Annual report from Congregation Ner Tamid, 2010-2011

CONGREGATION NER TAMID On the Greenspun Campus for Jewish Life, Learning & Spiritual Renewal CNT STAFF Sanford D. Akselrad Sr. Rabbi Leonard Zukrow Asst. Rabbi/Educator Philip Goldstein Cantorial Intern Nancy Weinberger Executive Director Beth Bowman Program Director Joyce Herlands Senior Activities Coord. Lonnie Kritzler Dir. Early Childhood Education Karen Levine Admin. Asst. to Clergy Rebecca Phillips Young Adult/Singles Coord. Annual Report 2010-2011 Linda Rosen Finance Director Lynette Solomon Admin. Asst. to Exec. Director Roberta Unger Facilities & Catering Director Mara Willick Admin. Asst. to R/S & Preschool Judy Winnick Admin. Asst. Laura Bailey P a g e 2 Rabbi San ford Akselrad Sr. Rabbi Building community begins with a vision to change the world for the better.... C o n g r e g a t i o n N er Ta m i d As I approach my 24th anniversary of serving our Congregation, I look back upon this past year as perhaps the most challenging. Often times news seems to reflect things that happen to "other people". But this past year, the "news" of an economy in crises truly hit our Congregation in a major way. Who would have guessed in 2005 when we made the decision to move our Congregation to Green Valley and launch a major campaign that would create an incredible home for our Congregation that several years later our Congregation-indeed our entire country-would be facing the worst economic downturn in decades? As a result, many members were forced to leave Nevada; others lost their homes, their jobs and sought refuge in the one thing that was indeed a constant in their life: Congregation Ner Tamid. I am proud to say that on every front our Congregation responded with compassion, love and leadership. We partnered with Jewish Family Services, the Board of Rabbis and the Jewish Federation to start Project Ezra. To date over 500 people have found work! Hundreds of others have received financial help and counseling. Members were talked with compassionately when they thought that they could no longer afford their Temple membership. Congregants gave me grocery cards to pass out to those in need. We collected food for the JFSA food bank and for a Henderson based food bank. Scholarships were given to those who wanted, but could not afford, to place their children in our preschool or religious school. In short, over and over again, our Congregants rose to the occasion to help each other. Programmatically we remained strong as well. While trimming our budget to reflect the decrease in revenues, the staff worked hard alongside dedicated lay leaders to insure that important programs continued. We learned how to do more with less. But everything would have been for naught had we not been able to tackle the most significant challenge of this past year, our debt service. Dedicated leaders worked on this issue for over a year. How does a Congregation launch a capital campaign in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the great depression? Common sense dictated against it, but the facts told a different story. Again, a dedicated few rose to the challenge to raise sufficient funds to bring down our monthly mortgage payments by more than 50%! We are not out of the woods, but we have bought ourselves time to continue the campaign allowing more good hearted people to participate and invest in the future of our Congregation. Whether it is leaving a bequest, an endowment, or a capital gift. I know that others will respond to secure our future. Rarely do I speak in such frank terms about financial matters. Indeed after I re-read many previous annual reports I realized that most often I spoke only of programmatic matters or about the strength of our leadership. But this past year was a true test of every element of our congregation. We had to work hard to continue the vitally important programs that you rely upon to educate and inspiie your families while at the same time finding a means to pay for the mundane matters that we take for granted-our mortgage, utilities and salaries. Our Temple President Bruce Matza did not inherit an easy presidency. But he did not shy away from what needed to be done and managed to bring together the finest minds, and the most dedicated of people to lead in every possible way. In Pirke Avot we are taught, "Lo Alecha Hamlacha Ligmor, v'lo bein chorin lihitpater mimeno" "It is not incumbent upon us to complete the task, but neither are we free to desist from it altogether." In other words, we have much to do, and it will take all of us to accomplish our goal of a vibrant, strong and dynamic congregation for ourselves, our children, and our children's children. A n n u a l R ep o r t Page 3 As I complete my two years as your president, I find myself reflecting back on many of the accomplishments and challenges that we have faced during these difficult times. Rabbi Leonard Zukrow joined our congregation as our Rabbi-Educator; the Pre- School continued to grow; Yeshiva Day School joined our campus; we introduced a new major fund raiser with Women of Valor; and we became the largest Jewish congregation in the State of Nevada. Also, perhaps my favorite project was the start-up of our Youth Shofar Choir. Perhaps the