From the President – April 8, 2022

Next week we celebrate Pesach. Although we determined that meeting together in person would not be safe, we will meet online for our community seder. This presents an interesting opportunity for Mercedes and me. We will be visiting our granddaughter and her parents in Oregon, but will also be able to attend our community seder. It will be our granddaughter’s first seder and we will be able to be with her, her parents (our son and daughter in law), and our TBH community.
There are silver linings to the pandemic mostly in the lessons we have learned. I think we appreciate each other more. To quote Joni Mitchell, “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.” Gathering together and praying together has become far more precious. And, we have been forced to learn and adopt technology that makes our events multi-access. Members of our community who in the past would not have been able to participate can join us remotely.
That said, being together remotely is no substitute for being together in person. Next week we will say, next year in Jerusalem. Let’s add, next year in our sanctuary for our community seder.

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am not for others, what am I?
And if not now, when? -Rabbi Hillel
~ Michael R Cohen, President, Temple Beth Hillel