April 3, 2018 18 Nisan, 5778

TODAY IS FOUR DAYS OF THE OMER

Gratitude. Awe. Reverence. Responsibility. History. Deep sorrow. Abiding Joy.

April D.

Announcements Every1Counts

April 2, 2018 17 Nisan, 5778

TODAY IS THREE DAYS OF THE OMER

It means I’m special. Despite millennia of hatred and venom directed against [Jews], I belong to a people who were bent but not broken. It is more than a religion. It is more than an identity. It is a state of being.

Steve G.

Announcements Every1Counts

April 1, 2018 16 Nisan, 5778

TODAY IS TWO DAYS OF THE OMER

Gathering! Community! Family! One of my favorite things about being Jewish is that we are called go join together. Our commemorations and celebrations are meant to be marked with others. Joining together, either at TBA, or around someone’s dining table to grieve a loss, to celebrate a new life or marriage or to celebrate a holyday helps us lean on each other and to raise each other up.

As a kid I looked forward to joining my extended family for Rosh Hashanah or Passover and now as an adult, with a family of my own, I love that our house tends to be a central place for our family to gather to celebrate these same events.

As we celebrate Passover we begin to count the Omer. Traditionally this was a counting of the harvest which would hopefully reap a good crop that would sustain the farmer and his family for the year. As we, who are not farmers, count our blessings we come together as an extended family and live the phrase “it takes a village” because that is what it takes to be a community.

Cantor Margot E.B. Goldberg

Announcements Every1Counts

March 31, 2018 15 Nisan, 5778

TODAY IS ONE DAY OF THE OMER

We begin Counting the Omer

We begin counting after sundown tonight, at the second seder.

(Since this is the Passover holiday, we are posting this prior to the first seder, so you do not have to use your computer on the holiday.)

Since 2012 we here at TBA have turned the Omer period between Passover and Shavuot into an amazing program called Every1Counts (E1C). This year, we’d are sharing the voices of our congregation. This year we wish to enhance our community by listening to each other, so we asked you to tell us, in 150 words or less, “What Does Being Jewish Mean to You?”

Now, for each day of the 49 days of the omer, we will share one response to this question.

Lox, Bagels, and Kasha Varnishkes. L’dor va’dor, Tikkun Olam, Mitzvahs. Dancing the Hora, Hiding the Matzah, Blessing the Challah. And, of course, Israel.

I feel blessed to be a part of a community that shares so many beautiful customs and beliefs, and cares so deeply about repairing our world. My synagogue is my “happy place,” and my clergy and congregation make me smile. I love “belonging,” and welcoming others.

Like the embrace of my Tallit, Judaism warms and comforts me. Like grandma’s chicken soup, Judaism nourishes and sustains me. With rich tradition and history, Judaism anchors and supports me.

My Judaism calms, centers and soothes me. For me, Judaism is that warm cozy knowledge that you are home.

Debra Drattell

Announcements Every1Counts

Every1Counts – Introduction

March 29, 2018 13 Nisan, 5778

We will soon begin Counting the Omer

The Omer is the period between Passover and Shavuot. Although we count in days, like all Jewish events, our day starts at sundown the evening before. This year, we count the Omer beginning after the second seder on March 31, and we will count each day through Saturday, May 19. The festival of Shavuot begins at sundown on Sunday, May 20. This year we will “count” by sharing a submission from a congregant each day of the Omer.

Because we know you will be busy with your Seders, and we do not want you to feel obligated to use your computer on Passover or Shabbat, we will post two submissions on Friday, just as God sent us a double portion of manna on Fridays to get us through Shabbat. Since the Omer starts on Saturday, March 31, we will post the first submission tomorrow, Friday, March 30.

There will be a counter on the sidebar of this webpage, so you can keep track of the days. If you would like blessings you may say to count the Omer, as well as the English, transliteration and Hebrew for each day we count, please email everyonecounts@tba-ny.org and we will send them to you.

Announcements Every1Counts

Every1Counts

Dear Friends,

It’s almost Passover. And that means that Shavuot is not far behind: 50 days from 2^ndseder to be precise. And in between, we have the period known as the Counting of the Omer. Since 2012 we here at TBA have turned it into an amazing program called Every1Counts (E1C).

