Author: Rabbi Michael Farbman

Important information about the High Holy Days 2020

As summer days begin to grow shorter, it is time to start thinking about the upcoming High Holy Days. The COVID pandemic has been a great disrupter for all of us, as we try to figure out how to live our lives while staying safe. Over the past few months I pulled together a task force to consider the best option for observing the High Holy Days at Temple Emanuel this year. We spent time considering multiple scenarios and made the difficult decision that the safest, most responsible choice is to hold all our services online. While we are sad to be making this choice, the health and safety of our members and clergy is our number one priority.
There are many things we will miss this year – gathering with the entire congregation in one space, greeting those we see only once a year, watching the children as they show us what they created in their children’s services, joining together for a festive meal. But we are lucky to have technology available to allow us to pray together yet separate, to maintain many of our traditions and perhaps to create some new ones. 
The Rabbi is working hard with a dedicated High Holy Days preparation team to make these holiday services as meaningful as always. During this time of uncertainty, stress and isolation for many, it is even more important that we gather together as a community and support each other, as we examine the year that has passed and imagine how we can recreate ourselves and the world around us. 
We want to make sure that every member of Temple Emanuel can access our services this year. If you have any concerns about accessing our festival services online or know anyone else who might have a problem doing so, please contact me, the Rabbi or Ruth in the office. As the holidays approach we will send out further information about each service, including the children’s services.
This year, while we can’t gather in person with friends or family, we can use technology to join with those dear to our hearts, whether they live in our community or are many miles away. The TE Board of Directors has decided to open our virtual doors to welcome all guests, near or far, to join in our services this year. Further information will be coming soon on how guests can register for our online High Holy Day services. 
I hope all of you stay safe and healthy and enjoy the rest of the summer. 


Robin Levine-Ritterman, President

Man plans and God laughs.

דער מענטש טראַכט און גאָט לאַכט.  Der mentsh trakht un got lakht.

This summer was carefully planned in our household. Robert was headed to Europe and Israel for the trip of a lifetime with NFTY and his Eisner camp friends. Sam was combining exciting summer internships with travel and time with friends. Olga and I were headed to Israel for some quality learning time at Shalom Hartman institute, and we even planned to have a mini reunion with some of our fellow classmates from a Jewish leadership program, on this 25th anniversary of our graduation. Then there was time working at Camp, and of course, an opportunity to take a deep breath, regroup, and prepare for the next academic year at our Hebrew school, High Holy Days, and an exciting year of programs at TE.

Alas, none of these plans can happen. We are, of course, not alone in our reality of dramatically shifting our expectations this summer — the entire country, the entire world — have had to rapidly change and cancel plans. As the old Yiddish saying goes, “Man plans and God laughs”; or as my father likes to say, “Want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans.” Of course, the realities of this pandemic are no laughing matter – the staggering numbers of illness and death continue to grow and shock us. We know a little more about the disease than we did back in March, but many questions remain unanswered, and we continue to listen to the advice of epidemiologists and other medical professionals on how best to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and all the vulnerable in our society as safe as possible from the brutal effects of Covid-19. We continue to encourage people to practice physical distancing as much as possible, to wear masks in public (especially when inside) to prevent the further spread of the infection while scientists are working on a vaccine and treatments. A special blessing for wearing a mask and saving lives is circulating on the Jewish internet, reminding us that it is indeed a true mitzvah, to keep each other safe.

So what should be our lesson from this year? Should we stop making plans? Should we become so cautious that we no longer travel or plan exciting gatherings with family and friends? For the time being, yes, that seems to be the case – we should put a hold on many of our exciting plans. But should we stop being aspirational about our lives, and stop making “God laugh”?

I don’t believe that’s a good lesson to take away from all of this. Judaism constantly reminds us to be a little less self-assured; not to ignore the fragility of life, of our health, of our safety and security. Not to fall into despair — far from it — but instead to approach life, and especially all of our plans, with a little more humility. Traditionally observant Jews often say be’ezrat haShem (“God willing”).  For some, perhaps, this phrase does mean that they accept God’s control in every aspect of their lives, but I think the more appropriate reading of this phrase is to say that as we plan, we should remember that not all plans can come to fruition. And if some of our plans, no matter how big or small, cannot happen, perhaps we can take a deep breath and remind ourselves that sometimes things don’t work out the way we planned them – and that’s okay, too.

I will not get to do many of the wonderful things I hoped to be able to experience this summer. I’m a little sad, but that’s okay. Next year at TE will look a little different than in the past – but, as we have been discovering over the last few months, a little different is not all that bad! More people have been attending Shabbat services every week; more people have been coming to Torah study; Religious school saw amazing attendance every week we were online. Would I choose to do it that way? No, of course not – I miss seeing all of you in person, hugging people, sharing food… But I take comfort in knowing that we met this challenge as a community – and will continue to do so in this coming year. Thank you for being part of this journey.