biggest challenge was to secure our financial future. When we completed construction of our campus in early 2007, we anticipated continuing to raise funds to reduce our construction loan. However, no one contemplated or imagined the severity or length of the financial distress our community and our congregants would experience. However, we recognized that we could no longer wait to address our existing mortgage and related debt. We cut our expenses and reduced our staff to the point where any further reductions would significantly impact our programs and what you have come to expect from your membership. I thank the CNT staff for their dedication these past two years in continuing to operate at full throttle under some of the most challenging of financial times. The mortgage debt continued to be our top priority and with the commitment and generosity of a handful of our congregants we were able to reduce and restructure over $3,700,000 of our total debt. Congregation Ner Tamid remains as strong and vibrant as we have for the past thirty-seven years. We are not out of the woods; however we are in control of our financial destiny and have time for our congregants to recover from the economic devastation of the past several years. We are committed to continuing to reduce our debt and demonstrate good stewardship. Thanks to everyone who responded with their generosity in this first phase of major gifts necessary in reigniting our capital campaign. We now look forward with optimism and excitement to additional congregants joining this initial group in assuring our future. My deep appreciation extends to the Board, Staff and Members who have supported and encouraged me over the past several years. It has been an honor to have served as your president. Bruce R. Matza Temple President "We are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are we free to desist from it." Pirkei Avot Ways & Means The goal of the Wavs & Means committee is to create ideas, encourage participation, generate donations and oversee the fundraismg events throughout the year. Our fund raisers greatly augment our ability to continue to provide all of the religious services, programming, facilities, staff, and day-to-day operations. Fund raisers represent over 30% of our total annual budget. We rely on a select number of fund raising events each year ? The Kol Nidre Campaign was a success, co-chaired by Dr. Gary Kantor and Bruce Matza- our first Women of Valor Gala honored Lisa Henry, Selma Bartlett and Janis Rounds, chaired by Annie and Bruce Matza; the Gift V rap booth at the Galleria Mall was chaired by Jeff Jonas and volunteers contributed over 1.000 hours to the event. Special thanks to all who helped out; Our Spring Event, the Neil Simon play, "Rumors", was attended by over 250 people. Hi Page 4 Philip Goldstein Cantorial Intern "I will sing to the Lord a new song, for he has been good to me" Psalm 13:6 C o n g r e g a t i o n Ne r T a m i d It's hard to believe that another year has passed, "One season following another".... Well, enough of Fiddler On The Roof. When I look back and reflect, which time does not permit very often. I am amazed at all that has been achieved during the past year here at CNT and I love it!!! I have a great sense of accomplishment over the past year of music programming and look forward to another exciting year at CNT. Here are just a few of the many things we did ? Adult choir participated in "World AIDS Day canclelight vigil; Gospel Shabbat service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. featuring the Adult choir and the Shabbatones; both the adult anc youth choirs sang at the service in memory and honor of Debbie Friedman; I participated in the Hadassah Cantors Concert; Adult Choir was wonderful singing backup for our Scholar-in-Residence Danny seng; our Youth Choir sang at the Ch inukah Menorah Lighting at The District, our Purim Shpiel, Religious School Shabbats, including Teacher Appreciation Shabbat, as well as Israel Independence Day; we hosted the yearly observance of Yom Hadioah with music presented by myself and other local Cantors. As we come into the summer months * I also want to recognize some individuals for their hard work and dedication. First I want to thank Lillian Kollar for her amazing talents and incredible musical ability. She is one of the best accompanists I have ever worked with and I greatly appreciate her. Thank you so much Lillian! Thank you to Sherri Swezey for conducting the Youth Choir throughout the year with the Youth Choir accompanist Eddie Birch. They've never sounded better. I also want to thank Lori Frankl for conducting the High Holy Day Teen choir accompanied by Eddie Birch. And speaking of c hoirs, our fabulous Adult Choir deserves a round of applause for their hard work over this past year (since High Holy Days) you all are the best. High Holy Day rehearsals begin July 5th! A special thanks to John Smith the Adult Choir Director for his wonderful ability to have the choir sounding their best. Thank you to all the choirs. Our Adult and Youth Choirs sang consistently throughout the year. These programs have become well established and we continue to welcome new members and grow throughout the year I must thank all of the members