From the President – July 23, 2021

As we adapt our reopening plan to current guidelines, a difference between what we can do and what we should do is emerging once again.  Even under California Tier restrictions churches (synagogues?) were granted exemptions from most restrictions by the US Supreme Court (South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom) and now with Tier Restrictions becoming guidelines we can legally meet with no Covid precautions.  But should we? 

Rabbi Dean wrote that “Morals, values, wonder, these are the reasons for religion.”  Our Jewish morals and values are the core of who we are and command us to uphold the sanctity of human life.  In order to do so we must proceed with an abundance of caution.  In order to protect the most vulnerable among us, we need to verify vaccinations or negative tests and with the emergence of the Delta variant, we must require everyone to wear masks.  I know masks are not always comfortable and requiring everyone to submit proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test may seem a little intrusive, but we must protect the health and lives of all of us.

 

 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