Page 31 - Jewish News_February-2021

COMMENTARY February 2021 31A

Gifts from the pandemic
line. They’re the ones who can’t get to COMMUNITY LECTURE

synagogue or the grocery store or vol-
From unteer opportunities because of phys- FEBRUARY 23 • 7:00PM Via Zoom
ical limitations. They’re the ones in
the wheelchairs, who use walkers, or have FROM SAVING OTHERS
to take the bus because they don’t drive
Bimah anymore.

Best of all, we turned our com- TO BEING SAVED HIMSELF
puters, smart phones and tablets into
inter-personal communication tools.
Rabbi Jennifer Singer Many took advantage of computers to
Congregation Kol HaNeshama “share” dinner with family members
who live thousands of miles away.
ince New Year’s Eve, people People lit Shabbat candles with their LIVE
have been expressing their joy grandchildren in a different state. Or
Sthat 2020 is behind us. The pan- visited their home synagogues and
demic is still here, but we’re hopeful congregations that they hadn’t seen in
because the end is in sight. At some years. Or reconnected with long-lost from
point this year, we imagine that our family and friends.
lives will be normal again and every- We learned how to connect with
thing will finally go back to the way it each other on a spiritual level even
was. when we could not be physically pres- Israel!
The fantasy goes something like ent. We discovered that we could pray
this: Covid-19 will fade into a distant together, study our sacred texts togeth- Our annual
memory; no more masks, no more er and have deeply spiritual experi-
gloves, no more social distancing. In- ences together, while each in our own Community Lecture
stead, we’ll all hop on airplanes and homes.
visit our families, or take wonderful We even discovered that we could featuring ELI BEER.
vacations, or at least go to dinner and find God while sitting in the dining
a movie with friends. We’ll go to the room, elbows on the table, a prayer
opera and synagogue and the theater. book projected on the computer screen
We’ll be free again. Everything from and the cat in our lap. We can experi- ELI BEER created a life-changing
2020 will evaporate. ence the Divine anywhere, anytime, if
If that happens, if we leave every- we open our hearts. emergency response organization,
thing from 2020 behind, we will have If we are wise, we will continue to UNITED HATZALAH, and found
lost something important. Because as use these tools long after the pandemic
hard as the last year was, we learned is over. We can create hybrid services himself experiencing a life-changing month
a great deal about ourselves and our in our synagogues that allow house-
communities. We learned about living bound people to attend too. We can of- as a coronavirus patient this past year.
with uncertainty and conflicting advice. fer classes that people can participate in Be there at our annual Community Lecture
We discovered new tools for gathering from anywhere on the globe. Extended
in meaningful ways, even when we families can share Jewish practices and to hear his story about saving other people’s
couldn’t be together physically. pass along family traditions from afar.
And we learned about the people We can – and we should – continue to lives and being saved himself.
in our communities who benefitted innovate, for the benefit of all.
when in-person gatherings moved on-

What do you think? Drs. Kate and Eric Pressman
CO-CHAIRS

The Jewish News wants to know!

Send an email to jewishnews18@gmail.com.

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