Shabbat Shalom ~ Ekev 2025

Shalom WJC Family,

Over these last few weeks I have been using this message to write about our vision of community. This week I want to add one more aspect – showing up for each other. Why am I thinking about that particularly this week? Well, this Shabbat we will be celebrating another auf ruf, this time for Sam Natbony and Zohar Adler.

Sam’s father Bill will be delivering the Dvar Torah, which is a beautiful way to honor this moment, and when it comes to showing up for this community, Cheryl is the definition. A few years ago during the pandemic, when our daily minyan was on the verge of collapsing, Cheryl stepped up with one or two others and took responsibility for the services. The results have been extraordinary. I believe that over these years there’s only been a few times when we have been without the requisite minyan (ten people) for mourners to say Kaddish and the Torah to be read. (An even better record than before the pandemic!)

It just goes to show what a few volunteers can accomplish when they decide something really matters to them. Our minyan captain volunteers have recruited literally dozens more people to sign to attend.This kind of showing up for one another is an essential component of community. When someone in our community has a loss or shows up to remember their loved one, they can count on nine others to be there with them. How does it work?

Each week an email goes out to the volunteers prompting them to sign up for a service. After that’s done, extra effort is made to recruit for services that are short of a quorum. Are you an early riser who could make it to a 7am service? Someone with flexibility in the evening who could make it to a 15-20 minute service at 7:30pm? I encourage you to sign up for the minyan list – no commitment yet – you’ll just be offered the opportunity to show up for others in the community every week. And hopefully you’ll occasionally sign up. And hopefully you’ll feel great about it. And hopefully, though none of us should know any misfortune, should you need to remember a loved one, you’ll feel comforted by the minyan that shows up for you too. Showing up for each other even when we could be (maybe even would rather be) other places – that’s community. Thank you to Cheryl and everyone on the minyan captains crew that makes it so for our WJC family.

And I hope you’ll come to celebrate with the Natbony and Nadler families in the sanctuary on Saturday morning. We’ll also be making minyans for Friday night at 6:30 and Saturday night at 7:30 in the chapel.

See you in shul,

RJA