Blog

As I reflect upon my first year as Temple Israel’s President of the Board of Trustees, I realize I have so much gratitude for this wonderful community. While I must confess, I never had any intention of serving as President, and in fact was completely gobsmacked when I was asked if I would consider this position, I have come to discover this truly is my favorite job that I never applied for!

For as long as I have been a member of TI, I have always leaned in on this community, for all things, big and small. To name a few: A recommendation for a professional service or specialist, a babysitter, a tutor, and perhaps one of the most extraordinary requests – extra freezer storage for my breastmilk during a power outage many years ago. My TI family has always been here to help me 100% of the time! However, serving as President has given me a new and unique perspective of the dedication and commitment it takes to run such a successful organization. I believe our congregation is blessed not only with such talented rabbinical staff, but an incredibly competent and dedicated staff from the front of the house to the back. This has been especially apparent over this past year, as we have all been on high alert for threats to our community. 

This past year, in addition to maintaining the building, running the schools, the business office, and everything in between, this staff has ensured the safety of our families and guests, every single day, all while facing threats of antisemitism and fears many of us feel when we find ourselves in Jewish settings. This dedication and commitment results in creating a welcoming and warm environment that is apparent not only in everyday interactions with our members and guests, but even comes through our live-streamed services. What other congregation can boast about increasing the number of member families during a pandemic, when online services were the only option? And since then, countless people residing in other parts of the country have reached out expressing their admiration and gratitude for TI and have even donated to our Congregation because they are so taken with our online Shabbat and holiday services.

"I stumbled upon your online Rosh Hashanah service. Your service was exceptional." 
-Barbara, Illinois  

"I am very appreciative of the ability to watch a live stream of your high holiday services. The services are excellent. Please use this donation in any way you choose." 
-Judy, Kansas 

"I have become much more Jewish since October and Rabbi Alper said everything I am feeling [in his sermon]. Thank you for streaming."
-Nicole, Texas 

In addition welcoming new families into our Congregation, we also see Deutsch Early Childhood Center (DECC) and our Religious & Hebrew School programs continuing to grow. It has been a long-term vision to expand our community through enrollment in DECC, and the fact that families who send their children to preschool here decide to then register for Religious School and become members, speaks volumes about the warmth of belonging at TI. This year alone we have a B’nai Mitzvah scheduled almost every single weekend.

All of this means we are keeping our two Senior Rabbis very busy! We hope to keep them just as busy for many years to come – at least 20 more – as such long-term contracts were negotiated with both Rabbi Amy and Rabbi Michael earlier this year. We celebrated this wonderful news at one of our most well-attended Gala events over the summer. 

Finally, while we were sad to see Rachel Wallis Andreasson step down as TI’s Executive Director — a role in which she had served for the past 7 years — we were so fortunate to have welcomed Martina Stern, a long-time TI staff member, as our new Executive Director. 

On a more somber note, I would be remiss not to acknowledge the scary world we currently inhabit. The global rise in antisemitism has been painful and difficult to experience and witness. I also recognize that these difficult circumstances have drawn us closer to one another, and closer to our Judaism. Although the current global events are completely out of our control, how we choose to respond to them is not. We are so much stronger as a community than as individuals, and this is why I encourage every one of you to consider how you may step up to participate in our Congregation. There are so many ways for you to get involved in ways you find most meaningful. Whether you are new to TI, or part of a multi-generational family here, I ask you to take a few moments to review the many options to get involved (more information to the right). It’s never too late to make a new friend, to participate in a volunteer event, or to make Friday night Temple night. 

However you decide to participate, I would love to learn more about you! One of my goals for my first year in the presidency was to meet and get to know more TI members. I’m so pleased to share that I now do know so many of you and acknowledge that there are so many more I can’t wait to meet! I invite you to reach out to me at president@ti-stl.org; I’d love to get together for a Shabbat service, a coffee date, a nosh, or a walk! 

In good health,

Amy Knoblock-Hahn
president@ti-stl.org