Stay healthy and safe!

Doing the hard work… by Robin Levine-Ritterman

I join with so many Americans in grief and anger at the senseless killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. And I grieve even more for the continued violence that we see perpetuated against Black people in our country, a violence that takes its roots as far back as our history of slavery began in 1619.

Jewish tradition teaches us that we should stand up for what is right and support those who are treated unjustly. As a people who have experienced violence throughout our history, it is imperative that we stand up against racial injustice. We began Audacious Hospitality discussions at TE in the hopes that our congregation could start looking at how we treat others and learn to embrace and support the diversity of our congregation. In the words of Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, “Our country simply cannot achieve the values of ‘justice for all’ to which it aspires until we address ongoing racism in all sectors and at all levels of society.”

As I write this statement, I am acutely aware of the white privilege that I enjoy. Today, when my 22 year-old son borrowed my car for a trip to the store, I did not need to worry if he would be stopped by the police, or shot, or suffocated, because of the color of his skin. It is hard to fathom what it would be like to live with that stress day after day, yet far too many parents do.

We need to stand in solidarity with the people of color in our country who are affected by racial injustice. If we are to end injustice, we need to act. The Rabbi and I are working with a group of congregants to plan several programs about racism and how it impacts us all. Temple Emanuel has partnered with CONECT, Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut, to take action on social and economic justice issues of importance in our state. Consider joining in our discussions, or our work with CONECT. Below are some links to further resources on racial justice.

Look for more information on the TE programs about racism in the next Shofar blast. If you are interested in helping us organize these programs, please contact me or the Rabbi.

Revelation, Pain, and Suffering…

Last week we celebrated the Jewish Festival of Shavuot. We marked the giving and receiving of the Torah, the Revelation. I read from the Torah scroll the Ten Commandments (actually, Ten Utterances, or aseret hadibrot in Hebrew), laying out the foundation of our lives, our understanding of the world, our faith and our behavior. One of the most dramatic episodes that occurred at the foot of Mount Sinai follows shortly after. The people who experienced God’s presence and were shaken to their core with awe and inspiration proceeded, only a few short weeks later, to create a golden calf, an idol that violated one of the commandments received directly from God in a direct revelation! How could this be?

As we celebrated Shavuot this year, we were shaken by yet another cruel death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, murdered by a policeman in broad daylight, in front of the passers-by who pleaded with him to stop… Around the same time, we were confronted with yet another story of blatant racism when Christian Cooper, a bird watcher in Central Park, politely confronted a woman whose dog was off-leash in a bird sanctuary, only to be threatened with police to be called on ‘an African American man’. Luckily, that story did not end in death or bodily harm…

How could this be happening?

Time and time again we find ourselves in shock and anger over these murders and injustices, we protest, we march, we mourn, we seek and demand justice, we demand to find a solution. And yet, a few days, or weeks, later we find ourselves hearing the same stories, learning new names of victims, repeating the same, now iconic, words ‘I can’t breathe’…

The cruelty leaves us numb. The anger bubbles up and erupts on the streets, and the violence and destruction that travels on the coattails of this anger further threatens the world around us. At this moment in time, we want to believe that we can finally begin to get somewhere, and yet history teaches us that even after the most dramatic moments humans can quickly forget and make the same mistakes again…

When we talk about receiving the Torah at Sinai we remind ourselves that just because the Torah was given to us, it does not necessarily mean we received it. The ancient revelation of Sinai has to be reenacted by each and every one of us in order to be present in our lives. We engage with the Torah, its stories and narratives, its laws and challenges, and through that struggle and learning we make it our own, we truly receive it today.

Let us commit today not to let the passion for justice subside. Over the last few days, we have begun to convene to plan a thoughtful response to these tragedies, and the underlying issues of racism, hate, and violence. In the next week or so we will begin to share the ideas for programs and conversations, movies and books that will help us as a TE community to engage these painful but crucial questions. If you would like to be involved in planning such events, or if you have any expertise to offer, please kindly be in touch with Robin Levine-Ritterman or myself.

I end with the words of a statement issued today by the New Haven Board of Rabbis and Cantors, of which I currently serve as Chair:

  As rabbis and cantors of the Greater New Haven Jewish community, we cannot be silent at a time of communal crisis. We add our voices to those avowing the principles of our democracy and mourning the senseless murder of George Floyd. We stand in solidarity with our Black neighbors, including Jews of Color, knowing many live each day with the incessant reminder that racism is still a virulent disease in our society.  As we sadly add Mr. Floyd’s name to the ever-growing list of senselessly lost black lives which now includes Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many other people of color, we pledge to work together to find ways to bring an end to this calamity by safeguarding the rights of all and, through education, removing the stains of bigotry and hatred.

