On December 3rd of the year just past, Rabbi Rosenfeld announced to the congregation his decision to end his tenure after eleven years as our Senior Rabbi to take a new position as Rabbi of Congregation Albert in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Last Shabbat, upwards of three hundred of us gathered in our Sanctuary to thank Rabbi Rosenfeld for his service to our congregation, and to wish him and Michele well in their new venture.  I want to take the occasion of this Annual Meeting to once again thank Rabbi Rosenfeld and wish him well in his new rabbinate.

Presented with the challenge to find a replacement for Rabbi Rosenfeld, I turned to Past Presidents, David Desmon and Wendee Lorbeer, who willingly agreed to chair our Senior Rabbi Search Committee.  David and Wendee convened one of the most talented and diverse search committees this congregation has ever been blessed with.  It was a committee that worked diligently and hard.  In less than two months time, from its organizational meeting just after the new year to the end of February, the committee considered over 20 candidates, interviewed more than a dozen, and made its recommendation to the Board.  With the approval of that recommendation by the Board in late February, and by the congregation at a special meeting held April 7, Rabbi Gary Pokras is set to become TBZ's new Senior Rabbi July 1.  I'll have a few words in a moment about the excitement that Rabbi Pokras brings to our congregation and community.

First, I'd like to reflect on the controversy that enveloped our congregation just one year ago surrounding the question of whether to negotiate a renewal of Rabbi Rosenfeld's contract.  I was struck at the time by the number of our congregants who were stirred to action, who spoke up, who took a stand.  It was a remarkable demonstration of the passion and devotion so many of us feel for TBZ as an institution.  Rather than let those fires fade, we asked you to turn your passion to participation, and I am so grateful that many of you did just that.  You agreed to serve on our Congregational Planning Committee, which has worked throughout the year, under the leadership of Past President Stuart Lerman and current Board Member Cindy GradleGradl, learning more about what you want to see TBZ become.  And you served with distinction on the Senior Rabbi Search committee, participating in one of the most momentous decisions that a synagogue can make, the hiring of a new senior rabbi.  I am grateful to all of you for the passion you have shown for TBZ and the energy that you devote to it.  And I will look forward to more of the same energy and passion as we start our next year under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Pokras.

This past year we witnessed the official opening in Philadelphia of the National Museum of Jewish American History in Philadelphia, New York.  TBZ is featured in the National Museum's video of thirteen American Jewish Congregations.  We are proud of our own Alex Alec Gradl, son of Cindy and Wayne GradleGradl, who was asked to blow shofar at the opening ceremonies in November.  Just a few weeks ago, over Memorial Day weekend, I received an e-mail from Rabbi Pokras telling us about his visit to the Museum with his children, and his excitement on seeing the video featuring TBZ.  Rabbi Pokras suggested a TBZ pilgrimage to Philadelphia to visit the Museum, so stay tuned.

As in the past, we are holding this Annual Meeting in our beautiful Sisterhood Chapel.  The Chapel, however, is very different than it was in the past.  The pews are gone, donated to Buffalo Re-Use so they may be enjoyed by others in a new location.  They are replaced by the plush royal blue chairs you are sitting in.  The granite floor has been refinished, new lighting installed, the ark on the bimah has new gold leaf and we have a modernized sound system.  All this and more has been made possible by the generous gift of our Sisterhood, which is celebrating its 100^th year of service to TBZ.  Later in these proceedings, we'll take one more opportunity to recognize Sisterhood for their generosity and vision, and Wendee lorbeerLorbeer for leading the Chapel Renovation Task Force.

A quick word about Temple committees.  I've already touched on the fine work of the Congregational Planning and Senior Rabbi Search Committees.  Another of our committees that has stood out recently is our Social Action Committee, lead by Co-Chairs miriam treger honig and Ellen Goldstein and Rabbi GaurieLaurie Green.  The question of the right of gay and lesbian citizens to marry the individuals of their choice, just as heterosexual people may do, has once again grabbed the headlines and is about to be voted on in the state legislature.  Recognizing the issue of Marriage Equality as one of universal social justice, and an issue that is very personal to the gay and lesbian members of our TBZ community, the Committee asked the Board of Trustees to consider and pass a resolution supporting the New York Marriage Equality legislation.  I was very proud to be able to inform our entire congregation last month that our Board adopted a resolution supporting the legislation, and prouder still of Rabbi Rosenfeld's op-ed piece that appeared last week in the Buffalo News.  The Social Action Committee has continued to work for the passage of this legislation and has made information available to the congregation so that members who feel strongly about this issue can make the case to their legislators.

