Dear Fellow Congregants,

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

The year ahead will be both exciting and emotional for our community as we undertake a process to select our next Senior Rabbi. On behalf of your board of trustees, I want to assure you that these issues will be carefully considered by fellow congregants who care deeply about Central. Moreover, Central is not standing still—we will continue innovating and improving so that Central becomes ever more meaningful to all of us over the coming year.

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

1. Rabbi Rubinstein will begin a summer sabbatical on May 15, returning in late July to prepare for the High Holy Days, which begin just following Labor Day.
2. We hope all of you will be with us for the High Holy Days this year. Our 2013 High Holy Days Guide, which includes a complete schedule, ticket information, and other important details, is now online.
3. The Transition Committee, chaired by Michael Gould, has begun its work to consider the question of the next Senior Rabbi of Central. There will be opportunities over the coming months for the congregation to provide its input into the process. In addition, there will be wonderful opportunities to honor and celebrate Rabbi Rubinstein in 2014 during the months leading up to his retirement in June.
4. As a congregation, clergy team, and staff, we have always been driven by a vision of what Central can mean to its members and the broader community. During the past year, we have developed a new vision statement for Central, supported by a restatement of our mission and our values. The draft language on our website is the culmination of many months of work by clergy and staff—in partnership with lay leaders—that has helped us articulate our vision.
5. Based on the numerous and thoughtful conversations that our clergy had with so many of our members during our 2012 congregational cocktail parties, we are continuing to develop unique opportunities for our members to connect with one another so that we might further strengthen our community. Among these opportunities, we are interested in understanding what volunteer opportunities our congregants may wish to support.
6. We will be welcoming Ari Lorge to our clergy team in July as our new assistant rabbi. Ari will be ordained as a rabbi next month upon his graduation from the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. Ari will join our clergy on the bimah and will provide ongoing pastoral care to our members as well as outreach to young professionals.
7. Also in July, we will welcome Cindy Grebow as our new Early Childhood Director. Cindy joins us from Congregation Habonim on the Upper West Side. She will be supported by Sarah Byer, currently a head teacher in our Nursery School, who was recently hired to become the Assistant Early Childhood Director. The congregation is invited to celebrate outgoing Early Childhood Director Susan Alpert before and during Shabbat services on April 26.
8. In response to your feedback, Central Synagogue will soon accept online payment for membership and tuition fees. We hope that this convenient (and entirely secure) option will save you time and postage.
9. In response to rising costs, the board has approved a 3% increase in membership dues. 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 Senior Director Livia Thompson at (212) 838-9385.
10. Our Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 25 at 6:00 pm in the Pavilion. During the meeting, we will acknowledge those trustees who are completing their service (Janet Felleman, John Golieb, Juliana May, Phil Satow, and Stephanie Stiefel) and present the new leadership slate for approval. Rabbi Rubinstein, Cantor Buchdahl, Senior Director Livia Thompson and I will all be in attendance.

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

Warm regards,

David B. Edelson

President