Beginning with the 2024-2025 membership year, Temple Israel has adopted a voluntary “Sustaining Pledge” membership model, which we are calling Terumah. The sustaining number represents the actual annual costs of employing our staff, maintaining our synagogue, and providing services, programs, and life-cycle events, divided by the number of members. The sustaining number for the 2024-2025 fiscal year is $1,250 per adult member.
We ask members to pledge an amount of their choice, based on what Temple Israel means to you and what makes financial sense for you while considering the actual cost of operating Temple Israel. We know that some will not contribute at the sustaining level – whether due to financial constraints or for other reasons – so it is our hope that others will consider a pledge beyond that amount. This way, we can ensure that Temple Israel will continue to be a vibrant home for Jewish life that is welcoming to all.
Some items will continue to be billed separately from your membership pledge. These include Preschool and Hebrew School tuition, b’nei mitzvah tutoring fees, membership in Brotherhood and Sisterhood, Cemetery Support, and to receive the monthly Doorpost newsletter by mail.
After the temple office has received your application and set up your account on ShulCloud, the congregation’s online membership portal, you will be emailed an invitation to log into your account, set your password, and complete your membership pledge form. Once you have indicated your membership pledge, that amount, along with any additional applicable charges, will be activated on your ShulCloud account.
You will have the following payment options:
Why Terumah? This word is found in chapter 25, verse 2 of the book of Exodus. In this passage, God asks the Israelites to make a free will offering to build the Tabernacle, a sacred space dedicated to the relationship between the people and God. The people were to give in whatever form and amount their hearts moved them, just as we are asking our members to do under this new model.
* Terumah graphic design by Courtney Kapral
