Why Volunteer at TBE?

Linda Rubin

Marla Shwarts

It’s in our Jewish DNA. Rabbi Lieb z”l told me to. I couldn’t say no when I was asked. I didn’t know what I was getting into. I want to be helpful. I am a giving person who likes doing for others. I want to do what is best for TBE.

All of these are good answers to our question and there are even more answers to be found amongst our congregants when asked, but what is most important for us to recall is that it is the volunteers and their actions that truly enable us to sustain our religious home, who support the work of our staff members, and who want the success of our clergy to be experienced by those within our walls and by those who will soon find their way here.

We all know we are not a corporate entity with goals to increase our bank account. We are a spiritual institution that enriches our souls, our emotional well-being, and our connection to a monumental history of the world. We care about our stakeholders and we encourage each other to do whatever we can to improve our holy and sacred space (and where we like to hang out and play with our friends of course too). We can’t imagine our growth and vision for a valued future without the able bodies and souls of our volunteers. It’s more than lay leadership, it’s the creative forces and people who make up the heart of our temple; this is where and why we volunteer at TBE.

Volunteer opportunities are the spaces between the lines of the Torah, outside the doors of the covenantal ark that grace our bima, and on the faces of the children who are the real future of our temple family. Now is the time for every one of us to step up and give that part of ourselves that isn’t measured in dollars or shekels, but rather this gift of time that represents the mensch part of each of us as we enjoy our relationships with TBE.

Every moment matters when saying thank you to all of our volunteers as we do now. Whether you work in the Temple Office, serve on the Board of Directors, chair a committee, serve on a couple of committees, or create/lead a program, you make a significant difference. The truth is, in order to make TBE continue, we must in our own ways volunteer to sustain and grow our congregation. We are going to celebrate our 100th birthday very soon, and we need you to lead our celebration activities. We would like to install our Rabbi Cassi in the most appropriate way, we need you to volunteer. We want to grow our congregation through improved communication and publicity, we need you to volunteer. We want to provide even better on-going programming, we need you to volunteer.

So, why volunteer? It makes TBE better and you feel better too.