Message from President Susan Baum

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Holiday-of or relating to a festival; festive; joyous.

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 t seems that much of synagogue life revolves around holidays as we’ve just seen the past 2 months. Yet now it’s November and we celebrate two secular holidays. Veterans Day and Thanksgiving aren’t really celebrated in temple but the Ezra Center always had big celebrations for them. I bring this up because we normally get together with friends or family to celebrate festive or joyous events like these. Since Thanksgiving is a holiday of gratitude, I think most of us are grateful for things that we previously took for granted.

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B’Yachad-together.

Since the middle of March 2020, we haven’t been able to be together in the usual way so people have been getting very creative. Our own Shofar Blowout comes to mind besides our Thursday Night Happy Hour. American Jewish University or AJU has been working on ways to stay connected in a socially distant world. They’ve created B’Yachad Together which offers online learning to advance ideas, dialogue and debate.

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The theme of this year’s Women’s League Torah Fund campaign is also B’Yachad. It’s ironic to me that in this pandemic year Women’s League members can’t get together in person.

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Before we know it, Hanukkah will be upon us and many of us will have to light candles with our families electronically. Unfortunately, you can’t smell or taste latkes and jelly donuts through Zoom!

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Finally, I want to thank everyone who participated in our Kol Nidre appeal. Thank you, Rabbi and Cantor, for an inspiring and comforting High Holiday season.

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So, let’s be together-B’Yachad as much as we can on zoom.