Ner Tamid Legacy Giving

Ruth Gursky is a longtime CBST member and Ner Tamid legacy donor.

Before the current Ner Tamid legacy society existed, I was one of those crazy people who helped start the first legacy society at CBST. 

A few of us discussed the idea in the mid-1980s. We put information about it in our newsletter and encouraged members to include CBST in their wills.

I’m a lawyer. I always encourage clients to put a synagogue, church, or other nonprofit organization in their wills to leave a legacy.

To me, Ner Tamid represents your opportunity to leave a legacy. Whether you have children or not, you want to pass something on of your values. CBST has always reflected my values of combining one’s being gay, and one’s being Jewish at the same time, with no conflict, and with lots of love and support.

CBST is involved in so many good social action projects that, for me, it’s a matter of leaving the synagogue in good hands, both in terms of the people in charge as leaders, and financially.

If you’re thinking about becoming a Ner Tamid donor, here’s what I would tell you: If you feel CBST is important enough to make an annual donation, then it’s certainly important enough to consider leaving it in your will, so your name and the values and traditions of CBST can continue.

One needs to think long-term, and Ner Tamid is just that: thinking long-term about the future of the synagogue. So when an LGBTQ kid gets off the bus looking for a welcoming shul, they can find CBST, a place where they can come with their partner and hold hands and skip down the aisles together.