Yet another monthly cycle is here… doing my temple newsletter. I’ve been doing this for over 3.5 years now. Although I enjoy the ability to teach through the newsletter (I do a monthly column on “Learning About Judaism”), and although I know I do a newsletter that is significantly more professional than any other congregation’s newsletter in Southern California (Do I have pride in my work? You bet!), it’s starting to get old.
Normally I assemble the NL on the weekend, but I did most of the work tonight (all I have left is the slate of officers and space-filler quotes)… and the last submission came in around 10:00 PM! [Note that the official deadline was Saturday the 15th].
It’s not the editing of the newsletter (which I’ve gotten down to a science… what used to take me 14-20 hours now takes about 5), it is the hassle of getting submissions in (some people just don’t understand what a deadline is, or why publicity needs about 8 weeks leadtime), and the hassle of getting a tabloid-sized paper (11×17) folded, collated, and mailed. I’ve had months where I’ve been the only folder for over 300 copies.
If I could just be editor, and mail in the Acrobat for someone else to produce and mail, it would be one thing. But…
In any case, I won’t give up this hat for a few months at least. One of my character flaws is my pride, and thus I don’t leave people in the lurch. I won’t transition production until I know someone can capabily take it over; ditto for the editorial side of things. On the up side, June will be my last month as Religious Practices chair, and we’ll likely be moving to a new congregation where I (yeah!) won’t need to be on the board.
One of these days I’ll rant about Temple politics.
