A Welcome I Will Always Remember

As I walked through the door to Park Avenue Synagogue for my first day of work, I was completely taken aback. At the entrance of this historic institution stood Rabbis Elliot Cosgrove, Neil Zuckerman and Ethan Witkovsky and Beryl Chernov, executive director, to welcome me to the team.

This greeting was a welcome I will always remember. I imagine this is how a guest must've felt when entering Abraham's and Sarah's tent and experiencing, what Dr. Ron Wolfson labels, "radical hospitality".

Still feeling the warmth of this personal reception, I sat down in my new office for the first time and reflected on the power of welcoming. It is amazing how a a simple and sincere "hello" can make us feel like we belong. Especially when entering a new synagogue, school, camp or meeting, welcoming can not only put us at ease, but also opens us up to new relational possibilities with the faces and spaces around us.

Just then, I noticed on my desk a placard with the principles of Park Avenue Synagogue "Leadership Culture". These include: "Provide a warm and welcome entry into our community - meet people where they are. .. Build the future - identify and and develop our long-term team. .. Continuously improve - be respectful of tradition but encourage innovation."

What I discovered over the course of my first day is that welcoming is an explicit and integral part of Park Avenue Synagogue's mission statement. So much so, the current lay leadership team has created plaques with these values that are displayed all over the building. With these plaques for all to see, the mission statement becomes a living guide for how we build relationships, create community and conduct our business with our stakeholders.

That the greeting I received represents an expression of a shared congregational value did not mitigate its impact; rather it amplified my excitement to work at a synagogue where these values are part of the mission and where the mission is a living expression of communal hopes and aspirations. Equally important, this greeting reminded me to pay it forward in the days, months and years ahead.

Publicizing purpose-drive principles is not a new phenomenon for the Jews.When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, they were greeted with the 613 commandments written on two mountainsides. This written testimony reminded our ancestors about where they came from and what kind of community they aspired to become.

Last year on Kol Nidre, the Chairman of Park Avenue Synagogue, Arthur Penn, spoke about the congregation's mission statement:

• You belong to a community that seeks to inspire, educate and support our members in Judaism.
• You belong to a community that aspires to foster deep connections with each other, our Torah, our God, the State of Israel and broader humanity.
• You belong to a community that is warm and welcoming and meets you where you are.
• You belong to a community with a legacy of family and faith.
• You belong to a community.

Art's linking belonging with community is more than about membership as a transaction. He describes how we can be transformed when we come together to learn, yearn, pray and play together.

At the end of my first day at Park Avenue Synagogue, a wonderful family dropped off a special welcome gift, a bag of personalized M&M's. This was a delicious bookend to my morning greeting.

On my first day of work, I can certainly say that my new community at Park Avenue Synagogue "had me at 'hello'".

What We Can Do to Help Israel Now - by Charlie Savenor

What Can We Do for Israel? "The Mah Initiative"

At the end of December, 2013, I turned 45. In Hebrew every letter has a numerical equivalent in a system called gematria. The number 45 has the numerical value of the Hebrew word “mah” that means “what”.

Reaching this chronological milestone, I wondered what can I do to help the world?

With this in mind, I introduced “The Mah Initiative”, what we can do to make tomorrow better than today, to help lone soldiers in Israel.

In the Israel Defense Force (IDF), a lone soldier is defined as a serviceman or woman without parents or family in Israel. There are roughly 4,000 lone soldiers in Israel, mostly from North America and Russia. I find their commitment to Israel and the Jewish people to be deeply inspiring. Many lone soldiers frequently have no one to go home to and, in some cases, have no home at all on weekends. I have heard heartbreaking stories from these young soldiers who sleep in city parks because they had no place to go on leave, including Shabbat.

Recently my family and I visited Israel and had Shabbat dinner with several lone soldiers through United Synagogue's Family Israel Experience. We were deeply inspired by the soldiers' stories about making aliyah, joining the army and deciding to serve their country and people. One thread of their stories is that they had to make these choice on their own, without their families around them. The mere thought of making these commitments without parents and siblings is daunting.

To address this issue,United Synagogue’s Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center set up a program three years ago to provide meals and housing for lone soldiers who need a place to stay on weekends. The Fuchsberg Center has designated a room for lone soldiers in memory of Michael Levin z”l, a lone soldier from Philly who died in service of Israel.

It costs $10,000 a year to run this program. Our initial gift from Marc Savenor, my brother, ran out, so the time has come to raise funds for this vital cause.

It is my goal to raise $10,000 to cover next year, and we are nearly at $7,000. Any help you can offer will be much appreciated.


I invite you to support lone soldiers through a financial gift:

·         $2000 sponsors a holiday meal for 100 soldiers at Fuchsberg

·         $360 houses four lone soldiers for a weekend at Fuchsberg

·         $180 houses two lone soldiers for a weekend at Fuchsberg

·         $90 houses one soldier for a weekend at Fuchsberg

·         $45 covers meals for a soldier

·         And $18 shows you care about these brave men and women who protect Israel.

 
You can donate online at https://secure2.convio.net/uscj/site/Donation2;jsessionid=137D02F91AC61A6D3C05C6C66AC44F69.app202a?idb=309022701&df_id=1180&1180.donation=form1&idb=0. You can direct your gift to "lone soldiers". 

You can also send your gift to: United Synagogue – Lone Soldier Initiative, 820 Second Ave, 10^th Fl., New York, NY 10017


Your donation is not going toward bricks and mortar, rather every penny goes to room and board for these modern day heroes of Israel.


If you ever wondered what you can do to support Israel, I invite you to participate in “The MahInitiative”. Israel needs our help now more than ever!

Praying for Peace,

Rabbi Charlie Savenor