Gut Yontev. For just shy of four years now, I have had the honor and privilege of serving as the Executive Director of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue. I am fortunate to be part of an outstanding team comprised of our dedicated Board of Directors, our remarkable rabbi, our exceptional professional staff, and our engaged and diverse congregants. As we look to the past, our legacy, and the tremendous work and programming that has already been achieved at the Synagogue, we correspondingly look to the future and to the continued revitalization and reimagining of our unique and historic Synagogue and community. Over the past year, we have continued to provide thoughtful and interesting programming – everything from presentations and discussions on critical issues of racial injustice, mindfulness, Shabbasana yoga, food justice and food preservation, the environment, mass incarceration and prison reform, women in Jewish life, a rocking karaoke night, and our nationally acclaimed SukkahxDetroit, the exciting and innovative international design competition and art installation that was held downtown in Capitol Park. We are delighted to continue to bring innovative education and programming to engage and serve our ever-growing cohort of young families. Shabbat services bring us together to worship and share a meal in community. We are proud to offer High Holiday services to the Jewish community free of charge or obligation every year and are most grateful to you for joining us. We appreciate your presence, your participation, and your support. You will find membership and donation materials on the table in the hallway and at our website, and we invite you to join our vibrant and growing community, to contribute a heartfelt gift, and to become an active participant in our Shabbat services, holiday observances, enlightening programming, family programs, or digging in at Eden Gardens, the urban garden we share on the east side of Detroit. Please check our website for information on all our Synagogue programming. As we approach our centennial year in 2021, we are proud of our service to the Detroit Jewish community and proud of our commitment to a communal Jewish existence in Detroit, providing an inclusive and welcoming congregation, proud of our expansive range of Shabbat, holiday, education, and social justice programming, proud of our interfaith and racial justice work.
The Downtown Synagogue has a storied past and a bright future and we are moving forward with our vision for our congregation and our community. As I recount our history and what we have accomplished in the past year, I want to be sure to communicate our promise to the future to deepen our commitment to our synagogue community, to the larger Jewish community, and to the city of Detroit.
As we listen to the ancient cry of the Shofar during the Days of Awe, we are reminded that it motivates us to triumph over despair, welcome the promise of a better and more beautiful world, and calls us to create that world.
Shana Tova, a gut yor, to you, and to our world, and may we continue through the year with honest and soulful reflection.