One of my favorite songs is the Byrds classic “Turn! Turn! Turn!” which takes its lyrics from the book of Ecclesiastes and tells the listener that “to everything there is a season.” This song is especially appropriate in June when Jewish organizations elect more members to their boards of directors.

JFS is no exception. Several of our board members who have dedicated their time and talents to JFS will be departing to work on committees. I would like to pay tribute to our outgoing board members who have given so much of themselves, starting with our president, Patty Glascom.

Patty has served on the JFS Board for nine years and her leadership as president has been a launching pad for what is to come. Under Patty’s supervision, we re-organized our committee structure, appointed a by-laws committee, a nominating committee and most notably initiated the JFS Strategic Planning Process. In addition to her leadership of JFS, Patty has found time to be a Benefits CheckUp volunteer and the co-chair of the Federation senior task force, and has organized food pantry programs with JFS and the religious school of KI. Patty will be our honorary president.

Tama Lee Barsky has lit up the room with her enthusiasm and her leadership skills as head of our fundraising committee. During Tama Lee ‘s eight years of service, she headed two major fundraising events for JFS, and we are thrilled that Tama Lee will continue providing leadership to the JFS fundraising committee. 

Dave Eiskowitz has been serving on the JFS Board for the past six years as the chair of the Marketing Committee and has given us invaluable guidance regarding our marketing plans. Dave will continue developing his committee and working with our marketing department.

Becky Goldenberg has been our Easton representative for the past six years.  She is passionate about food insuffiency and did an amazing job on revitalizing our Food Pantry. Becky will continue to be involved with creating a greater JFS presence in Easton. 

Beth Kozinn is a great organizer and she has served on the fundraising and personnel committees as a board member for the past eight years.

The longest active board member for over 10 years, Howard Sherer  is chair of our technology committee and has been instrumental in updating our technological resources. Howard also serves on the JFS investment committee, Strategic Planning Committee and on the executive board as a vice president. Howard will  be an honorary JFS board member. 

James Wimmer, a JFS board member of nine years, has provided legal counsel, served as a vice president, represented JFS on the Federation investment committee, and been a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. 

Working with all of these board members is one of the joys of my work and I look forward to their continuous support. 

The new slate of JFS officers for 2015 is: 

• Wendy Born, president
• Bill Bergstein, vice president and treasurer
• Susan Berman, vice president
• Patty Glascom, honorary president
• Rabbi Allen Juda, vice president
• Robin Rosenau, vice president 

Change is inevitable and organizations can only develop if they have the courage to turn, turn, turn ...