After my father passed away in December, my mom, sisters and our families began to light the Shabbat candles together on Zoom every Friday evening. This is a weekly tradition that began during Covid, and is a lovely way for us to connect with each other every week to start Shabbat. We also share the challah that we have baked (if we have baked that week).
Since I have been saying Kaddish for my dad since December, I have joined a daily minyan that my mom and sisters and some nieces and nephews have also joined. This online community has become a nice daily ritual to remember my dad.
My mom and sister's family live in Minneapolis, where I grew up. I live in San Francisco, and the rest of the family is in Monterey, CA, Boulder, CO, Madison, WI and Washington, DC. The daily minyan and the candle lighting are a nice way for us to connect and see each other every day and every week.
The Association of Jewish Aging Services Virtual Choir sings "True Colors" while pictures taken of residents and staff during the Covid-19 pandemic are shown.
The Association of Jewish Aging Services Virtual Choir sings "Bridge Over Troubled Water" while pictures taken of residents and staff during the Covid-19 pandemic are shown.
Community Counter hosted Web Panel, Navigating Vaccine Hesitancy in the Jewish Community
A Panel Discussion with The Honorable Aliza Bloch, Mayor of Bet Shemesh (Israel)
Dr Naor Bar Zeev, Associate Professor in the Department of Global Disease, Epidemiology and Control at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Baltimore)
Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, Chief of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiologist, Mt. Sinai South Nassau (New York) and Rabbi at Young Israel of Woodmer (New York)
Dr. Daniel Grove, Assistant Director for Critical Care at Medstar Union Memorial Hospital (Baltimore)
Rabbi Dr. Zev Eleff, Chief Academic Officer, Hebrew Theological College (Skokie) and Associate Professor of Jewish History, Touro College and University System
Mark Trencher, founder of Nishma Research (New York)
Shoshana Bernstein, Director of Communications, Covid Plasma Initiative, and President, SB Writing and Communications (Monsey, New York).
Discussion is centered around the history, implications and best practices for addressing vaccine hesitancy in the Jewish community.
This heartfelt video was created by Community Counter, a volunteer organization created to help the Orthodox Jewish Community stay safe throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. This short video also links to the full video which features over 20 of our Chicago neighbors and friends showing our community's support for wearing masks and helping to save lives every day.
These items include safety protocols for Beth El Hebrew's Outdoor Jewish learning and living program that took place from September 13-November 22 and that picked up again April 11-May 23. Also attached is their letter announcing their plans for RS for 2021, as well as photos from Confirmation and Consecration.
These are pictures of the sanctuary at Tikvat Israel in Rockville, MD, with seats marked off to ensure social distancing as we prepare to return.
After 13 months, Tikvat Israel Congregation in Rockville returned for our first indoor, in-person service on Shabbat Acharei Mot/Kedoshim (April 24, 2021). The definition of “warm and welcoming” looks very different now, as we limit our numbers, ensure everyone maintains 6’ physical distancing and all wear masks, even when leading. As I rolled the Torah from Tetzaveh (the last portion we read) to Acharei Mot/Kedoshim (our reading this week), my eyes filled with tears of a mixture of awe, joy, anticipation and sadness. Something profound that we are returning this week, when we read the double parasha whose title translates to “after death” “holiness.” Yes, there is.
To prepare for virtual Rosh Hashanah morning services, I decorated my desk with Jewish art, objects, and a picture of my family in order to foster the feeling of being in a sacred space.
Image description: A white desk in front of a window that looks out onto a sunny cul-de-sac. Propped against the windowsill on the desk from left to right is a small painting of a hamsa, a gay pride-decorated golem doll, an art print with the modah/eh ani prayer, a picture of five smiling people, a print with a Jewish man and an Arab man holding a banner that says "God is Love" in rainbow print, a black print with white lettering that says "Everyday a person must renew themselves" in Hebrew over and over again, and a small pink wooden tulip. In front of these objects on the desk, there is a closed laptop with a small pomegranate sculpture to the left and a URJ Chumash to the right.
