president

Last Saturday morning Nigel Weiss was called to the Torah as Bar Mitzvah.  Mazel Tov, Nigel.  You did an amazing job under far less than ideal circumstances.  Neither a pandemic delay nor pandemic uncertainty kept you from making our entire community proud.

In addition to all of his studies and preparations, Nigel, his family, Rabbi Dean, and Cantor Shayndel showed us how our new normal will most likely look.  Nigel’s Bar Mitzvah was our first hybrid event.  While members of Nigel’s family gathered with friends in person in the Weiss/Gilberg back yard, additional members of our community attended remotely.  Rabbi Dean  and Cantor Shayndel participated from Oregon and Colorado respectively and I presented Nigel’s Certificate of Bar Mitzvah and congregational gift from my home.

Even though online events have been a poor substitute for meeting in person and, as Rabbi Dean often reminds us, we cannot share food online, we owe a lot to the technology that has allowed us to continue to be a community through this pandemic.  And we have learned a lot.

One thing that we learned is that Zoom meetings and services are very convenient.  Personally, I love the commute.  The only traffic I have to deal with is a cat or two on the stairway.  Also, our online events have allowed people, who for reasons of health or geography, would not have been able to attend, to log into our Zoom meetings and participate.

We are eager to reopen our synagogue and restart in person events, but we also want to keep the accessibility of our online events.  We want all who want to participate to be able do so, if not in person, then online. After a long work week maybe the option of participating online would be appealing.

We have been and are continuing to work on getting the technology needed to create our hybrid future.  After a two plus year struggle our internet service has been upgraded to give us the bandwidth we need.  Now we are working on procuring and setting up the necessary equipment.  In our future we will be able to be together in person and virtually.  I’m excited about both. 

 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

https://tbhrichmond.org/?post_type=highlight&p=74180

There is a very old joke that a committee of 2 Jews will have 3 opinions.  Serving on our board and as president I have learned that the joke is an understatement, but I have also learned how essential it is to really listen to all opinions, especially the ones I may not agree with, and even those that are critical of me and the job I am doing. 

Rabbi Dean wrote, “Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from every man,” (Pirkei Avot 4:1).  As we enter a new fiscal year and seat a new board that will face significant challenges, we all have to remember this.  We all share a common commitment to Judaism and to TBH, but are quite diverse in our experiences, knowledge, and skills and must be willing to listen to each other and welcome constructive dialogue with those we disagree with.  The physical, emotional, and financial challenges of reopening and recovering from a very difficult year will require our collective energy, knowledge, skill, and creativity.  It is crucial that we are patient with each other, learn from each other, and as Rabbi Dean often says, “be kind to each other.”

  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

“Man plans and God Laughs or Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht.”  – (Yiddish adage)  “Go make yourself a plan/And be a shining light./Then make yourself a second plan,/For neither will come right or Ja, mach nur einen Plan,/sei nur ein großes Licht!/Und mach dann noch’nen zweiten Plan,/geh’n tun sie beide nicht.”. – (Bertolt Brecht) “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry or The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.” – (Robert Burns)  It seems that the Yiddish adage that my step mother often repeated, the Bertolt Brecht lyrics she often sang, and the Robert Burns poem all agree on the futility of making plans.

Yet, here we are making plans to reopen and come together in person after 15 months of only seeing each other as 2 dimensional images on screens.  Are we crazy?  Is it futile to plan?  As I am writing this, the CDC, the California Department of Health, and Cal OSHA all have different guidelines.  And what about Contra Costa County? Is there a difference between what we are allowed to do and what is safe to do?  What about masks?  What about variants?  How about vaccinated vs unvaccinated?  With all the uncertainty and all the responsibility is it audacious of us to plan?

When I direct a play I spend many hours preparing.  I analyze the play, the dramaturgy, the cultural and historical context of the story, the characters, and the playwright.  I seek the rhythm of the language.  I plan the actors’ movements to help tell the story and create stage compositions or pictures.  And then I walk into the first rehearsal ready to change everything to convert the theoretical to the real. My intense preparation allows me to improvise when my plans do not work out.  My preparation creates a structure that allows flexibility.   It is a little like a jazz musician who improvises within the framework of the music.

