Important note: If you are making a gift or planning a bequest to Or Olam, please contact the office with the details so we can notify our Bookkeeper and Treasurer make a note in our files.
The Legacy Society recognizes the mitzvah of our loyal and generous congregants who have included the Or Olam – The East 55th Street Synagogue in their bequests. Planned gifts sustain our financial strength, ensuring the future of our congregation.
A Wall of Honor will list the names of those whose bequests have been received by the synagogue.
Please join us and remember the Or Olam – East 55th Street Synagogue in your will. Your bequest will help us secure the future of Or Olam by:
We hope that as you prepare your wills Or Olam will be a designated beneficiary.
Your bequest may be either an unrestricted gift, which would be used for the synagogue’s needs, as determined by the Board of Trustees and the congregation or to support a particular project, such as specific programs or lecture series.
“I give and bequeath to The Or Olam Legacy Society of Or Olam-The East 55 St. Synagogue, of New York, a not-for-profit entity, located at 308 E. 55 Street, New York, NY 10022, the sum of $——or ______% of the remainder of my estate, to be used for the general purposes of the organization at the discretion of its Board of Trustees.”
“I give and bequeath to The Or Olam Legacy Society of Or Olam—The East 55th Street Synagogue of New York, a not-for-profit entity, located at 308 E. 55 Street, New York, NY 10022, the sum of $——or ——–% of the remainder of my estate, to be used for the specific purpose of ____________.
In 1986 we became members of the synagogue, after we moved into our apartment on East 56 Street, near Lexington Avenue. The proximity of the synagogue was not the only reason for our choice, but primarily the friendliness of the congregants and the excellence of the rabbi.
Over the years, we became close friends with a number of the members. As both Seymour and I experienced the vacuum left by the death of childhood friends, the extension of our social circle became all the more important.
Our former rabbi, Ephraim Pelcovits, has enriched our lives through his spiritual leadership, pastoral care, and warm personality. We have enjoyed his teaching of Jewish values, through Torah, Mishnah, and Talmud, and his discussions about Israel and its future.
Seymour and I have left bequests to Or Olam so that future generations can have a stronger financial basis. We realize that many younger people are not able to contribute more than their dues, and the maintenance of the building and support of high-quality programming and adult-education are costly.
