It’s our Anniversary, Let’s Celebrate

May 23, 2014  |   | Blog, Community

Dear Tamid members, friends, and supporters,

Today marks two years since we first gathered as a new congregation on a balmy NYC eve in 2012 and kindled the shabbat candles for the very first time.

I remember the feeling I had in that moment like it was yesterday. I was excited and nervous. Months of planning had gone into that evening and by 5:30 PM, the chapel was set. I sat with Rabbi Darcie and Basya to review the service plan once more, and then we waited and we waited.  By 5:50, there were two families in the pews, mine and Rabbi Darcie’s.

Then one family arrived, and another, and another, and by 6:15, there were over 80 of you in the pews. Basya sang a song of welcome, I stood up to say Shabbat Shalom in the Tamid way for the very first time, and as I looked around the room, my anxiety and nerves turned into a level of calm and a focus that I had never before experienced as a rabbi.

I remember thinking, these faces are the seeds of a congregation. The calling is to nourish their souls, cultivate their hearts and create a space for them to express their Judaism in a loving and joyful way – and over time, their lives will bind together as a congregation. I believe we are seeing the fruits of that vision and several images come to my mind on our anniversary day:

  • *Filling the most historic house of worship in New York City with the call of the Shofar that first Rosh Hashanah in 2012;
  • *Watching our teens in DHAP deliver food to the homeless in a subway station on a cold night last winter.
  • *Witnessing our B’nai Mitzvah students present their family trees at the Wall of Names on Ellis Island;
  • *Morning Prayer at Teen camp overlooking the lake;
  • *Seeing our congregation arm in arm, singing, and dancing at the end of Yom Kippur.
  • *Rescuing the Ark and Torah Scroll from the Meseritz Shul and traveling to Poland with our delegation;
  • *Presenting Tamid as a 21st Century synagogue model to 200 board members and trustees of the Reform Movement;
  • *Starting the Lower East Side Book Club
  • *Every bar/bat mitzvah ceremony, baby naming, bris, and funeral we’ve shared together.

The list of highlights goes on. I’m eternally grateful to all of you and to our Va’ad and Edah, our volunteers, the Vestry of Trinity Wall Street and their clergy, our teachers and faculty, our members and donors, and our synagogue and organizational partners.

In this spirit, we’ll gather on June 6th at 6 PM for a Gratitude Shabbat and for a casual dinner on the rooftop patio of 50 Murray Street in Tribeca. This will be an opportunity for us to welcome new members, thank our volunteers, and to share in the gratitude we have for each other and for Tamid. Please RSVP to Christina so we know how much food to arrange (cbroussard@tamidnyc.org).

Rabbi Darcie joins me in thanking each of your for giving us the opportunity to serve you with trust and with love – we are here for you and for your families and we are filled with gratitude.

Thank you for two wonderful years together and may our congregation go from strength to strength.

Shabbat Shalom,

Darren