March 13, 2020

It has already been a very special day at Chizuk Amuno Online. As you’ll hear in Rabbi Gruenberg’s video message there was a meaningful morning minyan over Zoom ("Zinyan") and then later this morning we celebrated a live streamed and beautiful Bat Mitzvah with Julia Berman. Julia was poised, graceful, and masterful in reading Torah, giving an insightful Dvar Torah on the passage of the Red Heifer, and chanting a long Haftorah. Mazal tov to Julia, her parents Ilene and Larry and her whole family. We will look forward to celebrating with them again just as soon as we can. We also both received calls from congregants who were checking in to let us know how they were doing.

These important online events have shown us how we can begin to come together in new ways. We also spent the day testing technology that will allow us to continue to hold Shabbat services virtually. We would like to thank our very talented staff members and lay people who provided technical support to get us up and running in such a short period of time: Melissa Halpern, Lee Sherman, the staff at Intellicomp, the staff at StreamSpot, and Ruben Finkel. 

The Rabbinical Assembly worked quickly to provide a digital copy of Lev Shalem, the Siddur that we use at Chizuk Amuno. Should you wish to follow along with our prayer services, or simply have a copy for personal meditation during these trying times, you can access it here: https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/form-download-e-siddur-0

Shabbat Services will be held at our usual times Friday at 6pm and Saturday at 9:15am. They will be live-streamed from our homes and you may access the live stream as you would other Shabbatot, by going to chizukamuno.org/livestream. During services please sing along at home, dance if you must, take moments for personal prayer and visualize the embrace of the synagogue family. You can even talk to your Shul friends via text. The Perpetual memorial list will be read and we will recite kaddish. Please respond where appropriate so that our mourners may feel heard.

Please Note: Minhah , Shabbat, March 14 will be on Zoom at 6:30 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/729635269
Meeting ID: 729 635 269

Dial by your location
       +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
       +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 729 635 269
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acS27Zqr4v

Morning Minyan - Sunday, March 15 will be at 9:15 a.m. and will be on Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting : https://zoom.us/j/927400469
Meeting ID: 927 400 469

 Dial by your location
 +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 927 400 469
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acS27Zqr4v

After Shabbat we will be back in touch with a schedule of online services and classes for the coming week. Even if you are not a regular attender we hope that you’ll consider joining us for a service or class. We are already beginning to feel the difficulties involved with being isolated from one another and it would be good to connect in these ways.

We pray that this Shabbat be a Shabbat of peace and healing.
We look forward to sharing Shabbat with you in just a few hours.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Joshua Z. Gruenberg
Rabbi Debi Wechsler