This year, we’d like to share your voice with the congregation! Read on for more info!

The biblical word for measure is omer. In biblical times, the Jews used to take a measure of barley, called an omer, to the Temple in Jerusalem as a sacrifice to God to say “thank you” for giving them a good harvest. From the second day of Passover until the festival of Shavuot, we count each day for seven weeks, and each day in ancient times an omer of barley was brought to the Temple. This period between Passover and Shavuot is called the “counting of the omer”. At Passover we escape from Egypt and spend 49 days traveling across the Red Sea, through the dessert to the base of Mount Sinai where we receive the Torah. The journey from slavery to Sinai moves us as a people from slavery to chosen-ness and with chosen-ness comes responsibility.

As Jews, we are taught that we all stood at Sinai and said, ”Naaseh v’nishma: we will do and we will listen.” This year we wish to enhance our community by listening to each other, so we are asking you to tell us, in 150 words or less, “What Does Being Jewish Mean to You?” Then, each day of the 49 days of the omer, we will share one response to the question.

Peace and Blessings,

Rabbi David K. Holtz

Cantor Margot E.B. Goldberg

Announcements Sermons

Thoughts on Charlottesville

I was a senior in High School when neo-Nazis attempted to march through Skokie, Illinois, home to a large Jewish population, many of whom were survivors of the Holocaust. Though the march eventually happened instead in Chicago, an Illinois Appeals Court ruled that it could in fact be held in Skokie. In their decision the judges said that although the march was clearly a provocation, it was “protected speech” because Skokie’s attorneys did not prove that the Nazi symbols, uniforms or literature would incite violence. I wonder how that court would rule today.

The tragedy in Charlottesville was horrific on many levels, first and foremost being the loss of life. We mourn with the family of Heather Heyer, a victim of hate and terrorism, and we mourn with the families of the two officers who died while protecting the ideals of our country.

I’m sure that you have been following the events and the statements about the events since Friday. I was struck by the fact that the focus of the virulent alt-right hate speech had little to do with the stated purpose of the rally. Instead, different minority groups were the real targets and we should not have been surprised that the Jews were included. The rabbi of the small congregation there, Tom Gutthertz, told me that he simply cannot describe what it felt like to stand outside his synagogue with a few members and a security guard, staring at armed alt-right militiamen gathered directly across the street, and listening to uniformed neo-Nazis marching by, chanting “there’s the Temple. Zig heil!” In the United States. In 2017.

Yet Rabbi Gutthertz stressed the support he has received from the Charlottesville Clergy Alliance, and from the public at large. This is a close-knit university town, and almost all of the extremists came from elsewhere to participate. In the midst of our grief and anger, it’s important to keep in mind that while the alt-right hooligans are loud, hate-filled and dangerous, they are not very big and they are not growing. We should not panic. Which is not to say that we should be ignoring what is happening.

The truth is that these people are no more hateful now than they were last year. The only difference is that they have been emboldened to act publicly. They have crawled out into the light this year only because they have sensed since early in the presidential primaries that there are a few prominent Americans who will not slap them down. They stand taller because they see that the President does not want to disavow them, and doesn’t really mean it when he is forced to. His comments yesterday about “very fine people on both sides” make clear his belief that there is a moral equivalence between the neo-Nazis and those who oppose them. That is horrifying in itself.

I’m heartened by the nation-wide outpouring of opposition from all parts of the political spectrum, opposition to the hate itself, and to the cowardly refusal of the administration to call it what it is. The alt-right spews a virulent, disgusting, homophobic, anti-black, anti-Semitic ideology. It is the same ideology which plunged us into WW II, and which many Americans died fighting valiantly to defeat. To suggest, as the President did, that those who fight Nazis somehow bear part of the responsibility for the violence is a perversion of history, and an insult to their memories.

I’m heartened by the peaceful gatherings and the candle lit vigils which have sprung up across the country. These moments reinforce for us the truth that we are not helpless in the face of barbarism. When communities come together in solidarity we are reminded that the vast majority of Americans hold fast to the ideals which have made this country a welcoming place for Jews as well as many other groups.

