Fourteen years ago, Ross and I moved to Scranton. We had a three-year-old and a six-year-old and didn’t know a single person in the area. Based on my own upbringing, one of my first thoughts was that a temple community would be a good place to meet other families, make friends, and put down roots. Temple Hesed became that place for us. It still is.

For the past several months, I have watched this congregation show up in ways that remind me why that is true. Families have hosted Shabbat dinners. Members have cooked meals for local youth, planted native species at Hillside Park, participated in security trainings, and stepped forward with ideas that became real programs. The Messenger is back in your mailbox. New faces are becoming familiar faces. Those things matter because they are how congregations endure.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to serve on several nonprofit boards. One lesson I have learned is that healthy organizations don’t wait until circumstances force change. They plan ahead, make thoughtful decisions, and invest in the future they want to create.

That is why I believe the Fair Share membership model described in this issue is the right path forward for Temple Hesed.

But this conversation is about more than dues. It is about what we want Temple Hesed to look

like in the years ahead. As we move through the summer and prepare for a new fiscal year this fall, our focus remains on creating more opportunities for connection, chances to gather around a meal, to learn, volunteer, celebrate, and build relationships across our membership. Not because people need another meeting on their calendars, but because the Jewish community is strongest when people know one another and feel a sense of belonging.

The Fair Share model helps create the foundation for that future while preserving what matters most: dignity, privacy, flexibility, and belonging for every member. Every household will choose the membership level that reflects its own circumstances. Every household remains a full and valued part of this congregation.

I encourage you to read the articles and learn more about the Fair Share model, and join us for the Annual Congregational Meeting on June 24th.

Temple Hesed was here for my family when we arrived in NEPA, not knowing anyone. My hope is that decades from now, other families looking for community will find the same thing here.