Dear Members and friends,

The high holidays are upon us and as I reflect on the goals we set for ourselves early this year, I am proud of what we’ve accomplished. Our Minyan has been steady and growing when compared to the previous year. We brought a fantastic Rabbi to meet the congregation. Although it did not work out at this time with this Rabbi, we had a fantastic Shabbat weekend and many heartfelt and worthwhile discussions with the membership about our goals, desires and needs.

We cleaned the roof of our synagogue and painted the whole exterior, making it look practically new. We planted flowers and vegetation in front of the entrance. We redesigned the look in our social hall and repainted it with a Sephardic theme. And, finally, we were able to install new light fixtures in the social hall, sanctuary and other areas where we could save energy. As I mentioned in my newsletter at Passover, my goal was to reinstate a sense of hope and a sense of renewal for us personally and for the congregation as a whole. I want to make Ahavath Achim a place you would enjoy to come to more often, and I believe we have made a terrific start.

Of course, we are not done. I would like to finish the décor in the social hall tastefully and hold one big event at Ahavath Achim this coming winter to reintroduce our members and our community to our synagogue and our Sephardic heritage.

I would like to mention that many people at Ahavath Achim deserve credit for all the work done. First, a very big thank you to the Shriqui family for taking care of our building on the outside, cleaning the roof and for the exterior painting job that they generously donated. Also, thank you Ran Shriqui for completing the interior redesign and painting job with such short notice. Thank you Holly Menashe for helping us create the vision for our social hall, we love the colors and the ideas on how to make it a beautiful place people would enjoy. Thank you Stan Usher of Pacific Lamp Wholesale for working with us on the energy savings project, facilitating the paperwork and supplying the necessary goods. Thank you Paul Arnsberg From Advance Lighting NW for working so late to finish the install. And a special thank you to Richard Matzah for your continued help and enthusiasm throughout the year.

Last but not the least, thank you to all the members and friends that come to Ahavath Achim and those that have us in their thoughts and those that support us financially. It is all for you. I feel very fortunate to be part of such a small and special community. I have met most members and friends and would like to thank you all for your words of encouragement and support. We have something special here, something unique. Let us all join together to perpetuate and advance our Sephardic culture and traditions. We can do it together and have some fun too!

On behalf of our Chazzan Sam Nehemiah, the Board of Directors, myself, my wife Jo, and all my children, I would like to wish you all GMAR HATIMAH TOVAH.

Charles Levy

President