Endowment Funds at Work

Fiscal Year 2021- 2022

This past year our Endowment Fund provided funding benefitting our congregational family of over $580,000 – an increase of over $100,000 from last year.  This allocation supplemented our clergy salaries, significantly supported our technology, communications and facility improvements, and provided many of the enrichments and programming which were more plentiful with covid restrictions being lifted. 

 

Following are highlights of how these funds impacted our congregation during this past year:

SUPPORTING OUR CLERGY TEAM — $111,050
  1. A meaningful contribution to help support our clergy to serve our congregation, including the senior rabbinic and cantorial positions (Rabbi Jonathan Miller Enduring Legacy Fund and the Ruth & Marvin Engel Cantorial Fund).
  2. Partial funding of the Rabbi Emeritus retirement package (Miller Retirement Fund).
ENHANCING OUR PROGRAMMING — $265,180

ENHANCING WORSHIP & RITUAL

  1. The purchase of a number of new prayerbooks, Mishkan T’filah, for our congregation’s Shabbat worship (Reese Family Fund and Margaret & Maurice Salloway Legacy Fund).
  2. High Holy Day enhancements this past year included the magnificent choir, the beautiful flowers adorning the bima and Break-the-Fast take-away bags (Ruth & Marvin Engel Cantorial & High Holy Day Choir Fund, Andrew Abroms Memorial Flower Fund, and Sherron & Allan Goldstein Break-the-Fast Fund).
  3. Occasional performances by the new bima band, “The Graftones” and a newly formed quartette —  both musically enhancing our worship services throughout the Spring (Ruth & J.D. Rosenberger Music Fund and Barrye & Jay Ziff Cultural Arts Fund).
  4. A few milestone events including Cantor Wittner’s installation, the lovely luncheon following the baby naming of Rachel & Rabbi Wright’s twins and the Annual Congregational Meeting honoring our volunteers (Ruth & Marvin Engel Music Fund, Sherron & Allan Goldstein Fund, Hannah & Hyman Goldstein Volunteer Fund and Muncy Harris Abroms Cultural Arts Fund). 
  5. Underwriting a portion of the Music Director’s salary, as well as the wonderful evening to honor Paul Mosteller’s 30-year tenure as our organist and choir director (Joan & Milton Jacobson Cultural Arts Fund)  
  6. A number of holiday programs including special treats for Hanukkah and the young adult Purim celebration, as well as our traditional congregational Purim Spiel and Passover Seder (Ellen & Jack Aland Membership Engagement Fund, Muncy Harris Abroms Cultural Arts Fund, and Faye & Norris Friedman Social Enrichment Fund).

CARING FOR OUR CONGREGANTS AND GREATER COMMUNITY

  1. Welcome packages delivered to each of our new members and holiday bags distributed to our older or infirmed congregants throughout the year (Ellen & Jack Aland Membership Engagement Fund and Leona & Marvin Cherner Caring Community Fund ).
  2. Leadership training for our Temple and Endowment Boards ((Nina & Noman Cohen Next Generation Fund).
  3. Sponsorship of our Tikkun Olam Committee’s annual Mitzvah Day, involving a morning of work on several social action endeavors, as well as projects to support our own Hineynu / Caring Committee (Hermione & Edward Friend Community Fund).
  4. Community Israel program and dinner with a documentary featuring former Israeli Prime Minister Begin (Steiner Interfaith Fund).
  5. Support of the Hillel Connections initiative – providing housing and programming, connecting area university student interns to our Birmingham Jewish community (Nina & Norman Cohen Next Generation Fund).

EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN

  1. A significant grant providing for administration, plus technology support for our youth & education program  (Gail & Jeffrey Bayer Fund for Religious Education). 
  2. Several engaging programs for all ages, including sweets and treats on the first and last days of religious school; plus a number of special creative learning opportunities for each of the grades including themed sessions about the Holocaust, Israel, Elijah’s cups and yads, as well as those featuring Red Mountain Theatre and a Playmaking Residency program (Gail & Jeffrey Bayer Fund for Religious Education, Ives Family Religious School Fund, Lee & Stanley Elsas Teens Fund, Leah Marks Teen Education Fund and Betty & Robert Loeb Education Fund).

FOSTERING YOUTH INVOLVEMENT

  1. Four (4) students redeemed their bonds presented upon completion of their bar/bat mitzvah for participation in a Jewish activity or summer camp (Max Friedman Youth Experience Bond)
  2. Financial assistance scholarships and a recognition award further enabled six (6) teens to participate in Jewish summer camps (Barbara Abrams & Julian Aland Scholarship Fund, Betty Allenberg Goldstein Camp Jacobs Scholarship Fund, Diana & Sidney Patterson Scholarship Fund and Lester Siegel Scholarship Fund)

ADVANCING OUR TECHNOLOGIES & COMMUNICATIONS

  1. The annual fees for the live-stream webcast of Shabbat and holiday worship services (“Our Temple” Worship Anywhere Fund).
  2. The purchase of a new video conferencing cart to facilitate our virtual learning and meeting experiences (Odess Technology Fund).
  3. Annual website and Zoom fees, plus the production of eleven issues of the monthly bulletin, and the weekly announcement programs distributed at Shabbat and holiday services to help keep our congregation informed and connected.

UNRESTRICTED OPERATIONAL SUPPORT

  1. Another $93,900 for unrestricted purposes was also provided.
PERPETUATING OUR DUES — $82,800
  1. Unrestricted operational support from nineteen (19) congregant families, which includes three new endowed funds this past year — all who have endowed all or a portion of their Annual Membership Commitment in perpetuity.
PRESERVING OUR FACILITIES — $70,500
  1. A meaningful contribution to our Capital Improvements Fund to help respond to maintenance needs of our beautiful, yet aging, facilities, as well as funding towards the design of a new Sanctuary podium and a possible foyer renovation (Mollie & Herman Gotlieb Sanctuary Preservation Fund and Piassick Foyer Fund).
SUSTAINING OUR CEMETERIES — $51,550
  1. Upkeep of our sections at Northside, Elmwood, Gadsden and Jasper cemeteries, plus repaired and rebuilt the retaining walls at Northside Cemetery (Cemetery Care Fund and Gadsden Cemetery Fund).

 

Allocations from our Restricted Funds are indicated in italics;
all other grants were made possible from our General and Unrestricted Funds.

Legacy Stories

See our online album of stories highlighting many of our Temple families who have designated a legacy gift to help ensure a vibrant future for our congregation.

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Bat-Mitzvah-walking-with-Torah
Flowers-in-Sanctuary
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