How fast did our world change in the last few weeks?
Sundown marks the beginning of the Passover holiday and as many of us come together, many virtually, to celebrate, may we all find connection, joy and meaning around the story of Passover.
As
NIOT leader, Rabbi Rebecca Dubowe of
Moses Montefiore Temple
in Bloomington, Ill.
, told her local NPR station in an
interview this week
, at one level Passover is a liberation story, chronicling the escape of the Jews from slavery in Egypt — one that really resonates this year.
“We recall what is was like for our ancestors in captivity. We are somehow to put ourselves into that experience as well. It’s not just a passage between activities, but it is more of an active listening ritual that we do,” said Dubowe. “Coming from captivity to liberation is a measure of hope that does not just apply to people observing the Passover, but it is for all of us.”
In this NIOT eNews, we share advice about lockdowns, caring for neighbors, and other COVID-19 community resources, including a bystander intervention training session and ways to report hate crimes and bias
incidents that are now surging against Asians and immigrants in the wake of the virus.
What we do to stop hate and racism in our communities is a life and death issue, both immediately and in the long term. The virus is painfully surfacing our disparities and the health impacts of racism. A disturbing new report indicates that African Americans are contracting and dying of the virus at alarming rates. See below the powerful reporting from our friends at ProPublica.
In the meantime, we want to learn from you. Let us know if you have resources we can add to our COVID-19 Community Resources page and drop us a line to let us know how your town is coping and responding to the virus.
Stay Safe and Well. We have so much to do together.
The NIOT Team
