MyBnai Blog

Rosh Hashana Speech - Dr. Shalom Amselem (Board President)

Shanna Tova

On behalf of the board of directors, it is my pleasure to welcome our congregants, their families, and all of our guests to Bnai Sephardim.

I have a confession to make.

When I was growing up, I really disliked the high holidays. As a rabbi’s son, I was exposed to the stress associated with preparing for the most important days for the synagogue of the whole year.

The importance of reaching fundraising goals were always present and they manifested themselves in my home. This made for a very unpleasant experience. Now the pressures are still there but they are of a different nature.

Invitation to Join and Participate

As I was contemplating what to speak about, I started wondering why we

are all here today. The obvious answer is because it is Rosh Hashana and Jews are supposed to be in synagogue on Rosh Hashana. I believe we are all here for different reasons, but mostly because we want to connect with hakadosh baruchu.  

 We are here because we are hungry to find communities of meaning that can support us in our search for spirituality and wisdom.

 We are here because we want to be engaged.

 We are here because we want to be connected to the community.

Our nature is to desire to be a part of something greater than us. Pirke Avot tells us “do not separate yourself from the community”. The Talmud takes it us a step further and teaches us that “Any person who works for the needs of the community it is as if that person is studying Torah”.

The lesson here is that we must, not only be a part of the community, but also take an active role in the community.  To those of you who are deeply engaged now, I want to thank you. And to those of you who are still on the fence, the ones sitting on the sidelines, the ones that need proof that our synagogue Bnai Sephardim needs you, or the ones who are waiting to see if we have truly “changed”.

You are the ones we are really after. You know who you are. You sometimes sit apart, maybe you are feeling alienated, maybe you were offended, misunderstood or disappointed.

Well, during this time of self-reflection, I am here to offer you our sincere apology. But, more importantly, I am here to offer you an opportunity. One that I guarantee you will not regret.

I want to invite all of you to come and join us, or rejoin us if you wish. If you have suggestions for improvement but never joined a committee, join one, or better yet, create one. If you have a passion for something that might help enlighten all of us, please share it.

Our ears are open, and more importantly, our hearts are open.

Positive Changes in the Community

This year will be a defining one for our community. As you may have noticed, things have been gradually changing for the better. We are very fortunate to have Rabbi Yaakov Laredo and his lovely wife Sarah with us. It is no small matter the appointment of a new rabbi to help lead an established community.

Although he is young in years, he more than makes up for it in his poise and wisdom. He will be working on a variety of programs and services for our members and supporters in the coming weeks.

I would like to mention just a few of the changes that have been taking place recently and hope that you are enjoying:

 Shaharit daily classes with breakfast

  Daily Classes before minha

 Shabbat afternoon class

 New youth program on Shabbat

  Women’s classes

 A more efficient and punctual tefila with increased participation of members and children with the help of our Hazan and Rabbi

 Weekly Shabbat Kiddush

 We are working on a teen program with NCSY

 We have started to reach out to all local synagogues and schools, specifically BMA and Yeshiva Boca.

 We have improved our social media exposure as well as our website and communications system.

 Soon we will have a simpler and more effective text messaging system to communicate about special events. I promise it will not be abused.

On a more important scale, I’m currently in discussions with a potential caterer that is interested in taking on our social hall project.

We are very excited about the possibilities this will open. Imagine finally having our Campus finished once and for all. With a Mikveh, a small chapel, classrooms and offices, maybe even our very own bet Midrash. This and a lot more exciting opportunities are coming our way this year B”H.

Thanking Our Volunteers

All of this and more would not be possible without our single most important resource:

Our volunteers. Our volunteers are the backbone and greatest strength of this community. Without them our accomplishments would not be possible.

I want to thank each and every one of you. I admire you for your dedication and readiness to give freely of your time, energy and talents.

Asking For Patience

I also want to fully acknowledge that all of these changes that you are seeing are exciting but sometimes difficult for some of us.

I ask you to be patient.

It is no secret that our membership has been in decline for some time now.

We once were a vibrant and healthy community with a solid membership base. However, to be honest, that was a long time ago. We have been running this synagogue by the seat of our pants for some time now.

So the way I like to look at things is in a positive light.

We have an opportunity to start over.

We will look at any given problem, and although I understand that there isn’t a single cause of all failures, we will try different ways to solve them. If problem persists then we will try something else. But, make no mistake about it, there will be growing pains involved. I have no doubt. We have experienced them in the last few weeks.

But as a Rabbi, I respect dearly told me, Shalom, this is normal and “then the baby comes out” and all is well.   

Closing Remarks

If you would have told me last year that at this time I would be serving as your interim President and standing here before you this holiday, I would have told you, you need to have your head examined.

It is now clear, that the one who needs his head examined is me.

It seems that not much has changed for me in the last 40 years. The High Holiday season that was once unpleasant to me as a child is now unpleasant for me in a different manner.

Yes, like every year, at this time we must appeal to your generosity.

The business of running a synagogue is not a simple one. Of course, all of the synagogue’s work does not come free or cheap. It requires each and every one of us to participate in any way possible.

So I plead with you, when we do our auctions, dig deep. I can assure you that this time it will be for a good cause. I promise you the reward will be greater than you could imagine. During the building of the bet hamikdash everyone participated in relation to their means. We want all of you to be a part of this new chapter in Bnai Sephardim Shaare Shalom of Hollywood.

This Rosh Hasahana, I pray that in the coming year we will realize that we can achieve a great deal more as a community than any one of us can achieve as an individual. And that all the powerful moments we are lucky enough to experience will sustain and nurture us along this sacred Jewish journey together.

May we all be inscribed in the book of life.

On behalf of myself, my wife Michelle, and the rest of my family, I wish you a happy, healthy, and sweet new year.

Shana Tova