Executive Director

I hope everyone had a nice and meaningful Pesah and enjoyed your time with family and friends. And hopefully you enjoyed some downtime as well (I did). Below are excerpts of my report at the Board of Directors meeting last night: 

At our Board meeting last month I reported that I received notice from FEMA of confirmation that a payment of 78k had been approved for reimbursement of PPE expenses incurred in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 and that we were just waiting for the check to arrive. Well, we did indeed receive that check for 78k, and we applied for an additional $8,000 of PPE expenses under a different project with FEMA for items that weren’t on the approved list of the previous project.

I also mentioned last month that we retained a company to assist us in our application for the Employee Retention Credit from the IRS. As previously discussed this credit is for organizations measurably impacted by significant revenue loss during COVID closures. The initial documentation has been submitted and we are waiting to hear about next steps. This whole process can take about 6 months. 

We landed on a date to conduct a congregational security drill. On Tuesday, May 16 at 6:45pm we will be conducting security training on responding to an active shooter event. It is very important to have a plan in place for worst case scenarios, and to conduct drills to practice those plans. We recently conducted Run/Hide/Fight active shooter drills with faculty, staff, and clergy, and it is time once again to practice these drills with the congregation at large. So, whether you are a Shabbat “regular,” or only attend services occasionally, we highly encourage and recommend that you attend this drill on May 16 which will last approximately one hour. The training will be held in the main sanctuary, and the drills will be conducted by the JFED Security team. This training is open to the entire congregation, and we are hoping to get as many attendees as possible. 

I have a couple of updates as it relates to changes in front office administrative staff. Laura Padersky has been promoted to Office Manager. In addition to retaining clergy administrative support functions, Laura P will also take on additional supervisory responsibilities, as well as oversight of procurement of supplies and other administrative expenses. Laura P will also be the affiliate group liaison as it relates to workflow management and project support. Laura Leibman and Ruth will continue to be the welcoming voice and face for callers and visitors, and Laura L will also move into an Administrative Coordinator role to provide support in multiple areas including various I.T. initiatives.

In a few moments we will hear from Marc Oppen about our financials, including our current year trending report and the budget for FY24. I want to thank Marc, and the rest of the budget committee, Caryn Spector, Marty Chazin, and Alison Shapiro, as well as Alex Weinberg, Annie Siegel, and Cyndi Zippilli, for the countless hours each of you have put in with preparing the FY24 budget. It is very much appreciated. 

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom, and I look forward to seeing you in shul! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can always reach out to me at rons@tbsonline.org or (856) 751-6663 x218.
B’Shalom,
Ron Safier
Executive Director