That’s how I view our reopening plans.  Our reopening committee, led by Linda Rose in consultation with Rabbi Dean and Cantor Shayndel, is trying to learn as much as possible and plan for every foreseen contingency, but we know that what seems likely today may look very different in September.  All of our current plans will most likely have to change and we may have to change them with little notice.  I choose to be optimistic, however.  I feel sure that all of us together with a combination of preparation and flexibility can adapt, improvise if you will, and find our way through this pandemic and safely meet in person soon. 

 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

Inevitably in the course of a play rehearsal a problem will arise and the cast will look to the director for a solution and the director may be just as stumped as they are.  This is when the director takes the “walk of faith.”  You get up from your seat in the house with the faith that by the time you reach the stage you will think of a solution.  I have tried it and miraculously it works.  Either you or another company member thinks of a solution.

As a community we are searching for solutions and we don’t even know the problems.  We know we are going to reopen soon, but don’t know what the CDC, state, and county guidelines will be in the fall or even later this month.  We suspect that what we did in the past may not and most likely will not work for our future, but we don’t know how our future will look. 

However, I am confident that if we, like Calev, draw on our Jewish tradition, the wisdom of our ancestors, and the knowledge, skills, and talents of each other we will have the strength and creativity to overcome any challenges. 

I am asking you to take a walk of faith with us.  We need to get out of our seats and walk together with the faith that even though we don’t know exactly what challenges we will face when we get to the stage that once we arrive we will, with the strength of our Jewish tradition, make the right decisions . 

Yes once again, I am asking you to join our leadership team.  Please contact Linda Rose or me (president@tbhrichmond.org) and let’s talk.

 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

During a session of the URJ Scheidt Conference prior to my first term as TBH president, I was asked how I felt.  I answered that I didn’t feel ready or even capable.  I had only been a member of TBH for a short time and couldn’t completely comprehend why I was asked to serve as president.  The reply I got was, “Neither did Moses.”

This week Rabbi Dean wrote about Moses who did not feel qualified to be and did not want to be a leader, and was “…the most humble of all people.”  I do not dare to compare myself to Moses who is considered the Jewish people’s greatest leader.  I do know that I am doing the best that I can as president and am unsure about whether that is good enough.  However, I also know that I stepped up and took on the responsibility because of my love for this community and I know that there are others that are far more qualified than I am to do this job that have not.

We need you.  Even if you don’t feel qualified, we need you.  We need your knowledge, skill, talent and imagination.  We need fresh perspectives on our board and as officers.  I understand if you are reluctant, but we need you.  It is a significant commitment of time and effort and you may feel that you are too busy to make that commitment, but we need you.  

Once again, I am asking you to join our leadership team.  Please contact Linda Rose or me (president@tbhrichmond.org) and let’s talk.

 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

Rabbi Dean wrote that we “…stand together in a sacred chain of connection that began at Sinai and continues to the present day. We all are part of the shared history and the shared destiny of the Jewish people. All of us can be blessed. All of us can bless others. All of us can be a blessing.”

This sacred connection motivates me to strive to honor my parents, my grandparents, the generations that preceded them, and the people they were so proud to be part of, to sacrifice for, and even die for.  When I hear or read or chant the same words that my parents prayed, I feel that connection and feel comforted and motivated to try my best to “…be a blessing.”

Growing up as part of the only Jewish family in our neighborhood east of Los Angeles, the synagogue was our only means to maintain that connection.  Yes, as a teen and young adult I became disillusioned by synagogue life and politics.  I saw nothing holy in the way synagogue boards and officers often treat their clergy, their membership, and each other, but my father insisted that in Southern California (and the Bay Area where there isn’t even a good Jewish deli) synagogues, as imperfect as they are, are the only means of maintaining our Jewish identity.

As I grew older it seemed that my father got smarter and wiser.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t until after he died that I realized just how right he was about many things, including synagogues. 

Temple Beth Hillel is our way to maintain our  “…sacred  chain of connection…[with] our shared history and…our shared destiny.”

This is why Mercedes and I joined this community.  This is why I serve as president.  It is an opportunity to give a little to the community that gives us so much. 

Yes, once again I am asking you to step up and participate in the future of Temple Beth Hillel.  We need your knowledge, skills and talents.  We need to hear your voice.  We need you on our board.  We need you as officers.  In a community as small as ours, we all have to contribute.  Please contact Linda Rose or me (president@tbhrichmond.org) and let’s talk. 

 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

Temple Beth Hillel exists today because of the wisdom of our community leaders of the past.  Without their wise stewardship we would not have been able to survive this pandemic. 