This Friday night our Shabbat services will reflect on those ideals. They are already deeply embedded in our tradition, so it does not take much tweaking, but this week it’s important to focus more consciously on that connection. And it’s important simply to be together.

I need to add one more thought. Vigils and prayer services are powerful ways for us to reassure ourselves that the fabric of society is still strong. But by themselves they are not enough to bring about the change we seek. We can use these gatherings to calm our fears, and then we must use them as a way to galvanize ourselves to act. The hatred on display in Charlottesville has been a small but persistent thread in our nation’s history; it will not be wiped out overnight. Change will come riding in on the shoulders of all those willing to do the daily, on-going work required to create a just society. Our prophets called us to this task, and over the weeks and months ahead I’ll suggest specific ways to heed their call in your own life.

We read in Deuteronomy “you shall not remain indifferent.” We are blessed to live among millions of Americans who believe that and act upon it. I look forward to continuing to work with you in building the society our tradition envisions, and our children deserve.

L’shalom,

Announcements

Why I’m Going to Cheraw, SC and why you should join me!

Dear Friends,

Many years ago I was speaking with a friend about his experience at the Million Man March, a call for African-American men of every socio-economic level to come to Washington DC and accept responsibility for their lives. He told me that the most powerful thing about the event for him was being surrounded by so many people who not only looked like him, but shared similar values. It’s something that he did not experience all that often. Here in Tarrytown, he felt he was often looked at askance simply because he was black. I told him that I sometimes had a similar feeling when walking in public wearing my kippah. He replied “Yes, but the difference is that you can remove your kippah whenever you want and blend in. I can’t remove being black.”

I have never forgotten that conversation. One of the many things that has allowed Jews to do so well in America is that we look like the majority. We can blend in. The events of the past year – the deaths of unarmed black men, and in particular, the shootings inside the Charleston church – remind me that 50 years after Selma, having black skin can still be a liability in America.

In 1965, protesters marched from Selma to Montgomery to highlight racial injustice. Among the marchers were many Jews, including Rabbi Maurice Eisendrath, then head of the Reform Jewish movement, and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. As you see in the photo, they marched carrying a Torah in order to emphasize the biblical call for justice and to remind us that all humans are created in the image of God.

By the end of 1965 the Voting Rights Act, written in the offices of the Reform Movement’s Religious Action Center, had been signed into law. And yet 50 years later, voting rights are once again under attack, access to education is uneven, and African-American parents have to teach their law-abiding children how to speak to the police to keep from being shot. I, on the other hand, do not need to have that talk with my kids, because I can remove my kippah whenever I want.

But I still want to express my anger at the continuing racism, and I still want to clearly show my support – as so many Jews did during the Civil Rights Movement – for the values of justice and equality which are central to Jewish tradition.

And that’s why I’m going to Cheraw.

This summer the NAACP has organized America’s Journey for Justice, a 40-day march from Selma, Alabama to Washington DC, in order to draw attention to how much still needs to be done to combat racism in America. The Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Reform Jewish Movement are partners in this effort. I am proud to say that I will be one of over 100 rabbis participating in the march. I will be carrying the Torah along the route from Cheraw, SC to Raleigh, NC on Wednesday, September 2. And I plan to attend the Voting Rights Rally in Raleigh on Sept. 3.

And I’d like you to join me!

My sons are coming with me. A few congregants have already committed to participating with us. The plan is to fly out on the afternoon of Sept. 1, march on Sept. 2, attend the rally and then fly home on Sept. 3. If your plans for the last week of the summer are flexible, I encourage you to join us. If you can’t march that week, you can pick another date to go.

Here are some FAQs about participating in the march. If you decide to go, you should sign up here. And of course, please let me know you’re coming! To do that, or just to ask questions, send a note to rabbi@tba-ny.org or give me a call.

I was a little too young for the marches in 1965. I’m saddened that another march is needed, but I’m honored to be able to participate. I hope that all who march will feel, as Rabbi Heschel said, that “I was praying with my legs.”

Peace and Blessings,

Rabbi David Holtz

Announcements

Pledge process update

Many of you have asked how things are going with the pledge process to support our new donation system, and I am very happy to report that well over half of our members have already pledged.

