Message from the President
by
Saul Greenberg, President (07-09)
Published in the Shaarey Zedek Shofar in February 2009
I
am writing this article in the first couple of days of 2009. As
such, I want to wish all of our Clergy, Staff and Congregants a
Happy and Healthy year.
Look for 2009 to be a year of change for Congregation Shaarey
Zedek. Some changes will be big and other changes will be small.
We must attract newer members of all ages. We can only do this
by providing increased value in our religious services and our
programming. We are listening to you, our congregants, in trying
to make improvements. We are reaching out to talk to non-members
in order to find out what we can provide that they see as
beneficial, even crucial, for them to make the decision to join
Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
This process of change
started right after High Holidays. Already, you have seen some
of the changes. We are holding two services on almost every
Shabbat morning. One service is our regular service in the
Sanctuary. The second service is an alternative to the regular
Shabbat service held downstairs. At this time we offer three
different alternative services. The first is a Family Shabbat
Service for youngsters and their families. The second is a
"Learners’ Minyan". The third is a "Light of Shabbat". Please
note that only one different service is held each week. To
confirm the dates and times for the different services visit
www.shaareyzedek.mb.ca/services
or contact the office. We also offer a weekly email that lists
all of our services and programming. Please contact Val Mercier
at 452 3711 to be added to the list.
Another new change
that I am delighted to tell you about is the formation of our
Children’s Choir. Join us for Shabbat services on non Bar/Bat
Mitzvah mornings to sing along with Cantor Mass and his kids for
the Musaf service from 11:15 am to noon. Cantor Mass tells me he
is still looking for kids to join. Call him to talk, if you have
a child looking to learn a little and sing a lot.
The
Executive and Board began working on the 2009 High Holidays
almost immediately after 2008 finished. We had meetings with
Clergy and Staff and frank discussions with a great many of our
Congregants. I am thrilled to tell you that after three months
of gathering information and holding meetings, the Board has
approved the following changes to the High Holiday format for
2009:
• We are bringing everybody into the
building for 2009. We will accomplish this by having a
separate family service in the downstairs lounges, one in
the morning and another in the afternoon on both days of
Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur. The Shul will realize
another benefit through the cost savings of not renting
outside facilities and the additional security and wages
required.
• We will not be offering babysitting
services or children’s services (offsite). We welcome you to
bring your children and grandchildren to the Synagogue
itself and join in our Family services or sit with us in the
Sanctuary.
• We are shortening both morning and
afternoon services in the Sanctuary. The morning services
will begin at 9 am and end at noon (3 hours). The afternoon
services will begin at 1 pm and end at 3:30 pm (2 and
1/2hours).
• The Family Services will be held in the
morning commencing at 9:30 am and finishing at 11 am. The
afternoon services will begin at 1:30 pm and finish at 3 pm.
• We will be offering a "Family Service
Only" option to our members at a reduced price.
• We will be offering a "Student rate"
for all people over the age of 18 that are in full time
attendance at a University or Community College.
• We will be recognizing member privilege
for family members on a "one up and one down" basis. Thus,
we will be charging member rates for your children and
parents who are not members of the synagogue but wish to
attend High Holidays with you. Please note that the only
restriction we have is that seating will be based on
availability.
There are still lots
of details still to be worked out and we will keep you updated
as decisions are made.
As Rocky Pollack
advised everyone on the High Holidays, our Strategic Planning
initiative, under his chairmanship, is well underway. We have a
wonderful selection of members, from all parts of our
Congregation that have volunteered to serve with Rocky on the
"Strategic Planning Cabinet". This group has held meetings with
myself, Eric Ellis (Vice President), Rabbi Green and Ian
Staniloff, our Executive Director. As of this writing, Dr.
Suzanne Stier, our Strategic Planning facilitator, will be in
Winnipeg in mid-January to hold a one-day retreat with the
members of the Cabinet. As I have noted before in previous
articles and stated repeatedly, it is imperative for the future
direction of the Shul that we arrive at a successful conclusion
to this process. The Strategic Plan will provide an action plan
for future Presidents and Boards to implement in order to ensure
that Congregation Shaarey Zedek continues to be a cornerstone of
our Winnipeg Jewish community for generations to come.
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