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Committees & Teams

Adult Learning (Chair: open) formulates and administers Jewish adult learning programs and opportunities.

Avodah (Worship) (Co-chairs: Jeff Haykin and Isabel Paul) provides a venue for congregants and the Rabbi to partner and engage on substantive issues about our worship through dynamic study, discussion, and structured worship experience experimentation.  This committee is responsible for establishing the pathways for worship, inclusive of music, liturgy, observance, Shabbat and other holy days, and the maintenance of Or Ami’s sacred objects.  In the absence of the Rabbi, this committee will arrange for all official services, wherever held. Contact: worship@or-ami.com

Cemetery (Chair: Elizabeth Tacey) administers the Or Ami cemetery. Contact: cemetery@or-ami.com

Communications (Chair: Sarah Foote) develops and maintains marketing and communication strategies for Or Ami, disseminates information to the members of the congregation and the community of the activities of the congregation and Rabbi, edits and publishes news of the Congregation through traditional and innovative communications channels, supervises the release to news media of information concerning the congregation and its auxiliaries. Contact: communicate@or-ami.com

Facilities (Chair: Bruce Gould) preserves, enhances and maintains buildings and grounds, formulates and recommends to the Board rules governing the use of all congregational facilities, supervises the use of the congregation’s facilities, and oversees the purchase and use of equipment and supplies for the maintenance of all the congregation’s facilities. Contact: build@or-ami.com

Finance (Chair: Ed Kaufman) develops procedures for soliciting and receiving revenues and meeting the expenses of the congregation, prepares an annual budget, and advises the Board on financial matters through best accounting and financial planning practices. Contact: treasurer@or-ami.com

Hineini (Caring) (Chair: Laura Horwitz) serves as an outreach to congregational members in need. Contact: hineini@or-ami.com

Membership (Chair: Terri Halperin) develops and maintains the membership strategy for Or Ami, plans and supervises programs for recruiting and maintaining membership in the congregation, and takes appropriate action to integrate new members into the congregational family, including familiarizing them with the principles of Congregation Or Ami. Contact: belong@or-ami.com

OATY (Youth Group Advisor: Nancy Nelson) stands for “Or Ami Temple Youth” and is the group for teens in grades 8-12. OATY is affiliated with NFTY’s MAR (Mid-Atlantic Region) and provides an active calendar to engage our teens in Judaic values, culture, and fun. Contact: oaty@or-ami.com

Or Ami Book Club (Organizer: Terri Halperin) meets the first Monday of the month at 7pm September through June. Books with Jewish themes are chosen by consensus. We always try to have a variety of genres—fiction, nonfiction, short stories, recently written or not, fantasy, mystery, etc.—and topics to appeal to any reader. Every year we pick one book with a food-theme and have a potluck dinner based on the book. We meet both in-person and by Zoom. For more information or to join the next meeting, email bookclub@or-ami.com.

Or Ami Crafters Group (Organizer: Ali Moorehead) is a casual, low stress environment where you can work on your own craft projects while chatting with other crafters. It provides the opportunity to share advice, stories and to enjoy good company while our hands are busy at a wide variety of crafts. All skill levels and all craft types are welcome. We meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm (mostly zoom, but moving to in person meet-ups as covid community spread and group comfort level allows). For more information or to join the next meeting, email crafters@or-ami.com.

Personnel (Chair: John Weinberg) is the interface between the Board and the Rabbi, the Religious School Director, and staff, and performs human resource functions including negotiating employment contracts and conducting performance appraisals. Contact: personnel@or-ami.com

Safety/Security (Chair: Jeff Haykin) rolls up to the Facilities Committee and oversees the safety and security of the congregation, its members, facilities and equipment. Contact: safety@or-ami.com

Social (Chair: open) plans and execute activities designed to enhance a spirit of community in the congregation.

Social Action (Chair: Marilyn Breslow) studies public issues related to the ethical and moral insights of Judaism and recommends appropriate measures for dealing with those issues to the Board and congregation. Social Action also formulates and administers social action/social justice programs and opportunities for the congregation. Contact: social_action@or-ami.com

Ways & Means (Fundraising) (Chair: Katherine Barnett) develops and maintains fund raising strategies for Or Ami, maintains a calendar of giving opportunities and plans and execute activities designed to generate additional income for the congregation, separate from dues and building fund commitments. Contact: fundraising@or-ami.com

Youth & Family Education (Chair: Rachel Loria) establishes Religious School policies and curricula to be implemented by the Religious School Director, and prepares budgets and enrollment fees for operation of the school. Contact: educate@or-ami.com