Annual Appeal 5780

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Dear OC Family and Friends:

As the new year 5780 approaches, I am writing to ask each of you for your support for Orach Chaim’s annual Yom Kippur Appeal. 
 
We are at an exciting point in our synagogue’s long and storied history. We have growing membership rolls, dynamic youth programs, and stimulating classes. The shul is bustling with religious services and social activities every day of the year. 

This is wonderful, but it creates financial challenges.  We need funds to operate and maintain our beautiful building, address the significant rising costs for security and run programs for a growing membership and the Upper East Side community.  

We have two goals this year for the annual appeal:  The first is to raise $165,000, a modest increase versus last year. The second is to have 100% participation on the part of the membership and those who are a part of our community.    

Orach Chaim relies on the generosity of its members and the larger community that we serve to fund our budget. We appreciate and greatly value your commitment to the congregation as demonstrated in your annual membership dues and other contributions throughout the year. 

Dues alone do not provide enough resources for the synagogue to bring you the variety of programs and services that we offer. In fact, Membership dues cover less than one third of our operating budget. This is why we ask every member of the Orach Chaim family to give whatever they can, large or small, to help ensure that our Shul remains a vibrant spiritual home for us all.

Orach Chaim is special.  We welcome the entire community to our high holiday services, without charging for seats. This will not change. We do, however, ask that whether or not you are a member, and even if you have not donated previously, you please make a meaningful contribution that will help to cover the costs of providing this very special home to our community and opportunity for everyone to celebrate the high holidays together at Orach Chaim.  

If you have given to our appeal in past years, we thank you again and ask that you consider increasing your pledge for the current year. You can donate via our website at https://www.orachchaim.org/payment.php or mail your donation to the shul office.

To add a bit of incentive, if we raise 80% of the target amount prior to Yom Kippur, I will not torture everyone by making the annual appeal in shul after Kol Nidre.  Wouldn’t that be great?     

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I wish you and your family a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year. May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.  Ktivah V'chatima Tova.


With best wishes,
    
David Icikson, President                                                      

Board of Trustees
Ilana Bander, Vice President
Barry Ness, Treasurer
Richard Leavy, Recording Secretary
David Freedman, Financial Secretary
Michael Brizel
Renee Erreich
Geri Gindea
Michael Horowitz
Daniel Krul
Bernard Michael
Naomi Wolinsky