Last week, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation came to a settlement with V.I.P. Caterer over an earlier contractual dispute. The congregation was able to terminate its relationship with the caterer, ending a stalemate that had been tied up in New York State courts.

The dispute with V.I.P., which has most of its business interests in Florida, had resulted in lost income for the congregation. However, Old Westbury President Roger Fisher has reiterated that the dispute did not cause the synagogue to cut back or deny services to congregation members.

In fact, Old Westbury, according to Mr. Fisher, raised $340,000 over the past year, a total due mainly to successful fund raising during the congregation's 50th anniversary celebrations and the recent High Holiday season.

According to Mr. Fisher, such fund-raising efforts more than offset income lost through problems with the caterer. The numbers amounted to "five times" what is normally raised during the holiday season. In addition, the synagogue, during the caterer dispute, remained able to fulfill its Kaddush needs, a ceremony which takes place after a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

The money raised has helped the congregation spend $70,000 for a new playground on its 11-acre site off Jericho Turnpike in Old Westbury. The congregation also hopes to expand the educational wing of its building in the near future. Such building expansions are necessary, Mr. Fisher said, to accommodate new families joining the congregation and the resulting increased attendance in both the Nursery School and Hebrew School. Up to 15 new families joined Old Westbury last fall, bringing membership totals to 330 families.

Hebrew School schedule at Old Westbury mandates attendance three times a week. For years, the congregation held classes during two weekdays and on Sundays. Recently, they moved the Sunday class to Saturday in order to increase attendance. Not only do about 100 young people attend Saturday classes, but they also are accompanied by their parents. As a result, there is more family involvement on the weekends, Mr. Fisher said. "The parents go to synagogue services, while their children are attending Hebrew school," he said.

Old Westbury has also been invigorated by the presence of a new rabbi, Mr. Rafeal Gold, currently serving on an "undetermined basis." Rabbi Gold has come to Long Island from Savannah, GA, a city that boasts the third oldest synagogue in the United States. The move gives Old Westbury the services of the only "Southern rabbi" on the island. More important, the congregation, according to Mr. Fisher "loves him," and as Rabbi Gold acknowledged, the feeling is mutual.

Although Savannah is one of the more historic cities in the South, Rabbi Gold said the Old Westbury area is "much more beautiful" than his former city. "The beauty of the area sells itself," he added. Rabbi Gold expressed his hope that the programs and lessons offered to young people at the synagogue will "carry over into their homes and into their own lives."