We’ll do the best we can with what we’ve got. As a teacher and theater artist and now as Temple Beth Hillel president I lived/live by these words. We could bemoan all sorts of setbacks and challenges or we can forge ahead and do the best we can under the given circumstances.
Not so long ago we were anticipating the end of this pandemic and a return to nearly normal, but circumstances have changed. With the Delta variant surge there really is no end in sight. So, what do we do? Do we seek to assign blame? Do we rant about how difficult things are? Or, do we work with what we’ve got?
I say we work with what we’ve got to hold our community together. We have significant obstacles to overcome, but I am confident we can do it – starting with our High Holy Days observances.
For safety we will hold our services outdoors and we will require everyone who attends to provide proof of vaccination. It may be cold at night and it may be hot during the day and there might be delays while we check everyone in, but if we are kind to each other we can do it. We can come together as a community to pray on these very holy days.
We will do our very best to make the experience meaningful and safe and available online to those who can’t be with us in person, but we have never done this before. So please be kind if something goes wrong. Please realize that we are all inconvenienced and we are all in this together.
Meanwhile, for this Shabbat let’s take some time to breathe, to unwind. This morning, Mercedes reminded me that we live in a fantastic place. We have redwoods and beaches nearby. We have visual and performing art and a wonderfully diverse community rich in cultures and, yes, food. We have possibly the best weather in the world. And most importantly, we have each other. Shabbat Shalom.
From the President – August 13, 2021
August 13, 2021 by tbhrich • president
We’ll do the best we can with what we’ve got. As a teacher and theater artist and now as Temple Beth Hillel president I lived/live by these words. We could bemoan all sorts of setbacks and challenges or we can forge ahead and do the best we can under the given circumstances.
Not so long ago we were anticipating the end of this pandemic and a return to nearly normal, but circumstances have changed. With the Delta variant surge there really is no end in sight. So, what do we do? Do we seek to assign blame? Do we rant about how difficult things are? Or, do we work with what we’ve got?
I say we work with what we’ve got to hold our community together. We have significant obstacles to overcome, but I am confident we can do it – starting with our High Holy Days observances.
For safety we will hold our services outdoors and we will require everyone who attends to provide proof of vaccination. It may be cold at night and it may be hot during the day and there might be delays while we check everyone in, but if we are kind to each other we can do it. We can come together as a community to pray on these very holy days.
We will do our very best to make the experience meaningful and safe and available online to those who can’t be with us in person, but we have never done this before. So please be kind if something goes wrong. Please realize that we are all inconvenienced and we are all in this together.
Meanwhile, for this Shabbat let’s take some time to breathe, to unwind. This morning, Mercedes reminded me that we live in a fantastic place. We have redwoods and beaches nearby. We have visual and performing art and a wonderfully diverse community rich in cultures and, yes, food. We have possibly the best weather in the world. And most importantly, we have each other. Shabbat Shalom.
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