February, 2008
I had a very heartwarming and inspirational experience last week at K’hilat HaAloneem’s general meeting.
I was not expecting that to be the case. In fact, I had been having pangs of anxiety as I anticipated the prospect of standing on the bimah, decribing the problems that our small-town shul is facing to our members and friends. I thought about what I had to announce:
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The Board of Directors had voted not to renew Rabbi Mehlman’s contract for the next fiscal year
•The Board was expecting not to renew Cantor Quan’s contract
•Our expenses are greater than our income by over $2,000 a month
•Membership and participation are both down over the last few years.
The Board’s concern is that we do not have a “critical mass” of members and donors which would allow the synagogue to be self-sustaining. Our attempts to increase membership and donations being unsuccessful, we were left with the solution of cutting our costs. The cost of maintaining the building represents about half of our expenses, with the rest being salaries for the rabbi and cantor. The Board’s decisions came as the result of a great deal of discussion and soul-searching, and I believe they were correct ones.
I hoped that I could explain our reasoning well enough that the congregants would understand our decisions. Many people have voiced the opinion that having a Jewish presence in Ojai is important enough to them that they are willing to pay membership even if they never come to services or participate in other activities at the synagogue. Our building on El Roblar is the most tangible evidence of our presence, as well as being a beautiful and useful place to hold services, classes, films and other programming. We also believe that providing Jewish education – especially to the children in Ojai – should be our highest priority, and that resources should always go toward teachers and classroom maintenance. Finally, we acknowledged the fact that if we lost the building, we might have a very difficult time finding another suitable place in the future. Therefore, the Board voted to allocate our assets toward keeping our building and eliminating the expenses of a rabbi and cantor.
I personally believe that services led by community members and lay leaders, using our own creativity, talents and spirit, are enormously satisfying and effective. I know that we can maintain the services provided to our community with a little ingenuity and creativity. Doing this for a year or so would allow us to rebuild our financial strength and develop a plan for the future.
Hoping that the audience at the meeting would agree with me, I gave my spiel and then threw open the floor to questions and comments. What I was met with was not just acceptance, but enthusiasm. Many people voiced their willingness to step up and help to create the kind of Jewish experiences they want to have in Ojai. Others volunteered to help connect with Jews in our community who are not members of the temple. For almost two hours we batted ideas around the sanctuary, building on our own desire to see the temple grow and thrive.
At about 9:00 p.m., I called the meeting to a close, at which point several in the audience demanded to know when we were going to meet again! We called a meeting for Wednesday night March 5th, at 7:00 to continue brainstorming and planning for K’hilat HaAloneem’s future. I urge everyone to attend this upcoming meeting, whether or not you participated in the general meeting last week. I can’t wait to see what interesting ideas our members bring with them.
I learned at the general meeting that we have many reasons for hope and excitement – our wonderful congregants and friends. Together we’ll create a Jewish community center in Ojai that will foster connectedness and pride.
B’Shalom
Susan deCordova
March 26, 2008
We’re making progress!
On Wednesday night about twenty people including board members, congregants and other interested folks met at Jerry Kaplan’s home to talk about the temple’s future, our programs, membership, and financial goals. The conversation was spirited, positive and exciting. There’s no doubt in my mind that we will not only continue as a vital part of the Ojai Valley community, but that we will grow and prosper.
Three committees were formed and each of the attendees joined one or more of them. They include Programs, Membership and Financial. Committee meetings have already been scheduled and progress will be reported as it occurs. Combined with the committee chaired by Barbara Aaronson that is charged with examining our Rabbinic and Cantorial needs, we are well positioned to assuring a bright future.
Regular updates on the progress of these committees will be posted on this website. I urge you to follow our progress and communicate your thoughts, concerns and ideas via the website. We absolutely value your participation.
My sincere thanks to everyone who has and will participate in this adventure.
B’Shalom
Susan deCordova
May 12, 2008
Dear Members and Friends of K’hilat HaAloneem,
I am very excited to be writing to you with so much exciting information about our wonderful community. As you are probably aware, several months ago the Board of Directors initiated a large-scale “re-visioning” of our temple and the way it is serving the Jewish population of Ojai. Some of this process has involved sweeping clean old practices and beliefs, and terminating our contracts with Rabbi Mehlman and Cantor Quan. With a relatively clean slate in front of us, the Board and many other interested people have stepped up to develop a program for creating a center for Jewish life in Ojai that is responsive, dynamic and financially healthy.
The first major development that I can share with you is that a Financial Committee has been created to support the Board in matters regarding budgeting, managing accounts, and fund raising. We can be assured that our temple’s financial activities will be handled with professionalism and commitment. I consider this a very important step in building an organization that will survive for the long run.
Secondly, we are actively identifying potential members from the many Jews in Ojai who are not current supporters of K’hilat. By reaching out to these people on a personal level, we hope to be able to grow our membership, which will allow us to remain solvent as well as increase the energy of our activities and our presence in Ojai and beyond.
Third, we are looking for spiritual leadership – ideally an ordained Rabbi and/or Cantor – that will match the eclectic and progressive nature of our community. Our wish list for this person (or people) includes religious intellectualism, political and social awareness, musical talent, and a welcoming and engaging personality. Of course, finding the right leadership will not happen quickly, but we are committed to creating High Holiday services this year that will bring in the Jewish year in an uplifting, stimulating way. I will keep you informed as our search progresses.
Achieving the goals that we are developing will only be possible if our community steps up in support of the temple. This is not the time to wait and see what happens. We need you to renew your memberships, get involved in our ongoing religious and cultural activities, and talk us up to your Jewish friends in town who may not know that we can serve them.
If you have any questions about plans for the coming year at K’hilat HaAloneem, please give me a call. I would love to hear from you about the things that make you happy to be Jewish. The coming years should give us many opportunities to share our Jewish traditions and interests and build a vibrant and continuing Jewish presence in Ojai.
B’shalom,
Susan deCordova
