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• The Religious School spent the month of December preparing for Hanukkah.  Students learned prayers and songs and enjoyed a Dreidel Olympics at the Family Shabbat service.
• Food for Thought provided food to 600 families for winter break. They have been increasing community partnerships and have received in-kind donations of most of the non-perishable food.
• We have a new Religious School student.
• Jane Kemp and Wendy Roth will chair the Purim carnival and will need many volunteers.
• We are looking for volunteers for a work party on January 8 to add new sand and mulch to the sandbox.
• Anna Stein and David Zimring will chair the Buildings and Grounds and the Security committees temporarily until new chairs can be found. Please contact them to volunteer.

• Our Purim carnival will be Sunday, March 5. We expect to have all the activities of our pre-Covid carnivals.
• Our Passover seder will be Saturday April 8. Seating will be limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis.
• GRIP is asking for volunteers to help serve and clean up on Thanksgiving Day.
  
• We will have a limited number of copies of the J in the lobby for members to pick up.
  
• Food for Thought is preparing to pack and distribute boxes of food to 600 families in 15 schools December 9-15.

Programs and Events

•  Chase McCrary will become a bar mitzvah at the Shabbat evening service Friday,
  October 21.
•  The GRIP Harmony Walk will be Saturday, October 22 at 9 AM at Nicholl Park, 3230
  Macdonald Ave. There will be a festival there after the walk 1-5 PM.
• We will celebrate Hanukkah at our enhanced Shabbat evening service on Friday,
  December 16. Religious School students will also celebrate on Sunday, December 11.
• Religious School students have been learning about the High Holy Days and
  celebrating Sukkot and Simchat Torah.
•  Our donations to the Richmond Emergency Food Pantry are overflowing. We need
  someone to co-ordinate with them.

Operations

• Brandy Mahrt is now our Office Manager.
• We will be getting additional estimates for redoing the parking lot and clearing brush.
• We are working on submitting a grant application for security enhancement.
• Finances are progressing, although there are still matters that need to be straightened
  out. We continue to have a positive net income, partly as a result of rent from last
  fiscal year which has now been paid. High Holy Day income was significantly lower
  this year.
• We will be updating our officers and bank signatories.
• Facebook ads for the High Holy Days and the Religious School had thousands of view
  and over a hundred clicks each.

Welcome to:

• New member Ahuva Simon-Saar.  Ahuva has been coming to services recently.
• New Office Manager Brandy Mahrt.  Brandy has started and will be training with John Maxson until the end of September. She can be reached at bmahrt@tbhrichmond.org. We appreciate the great job that John has done working in the office.
  

News

• High Holy Day services will be multi-access – indoors and on zoom. For those attending on zoom, prayer books may be checked out during office hours (Monday – Friday 1-5 PM).  If you need child care, please respond to David Zimring’s e-mail.
• Masks are not required, but are highly encouraged for all services, including High Holy Days.
• The High Holy Day appeal will be for Food for Thought.
• Youth Shabbats have been instituted the third Friday of the month before the service.
• Chase McCrary will become a bar mitzvah Saturday, October 22.
• Thanks to all who volunteered to help at the Solano Stroll.
• The GRIP Harmony Walk will be Saturday, October 22.
• We have a new lease with the Chinese for Christ North East-Bay Church.

• Religious School starts Sunday, August 28. Clean-up will be Sunday, August 21.
• Last call for tickets to Oakland A’s Jewish Heritage Day game August 28. Contact Larry Fox.
• High Holy Day services will be multi-access – indoors and on zoom. Elaina Genser has graciously volunteered to host our Rosh Hashanah afternoon get-together. The break fast will be noshes rather than a pot-luck dinner.
• We will be participating in the Solano Stroll, Sunday, September 11. Please volunteer to help staff our booth.
  Sheri Tattenham has been appointed to fill a Board vacancy. There are still vacancies; contact the Presidents if interested in the Board or a committee.
• We will be putting out boxes to collect unusable Hebrew sacred texts or papers with the name of God for the genizah.
• Food for Thought has started an emergency needs pilot program and so far has distributed half the available debit cards.
• Ralph Payton is the new Executive Director of GRIP. In addition to toiletries, a list of GRIP needs can be found at List of most needed items! – Greater Richmond Interfaith Program.