And now, as the news from the CDC and the state shows reason to be cautiously optimistic, our situation demands that our leadership acts wisely to ensure our future.  We need expertise in finance, and education, and technology, and building and grounds maintenance just to list a few areas and we must do this while adhering to and honoring our Jewish values.  As much as we are trying to anticipate the challenges we are about to face it is almost certain that there is much we will have to learn to adapt to our post pandemic reality.

To successfully address our coming challenges we need your knowledge and skills and talent.  At this critical time we need you.  We need you to help us shape the future of our synagogue.  We need you to be part of our leadership team.  We need you on our board.  We need your new ideas and fresh perspective and/or your experience and institutional memory.  Doing things the way we always have will not work to create our future.  Too much has changed.  

Please consider joining us.  It is not nor will it be an easy job, but it is essential to maintaining our community.  Please contact Linda Rose, or me (president@tbhrichmond.org) and let’s talk.

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

Earlier this week I was asked about being president of TBH. “Do you get paid?”
“No.”
“Well, do you still have to pay membership dues?”
“Yes.”
“Then why do you do it?”
I am doing it because I value our community. I am doing it because I find profound meaning in our Jewish values and traditions. I am doing it because of the many ways that we help and support each other. I am doing it because I am proud of our social action efforts. I am doing it because for the first time in my adult life I feel I have found my Jewish home. And finally I am doing it because none of this happens magically.
I value our community enough to work for it. I know time is precious, but I value TBH enough to devote my precious time to our synagogue although I admittedly have more time to devote than many others. Still, it’s not easy. I find a lot of it tedious and even frustrating, but much of it is extremely meaningful and rewarding and all of it is essential. I feel that if I am going to enjoy the meaningful and rewarding things, someone has to do the tedious things and I am willing to do my share. Are you?
We really need your help – especially now. As we emerge from this pandemic we need to establish the new normal. I don’t think we will ever just go back to what was nor should we. We need your ideas, skills, talents, and expertise to create our future. We need you to help our community thrive. Please contact Jane Durango, Linda Rose, or me.

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

Earlier this week the CDC released new Covid-19 guidelines and they are encouraging – at least for fully vaccinated people.  “If you are fully vaccinated you can start doing many things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic.” So, what does this mean for Temple Beth Hillel?  How will this affect our activities? 

The board has established a Reopening Committee to answer these questions and more.  What restrictions are we willing to tolerate in order to gather together in person to pray?  What restrictions are we not willing to tolerate in order to gather together in person?  Are we willing to wear masks?  Can we require proof of vaccination?  Should we require proof of vaccination?  Should we consider praying outdoors?  Nights can be cold here even in summer.  Are we willing to listen to Cantor Shayndel sing and chant without joining her to sing together?  What about Torah Study or Religious School or Adult Education?  As conditions and recommendations change the committee is evaluating our options while keeping the safety of all our members our top priority. 

Last week I asked you to contribute your knowledge, skills and talents to strengthen our TBH community.  Can you help the Reopening Committee make these crucial decisions?  Are you a medical professional?  Are you an expert in public health and more specifically epidemiology?  Are you willing to do some research?  What will have to happen to make you comfortable to return to our synagogue in person?  Please contact me.

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

In his inaugural address John F. Kennedy spoke his famous words, “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”   Last week I wrote about what our community did for Mercedes and me and I know that many of you have received similar aid.  This week I am writing about how to give back and support our community. 

Our small and mighty congregation needs the dedication of all of us to thrive.  We all have our own skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience  that can benefit our community.  Even if you think you have little to contribute, please talk to us.  Even if you have limited time, please talk to us.  I have no experience in business or finance or budgets or construction or building maintenance or public health.  I am not as versed in Jewish history and thought as I should be and want to be.  As a theater director, what I do know how to do is bring a diverse group of individuals together to produce a play and I like to think that the skills I have learned to do that transfer to my position as TBH President.  My skills are not particularly special or unique.  Many of you are far more accomplished than I am, yet here I am writing this as TBH President.  I depend on the guidance and knowledge of others and am asking for your help. 

Last week Mercedes and I experienced what Temple Beth Hillel can do for us.  This week I am asking you to please ask Jane Durango, Linda Rose, or me what you can do for Temple Beth Hillel.  We need your talents in ways large and small.

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