Shabbat Shalom ~ Acharei Mot 2022

Dear WJC Family,

I hope everyone enjoyed a meaningful Passover holiday. I know for some members of our community COVID threw a nasty monkey wrench into seder plans and I was so sorry to hear of those cancellations. Luckily, while I have heard about a good deal of disappointment, I haven’t heard about anyone becoming seriously ill or, God forbid, hospitalized. No one likes to be even moderately ill, but this is good news in the events of the pandemic. However, if you know of someone who is seriously ill, with COVID or otherwise, it’s very important that you let me know so we can keep them in our prayers and support them and their family through our “Bikkur Holim” committee efforts. We are here to help, but can only do so if we know.

Yesterday was also Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. On Sunday, our Holocaust Learning Center hosted a very meaningful service and an incredible discussion with author Judy Batalion about her book Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos.

It is the first time I remember books selling out at such an event—the stories are amazing and I cannot recommend the volume highly enough. Kol HaKavod to the HLC for presenting such an incredible event.

Then, as you can see in the picture, our Shoah Torah, one of a cache of Sifrei Torah saved by the Nazis for a “Museum of the Jew” after we were all gone, was carried proudly in the County Commemoration by our own Ben Golub. Ben is himself the son of a survivor, Aharon Golub z’l, who passed away this year. To learn more about Aharon’s incredible story of survival you can check out the book they wrote together, Kaddishel: A Life Reborn. To learn more about the story of our Shoah Torah click here.

Returning to the topic of Passover, one thing you may not have been thinking about on Passover is tefillin—but two of the four passages in the Torah that mention tefillin say that they are to remind us of the Exodus. Come learn more about the “why’s” and “how’s” of tefillin this Sunday morning for the Brotherhood World Wide Wrap. Everyone is invited to join us for regular minyan at 8:30am, following the service (around 9:15am) the clergy will present a Tefillin Workshop with an explanation of the practice along with the opportunity to try putting tefillin on for anyone who would like to give it a try (we’ll have lots of extra pairs for the purpose!) All are welcome and the workshop will be followed by a Brotherhood breakfast during which WJC’s own Kostya Kennedy will present about his newly published book, True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson. I hope we’ll see you there.

There are exciting things happening at WJC throughout the weekend. Starting with Friday evening, we have a Community Dinner and a Rhythm & Ruach service. Saturday morning we will celebrate a bat mitzvah in our Sanctuary and this Sunday night at 7:00pm the Renewal Service is back! It will be wonderful to join together again in this meaningful and accessible service. I know that I, for one, have missed it. I hope you will join us for the Renewal Service in the Activity Center on Sunday evening (the plan is to open the windows for good ventilation too).

See below for all the details and I hope we’ll see you there.

See you in shul or online,