Our Annual Giving Campaign

Kadimah-Toras Moshe

Annual Giving Campaign

L'Shana Tovah Umtukah

Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

How do we do that?

Congregation Kadimah-Toras Moshe has a long and happy history of helping our members to feel welcome and supported in their times of religious and personal need.  We can do a better job of this and I'm going to talk about that in a few minutes.

Our facility is almost fully completed as the next-door neighbor, who was also our developer, completes the final landscaping and hardscaping tasks around Kadimah, and gives us access to the parking and activity area behind the building.  After that is done, the minor damage that was done to our building during the construction will be repaired and repainted as his final obligation to our part of the project, along with some final plantings.

But that's just a building!  The delays in completing our building have been serious and annoying to say the least, but we're almost there.  Covid slowed the construction.  (And it still affects some of of us on a rotating basis as we see the empty seats of our regular members who are suffering at home today)

Our Rabbis have always provided the spiritual support and teaching that we have come to expect. They give us the direction that we all know that we need.

Rosh Hashana is a time we are reminded that what we do matters. It matters to G-d, to our community and to our family. Because we are a small Shul, what we do matters even more because there are not a lot of us.

Every moment brings its particular challenges and opportunities to all situations.  We have the opportunity to complete our recovery from the  disruptions of the pandemiac and the move.  And to do that we need YOU!

Your participation is desperately needed; in financially supporting the Shul, attending services, and helping provide the volunteer efforts that make it all work, These are what keeps Kadimah being Kadimah.

I won't name the biggest financial givers because we shoiuldn't embarrass people in that way.  But I will mention some of the folks who are here almost every day, working with our kitchen committee head to keep our shabbat kiddush the most recognized and anticipated weekly event  – after Services themselves,  which are led by Rabbi Strauss and our dedicated Gabbaim.

Can you add your name to the membership list of any of our committees?  Can you spend time in the garden or in the office or with taking care of the building and grounds?  Are you interested in the safety and security of your fellow daveners?  How about Hospitality or Membership? Our safety and security committee lost members last year when 2 of them  moved away.  the Stinkers!  You'll find the list of committees on the website.  But see me anytime and I'll introduce you to the heads of those committees.

 Can you come here and daven at 6:55 any or every day of the week like Dean Solomon and Tamar King do unless they're sick or away?  They do it to make sure the shul is open for you and in the hope that you too, will find that davening in the surroundings of this beautiful sanctuary is spiritually uplifting.  That is, of course the way to get our morning minyan back!  One davener at a time, because without the men who want a minyan showing up, there can't be one. 

After Rosh Hashanna, I'll repost the minyan.site signup information again for those of you who aren't signed up yet.  This is the tool we use to track expected attendance at our minyanim.  If you need a minyan for Kaddish purposes,  you can tell at a glance whether we're likely to make a minyan that day.

But we need to make the effort or it will never happen. 

I asked my fellow board members what they thought were important points for this appeal;  Our town council member suggested the budget, utilities, avoiding disasters, volunteer work;  An ex-president talked about unexpected expenses that insurance didn't cover; Another person mentioned the wishes they have to make the building more secure, and for getting more robust functionality in our office.

Together we talked about being on the cusp of fully moving in to our new space, not being in a construction mode and being able to recover from the disruption of the pandemic. We will soon be able to landscape, to use our back door, to have parking. We can recover our daily minyan. To do this we need to each take ownership and to support the Shul with finances and

 in the other ways that matter to us most.

And let me make that point very clearly – We need to keep our finances under control.  With your generous donations we can continue to keep the lights on and the doors open and the elevator running and the kiddushes served.  And we can add the comfort, safety and security improvements that are so important at this time.

But we can't do that without your help. 

By giving to the Shul, we can accomplish all of these goals – give your time to make sure we meet our davening requirement with a minyan; give your time and your money to make sure we meet our security requirements for a safe and comfortable space to daven and meet in; Please give generously both ways because without your participation, Kadimah -Toras Moshe can't exist.

Please think about what you can handle and pledge your money at whatever level you can on the card you've received.  And make a silent pledge now to say yes when we talk about volunteering. 

Because it matters!