A Few Words from Rabbi Craig Marantz
Shalom Chevrei (Friends):
At the end of April (27-29), we will engage in a significant and creative experiment: a legacy weekend to celebrate our congregation and honor the memory and/or contributions of someone who made a difference in our community. And with whom better to start than Herman and Lotte Schaalman, z”l—a transformative rabbi and an extraordinary woman—whose shared service and leadership for more than half-a- century did so much to make Emanuel matter.
Joining us to help celebrate will be Mah Tovu, an inspiring band of musicians and scholars led by Rabbis Yoshi Zweiback and Ken Chasen. Both are longtime personal friends of mine and rabbinic classmates, too. You may remember Rabbi Zweiback visited in December of 2016 to lead my investiture service and teach Talmud-by-the- Lake. Throughout our time together, Yoshi was thoughtful, charming, and humorous. He, Rabbi Chasen, and their musical colleagues make beautiful and original music that will uplift us. Their unique blend of musicality, scholarship, and Jewish depth would be well-appreciated by Herman and Lotte.
This legacy weekend experiment is part of a larger vision to strengthen our financial position as a congregation and to ensure our longstanding place in the Edgewater community. I hope that our Legacy weekend will create momentum for our final year- end push to meet our annual Fund-for-Good goal of $175,000. We are only about half way there, and we need your help.
But, our annual strategy is only part of the story. We are also working to build up our endowment from its current amount of approximately $900,000. And very importantly, we have embarked on entrepreneurial project called rEClaim140, motivated by our 140th anniversary and our historic legacy as a groundbreaking congregation. Our fledgling steering team has begun reimagining how we can expand our mission to serve you, while also improving the northside community surrounding us. Even Alderman Osterman is excited about our dreams and is working with us; and we look forward to hearing from you, as we imagine forward together. We feel this pursuit will expand our influence as a congregation, help pay the bills, and most importantly, enhance our desirability as place to call home. More details to follow.
Make it a day of blessing and be a force for good.