This is the President’s Message, by Richard Mishkin
Adversity can break you or make you and JFC has certainly had its share this fall. As the President of your Board of Trustees, I am charged with the responsibility of “making us better and growing our community“. I knew assuming this responsibility would not only be challenging, but would also be rewarding. It seems that lately, with every step forward, we have gotten pushed back by some unexpected event requiring an even stronger commitment to carry us through.
The purpose of my message is to share with you how we, as a community, have faced these challenges. We began 2011-2012 in July, almost JFC’s 30th year, with a projected budget deficit that is primarily the result of the worst economy any of us has ever experienced. We will not be able to solve the problems that have erupted around the globe, but we have risen to the challenges in our tiny community in significant ways.
We had a very successful High Holy Day appeal alleviating some of our budget deficit and easing the financial burden and concern of 27 JFC families who have been hit extra hard by the economy. Without our policy to provide a welcoming Jewish community and education for everyone, these families would have nowhere to turn when, perhaps, they need it most.
Leslie Gottlieb copied me on a message from a congregant expressing her gratitude for how our Religious School, through the innovative MARS (Madrachim-led Alternative Religious School) Program, has been doing whatever it can to accommodate people whose needs may be a little different:
Hi Leslie; our daughter was so excited to tell me about the class with Andrew Blum. She cannot wait to go next Thursday!! I am thrilled you asked her to be a part of this extra help program. I think it is going to be a positive experience for her.
Leslie told me this new program has been so positively reviewed by all involved.
Our younger members are making an impact; the Youth Group and the Kids Knesset (student government for grades K-6) help to organize some great social action programs that bring our community to the forefront with respect to caring projects. Also, whenever it comes to activities like the UJA Gift of Chanukah annual toy drive (going on now) and the JFC Book Fair… we are always pleased to find congregants who are happy to help run these programs.
Just when we were starting to get our heads above water with dues, ECC, RS payments being paid on a timely basis and “austerity” agreements by the Rabbi and Staff, we found ourselves drowning under the deluge of Irene. We got through the High Holy Days relatively dry but it didn’t take long before our parade was rained on; the cancelations and inconveniences set us back but also served to push us together. Our building was safe and dry, thanks to the new generator that finally went on line a week before the storm, and the momentum continued. The planning process for the year’s social events and fundraisers was under way with the help and involvement of energetic, young families. The Board was also identifying how they might best approach a decision on the Rabbi’s contract, whose term is up on June 30, 2012.
Then, we unexpectedly experienced the loss of four of our congregants, and again the forward momentum was lost. The Rabbi, the Cantor, Leslie, Jane and all our wonderful teachers were as overwhelmed as any of us. But, they instinctively knew that their role, as impossible as it must have felt, was no only to mourn but also to give comfort and support to our children, their parents and to the entire congregation and, with the help of professionals within our congregation and the community, make sense of what happened and to help people grieve. JFC became the focal point for the media. Rabbi Freedman was asked in TV interviews locally, regionally and nationally to explain the inexplicable.What came through was that because of the community we share, we all would come through this experience scarred but able to respect and honor the memory of Friedlanders.
A memorial service open to all was planned with the help of the Town of Lewisboro, but what wasn’t planned was two feet of snow and power outages that lasted, for some, over a week. I started this message by saying “adversity can break you or make you.” What stands out in my mind is how JFC weathered these challenges. The snow finally melted, it became autumn again, the leaves on the trees that were left standing turned red, orange and yellow, and we did what we had to do. In a way, we lost six weeks that at JFC would have been filled with meetings, school, services, focus groups, and Torah study. In our “outside” lives, some of us missed work, hot meals, a warm house, running water, showers, refrigeration. Additonally, we all, including JFC, spent money we weren’t anticipating spending. But we persevered, became closer and stronger as a community, maybe gained some humility. We met the adversity head on and with the help of the JFC community and the local community we have come through these events and are stronger and wiser.
As your president, I am proud to be part of this community and I promise to do my part in making us better and growing our community.
Richard Mishkin, President of the Board of Trustees
Jewish Family Congregation
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