QUICK LINKS: Neil Klar | Cook Family| Lisker Family| Levy Family| Schwartz Family| Goldman Family
Neil Klar
There's a shared sense of what this community is about, and that's what inspires me to work to support our community for the future... Ultimately, we are making an investment in Judaism, in this community and beyond.
Bet Torah means community to me, that is there for good times and for bad times. There's a community here that is very warm, very giving, and that's what's important to me. The community and the clergy and the leadership are here for me and my family.
There are a few primary parts to my connection. The first one was Eileen joining with six other women to do an adult Bat Mitzvah class. That connection gave my wife her journey into Judaism. These women built a sorority which continues to this day. I have dinner with them regularly.
The second one, I wanted to brush up on my Torah reading even though I had a Bar Mitzvah as a boy. Cantor Herman had these programs like the one my wife had completed. I participated in that and it was a very meaningful thing to me. I've read Torah few times since. It's nice to have learned that and have gone through the experience of seeing this ceremony as an adult through Bet Torah's lens.
And the third, of course, is my wife's passing. The outreach from this congregation was more than I ever imagined. This community was here for us.
I also have to include two trips to Israel I took in 2016. One was the family trip that was going with Rabbi Brusso. The other was the adult trip with Cantor Herman. As a result of these trips, I met people -- all young people my children’s ages. Everyone on the family trip accepted my son and his wife even though they weren’t members. Like, they were just part of the Bet Torah family. So now I have a lot more friends. And that's another example of how this place is very warm and very giving. And how I started to get more involved from there, as I met more people and felt more and more at home.
Bet Torah is special because of our engagement. Throughout the congregation there is a high degree of volunteerism and participation. People are motivated. More than 50% of this congregation is involved in some way, shape, or form, in some event, or in something that they care about. And I think that's very impressive. It’s a place for everybody to give a little bit – however they can.
When parents and their children are involved together as they are at Bet Torah, it helps to strengthen the sense of community that exists. And that inspires others to want to continue that spirit of engagement. I want to do what I can to support building character. And building an appreciation of what Judaism is, what Israel is and how important it is to our people moving forward.
A lot of people don't like to hear that a synagogue is a business. But it is. And we must make sure we have a plan and a structure in place and the funds we have work for us. I think that with the generosity of the synagogue and the people who are here we will have success in building that foundation to support our rabbis, support our clergy to make whatever changes we need want to make here to respond to needs of today, and take care of the physical security and the financial security of the synagogue for years and years to come. We are short of space – we are busting at the seams! Which is a good problem! We have so many people involved, so many things going on and so many opportunities -- we need to be thinking proactively about where we need to go and what we need to do to address these needs. There's a shared sense of what this community is about, and that's what inspires me to work to support our community for the future. Building an endowment puts the pillars in place for ongoing financial security and enables us to respond to the community’s needs for years and years to come.
Ultimately, we are making an investment in Judaism, in this community and beyond.
Cara and Brian Cook & Family
We give to Bet Torah because it's important to us, it's important to our family. We really consider this our Jewish home, and we realize that we need to give of our time and resources to maintain it.
When my father died, people reached out to us that I really didn't even know and showed up for a minyan or showed up for Shiva and really kind of wrapped their arms around us during a very difficult time.
I think it's also the ritual of Judaism, of having the places that you can come to remember someone or to celebrate things and having that sacred space for all those different rituals. We choose for that to be here because we feel welcome and comfortable and this is a place where we want to have those memories.
For our three kids, I think they recognize that their Judaism is an important part of who they are and it's important to us -- given our families, our backgrounds. I would expect they would continue to participate in Jewish life. I think it's important to who they are.
Bet Torah is important because it gives them a framework on how to live a healthy and productive, mentally fulfilling life. There's a lot of craziness in society today, and if you don't believe in something, you can believe in anything. They may not believe in all the rituals, but it grounds them.
I think what's unique about Bet Torah is that it seems like everybody is giving in different ways, whether it be money, whether it be time, whether it be teaching something. It feels like that's just the norm that everybody here is giving back in some way. And you feel part of a community when you are giving back.
We've embraced different parts of Bet Torah depending on where we are in our lives or where our kids are. There's so much that Bet Torah has to offer. It's impossible to take advantage of all of it. People can take advantage of it as they're ready and open. You see different people are at different points in their lives, interested in different things.
