January 13, 2001:

The Rabbi spoke about Tu B’Shevat (the New Year of the trees), which occurs on the 15^th day of  Shevat.  It is customary for Jews who do not live in Israel to give charity (Tzadakah) in lieu of providing a tithe of the fruit of the trees. This year the holiday falls on Monday, January 28^th.

Treasurer’s Report:  Garry Cohen  reviewed the December budget  The budget remains quite favorable at this time, and copies are available in the office. The Budget and Finance Committee will soon begin to review the current budget and develop the new budget for fiscal year 5763.

Bingo Report:  Marcia presented the Bingo report for December.  The numbers are truly extraordinary thanks to the help of our Bingo workers.  Our new Chairperson of  Bingo Recruitment, Sid Kandel,  reported that 8-9 new people have expressed interest in working Bingo.  Please respond positively when Sid contacts you.  We also need to identify new Bingo Callers for our games.  Contact Janet Potash if you can help. 

House Committee:  Carl Lazerow  reported that the wiring project at the Rabbi’s house continues to move slowly.  Carl has asked Bruce Zavos to provide an analysis of our needs for acoustical treatment of the walls and ceiling in the Social Hall for our February  board meeting.  Bruce will also present a plan for interior and exterior lighting of our stained glass windows.  We are obtaining bids to re-stain the doors of the Synagogue on W. Second Street.  The Rabbi is still exploring the acceptability of a kosher sound system.

Long-Range Planning:  Marty Potash informed the Board that he has had a conversation with a potential candidate for our position of Assistant Religious Director.  He expects to have more information later in January when this individual relocates to the Baltimore area. 

Board of Education (BOE:  Amy Gross met with several people to examine the feasibility of providing more storage and shelving in the classrooms.  Amy showed the Board a tentative sketch of these units.  The Board approved a plan to convert the room adjacent to the Library to a Learning/Resource center for the Religious School.  The Rabbi said that the current Library is full and more shelving may be needed for books in this Learning/Resource Room.  The room will be reorganized so that the entrance will be from the hall, and the books that need to be catalogued will be placed in an appropriate location for future disposition. 

The Kindergarten has five (5) students who would be interested in first grade.  Next year’s projected enrollment for the Kindergarten is eight (8) students. 

A new teacher and possibly a second will be hired shortly from the Washington DC area for Hebrew School.  It is difficult to find highly qualified teachers from the Baltimore-Washington are since we are facing stiff competition from other Synagogues. 

Adult Ed/Cultural Arts:  Shoresh will hold its annual family Shabbaton January 18-19 in Baltimore.  Many of our congregants will attend including the Rabbi and Carol.  Also, please mark your calendars for the Beth Sholom Family Shabbaton scheduled for February 8-9, 2002.

Special thanks:    To Sylvia Haber, who organized the Chanukah Party, which was highly successful and well attended, to Alan Krause, who organized the annual Police ride-a-long program at Christmas time, and  to Marty Erlichman, David Hark, Gladys Jacobson, Al and Reuben Goetzl who participated in the annual Houses of Worship tour held during the holiday season.   

Religious Affairs:  Jeff Rossio and his Committee will conduct services in Rabbi’s absence on January 18-19^th. 

Sisterhood:  Sylvia Elfman reported that Ellen Fox will be in the Gift Shop on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Youth Committee:  Stacee Springer has planned a variety of activities for our youth.  The group provided babysitting services to a couple of churches during the holiday season.  A meeting is scheduled in January.

Beautification Committee:  Sid Kandel is putting plaques on the Donor Board.  The Tree of Life is full, and we need a new one.  Donors are needed for the tree itself.  Contact Marcia for more details.

Gala:  The annual Gala returns this year and will be held on Saturday evening, November 2, 2002.  Please mark your calendars. 

That’s the news from the President’s Corner.