of the Shabbatones band, who volunteer their talent and energy into this px*ogram: Ira Spector, Jay Poster, Glori Rosenberger, Alan Molasky, Eddie Birch, (and sometimes Tracy Birch and Matthew Birch too!), Brad Torchin, Mike Adler, Bruce Geller and Paul Kessin. Without all of their enthusiasm and hard work, there would be no Shabbatones. We have grown together as a band (more like extended family) and as friends. More music, concerts and special events are planned for the coming year... stay tuned. I want to acknowledge the hard work and talents of a lot of peo ple here at CNT. First I want to recognize the wonderful people that we have in the office ? Karen, Lynette, Judy and our wonderful CNT volunteers... thank you all. Thank you to our wonderful Facilities Director Roberta Unger. Program Director Beth Bowman, Finance Director Linda Rosen and Executive Director Nancy Weinberger. The building has had its challenges but we have a great team of people who keep things running smoothly. Roberta and her staff, thank you for your hard work and flexibility. I want to thank Lois Bergman, Ayelet Blit and Adam Brustein for their wonderful job of tutoring the B'nai Mitzvah students. They continue to do an outstanding job and I continually receive positive feedback from the parents of our students. As always, thank you Maxine M o l i n s k y f o r s h a r i n g y o u r extraordinary voice when we need you. This truly has been a year of exciting growth. I look forward to next year a nd t h e e x ci t i n g mus i c a l programming that I have planned. Thank you to our wonderful Congregation of CNT. Without you. none of this would be possible. A n n u a l R e p o r t P a g e 5 This year's Annual Report reflects what I will call the mortgage to membership to salaries and overhead congregation has had to deal with in the past. 'Year of the Great Challenge.' Everything from our costs, created a challenge unlike anything this During the last year membership dipped to just under 700 families after hitting an all-time high the year before. Last year at this time our membership stood at 736 family units and this year we stand at 690 or approximately a 5% decline. Requests for financial aid rose above our projected figures as many of our Temple families experienced financial setbacks due to the economy. Due to the decrease in revenues, challenges emerged and we were forced to look at all aspects of our Temple from the cost of landscaping to the cost of the paper we use to print our newsletter. We trimmed out?advertising and supply budget. The Temple staff did not receive increases and the Temple medical insurance plan was changed to a lower level plan of coverage saving approximately 25% over the previous year. We bid out our building insurance and found a carrier that would save us 20% annually. Many other areas of opportunities were explored and we were able to trim approximately $100,000 from the budget. Throughout all the challenges our staff did not waver. In fact, I saw our staff come together and figure out how to turn lemons into lemonade. They have continued the holy work we do as members of a Temple staff; they demonstrate compassion in a congregant's time of need; they donate food to our local food bank; they put in extra hours to help complete a project; they are always there to help one another when the need arises; they attend funerals, baby namings and other life cycle events of congregants; they have even delivered meals to homebound congregants. Our staff does all of this from their heart and never with any expectations of reciprocation. They are dedicated to Jewish principles and the mission of Congregation Ner Tamid. I w ould like to honor our staff with the following beautiful writing: If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. ? Mother Teresa Lynette, Roberta. Linda, Beth, Judy, Karen, Lonnie, Joyce, Becca, Mara, Rabbi Z., Rabbi A., Philip, Bryon, Chase, Billy and Phil (in no particular order) you are the parts that keep the congregation ticking. Your commitment as a member of the CNT team is deeply appreciated. Each one of you brings a special talent and together we can soar to greater heights. Keep up the good work and Kol HaKovod. Nancy Weinberger Executive Director "Let all who work with the congregation do so for the sake of Heaven; the merit of their ancestors will sustain them and, as a result, their righteousness will remain forever." Pirkei Avot 2:2 P a g e 6 C o n g r e g a t i o n Ne r T a m i d Rabbi Leonard Zukrow Assistant Rabbi/Educator "The world is sustained, by three things: Torah, avodah, and gemilut chasadim." Pirkei Avot 1:2 When you pass by the open doors of the Beit Tfilah or the Sanctuary on a Tuesday afternoon or a Sundav morning, one of the "prayers our children sing with great enthusiasm is the V ahavta taken from the Book of Deuteronomy. It is not really a prayer in that it is not a praise of God. or a request of God or an expression of thanks. The V'ahavta states the following: Take to heart, these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up...so that you will remember and do all of the commandments and be holy to your God. In our Religious School and our Hebrew Program, we are guided by these words. We take to heart the