Dear Friends,
The past two years for ECE-RJ and me as president have been exciting, full of unexpected changes and challenges, and required much thinking, rethinking, doing, and redoing. I imagine that it was similar for each of us in our personal and professional lives.
I have heard and used the word "unprecedented" so many times – usually referring to something negative. Unprecedented global pandemic. Unprecedented mass murders. Unprecedented school closures. Unprecedented staff shortages. I recently heard someone say, “I hope we never see unprecedented times again.”
But isn't every day unprecedented? Every day over the past two years, every day before that, and every day in the future is unprecedented. No two days are exactly alike, and each morning we wake up, we have an unprecedented day ahead of us. We have an opportunity to look at our jobs and our lives in a new light. An opportunity to rethink and redo, to make the world a better place. An opportunity to lay the groundwork for each young life, each family we touch to grow into themselves and their Jewishness with joyous learning and community.
In the months before I was installed as president of ECE-RJ, Lisa Samick and I had many discussions about what we wanted to do in the next few years. We were so excited! Our planned path took many twists and turns. And a few nosedives. But through it all, ECE-RJ members were always our top priority. So, together with the Board of ECE-RJ and members joining in, we rethought and redid and rethought and redid again. If you joined us for the 2022 plenary, you heard about our revised mission and vision statements and a new board structure that brings more members together. Keep your eyes on UNITE, the member forums, and social media for more updates and how you can engage with ECE-RJ in the unprecedented days ahead.
And now, with Lisa as President, Ellen Lefkowitz as First Vice President, the entire board, along with Executive Director Tricia Ginis and URJ Liaison Rachel Margolis and the amazing membership of ECE-RJ, our organization is in great shape and great hands, and on a phenomenal path that will inevitably have twists and turns and will keep moving forward.
On a personal note, I want to thank Lisa Samick, Rachel Margolis, Tricia Ginis, Ellen Lefkowitz, Pam Ranta, April Schafer, Lori Kowit, Leslie Scheck, Cathy Goldberg, Zoë Miller, Sheila Purdin, Shelly Sender, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Cathy Rolland, Judi Goozh, Marc Newman, and the many, many others in ECE-RJ who supported me and continuously and consistently elevate the field of Jewish Early Childhood Education and ECE-RJ.
I’m looking forward to each unprecedented day ahead. I hope to see you in San Diego in November for the first ECE-RJ in-person conference in over two years!
Fern Katz, Immediate Past President, ECE-RJ
Director of Early Childhood Education
Sinai Preschool
Chicago Sinai Congregation
