Introducing Eliana Hall, our new Interim Director of Education
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Dear Friends,
Allow me to introduce you to Eliana Hall, who will serve as our Interim Director of Education for the 2013 – 2014 academic year. As part of the Reboot of the GRS Religious School, Eliana will work with the program currently being developed by our Educational Consultant, Wendy Grinberg. Eliana will assume her role in mid-June.
A graduate of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education of the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles (as well as the Jerusalem campus), and having served as a Clinical Pastoral Intern of Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, Eliana holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Mills College in Oakland California. With a wealth of formal and informal teaching and youth experiences, creative programing, curriculum development of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, organizational and administrative skills, and an upbeat personality, we look forward to Eliana as part of our team for the coming year.
In the coming months, I will be sharing more details as the Reboot of the GRS Religious School unfolds. Indeed there is much excitement on the horizon!
L'Shalom,
Rabbi Andy
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MA, MSW, RJE
Confirmation & Shavuot Service
Sabrina & Friends Sing Broadway and Opera
GRS Young Families Initiative
GRS is pleased to announce a new initiative beginning on July 1, aimed at young families, offering special pricing and more affordable membership and school tuition for families with young children.
Any new (non-member) family with at least one adult under age 40 (excluding adult children), or at least one child in the third grade or under, are eligible to participate in this program.
If you know of anyone who has been thinking about starting their children in religious school, this is a great time for them to get in touch.
The redesigned Religious School program will launch in September 2013. Researched and planned with the help of a nationally-known expert, the school incorporates “best practices” from across the country. The school’s underlying educational objective is the development of a positive, modern Jewish identity–one which incorporates both the needs of today’s Jewish families and the richness of Jewish tradition.
The discounts described in the Young Families Initiative are guaranteed to any family that registers (and then joins GRS prior to June 30, 2014.) The school will be tuition-free for 3rd grade and below. First year membership dues will be 20% of the then-current dues (an 80% discount), and will "step-up" each subsequent year. Second year membership will be 40% of then-current dues, third year 60%, etc., until regular dues are reached in the fifth year. GRS may cease to offer the Young Family Initiative to additional registrants at any time, so register now to guarantee your eligibility.
For more information, contact Executive Director, Stephanie Glaser at 203-629-0018 x-1001 or at stephanieglaser@grs.org.
To register CLICK HERE.
Family Service & Dinner at the home of Rabbi Andy & Susan Sklarz
Please join us as we celebrate our Family Shabbat Service where we will hear our youth choir, B'nai Shir, sing, followed by dinner and an Oneg Shabbat.
A Membership Survey Has Been Sent!
In November, I wrote about the “Plan to Make the Plan”—embarking on the process of making GRS a more effective and sustainable organization. This concept doesn’t mean we don’t do things well now—GRS does many things well. But there is clearly a higher level we can reach, and in truth must reach, in order to serve our community better and to achieve a level of membership growth and satisfaction that is both evidence of the quality of what we do and also assures financial stability.
There are several initiatives under way, which will be described in the weeks to come. One of the most important is a Membership Survey.
The purpose of the membership survey is to:
- Measure our performance and perceived quality
- Create benchmarks against which to measure future performance
- Provide input into our process of continuous improvement and planning
You should have received a survey in early April. I want to stress the importance of your participation. Our goal is a 100% response rate to ensure that we hear all congregant voices. The data collection, analysis, and reporting will be handled by an independent third party, Measuring Success ( http://measuring-success.com/community/ ) , a firm that has worked in the Jewish world for 10 years to develop tools to assist non-profits to measure performance.
Measuring Success will conduct the survey itself and handle all of your survey responses confidentially. GRS will receive an aggregate report of the results and will not have access to individual survey responses (unless you choose to self-identify).
We encourage you to tell us what you think we’re doing right, what we can improve on, and what is important to you. Your input is valuable information and we fully intend to act upon the results of this survey. If you don’t tell us, we’ll never know!
