I‘ve been writing these columns for the past year and a half. It‘s been enjoyable. I have tried to discuss topics that interested me and, I hope, were relevant to Congregation B‘nai Moshe members. I thank those who have told me they like reading them.

I try to avoid being repetitive. But, this month, I am intentionally violating that rule – for what I think is a good reason.

As most of you know, the Annual Campaign is one of our most important fundraising efforts. It costs a lot to run a synagogue. Member dues are the primary source of income, but aren't sufficient to pay all of our obligations – from our mortgage, to salaries, to building maintenance, to providing a Jewish education to our children, etc.

It would be nice and simple if, like a club or condo association we could just add up our expenses, divide by the total membership, and have each member pay a pro rata share. But we are different. We believe it is more important to include everyone who wants to be part of our synagogue, regardless of his or her current financial standing. The Annual Campaign helps us do that.

If you have already made your Campaign pledge, you have our sincere thanks. But sometimes in the rush of everyday life, it is easy to misplace the pledge card or simply forget to submit it. That is why members of the Board will be placing reminder phone calls. When you receive a call, please respond as generously as you can. Remember: Your pledge is an investment in B'nai Moshe. Be assured it will be spent wisely. It will pay "dividends" by supporting our programs and services that are important to you.

Besides the Campaign, there are many other ways you can provide support. Some of them actually don‘t cost you anything!

One of the easiest is the gift card program at Hiller‘s Market. It pays us each time you add money to your card to do your grocery shopping. We also have an arrangement with the Kroger discount card. For information on how to sign up for either one of these, just contact the synagogue office. Everyone has to eat, so there‘s no reason not to participate!

Another great way is to use Goodsearch.com to search the internet and Goodshop.com to make internet purchases. To sign up, just go to the Goodsearch.com website and type "Congregation B'nai Moshe" in the box.

When you want to make an on-line purchase, FIRST go to Goodsearch.com and click the Shop button. That connects you to hundreds of internet merchants who donate a percentage of your sale to our synagogue. These are the same merchants you'd ordinarily use (and others you may not have heard about).

In the past few months, my Goodshop purchases have included: a microwave oven from BestBuy.com (at $30 less than the in-store price!); a cell phone charger; a discounted cruise from Priceline.com, plus 2 round trip air flights from Delta.com; four men‘s dress shirts (on sale at 60% off with free shipping) from PaulFredrick.com; and a half-off coupon to Plum Market from Groupon.com. With Hanukah gift shopping just around the corner this would be a great time for you to try Goodshop.