One of the things that I didn’t realize came with the job of President is the role of official "complaint taker." I’ve come to learn over the past few months, though, that this is actually a critical part of the job. Although I’m no Harry S. Truman, I can’t help but have a "Buck Stops Here" feeling when it comes to the operation of our Shul.

So … please keep it up! Be sure to email me or catch me during Shabbat kiddush to share with me your observations, questions, or concerns about our synagogue. With my busy schedule, I am not at B’nai Moshe nearly as much as many others. There’s a lot that goes on that I don’t see, and so I greatly appreciate many of you being my eyes and ears!

However, listening to all the constructive feedback made me realize that I don’t hear or say "thank you" enough for all the things that DO go well around B’nai Moshe. The interesting thing is I see this more places than just at B’nai Moshe. I’m experiencing this same thing more and more in my daily work life. I can’t tell you how many work emails I get that sound more like commands than communications. "Solve that problem and bring me an answer by tomorrow!" No please … no thank you … just do it. I actually have "thank you" as part of my email signature so nothing goes out without me thanking the recipient. Sometimes I actually add an "!" after the thank you to express that I am really appreciative. Corny, huh? But, it works.

But, back to B’nai Moshe. I thought this would be a nice opportunity (especially on the heels of the High Holidays) to voice some thank yous on behalf of myself, the Board of Directors, and the entire congregation:

Thank you to Chuck Berris, Cantor Berris, and the entire choir for working so hard for so long to help us pray during this year’s high holidays! Thank you also to the chairs of both the summer picnic and the membership outreach event. (I’m not going to try and list everyone because I’ll be guaranteed to miss many people.) Both events were well attended and it was great fun for both our current and potential members… and thank you to the Fishers for your great support of the outreach event as well! Thank you to the Sisterhood for feeding us with kiddush after each Shabbat (not to mention the break fast). And thank you to Chuck and the office volunteers and staff for getting so much done in the weeks leading up to the holidays and for everything you do to keep our small, "family business" up and running! Finally, thank you to everyone else I’ve missed for the things you do (whether large or small) to make our congregation better for us and for the community!

Now, I’d like to close this month’s column with a very special THANK YOU … one that I can’t shout loud enough. The reason is that this particular thank you goes to someone that you cannot thank yourselves, since the recipient wishes to remain anonymous. You see … earlier this year, we had a donor make a significant gift to our Shul. In fact, it was one of the largest single gifts received in recent years. They requested that it be spent to help promote our congregation and expand our membership. It’s already been used to advertise our $180 new member promotion, help support our summer membership events, and underwrite our free Shabbat kindergarten program.

We are blessed to have members such as this feel who so connected to our Shul. I only wish each and every member could personally thank this person for their passion for B’nai Moshe and for their generosity. So, on everyone’s behalf, I close with a big THANK YOU!

See you in Shul! ...