• Religious School starts Sunday, August 28. Clean-up will be Sunday, August 21.
• We will be participating in the Solano Stroll, Sunday, September 11.
• GRIP Harmony Walk is Saturday, October 22 at Nicholl Park. We are being asked to participate and have a table.
• Finances are progressing. The deficit for 2021-2022 has been greatly reduced, and now represents only loss of rent. We are working on recovering rent that has not yet been paid. Statements have been sent for 2021-2022 and will be sent shortly for 2022-2023. Thanks to the many members who have paid their dues and especially to those who have paid over and above their dues amounts.
• The HVAC project is completed and awaiting inspection.
• Office Manager Committee created to deal with the Office Manager situation.

• Religious School ended the year with a revived in-person mensch ceremony and a trip to the Contemporary Jewish Museum to enjoy the Jim Henson exhibit.
• There was a break-in last week. When they went into the sanctuary, the alarm went off as designed. The alarm panel was torn off the wall and destroyed. Nothing was taken; the panel was replaced; and the damage was repaired. Anyone wanting to enter the building when no one is there will need a new alarm code from Michelle.
• The HVAC ducts have been installed and the project is near completion. We need to decide whether to paint the ducts.
• Finances are progressing. Our deposits and bills paid are mostly current. We have received the Sprint and some other rental payments and some significant dues payments (Thank you!), which have cut our deficit almost in half. Arrangements still need to be made for statements and regarding tenants.
• TBH is now on Instagram. Please follow us. You can find us at @templebethhillel. Please let your contacts, especially young people, know.
  

• General Membership Meeting is multi-access on Sunday, June 5 at 11 AM.
• Approved contract to hire Marney Margules as Cantorial Soloist. Thank you to the search committee.
• New Interim Office Manager John Maxson is working to bring finances up to date. Most bills have been paid and checks have been deposited.
  We will continue to require medical grade masks, and we encourage social distancing. Visitors will be asked for proof of vaccination. Policies may change based on circumstances, but we expect to continue multi-access services.
• Marketing Committee is looking for new members.

Thanks to Anna Stein for chairing the March meetings.
Events
• We are no longer collecting booster information. Masks are required and social distancing is encouraged.
• Thanks for the seder and Yom HaShoah services. We hope to have them in person next year.
• Religious School prepared for Passover, and Mercedes Cohen helped the students bake. They plan to visit the Jim Henson exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum on June 12.

Operations
• The Cantor Search Committee is moving forward with negotiations to hire Marney Margules as Cantorial Soloist.
• A temporary Office Manager is expected to start on Monday to catch up on the backlog.
• Much of the HVAC work is done. They are waiting for some parts, with supply chain issues.
• The Marketing Committee is looking for new members as Audrey Berger becomes emerita. Considering contacting new home buyers in the area.
• Commendations to David Zimring and Larry Fox for gaining new members through the Religious School.

Social Action
• Presentation by Pastor Jones of SOS and J.W. Frye, CEO of Rebuilding Together (Formerly Christmas in April) East Bay North. Rebuilding Together works to provide homes for low-income seniors, disabled, and veterans. They are building tiny homes and training people re-entering the workforce. They are interested in supporting initiatives that we may already have. They are a fiscal agent for SOS, which is working with religious and community organizations to make their parking lots available for tiny homes on wheels and RVs. Procedures, supervision, incentives, progress so far were discussed. Four sites have started the permit process; none are operational yet. We will discuss these programs in a future meeting.
• Food for Thought is working on refining their bylaws and mission statement. They are continuing to discuss providing food in emergencies, including emergency food pantries and gift cards for grocery stores.

• Welcome New Members, Avi Goldman and Meg Postrero and their daughters Sanya and Netanya.  Sanya and Netanya have been attending Religious School, and we welcome the family to our community.
• Friday night services will be starting at 7:30 PM from now on. The April 1 service will be online only, since Rabbi Dean will be unavailable.
• The Cantor Search Committee is moving forward with negotiations to hire Marney Margules as Cantorial Soloist.
• Michelle Husby has asked for a leave of absence, and we are looking for a temporary Office Manager while she is unavailable.
• There will be an online Seder.
• The Purim Carnival worked out well. Since it was smaller than usual it was easier to organize, and people were able to enjoy each other.
• Religious School celebrated Purim by making hamentashen; the older students helped set-up and run the carnival games.