April 3, 2025
On March 17, I accepted the great honor of becoming the next President of Beth Emet. I’m grateful to serve this congregation where Sarah and I were married and raised our two daughters. It has been our home for more than 30 years.
At 75 years young, Beth Emet is strong. We have an outstanding Board of Trustees who bring decades of experience and new insights to their leadership. Our Foundation and our revenues are strong. Our systems are strong. And our community, led by Rabbi London and Cantor Young, remains strong.
Our strength is important because some of our distinguished staff are retiring this year or following new directions. Each of them has strengthened us as a community, and we are grateful for how they have taught us and sustained us.
Change is a challenge but also an opportunity to grow. The Board and the Executive Committee will work with Rabbi London Cantor Young and staff to draw on the many strengths all of us bring to this congregation. During the coming year, we will keep you updated by sharing what is new and celebrating what remains constant. In the meantime, I urge all of us to think in terms of “plus one.” If you are volunteering in the soup kitchen, bring a friend. If you have an honor during the service, show the person next to you what to do. If you learn a new song, share it with your family. If you gain a new insight, teach it to someone else. We may not do things perfectly, but that’s OK: opportunity creates excitement, repetition makes things familiar, and with practice, new things become part of who we are. That’s the Beth Emet way.
I invite you to contact me at president@bethemet.org with ideas, questions, or just to share your thoughts. I welcome the chance to listen to you and explore together how we can strengthen Beth Emet as we begin a new era in our history.
Shabbat Shalom.
