On a warm September Sunday, four years ago, my husband and I were heading for that secondhome owner's mecca, Marios Hardware in Valatie. As we made the left turn onto Route 28, we noticed that the months-long construction on the old Chatham Center town hall was finally complete. What was once a plain, white 19th century building had been reborn with beautifully crafted entry steps, exterior details, and warm colors. And, even better, it was a synagogue. There also happened to be a tag sale in progress that day, so we pulled in to investigate. Several of us who had stopped to browse asked about the design of the synagogue, so a friendly shul member (who turned out to be Alan Gelb) gave an impromptu tour of the building. The interior was as inviting and lovely as the exterior promised.
After the tour, other synagogue members came up and introduced themselves. In fact, within the short time we spent there, we'd met more people than we had in decades of membership at our temple in New York City. And so, that afternoon we made our minds: as soon as our temple membership was up for renewal, we'd leave it to join The Chatham Synagogue.
Belong to this shul has been like entering an embrace. We've met wonderful people whose values and beliefs are ones that we share; and whose warmth and generosity we aspire to match. We've found that The Chatham Synagogue is more than simply a house of worship. It's a place of inquiry and learning and it's a community of friendship and caring.
In that spirit, on behalf of the congregation and the members of the Communication Committee, Alan Gelb, Dan Rapoport, and myself, I'd like to welcome the people who joined our synagogue community this past year: Jeff Roth; Ron Winchel; Janina Deppe; Rachel Weisman; Jody Porter & Gabe Wolosky; Burt Shuylman & Ellen Lourie (and their two daughters); Ruth Abramson, Madeleine Glick (and her son); and Jan Moseman & Rober Zukerman. We realize that as the community grows, it becomes more difficult to get to know everyone (something my husband and I are still trying to do, four years later), so we will be instituting a regular "People Profile" column in the Newsletter. Each issue will feature short profiles of three or four of our new members. In the meantime, if you happen to see new faces at synagogue events, go up and introduce yourself. That simple act of welcome can be the start of a beautiful friendship.
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