Welcoming a New Board & a New Year

At Friday’s Board Installation Service, we shared in the leading of prayers, the passing of the Torah from board member to board member and committed to serve Solel to the best of our ability. I look forward to the coming year as we continue to collectively explore new ways in which to ensure that Solel continues to be an open, welcoming and safe space for our members.

Please find below the thoughts that I shared during the installation Service as we continue this journey together.

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Time flies when you’re having fun, or so they tell me. It’s hard to believe that a year has already passed since I last stood before you having just recently been elected as the President.

And while it is true that there has been a lot of fun, there have also been difficult times.

As I reported at the AGM, it has been my privilege over the past year to be a part of so many different programs, all of which gave me the opportunity to meet more of you, at the same time as I benefited from the knowledge and skills we gained together from our resident and guest experts.

There have been opportunities to be a part of our larger community – as we welcomed others to Solel for our ‘Bring Your Neighbour Service’ – and to attend several events put on by the Interfaith Council of Peel.

There have also been difficult times as a result of world affairs bringing challenges to our doorstep. As a result, the security portfolio continues to be a major focus for us all.

I said last year that I wanted to focus on leadership development and membership. Unfortunately, good intentions notwithstanding, we have not made as much progress in these areas as I would have liked.

That said, we are beginning to make slow and steady progress on these files. As announced at the AGM, Gale Blank has taken on a leadership role in the area of Membership and we are working to identify ways in which to both encourage people to join the Solel family and to retain the existing members.

In that regard we continue to work to create a variety of programs that will attract individuals of all ages to participate in life at Solel. Whether it’s lunch and learns, study with (or without) the Rabbi, cooking with Women of Solel, monsters and menchen, or going for a walk in the park there are many opportunities to spend time with and get to know your fellow Solelnicks.

We also plan to begin work in earnest this summer to create a training program that any Solelnick can attend to help give them new skills such that they will no longer have the excuse to tell the nominating committee that they are not knowledgeable enough to join the board. More people stepping up to join us in the overall caring of our community is very important.

In that regard, a few thank yous are in order. First, to Noah Farber, who has stepped down after completing his term on the Board. We very much appreciate his contributions. I would also like to thank Miriam Schoeman, who as our Board Secretary for the past two years, helped update the processes we follow when preparing for meetings. I very much look forward to her continued participation on the Board.

I am also pleased to welcome Marcy Binsky to the Board as a new Member-at-Large.

I am also pleased to announce that David Gordon who had initially decided to take a break from the board this year has now rejoined the Board in the very important position of 1st VP. An experienced and welcome voice at both the Board and Executive tables.

One issue we have found over the past few years is that a barrier to getting people on the board is the number of meetings that are taking place. As a result, we are in the process of rejigging both the Board and Executive meeting schedules to reduce the number of meetings, thereby providing us all with more time to actually do the work that needs doing. In that regard, we are still on the hunt for a Board Secretary and we hope that a schedule that will include roughly 12 meetings over the year instead of the previous 20 might encourage someone to step forward.

What else is coming up as we look towards the future. Well, congregational luncheons following Saturday Shabbat services were very successful this year and will continue in the fall. Regular programming like lunch and learns, book club, mah jong, and walks will continue. Under the direction of Jayne Temple and company, the Women of Solel are constantly coming up with new ways to create engagement amongst both the women and men of Solel. If you have an idea for a program you’d like to see take place, please reach out to me or any of the board members. We are always open to trying new things.

A special group that needs to be recognized this year are our many lay leaders, along with our guest Rabbis, who have stepped up to lead services, share music, chant and provide d’vars while the Rabbi is on Sabbatical. It has been an opportunity for all of us to share in something different. Each individual brings their own style and wealth of knowledge to our Bimah. Thank you one and all.

In closing, I would also like to share a few additional thank yous – to the Board and Executive as a whole. To the committees, in some cases, committees of just one or two. And, to the staff – Rabbi Pollack, Arliene, Carol and Nilon. It is only through the combined efforts of all of us that we continue to make Solel a Jewish home for so many.

Filed under: President's Message

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