This is perhaps the long way of pointing out that your service on committees is what makes our congregation the vibrant place that it is.  If you are not yet involved in one of our congregational or ad hoc committees, get involved.  There is a complete list of our TBZ committees just outside the Chapel.  Look it over.  Let us know what your interests and passions are.  Whether it is working with Cantor Penny to bring our Cultural Arts offerings to the next level, joining our Green Team to make us more environmentally friendly, serving on our Ritual Committee to make our services more inspirational -  Sign up and get involved.

In just a couple of weeks Rabbi Gary Pokras will arrive to lead and work with our already strong Clergy and Professional team of Cantorial Intern Penny Myers, Assistant Rabbi Laurie Green, Director of Lifelong Learning Susan Goldberg Schwartz, and Executive Director Mark Criden.  Rabbi Pokras brings his talent and passion back to us in Buffalo and TBZ after a hiatus of nine years since he left us as our Associate Rabbi to serve as Rabbi of Temple Judea in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.   Over the next weeks and months, come to services to listen to and meet Rabbi Pokras.  Let's get to know him as he gets to know us.  Let's enjoy the spirituality and inspiration of our new Rabbi.  Let's sing together, pray together, laugh together and cry together.

Most of all, as we grow together into a community stronger than we already are, tell your friends about what you are experiencing here at TBZ.  Ask them to join you for a Shabbat dinner and services.  Bring them along to our Cultural Arts Programs, our Golf outing and Wine Tour.  Let them experience the community that we are, and the spirituality and inspiration, the compassion and caring, that I am confident our new Senior Rabbi, Gary Pokras, and his entire Clergy team, will demonstrate to all.   And that way, may our congregation and our community go from strength to strength.

Ken Y'hi Ratzon.  May it be G-d's will.

As you probably guessed, the fiscal year that ends June 30 has presented a difficult set of fiscal challenges for us.  You do not need me to tell you about growing utility costs, daunting capital expenditures, and stock market gyrations that impact our endowments.  We faced all of these tests this year, and a brand new one as well: a significant drop-off in dues revenue.

First off, anyone who drives a car knows utility costs spiked this spring.  Obviously, we can't accurately forecast gas and electric costs, given world political uncertainty, and the variability of weather, but, as we reported last year, we have taken several important steps to address our energy efficiency.  Last year, we replaced our forty-three year old chiller with a brand new high efficiency model.  In addition, we installed solar panels at Broder, and will have them installed at 805 Delaware soon.  Both solar installations will reduce energy costs – and both cost us nothing because of grants we pursued.

But we can't get grants for all our capital expenses.  Both 805 Delaware and the Broder Center remain saddled with elderly building systems, and repairs run tens of thousands of dollars each year.  To list just one example, last year we needed to replace the metal grates surrounding the perimeter of this building at the cost of $13,000.

We are fortunate to have built substantial unrestricted reserves over the past decade to be able to pay for these repairs, to bear energy cost overruns and to foot other non-recurring expenses, like search expenses for Assistant and Senior Rabbis.  But we, like other houses of worship and non-profit institutions in Western New York, face obstacles that place those very reserves at risk. 

Let's talk about dues, and start with the obvious: Western New York's Jewish demographics are no secret, and we are not immune from these challenges.  After a period of stability in the late 1990's, we've lost almost 20% of our membership since 2000.  The rate at which members have been leaving our rolls – either through relocation or death – has remained steady, but we haven't attracted new members at the rate we used to.  A decade ago, we'd attract 70-80 new families each year.  This year and last, we've only gained about two-dozen new families, the lowest number in generations.  Members' contributions in the form of dues are far and away our largest source of revenue, and as membership declines, it increases the burden on those who remain and makes it increasingly difficult to makes ends meet. 