Thank you in advance for your participation in this important project. Please let us know if you have not received the survey.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at rbirnbaum@grs.org.
Passover 1st Night Seder
Please join us as we celebrate the first night of Passover with a Seder at the home of Rabbi Andy and Susan Sklarz on Monday, March 25th at 6:30 pm.
- Appetizers (e.g. gefilte fish, chopped liver)
- Main courses (chicken, brisket, turkey, vegetarian)
- Side dishes (potatoes, vegetables, salad)
- Wine and grape juice
- Dessert
CLICK HERE TO RSVP by Wednesday, March 20th
A Membership Survey is coming!
In November, I wrote about the “Plan to Make the Plan”—embarking on the process of making GRS a more effective and sustainable organization. This concept doesn’t mean we don’t do things well now—GRS does many things well. But there is clearly a higher level we can reach, and in truth must reach, in order to serve our community better and to achieve a level of membership growth and satisfaction that is both evidence of the quality of what we do and also assures financial stability.
There are several initiatives under way, which will be described in the weeks to come. One of the most important is a Membership Survey.
The purpose of the membership survey is to:
- Measure our performance and perceived quality
- Create benchmarks against which to measure future performance
- Provide input into our process of continuous improvement and planning
You will receive an email inviting you to take the survey in early April. The survey will be conducted on-line. I want to stress the importance of your participation. Our goal is a 100% response rate to ensure that we hear all congregant voices. The data collection, analysis, and reporting will be handled by an independent third party, Measuring Success ( http://measuring-success.com/community/ ) , a firm that has worked in the Jewish world for 10 years to develop tools to assist non-profits to measure performance.
Measuring Success will conduct the survey itself and handle all of your survey responses confidentially. GRS will receive an aggregate report of the results and will not have access to individual survey responses (unless you choose to self-identify).
If we have multiple e-mail addresses for your member unit, you are welcome to each fill out your own survey.
We encourage you to tell us what you think we’re doing right, what we can improve on, and what is important to you. Your input is valuable information and we fully intend to act upon the results of this survey. If you don’t tell us, we’ll never know!
Thank you in advance for your participation in this important project. Please keep an eye on your email during the week of April 1st for the invitation to the membership survey.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at rbirnbaum@grs.org.
Passover First Night Seder
On Monday, March 25th, at 6:30 p.m., come celebrate the first night of Passover!
The Seder will be at the home of Rabbi Andrew and Susan Sklarz.
Guests are requested to contribute to the festive meal:
Appetizers (e.g. gefilte fish, chopped liver)
Main Courses (chicken, brisket, turkey, vegetarian)
Side Dishes (potatoes, vegetables, salad)
Wine
Dessert
Interested in Hosting a Family Shabbat?
"There's No Place Like Home"
Hosting Family Shabbat Services and Dinners in our Homes
Dear Friends,
The Yiddish word heimisha translates as "homey," but the implications are far greater.
In essence, heimisha suggests a warm, cozy, secure feeling.
Since the time our family arrived at GRS, we have found that amongst the wonderful qualities which make our congregational family so special, is that members graciously open their homes for temple events. Of course, this heimisha feeling especially prevails when we gather together for a service, particularly, a GRS Family Shabbat. Susan, our children and I so enjoy hosting Shabbatot and we invite you to have the opportunity to experience first hand, the mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim - Welcoming Guests.
As family services are always followed by dinner, the congregation will supply the main course, cutlery and paper goods, and even kitchen help. Guests are asked to bring side dishes or desserts. Thus we ask the host family to supply nothing more than their home for the evening! Everything needed for the service, including prayer books, candle sticks, kiddish cup and challah will all be delivered and set up in your home. Cantor Sabrina and I will offer the service, which will be enhanced by the heimisha feeling of Shabbat at home!
If you would be interested in hosting a Family Shabbat service (always the first Friday of the month), please let Stephanie know at stephanieglaser@grs.org.
L'Shalom,
Rabbi Andy
Rabbi Andy
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MA, MSW, RJE