President's Message - August 2017

Shalom everyone,

Happy August. The year continues to speed by and I know that because the High Holidays are only a month and a half away. The holiday period begins with a service called Selichot and it is held on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah. This year it will be on September 16^th. The service is not long and the choir will be singing. So come and join us as we usher in the new year. Prior to the service (which will be at 7:30 pm) we are having a dairy dinner that will start at 6:15 pm. You know that the dinner will be good with plenty of food so even though I haven’t had an opportunity to create a flyer the cost will be similar to that for other dairy dinners. We will take your reservations at any time. Please don’t wait until the last minute.

I want to thank all of you who have sent in your dues/fees for the 2017-18 fiscal year. As I mentioned last month we would appreciate receiving a check from you as soon as possible. Apparently the bills were prepared correctly because we had very few call about overbilling.  If you ever have extra money that is burning a hole in your pocket please consider Valley Beth Israel as a place to make a donation.

As a result of the comments I made in the last newsletter about jobs that we have in the synagogue (strictly volunteer of course) I did get two responses and I am elated that these individuals have agreed to help.  One is already working diligently to make heads or tails out of our financial accounting system.  This will ensure that checks can be disbursed properly and the bookkeeping can reflect accurately our financial status.  It’s tough to turn around what I have done but it is improving.  A second person called me yesterday and I will be finding an important place for him on one of our committees.  Valley Beth Israel needs you too, so please get involved.

Please respond to the letters from the ritual committee in regard to the Yizkor book for the holidays and also any request for aliyahs or pesichas. If you don’t know what these things are please call the office because there is a deadline.

I hope to see you at the synagogue soon. Please be careful in the heat and drink plenty of water.

One last note: our grandkids (Jordan and Myron) just arrived unaccompanied from Texas and are spending ten days with us before going back to school.  They have grown so much since we last saw them.   Come to services the first Friday in August and you can meet them. We’re so excited to have them with us.

Ron

Ron Trachtenberg,   VBI Temple President