Despite our membership losses, dues revenue stayed steady from 2002 until 2009, but last year's collections, in the face of year-end chaos and uncertainty, were down $30,000, and this year's results are projected to be even lower.  That shortfall, the cost of capital repairs, the spike in our energy costs, and non-recurring expenses for Rabbinic searches and moves, have caused us to draw more than $130,000 from our reserves this year, of which only $25,000 was budgeted.  Our unrestricted reserves now stand at $280,000 but if we continue to use $100,000 or more each year, they won't last very long.

Now let's state the obvious: most congregations in these parts would be thrilled to have almost $300,000 in unrestricted reserves on top of healthy endowments.  And while congregations and other non-profit institutions locally and nationally have had to scramble to slash expenses in the face of plummeting revenues, we have gradually, and carefully, reduced our spending over the past several years to deal with our declines in population.  We have been cautious in our budgeting and spending practices in every conceivable way.

This brings me to next year's budget you received tonight, unanimously recommended by the Financial Planning Committee and Board of Trustees. Many difficult decisions were made to keep our dues increase to only 4%. The budget includes assumptions, which we believe will reasonably represent the financial condition of the Temple during the coming year, including a projection of fund-raising, staffing costs, tenancies and a successful negotiation with the Union for Reform Judaism over the size of our MUM dues commitment for the next several years.  Actual performance during the year will probably vary somewhat from the budget as assumed. 

It's again a deficit budget, calling for another $50,000 draw from our reserves. And major capital expenditures that are not included could run tens of thousands more.  But while it is a necessary budget, it does reflect critical investments in a new dynamic clergy team! It is also a budget that highlights our need to plan for, and to protect our future.  Despite our diligence, despite the fact that we spend about half as much as congregations our size around the country, we need to shore up our finances, or else my successor will be standing up here in two years reporting to you that we've had to shrink our senior staff, sell a building or borrow to pay our bills.  Shrinking our senior staff will obviously hurt the congregation and our ability to deliver high-quality programs and services.  Selling a building?  Borrowing to pay our bills?  Does anyone think these are good ideas?

Okay, the first part of this report was a sobering appraisal of where we're at, and where we might be headed if we don't right the ship. But we can never forget that this is Temple Beth Zion, with a 161-year history of successes, and overcoming challenges. This is the Temple at the forefront of the Reform movement. This is the temple that renovated the Broder Center, this magnificent sanctuary, and this year, this very Sisterhood Chapel. And most importantly, this is the Temple that 50 years ago this October, came together after a devastating fire leveled its sacred house of worship and built one of the great synagogues of our times.

Let's get back to the opportunities I spoke of earlier. Despite all our challenges this year, we had – with your support - a hugely successful Kol Nidre campaign, both in terms of participation and contributions, thanks to the strong leadership of co-chairs Jack and Joan Karet and Ken and Kathy Rogers.  This year, well over fifty-percent of our congregation again gave to the campaign, an astonishing success rate for an annual giving campaign even in an easy year.  In the coming year, I'm sure Ken and Kathy, along with new co-chairs Alan and Barbara Mollot, will – again, with your support - build on this legacy of success. 

Year after year, we tell you about our incredibly successful golf tournament, led by Deny Adelman and myself.  This year's outing is again set for August 8 at the beautiful Niagara Falls Country Club, and is being held at the same time as our second annual wine-tasting in Niagara County.  How can you help?  Play a round of golf, join our wine tour, come to dinner, but however you participate, join us as we raise critical dollars for temple educational programs.

We continue to attract new members of the Rabbi Joseph and Janice Fink Legacy Society.  With a steering committee led by past presidents Orrin Tobbe and David Desmon, the Society honors those who have made gifts to TBZ endowments and offers opportunities to make future gifts, both during lifetime and through bequests.  This program has been a great success so far, reflecting the prestige of our great former Rabbi and his wife.  This year, we received gifts of almost $100,000 through this program.

But it doesn't cost $100,000 for you to help.  First and foremost, tell your friends.  We are at the beginning of an exciting time at Temple Beth Zion, as we await the arrival of our new Senior Rabbi.  The best publicity is word of mouth, so be our publicist.  Tell your friends how great TBZ is, and why they should be here.  .  If you can bring your friends to TBZ, and then they join, and bring their friends…well, you get my point. One hundred new members = financial stability and a stronger community.

