You Belong Here

Dear Bet Shalom,

Just about three years ago, I wrote to you announcing the kickoff of the “You Belong Here” capital campaign.  We were in the middle of restoring our Torah scrolls and so excited to build for the future.  There may be no greater symbol of planning for the next generation than the restoration of and care for our sacred Torahs which contain our stories, values and ethics.  It was the right time for that campaign because in our diligence as an organization, we anticipated that a comprehensive fund-raising effort was required to enhance the sustainability of our congregation -- from the growth of our programs, to the engagement of our community, and to address the aging of our building.

But it was the wrong time for that campaign as we’d find out six months later when the pandemic hit the world.  So naturally we pressed pause and pivoted our efforts to support our members during such a challenging period.  I am so proud of our congregation for many reasons.  But I am particularly proud of how we cared for each other over the last couple of years and proved the value of kehilah kadosha - building sacred community.

Here we are three years later, and it is time to start again.  I am writing to you now to share that we are restarting the “You Belong Here” campaign.  We have hired an experienced consultant, Joshua Fogelson, a past  CEO of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, and we conducted a feasibility study last Fall.  Over the Spring months, we utilized the input from that study to inform this initiative. Now is the time to come together as a community to ensure our continued vitality as a congregation.

This summer we are in a quiet phase of the campaign with the plan of kicking off the public phase in September.  The different phases are in place because with more than 700 member units in the congregation, it will take a while for us to engage in the many meaningful conversations with our community that this dramatic undertaking deserves.  If you are interested in having a meeting with me and a fellow Bet Shalomian volunteering on our campaign committee, we will be happy to schedule it with you anytime - please send me an email! 

Everyone working on this campaign is doing so out of a love for Bet Shalom and an eagerness to ensure our solid financial footing for the future of our congregation.  I have found it so meaningful to get together and talk about Bet Shalom and the place it holds in the lives of our members.

Please take a few minutes and review carefully this linked document which outlines the needs of our congregation and the many ways this campaign will ensure our sustainability. Please note as well, that this year, there will not be a separate High Holiday fund raising campaign.  We want all efforts to go toward “You Belong Here.”

You do in fact belong here.  We have long known that Bet Shalom is far bigger than our building.  So the “here” is both our literal home in Minnetonka and wherever Bet Shalomians are together.  Bet Shalom is many things to many people and we keep creating it together.  In the next couple of weeks we will be publishing our High Holiday schedule along with some other opportunities to come together as a community.  And in between those opportunities, if you want to be connected to a small interest group in the community or to be matched up with others in the congregation, just let me know.  We are happy to help make those connections.  Those connections are what make our community sacred.  

I wish you all the best for a peaceful summer in Minnesota.

Rabbi David Locketz