President: James E. Barnett  

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 

As I write, this, it is snowing – again! By the time you read this, flowers will probably be blooming, and the NCAA basketball tournament most likely underway.I have always figured the ACC tournament to be the true beginning of spring, Passover being too variable on the calendar to count on in that regard.

There is much to report from the Temple.The Board is pleased to announce that Sarah Pscheidt has accepted a two-year renewal of her contract as High Holy Days cantor.The response to her lovely performance was overwhelmingly positive and exuberant, and we are most pleased to be able to guarantee having her for at least the next two years.

Speaking again of the High Holy Days, thanks to everyone who donated copies of the new machzor being published by the Rabbinical Assembly.The Temple had decided to purchase a total of 500 copies, of which approximately 365 have been donated by congregants.That degree of generosity, while a bit surprising to some, should have been expected I suppose, given the degree of support the congregation typically shows for the Temple's needs and for Homeless Week and other special programming.The machzors have not yet been printed, and are not scheduled to be shipped until some time over the summer.At some point in the future, donors will be asked to indicate whether they will wish to have an acknowledgment printed on the bookplate to be pasted into the front of the book, and what the wording should be, so that donors will be able to have an acknowledgement of their gift, or to memorialize (for example) a loved one if they so desire.

I am also pleased to report that the cost for the remaining machzors will be paid for by a charitable fund established by Bernard Morewitz of blessed memory, through his will.Bernie was well known for the special joy he found in the High Holy Days, which he would sometimes refer to as "the Big Show!".

If you call the Temple office and are greeted by an unfamiliar voice, you are probably speaking with Frances Lucido, who began working in the office at the end of January as our new part-time office assistant, replacing Mitzie Francis, who retired from that position. Please give your warmest welcome to Frances as a new addition to our staff.Our deepest thanks also to Mitzi for years of hard work in that very busy office. And, we should all remember daily to be thankful to Karen, the Temple's office secretary, without whom the Temple simply could not function.

Our Sunday School teachers and staff recently benefitted from a visit by an educational training specialist with the Institute for Southern Jewish Learning, from whom the Temple purchased the Sunday School curriculum that has been in use this year. The teachers have all reported great success with this new curriculum.The ISJL is a relatively new organization that focuses on the problems unique to smaller Jewish in the Southern states.Thanks also to Beth Kluger and Tess Goldblatt for putting us in touch with the USJL and their extremely useful resources.

And finally (drum roll, please), Rabbi Dror's installation as President of the Rabbinical Assembly is tentatively scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 26, in the late afternoon, during the annual meeting of the Assembly in New York.We all wish her the bestin her upcoming term of office.If you are interested in traveling to New York with a group of congregants to observe the installation, watch for announcements in this and other Temple publications about arrangements for travel options.Karen Meller has volunteered to make inquiries for economical transportation, and for overnight accommodations for those who may wish to stay for a night or two as part of a visit.