Congregant of the Year

Ursel Salinger, z"l was a woman who loved this community and being there for others. Ursel was a fixture in the synagogue office, volunteering in any way possible. Once a week, you'd find her calling congregants who had a birthday or simha because she wanted the community to feel loved. When Ursel passed, the Board of Directors named the Congregant of the Year award in her honor. Each year, our Congregation honors one individual who has gone above and beyond to add value to our Beth Am community. Our Ursel Salinger Congregant of the Year is awarded before our community at High Holy Day Services to thank that one special individual for all of his/her contributions.

This past year our Congregant of the Year is Jeremy Pearl. He has been a member at Beth Am for over 20 years. He has constantly played a significant volunteer role by serving on several committees and volunteering at programs. You'll often find him at monthly finance committee meetings sharing sage advice and wisdom. Over the last few years, he has played a pivotal role in two significant ways for our synagogue that will significantly impact our community for years to come. First, he used his professional powers to support us by officially establishing Beth Am's endowment. Through his efforts alongside other incredible CBA members, he ensured that we would create something that could grow and be everlasting for our community and also responsibly steward the dollars. Second, he has worked with our executive director, on what we have called "the solar project." For nearly the last two years, our congregant of the year has vetted vendors, thought of creative financing solutions and much more. Over the next several years, we will find ourselves saving significant resources that we can reinvest in the future of this congregation. Enormous thanks to Jeremy Pearl and all of the previous volunteers for everything you’ve done for Beth Am.