Not only have a majority of you already submitted your pledges, but the total contribution for these pledges is up over $20,000 from what this same group of members gave last year. In fact, for every 1 member that decided to decrease their level of giving, there were over 5 that increased it. So, a HUGE thanks to everyone who has already pledged. Our confidence in your generosity has definitely been well placed!

Now, we need the rest of you to pledge. It’s really important that we all take an active role in this process. If we don’t hear from you, we will send you a statement in July as we usually do, but we’d much rather hear from you!

If you have not yet submitted your pledge, a personalized reminder letter is being mailed to you. Better yet, why not take a moment out of your day and submit your pledge online, right now, right here.

Also, please let me know how you feel about the process so far. We’d love to hear any suggestions you have for improving what we’re doing or how we’re doing it.

Thanks again. We are delighted and honored to be on this journey together with you.

Announcements

Pledge process update and 2014/2015 Budget Analysis

We are on schedule with the process that we described at the January congregational meeting and letters requesting a pledge of commitment for the 2015-2016 year are being mailed to all current members this week. One of the items we promised was a succinct analysis of the budget for the current year (2014‐2015) so all members understand the significance of their contributions and take ownership in the financial health of our congregation. Although we are still in the early stages of the budgeting process, we do not expect there to be substantial changes for the upcoming year.

Income

By far, the largest amount of our income comes from what was projected to be contributed as annual membership dues; this includes Mitzvah Circle dues that some members contributed over and above the assessed amount of dues. In order to keep our institution running and moving forward, this amount will need to be replaced by the voluntary contribution we are asking our members to pledge for 2015‐2016. You’ll see, however, that this is only about 2/3 of our revenue, and we will need to continue our fundraising efforts, as well as continue to charge fees for specific items, such as school tuition, High Holy Day seats and B’nei Mitzvah fees. Hopefully, as our endowment grows, our investment income will account for a greater percentage of our overall revenue.

Revenue Source	2014-2015 Budget	% of Total Income
Dues (including Mitzvah Circle)	$885,000	67.3%
School Tuition	$217,000	16.5%
Annual Appeal (Kol Nidre Appeal)	$45,000	3.4%
Fundraising	$45,000	3.4%
Investment Income	$40,000	3.0%
Temple Donations	$30,000	2.3%
B’nei Mitzvah Fees	$25,000	1.9%
High Holy Day Seats	$15,000	1.1%
House Rental (Including Children Garden Center)	$11,900	0.9%
Bulletin Advertising	$2,000	0.2%
Total Income	$1,315,900

Income Pie Chart

Expenses

Our expenses are broken out by functional area. Each of these functional areas (with the exception of Special Programs) contains both salaries for staff and non-labor expenses. For example, the functional area “House” includes the labor expenses for our custodial staff, but also includes non-labor expenses for heating oil, snow removal and many other items. Approximately 75% of our overall budget goes to the people who we employ to help us fulfill our mission, from the Rabbi and the Cantor, to our office staff, our educational staff, teachers, tutors, custodial staff, musical accompanists and service leaders. There is one item that you will not see here: You will find no payments to service debt because TBA has no debt. We are proud of our long-standing practice of responsibly living within our means.

Functional Area	2014-2015 Budget	% of Total Expense
Ritual (includes salaries for Clergy, Clergy Coordinator, Musical Accompanists, Service Leaders and BBM Tutors)	$554,569	42.1%
Religious School (includes salaries for Director of Education, Education and Program Coordinator and Teachers)	$298,850	22.7%
Administration (includes salaries for Director of Temple Operations, Bookkeeper and Office Assistant)	$238,131	18.1%
House (includes salaries for Facilities Supervisor and Assistant Facilities Coordinator)	$194,800	14.8%
Special Programs (includes Tikkun Olam, Membership Committee, TBA Cares, Israel Committee and other programming)	$15,100	1.1%
Youth Group (includes salary for Youth Group Director)	$14,450	1.1%
Total Expenses	$1,315,900

Expense Pie Chart

Questions or Comments?

Have any questions or would like further information about how your contributions help us fulfill our mission? Just drop me a note at president@tba-ny.org!