2023 High Holiday Appeal

Dear Congregant,

For 25 years, Bet Aviv has been a creative and caring synagogue, tailored to the needs of its members. During the recent pandemic years, our leaders, and in particular Rabbi Joseph and our Cantorial Soloist, Beth Rubens, went well beyond the call of duty to present creative online programs which could be streamed to the membership so that our congregants would not lose touch with their Bet Aviv friends, continue to learn and keep our synagogue alive. We took a conservative approach to Covid safety, and we had no reported Covid cases among our membership that could be traced to a carrier who attended services. We are proud of all of this.

Nevertheless, there was a drop in membership during the Covid years, as has been experienced by congregations of all faiths. As you probably know, historically we have heavily relied upon dues payments to cover our expenses. Because of a large decline in membership, we are currently facing great financial challenges to avoid a deficit in 2023 and to balance our budget in future years. We simply cannot afford to pay all of our bills. Consequently, as we approach the High Holidays, Bet Aviv now needs your help and is now reaching out to you for financial assistance by making a donation to our general fund. These monies will be used to make payroll, pay rent, and pay other bills.

This year we have an exciting new program as part of our appeal campaign. Some members have stepped up and offered to match, dollar-for-dollar, all contributions made by October 3 up to a maximum of $58,000. This gives each of you a great opportunity to make a big difference.

Meanwhile, we have restarted all our live activities and added new ones, such as a movie night, a concert, and a picnic. We are also finding ways to increase revenues e.g. retaining a marketing firm to assist us in acquiring new members, doing corporate fundraising, and having activities that will generate revenues. We need time, however, to get all programs up and running, and you can “buy us” the time we need to become less dependent on dues by being generous this year. We have something really special here at Bet Aviv. Let’s keep it that way.

We thank you for your continued membership, your friendship and your caring for one another, and we look forward to your donation supporting this Bet Aviv High Holiday Appeal. Donations to Bet Aviv dues are considered charitable contributions and may be tax deductible. Furthermore, if you are above a required age and are required to withdraw funds from your retirement account, in many cases, if the financial institution holding your retirement account sends your donation from your retirement account directly to Bet Aviv, those funds sent will not be subject to taxation. For example, if you are required to make Required Minimum Distributions from your retirement account, you may be able to achieve these savings. Please consult your financial/tax advisors about this.

You may donate in one of three ways:

1. Online – You can click on the blue button below to take you directly to the High Holiday Appeal Form. Here you can make your donation by credit card (3% fee) or by ACH (no fee) as a deduction from your checking account.

2. US Mail – Click on the green button to display and print the form, fill it out and mail it with your check to Bet Aviv, Oakland Mills Interfaith (OMI) Center, 5885 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia, MD 21045

3. QCD – Contact the holder of your retirement account and ask them to mail a check directly to Bet Aviv, Oakland Mills Interfaith (OMI) Center, 5885 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia, MD 21045. Be sure to tell them to put your name and “Bet Aviv High Holiday Appeal” on any check they send us.

We ask that in all cases your donation be made by October 3, 2023.

L’shalom,

BET AVIV PHONE: 410-992-9994 THE MEETING HOUSE PHONE: 410-730-4090 EMAIL: INFO@BETAVIV.ORG WEB: HTTP://WWW.BETAVIV.ORG

Click HERE to make your donation on-line

Click HERE to print out the donation form