Dear Ansche Chesed, “people of loving kindness,” 

 

Some plants are annual. A seed lands in soil, germinates and blooms a single time. It produces new seed. Then dies.

 

Some plants are perennial. Lilacs, begonias. Apples, pineapples. Sage, rosemary and thyme (but not parsley, sadly). They flourish and maintain their roots, awaiting new cycles of blossoms and fruit. Perennials endure forest fire, predator and drought. They come back, flourishing year after year.

 

We, Ansche Chesed, are blessed to be perennials. We’ve been through so much in maintaining this great Jewish community. There have been hard times in our neighborhood and our city: members of our community may remember the 1977 blackout, too much crime and drugs, the 1991 Crown Heights riots. We remember September 11, runs on ATM machines in 2008, and now Covid-19 in 2020.

 

What endures through all that? Morning minyan. Shabbat. Bikkur Holim. A homeless shelter. The High Holidays. Torah, Mitzvot and community. And you: Ansche Chesed.

 

The pandemic notwithstanding, our synagogue has a bright future. We have a growing membership, an ambitious and exciting plan to renew our beloved building and fabulous programming to reach a new generation of Jewish families.

 

You know what has made all that possible? Our devoted perennial members over the decades. This year, at our virtual tribute, on June 28, we thank and celebrate those who have been the backbone of this community for 25, 30, 35 years and more.

 

We are indebted to you and your leadership. Ansche Chesed has no future without the roots you’ve built and nurtured, and which we are so happy to enjoy with you in the coming years.

 

Ansche Chesed’s annual gala is a vital component in our annual budget. Please celebrate this wonderful community by taking out journal ads on this website. You can express your admiration and gratitude to any and all our long-term members. You can thank our lay and professional leaders, honor your kids and their teachers, or express your hopes for AC’s future, celebrate the friends you davven and socialize with.

 

This year on June 28, and in various electronic media, we celebrate those who built an enduring and thriving community and who carry it into the present and onward to the future.

 

Thanks to the perennial leadership of members over many years, our flowers have been sweet and our fruits have been delicious. Thank you for decades of commitment and involvement. We look forward to building a present and future worthy of our past.

 

Warmest wishes

 

 

Jeremy Kalmanofsky