Dear Friends:
Tomorrow morning our congregant Joel Wasserman, son of Robert and Lori White Wasserman, will be joining us to talk about his recent experiences in Ukraine during the ongoing war. Joel spoke to us over Zoom from Lviv several months ago. He and his Ukrainian girlfriend Katya are visiting the US for a while and he will be speaking in person tomorrow. He will avoid a repeat of his previous talk and after a brief introduction will respond to your questions. To allow time for Joel’s talk I will not be giving a sermon that morning and Joel will be speaking at around 11:30. You can join us in person or on Zoom. I hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to learn about the situation in Ukraine as well as Joel and Katya’s important humanitarian work to aid the suffering and assist those fleeing from war-torn areas.
If you are attending tomorrow, I respectfully request that you sign up in advance at this link:
I understand that it is somewhat of a repetitive chore to register but I can also tell you from my own experience that doing so literally takes about 15 seconds. Registration helps us with our security concerns as well as contact tracing in the event that someone present later tests positive for COVID. If you are a congregant and wish to attend and have not signed up, you will still be admitted (one of the advantages of being a small congregation is that the person monitoring the door most likely knows and recognizes you) but it is really helpful for people to register in advance.
Last night’s Talmud class can be viewed here if it is of interest to you:
As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoon from 2 to 4 at the shul. You do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building.
As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org or 301-977-0768 rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment. I have been spending more time in the synagogue recently but if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian