Rabbi Daniel Cohen: Annual Meeting 2025

For over thirty years, I have had the sacred privilege of addressing this annual gathering. During that time, I have had the honor of being with you through births and B’nai Mitzvahs, weddings and funerals, celebrations and sorrows. Each has been an honor, and I am so grateful to all of you for the privilege of serving this community.

This evening’s Annual Meeting comes at a complicated time—for our people, as Jew hatred continues its march toward normalization in America;

for Israel, as the double standard that has long been applied to the Jewish State can be seen almost everywhere we look;

for our country, which seems to have lost any sense of our core foundational commitments to our citizens and to anyone else who resides here;

throughout the world, where the march toward authoritarianism is increasingly the accepted norm;

and for our congregation, which is undergoing a period of transition that will ultimately result in the start of a new chapter in TSTI’s life.

All of these challenges are real and significant. All of them are unsettling, and some cause for grave concern. All of them deserve to be addressed, but this evening, I want to address this last point. And the good news is—it is the one issue that is real and significant, BUT NOT CAUSE FOR CONCERN.

That is thanks to our volunteer leadership, led by Bryan Bloom, our staff, who work tirelessly on behalf of this congregation, and all of you. Because without you, there is no TSTI.

This has been a year of growth, thoughtful change, and, more often than not, a shared vision.

As you know, our leadership was thrust into a situation where they needed to address not one, but two significant staffing changes that will ultimately affect the future direction of this community. Carol Paster’s retirement next month and my retirement a year from now are substantial changes for a community such as ours—known for the stability of our staffing. And while transitions are never easy, nor are they ever without bumps and mistakes, I am so proud of how our volunteer leadership has managed this process.  As a result of their efforts, the stage for a bright TSTI Tomorrow has been set.

They have worked hard to ensure that these transitions were neither rushed nor reactionary but rather grounded in calm, trust, and purpose. In Pirkei Avot 1:1, Hevu metunim ba’din—“Be deliberate in judgment.” That principle guided them at every step along the way.

And the results speak for themselves.

Let me start with Carol Paster.

Earlier this year, our long-serving Early Childhood Center Director shared that she would retire. It is a monumental shift for a community that has cherished her leadership for so long. Under Carol’s leadership, our preschool has become a major educational institution. Hundreds of young people and their families have benefitted from her dedication and commitment. And many of them now have their own children in our school. Let’s be clear: preschool has also become a significant factor in maintaining the financial health of TSTI. As a result, Carol’s decision to retire had the potential to impact every aspect of this synagogue. That put an immense amount of pressure on our leadership.

Yet, rather than panic, they paused. They listened. They set out on a careful and thoughtful process to assess the school’s needs and begin a search process shaped by the questions, “What do our children need to thrive? What do we need to ensure the Iris Family Center for Early Childhood Education continues to be a center of excellence? ”

I am grateful that that process led to Jennie Rubin and Lauren Byers— who have long shown their love for and dedication to our students, school, and community—taking over leadership on July 1.

They are educators with vision, heart, and dedication. While Carol will truly be missed, she knows, as I hope all of you do, that Lauren and Jennie are the right duo to help shape the school’s next chapter.

Of course, the second transition the leadership has been focused on hits even closer to home for me.

As you know, a year from now, Raina and I will be deep into preparing to make aliyah and move to Tel Aviv. This is bittersweet for me. I have spent my entire professional life in one place—right here. But while Raina and I are both sad when we think about leaving all of you, our community, above all else we feel gratitude: gratitude for the sacred journey we have shared; gratitude that my excellent partner and I, who all of you welcomed so warmly just nine years ago, will have the privilege to live, work, and vote in Israel; and gratitude for the process that has brought the congregation we love to a clear direction forward.

The Talmud in Berakhot 17a teaches, “May it be Your will… that love and brotherhood, peace and friendship increase among us.” That prayer was fulfilled in our search process for my successor.

With humility, care, and without ego, a remarkable committee helped guide us to a leader who I believe will serve this congregation with passion, strength, and grace. Rabbi Klein brings a profound sense of purpose and commitment to this role. I applaud the search committee’s decision and have every confidence in her.

I look forward to working closely with Rabbi Klein in the coming year to ensure a smooth transition. Our community deserves no less.

Lo alecha ham’lacha ligmor, v’lo atah ben chorin l’hibatel mimena. “It is not upon you to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it” (Pirkei Avot 2:16). I did not begin this work. I came here in 1992 for a nine-month internship and was thrilled to stay because of the existing community. I have simply had the privilege to be its caretaker over the years. And I will not be the one to finish the work for, God-willing, TSTI will remain strong long after we are all gone. But I hope I have done my part. I will continue to do so until my final day as your Senior Rabbi, a little over a year from now. I remain fully engaged, dedicated, and committed to this congregation and our people.

As transitions unfold, we often feel unsettled. But this community has chosen calm over chaos, collaboration over conflict. You have shown what it means to embody menuchat hanefesh—a calm, peacefulness of soul—even in moments of change. That is no small thing. That speaks to who we are.

I want to express my heartfelt thanks to our Board, search committees, dedicated staff, and you, the members of this sacred community.

As we look to the future, I do so with hope. I hope that the seeds we’ve planted together will continue to blossom. I hope that the values we’ve lifted up—integrity, compassion, trust, tradition and renewal—will remain central in the life of our synagogue.

Thank you for your trust, your partnership, and the privilege of continuing to serve TSTI.