COMMUNAL FREEZER PROJECT

Beth El Security

The holiday season has come to a close and I want to thank Marilyn Russell, our Facilities Administrator, for her tireless dedication to Beth El in ensuring that our security and maintenance needs are met and for her participation on the Security Committee. I would also like to thank the Security Committee members, Rachel Casanova, Russell Fayer, and Jeff Mittleman for their commitment to the committee; and Rob Patchen and Mia Mandel, our COO, who have provided the committee with their leadership and ideas.

In follow-up to the November Bulletin update, the Gabriel Shields have been installed and the committee has and will continue to participate in training programs to become experts in the operations of this new system. The Gabriel Shields, a program funded by a major national donor, uses smart technology to instantly and discreetly give first responders eyes and ears on the scene for early intervention and resolution. More information about how we will use them at Beth El will follow soon.

Our committee will be meeting on a regular basis to continuously improve the Synagogue’s security programs. Yours, Michael Dorfman

Child Safety: A Beth El Priority

This fall, many Beth El teachers, clergy and staff, participated in an indepth training delivered by Aleinu, the program of Sacred Spaces that we have been working with to implement best practices for child protection at Beth El. The training focused on properly responding to and reporting youth maltreatment and delved into details beyond the duty of mandated reporting. Participants were from various Jewish youth-serving organizations and together we spoke about barriers to disclosure, the do’s and don’ts for how to respond to a disclosure, and how to implement safe engagement practices at our organizations. The training incorporated practice elements and allowed participants to engage with other professionals working with similar age youth and to address the varied concerns that arise in the different age demographics. We are thankful to Sacred Spaces for providing us with this meaningful experience.

New Initiative: Communal Freezer Project

The communal freezer project is a new initiative to enhance how we care for the members of our community. Volunteers cook ready-to-warm pareve/dairy meals in Beth El’s kitchen and freeze them, so they are available for any congregant to pick up whenever they want and for any reason. Life can be hectic and stressful, and we want to support you in those moments. If you have a tough day or find yourself unexpectedly rushing home from work, stop by the freezer outside the dairy kitchen and take a container of soup and/or a ready-to-heat meal with you. It's free. It's delicious. And most importantly, it's made with love.

We want everyone in our community to feel comfortable picking up a meal. The freezer exists for you! And if you're interested in volunteering to cook, you can email volunteer@ bethelnr.org. Both the joy of giving and receiving!

We hope you enjoyed the honey cakes that we baked and distributed on Rosh Hashanah! We spent fun days baking together with inspiration from Rabbi Sitkin, as he led a learning session while the cakes were in the oven. Please read the Shabbat Announcements for updates on when the freezer will be filled with the first set of meals. We are excited to launch this new initiative and hope it will support all of us as we continue our journey to a more caring and inclusive Beth El Community!