With Gratitude and Hope for What’s Ahead

On May 28, Temple Israel gathered for its Annual Meeting – a time to reflect on the year’s accomplishments, acknowledge dedicated leaders, and look ahead to the future. During the evening, outgoing President Fran Rickenbach delivered heartfelt remarks, sharing her reflections on two years of leadership, the strength of our community, and her hopes for what lies ahead:

It has been my distinct honor to serve as the president of Temple Israel for these past two years.  I set my goal to help strengthen the Temple Israel community.  I am delighted we have welcomed many new members – both Jews by birth and Jews by choice – and have already benefited by their energy, enthusiasm, and engagement in our Temple Israel community.

Almost 20 months ago, we watched in horror the atrocities committed against Israel on October 7.  We stand firmly by Israel, acknowledging that while we may not agree with all their policies and actions, we do support their right to ensure the safety and security of its nation.

Even before October 7, the growing tide of antisemitism had touched Temple Israel. With the excellent support of the Dayton Police Department and the Jewish Security Network, both our building and our members remain safe.

But with the horrific assassination of Yaron Lischinsky, who grew up in Israel and Germany, and Sarah Milgrim, who was from Prairie Village, Kan., outside the Capital Jewish Museum last week in Washington DC, we are all aware that this tide of antisemitism has not yet peaked.

As we continue to pray for peace for Israel and the Middle East, we also take a moment to pray for peace, civility, and stability here at home. We recognize that our Reform Jewish devotion to social action calls us to do what we can to protect the rights of all citizens in our community, state and nation.

There are so many people who contribute their knowledge, expertise, and commitment to our values and vision of Temple Israel as board members, committee chairs, members, religious school teachers, Jewish Cultural Festival volunteers, lay lead service leaders and more.  If I were to name you all, it would include almost our entire membership! 

I do want to take a moment to thank the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for their support during my presidency. Carol Graff is not only our secretary, but greeter for our Friday evenings services, ensuring that all members and visitors feel welcome.  Skip Becker has served for the past three years providing his guidance and support.  He is stepping down to spend more time with his family and to allow different representation in our leadership.

Our Board of Directors adopted a new succession plan that will encourage more frequent turnover on our Executive Committee. Rick Goldberg has served tirelessly as our Treasurer for 12 years and has our most grateful thanks for his excellent stewardship.  He will continue to serve our Temple Israel community as Brotherhood Brunch chair, Festival parking coordinator, and High Holidays usher coordinator.

Also stepping down is Linda Novak, as she concludes her term of Past President.  Her many, many contributions are most appreciated, including the fine slate of board members we will be voting on shortly.  Linda has been successful in implementing our leadership succession plan by bringing fresh talent to our board of directors.  Linda has been an excellent mentor to me.  Often my mantra has been, What would Linda do?And it has served me – and our Temple community well.

It is my pleasure to hand over the mantle of leadership to Steve Katchman as our new President.  Temple Israel will face many challenges in the next two years and I am confident that he will meet them with wisdom and fortitude.  He will welcome Dennis Lieberman as Vice President, Wendy Gray as our new Treasurer, and Robin Moore as our Member at Large.

Have I accomplished all I wanted to as President? No.  I stand willing and able to continue to work with Steve and the Executive committee as we meet our many challenges ahead.

Our community is blessed with fantastic staff, lead by Suzanne Shaw.  Jodi Phares, Marketing and Communications Manager, Jessica Ragno, Bookkeeper, Ellen Fink-McCarthy and Annette Stodgill serve so well as our administrative team.  In fact, when Suzanne was not able to be at Temple for Yom Kippur, they all stepped in so that everything was handled flawlessly.

Our bima team of Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz and Rabbi Tina Sobo continue to support our community with their pastoral, liturgical, and educational skills. Courtney Cummings graces us with beautiful music and will continue to do so for the High Holidays. And, with the diligence of Scott Francis, our building remains both clean and inviting.

In a few minutes, we will be awarding our annual God Squad Award to two of our outstanding volunteers.  But each of you in the congregation offers your unique talents that continue to ensure that we are a community that cares for each other.

We thank each of you, whether here in the room or reading this online. Together, we are working to make our community, the Temple Israel community, stronger and more meaningful for each of us