VBI President's Message - May 2017

Shalom everyone,

Last month I reported on Purim. Now let me tell you about Passover. In April, we had a Seder at the synagogue for the first time in years. It was called a second Seder because it was held on the second night of the holiday.
We started out thinking that if we could attract 15 to 20 participants it would be fine, we would go through with it. The reservations were slow coming and we wondered whether maybe it was a mistake to try this. Lo and behold as we continued to announce it more and more people signed up.
Mona must have changed the seating layout a dozen times to accommodate the increased interest. That wasn’t even the toughest problem with the additional reservations. As we added more people we needed extra food.  Because the majority of the food for the Seder was ordered from a caterer, we drove them crazy trying to increase the amounts all the way up to the day before!  Unfortunately, they had closed their kitchen a couple of days before. So to sum it all up we had 45 people in attendance!  And better still, all who made reservations were actually there. Truly amazing!!
Rabbi Mark conducted the Seder, the food was delicious (and in sufficient quantity), and a wonderful evening was had by all. We were elated to welcome some guests, new and longtime members who all wanted to be there.
Thinking ahead (and G-d willing) we will try to do this again next year. Based on the learning curve from this experience, the number of reservations will be limited to the first 50 people who have paid.  We will also have a cutoff date that we will strictly adhere to.
Due to the amount of work being done behind the scenes to get everything prepared and served I want to put out a blanket thank you to all who helped so much. You know who you are and I hope you are not upset that I am not listing all your names. The wonderful thing is that many of you weren’t asked, you just pitched in .  That’s the way things get done. There wasn't any arguing, just a lot of hard work—from ordering and picking up food, to setting up the room, to conducting the service and participating in it, to cooking and bringing the food to the tables, to cleaning up after the meal and finally to putting away all the Passover utensils and things that can be used next year. I think I’ve covered most everything that went into such a beautiful night. I appreciate everyone’s hard work and of course the fact that you were there. But I must acknowledge, the most thanks goes to the one person that made it all happen, my wonderful wife, Mona. You can’t even imagine how much time and sweat (correct that, perspiration) that she put into the preparation for this night. Kudos to her for a job more than well done.

 I don't want to forget to mention that last month the Landmark Opera and Rabbi Mark brought the production of “Don Giovanni” to VBI.  It was wonderfully done and we hope to see them return to our venue sometime later in the year. The fact that part of it is sung in English makes it much easier to follow.

There are a lot of upcoming events, many with accompanying dinners, in the planning stages over the next few months, so stay aware of what is going on here at your synagogue!   In May, we celebrate Lag B’Omer and at the end of the month as we finish counting the omer (that began on Passover) we have the holiday of Shavuot. I can guess that somewhere in that timeframe we will have another dinner.   In early June there is a joint celebration of Mother’s and Father’s Days with the “Mammas and Pappas”.  Also in the planning stages are a return of the “Big Bands” and a bus trip to San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino. So the beat goes on here at VBI as we have a lot of additional fund raisers hosted at local eateries as they work in our behalf.

Join us for our daily and Shabbat services as well as holiday celebrations. See you at VBI.  
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