Temple Israel's Annual Meeting
Join us for our Annual Congregational Meeting
Sunday, June 25 at the Temple Gavel

8:15 a.m. Budget Discussion
9:00 a.m. Bagel Breakfast
9:30 a.m. Annual Meeting

Please join your Temple Israel family at our Annual Congregational Meeting. It is essential that we have 50 members in good standing* to conduct business

*Must be current in all Temple obligations 5 days prior to the Annual Meeting to vote.


Laurie Arroyo
Board of Directors Nominee

In 2011, a recent immigrant to Long Beach from Northeast L.A., I rented a place across the street from a synagogue - a perfect opportunity to explore my dormant Judaism.
 
First I watched the remodel evolution. This was looking more and more like the place for me. Then I put my big toe in with Torah Study. I was entranced by the poetry from Rabbi Moskowitz and many of the members - the lights that shined filled me with wonder and whet my appetite for more.
 
Temple Israel did not disappoint. There was the Introduction to Judaism class which filled in some of the gaps from my secular upbringing. And, of course, there were all the Joys of Jewish Learning programs, a cornucopia of opportunity to explore.
 
What brought me in was my curiosity but it is the people that kept me coming back. The stranger that was me was welcomed most warmly. In the classes and at the events people were inclusive, open and friendly. So friendly that I joined the Membership Committee to contribute to the development of the community in which I was so warmly embraced.
 
I have been president of a grassroots arts nonprofit in Northeast Los Angeles, creating community through art; I was on the establishment board of an art and community center in Eagle Rock, and I have been partner in a commercial property management company for the past 20 years.
 
I am honored to be nominated to the Board of Temple Israel and aspire to embody the generosity of spirit, embracing inclusion, embodied by our congregation.



Karen Ben-Shmuel
Board of Directors Nominee

 
My name is Karen Ben-Shmuel, and I'm excited for the opportunity to serve on Temple Israel's board. My maternal grandparents were decades-long members of the temple beginning in the 1950s, and my parents were married here in 1971. Flashing forward to present day, my husband Eli and I are thrilled to be part of this thriving temple community, and enjoy programs like Tot Shabbat, Shabbat in the Park, and Torah Center with our kids, eight-year old Ilana and three-year old Zachary (plus my bonus kids, 22-year old Jacob and 18-year old Jordan, who are both college students).
 
I love volunteering, especially within the Jewish community. At the Alpert JCC, I've co-chaired the ECE's Parent-Student Association for the past several years, currently serve on the ECE committee, been part of several fundraising gala committees, and graduated from the Alpert New Leaders Forum. I've also been our temple Torah Center's HUM chair for the past two years, serve on the board of Federation Tower, and co-lead my daughter's Girl Scout troop. For the past 15+ years, I've been a public relations consultant to one of the country's largest architecture and engineering firms. I received a bachelor's degree in communication from UC Santa Barbara and a Master's degree in Public Relations from Boston University. My family and I currently live in Seal Beach.
 

Lysa Saltzman
Board of Directors Nominee

My name is Lysa Saltzman and I am excited for the opportunity to serve on Temple Israel's Board of Directors. I have lived in Long Beach with my husband, Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, for the past fourteen years and we have been attending Temple Israel since the birth of our son, Jordan, who recently became a Bar Mitzvah. We also have a daughter, Elyanna, who is six years old. We are regular participants of Temple Israel's amazing youth programs and are big fans of Torah Study, Got Shabbat and Family Camp! I am grateful for the inclusive Temple Israel community that has embraced our family.
 
Our children attended the Alpert JCC Early Childhood Education program and continue to be involved in Alpert JCC programs. I was a member of the Alpert JCC ECE Committee for several years and currently serve on the Camp Komaroff Committee. Last year, Adolfo and I completed the Alpert New Leaders Forum, shaping our skills and knowledge of Jewish programs and services within Long Beach.
 
I graduated from the University of California, San Diego and earned my law degree from California Western School of Law. My legal career has been focused on school law, representing public school districts with an emphasis in student matters and governance issues. I look forward to applying what I have learned for the benefit of our Temple Israel congregation.
 
Contact
Temple Israel
269 Loma Avenue ~ Long Beach, CA 90803
562.434.0996 ~ www.tilb.org
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We call upon the Board members and Officers to lead our community toward the fulfillment of Torah. Knowing the tasks that lie ahead, we call upon them to affirm their commitment to the vision of our congregation and to the communities they serve and to pledge their best efforts and finest abilities to the year ahead.