Message from President Irv Siegel
Thank you!
If you're wondering who I mean by "you" it is the average member who has contributed financially and through volunteering their time to maintain the Beit Rayim community. It is because of your efforts and generousity that many individuals have been influenced and have furthered themselves in their Jewish lives.
In these tough economic times it inspires us to reflect on our history as a community and rethink our go-forward strategy.
Beit Rayim established itself in 1992 becoming the first Conservative synagogue in the GTA where both women and men have equal access to all aspects of synagogue life. Thanks to the efforts of our members and school families we can now boast that we have one of the largest Conservative supplementary schools in the GTA.
As a community we have seen great successes over the years taking on the philosophy the tough get going when the going gets tough. Thanks to you, the members of Beit Rayim, we are now positioned to become a vital force of the Jewish community in York region.
We have huge aspirations! We are fortunate to be building our community and future home in the heart of Canada's third largest Jewish population. In the 2001 Canadian census York region's Jewish community had grown to 60,000. With the influx of young families into the Thornhill Woods over the past 5 years we are likely at 80,000; on our way to become Canada's second largest Jewish community!
We have changed the structure of our leadership to allow for 24 Board members. The Beit Rayim Leadership Team (BRLT) is a subset of the Board and functions as the management team. Each member of the BRLT is responsible for one of the 12 vital missions we have set out for our organization. The new leadership's goal is to produce change with the outcome of positive results for our organization.
Our purpose is to build a thriving Jewish Community where families can experience a meaningful and enjoyable connection to Jewish life. We want to create a community where Judaism and Jewish identity is real, relevant and alive.
There is ample opportunity for you to be part of the success Beit Rayim is striving to achieve. There are many opportunities to chair committees or be a member of a committee.
Over the next few months our strategic plan will start to unfold and we need you to realize its success.
I invite you to contact me or one of the Team Leaders directly if you are interested in finding out more about our plans and/or volunteering. My email address is: irving.siegel@rogers.com.
Once again thank you for your ongoing support for Beit Rayim.
Irv Siegel
Message from Immediate Past President Bill Mandelman
Welcome to the Beit Rayim Synagogue and Hebrew School Web site. We are a young congregation with a huge heart. We are forever praised for our warm, "hamishe" atmosphere and participatory services. Women and men daven side by side, and with the help of our clergy and active volunteers, we read Torah, Haftorah, prepare d"vrei Torah, and can even lead services for our cantor when he is on vacation.
Our Mesorah Committee (Adult Education/Ritual) and Chesed Committee are strong and active in developing our spiritual connections and social action involvement. Our Israel Action Committee is action through and through, always providing us with information and activities to support Israel and stay current on important issues. Our Hebrew School is thriving with excellent staff and innovative programming. I can go on and on, but to get a better sense of what we offer, just continue to peruse our newly updated Web site for details.
The most important message I can convey is that Beit Rayim is truly a "House of Friends" where I have discovered a connectedness to Judaism and to people that I hadnever previously imagined. Our people are our strength and our gift. I hope you come to visit, because I"m sure you will want to stay a lifetime. I do.
Bill Mandelman, Immediate Past President.