Kulanu Board Retreat in New York

March 29, 2015

Kulanu board members are joined by Rabbi Sussman for Havdalah at the Kulanu Board retreat, March 6-8, 2015.

Five members of the Kulanu Board gathered at the home of Kulanu Vice-President Bonita Nathan Sussman and her husband, Rabbi Gerald Sussman, in Staten Island, NY, earlier this month. The board together enjoyed Shabbat services at the Sussmans’ synagogue and a night of live music. Special guests Irwin and Elaine Berg came to visit, with Mordechai and Miriam Feinberg tuning in via Skype for a panel on the volunteers’ experiences in Zimbabwe. Board member and Latin America Coordinator Daneel Schaechter Skyped in from Sao Paulo, Brazil, where the Shil do Tatuape community was celebrating the Torah they received from Kulanu (donated by Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in New York) — it was fun to sing and celebrate all together!

This was the first weekend retreat the Kulanu Board has had since 2009, and a lot has changed in those five and a half years: many of our communities have grown and made great strides in their Jewish education and practice, and we have also welcomed many new communities that are just beginning to reconnect with the wider Jewish world. Recognizing the growth and expansion of the Kulanu network was inspiring, and “all of us” are eager to see where we will go next!

In addition, we elected two new board members, Isaac Reshad and Judi Kloper, and voted our appreciation for outgoing board members Jack Zeller (still President Emeritus), Judy Manelis, and Marcy Stein.

Do you want to be part of this challenging, yet fulfilling, work? Nominate yourself (or someone you know) to join the Kulanu Board, or apply to be editor of the Kulanu magazine! Go to www.kulanu.org/volunteer now to find out what it takes to be a Kulanu leader. Thanks so much!