Message from Steve Katz, President:

"Shanah tovah, Beth Meyer Family! Mazal tov to the entire Beth Meyer Community for making this year’s Open The Gates campaign the most successful in the shul’s history! I am so proud that we answered the call and made such a strong statement about who we are and where we are going- even in the most challenging of times. We truly answered the call, and through your generosity we will begin our 150th year with the confidence and strength of a community that knows who they are, where they come from and who they represent! I, alongside all of our trustees, am honored to serve such a caring community that celebrates Jewish values and proudly affirms them everyday.

If you have not yet contributed, there is still time: “the gates” are still open!" We encourage all to participate, however you can. Every gift matters, regardless of the amount and is truly a blessing. I wish everyone in our community an easy and meaningful fast and a G’mar chatimah tovah." 

Message from Jonathan Wertheim, Executive Director:

"Todah Rabbah — thank you so much! — for contributing to Beth Meyer Synagogue's Open The Gates: A 48-Hour Fundraiser! Year after year, we are deeply moved by your care of our sacred community. We surpassed our $318,000 campaign goal with $353,742 raised — and we grew the number of unique contributors from 281 to 312! Our 48-hour fundraiser is over, but there's still time to donate here if you missed out. Thank you for your support!

Wednesday, October 9 at 6:40PM
On our way, everyone! 26 hours into the campaign, and 139 gifts are entered already. Can we surpass Open The Gates '23 and collect 305 contributions? You'll have to keep refreshing this page to find out. We are grateful — beyond words! — for your giving hearts and partnership and investment in Beth Meyer Synagogue's growth. Thanks so much for keeping the 'gates' of our shul community open to all. Reach out with any questions if you want to participate.

Tuesday, October 8 at 5PM

Calling Beth Meyer Synagogue members and friends!  Open the Gates: A 48-Hour Fundraiser, the annual campaign for our community, starts NOW. Before the Kol Nidre prayer service — while the celestial 'gates' that divide the heavens from earth are still open —  we aim to raise $318,000 in unrestricted gifts to build and nourish our shared Jewish home.

What motivates YOU to donate to Beth Meyer Synagogue? Click here to rewatch yogis and veteran members, Barbara Vosk and Howie Shareff, speak from the heart on Rosh Hashanah Day One about the drivers of their tzedakah (charitable giving) — the two credit our shul and community with "strengthening their Jewish roots" and lifting their spirits through hard times.

Beth Meyer Synagogue counts on annual charitable giving to operate programs and services essential to community-building. Here is a snapshot of what gifts enabled in 5784:

• Installation of commercial perimeter fencing with access controls to deter trespassing and boost protection of Beth Meyer Preschool.
• Overhaul and re-writing of bethmeyer.org (check it out!) to improve web engagement, simplify navigation, and showcase the range of our holy work.
• Renovation of our Main Building Kitchen to elevate the kiddush lunches that we all enjoy — huge thanks to Judi & Howard Margulies and Bonnie Leach for their leadership of this year-long project.
• Onboarding of a new Ritual Coordinator to preserve and strengthen gateways for ritual participation and to support the lifecycle needs of our members.
• Themed schmooze nights — Prime Timers Social, Kickoff & Cocktails, Verses & Vino, and Volunteer Appreciation — to bring us together for bonding and good old-fashioned fun! 
• Social Action's collaboration with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church to provide relocation assistance to a Ukrainian refugee family
• Five free, catered Shabbat dinners for members and their loved ones — we gathered to enter Shabbat with song, spirituality, and, of course, some delightful noshes.

Over the next 48 hours, we encourage you to refresh this page often and follow in live-time here and on Facebook as we race to meet our goal. Thank you so much for considering a donation of any size. Truly, we rejoice at a new gift of $18 as much as we cherish a repeat contribution of $1,000 — what matters is participation.  

A note about tipping — this is optional and benefits FundRazr, the crowdfunding platform. If you would like, you can opt out of tipping FundRazr by clicking "Change Amount" before proceeding to payment. Not comfortable donating on FundRazr or want to make a gift some other way? E-mail Jonathan Wertheim, our Executive Director, at jonathanw@bethmeyer.org — he can record your pledge and add it to the campaign total. 

One more thought: we know that generosity can take many forms. While our Open The Gates campaign counts monetary gifts, only, please reach out if you would like to donate something equally precious — your time!

G'mar tov — a good sealing in the Book of Life! Now let's get started.