It has been a blessing for me to serve our community these last four years as president and co-president. We are so fortunate to have our amazing clergy, executive director, staff, educational directors, and teachers who bring their full selves to work every day to uplift and provide for our beloved community at RSNS. I am also so grateful to all of the Executive Board officers and Board Trustees whom I have had the privilege to work alongside during these challenging times. Our committee chairs and members are essential in their work to support many aspects of our community. When I step back to reflect on this time, I see a community where strong values continue to guide us to create a place where many opportunities exist for spiritual growth, learning, and connection.
It is also a blessing to be part of a community that has Tikkun Olam as an essential value. Throughout the year, our congregants participate in Sandwich Making, where we assemble bag lunches for Our Lady of Fatima to distribute to people in our local community who are facing food insecurity. Each of our B’nei Mitzvah students repairs the world as they engage in a myriad of Tikkun Olam projects, and the Board of Trustees collects Tzedakah at the beginning of each meeting for a charity selected by a trustee. Our Social Action committee now guides us with a weekly Olam Hesed email to provide ongoing ways that we can make the world a better place.
In Judaism, the Talmud states that each person should recite one hundred blessings a day to stay connected to the divine and express gratitude. While this may not be a regular practice in our daily lives, I hope that with the onset of summer and time to relax and regenerate, that you have time to enjoy and appreciate the blessings in your life. It is important during these times of uncertainty to appreciate and draw strength from that which brings us joy and solace. Our community has so many opportunities throughout the year to engage in Jewish life that brings meaning and connection and strengthens the continued growth of our Jewish home at RSNS. Perhaps the most well-known blessing, the Shehecheyanu, gives us an opportunity to express our gratitude for being able to reach a particular moment in time. With that in mind, I am thinking of this blessing and grateful to have reached this moment to have been able to give back to our community, which has been a blessing in my life. I look forward to saying the Shehecheyanu blessing together with you when we join together for High Holiday services and throughout the year. Being together in community is essential to the continued growth of our Jewish home at RSNS.
With Gratitude,
Susan Liberstein
Immediate Past President
