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2022 Brotherhood Shabbat Speech

By Max Brown
Shabbat Shalom and Boker Tov.  I’d like to thank all the Brotherhood members who participated in today’s Brotherhood Shabbat.  They include Steve Keyser, Harlie Frankel, Gary Kodner, Donn Rubin, Jeremy Buhler, Monroe Ginsberg, Abe Horowitz, Benj Singer, Jaron Asher and Jim Singman.  And thanks, and welcome to Creighton Cohn, past president of B’nai Amoona Men’s Club and current president of the Midwest Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs and Jay Englander, past  president of B’nai Amoona Men’s Club and vice president, Midwest Region Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs.  Thanks to Jonathon Belsky for helping to keep our leyners together.  Hello to Bob Olshan who is watching from sunny and warm southern California.
Our Brotherhood produces some wonderful events, but our worker bees are getting up there in age.  The Brotherhood is well represented by men in their 70s.
It’s not your father’s Brotherhood anymore ‒ it’s your grandfather’s Brotherhood.  And we just are not attuned to what younger men want or expect.
We need some young blood, to change that dynamic, but we are struggling to recruit younger members and officers, especially a president.  Kol Rinah has a lot of men of all ages; in fact, Kol Rinah has 86 men under the age of 60. 
With a good deal of head scratching and some wise thinking from Rabbi Arnow, we have come to realize that in addition to being out of tune with younger men’s needs, we have gotten off track with our mission’s emphasis to involve MEN in Jewish life.  So now, Brotherhood is embarking on a rejuvenation! 
The Kol Rinah Brotherhood had been rolling along after easily merging the Shaare Zedek Men’s Club and Brith Shalom Men’s Club several years ago.  Each club had a long and celebrated history that grew stronger with the merger.  In the tradition of men’s clubs, one generation would follow in the footsteps of the passing generation.  In the spirit of l’dor v’ dor, the clubs would pass the leadership on to the next generation to manage the club and activities as that new generation saw fit.  The time has come to pass the leadership of Kol Rinah’s Brotherhood to the next generation.
To help with this passing we are introducing Decade Captains to help shepherd the men in their respective decade.  We are planning focus groups comprised of the next generations with a goal to create innovative programs that appeal to younger men.  This transfer requires volunteers.  So, gentlemen, please be prepared to say, “Yes,” when we call you.

 

Thu, May 22 2025 24 Iyyar 5785