Message from the Executive Director
ESRA is growing from strength to strength, and has more members now than ever before. We have nearly 3,000 paid up members, nearly 1,000 active volunteers and branches in 17 locations, with more in the pipeline
ESRA is affiliated with thirty superb community projects, improving the quality of life of over 1,200 families each month. There are also thirteen very active support services.
The media and communications group includes three separate websites, the ESRA Yahoo list, the ESRA Magazine, ESRAvision and YouTube. We also run three successful second hand bookshops in Ra'anana, Caesarea and Modi'in and the second hand shops in Ra'anana, Kfar Saba and Netanya continue to thrive.
We hold an average of forty regular and special social cultural and educational programs each month. All of this is reflected in more than 17,000 financial transactions per year with the administrative support of seven extremely hard-working part-time & full time staff in three offices.
At the last AGM we were worried about the economic slump, and the leadership of ESRA took steps to weather it in the best way possible. Despite the dire predictions, two things allowed us to ride out the year better than expected. Thirty years of careful planning, and responsible leadership paved the way, and we received two major donations illustrating ESRA's enviable reputation. This sound financial leadership has allowed us to hold steady on all of the projects that we chose to continue with.
We opened a major new project in conjunction with the Kfar Saba Municipality - the very successful 'Students Build a Neighborhood'. Three other major new projects are in the works.
And as always, ESRA looks to the future and this new website, launched in June 2010, is part of our ongoing development. We continue moving forward to include Hebrew speakers among our ranks. We are ever open to becoming involved in new and exciting Community Projects that will complement our longer running established ones. We have made "transparency" a by-word and a goal.
It is widely believed that in terms of the world wide economic situation, we are not yet out of the woods, but we are confident that we will continue to grow and thrive. And it would be an impossible task without the commitment of individuals, committees, think tanks, and the seemingly tireless officers of ESRA. I am honored and privileged to work with a staff who care so deeply and personally about the well being of the organization, and volunteers whose vision knows no boundaries, who see difficulties as a challenge to be overcome before moving on to the next challenge, and for whom the concept of giving up does not seem to exist.
In May 2010, Debby Lieberman, a major part of ESRA's beating heart, vacated her post as Chairman, and I take this opportunity, in the name of all of us to say thank you for your warmth and caring, your incisive perspective, positive outlook, and humor. We have no intention of missing you, because we intend on keeping you close. As we move into a new leadership era, it is hard to believe that things could get any more exciting, but I have no doubt that that will be the case!
Linda Olmert 
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