president

Sometimes a simple phrase resonates with me. I feel that Rabbi Dean’s words. “…a thoughtful and careful balancing of needs…” describes the tightrope act that TBH leadership is attempting. In light of the pandemic, we are trying to balance our need for social contact and community with protecting our health. In light of recent attacks on synagogues, we are trying to balance our need for security and safety with our commitment to our Jewish values of inclusiveness and openness.
Excuse the musical theater allusion, but it seems that we are like a Fiddler on the Roof trying to keep our balance. Like the people of Anatevka we have our tradition to guide us, but as Tevye learns we also have to adapt to changing and challenging conditions.
It is a responsibility that we take very seriously and at times seems overwhelming, but we move forward, do the best we can, and seek help whenever we can. If you have knowledge and/or skills that can help us, please don’t hesitate to contact me. (mcohen@tbhichmond.org). Together, we can get through this.

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

It happened again.  In Colleyville, Texas, Aafia Siddiqui,an armed intruder who was let into Congregation Beth Israel as an act of kindness, disrupted Shabbat morning services and held congregants and their rabbi hostage for 11 hours.

What does this mean for us at Temple Beth Hillel?  I’m not sure.  According to a New York Times article, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and vice president Jeffrey Cohen both insist that they were not released or rescued – they escaped.  They insist that “…it was years of security training, prompted by threats to other synagogues, that allowed them to escape.”  However, the intruder was let into the building as an act of kindness, the kind of act that we as Jews are commanded to do.  We want to be welcoming and inclusive.  The URJ promotes “Audacious Hospitality”, yet we value life above all.  How far should we go to protect ourselves and our children?  Even if we had the funds to do so, would we want our synagogue to be a fortress?   

On several occasions we have sung, כל העולם כולו גשר צר מאוד, והעיקר – לא לפחד כלל  Kol ha’olam kulo gesher tzar me’od, veha’ikar lo le’fached klal.  All the world is a very narrow bridge and the most important thing is not to be overwhelmed by fear.  I see us on that bridge balancing between safety and openness.  We cannot let fear overwhelm us, but we must also be aware of the all too real threats that we face.  As I do for all of my messages, I end with Rabbi Hillel’s famous questions.  I find them especially relevant today.

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

Rabbi Dean wrote, “There are moments when we need to think, there are moments when we need to pray, and there are moments when we need to act.”  For me, knowing when each is appropriate is difficult – especially amidst this pandemic. 

When should we be cautious?  When should we have the faith to move forward?  If Nahshon ben Aminadav had not leaped into the sea, would the Sea of Reeds have parted?  If we take a metaphorical leap of faith would we be brave or foolish?  We may not be trapped between the Egyption army and the sea, but we are trapped between Covid-19 and our need to be together as a community.  We are trapped between caring for our mental health versus protecting our physical health. 

As an individual, I lack the wisdom to know the answers.  There is so much I don’t know. The recent Covid-19 surge has not spared members of our community.  Should we retreat?  Should we move forward?  Should we wait and see?  I don’t know.

What I do believe is that even though I do not feel qualified to make these choices as an individual, that our collective wisdom and experience as a community armed with our ancient yet modern traditions and the spiritual guidance of Rabbi Dean, can and will get us through this and make us stronger.

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

https://tbhrichmond.org/?post_type=highlight&p=77295

Last week I wrote about my hopes and wishes for the secular new year and along came Omicron.  I still have hopes and wishes, but apparently they will have to wait a little longer to come true.  The news and recommendations are bad, good, and rather confusing.  If not for the help of Lucinda Casson, managing things at TBH would be much more difficult – although the decisions we have to make are still extremely challenging.  We are reminded of how little control we have over this virus and our lives in general. 

All we can do is the best we can with the circumstances we are given.  We will plan and hope and adapt and hope and pray a lot and hope.  We crave certainty, but certainty eludes us.  

Please, let’s be kind to each other and we will get through this together.

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

This may seem odd or even contrary to Jewish thought, but I have long considered the secular new year as a restart. On Rosh Hashanah we reflect, repent, and resolve to do better. I feel that the secular new year is an opportunity to reflect on my progress and restate or redirect my goals and wishes. I want to share some of my wishes for the secular new year.
First, I wish that Covid-19 becomes endemic. I fear that masks, testing, and vaccine boosters will be part of our lives for some time, but my wish is that with these measures we can slowly continue to resume the activities that define us as a community. I hope that our religious school students can continue to learn together in person and I hope that we can continue to pray together in person.
Second, I wish that we all can be patient with each other. We still have very difficult decisions to make and we may not all agree with the choices. I hope that our clergy and leadership can work together with the support of our community to adapt to our ever changing circumstances.
Finally, I wish for help. This has been an extremely stressful time for leadership and we are tired – or at least I am. It is an honor to serve as president of TBH, but my term ends in June as do the terms of several board members. We need new board members and officers. We need new ideas and energy. Please consider helping our community. We really need you.
I wish us a happy and healthy secular new year.