task of instruction and respond to the charge to impress our children with the beauty of Jewish life - the multiple opportunities over the year to celebrate, the connection to our past and our future through Hebrew and the value of coming together at Ner Tamid to create our Temple "family". This year we began each session in a community setting with singing on Sunday and doing Havdallah on Tuesdays. We gathered at the end of each session for prayer to remind ourselves that what we do is holy and thai God is very much a part of who we are and what we do. Each time we gather for learning our dedicated teachers and their able assistants, our high school Ma irichim, inspire and enrich. Each session, students create a memory for that day that becomes another element in their emerging Jewish identity. Our parents receive real time updates on Sunday as I report on events through posts on Twitter. Our wee kly E-blast prepared by Mara Willick keeps our parents and students informed of school and youth group activities. Research has demonstrated that the most powerful force for growing Jewish identity and involvement is the role of community. Our students augment their formal class learning with informal Jewish learning in our many youth group offerings from third grade through high school. Thanks to all of our youth group advisors and parents for their support of this important adjunct to our educational program. This year we have brought students together for assembly programs to promote group learning and to foster this sense of having a school community - our festival celebrations, our community time with our high school students; monthly teachers meetings enable us to achieve this goal. We have much to celebrate but more to do. The V'ahavta charges us to attend to the task of teaching and learning each day, and so we seek to make each day a time when our children grow close to each other and to Torah and to Jewish living. A n n u a l R e p o r t It is hard to believe that we have completed our 4th year! Here are some fun facts: 75 children attended our preschool and 70 children attended our summer program ages 18 months to 5 years old: Tot Shabbat has never been better averaging 35-40 families every month. (Thank you to Sisterhood for funding this wonderful program); Pre- Kindergarten students and the 55+ Seniors Social Group had a number of programs together; 3 Year Old Class and Pre- Kindergarten classes sang for the Jewish Federation's Women's Group during Chanukah. They were a big hit! Our fundraisers were very successful. We sold adorable calendars decorated by all our students, a DVD highlighting the children, footprints designed by Piggies & Paws, and Shabbat challot every Friday. We also manned a booth at the Chanukah Bazaar. Lastly, our Little Hands, Big Heart Gala with special guest auctioneer Jason Feinberg was hugely successful, raising over $10,000. The children learned about and participated in many Jewish holiday celebrations. They attended Children's Services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, decorated the Temple sukkah, marched through the building with their Simchat Torah flags, lit the chanukiyah and made latkes for Chanukah, planted trees and flowers for Tu B'Shevat, dressed up and paraded for Purim, entertained their families at our Pesach Model Seder, and sang Happy Birthday while eating birthday cake for Yom Ha'atzmaut. All of this happened PLUS the children are beginning to read, add, subtract, and learn about their bodies. More than anything else, though, they LOVE coming to school! The Kantor Early Childhood Education Center staff and volunteers need to be recognized and commended. Without them, our school would not be what it is. The teaching staff is: Shelley Calderon, Odelia Duhel, Dolly Farrow, Nicole Fletcher, Marisa Kohen, Suzanne Greenberg- Mendoza, Maggie Milton, Teresa Owens, Sherri Swezey, and Shawna Witt. Our wonderful Preschool volunteers are Ellen Sonenthal, Maxine Gratz and Ann Sandell. Last but not least, our Administrative Assistant, Mara Willick, has her hand in everything making sure all is right! A huge thank you to our amazing Early Childhood Education Committee led by Jodi Kurtzman, whose vision, caring, passion, and energy is surpassed by none. Her P a g e 7 dedication and gentle hand has led this incredible committee to accomplish everything they set out to do. The ECEC Committee members are: Nicole Steidel, Kari Burchard, Allison Clark, Amy Clune-Castaneda, Andrea Damore, Christa Emmer, Denise Fanning, Julianna Goldberg, Suzanne Greenberg-Mendoza, Shelley Herst, Stacy Howlett, Brandie Huskey, Allison Johnson, Marcy Kulic, Robyn Markowitz, Kris Powell, and Lauren Vogel. We also appreciate and thank CNT Board's VP of Education, Jacky Rosen and to Julie Barto- Fisher for their time, suggestions, listening ears, and support in keeping and meeting our high expectations. Lastly, we want to thank Dr. Gary and Lynn Kantor who without their love of education and this school, we would not be able to do what we do....educating and nurturing our youngest learners and introducing their parents to the Congregation Ner Tamid family. Yes, this has been quite a year? one filled with learning, hugs, and lots of happy children and