From The President

Dear Congregants and Friends,

I am still kvelling about the wonderful Purim Party that we held on March 23, in conjunction with NEFESH. Over 80 people of all ages joined us in celebration and community, in spite of the winter storm that unfortunately meant that some folks were snowed in and unable to attend. We acted out the Purim story, heard words of the Megillah, danced to the rousing music of Joe Alper and his band, and enjoyed delicious Vietnamese food catered by 328 North. There were Purim themed crafts for the kids and time for adults to socialize around cafe tables. Deep thanks go to Rabbi Jarah Greenfield, Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, and Shira Sternberg for organizing this amazing event, to Jen Burt and her family for helping with set up, decoration, cleanup, and for baking delicious hamantaschen, and to the many others who helped with crafts, set up, ushering, parking, and all the other tasks that make such an event go smoothly.

With one holiday behind us, we are actively planning for our Second Night Community Passover Seder on Tuesday, April 23. Once again, it will be a full, kosher for Passover dinner, led by Rabbi Rachel and catered by Jen Burt and family. This is always a wonderful community and family-friendly celebration and I hope you will join us if you’ll be in the area. The deadline to register is coming up soon – Monday, April 8 – so please click here for details and to RSVP.

As you may remember, at our Annual Meeting in November, the congregation voted to move the Annual Meeting to May. This year, it will be on Wednesday, May 29, at 7:30pm in-person and via Zoom. Official notice will be sent via email. The Board is proposing a few additional changes to the Bylaws, and in preparation for that, we will be holding an open listening meeting on Zoom on Wednesday, May 8 at 7:30pm to discuss these proposed revisions. Please join us.

As spring and summer approach and we think about the coming year, we are thrilled to be planning to celebrate Rabbi Rachel’s 13th year as the spiritual leader of CBI. Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 16, when Rabbi Rachel will be called to the Torah during Shabbat morning services to mark the milestone occasion of her rabbinate’s b-mitzvah, followed by dinner and dancing at an evening celebration. We are blessed to have had Rabbi Rachel in this role, guiding us through challenging times, and we look forward to many more years together. Please let the CBI office know if you’d like to join the planning committee, co-headed by Wendy Penner and Suzanne Graver.

Wishing you Chag Pesach Sameach – a sweet and joyous Passover with family and friends.

— Natalie Matus