For me, it was a no brainer.
When I drafted my will, I wanted to return the gifts Netivot Shalom had given me and contribute to growing our community’s strength, beauty and integrity in a way that would help our community continue growing and thriving in the future. So I simply divided my estate into five equal parts: three/fifths to my three foster children and one/fifth to HIAS because I had experienced some of the feelings and situations of a refugee (banned from the U.S. government during the Reagan administration and then finding a polite policeman at my door one morning in Brussels, announcing that I had 24 hours to leave the country). Last but never least, one/fifth to Netivot Shalom, the community that welcomed me in and became my community to cherish and nurture to the best of my ability.
While working for the European Union for 30 years, I experienced the problems and opportunities of a young, idealistic organization–like Netivot Shalom–as it grew and matured, developing its systems of resources, management and integrity while responding to challenges, looking to the future, expressing and deepening its values.
Netivot Shalom became my spiritual home and physical refuge when I moved from Brussels to the Bay Area and took on the exhausting tasks of caring for my parents, stepmother, aunt and uncle during their final years of life. I don’t know how I would have survived the 12 years of caregiving without the support and strength of the Netivot Shalom community.
I also drew strength from the rhythms and meanings of the years, the beauty of the services and the voices of the congregation, the wisdom and humor of the drashot and our rabbi’s teachings, the delicious kiddush, the light streaming through the clerestory windows in the sanctuary, our olive and pomegranate trees, the bright spring flowers of the wisteria outside the gates, the comforting safety of the walls, the comforting smiles and kind inquiries year after year, and especially the Chevre Kadisha.
How much can we accomplish as a living community without sufficient financial resources and staff to keep the ship upright and sailing in the best direction while expressing our commitments to our values and the values of the country we live in?
Individual efforts are not enough. The community as a whole needs resources to be healthy and active and grow. I give what I can in ways that are open to me. It is that simple.