President's Message

 

Kol Rinah as a whole is doing well given the extreme conditions and safety protocols we operate under. We were not able to open our new building as planned and we miss our in-person gatherings, kiddushes, and celebrations. But we are surviving. Kol Rinah has adapted and stayed strong and viable. In fact much has been accomplished. We learned how to use Zoom meetings and stream our services. We reopened our ECC and KoREH religious school. We succeeded in accomplishing our Phase 1 Capital Campaign goals. We completeed Phase 1 construction. We started a second campaign for our ECC and began that buildout. We also kept our staff employed, and received a large government PPP loan to help.

 

Of course every year has unique challenges and unexpected road blocks. But we learn how to adjust and deal with them, using courage, innovation and determination. I would say Kol Rinah exceeded my expectations in a very extraordinary year. We remain financially strong and continue to plan and build for our future.

 

I still remember our February 2020 board meeting (our last LIVE meeting). One of the board members asked Marsha Sokol Anderson about the Corona virus and how serious it was. At that time we knew so little. The President of the United States was telling us it was a minor thing. “a few isolated cases and it would disappear very quickly”. I personally thought it would be like the annual flu season and we might see 30- 40 thousand cases, but life would go on as usual. Marsha warned us that this is “going to be a big deal. Don’t listen to what politicians say. Take precautions, it will infect thousands” She turned out to be right. The board has not met live since that date.

 

As more people get vaccinated, we get a little more anxious to break out, drop our guards, return to life as it was before COVID. We are not out of the woods yet. Life may not return exactly as we remember it. But we will persevere. We will continue to be cautious. Kol Rinah will not just survive this, we will adjust and build a better future!