2018 at Ohev Sholom

Dear friends,

I am writing to give a state of the shul. Shocker -- it’s strong! During the course of the year, we have accomplished so much, including:

• Our shul continues to grow, with 29 new member units joining in 2017.
• We hired a Director of Engagement, Stacey Watson. Stacey has already kicked off engaging programming, working closely with community members, and much more is planned during 2019.
• We continue to upgrade areas of the building in need of repair and plan to take on more in the coming year, including working to address accessibility and acoustics issues.
• DC Kosher was launched by Rabbi Herzfeld and Maharat Friedman and now certifies over a dozen restaurants, cafes, and bakeries in the greater DC area, providing needed kosher food to our community.
• We celebrated many, many s'machot and joined together in times of sadness.
• We hosted numerous learning programs and scholars in residence, with more planned in 2019.   
• We worked hard to improve our financial transparency and governance. 

These gains, of course, cost money. We are looking to raise an additional $100,000 in December to support our annual budget and need your support. These funds are necessary to run programs, pay our staff, and sustain our operations. Nearly two-thirds of our $1.5 million annual operating budget comes from your generous donations. We are so grateful for your ongoing support.  

Please join me in supporting our annual end of year fundraising campaign. In the months ahead, we will reach out with more opportunities for supporting our community. 

L'Shalom,
Daniel Silverberg
President, Ohev Sholom