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Steve,
It is a thrill and an honor to say a few words to you -- and about you
-- on this very special occasion.
There is so much you have done – and continue to do – for this
congregation. The sheer
number of hours you put in to synagogue-related activities leads many of
us to wonder when you have time for your day job.
I know that when I am looking for you, the first place I call is
the synagogue office, because you are more likely to be there than
anywhere else. As
Treasurer, you are the one who makes sure that the synagogue’s
finances are in order. At
each board meeting, I marvel at the financial statements you prepare and
the ease with which you answer all of the questions.
Together with Leonard Shwartz and Win Baum, you have updated the
whole computer network and brought the synagogue into the 21st
century. You are always available when I ask you to cover the bimah
on Friday nights – often giving up your beloved kayaking to do so.
Surely any of these things would have been enough to justify
honoring you with Hatan B’reishit.
But to me, there is a much more profound reason for this honor.
In Parshat Shoftim in the book of Deuteronomy, there is the very
famous statement: tzedek, tzedek tirdof.
“Justice, justice you shall pursue.”
There are many explanations for the double use of the word tzedek,
“justice”. But my
favorite is that the repetition of the word tzedek is to teach us
that only just means can be used, even when pursuing just ends.
In other words, according to our tradition, the ends can never
justify the means.
At a very difficult moment in this synagogue’s history, you stepped up
to the plate and agreed to be the Chair of the Transition Committee.
This was certainly not an easy time.
The synagogue had lost its rabbi, cantor and educational
director. It was not at all
clear who the new officers would be.
Some families resigned their memberships, and many others
wondered if they would be able to stay.
The task at hand was nothing less than saving the very life of
this congregation. Certainly
a very noble and just goal.
Yet never during the course of the transition did you do anything that
was not entirely ethical and right.
Not once did you allow the end to justify any means that were
even slightly questionable. And when I assumed the presidency and the new Executive
Committee was put together, your voice constantly reminded us that we
had to stay the course. There
were many moments when that was not easy.
I can remember e-mails and phone calls flurrying back and forth
about how to respond to this rumor or that accusation.
And always your very calm, deliberate voice reminding us to do
what was right, regardless of how anyone else may have been behaving.
In hindsight, it seems so obvious and simple. But in the heat of the moment it was often difficult and we
were often tempted to take the low road.
You made sure that we did not.
Steve, this is one of the most wonderful attributes that you bring to
your leadership role here at Beth El, and this is what makes you such a
fitting honoree.
These past few months have been wonderful, and clearly your wisdom and
guidance have paid off. Yet
there is still much that we want to accomplish here at Beth El.
I know that with you helping lead the way, we will succeed.
May you continue to go from strength to strength.
Mazal Tov. |
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Rabbi, Riva and the entire congregation, thank
you. With a special thank you to my wife, Louise. She had to put up with
my craziness, my emotional ups and downs over the past year and she had
to listen to my thoughts, the good ones, the not so good ones and
everything in between. She not only put up with it but always encouraged
me to do what I thought was right. Thank you Louise.
In my wildest dreams, I never thought an honor such as this and,
particularly, this honor would come to me.
If anyone asked me only twelve months ago if it would be possible for a
congregation to change its Rabbi, Cantor, Executive Director, Secretary,
School Principal all at the same time. I would have said
“impossible”.
Leo Nevas invited about ten members to a luncheon to discuss the future
of the congregation. I was asked to attend that luncheon along with Bob
Gordon, Ellis Cooper, Jim Sugarman, Marvin Rosenbaum, Mike Behar and
others. Mike Behar said that he would not be the president for the
following year and someone would have to monitor the transition between
administrations, between clergy and others. There was a deathly silence
around the table. It sounded like a lot of work, like a lot of
responsibility. No one volunteered. Mostly I try to be low key, low
profile and as invisible as possible. Leo finally said someone has to do
this. I raised my finger and finally, my hand.
Mike became reluctant to do a lot of things and I felt I might as well
fill the gap. I guess I just took the bit between my teeth and ran, as
it were.
When misinformation was the currency of the day, I undertook to write
letters to the congregation. It was in the middle of tax season. I wrote
a draft letter and e-mailed it to a few people for some feedback. It was
a huge four-page document. I got feedback from people I hadn’t even
sent it to. I knew then that I had struck a nerve and that what I was
attempting was very much needed. With the advice I received from those
wonderful people, it was trimmed to two sides of a single page and set
the pattern for the letters to follow.
