"Last year, at the annual meeting, I showed you the pin that temple beth israel had once given to its members. It said: 'I Am Temple Beth Israel'.

I don’t remember this year where I put that pin, but the concept is the same. You are the Temple; you are the ones that make it real and make all of our efforts worthwhile.

If last year I told you that I needed you, this year the challenge is even bigger.

Today is an important day for Temple Beth Israel as a new slate of officers and board members is being presented and discussions about our new future home are taking place.

In order to accomplish our goals, we need people committed to accomplishing these goals.

Senator Joseph Lieberman said: "What does it take to make a great leader? It takes: vision, creativity, charisma, a way with people, courage, opportunity, and luck – all of which play a role in forming a leader and enabling success."

Our new board of directors will be taking on a big challenge involving many different congregational areas – areas such as: social action, education, ritual, ways and means, etc.

To tie-in with senator lieberman’s stated leadershiip traits…

• VISION: TBI has a written mission and a group of people working on long range planning…
  
  
• CREATIVITY: TBI is at work creating programs: for all ages…
  
  
• CHARISMA: Our board members are people who believe they can make a positive change in other peoples’ lives…
  
  
• COURAGE: In this time of crisis, we could just sit and wait or we could be doing things for TBI - the board has voted TO DO THINGS in spite of the crisis.

Yes, this is a great time to read the reality of the community and to help our families be part of our community. Indeed, this is a time of change, and we are ready to face it and to succeed.

However, the board cannot do this alone, nor can I. We need the help and participation of each one of you!

There is no better example of leadership through change than Moses’ leadership from the Land of Egypt to the Promised Land.

In the beginning, the Israelites were slaves suffering at the hands of the Egyptians. But at the end of the story, they are successful in a land flowing with milk and honey.

The desert is a perfect symbol of the experience of change."
We at TBI are walking the last days of our journey in the desert and are now very ready to cross into the Land of Milk and Honey.

We need our Joshua, our leadership (the Board of Directors), and we need each one of the Israelites (each of us).

I invite you to join us on this last path through the desert as we build our holy land, our new permanent Temple Beth Israel home!