March 2008

Occasionally we need to stop and pat ourselves on the back for the way we live up to our name: Chaverim--a circle of friends. Our size gives us a unique ability to have the best of both worlds. We’re large enough to have our own building and four staff members. Yet we are small enough that our part-time staff can’t be solely responsible for all of our many activities, which means congregants have a chance to be involved in all areas of Chaverim’s life.

The congregation that I worked for in San Francisco is quite large, with over two dozen staff members (this doesn’t include the pre-school administrators and teachers). That congregation is called a “staff-driven” organization, which means the long-term vision, the ideas for programs, and the actual implementation of the programs were almost all entirely done by the professional staff, except for the newsletter and other publications which were contracted out. (There was even a half-time employee who did nothing but photo-copying for the rest of the staff!)

Among the draw-backs, of course, were that many congregants felt they were lost in a crowd, that they didn’t have a personal relationship with any of the four rabbis, that they didn’t know many other congregants, and that they did not have a say about programs and services.

What a contrast to Chaverim! The very nature of our congregation encourages its members to meet one another, to have easy rabbinic access and relationships, and to take responsibility for many of the congregation’s activities.

Members of our 150-plus household congregation regularly step forward in many gratifying ways. For example,

• 36 people contributed one or more recipes for our new “Nu? What’s Cookin’?” cookbook
• Over 35 individuals, several chavurot and dozens of kids have teamed with Karla to lead our twice-monthly lay-led Shabbat evening services
• Over 30 adults and 18 kids volunteered for Project Hospitality
• Last year’s High Holy Day services could not have happened without the 102 adult and teen volunteers behind-the-scenes and on-the-bima

This proportion of members who step forward for these and other events is truly impressive and is, as I said, a reason to be proud of our participatory, thriving congregation.

Because so many of you look for ways to participate in Chaverim’s activities, I call several upcoming events to your attention:

• For her mitzvah project, Alison Comrie is collecting new or gently used decorative and regular pillows and bedding for youth in need. Bring your donation to the office during March.
• March is diaper drive month, as we collect diapers for the Southern Arizona Community Diaper Bank. I ask each Chaverim household to bring at least one package of diapers for children or adults to our office this month. Also consider a contribution: $18 allows the Diaper Bank to purchase 100 diapers.
• Purim will be celebrated on Thursday night, March 20. You won’t want to miss the Shushanettes return, this year as the Beat Poets of Shushan who will give their own cool interpretation of the megilla. This is a kid-friendly evening.
• The Red Tent Society meets on March 29 at 7:00PM. The theme is “Tea and Chocolate in the Red Tent.”
• Karla’s Cabaret on April 5 will be a chance for our circle of friends to share an evening of song, wine and good times. Among the talent will be members of our congregation, plus a few surprises. Yours truly will be the MC.

May Chaverim continue from strength to strength, as we participate with our circle of friends in all areas of Jewish life, from social action to holiday celebrations to plain old good times with our friends.

L’Shalom,
Rabbi Helen