I would like you to think back a little ways, or maybe for some of us a longer ways, to when you chose to join B’nai Sholom. Why did you? What attracted you to our congregation? To some extent I think it is well stated in our mission statement:

B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation, a Reform Jewish Synagogue, is a community that fosters individual, family and congregational spirituality by engaging in worship and prayer, promoting learning on all levels, supporting each others’ needs, bettering our community and our world, and forging connections with worldwide Jewry. We take pride in being warm and welcoming, informal, progressive, open-minded, diverse, and participatory. We strive to create a vibrant Jewish present, linking our ancient traditions with the promise of the future.

Everyone has their particular reasons for joining. Many of our members join when their children are school age. I like to think that they are motivated for more than just having their children attend religious school and prepare for Bar or Bat Mitzvah; that they are looking how to best have their children make a lifelong connection with Judaism, our beliefs, values and traditions.

I know that when Mari and I chose to join B’nai Sholom how best to have our children make that connection was a major consideration. At that time I gave a lot of thought to what my experiences were that made it so important to me to not only belong to a congregation, but to take an active role. I discussed the question with my parents, who are here with us today, and my brother. While my family belonged to a conservative synagogue, we were not particularly observant, and I certainly was not engaged with religious school or synagogue activities; certainly nothing to make one foresee that I would become the president of a congregation. I know it surprised my mother. Nor was I engaged in Jewish activities during college or law school.

While despite my best efforts I did learn when I went to religious school, what I concluded was most important was not my attendance at religious school. No, it was my parent’s engagement with the synagogue; in Hadassah, in sisterhood, as volunteers, that taught me the most.

B’nai Sholom became our home; not only as a place for Mark and Liz to attend religious school, but to engage with being Jewish. Through the religious school, YOBS and other activities they had a great experience here before going on to college. But, just as important they saw their parents choose to spend their time at B’nai Sholom, to volunteer their time and to meet and become close friends with other congregants.

I hope the lesson they learned is how B’nai Sholom became central to our life, not just a place to attend school on Sunday mornings or just to attend services, but a place to celebrate good times and to share the sorrows of the bad.

B’nai Sholom provides many opportunities for all of us to become engaged in its activities and to model for our youth what it means to be Jewish and a member of a vibrant congregation. And, serving as a role model is not something that is finished when your child completes religious school and is not just done only by the parents of our youth. We have many members whose children are grown and not at home. Even then, as members they continue to serve as role models both to their children and to the children of fellow congregants; showing the lifelong friendship and community that is available here and that the benefits of membership do not end when your child goes off to college.

We offer so many opportunities to participate. There is always the opportunity for prayer on Shabbat and on holidays. But we offer so much more. We have a great adult education program with programs ranging from the one time talks by our Synagogue Scholars to our ongoing classes, such as our very popular archaeology classes, and our Saturday morning Torah study.

We have a very active social action program involved in addressing health care, hunger and environmental concerns.

We always have the need for volunteers, to be on committees, take on tasks or just give a few hours of your time. I am sure you all have skills we can use.

There is great satisfaction in doing all of this. But, in addition, by engaging in our offerings you serve as a teacher to all of us and to all of our children that B’nai Sholom is much more than just a place to drop off your children on Sunday morning. Rather, it is a place for you to join with other Jews and their families in learning, prayer action and most of all friendship.

Mari and I have never regretted that we chose to join B’nai Sholom and look forward to having more opportunities to enjoy the programs offered here. I hope that is the case for all of you.

L’Shanah Tovah.