On the Shabbat of Passover I will chant these words in which God instructs Moses to prepare new tablets. As you know, the first tablets were created by God alone. But here in the second case, Moses, representing Israel, is an active partner in the creation of the laws. Allowing Moses to participate in the development of the second tablets, creates a new divine-human collaboration and along with it, there is a new sense of investment and involvement between God and the Israelites.

The same is true in organizations. Collaboration is essential for effective decisions and organizational successes. The cantorial concert and beautiful reception that followed are examples of excellent collaboration and committee work. The successful and fun-filled Murder Mystery Night and Purim Carnival and family holiday celebration are other recent examples. In each example, committee members were inspired, invested and involved. I anticipate our new musical Shabbat program for families with young children, AAbsolutely4Kids—Shabbat with a Pop, which is made possible by a very generous donation from the Judy F. Paradies Child Enrichment Program Fund, will also be successful. I thank all the committee volunteers who collaborated on these programs. I also want to acknowledge and thank James and Gregg Paradies and their family for their continuing involvement in our synagogue. Collaborations like these ensure the success of our programs and Shabbat and holiday celebrations.

However, there are also times when excellent collaboration and committee effort do not translate into a sustainable program. Such is the case with the Dr. William E. Schatten Achva Adult Day Club Program, which closed at the end of March [2006] despite tremendous efforts by many. The officers and Joel Lobel, chairman of the Achva Advisory Committee, decided to close the program after we received the resignation of Leah Steiner, the program’s director.

Since August 2006, the officers and a group of Achva volunteers have been evaluating the program’s sustainability. We were addressing many aspects of the program including but not limited to its budget, membership recruitment, marketing and publicity. Plans were being developed to improve these areas. We were not, however, planning to change the Achva staff because we all acknowledged and appreciated Leah Steiner’s dedication and outstanding work with our Achva members and their families. Leah is an incredible and inspiring professional who has left an indelible imprint on the program with her warmth, compassion and thoughtful insights. We will miss her.

After considerable reflection and deliberation, we came to the difficult decision that Achva was not sustainable and for the long-term best interests of our members and their families, needed to close. The timing of our decision enabled our Achva families three weeks to find an alternative program. Our staff assisted our families in finding suitable alternative programs.

Reaching a decision like this is always difficult. It was not made easily, but it was made in the best long-term interest of our Achva members and their families. I want to acknowledge and thank our staff, Leah Steiner and Dorothy Calloway, and our volunteers for their dedication and support of our program. Thank you also to Barbara and Dr. Sam Schatten, Diane Garber and Drs. Marianne and Stephen Garber and their families for their generous financial support of the program. I also want to say “Todah Rabah” to everyone who donated funds to the program and to our outstanding volunteers who worked with Joel Lobel: Carolyn Gold, Susan Kahn, David Feldman, David Warga, Beverley Kern, Scott Kaplan and Helen Hersch. For the past ten years, the Dr. William E. Schatten Achva Adult Day Club Program has made a significant impact in the lives of many people. I am proud of the program’s accomplishments and of the many people who made it possible with their time, energies and financial resources.