BI hires a new director

KYLE BERGER REPORTER

Shannon Etkin walked up to the front door of Beth Israel Synagogue one evening last May and found that the door was locked. He walked around the building and tried another door that was also locked. It wasn't until he noticed someone else entering through a less-noticeable door in the rear of the building that he managed to find his way inside, where he met with the search committee of the synagogue, who would eventually hire him as their new executive director.

It was no suprise that just two months into his new job, while he talked to the Bulletin in his second-floor office, Etkin couldn't help but point out the brand new signs at the rear entrance of the synagogue that reads, "Congregation Beth Israel welcomes you. Main entrance."

"The board said that they want people to feel welcome when they walk into the synagogue," he said. "So I said, 'Well, let's start by putting up a sign that tells people which door to walk into.' "

While he admitted the sign project was just a small step, Etkin said one of his goals is to make the synagogue a more user-friendly communal organization. That ability is something Etkin has already made into a career; just a couple of years ago, Etkin was at the end of a six-year term as the associate executive director of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCC). Feeling satisfied with what he had accomplished at the centre, he left, looking for new challenges. He took a job working for the I Care Foundation Community Associates in a department that developed integrated technological programs designed to help nonprofit organizations operate in a more efficient, effective manor.

"They were technologies that were used in business but hadn't been used significantly in smaller not-for-profit organizations," he said. "For example, you could have a membership card that you could swipe at a number of different businesses that would give you points or credit for additional services."

However, post-Sept. 11 economic struggles forced the company to give up on Etkin's programs, leaving him to find work elsewhere. A friend told him of the position at Beth Israel and he was hired soon after.

Etkin said he is looking forward to using the skills he developed over the years to help Beth Israel assess and achieve their goals.

"I have a set of planning, business and communication skills that I think will allow me to work with the congregants and help them take a look at various issues we have to deal with in a very pro-active, transparent way," he said, adding that many of the challenges the synagogue faces are similar to the ones he faced as a leader of the JCC.

"This synagogue, like many other religious institutions, has many significant challenges with regards to how it will continue to interact and be vibrant and meaningful to a changing and growing community," he said. "We have to continue to meet the needs of the elder members of our congregation, while figuring out how to reach out to the five- and 10-year-olds who are looking for something completely different. The same goes for those in their 20s and 30s."

Etkin said it is nice to be back working directly in the Jewish community of Greater Vancouver with so many familiar faces.

"It was nice coming back into a very welcoming community," he said. "A lot of people that I had worked with or who had been members of the JCC are members or are involved with Beth Israel and when they found out that I was coming here, their phone calls and expressions of support made me feel very good about coming into the organization."

Most of Etkin's plans for the synagogue will have to hold until October, however, after the High Holy Days are complete.

"I had no idea how much work was required in putting on the High Holy Day services," he said. "There are all kinds of things that we need to do to ensure that the High Holy Day celebrations can be as comfortable and meaningful as possible."

^TOP