parents. And now on to year five where we are looking forward to offering even more to our youngest generation! Lonnie Kritzler Director of Early Childhood Education "And you shall teach them faithly to your ch ildren ' Vahavta A Sp e c i a l P l a c e t o Be l o n g ! Ritual Del Acosta, Chairperson This past year was busy for the Ritual Committee. Our Saturday Morning Tanakh study and Minyon are both experiencing increased participation. As in years past we continue these programs: n ay ig l s lve on e e . Tashlich Service at Sunset Park on Rosh Hashanah afternoon: Sukkot dairy potluck dinner; an www-lvnertamia.org enthusiastic Simcha Torah; a creative Shavuot program; a Religious school student driven Purim Shpiel as well as S'lichot services. Our biggest project this year was to repair two of our Torahs; one Sofer repaired parchment seams as well as faded text, another repaired dowels and text also. Other Torahs are in need of Repair. We will continue Torah repairs as funds become available. Happily three of our Ritual Committee members are performing Shabbat Services twice a month at Homes for the Aging. The folks there are so appreciative and look forward to their 'special" Shabbats. As VP of Ritual, I salute all of our members for their time and devotion to all our projects. Building community begins with a vision to change the world, for the better. Social Action Cindy Jensen, Chairperson The Social Action Committee plans and coordinates various social action programs for the Temple in our continuing endeavor of "Tikun Olam," repairing the world one day at a time. During the past year the Social Action Committee and its volunteers and supporters performed great mitzvot: * Mitzvah Day, with 300 volunteers of all ages, collected more than 3 tons of food for Jewish Family services, made approximately 150 lunches for the homeless, decorated lunch bags and gift tags for hygiene kits and food baskets, prepared and decorated 20 Thanksgiving food baskets. * Pi*epared and served a BBQ lunch for veterans in need. * Created works of art to support breast cancer research. * Signed-up 52 people to participate in a bone marrow donation bank. * Collected hundreds of pieces of clothing for McCaw Elementary school students in need; volunteers also assisted in the classroom and office at the school. * Made lap blankets. * Donated 25 pints of blood. * Provided a day of bowling for Family Promise (homeless) families * Adopted several dogs in need of a home. * The Mitzvah Menorah provided Chanukah gifts for 31 people. * Participated in housing Family Promise families, providing meals and a place to sleep for 12 homeless families . * Passover & High Holy Days Food Drives collected over 3 tons of food for Jewish Familj' Services & the Henderson Food Bank; we continue to collect food year round. * Political Forum brought candidates together before a full house at the Temple, to discuss current political issues. * CNT Going Green was an art competition to kick-off our continuing efforts to provide education and projects to help us "go green". We are working on more ways for you to help repair the world in the upcoming year including unveiling our new CNT Team Mitzvah project. A n n u a l R e p o r t P a g e 9 Membership Recruitment Marsha Goldberg, Chairperson Membership Retention Lisa Skurow, Chairperson The two arms of the Membership Committee work hand in hand to develop new ideas to attract and retain members. This has been a challenging task in these economic times. Our membership is the lowest it has been in many, many years. We currently stand at 690 families, with approximately 36% of our families joining us in the last 5 years. Some of the wonderful events we held this past year include: Prospective Member Shabbats in the late summer prior to High Holy Days, including a Sundae Shabbat affording "shul shoppers" an opportunity to see us at our best!; Presidential Reception held to welcome new members; New Member Coffee graciously hosted by Lyn & Blake Myers with help from Andrea Harris; Selection of Shirley Kouffman as "Congregant of the Year"; Annual Temple Picnic at Mountain View park to give our members an opportunity to schmooze with friends & enjoy hot dogs & hamburgers on us; sponsor an information table at the Israeli Independence Day celebration. In addition, we man the "Information Table" every Friday evening during the oneg to greet & answer questions from visitors & newcomers. We also make twice yearly calls to all our members, once in the fall prior to High Holy Days and then again in the spring just before Passover to wish them a happy holiday. Lisa & I want to thank every member of our committee for all their hard work & time: Fay Schoenfeld, Andrea Harris, Marlene Acosta, Lyn Myers, Jennifer Bruce, Abby Zeldin, Arlene Kalodner, Carolyn Friedner & Scott Greenspan. Our success is a product of your dedication. "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people" Isaiah 56:7 Chesed Shirley Kouffman, Chairperson The Chesed (Caring) Committee is a group of wonderful members who reach out to our CNT congregants and extended Jewish Community in ways to bring cheer and support! Responses indicate that our mitzvot are appreciated! Here are just a few of the ways in which we reach