From the President – July 9, 2021

It’s summer and not much is happening at Temple Beth Hillel, right?  The religious school is on summer break and the next major holiday is still a couple months away, right?

Well, not really-especially this year.  We have seated a new board.  We celebrated a Bar Mitzvah, a new baby just joined or will soon join our community, we will be celebrating a wedding soon, we are working on our plan to reopen for in person events, and soon we will be preparing for the High Holy Days.  

Although we have reason to be optimistic that we will soon be able to emerge from our Covid cocoons, we still face emotional, logistic, and fiscal challenges that will persist for a while.

We have learned much wandering in our pandemic desert.  How many of us knew what Zoom was before March, 2020?  I know I didn’t and now it is an essential part of our lives.  I am amazed at how well we have adapted and stayed together which gives me confidence that together we will overcome our challenges and thrive.  

I doubt things will be the same as before and the way we always did things may no longer work, but we have proved that we are creative and resilient.  I am excited about our future and eager to be together again in person.

    

 We are Temple Beth Hillel.

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