It is the function of the President to preside, as chairperson, at meetings
of the Board of Directors and to call meetings of the general membership.
The president is an ex-officio member of all committees without the right
to vote, except to break a tie. The President may establish non-Standing
committees to carry out express duties for the welfare of the congregation.

Ruth Anne Koenick
Ruth Anne Koenick
When Paul and I moved to NJ 27 years ago, we wanted our young son to start Sunday school and so I shul shopped and decided that convenience had its benefits. I would join the closest shul that offered some of the things I valued. I have searched for the right word to explain that experience and still have not found it, but appalled is one of them, when, as some of you know, a local conservative synagogue told me that I and my son Joshua, Tzvi Hersch Yehoshua, named for my father, couldn't join because I had married out of our faith. That was truly a life defining, perhaps life altering moment, for it kept me away from my roots, from my passion for conservative Judaism, for many years, going from shul to shul to shul, until I came home to B'nai Tikvah just 9 short years ago. Today, I am almost thankful that they turned me away because it brought me here and although I am not a native of B'nai Tikvah, I, like you, have found sanctuary in this building and with you.

Think about what brings you to here because we each have our reasons, we each have made life defining decisions about our involvement and for many of us, it is a simple decision, we are Jews and this is what we do. We have a mezuzah on our door, we have a bris or a naming, we crush a glass at a wedding, we toast 'l'chaim' and we focus, sometimes obsessively on food and always have more than is needed, because we are Jews. We may even look at names in newspapers identifying with pride those names that are Jewish and feel a sense of shame when a Jewish person has done something wrong. Today we come together to atone for our sins. Why? Simple. We are Jews.

We are a kind, generous, and loving congregation and we rise to the occasion when someone is in need. Just last week 25-30 people responded to the request to help the Wolkoffs prepare their home for shiva, people drove hours to Scranton to stand with our Rabbi as he buried his father. And, I have received a multitude of phone calls and emails from our congregants and from those in Savannah asking what they can do to help. We are a devoted and caring group of people. And we make life decisions so that we can provide that model for our children.