Dear Friends:
The second line in Charles Dicken’s classic
Tale of Two Cities
that we all plowed through in High School keeps coming to mind. “…it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
It would be disingenuous to deny the recent hardships and despair many have faced, schedules disrupted and holidays spent apart from loved ones. There have been personal and financial losses and disappointments; weddings and
bar
and
bat mitzvahs
planned for months if not years, postponed.
On the other hand, we have found strength we never knew we had. We mastered new technologies and found novel ways to stay connected. We learned about viruses and how to protect ourselves from them—probably more than we ever expected or wanted to know!
Though we closed the building in March, Temple Emanuel has continued to operate. Our Pre-school and Religious School teachers have conducted virtual classes, our
bar
and
bat mitzvah
students are moving ahead with their preparation, adult learning continues and perhaps most inspiring…each week, our Zoom Friday night Shabbat services regularly attract over three hundred participants!
Now what?
The Temple leadership has been meeting regularly to determine a path forward. Obviously, any decision about when to reopen the Temple to public services will be made based on the recommendations of the CDC and Governor Baker.
If restrictions are relaxed, we expect to resume in-person services and life-cycle ceremonies by July. We would imagine that in this initial phase, they would be limited to 50 participants with appropriate social distancing. All of our services will be live-streamed for those unable to attend in person.
Many families have rescheduled their children’s
bar
and
bat mitzvahs
, and baby namings. Our tenth grade Confirmation, traditionally celebrated in the spring, will occur next year, as will our Religious School Consecration and Family Education sessions.
Our Pre-school and Religious School will open in the fall. How we do that and what it will look like will be determined by state regulations, which of course we will follow.
We have also begun to discuss the High Holy Days. Is it reasonable to expect over six hundred people at each of our services sitting in close proximity? Will state law allow us to gather in such numbers? If not, we are prepared to live-stream all of our services. These decisions will be made in the weeks ahead and of course, we will update you as new information becomes available.
While our building is closed, Temple Emanuel operations are ongoing. Meetings occur, classes are held and we are planning for the year ahead.
And I will continue to be present for life-cycle events, both joyous and sad, just as I have been for the past thirty years
.
On Saturday night, June 20 at 6:00 pm in a Zoom service (more information will be forthcoming) we will begin the year-long celebration of Temple Emanuel’s Centennial with a special Havdalah service. Though this year will not be what we had anticipated, it is important to remember that for one hundred years Temple Emanuel has withstood other tests and trials and we have emerged more determined with each new challenge. We will move forward this time too, with creativity, resilience, and a renewed commitment, recognizing now more than ever, the importance of our Temple community and the inspiration, comfort and strength we draw from each other.
Stay well, stay healthy, be safe, and as always, never hesitate to be in touch.
Rabbi Robert S. Goldstein