The Bet Torah Foundation is important to us because Bet Torah is important to us and we would like to give the gift of financial security to the next generation of Bet Torah members. We love everything about this community. A lot of it happens because people care and give their time and expertise, but you also need money to keep the lights on and attract the extremely talented clergy and executive director that we have. Without them, this place wouldn't run.
Caroline and Marc Lisker & family
We joined this community when our oldest child was in the 2's in nursery school. The community embraced us and we felt like we were a part of something bigger than just being nursery school parents.
This congregation isn't transactional in nature. There's a such a broad part of this community that is here regularly and they're not here because they need a place to go for the high holidays -- that's an added benefit. They're here because they're involved in Sisterhood or Men's Club or they're on the board or they're volunteering for something else. Or they're a liaison for the nursery school.
When the foundation of the synagogue is built upon people like that who are here because they want to be here and they like the community that it's just a different place.
Sindy Liben, Rebecca Levy & Family
How we show up for each other matters. You have to give back or else it doesn't work. My goal is that this community is here so my children can give back and then maybe their children can give back. If you are not showing up in return, the community will cease to exist.
The loss of my dad amplified the importance of Judaism for me and how we connect. When we lose people, we look to fill the loss with other beautiful spaces and while obviously the loss of my dad can't be filled, I do think that you can fill your life with other warmth that gives you similar vibes. We are able to find that here.
I think that there's a lot of ways to create a synagogue community. I don't think that everyone gets it right and Bet Torah just got it right. If you lead with love and faith and really being present, you have the keys to success. And I think that they do that here. They're just really present, and they mean it and they show up and that's unique.
There is room for mitzvot wherever you look. If you can tie that into social action and social justice, you can make a real change. So my family works towards that all the time. Because we're not just a Jewish community, we're a community within a larger one. It's important that we recognize what's going on in other communities as well.
My parents grew up really with nothing, especially my dad, and my parents met at a youth Zionist summer camp. This is really in our blood -- the idea of Jewish community. It wasn't if you could give the most, it was just that you gave something. Giving time and money and energy makes a difference and if you can do all three, how blessed to be able to do that. So we try to whenever we can. We as a family are committed to long-term giving, from small scale like the coins we do at tzedakah, all the way to large scale like family projects we are looking into with the synagogue to better improve the synagogue's overall longevity.
I just envision Bet Torah continuing to thrive. I mean, we have such a young and vibrant community that there is no reason that without the right resources and the right strategic plan to do so that we won't continue to thrive. We're growing at an incredible rate in terms of participation in school. If we can focus it the right way and continue to grow, it'll be here for decades to come. And that's always the goal.
I'm part of a very large family. We believe that we are working towards putting things in place and setting up success for this community and the synagogue to be here for generations to come. And we are doing that with time and with money and with volunteering. And we believe if other people do it too, then we can really make something that lasts. As a family we are very happy that we are committed to supporting the Bet Torah Foundation for generations to come.
Lisa & Mark Schwartz
The creation of the Bet Torah Foundation is brilliant - to think strategically about long-term funding and decouple the investments of the future from day-to-day operating expenses is essential for a healthy, forward thinking Community.
The establishment within the Foundation of a Senior Rabbi Endowment Fund provides the Community with the assurance that we can support Rabbi Brusso as he continues his religious and professional journeys and that his home remains in Bet Torah. It is a statement of mutual love, respect and commitment.
Nobody can predict the future and what twists and turns we will encounter along the way, but removing financial obstacles from this long-term relationship is a gift to all. When and if the time comes, the fund will provide stability and allow us to offer the position to the right person at the right time.
We have always believed that giving matters, that we should extend ourselves financially to key local entities and pay it forward. The thoughtful approach of the Foundation and the Senior Rabbi fund makes it compelling to step up and do our part.
Deb & Neal Goldman
Bet Torah is a very special place for our family. We are fortunate to be a part of many communities, but Bet Torah has been our home base for the past 20 years.
The value of L’dor V’dor is very important to us, linking our history with that of the past and of the future. In fact, our extended family is probably a unique example of this at Bet Torah, as we currently span three generations with 17 active members of this congregation!
Tradition teaches us that if we can, we must leave this world a little better than we found it. It is our personal obligation (and pleasure) to be a part of the Bet Torah Foundation so that we can help ensure the continued success of this community for our children and those who will come after us… L’dor V’dor!
