent to all members about future classes/programs.
Membership has restarted our Sunshine Committee and Micki Baker is the new chair. Her job is to send birthday and other cards to folks. (I’ve already received a couple – great job!!). Since we’re not regularly meeting at CBI, our membership committee is using this time to plan more aggressive membership outreach and complete job descriptions for all CBI employees.
The Buildings and Grounds committee reported they are temporarily fixing the kitchen roof and contacting some local contractors to permanently repair the structure underneath the tiles, section-by-section. The Grounds committee is weeding the Rose Garden. (It is hard work, but one can immediately see the results.) The Ritual, Security, Seder, and Library had nothing to report.
We are members of Common Ground which is working to write the ordinance for the county in providing necessary services for this crisis. Our visiting educator, Yiskah Rosenfeld, thanked the membership of CBI for the warmth given her. She wants to help create a vibrant, diverse community; and she has begun that process by offering one Friday night service a month for this month and next. Her offering is a contemplative service different from those we generally have here. Those in conjunction with the Rabbi’s services, the ones offered by Linda Chene, and the musical services by Martin & Cheryl Gewing offer a nice variety for Friday nights.
Dorrin Rosenfeld <drdim@comcast.net>