Dear Fellow Congregants

As I write this, the world is warming up after a long New York winter. Despite occasional cold spells, daffodils have emerged throughout Central Park and trees all over the city are flowering. Passover has come and gone, reminding us yet again how fortunate we are in so many ways.

I am privileged to serve as the president of our incredible congregation, which is brimming with people who are committed to each other, to our great institution, and to the Jewish people.

This annual “State of the Synagogue” report highlights some of what is ahead for us here at Central:

1. Events Honoring Rabbi Rubinstein: We have several opportunities over the coming two months to celebrate Rabbi Rubinstein’s 23 years as our incomparable Senior Rabbi. We hope to see all of you on the evening of Sunday, May 4 at Chelsea Piers for cocktails and a light supper… and loads of fun! Additionally, Rabbi Rubinstein will be honored at two upcoming Friday night services: May 16 for a “family-friendly” Shabbat at which our children and their parents can thank Rabbi Rubinstein, and June 13 for our “official” farewell Shabbat, where faith leaders and others from across our city and the Reform movement will gather to acknowledge Rabbi Rubinstein’s enormous contributions to Central and to the broader community.

2. Fund Honoring Rabbi Rubinstein: Rabbi Rubinstein believes passionately that Central has a unique role to play in shaping and advancing the Reform Jewish agenda, so we have created the Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein Fund for the Renaissance of Reform Judaism to enable us to secure his legacy at Central and within the Jewish community by supporting initiatives that strengthen Reform Judaism. Please consider contributing to this fund in any amount; we hope to maximize participation as another way of showing Rabbi Rubinstein our immense appreciation for all that he has meant to us.

3. Rabbi Buchdahl as New Senior Rabbi: Rabbi Buchdahl will become our Senior Rabbi on July 1. The enthusiastic response of our congregation and the broader community to Rabbi Buchdahl’s appointment has been nothing short of overwhelming! Please mark September 19 in your calendars; we will be officially installing Rabbi Buchdahl as our Senior Rabbi that Friday night.

4. Cantor Glazman as New Senior Cantor: Cantor Mo Glazman will become our Senior Cantor on July 1, joining us after ten years as Cantor and Director of Arts at Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains, N.Y. We couldn’t be more excited about what Cantor Glazman brings to Central—Rabbi Buchdahl and Cantor Katz are eager to collaborate with him to enrich and expand our musical programming both on and off the bimah. We will announce soon the date for Cantor Glazman’s installation.

5. Rabbi Straus as Interim Rabbi: Rabbi Andy Straus will join us on July 1 as an interim Rabbi for one year. Rabbi Straus’s deep experience as a rabbi and Jewish educator will be invaluable during the upcoming year. Among his many roles, Rabbi Straus will work closely with the education leadership team to ensure that our educational programs continue to evolve and improve.

6. Rabbi Friedman’s Departure: In a bittersweet but natural development, Rabbi Michael Friedman will be leaving Central at the end of June to become the Senior Rabbi at Temple Israel in Westport, Connecticut. Rabbi Friedman has been a friend, advisor, and mentor to many of us over the past six years, and we will miss him dearly. Rabbi Friedman will be heading up the Merritt Parkway with Haley Lieberman, whom he will marry at Central this coming Saturday night. Mazel tov!

7. Central Conversations, Our Small-Groups Initiative: Over the coming year, we expect to continue evolving and growing a small-groups initiative with the long-term goal of providing every congregant with an opportunity to be part of a community within our broader community. These small groups will pursue Jewish learning, engaging dialogue, community connection, and personal investigation. Our vision is that eventually every member of Central will be a member of a small 8–12 person micro-community that meets regularly to engage in essential conversations and questions. During the winter, we began piloting eight such groups, which have been meeting every other week. Each of these initial groups shares something in common, whether it is neighborhood or stage in life, and each group has been convened and moderated by a fellow lay leader. We hope to take the lessons from this first cohort and expand the effort during the coming year.

8. Education: Education is an enormous priority for us at Central and we are striving for excellence in all that we do. We couldn’t be more excited about the positive changes afoot in our various programs. Cindy Grebow and her early childhood team are constantly enriching our programs for our youngest congregants and their families through the Young Family Center and the May Family Nursery School. In our recently renamed Lese Center for Living Judaism, Rabbi Kalb, Zach Rolf, and Elana Paru are leading the charge in reimagining how best to engage and educate our K–12 students. Expect continued changes in the coming year and even more in the years to come. Likewise, for our more “experienced” congregants, the clergy team, together with Rabbi Kalb, is seeking to enhance our programming while continuing to offer the Melton two-year comprehensive program.

9. Membership: Earlier this year we decided to discontinue the associates category, which was adopted about five years ago to help us deal with our growth. We have extended full membership to all those who had been associates; the Board feels confident that Central has grown into its size and we are now able to serve a larger member body while maintaining our strong sense of community. Associates accepting membership will become members as of June 1. Once we reach our new capacity of 2,300 households (up from 2,000), prospective members will be placed on a simple waiting list and offered membership as space becomes available.

10. Membership Fees: In response to rising costs, the Board has approved a 3% increase in membership fees. Our policy remains that no member of our community shall be turned away due to inability to pay. Because of this, we rely heavily on congregant support to sustain one another. If your membership fees create a hardship, please speak with Livia Thompson or Caren Keller.

11. High Holy Days 2014: We hope all of you will be with us for the High Holy Days this year. Our 2014 High Holy Days Guide, including a complete schedule, ticket information, and other important details, will be available online soon. As in the past two years, we will gather as one community to celebrate Erev Rosh Hashanah at Avery Fisher Hall.

12. Annual Meeting: Our annual congregational meeting will be held on Thursday, May 22 at 6:00 p.m. in the Pavilion. During the meeting, we will acknowledge those trustees who are completing their service (Marni Gutkin and Wendy Siegel) and present the new leadership slate for approval. We will also introduce Cantor Glazman. Rabbi Rubinstein, Rabbi Buchdahl, Livia Thompson, numerous trustees and I will all be in attendance.

I hope that you feel as inspired and excited as I do about all of these developments. I look forward to continuing to serve this congregation as we move from strength to strength.

Warm regards,

David B. Edelson
President