JOIN US AGAIN ON APRIL 30 AT 6PM!

Please contact Sarah Markowitz, 1luciannn1@comcast.net or Cathy Radner, radner210@gmail.com, with any questions.

💐 SPRING CELEBRATION SIGN-MAKING EVENT 💐

Who is invited: BT members, and friends of all ages -- family friendly, children may join in the art.

What are we doing?: Making signs in support of issues important to you. No art experience or ability required. The Social Justice Committee will provide the art supplies. Participants may bring extra to use or share ideas and guidance. WE WILL ALSO BE MAKING LAWN SIGNS FOR THE TEMPLE WITH THE NAMES OF BLACK VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE. 

Goal: Self-expression about causes we care for!

Optional Yoga session: 1-1:30pm with Connie Grossman, BT member & amazing yoga teacher, who will lead a gentle practice of standing postures

No yoga experience necessary to participate -- a great chance to try out this relaxing exercise

We'll also provide: Water and snacks, friendly DISTANCED conversation; our nearby play structure for children; information about current social justice issues and events!

By email to Audrey Pleasant (audreypleasant@gmail.com) or text 313.478.641. 

ALSO: canned tuna & chicken * proteins / grains * canned fruits & vegetables * soups / sauces / condiments * breakfast items * snacks

Contact Audrey (audreypleasant@gmail.com) for more details.

Gender-neutral baby clothes for expected newborn ● Pants in large or extra large for pregnant mom ● Shoes for mom: women's size 9 ● Shoes for dad: men's size 10 ● Size 5/6 clothes for boy ● Socks for boy and mom ● Comb for Afro-textured hair ● (Please note: No wipes or diapers needed!)

Audrey (audreypleasant@gmail.com) if you are able to donate any of these or would like her to shop for you.

A HIAS-facilitated interactive discussion of the HIAS Book and Film Club, to discuss the book "Tell Me How It Ends" by Valeria Luiselli: This story is structured around forty questions the author asked undocumented Latin American children facing deportation, illustrates how our immigration system treats children arriving in the United States in search of a better life.

Join "The Women's Medical Fund" for a screening of "Abortion Hotline, This Is Lisa" to learn how the Hyde amendment has been punishing low income people for 47 years.

Sign up for the Social Justice Committee email list for information about what's happening at BT and beyond. Meeting agenda and copy of the monthly report to the board is emailed to all list members. Send your request to audreypleasant@gmail.com.

This Thursday afternoon I will, at long last, be reunited with my children and grandchildren. It will have been 474 days since I last saw them (that’s one year, three months, and three weeks). During that time my older daughter became pregnant and gave birth to a little girl, Alexandra, who is now five and a half months old. (There’s a picture below of her with my grandson Jack.)

For the loved ones of the nearly 600,000 victims of the pandemic, the loss is immeasurable. No one can take the place of these beloved people. But these have not been the only losses, not by far.

Each of us has lost precious time with family. Whether it’s a grandchild we’ve yet to meet, a simcha (joyous occasion) we’ve missed, or simply one or more of the life cycle events or holidays that we and our loved ones looked forward to, the losses are incalculable. And irreplaceable.

Among the greatest beliefs of humanism is its insistence that this life is the only one we get. This comes with the mandate to appreciate every moment.

I’ve tried very hard to do that, even in the face of the ongoing fears and doubts presented by this moment in history. Some of this appreciation has taught me more about myself. Some of it has reminded me how lucky I am to have someone in my life with whom I could spend almost every minute of 474 days and feel fortunate during every one of them. I hope that each of you have had a chance to reflect upon the things that have sparked gratitude for you during this time.

The pandemic has also been a source of fear and anxieties for many people. I know that there were moments when I thought that I might never see my family again. Even as the rational side of my brain told me that this was unlikely, that fear arose from time to time.

Every single one of us who has come through this has learned the lessons of resilience, the ability to adapt to new and frightening situations. We may not have always felt strong, but we somehow managed to find sources of strength, from within and without, to fortify us.

In one way or another, each of us has been transformed by this experience. We have undergone losses both great and small. We have learned to cope with uncertainties and tension. And we have discovered reservoirs of strength in us and around us that we may not have even realized were at our disposal.

Even as I imagine my reunion with my daughters, playing with my grandson, and meeting (and squeezing the delicious cheeks of) my granddaughter, it all still feels a little bit unreal. The last time I was excited to see them was March 11, 2020, two weeks from a planned and then canceled visit and loss has a way of restraining excitement. 

That aside, I know that within 60 hours of writing this I’ll be embracing them again (or for the first time). And I expect that the humanistic lessons of the pandemic will help me to cherish it even more as I remember that accepting the reality of loss enhances our appreciation for every precious moment of our lives.

I hope that you, too, will soon reunite with whatever and whoever were taken from you by the pandemic.

L’chaim! Here’s to life appreciated anew!

The password was sent under separate cover. Please contact rabbi@birminghamtemple.com if you need it.

NEW CLASS! UNROLLING JUDAISM

"From Baghdad to Sepharad and Ashkenaz: The Jewish Diaspora in the Early Middle Ages"

Best Wishes for a Speedy Recovery to:

*THIS WEEK'S CARTOON