President’s Report
Welcome to the 14th annual meeting since our Congregation moved to Skokie. The last annual meeting was held on June 26, 2007. We wish to express our appreciation to our hard working Board of Directors as well as to the equally hard working Women’s Council for their dedicated service. Thanks to the synergy of these Boards, we have made significant progress this past year. What follows is a brief summary of accomplishments from the past year.
I. Membership
Thankfully, our membership has increased over last year. Including the categories of good neighbors and friends our membership now stands at seventy. We mourn the loss of members that have passed away this past year and wish good luck to those families that have moved out of state or out of the neighborhood. We have attempted to reach out and communicate with our membership and perspective membership in different ways to keep members and interested others informed. We have expanded our web site, sent out E-mail blasts on a regular basis and utilized targeted marketing. Our efforts have been appreciated and as a result, most events have had record attendance this past year.
II. Financial
Financially, the Congregation is doing well. We ended the calendar year on December 31, 2007 with a surplus for the fourth year in a row, all of this without raising dues or fees. We have rented out the social hall for numerous events and are currently renting two parking spaces. We continue to reduce the balance on the outstanding mortgage and meet our annual operating expenses. For the second year in a row, the Board has decided to waive the building fund requirement for all new members. In this way, we hope to further increase and expand membership and revenue. Please let us know of any prospects that have expressed interest in our Congregation. The endowment fund continues to expand and naming opportunities are available for either rooms or programs. The Endowment Committee is always looking to solicit new gifts. In that regard, if there is anyone present that would like to meet with Michael Hartz, myself and/or the Rabbi, please let us know after this meeting.
III. Physical Plant
In terms of the physical plant, thanks to the generosity of many different individuals we have made and are in the midst of making many wonderful improvements. The beautiful Jerusalem Stone was expanded to the south wall of the main sanctuary with a chair rail below the Yahrzheit boards to be installed soon. We have also received a generous commitment to refinish the Ark and to install a new Mechitzah that would match the Ark. We continue to receive high marks from the Skokie Board of Health for cleanliness of our Kitchen.
IV. Programs, Ritual Events and Torah Learning Opportunities
We have had lovely programs and events this past year including: Auf Rufs, Sheva Berachot, L’chaims and bar and bat mitzvahs. We held events for all of the holidays starting with our Simchat Torah Luncheon, Chanukah and Purim events. Our kiddushes boast the best cholent far and away in the North shore. The lovely All Occasion Card is utilized by all. We have continued to expand all three of our libraries. In addition to the four regular shiuriim and Haggadah Shiur, we have expanded Torah learning and chesed opportunities. The Boys Mishna Club met throughout the year and a new evening Talmud Kollel was held during the summer. We held a beautiful Melavah Malkah with a performance by the ATT Boys Choir and the Shabbat Tefillah class for women continued. Our annual JUF brunch was very successful, featuring Rabbi J. David Bleich the internationally renowned expert in medical ethics who spoke on the topic of medical ethics. Kesser Maariv at the Movies showed three movies this past year.
V. Women’s Council
The Women’s Council provides direct financial and spiritual support to the Congregation. The Council has been very active once again this past year hosting shop and share days, a story teller, book reviews, a theater outing, a concert, knitting group, woman’s only shalosh seudot and annual week of learning.
VI. Chesed Committee
In terms of Chesed opportunities the Chesed Committee works tirelessly to respond to the full range of needs of our members. Our Parachaplaincy program has now trained over two hundred parachaplains to serve in the community. We visited the sick in Rush North Shore Medical Center on Chanukah and delivered plants before Shavuot to two sites affiliated with the CJE. The Kesser Maariv Kids visited the Ark upon the culmination of our most successful ever annual food drive and our members served as waiters and waitresses at Café Ark three times this past year.
VII. Conclusion
Kesser Maariv is special for many reasons. We are the oldest Orthodox Congregation in the Midwest located on a beautiful modern one acre campus with ample parking. We are an institution that has been and continues to be a center of Torah, Avodah and Gemilut Chesed for over One Hundred and Forty Years. We hold daily Minyanim, offer outstanding shiuriim and programming for men, woman and children and have three wonderful libraries. We are blessed to have more than just shul members, we have a true covenantal community and a congregation comprised of caring individuals that are truly an extended family. We continue to adhere to the three basic tenants of a Mikdash. We are a place of Torah, Avodah and Gemilut Chesed. We thank you for your past generosity and trust that we will merit your future support.