Dear Friends:
A few updates this morning:
-- Joel Wasserman, son of Robert and Lori, spoke to us over Zoom after services this Shabbat morning. Joel has been living and working in Ukraine for the past four years and shared with us his experiences before and during the current Russian aggression, his thoughts on Jewish life and the politics of memory in Ukraine, and other topics. If you were not able to join us live, or even if you were, his talk is worth listening to and it can be viewed on my YouTube channel at Joel Wasserman Live from Ukraine
-- We have made a slight change to our protocol for attending in-person services: if you have had a close exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, we ask that you refrain from attending for ten days past the exposure and also test negative for COVID-19 (an in-home test is fine). This is stricter than current CDC protocols but we feel that this is beneficial in protecting the health and well being of our members. When you register to attend this Shabbat in person, you will notice that both our registration form and COVID regulations have been amended to reflect this change. As always we trust you to comply with our regulations and are not asking to see vaccine cards or test results.
-- There is no Adult Education class this Thursday night because I am scheduled to have a procedure Thursday morning to remove a small growth on my face under my eye. This will also mean a change in our class schedule for June since I will be teaching my “Contemporary Jewish Controversies” class on the first and third Thursdays and my Rashi class on the second and fourth.
-- Plans for Shavuot: Shavuot begins Saturday night June 4. We will be joining the Conservative Movement’s online Tikkun that night. Services for the first day of Shavuot on Sunday June 5 will be Zoom only. Services for the second day of Shavuot, June 6, which include Yizkor will be in person and on Zoom. They will be followed by a kiddush which, weather permitting, will be held outdoors in order to maximize the safety of those attending. The link for the Tikkun, service times and the sign up sheet for second day Shavuot will be provided later this week.
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. Although I am working primarily from home, 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.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian