From President Jerry Silverman:Longtime Board Members Retire in July

The Temple Sinai Board of Trustees will undergo a significant turnover next month, when four new Trustees take seats on the Board.  I look forward to working with the new Trustees, but the transition will be bittersweet because some of the Board’s most senior members will be retiring.

Mark Bauman, Charlie Newman, Sandy Welter, Phil Bernnard, and Douglas Gerhardt will all be stepping down this year.  Collectively, they have several decades of service on the Board and have led our synagogue through some of its most critical times with wisdom, dedication, and commitment.

Mark Bauman.  Mark has been on the Board for over 25 years, serving as our longtime corresponding secretary, a member of the Endowment and Communications committees, and the person in charge of distributing the Tablet. Mark’s tenure on the Board precedes the hiring of Rabbi Linda and Rabbi Jonathan.

Charlie Newman.  Charlie has been on the Board for some 15 years, serving as president twice, vice president, immediate past president, and a member of the Finance and Personnel committees.  Charlie headed the Strategic Planning Council and was the longtime leader of the initiative to meet our expanding building needs.

Sandy Welter. Sandy was the president of Temple Sinai when we hired Rabbi Linda and Rabbi Jonathan 25 years ago.  She then returned recently to serve as co-president, vice president, and a member of the Finance Committee.

Phil Bernnard.  Phil has served on the Board for almost 10 years and was responsible for the building for most of that time as chairman of the Building Committee.  

Douglas Gerhardt.  Douglas has served on the Board for two years and was a member of the Finance Committee and Grant-writing Subcommittee. He has also provided critical legal advice to the Board.

I am personally grateful to our longtime Board members for laying the groundwork for Temple Sinai’s success today.  Clearly, we could not have achieved this success without them. We are fortunate that our retiring Board members will be replaced by Phyllis Wang, Tina Marlow, Melissa Strauss, and Matt Cohen. These four bring a wealth of experience, skills, and new energy to the leadership of the synagogue. I look forward to serving with them, as the torch is passed to the next generation of Temple Sinai leaders.