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Dear Members and Friends,

We want to wish all of our members, families and friends good health and good spirits during these difficult times.

We are extremely grateful to those who participated generously in our Chanukah Matching Campaign. These donations have dramatically helped the shul during this Covid-19 pandemic. Some of the donations are helping pay shul expenses at this time.

The physical, spiritual, mental and financial health of our members has been our priority. Many of our members and friends have joined Zoom classes, given by Rabbi Claman. Aside from the excellent learning and discussion opportunities, the classes give people a chance to connect with others in this time of social isolation. Social distancing, masks, hand washing, and online meetings will have to continue for a while. We all want the shul to open, but in a way that is safe and secure. Joel Marcovitch, CEO of JewishColumbus has been in talks with all of the Columbus Congregations about “the best ways” to open our doors when the time comes, in a coordinated approach, while discussing with experts the best standardized safety measures that should be in place.

  The Columbus Jewish Cemetery Association’s $250,000 cemetery improvement plan has completed several of its major goals. We thank Jewish Columbus for their matching grant, which paid for about one half this project. Ahavas Sholom has been well represented at the regular Cemetery Association meetings.

· The $85,000 project to improve the Ahavas Sholom Performance Parkway Cemetery is complete! Most of the cost was for the installation of an underground drainage system under the now expanded 2 acres of the cemetery. After the last 3 heavy rains, there were no areas of standing water. The rest of the expense was for landscaping, including the creation of new paths, clearing of land, trees, rocks and debris. The result is space for hundreds of new burial plots.

· In the cemeteries of the 5 synagogues, about 200 toppled gravestones have been up righted with new foundations placed. 

 · The cleanup of the old Ahavas Sholom Alum Creek Cemetery is also complete.

Although the shul is closed, there are several building updates:

· Dale and his team thoroughly cleaned the building, including wiping down all contact surfaces.

· $12,600 of the Chanukah Campaign funds paid for the installation of two new sanctuary air conditioner units on the roof, in addition to the two new ones installed last year. All four units that cool the sanctuary and lobby have been replaced.

· This fall and winter, a team of our members have done a major kitchen reorganization. Thank you!! A long new metal prep table is in place. Old utensils were discarded and new ones purchased. A company was hired to inspect all the ovens for safety and function. All dials, lines and burners were checked. Two thermocouples were replaced, and all the ovens were cleaned.

· The Shul received the approval for a Federal Emergency Management Agency Nonprofit Security Grant for $63,000 to install security enhancements. This includes funding for an exterior and interior video camera system, panic buttons, an intrusion detection system, video door bell and more.

· The shul was approved for a loan/grant from the government Paycheck Protection Program to help pay expenses in May and June. After that, with your generosity, the gala ad journal will hopefully produce income for the next few months.

Ahavas Sholom is delighted to recognize our dear members Lily and Ed Friedman and Gary Covel as our gala honorees this year. They have earned this honor by their many contributions to the shul and to the broader Columbus Jewish community. Ed served 10 remarkable years as the Columbus Community Kollel president. Lily has supported a variety of Jewish causes in the community. Lily and Lana Covel z”l were both graduates of the 3 year culinary school. Both Lily and Lana’s culinary skills were well known, helping at our shul, teaching CTA students, and/or making meals for people in need. Gary’s decades of selfless work for the Columbus Chevra Kadisha is exemplary.

In view of the pandemic, the Ahavas Sholom gala committee is busy working on a virtual alternative for both the gala and the ad journal. News and details to follow.

If you or someone you know has an unmet need, whether spiritual, financial, emotional or other, please contact Rabbi Claman to discuss this in confidence. May everyone stay well and help others stay well during these trying times. We look forward to time together, in person, on Zoom and in our prayers.

With warm wishes, Dotan Herszage, President and Philip Weinerman, Chairman