January 2012

Shalom Brother and Sisters of the National Shomrim Society,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Happy New Year and introduce myself to those of you who do not know me. I joined the Chicago Police Department almost 22 years ago and have been a Lieutenant for almost 10 years now. I serve in our Rogers Park neighborhood which is “our great American melting pot” and is one of the most diverse communities in Chicago, including a very substantial Orthodox population. I have been a member of our Chapter of Shomrim for about the same amount of time. I was the first female President of Shomrim of Illinois and served in that position from 2005 through 2008. I guess I now hold the other first female as National President, and I am quite honored. I have been involved in National for a number of years and have enjoyed attending the National Convention every year and making friends with people all over the country. The strength in our organization comes from the things that we have in common and the friendships that we make and sustain through the years, no matter the distance apart that we are.

National Convention

The National Convention at Sea was a fun time. The ship we were on was the Liberty of the Seas and it was a beautiful ship. There was a lot to do on board this ship and amazingly, if you wanted to do nothing, you could find that to do as well. A short board meeting was held on Thursday evening after dinner and things went well. The weather was supposed to be beautiful most of the weekend but the “winds did change” on the way to Cozumel and we got some rain on Saturday in Cozumel and while it was very sunny on Sunday on the way back, it was rather windy. Numerous seminars were held and the speakers really put in a great deal of effort on their presentations, which was appreciated by all. A beach party was held at Paradise Beach in Cozumel, which for those that attended, was fun, yet a little wet due to the rain. And unlike the Marines, one man did get left behind, but he did make it back to the ship in plenty of time. Sunday night the Annual meeting was held and normal business was conducted along with the election for the National Officers. I am very pleased with the caliber of people that are filling the shoes of the National Offices. We have a great mix of people from Chapters from all over the country. The entire list will be posted on the National Website.

We were saddened when we heard the news of the Costa Concordia on Saturday morning and we kept the passenger and their crew in our thoughts.

I would be remiss, if I didn’t thank Murray and Marty for all of their hard work on this year’s convention. They really did an awesome job and I look forward to working with them in the coming months.

Other National News

For those of you that have not heard in the past two years, our Past President Scott Bresalier, worked very hard to try to bring the South Florida Chapter back into the fold. He was successful in this endeavor and we are grateful to have this very important chapter back with us. While they were unable to attend the National Convention this year, we hope to have them at the Convention next year.

My Intentions

I hope to attend various Shomrim events around the country. I feel that our cohesiveness is very important and one of the best ways to accomplish that is to get out and visit with our chapters and to communicate better with the Chapter presidents. So over the next few weeks I plan to contact all of you by phone and discuss how we can try to help your Chapter and how we can try to make National better. Please put your thoughts together so that we can continue to make National Shomrim a great supporting organization. I am currently planning on attending the NYPD Shomrim Dinner in March which will be hosting the Installation of the National Officers and to attend the Salute to Israel Parade in June in NYC. Due to the G8/NATO conventions being held in Chicago in May, I will not be able to attend Police Week so I have asked 1st VP Steve Litwin to represent National Shomrim at the Kaddish Service held at the Police Memorial that week. I would ask that you would please notify Stu Portner of your events for your individual chapters so that he can post them on the website and so that I can do my best to attend some events around the country.

Next year’s Convention

There have been several conversations about next year’s convention, about different ideas of what to do, where and when. These ideas are being explored and we are going to work to get the best option for our members. While I realize that some people don’t like going to the same places, my hope is that you are coming to renew old friendships and see people you haven’t seen in a while. And as happened this year, a number of new people attended and a great time was had by all. We will keep you informed as the options come together.

Betty will be sending out my direct contact information to all of the Chapter President’s and contacts. Please, do not hesitate to call me should you need anything or wish to discuss any matter.

Fraternally,
Allison Schloss