I think there were two more letters to the entire congregation and some
more to the school parents. I learned to write all over again last year.
The response from the members was electrifying.
Steve Davidson came over to me last spring and said how can I help?
Steve is our membership chairman and on the Board of Trustees. He has
helped immeasurably by bringing in new members, new excitement, new
vision and a valuable point of view on the board. Even more than that,
last spring he energized me.
Gary Oberst came over to me and said: “Your letters have gotten
me excited, how can I help?” Gary together with Mike Siegel have
quietly raised over $100K for the congregation. Gary energized me.
Members came over to me while I was out shopping, walking the dog, or
even on my way to a meeting, to discuss the “situation”. I tried to
give each one the time and information needed as well as some of my
enthusiasm.
The truth is, I wanted it to work, after 50 years here I refused to
consider anything other than an active synagogue. I would have been
happy with a return to the status quo but I never envisioned something
as wonderful as what we have here today.
Rabbi Fish last spring you came here to conduct services and meet the
congregation. Friday evening we had about 100 people at services and the
service was very different from anything we had had before. I was
struggling to keep up but I was lucky. I was in the middle of many
people who knew the prayers I had never heard before so I just listened
to them, to you and sang along, very loud.
When you stopped the service after L’cha Dodi to let us greet each other I
was amazed at how few of the people around me I really knew. That pause
was great and is something I look forward to each time I come to
services now. David Lowenberg, you were one of the people next to me
that evening and I thank you for helping me to learn new prayers, new
tunes. That night I felt like a kid again. Rabbi, I can hardly express
how happy I am that you have come here, with us. You are one of those
people whose reality exceeds even the most optimistic of expectations.
Riva, last spring I didn’t know you very well. You were just one of
those incredibly knowledgeable people who read Torah, haftorot and
filled in with D’var Torah talks when Rabbi Marder was not available.
Working together on the search committee I got to know you. When you
accepted the presidency I was delighted. You too are one of those people
whose reality exceeds even the most optimistic of expectations. I am so
happy to be serving the congregation with you as president. Thank you.
Linda Rifkin, Shira Friedman, Beth Billig, Barbara Hennes and Ruth
Gruber, who was introduced to us through Leo Nevas, together with Rabbi
Fish, have all come together to revamp and modernize the religious
school as well as our entire thinking about religious education. We have
an exciting religious school curriculum. We already have new members
joining just to get their children into our school. Your work last
spring, last summer and now has energized me. Thank you. Ruth called me
yesterday and said she was unable to be here today. She also said that
the excitement and enthusiasm here is so wonderful it is almost
tangible.
About a year ago we had a presentation to the Board of Trustees advising
us to close the nursery school due to decreased enrollment. There were
only about six children enrolled and only three were expected to return
this year. We refused to close the nursery school. Today there are
sixteen children which includes eight two year olds and a waiting list
of more two year olds. The
nursery school is getting back on track too. Thank you Sandy Purowitz
for working with us to make it happen.
Leonard Shwartz and Win Baum expended considerable personal effort and
somehow managed to obtain five computers, complete with seventeen inch
monitors, network cards and plenty of memory for the paltry sum of $500
for all five. Thank you Leonard. Thank you Win. Steve Green and I are
setting them up. We have brought cable internet into the synagogue and
are extending that service, with computers to the school wing.
We know about 50 families have left. Some have moved to Texas, New
Jersey or other places, some have joined the Conservative Synagogue in
Westport, some have joined Adat Torah in Wilton, some are just no longer
affiliated. During the High Holydays, I counted the seats that were
available – about 850. During Yizkor I looked and found about 100
empty seats or about 750 occupied seats. That’s about as much as we
have had here for the last several years. I know people have left but
the numbers I saw indicate that a lot of new people have come here for
at least a part of the Holydays. The services were, to me, even more
beautiful than in past years and, I know that I participated more than
ever before. Thank you Rabbi, thank you Leah, thank you Jim Sugarman,
Marvin Rosenbaum, Bob Gordon, Herb Tolmich, Steve Green, Walter
Morgenthaler and many many more.
And today. This incredible honor which you have given me, for this I
thank you and I have to say that it really belongs to so many of you.
For energizing me, for encouraging me, for guiding me, for keeping me
positive, for helping me to remain enthusiastic even when I couldn’t
see clearly. The enthusiasm I see around me today, the level of activity
and joyful excitement within the congregation has no precedent. I
wouldn’t have believed it could happen. I am so happy to be a part of
it.
Thank
you.
Steve
Golub
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