Shabbat Shalom

Dear WJC Family,

I hope you had a good laugh at the video we sent out with the Monday email—sometimes you just have to laugh. Still, as you feel comfortable re-engaging with the world, we do hope you will consider coming back to services. As of now, we are still observing a universal masking policy (excepting children 2 and under) and require vaccinations for everyone eligible 12 and over. I am happy to report that my children (under 12) have gotten their first dose of the vaccine and I encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to have children vaccinated. If you have some doubts about getting your children vaccinated I am happy to discuss it anytime. In the meantime, I hope with the measures we have in place and our excellent track record over the 8 months we have been fully open, you will consider joining us for shul.

There are lots of excellent opportunities to do so, like this Shabbat and Sunday. On Shabbat, Cantor Goldberg and Rabbi Dalton will be leading a contemporary Simple & Soulful service while I run things in the main sanctuary. Sunday at 7:00pm we are very excited for the return of The Renewal Service. It will feel a little different in the sanctuary (where we will be to enable the live stream) and with masks on, but the spirit and the familiar, meaningful tunes will be the same. I hope you will join us for a spiritual and healing evening.

Then on Thursday, November 18, we are excited for the return of our local Interfaith Thanksgiving programs. First there is The Annual Westchester/Fairfield Thanksgiving Virtual Diversity Breakfast via Zoom, 8:30-10:00am. We will honor Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, Director, Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center, Manhattan College, Hearts and Homes for Refugees, OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, Westchester and Hudson Valley Chapter for their work supporting this year’s theme “Forging Community in a Time of Crisis: We Are All in this Together” for their work building bridges and working side by side to address societal challenges that can only be solved by recognizing our common interests and shared humanity. You can register for the breakfast by clicking here.

Then in the evening we will have our first in-person (and live streamed) Interfaith Thanksgiving Service since 2019. The Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service service will be hosted at Larchmont Avenue Church (60 Forest Park Avenue) this year and will feature several of our local clergy, including me. I hope you will join us and that you will bring a box of dry, unsweetened cereal, which we’ll be collecting to support the Larchmont Mamaroneck Hunger Task Force. The service can also be live streamed at www.lacny.org/worship/livestream/

It is great for the greater local community of faith to gather and give thanks in one voice, but I am even more excited about the show of unity in supporting the Larchmont Mamaroneck Hunger Task Force. Especially with all difficulties we have experienced locally, giving of our bounty is such a good way to show how grateful we are to be blessed with it. That’s why I hope you will participate in our ongoing Mitzvah Day, or perhaps we should call it mitzvah month! We are collecting all kinds of goods for four different important local tzedakah efforts. Click here to get the details.

We are looking forward to a beautiful Shabbat in shul (Friday evening services start at 4:15 after the time change!), Simple & Soulful, our regular sanctuary service and great learning Saturday afternoon; then a beautiful couple of weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, starting with a beautiful Renewal Service. Lots to be thankful for indeed.

See you in shul or online,