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

Hineh mah tov umah na’im shevet achim gam yachad!

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for people to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

 It was wonderful to be together last week for Erev Shabbat services.  For the first time since March of 2020, we were able to pray together in our synagogue.  We were all masked, vaccinated, and boosted and there was no oneg, but we were together both in person and online.  The technology needed to share our service with those who joined online is new to us and we have much to learn, but I hope we were able to make our observance meaningful for all.  Thank you Rabbi Dean and Cantor Shayndel and a special thank you to Lucinda Casson who shared her expertise and knowledge so we could establish the protocols to help us gather safely and to Louise Snitz, who has been maintaining our vaccine registry.

However, as I have written many times during this pandemic, “Man plans and God laughs.”  Just as we thought it was ending, along came Omicron.  Once again we have difficult decisions to make.  We must stay as safe as possible, but we also need each other in this rather stressful time.

As of now, we are planning to continue our hybrid Shabbat services and we are even planning a Covid safer Purim get together, but nothing is certain.  We will continue to plan out of optimism, hope, and faith, but we must be flexible and adapt to constantly changing circumstances and maintain the health and safety of all of us as our top priority.  I am confident that with dedication, creativity, patience, and faith we can get through this.

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

What an eventful week.  First, Food for Thought provided food for 518 families. Thanks to all the leaders and volunteers of Food for Thought from TBH and several other communities, over 2,000 boxes of food along with bags of chicken and turkeys were delivered to local schools.  Every year the program grows and becomes even more impressive and yet I pray that the need for Food for Thought will diminish and disappear someday.

And tonight we meet in person and online for Erev Shabbat.  God willing we will be able to pray together indoors for the first time since the pandemic lockdown.  Even though I am excited to reopen, we must continue to be cautious.  Covid-19 and its variants have not gone away.  We must insist that everyone who attends in person must have proof of vaccination either recorded on our registry or with them and that everyone who is eligible has received a booster.  This along with masks, air purifiers and social distancing will make our gathering as safe as possible.

See you tonight!  Shabbat Shalom. 

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

Oops!  Obviously I didn’t have enough time to edit my message last week.  I wrote it days before our decision to remain online for our Shabbat service.  As my parents liked to remind me, “Man plans and God laughs.”

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

Tonight we were going to gather for our first hybrid in person and online Erev Shabbat service. Due to the Omicron variant we have made the difficult decision to cancel. Even though we will all be vaccinated and masked and we will use HEPA filter units we need more information to ensure the safety of those who attend. In the spirit of Hanukkah, we hope to come together in 2 weeks.
This will be the first time we use the necessary technology, so there may be issues that will require your patience, but Rabbi Dean and I have been working very hard to make the experience as glitch free and meaningful as we can.
The technical challenges are significant, but I am excited about the possibilities. We get to pray together in person while those who for whatever reason would find it difficult to come to our synagogue may choose to join us online. Even members of our community who are sick, or out of town, or just tired from the workweek may be included in our observances.
As we light our Hanukkah candles together tonight in celebration of the great miracle that happened there, let’s also celebrate our emergence from the isolation of the pandemic.
See you tonight. Shabbat Shalom.

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

We are slowly and carefully emerging from the pandemic. We successfully held outdoor and Zoom hybrid High Holy Days services, our religious school is back to in person learning, and we are preparing to safely gather in person and on Zoom to observe Shabbat and to celebrate Hanukkah together on December 3. We have been challenged and continue to be challenged by Covid 19, but we have also learned and continue to learn about ourselves and how to adapt to changing and challenging conditions.
We have learned how to use Zoom. We have learned about air quality both indoors and out, and we now know more about air purifiers and HEPA filters than we ever thought we would. We learned about social distancing and PPE. Now it’s the good guys who wear masks. And perhaps most importantly, we have learned to appreciate our community and the support we give to each other.
Covid 19 has not been eradicated and most likely never will be. We don’t know how long we will have to wear masks and social distance, but we are confident that with our vaccination registry and the other protocols developed by our reopening committee, we can safely gather for services. I hope to see you next week. I can’t think of a better way to start to emerge from the darkness of the pandemic than to light our Hanukkah candles together.

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