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A Newsletter for Temple Emunah members 9 Piper Road, Lexington, MA 02421-8199 www.TempleEmunah.org Main Office: 781-861-0300 Fax: 781-861-7141
President's Message
We have been consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic for one year. One year ago we locked down in the hopes the pandemic would abate. It did, and then it did not. Nationwide, Senior Rabbi David G. Lerner 781-861-0300, ext. 22 we flattened the curve from April dlerner@templeemunah.org until July, but then new infection rates Assisstant Rabbi Leora Kling Perkins 781-861-0300, ext. 31 per day went up about two-fold from lklingperkins@templeemunah.org what they were in the spring. Rates Rabbi Emeritus Bernard Eisenman started rising again in the fall, and after the new year, reached over eight times the rates we had President Mark Bobrow 781-861-1920 in the spring. In Massachusetts, rates reached about three president@templeemunah.org times what they were in the spring. New infection rates have Executive Director Raveetal Celine 781-861-0300, ext. 21 now declined dramatically, and if we can achieve a high level rceline@templeemunah.org vaccinating the population, we could have in person indoor Director of Me’ir Sherer 781-861-0303, ext. 24 events in the summer. Congregational Learning msherer@templeemunah.org Through all this, our community adapted and embraced Director, Billy Dalwin Shelley Rossman 781-861-0708, ext. 27 new ways of praying together, learning together, socializing Pre-School srossman@templeemunah.org together, celebrating and mourning together. We opened our Accounting Manager Alisa Billings 781-861-0300, ext. 23 virtual minyan doors and welcomed others who needed supabillings@templeemunah.org port from our community. If you have not joined our virtual minyanim, please try. Attending minyan is more than supportChief of Cong. Advancement Hannah Arwe 781-861-0300, ext. 30 ing those who need to say Kaddish. It is a way to connect with & Manager of Pastoral Admin. harwe@templeemunah.org our community and is a respite from our daily work. Communication Manager & Efrat Assulin 781-861-0300, ext. 28 Our adaptive response to the pandemic is an example Programming Coordinator eassulin@templeemunah.org of how exceptional our community is. The foundation of our Synagogue Educator/Young Tova Weinronk 781-861-0300, ext. 34 stature starts with our professional staff – Rabbi Lerner, Rabbi Family Engagement Coord. tweinronk@templeemunah.org Kling Perkins, Raveetal Celine, and Me’ir Sherer. This group is Synagogue Educator Andrew Doxer 781-861-0300, ext. 32 creative, tireless, and extraordinarily dedicated to the Temple adoxer@templeemunah.org Emunah community. We are indebted to them for making our Accounting Assistant Mary Melnick 781-861-0300, ext. 26 virtual and in person experiences as meaningful as possible. mmelnick@templeemunah.org One year ago, many of us hastily created a virtual Office Administrator Marilyn Pappo 781-861-0300, ext. 20 Pesah. seder. Reusing materials from previous years, I came office@templeemunah.org up with a simplified and shorter version that would keep participants engaged for an anticipated shorter than usual Office Administrator Ellen Weene 781-861-0300, ext. 29 attention span. This year, amid a plague, having experienced elweene@templeemunah.org loss of freedoms, suffering, and constant uncertainty, has Bulletin Editor Linda Silverstein lindags@comcast.net added a plethora of subjects and materials to enrich our study and discussions for many years to come. In a sense, the seder should be leavened by our collective experiences this past year. I hope we teach and learn from it because we need to Landscape Committee be better prepared. Let’s maintain our vigilance, wear masks, stay safely disAs spring approaches, the Landscape Committee is emergtant, and get vaccinated as soon as possible. ing from its own winter/COVID dormancy. We plan to continue L’Shalom, our rehabilitation of the Woodland Garden (the large island), Mark Bobrow president@templeemunah.org including screening of the new solar panel transformers. We also want to remind everyone that the rear courtyard will be a lovely gathering place for small events when the weather warms up – and even larger ones when we don’t have to stay Yom HaZikaron Ceremony distanced. Tuesday, April 13 at 7:30 pm If you would like to help or donate to the Committee, we We will honor the Day of Remembrance for Israeli welcome your support. Contact Art Kreiger (akreiger01@gmail. Fallen Soldiers & Victims of Terror with evening services, com) or Joelle Gunther (joellegunther@gmail.com). songs, poems, and personal stories. You are welcome to Art Kreiger and Joelle Gunther wear a white top, as is the custom in Israel.
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