Second, of course, while we need your support for our existing fund-raising programs – the Golf Tournament, the Kol Nidre campaign - please consider increasing, even in a small way, your contributions to Temple Beth Zion.

In my hand, I am holding $8. What does $8 buy? A month on Netflix?  A burger and fries? A couple of grande lattes? Whether it's in the form of additional dues, increased Kol Nidre gifts, or just outright donations, an additional eight dollars each month from each member family is all it will take to balance our books and return us to sound financial footing.  Eight bucks a month more from each family will fully sustain this wonderful place. And again, if you can bring your friends to TBZ, and then they join, and bring their friends…well, you get my point.  I'm in, and I hope you are, too.

I've read these passages many times but recently my mentor, Rabbi Don Weber, drew my attention to one word, "vayakhel".  This word begins Exodus chapter 35, which declares, "Moses gathered together all the groups of the children of Israel" but gather misses the nuance and the strength of the verb vayakhel. Root of vayakhel is kahal, kehillah, community vayakhel is the verb form that means "to make a community".

In this verse, Moses doesn't just gather together a bunch of people, he takes separate groups, and unites them into one community. How does he do this? Through the building process itself it takes such a sacred task to unite a sacred people. It takes lots of different individuals and lots of different groups to build the tabernacle.

First they need all the materials and so everyone whose heart is so moved brings donations. Some bring oil & some bring spices. Some bring precious stones & some bring wood. Some bring red thread & some bring blue thread & some bring purple. 

Next they identify the individuals with the needed skills. There is the chief artisan, Betzalel, who organizes a large group of expert craftspeople. It takes weavers and silversmiths and artists of all kinds. It takes engineers to make it all work. It takes ordinary laborers to do the schlepping. It takes administrators to ensure it all gets done efficiently.

The torah makes a point of telling us that men and women all participated, young and old, and of all walks of life. For the first time, the Israelites are no longer a loose configuration of families and tribes; they are a kahal, a community. That is, after all, what it takes to build a temple. Everyone sharing what they have. Everyone offering their skills & interests. Everyone finding their own nitch, the place that fits them and everyone respecting each others roles and contributions. New members and old members, city dwellers and suburbanites, classical, traditional, secular.

We recently modeled this w/ the beautiful renovation of the Sisterhood Chapel that we now enjoy Rabbi Rosenfeld and Mark, Wendee and her committee, the donors and fundraisers, Larry Scheur offering his excellent sound expertise, Deny Adelman offering his expertise so we can look into obtaining the technology to broadcast our services and events, so many dedicated members working together to create something beautiful. I remember a humorous moment in a board meeting a few months; Wendee was giving us an update on the renovation and discussing the chairs she told us that they were quite comfortable this had been confirmed by many 'tuches testers' as she called them she joked that the chairs were being tested by posteriors of different sizes and shapes; we all laughed of course. This touching moment of humor illustrating how we can assure we meet the needs of our diverse population. From chairs to technical skill and aesthetic tastes, we all came together to create a Sisterhood Chapel that could better serve us all, and be used diversely for the needs of our congregation for generations to come. Indeed, as the Torah reminds us, this is the secret of synagogue life. To take desperate individuals and groups, each with their own needs and wants and skills and interests, and to weave them together seamlessly into a community. A community where: everyone has a place, everyone gives, everyone receives, everyone respects each others roles & everyone is enriched by being a part of something bigger than themselves.

I have no doubt that as the Israelites weaved the cloth and assembled the poles of the tabernacle, hey kvetched. They were after all, Jews. They disagreed about the color scheme and most of all they must have experienced a great deal of anxiety. After all they were homeless and penniless, wandering through a desert, traveling to a new home.

Throughout our history, we have faced many different challenges, and our congregation, and other congregations throughout the country, are facing challenges in these difficult times. Challenges are opportunities.  They are scary and confusing and exhausting, but in the end, what matters is what we build together. 

TBZ is a great community.  The opportunities ahead offer us a chance to go from great to even greater. 

On behalf of myself, the clergy, and the entire congregation, I want to thank you for being here, for building your temple.  Thank you for allowing me to do my part. I   hope that I have helped each of you to do your part as well.