Rabbi Schonblum Says Goodbye

February 7, 2013

My Dear Congregants,

I write this letter to advise that I have come to an amicable arrangement with the Board of Governors of the Beth Radom Congregation to forthwith vacate my position as the Rabbi of the Beth Radom Congregation (BRC) and to take a well earned sabbatical until the end of July this year, when my employment contract with BRC formally ends.

Prior to taking up the position as the Rabbi of BRC, I was employed by The Pride of Israel. Many congregants of that synagogue followed me to the BRC and became active ands involved members of the BRC. In addition over the past ten years of my tenure at BRC I have made many friends here and you all have assisted me to enrich our services and foster a sense of inclusion. I shall miss greeting you all on Shabbat, on Yom Tovim, and at our Sunday morning minyan and breakfast.

I have found it an honour and a privilege to serve BRC over the past almost ten years. Although the past number of months have been a difficult time for all of us, it is now time both for me, my family and the BRC to move on.

A healing process needs to commence for the benefit of us all, and the shul must continue to survive and meet the needs of all its congregants. To survive and be in a position to meet all its financial obligations, including its obligations to its employees, including myself, the synagogue relies primarily on the payment of dues from its congregants.

I accordingly request each and every one of you who has not yet paid your dues for 2013, to forthwith call the synagogue office and make payment, and also make payment of your high holiday tickets.

I hope to remain in touch with the many friends I have made during my tenure at BRC. Please feel free to call me if need be, and for whatever reason.

With very best wishes

Rabbi Steven Schonblum.

President's Message re: Rabbi's Sabbatical

Dear Members,

The past few months have been a time of re-assessing and learning for all of us here at Beth Radom. What we have learned is the importance of keeping you all updated and in the loop about the goings on here at shul and that is why I am writing to you today.

As of Friday, February 8^th, Rabbi Schonblum will be commencing a sabbatical which will continue for the duration of his contract. The past few months have been difficult and have taken their toll on everyone in our community. For this reason we have come to a mutual agreement with him that a sabbatical for the remainder of his contract is the best solution for everyone involved. We wish Rabbi Schonblum and his family the very best of good health, happiness and success in his future endeavours.

We want to assure all members of our congregation that Cantor Rosen, along with many of our lay leaders, have made commitments to us to ensure that all services, events and simchas will continue at the shul uninterrupted. You will continue to have a place and a community with whom to worship, celebrate and, G-d forbid, turn to in a time of crisis. For any life cycle event or emergency, please contact the shul office so that we can be there for you when you need us. We also want to reassure you that our tradition of beautiful and meaningful High Holiday Services will continue and that we will ensure that we have a Rabbi in place to lead and enrich our services.

It is now time for us all to move forward and get busy with the important and sacred task of rebuilding and healing our community. Since December, the Transition Task Force has been hard at work ironing out a structure and a strategic plan to move forward in a way that will ensure the highest level of participation from all members of the congregation. On Wednesday March 6^th at 6:30PM, the Task Force will hold its first Town Hall meeting where they will unveil their plan and show you the various ways that you can get involved. We urge you to attend and to get involved in whatever way suits your schedule and skills best.

As difficult as this has all been, we all know of many synagogues that have gone through similar times of upheaval and hardship and have not only survived, but thrived as a result. We can draw inspiration from the founders of our congregation as people who not only survived much greater hardships, but who healed and moved on to create vibrant and meaningful lives for themselves and their community. Beth Radom will recover from this difficult time, and with your help and continued involvement, I know that we can work together to create a synagogue that not only meets, but surpasses the expectations and needs of all members.

I hope to see you in costume on February 23^rd when we will celebrate Purim together with a Megillah reading at 7:00PM followed by our annual D-J and dancing Purim Party.  Don’t forget to order your Mishloach Manot before February 16^th !

Sincerely,

Henry Icyk, 

President, 

Beth Radom Congregation