Committees

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Melissa Putterman Hoffmann, President

Our Board meets the first Tuesday of the month, unless deferred by a holiday. Management and administration of the affairs, revenues, and property of the congregation are vested in the Board. The Board consists of 15 members of the congregation. Most are actively engaged in committee work at B’nai Sholom. Board terms last 3 years, and one-third of them expire each year.

LIFELONG LEARNING COMMITTEE

At B’nai Sholom Congregation we believe Jewish learning is a lifetime project. We offer learning opportunities for all ages starting with our youngest congregants and their families in programs like Tot Shabbat and youth education at B’Yachad; Mifgash, a community high school program; events for our emerging group of congregants in their 20s and 30s; adult education programs for adults of all ages; weekly Torah Study for anyone who enjoys lively discussion; ongoing classes about Jewish history, ethics and culture; and our library. Contact Barney Horowitz for information about Adult Education and Josh Brody for information about programming for children.

ONGOING ACTIVITIES:

ADULT EDUCATION

At B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation we believe that Jewish learning is a lifetime project. Throughout the year Adult Education presents a range of programming, including classes, lectures and movies. We also offer weekly Torah Study and an ongoing discussion of Pirkei Avot with Rabbi Weisbrot. Committee volunteers are always welcome.

LIBRARY

B’nai Sholom’s library is available to congregants when the building is open and includes a vibrant collection of Judaic resources to support interests of all ages. This team sets policy for, oversees, and manages the library. Most, but not all, of the materials circulate. Please be sure to sign out all that you borrow and return it promptly. For information, please get in touch with any member. Contact Josh Brody, Ian Duckor, Gail Golderman, Lois Gordon, or Rondi Brower.

B’YACHAD RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

The B’Yachad Religious School Board sets policy for and supports the students in our Religious School program, B’Yachad (Grades K-7). B’Yachad is a partnership between B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation and Congregation Ohav Shalom. It is the Board’s role to support the B’Yachad Director in ensuring an educational program that provides students with knowledge and understanding of Jewish history, tradition, values, and practices, along with Hebrew language skills, to promote Jewish identity, participation in the Jewish community, and a life-long love of learning. B’nai Sholom delegates: Josh Brody, Rachael Crawford, and Hana Sullenger

TORAH STUDY

Our Shabbat morning weekly Torah study sessions are lively opportunities for discussion and learning … and always more discussion! Find us via Zoom with the link published weekly in the Weekly Updates and Reminders. On one Shabbat morning each month we meet on Zoom and/or in person over a potluck brunch and study is devoted to the Prophets and Writings as we nourish our bodies and minds. All are welcome. Bring your curiosity. Check out our program listings on the website and in the Bulletin. Committee volunteers are always welcome. Contact Bruce Goldstein

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

This committee ensures B’nai Sholom is a safe, comfortable, sustainable place to gather by: helping beautify our grounds; keeping our building systems running efficiently; and addressing technology issues. Volunteers learn and use skills in gardening, building maintenance, safety and IT.

ONGOING ACTIVITIES:

LANDSCAPING

As part of Facilities Management, our goal is to make certain the grounds of B’nai Sholom look neat and attractive. Our decisions and plans are generally made by email. We meet at the Temple several times a season to work on weeding, edging, mulching, pruning, and adding seasonal plantings. We hope to gradually convert the landscape to native and beneficial plantings. We invite anyone to join us on our workdays, usually a Sunday morning. See the Weekly Announcements for dates and times. If you would like to join the team, Contact Martie Teumim or Edith Goldstein.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

The Safety and Security Team works to ensure that the B’nai Sholom community can continue to practice Judaism openly, safely, and securely by:

• promoting that security is every congregant’s responsibility, since knowing our congregation better than anyone puts us in the best position to protect it.
• providing training that enables the temple community to effectively fulfill this responsibility.
• promoting the use of proven tools and techniques to mitigate the potential risks that the congregation and the Jewish community face.
• participating in the Jewish community’s network of security organizations and working with community members and first responders to improve safety.
• pursuing grants to obtain funding to protect our facility, provide training, and obtain safety equipment and supplies.
• using the “Power of Hello” to ensure that temple visitors feel welcome as well as safe. Hospitality and security go hand-in-hand. Contact Howard Stoller.

