As I write this column, I’m sitting in the back of an Uber in our nation’s Capitol, the brightly and dramatically illuminated Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials proclaiming both the optimism and the gravity of the American Experiment. In two days, this now peaceful locale will be overrun by swarms of people: a new leader will be inaugurated, amidst cheers and protests, and our country will move forward, hopefully remaining anchored to the ideals and principles that made us great. With every new administration, we have the opportunity, as a nation, to imagine new goals and aspirations, to reinterpret our founding principles in a way that speaks to our core values. We act as we believe; it is up to us as a nation to determine how that will look.
So too, do we find ourselves at TBT, poised on the threshold of something new. The recognition of our 40th anniversary is admittedly somewhat imposed; why not 36? Why not 50? But there is a wonderful Biblical significance to the number 40: the number of days of the Flood, the number of years of our Wandering, among many other examples. Forty represents a generation, a "trial" period. We at TBT have not only survived our trial period in the wilderness of the Shoreline, but have thrived. Our core value of serving as an outpost of Jewish life on the Shoreline has enabled us to grow a vibrant community, thanks to the hard work of a generation of engaged, committed congregants.
Next month, on Sunday, March 5th, I invite you to join us in a special Congregational conversation, as we gather to determine the path of our next 40 years. We will have the chance to re-imagine and restate our Mission and Vision for TBT, reiterate our core values, wrestle with new dreams and aspirations, imagine what our home may look like, and recommit to this Experiment begun over 40 years ago while continually moving forward.
Let us act as we believe.
L’shalom,
Stu Weinzimer