out to the growing needs of our community ? distributed 45 - 50 Holiday Bags for Rosh Hashanah and Pesach to congregants in hospitals, nursing homes, rehab centers and private homes; sent holiday cards to congregants so they knew we were thinking of them: College students were sent something to help celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Chanukah. Purim, and Pesach: phone calls or cards were sent monthly to convey cheer, as well as letters of condolence; visited congregants in hospitals, nursing homes, rehab centers and private homes. The Committee received a number of monetary donations which allowed us to fund some of our mitzvot. We thank everyone for their generosity and continued support. C o n g r e g a t i o n N e r T a mi d A n n u a l R e p o r t P a g e 1 2 King David Memorial Gardens An Opportunity to Pay Homage to Our Loved Ones The King David Memorial Garden is a special place where the names of loved ones may be permanently etched to remember and honor their lives. The Garden provides a calm and serene venue to acknowledge and reflect on how they touched our lives. The Garden is open 1/2 hour prior to services on Friday nights to provide an opportunity to those who wish to lay a stone at the name of their loved one or just sit and enjoy the peacefulness of the Gardens. If you are interested in remembering someone in the Garden, contact Nancy Weinberger, Executive Director, at 733-6292 ext 201. Individual Memorial Space - $500 each Rows of Remembrance (in cludes 6 names) - $12,500 each row Greening Committee: Randi Sarno, Bruce Matza, Janie Gale, Jeff Gale, Jennifer Wangers We have established a committee to help our environment and ourselves, looking at ways to conserve energy and new ways to recycle. Hopefully by the time you are reading this, our vegetable garden will be visible. Our plan is to begin with vegetables and then increase our garden to include fruit. We'll include the children of the pre-school, religious school and extend an invitation to the Yeshiva Day School to participate in the care, and reap the rewards of the harvest. Building & Grounds Committee: Roberta Unger, Jim Mason, Daryl Alterwitz, Rich Perlman, Rafi Gafni, Jon Sparer, Nancy Weinberger As our congregation grows, the need for our facility to be in "perfect' operating condition also grows. With the skills, knowledge and experience of our Building and Grounds Committee, we have been able to keep our building available and up to all the standards and codes required by the local, state and federal governments. Our committee members have varied backgrounds from civil engineering, to property management, architecture and construction. Our grounds are monitored by frequent walks of the property to discover and evaluate areas of immediate or potential areas of need. Roberta Unger Facilities & Catering Director A n n u a l R e p o r t P a g e 1 3 What's Going on at C.N.T.! Most nights and days you'll find our parking lot full with cars, as we are the host of many life cycle events and other Temple and community events! * Community Events such as Lifeline Health Screening 3 times in the past year, monthly meetings of the Jewish War Veterans, weekly Karate and Gymnastics classes for pre-school aged children * Town Hall meetings * Shabbat Across the Valley * Forums for Local Political Candidates * Twice Monthly Senior Programs * Hosted community-wide Yom Ha'atzmaut/Yom Hazikaron * Touro University Pinning (Graduation) Ceremony * Interfaith Thanksgiving Service with the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada & Hosted Family Promise * Kiddush Luncheons * Renewal of Wedding Vows * Educational Classes * 29 Bar/Bat Mitzvahs * CNT Cinema - Hosted "The Race to Nowhere", the first & only Nevada host site * Weddings * Chanukah Dinner & Passover Seder * Marvelously sponsored Onegs * Numerous baby naming (adding to the growth of our congregation) P a g e 1 4 C o n g r e g a t i o n Ne r T ami d Beth Bowman Program Director Support Groups We continue to be o home for several weekly support groups: J ACS-Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically dependent persons and, their Significant others Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Narcotics Anonymous (NA) 2 Overeaters Anonymous (OA) Lehiyot Shayach, a support group for special needs families that meets on a monthly basis The program department works as a liaison between our community & committees within our synagogue to help develop and facilitate programs and events. Here are some of our events that we participated and/or hosted in the past year: Shakespeare in the Park / Macbeth Hosted URJ /United Reform Judaism Shabbat Sponsored a film at the Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival with JFSA Participated in "Read Hebrew America/Canada" with 45 new students Presented 3rd Annual CNT Jewish Book Festival Participated in community-wide "Chanukah in the District" Diaper Drive for S.A.F.E. House, donating over 6000 diapers Here are some highlights from our committee events for 2010: Sacred Conversation with Rabbi Akselrad Focus Groups 2nd Annual Super Bowl Party with over 100 members attending Hosted Danny Maseng as our Scholar in Residence Last Chance for Leavening at IHOP Gary Rosent