Committees

The staff and lay leadership are happy to help members become involved in any aspect of synagogue life.   Below is a list of committees that are active in our congregation. The level of activity of each committee varies from year to year.

Submit the form below to share your interest in joining a committee!

Adult Education: Supports the Rabbis and Program Director in providing an excellent adult education program; organizes courses and course catalogs; coordinates Hebrew and Living Judaism classes for adults; sponsors special programs; works with other committees in targeted classes. 

Building and Grounds Committee: Coordinates maintenance and care for the synagogue’s building and grounds; establishes preventive maintenance; organizes lawn and garden-care parties and other shul beautification projects. The work includes basic gardening, carpentry, electrical, painting and plumbing. There is opportunity for every interest and talent. Participation is an excellent way to show support and respect for our synagogue.  

Cemetery: This committee is responsible for overseeing the Congregation’s cemetery, sales of cemetery plots, and congregational funeral and burial procedures. It also makes policy recommendations to the Senior Rabbi and Board of Directors relating to these matters. More information about our cemetery is found here. 

Davening/Leyning/Darshan Rotations: Volunteer coordinators regularly make these assignments from a list of prayer leaders (shlichay tzibbur), who have met certain standards for mastery of the service and vocal quality. Congregants are encouraged to lead Beth Shalom services. Preparatory courses on Hebrew, davening, leyning, and chanting skills are taught regularly through the adult education program. 

Development Team: Works with the Executive Director in planning and implementing all fundraising and revenue-generating programs of the synagogue in accordance with budgetary requirements supplied by the finance committee. These include the High Holiday Appeal, the Annual Fundraiser, special events, capital campaign, endowment, and donor cultivation and stewardship. Consults with other committees as needed to ensure a coordinated, synagogue-wide development effort.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committee: Our intention is that the group will be diverse across the spectrums of race, gender, LGBTQIA+ identity, class, ability and disability, ethnicity, neurodivergence, mental health, age, household makeup. The committee will work towards improving community members’ feeling of inclusion at CBS. This committee onboards new members on an annual (rather than ongoing) basis. 

Finance Committee: Responsible for financial oversight of the synagogue in order to ensure the synagogue’s finances are managed in a fiscally responsible manner. In conjunction with the Executive Director, the committee prepares, monitors, and, as necessary, revises the annual synagogue operating budget. The finance committee reviews and monitors the congregation’s assets and liabilities. Additionally, the finance committee reviews and revises financial policies and procedures and provides recommendations on policy changes to the board of directors. The finance committee coordinates with the development committee and other committees to ensure the synagogue’s sound financial health. 

Gabbai Corps: Gabbaim are responsible for greeting and helping to make congregants and guests feel welcome at Beth Shalom. They are responsible for assigning aliyot, and for assuring services run smoothly from the prospective of protocol and decorum. It is often the gabbaim that congregants turn to when they have a question or concern during service.

Israel Committee: Aims to increase community awareness of Israel, its culture, achievements, challenges and needs. The Israel Committee organizes and supports a variety of Israel related events at Beth Shalom including facilitating discussions about Israel-related issues, organizing gatherings to celebrate Israeli culture, food and song, and publicizing Israel-related events in the broader community. Beth Shalom members are leaders in many local and national organizations that support Israel, and there are many ways for you to get involved. 

Library Committee: Maintains the Judaic collection of the Beth Shalom Beit Midrash; acquires books and other media; encourages congregant usage. 

Member Connections Committee: Recruits and helps to integrate new members into the life of the congregation; coordinates various hospitality events designed to increase a sense of community; creates a warm and welcoming environment for new and continuing members. 

Mitzvah Corps: Coordinates care for members in need; organizes shiva minyans; provides bikur holim (visiting the sick).  Read more about how to get involved on our Mitzvah Corps page. If you're a Beth Shalom member and need to request Mitzvah Corps assistance, please contact the Mitzvah Corps Chairs.

Nominating Committee: Primarily responsible for assuring strong, capable board of directors. Recruiting and creating an annual slate of potential board members for congregational vote. Called upon to recruit committee chairs and for leadership development activities. Participation is by annual congregational vote. 

Planned Giving Committee: Works with the Board President and Executive Director to promote planned giving and legacy gifts to ensure Beth Shalom’s financial viability in the future.

Religious Practices Committee: Maintains Halachic standards and synagogue Minhag in consultation with the Senior Rabbi; organizes festival programs; cares for ritual objects and prayerbooks; determines purchases of new prayerbooks; oversees the volunteer rotations for Torah, Haftarah and leading services; considers policy issues related to religious practices. 

Religious School Committee: The Religious School Committee is a group of parents, educators, and other Beth Shalom members concerned with the successful operation of our Religious School, Prozdor and other aspects of Jewish education for children and youth in our community. The committee serves as a forum for discussion concerning new ideas and ongoing issues related to the Department of Education at Beth Shalom.

Shabbas Chefs: The Shabbas Chefs are members of Beth Shalom who form cooking teams to prepare our Kiddush lunches. Between B’nai Mitzvah and other sponsored lunches, we have about 25 Kiddush lunches per year that need a Shabbas Chefs captain and serving team. That’s where you come in! There are a few ways to be involved.  If you volunteer to be a Shabbas Chefs captain, you get to choose the menu and prepare lunch (usually on the Thursday before Shabbat), and then help serve the meal.  Menus can be as simple or as gourmet as you choose!  If you want to be a captain but aren’t sure what to prepare, we can help!  If you’re not up to being a captain, you can still help with cooking and/or be a server on Shabbat.  All help is needed and appreciated.  Those who volunteer do not pay for the meal, nor do they clean up after the meal. Preparing food together is a wonderful way to meet new people and feel more a part of the Beth Shalom community. 

Social Action Committee: This committee feeds the broader community through food drives and monthly meals at Lake City Meals and Teen Feed, and engages our elected officials through letter-writing and lobby days. The committee’s many projects are divided up into sub-groups:

• Ahavat v’Avodat HaAdamah (AAA): Ahavat v’Avodat HaAdamah (AAA) is a Jewish environmental movement for the Pacific Northwest. Our name means “Love and Service of the Earth.” We seek to nourish the hearts, minds and souls of Jews taking part in earth care in a time of climate crisis. 

• Immigration & Sanctuary: Active since 2017, this group works to effectuate the congregation’s sanctuary statement, making clear this congregation’s commitment to supporting immigrants and refugees at risk from discriminatory practices. 

• Tzedek: Tzedek, which means justice and equity, is the anti-racism group at CBS. We’re un-doers of racism, co-conspirators for change, and Jews of all identities who recognize the divine spark in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Through education, direct action, bearing witness, and forming partnerships, we are constantly working towards a welcoming community culture at CBS, supporting our collective liberation, and affirming that Black Lives Matter. When we stumble, we search out deeper understanding and recommit to the work of anti-racism. Together, we rise. 

Strategic Planning Committee: This group assists in long-term planning, including the creation of five-year strategic plans. The plan answers the question: what will a thriving Congregation Beth Shalom look like in five years? It focuses our priorities, goals, and initiatives. The implementation plan spells out tactics to reach these goals and determines resources to match our vision.