Dear Members and Friends,

We hope this letter finds you and yours well.

As we reflect on this past year, we thank God for the many happy occasions we shared together this year, especially our amazing Torah dedication and the wonderful chagim spent together. Our shul remains a bastion of Torah, tefilah and chesed, with home hospitality second to none. At times we celebrated smachot and share joy;  and sadly, there were other times when we were there to comfort each other in our sorrow. On many levels, Westwood Kehilla is a critical component of our lives. 
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As August approaches, it brings thoughts of the end of summer, the beginning of fall, and the renewal and joy that comes in the High Holiday season. As we start to think about our aspirations of Torah, tefillah and chesed for 5780, it’s also time to renew our membership with the Kehilla and to think about our plans for the High Holidays. We are happy to say that there will be no increase in dues this year. As last year, dues include a donation to the Building Fund of $200 per family and $100 per individual membership. There is also the required dues to the Orthodox Union, which provides the shul with many resources through the year, and an optional donation to the LA Eruv, which provides certification and upkeep of the largest Eruv in North America. 

The Kehilla membership year runs from September 1 to August 31, and includes high holiday tickets and babysitting. New members are always welcome! While membership dues are a critical source of funding for the shul, no one will be refused membership because of financial need. You can fill out the attached form, pick up a form in the shul lobby or fill it out online here: www.kehilla.org/membership 

High Holiday seats will once again be managed by Zach Samuels. Please send your seating requests to Zach at zsamuels@aol.com with “5780 Seats” in the subject. If you need babysitting during services, please email Jessica at director@kehilla.org with “babysitting” in the subject or fill out the form on the website: www.kehilla.org/hhd-babysitting. Both the seats and babysitting requests will be processed once your Membership form has been processed. 

For current members, your 5780 membership form is due by Thursday, August 15. If we haven’t received your form by then, we will send an invoice with the same level of dues as last year, asking for authorization to charge your credit card on file. If you can, consider increasing your dues to the next level, or adding an extra donation to your membership. 

We wish you and your family a healthy, happy, prosperous and peaceful New Year, for us and for Klal Yisrael. 

Rabbi Avi Stewart  
Zach Samuels, President