Kol Nidre Appeal 2003 One Rosh Hashanah morning, the Rabbi ...

Speaking of the Green Center, it continues to provide a first-class environment in which
to learn and build community. In particular, the Computer Lab is now fully operational
and is being used by everyone, from pre-school through adults.
And speaking of successes, Mitzvah day was a wonderful event this year once again. We
had 750 people participating in Social Action projects throughout the synagogue and at
off-site locales such as the New Visions Community Center in Camden and the Voorhees
Pediatric Facility. Todah Rabbah to Sam Gidding, a relatively new member, who initiated
and nurtured Mitzvah day and again so ably chaired the event. Mark your calendars: our
third annual Mitzvah day is May 2, 2004.
One of my goals this year will be to increase the congregation’s awareness of our TBS
website, www.tbsonline.org, so that it becomes the first place you go to for information
concerning the synagogue. Accordingly, we are introducing a new look to our website to
make it your vehicle for knowing what is going on at TBS, as well as around the Jewish
community and Israel.
At TBS we also look far beyond next year and a perfect example of that is our
Endowment Committee. It has been very active developing and managing our
Endowment Funds: providing for new programming, awarding scholarships to our BEST
graduates, and supporting our wonderful choir. Your suggestions for new programs are
always welcome. The growth of a permanent Endowment Fund is essential to the creation
of a strong foundation for the future of TBS.
Others at TBS are helping to shape our future, too. We have a new Fund at TBS, the
Stanley Ravitz Act of Kindness Fund. Set up by Doris Ravitz, it’s a meaningful living
memorial that reflects the personal touch that Stanley employed, helping people in need,
quietly and privately. This Fund has already begun to do its work and we are all very
thankful.
And, finally, the really big news: I am proud, and very excited, to announce that on
Sunday evening, March 28, 2004 TBS will be hosting the twice-elected former Prime
Minister of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres. The winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize,
Mr. Peres has dedicated his entire adult life to the formation of his country and the
realization of peace between Israel and her neighbors. In his speeches, Mr. Peres offers
the historic story of the birth of Israel and the dramatic events that have comprised its
first fifty-five years. He shares with a statesmen’s confidence and experience the burdens
he faced as Prime Minister and predicts the future for his country and the Middle East.
Mr. Peres’ appearance marks the beginning of an exciting new Speakers Series at TBS,
bringing you influential, seminal thinkers that help shape our world.
My third and final major topic today deals with you and your relationship to the
synagogue. In the past, whenever I argued that you would derive far more from your
participation at TBS than you put in, I made the assumption that, if you first volunteered,
one of the by-products of your efforts would be the creation of a sense of community for
you and your family. Recently, however, it has occurred to me that there is a completely