A Message from Rabbi Maurice (February, 2006)

Later this month, we kick off our capital campaign, and I can't wait. This is our chance to build a building that will allow us to meet our current and future needs, that will let us celebrate Jewish culture, education, and worship in ways that our current facility can’t.

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"Nakum Uvaninu!" Arise and Build!

Let me list just some of the ways this new home is going to dramatically improve TBI's ability to fulfill its mission and realize its dreams:

• a sanctuary that can work for an intimate gathering or for hundreds
• more classrooms that are bigger and better insulated from outside noise, expanding our options for Talmud Torah, teens, and adult education
• "green building" features
• improved disability access
• better offices, including space for the Jewish Federation's office
• social gathering spaces that can work in countless ways, including as venues for Jewish cultural arts, such as concerts, theater, lectures, etc.
• safer pick-up and drop-off for children, seniors, and people with disabilities
• room to grow and the ability to do additional construction in the future if needed

The bottom line is that this building will allow us to do things at a higher level, and that’s not only good for TBI, but good for the Lane County Jewish community in general.

I have been deeply impressed by our community's process in reaching this moment. The New Building Steering Committee has done a wonderful job of listening to the priorities and preferences of the community while keeping the momentum strong. Building our new home is an extension of a pattern of good organizational development that I have watched unfold since I arrived. During that time, our Board and other members have been improving the organizational structure of TBI. As a result, our synagogue is governed better and our programs are improving on many fronts – worship services, Talmud Torah, teen education, and adult education too. You can see it. Ask people. There's a focus and an optimism that is exciting to be a part of, and when we take that energy and concentrate it on building a new home, I think we’re going to grow closer as a community. This is our big opportunity to do something great together. For all these reasons, Rabbi Yitzhak and I are both deeply invested in helping all of us achieve this success.

Let me share one more reason why our future success matters so much to me personally. TBI is a shining representative of what progressive Judaism can be – embracing tradition as well as innovation, it is inclusive, open to questioning, and committed to meaningful religious practice, social action and serious study. We’ve created a Jewish community in which men and women are equal, in which the GLBT community is not just tolerated but affirmed, and in which Jews and non-Jewish "fellow travelers" can explore questions of higher meaning, sing and pray in community, and find strength and support during life's greatest and most difficult moments. I became a Reconstructionist rabbi because I wanted to help build this kind of Jewish life, and I want us to be able to take what we do to the next level.

But for me, the importance of TBI's progressive approach to Judaism runs even deeper. I earnestly believe that progressive religion in general holds out one of the best hopes for the future of humankind. There's so much bad religion in the world – expressions of religion that are violent, intolerant, arrogant, or psychologically destructive. It is vitally important that progressive religious communities thrive and grow stronger in their ability to present their message of truth, especially in these times.

A progressive religious community sees religion as a force to be used to promote justice, compassion and harmony – not for demonizing other groups of people. It sees religion as an ongoing search for truth with an open mind and an open heart – not a rigid proclamation of what the truth is and ought to be for everybody. TBI is a vibrant, creative, living Jewish expression of a progressive approach to religion, and the world needs more of this. We need a new home where we can grow stronger, where the next generations can thrive with good infrastructure under their feet. As the Good Book says, Nakum uvaninu, "Arise and build!" (Nehemia 2:20)

Shalom,
Rabbi Maurice