Congregation Mishkan Or Newsletter

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Below is a recent column by our Congregation Mishkan Or co-presidents from our E-News.
Further below, you will find links to Mishkan Or Newsletters.

March 6, 2025

Dear Members of Mishkan Or,

One year ago, on March 6, we stood together at a pivotal moment. We cast our votes to merge our congregations with hope, vision, and faith in our collective future. This was more than a practical merger of institutions. It was a bold statement that together, we could create something greater than the sum of our parts. Today, we reflect on our progress—as a testament to our resilience, shared purpose, and commitment to building a stronger Jewish community for generations to come.

We envisioned a unified educational system that would offer greater opportunities for our children and families. We committed to creating a sustainable financial future for our congregation. We sought to unify our clergy team. We pledged to honor the legacies of Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple and the The Temple-Tifereth Israel. We looked forward to new ways to engage with each other and with our Jewish traditions.

While in many ways we have just begun, we have made tremendous progress:

Our educational programs are thriving, with increased enrollment, expanded offerings, and a more accessible structure that meets the needs of today’s busy families. In addition, we are now conducting a search for a Director of Lifelong Learning, a key senior position to enhance the educational experience at Mishkan Or.
We successfully merged our preschools, stabilizing staffing and broadening programming at Ganon Gil, ensuring our youngest learners and their families feel welcome and engaged with multiple opportunities each month to connect.
We sold the Fairmount Temple property, strengthening our endowment for future generations.
Our strong and dedicated clergy team know us, know our heritage, and are inspiring new ways of worship, connection and leaning.
Our Mishkan Arts program has taken root, with our photography club, choirs and orchestra and movie series creating meaningful connections through the arts.
Our commitment to meaningful engagement across all generations continues to grow, with Tot Shabbat and other programs that provide joyful entry points for young families, an expanded B’nei Mitzvah Journey for 4th, 5th and 6th graders, visits with our young adults studying at University of Cincinnati, The Ohio State University, and Miami University of Ohio, and upcoming gatherings in New York City and Chicago for young professionals.
We have deepened our ties beyond our congregation as well, including hosting nine women from Kibbutz Sufa, who courageously shared their stories of resilience from the events of October 7, 2023 and elevating our MLK Shabbat with guest speaker Maya Wiley, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
We have welcomed 65 new families to our congregation since July 1, 2024.

Offering a visible representation of our unity are the stained glass windows in the Mandel Sanctuary. Our beautiful sanctuary now embodies the history of The Temple-Tifereth Israel and also echoes the colors and memory of Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple.

Of course, we still have much work to do and our journey toward unity and shared vision is ongoing. Despite some challenges, our High Holy Day services were a moving and deeply resonant experience, demonstrating the strength of our growing community. We have surveyed the congregation for input and the clergy team is engaged in ongoing discussions to make next year’s services even smoother and more reflective of our new congregation’s needs. We are in the early stages of developing a common approach to ritual life, guided by our clergy team and Ritual Committee, and we will be engaging the congregation in these discussions. Our Board committees have been formed, and we are working to get them fully operational, ensuring they serve as strong vehicles for member engagement and leadership.

Likewise, our staff has been unified, and we continue to refine priorities and offer professional development to best support our congregation. We are in the final phase of a search for a Director of Finance after the retirement of Louis Innenberg.

As we face the upcoming retirement of Rabbi Nosanchuk, we are approaching this transition with confidence and will take the opportunity to reflect upon and assess our vision. The Senior Rabbinic Search Committee, co-chaired by longtime leaders Debra Mayers Hollander and Eric Silver, will ensure that our congregation has multiple opportunities to share their hopes and needs for new rabbinic leadership. Both bring a wealth of institutional knowledge and leadership – Eric most recently led the Real Estate Task Force that facilitated the Fairmount Temple sale, and Debra has been a key figure in our branding and communications efforts.

This work—our work—is historic, inspiring, challenging and deeply important. By coming together, we are building something larger than any one of us, something that will endure beyond our individual contributions. We are grateful for the dedication, patience, and passion of our members, clergy and staff. As we mark this anniversary, let us recommit to the vision that brought us together and continue shaping a future that reflects our shared values and our hopes for the generations to come.

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