As we end the Chanukah season and leap into the secular New Year, I was struck by just how many people do special things for Temple B'rith Shalom, and we don't really get around to thanking them. Every one of these people will tell you that their actions are "no big thing," but, combined, they show an extraordinary giving of time and energy to our synagogue. Each is like a single candle flame on a chanukiyah: one by itself does not provide a great deal of light; put them all together and, like our Chanukah celebration on December 6, we can set a whole room ablaze. What I am about to do is Very Dangerous because I (guaranteed) will unintentionally leave someone's actions out. If/when I do, please forgive me; think of this as the first of numerous such Thank You lists. And I don't have to be the only one to make such a list; as you read this, think of others not mentioned (but whom you know about)and get on the telephone: thank them for a specific deed and hang up. It'll take 10 seconds (14 with "call waiting...."). Let's start this secular New Year with multiple calls of thanks and appreciation. Every person should make at least three. You all deserve it: Judy Sharp, for her wonderful work as editor of the Ram's Horn; Harold Minuskin, for keeping the Temple's computers working; Richard Sharp and Marvin Fruchter, for organizing the High Holy Day functions; Barbara and Marvin Fruchter, for transporting folks to hospitals in far-away places; Mimi Etlin and Phyllis Roth, for their tireless work with Mitzvah Corps; Dorothy Morris, for running the Judaica Shop; Nikki Gagne, for her work on the Ram's Horn; Harold Greenberg and the Board of the Jewish Foundation, for their taking the time to ensure Jewish Philanthropic Visibility in Prescott; Marilynne Yeakley, for her Hebrew teaching; John Yeakley, Paul Beck, and Allan Samuels for their brilliant use of power tools in up-keeping our building; Edith Greenberg, for her beautiful quilts; Pearl Smock, for creating Chanukah gifts for all the children in the Religious School; Lois Kirschner and Shara Beck, for their abililty to entice New Members; Skip Allender, for getting articles and notices into the Courier; Sheila DeWoskin, Bert Kirschner, Allan Samuels, Susan Lorant, and Seymour Dicker for maintaining our cemetery plots and our Funeral Committee; Sue Allender, for helping to make the Rabbinic Transition relatively painless; Shirley Goldstein and Bonnie Manko, for caring so much about folks in the hospital; Hank Siegel, for his tireless work at unraveling the Temple's finances; John Yeakley, for tangling up the finances for so many years; Bert Kirschner, for worrying about the fact that we spend more money than we make; Lynne Rosen, Bob Morris, Mimi Siegel, and a slew of other folks, who give huge amounts of their time trying to figure out ways that we can make more money than we spend; Mark Goodman, for his generous legal advice to the Temple; Sheila DeWoskin and the Religious Practices Committee, for their overseeing religious functions; Phil Kuritzky, for planning a Fund-Raising Golf Tournament; Lynda Foldesh and her crew for "Break the Fast" and "The Chanukah Latke Bash"; Barbara Galy, for organizing the Onegs; Richard and Sandy Bernstein, Seymour and Judy Dicker, Dottie and Jay Reynolds, Mimi Siegel, Brenda Linderman, Dorothy Morris, Gerda and Allan Samuels, Eve Wynant, Shara and Paul Beck, Leah Casey, Midge Malyjurek, Arlene Minuskin, Pearl Smock, and Gwenda Krochok, for always being there to help set up, break down, and help with fundraising events; Fran Garner, for maintaining and enriching our Library; Susan Lorant, for keeping us supplied with challot, wine, and grape juice, and for being our ICCJ representative; Marv Rifkin, for keeping our Religious School running and for being in charge of Memorial Plaques; Robin Frielich, for creating the tradition of a Religious School; Robin Olson, for teaching Religious School for, yea, so many years; Richard and Mina Kravitz for leaping in to teach this year; Janet Rifkin, for making sure that the building doesn't go to the dogs; Seymour and Judy Dicker, for making sure that everything is successful; Gwenda Krochok, her choir, and the Meshugeneh Players, for always providing such beautiful music; Nina Perlmutter, for making the Religious Practices Transition so smooth and easy and for teaching Judaism to the Prescott community; Irv and Shirley Brohner, for continuing to be our Jewish Patriarch and Matriarch; Dottie Reynolds, Albert Engleman, Morris and Lilo Bloombaum, Louise Schloss, Michael Veitsman, Fred Linn, Seymour and Judy Dicker, Irv and Shirley Brohner, Sharon Kaiser, Mariann Littel, and Marvin Fruchter, for bringing Yiddish back to life in Prescott; Richard and Mina Kravitz, for becoming the driving force for Family Shabbat services; Beverly Jorgensen, for being our public spokesperson for "leftist" politics; Michael Veitsman, for being our public spokesperson for "rightist" politics; and Yitzchak Ben-David, for being our public spokesperson for "militant rightist" politics; and PLEASE NOTE: These are just our folks who provide time and energy to the synagogue. If we began listing folks who kept our Jewish community financially stable or who have generously donated ritual objects or art work to the synagogue, the list would easily double.
We are indeed blessed with an extraordinary membership. I thank all of you. May this be a wonderful secular 2003.
