PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – April 2022
I hope you are ready for an interesting year! We are beginning a transition from pandemic to endemic, and so far our county is showing better numbers on the county Covid Dashboard. We want to keep it that way, and we are continuing to require vaccinations and boosters of those who come into our synagogue. But we are ready to begin rebuilding our community!
Since my work with Common Ground began in 2013, I have wanted to get others at CBI to join me in using their practices to build our own Jewish community. Now you have given me a chance. I hope you enjoy it! It really is more fun if you jump in with both feet!
I have begun some one-on-one personal meetings with some members, and I want to continue these to learn more about our members, and what our members want from CBI. I want to give our members more opportunities to meet and listen to each other, share their experiences and concerns, and get to know each other again. We are starting to plan some events at CBI, which you will be hearing more about, and I have also started making connections with Touro University and Cal Maritime Academy. We want to start growing our community, and I hope you all will help make new people welcome.
While we are rebuilding our Jewish community, you may also see some building projects at CBI. With our Security Grant coming through, there will be projects around our building to improve our facility, our security, and communications in the building. I’ll let Ron explain further on that, but it will be pretty exciting.
In order to grow, we desperately need help in our Religious Education area. We need new families with children, and we will need a Sunday School teacher. I want all of you to consider what you can do to help with this. Can you teach? Pre-school? K, 1st, and 2nd? 3rd and 4th? Would you be willing to help? Can you recommend anyone? If our synagogue is to survive, we need to make this happen soon. We also need members on this committee, so if this is something you care about, please let me know. We need people with ideas!
We will continue to have services and meetings on Zoom, but I also want to move more meetings and events to hybrid form. If you can’t make it to CBI for a meeting or event, then you can still participate!
This promises to be an exciting year, and I hope you will participate as much as you can to contribute to the growth and flourishing of our Jewish community here at Congregation B’nai Israel!
CBI President Cheryl Gewing
calbradt@gmail.com
Text content