Wednesday, April 1, 2020

I can't believe I haven't written on my Blog site since 2016.  So now I'll start again during this pandemic of the Corona Virus in March of 2020.  
This is what I wrote in our synagogue newsletter:


Ma Nishtanah… What is different?

EVERYTHING is different!! We will not be having a Community Seder or a Women’s Seder, and perhaps your Seder will be different from any you ever had before in your life.   
We aren’t going out except for necessary shopping.  The movie theaters, some restaurants, all schools, are closed. We cannot hug or shake hands as we used to.  If we touch any surface we have a sanitizing wipe or spray on hand so as not to spread or pick up this insidious virus. Our generation has not experienced this kind of global calamity, this level of emergency, that changes all our previous expectations about how we can make schedules, travel plans, or be in charge of our lives.  We just do not know.
So what can we do?  We can call on our very highest selves and offer help to those whose immune systems are compromised; we must be extremely careful since we can no longer visit elders in assisted living or really have contact with seniors to whom we might bring an infection.  But we can do errands, deliver, and wipe, wipe, wipe with strong antiseptic solutions.  We can reach out by phone and email and any other way possible.
There are an increasing number of classes, meditations, programs, and services online.  We, at the JCSVV, are experimenting with live streaming through a closed facebook group.  You already have gotten instructions and invitations to join that group.  I am working with Helen King, our JCSVV president, with Sheryl Tuchman, who has graciously taught me how to arrange live streaming of Erev Shabbat services, and with other members of our Board and our congregation on seeking ways to support each other and stay connected, which is the major mission of our Jewish community.  I have reached out to each member, including our associate members living elsewhere, and have heard so many encouraging examples of how you are staying balanced, upbeat, wisely safe, and “hunkering down” – that expression was the one I heard most often.
So, as we are all in the wilderness of just not knowing, let’s keep in mind the shining example of walking toward the Promised Land, which, in our case, might mean once again being able to congregate in our sanctuary and social hall, enjoy the enlivening experience of group gatherings, and oh, will we ever appreciate all that we took for granted, just a few short weeks ago!
The physical synagogue building might be closed, and the planned-for schedule might be postponed, but our connection is solid, and we will find ways to stay “in touch.”

Blessing for Nissan. (March 26 – April 24, 2020)
During this time of uncertainty and forced isolation, let us draw on the faith and strength of our ancestors who weathered many disasters and dispersions, so that we stay whole, in the best possible health, and remain a community that reaches out by any means to each other to support and uplift each other.   –Amen.