HOUSE

House volunteers work to maintain and improve the synagogue’s physical facilities, inside and outside. They do not conduct formal meetings, but rather, schedule work sessions as needed, involving individual or group tasks, and occasionally are called upon to handle emergency repairs. Tasks may involve electrical, plumbing, carpentry, sheetrock, painting, or other activities as determined by the needs of individual maintenance, repair, and upgrade projects. Additional members are always welcome. Contact Phil Teumim.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)

The IT Team is comprised of congregants who work on technology systems and tools for use by the BSRC community to use our resources more effectively and efficiently. Included in the Technology Team’s efforts are management of our internal computing resources (both the hardware and software environments), support of our web pages and email lists, coordinating with outside vendors and consultants, and general consulting for BSRC staff on technical issues.

SOCIAL ACTION/SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE

The Social Action/Social Justice Committee continues to engage and inform the congregation and community about social justice issues and provides opportunities to participate in activities to make our immediate communities and our world a better place. We choose projects that reflect the Reform Jewish perspective and represent our congregation in the community. In these extraordinary times, we continue to plan meaningful programs to actively engage all of us in advocacy and service, while nourishing minds and souls.

LITERACY

Books for Babies–partnering with The Baby Institute in Albany to provide new books and accompanying literature to encourage a life-long love of reading to families where reading is not a strong tradition. Provision of funds in memory of Vera Propp to purchase books for the Whitney Young Well Child program as well as funds for the Jewish Coalition for Literacy’s Reading Tutor programs in the Albany City Schools. Providing books for the children’s library space at the Schuyler Inn family shelter.

COMBATTING HOMELESSNESS AND HUNGER

Family Promise of the Capital Region–B’nai Sholom is a support congregation for this interfaith, grassroots program providing shelter and services to homeless children and their families.

Connecting with local organizations working to ease the affordable housing crisis.

Providing fresh food for distribution through the Free Food Fridge program as well as other outlets for families with little access to fresh food. Ongoing collection of canned food and personal care items. Twice-yearly clothing drives.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

In the spirit of Tikkun Olam or Healing the Earth, the Social Action Committee advocates on climate change and the environment. We have a monthly report on current climate and environmental issues. This year we are continuing to work with the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism of New York (RAC-NY) to lobby on climate change. Join us when we do a messaging blitz by making phone calls, sending emails or signing a petition. If interested, contact Barry Pendergrass to receive the monthly report or help us send out messages. As in Deuteronomy 30:14 … “the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE The congregation is the founder of the Capital District Alliance for Universal Healthcare (CDAUH) and continues to support its efforts to achieve “Medicare for All”.

ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Voter Rights postcard campaigns Pride Parade B’nai Sholom is a member of RAC: The Religious Action Center and active with RAC NEW YORK — the state-wide affiliate of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism For more than six decades, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (the RAC) has worked to educate, inspire, and mobilize the Reform Jewish community to advocate for social justice. RAC mobilizes around federal, state, provincial, and local legislation on more than 70 pressing socioeconomic issues, including gun violence prevention, immigration, reproductive rights, and criminal justice reform.

The RAC’s work is mandated by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), whose membership includes more than 2,000 Reform rabbis. Representatives of these two organizations, as well as the URJ’s affiliates, comprise the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, which governs our policy positions. RAC’s vision is of a world overflowing with wholeness, justice, and compassion. To realize this vision, members are dedicated to working across lines of difference to organize and advocate for social change that alienates systemic injustices, especially those that primarily impact marginalized communities, like mass incarceration, the criminalization of asylum, and the denial of access to reproductive care. RAC NY is the organizing and advocacy arm for the Reform Jewish Movement in New York and includes 99 synagogues state-wide.

RAC NY and B’nai Sholom, as a member, are working on Climate Change. In 2021, the membership of RAC-NY voted to launch a multi-year campaign aimed to combat climate change by reducing New York’s reliance on fossil fuels. We called this campaign our “Climate Covenant.”

