5780 High Holy Days Gratitude from Laurie Frankino, Ritual Chair

We have publicly thanked Rabbi Ross, Cantorial Soloist Robin Selinger and Peter Tavens for their performances during the holiday services; but most of us don’t realize how many TBS congregants volunteer their time in the preparation and execution of our High Holy Days services.  Thank you all for your valuable contribution.

• Drew Dallet designed the service programs for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
• Eric Chupack, our chief audio engineer, ensured that our audio system worked perfectly for every service and our video system was in working order for Selichot.
• The TBS Brotherhood led our heightened security team this year.
• The 2019-2020 B’nai Mitzvah Class and their families spent a Sunday afternoon polishing the ark, the pews and silver pieces, set up all the folding chairs, changed all the Shabbat prayer books for the holiday version, and cleaned the dust bunnies off the top of the ark and our beautiful ner tamid.
• Amy McCormick, our new Membership Chair, coordinated the holiday tickets for a record number of guests.
• David Wismer, our head usher for the last 17 years, gathered an excellent crew, trained them and supervised every service. His team of ushers volunteered to direct traffic, operated the chair lift, checked tickets, and answered the many questions asked of them.
• Jean Beasley, Ben Margalit and Art Busch read Torah so beautifully during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services.
• Barbara Shapiro and Jean Beasley read the Haftorah prayers and English translation during the Torah Services at both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur morning services.
• Len Rose gave us another award-winning rendition of Jonah.
• Our Shofar Squad, David Terkel, Ben Margalit, Julius Hess, & Len Rose.
• Marcy Caplin coordinated this year’s Food Drive.
• Barbara Shapiro, with help from Joyce Bigam and Jennifer Frankino worked behind the scenes to prepare our Yom Kippur Break the Fast attended by a record number of congregants.
• Wendy Hess and Amy McCormick led our afternoon education sessions during the Yom Kippur service break and the congregants who participated with them.
• Jonathan Selinger, editor of the weekly e-Megillah, kept the congregation updated on changes to holiday service events and oversaw the entire high holy days event, assisting me with creative solutions to logistical issues.
• The TBS Board’s efforts and assistance behind the scenes and as greeters and participants in all 6 services.
• The volunteer service readers, candle lighters and ark openers who participated in all 6 holiday services.