• Our activities – We organize constituent meetings with our local legislators and mobilize our members to make calls and send emails to our elected officials in support of key climate bills. • How you can get involved – Reach out if you are interested.
• Sign up to participate in our email and phone call mobilizations to legislators – where we organize hundreds of congregants across the state to reach out to their local elected officials in support of key legislation. The NY Equal Rights Amendment (Prop 1 on November’s NY ballot)
• Our current campaign – In partnership with the Women of Reform Judaism, RAC-NY is supporting the NY Equal Rights Amendment (Prop 1), which will be on the ballot this November 2024. The NY Equal Rights Amendment (Prop 1) would amend the NY Constitution to: a. expand anti-discrimination protections, and b. enshrine the right to reproductive healthcare and autonomy. • Our activities – We contact voters to inform and educate them about the measure – and encourage their support. We primarily send postcards to voters – and we also connect our volunteers to phonebank and text-bank opportunities. We provide all materials and instructions necessary for doing so in our “postcard kits.” 

We welcome and encourage ALL congregants to join in the work of tikkun olam, healing the world, by participating in our projects, programs and events. We also welcome new members to join the committee and help to guide our social justice/social action efforts. Join us for good work, lively conversation and camaraderie every fourth Monday at 7:00 p.m.

Our sages said a little light expels a lot of darkness.

Contact Barry Pendergrass about Climate Change and the Environment. Contact Valerie Tabak and Becky Marvin with all other Social Action/Social Justice inquiries.

WORSHIP AND RELATED SERVICES COMMITTEE

This committee helps enhance the spiritual life of the congregation, supports joyful Onegs and makes services accessible via Zoom for those unable to join in person.

ONGOING ACTIVITIES:

RITUAL PLANNING

The Ritual Planning Team works directly with the Rabbi to maintain and enhance the spiritual life of the Congregation. In fulfillment of this goal, the team’s work includes:

• Understanding the evolving spiritual needs of the Congregation and creating service content and other events accordingly;
• Proposing policy involving life cycle events;
• Preparing for festival events such as Tu BiShvat and Purim;
• Composing and/or formatting services for special occasions; • Recruiting and preparing lay honorees for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur;
• Training and scheduling lay leaders to fill in when the Rabbi is away;
• Working with other committees to ensure that the logistics of services maintain safety for those physically present and a sense of connection/ inclusion for those participating remotely.
• Contact Deb Adler, Joel Bloom, Mimi Bruce, Ben Marvin and Carol Smith.

VIDEOCONFERENCING

The Videoconferencing Team was formed to facilitate the participation of off-site members in religious services and other events. It assists the rabbi, lay leaders and committees with Zoom meeting hosting, camera operation, and sound system management. Its services include the writing of instructions for and the training and scheduling of volunteers. Contact Eric Goldberg.

ONEG COORDINATION

Oneg Coordinators schedule weekly Oneg hosts for our Shabbat services, assist the office manager in maintaining basic kitchen supplies and cleanliness, and assist other committees with coordinating special events’ food as needed. Our Oneg Shabbats are typically provided and hosted by a B’nai Sholom member or family. If you would like to host an Oneg Shabbat in honor of a special occasion such as wedding anniversary, birthday, or yahrzeit, please let us know. Contact Laura Kaplan or Susan Radosh.

TOT SHABBAT

Tot Shabbat is the place for young children and their families to participate in a warm service and learn prayers and songs.

SPECIAL EVENTS COMMITTEE

This committee offers a wide variety of events for congregants and visitors. These range from festive meals to evenings of music, from welcoming new members to raising money for BSRC, from occasions that educate to those that entertain. We look to celebrate holidays and the accomplishments of our congregants, while providing opportunities to help plan and produce these events.

ONGOING ACTIVITIES:

BEIT KAFEH

B’nai Sholom sponsors a Beit Kafeh (Coffeehouse) in the fall (11/16), and again in spring. These are musical events that may take different forms. The fall event this year will be an open mic followed by a featured artists concert. Format of the spring event has not yet been decided. Contact Phil Teumim.

CHILIPALOOZA

This is a fun evening – usually in late January – where, for a small admission fee, congregants sample chili recipes prepared and donated by other congregants, in a blind competition. Votes for the best chili in several categories are tabulated, and the winners announced. Contact Shari Whiting.

DISABILITY AWARENESS

To help us observe Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion month, the congregation will be hosting a guest speaker. The presentation will be part of Friday night services in February. Contact Roy Fruiterman.

FAIR TRADE EVENT

This fall event is an opportunity to shop for family, friends, and yourself in time for Chanukah. Patronize our fair trade vendors to help support the missions of these purposeful organizations. Contact Ellie Davis and Carol Smith.

FOUNDER’S DAY

This yearly event honors the founders of Reform Judaism. Congregants are invited to attend and  participate.

LEGACY CAMPAIGN

The Legacy Campaign is committed to educating fellow congregants on the value of and means to developing an endowment for BSRC, as well as acknowledging those who have provided a gift now or in their estate. A reception is usually planned annually to honor those who have earned a place in The Legacy Society. Contact Mimi Bruce.

PROGRESSIVE DINNER, VOLUNTEER DINNER/SHABBAT, WINE & CHEESE TASTING, LONGEVITY DINNER/SHABBAT

These bi-yearly events foster BSRC congregants getting to know each other via celebrations to increase their sense of connection. The Volunteer Dinner honors the many volunteers who bring new ideas and fresh energy, sustain all our current efforts, and keep our congregation running smoothly. Contact Bettina Stoller.

ROSH HASHANAH LUNCHEONS

The Rosh Hashanah luncheons are a longstanding B’nai Sholom tradition. Small groups are hosted in congregants’ homes after Rosh Hashanah morning services and are a great way to get to know your fellow worshippers. Annually, this team prepares Bulletin announcements, recruits hosts, and assigns the luncheon guests to hosts’ homes.

SUMMER BARBECUE, NEW MEMBER SHABBAT DINNER/ SHABBAT

We sponsor programs to foster connections among new and longstanding members. Contact Libby Liebschutz.

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE

The Finance Committee meets quarterly to oversee and plan the synagogue’s budget for the year as well as oversee the synagogue’s endowment and investments. Anyone with a non-profit finance or accounting background is welcome to join the committee.

ONGOING ACTIVITIES:

FINANCE

The Finance Team monitors congregational income and expenses throughout the year and prepares the annual budget for consideration by the Board. Contact Shari Whiting.

FUNdraising

The Fundraising Team develops and implements creative and interesting ways to raise funds for the synagogue. Some of the ongoing activities include offering Mishloach Manot bags at Purim, Honey from the Heart, Be a Kibbutznik, grocery store gift cards, CLYNK, sneaker recycling, Friends Helping Friends and a flower sale. We welcome new members and their ideas. Contact Shari Whiting.

GOT SNEAKERS? The B’nai Sholom Fundraising Committee has partnered with the Got Sneakers program as a way to not only raise funds but to help keep sneakers out of landfills as well. Did you know that at least 200 million pairs of sneakers end up in landfills just in the U.S. every year? As they degrade, they can then leach out toxic chemicals. We are trying to do our part to relieve this situation. When you donate your sneakers to us, we bag them up and ship them to Got Sneakers at no cost to us. The Got Sneakers company then provides reusable sneakers to people who can’t afford to buy new ones or recycles sneakers that are too worn out. These recycled sneakers are then used for playgrounds and other worthy causes. So please donate your unwanted sneakers to us (the collection box is between the two sets of front doors) and ask your family, friends, and neighbors to donate their sneakers too. B’nai Sholom gets paid based on the condition of the sneakers and all donated sneakers get kept out of the landfill, so it’s a win-win! Contact Amy Sternstein

CEMETERY

B’nai Sholom’s cemetery is a picturesque and peaceful dedicated section of the Elmwood Hill Cemetery in Troy, New York. For information and to see pictures of the cemetery or to purchase a cemetery privilege, please contact the office. Contact Arthur Alowitz.