       We condemn those employing ugly rhetoric to marginalize and further divide our nation. We link our arms with those who peacefully demonstrate, voicing a message of hope through the democratic principles of free speech, communal gathering, and the spirit of open dialogue.

       We strongly stand in opposition to those who have used this time of mourning and loss to sow chaos through looting, violence, and destruction of property.

       We reach out to individuals of all faiths to work with us in each of our communities to help repair this world by modeling divine attributes of mercy and compassion. As God is merciful, may we be merciful to all those we encounter. As God is gracious, let us offer grace and compassion to lift up both our neighbors and the stranger in our midst. As God is abundant in goodness and in truth, may we find the strength to do good and seek the truth in all our encounters each and every day. 

AFTER SOCIAL DISTANCING: SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BEGINS !!

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems hard to see our way through to the other side. What will the “new normal” look like when this is over? Will we ever sit together in concert halls, baseball stadiums, or in our sanctuary? Will our school once again echo with children’s laughter and excitement? Will we ever again shake hands or hug each other at TE? Will we reach out holding our neighbors and sway to Havdalah? Will we unmask to see each other smile?

In the past 2 months, my life was plunged into professional obsession with this worldwide pandemic. The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) recruited me to lead a COVID-19 response team – a group of kidney specialists from around the country to best protect the vulnerable 500,000 Americans with kidney disease who receive dialysis treatment. Working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we have published best evidence guidance for care, we have deployed tools to understand the extent of life-threatening kidney failure this infection can cause, and we have worked with hospitals, dialysis facility owners, industry and government to get these practices to the hospital bedside and to the dialysis unit chairside. I’ve spent too much time answering reporters’ questions from the New York Times, Washington Post, Pro Publica and Politico. So – it has been difficult for me to see life after this emergency.

Of course there will be life after COVID-19. It may be different. Every time we go through TSA screening at the airport I am reminded that 9/11 changed our lives for a decade. Exactly how life will change is not yet clear. What is clear, is that we will survive — and thrive — and that Temple Emanuel will again come alive with services, children learning, laughter, joy… and a strengthened commitment to our Jewish community.

With the faith that TE will remain a central part of our community’s life, and the commitment that TE will respond to our growing school needs, we are going ahead with our planned school expansion. Construction for 2 new classrooms has begun! We are aiming to have these classrooms ready for use in September/October for our new school year.

The cost of this project will be approximately $250,000. In addition we hope to raise enough money to replace the room dividers between the sanctuary and social hall that are old and are falling apart. Thanks to several very generous major donors, we have about 70% of needed funds in hand, and promises from about 20 additional families for support.

To get the rest of the way — we need support from all members and school families. We know that this is a very difficult financial time for many — the “shutdown” has caused many to lose income or lose jobs. The market declines have reduced pension values. These are uncertain times. With these realities in mind, our board of directors urges each of us to consider carefully what we can do to assure we can complete this vital project. Please think through to a life after COVID-19 – as I have tried to do. Please be as generous as you can — for our children and their school. TE’s school is almost unique as a growing and vital beacon of our future.

You will find here a school expansion form that you can use to make a contribution. Your payments can be planned through this year, or into the next 2 years if needed.

Thank you, thank you! Stay safe, as we all find our way through these times.

Alan Kliger

CONNECTING WHILE SEPARATE

The Coronavirus pandemic is a time like none other in our lives. The loss of control, of daily routine and physical intimacy have impacted many of us in deep and troubling ways. Whether we are alone, without an income, trying to home school our children while working full time, or worrying about loved ones that we cannot visit, the stressors around us have grown exponentially. It is at times like this that we truly understand the importance of being part of a larger community. I am impressed at how the Temple Emanuel community has filled a void in our lives. Weekly Shabbat services provide structure and a needed, though brief, connection to others as we wave
and say “Shabbat Shalom” via Zoom. The TE religious school immediately set up online learning to replace in-school classes, helping our children retain some normalcy and routine in their lives.
Our members have reached out and checked in with each other, have made
meals, gone grocery shopping for those unable to do so and provided online
support in how we cope with the stress.
Members continue to work in our gardens, keeping TE beautiful for when we all return. And our contractor has started work on the school building addition, helping to promote our vision of the future during this time of uncertainty.
The larger Jewish community is there for us as well. The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven has been doing its own outreach to members in the community and has set up emergency grants to Jewish agencies, synagogues and individuals in need. They have been providing tech support, running errands and providing online programming to help us as we make our way through this crisis. We are all a part of many communities —our families, our friends, our workplaces, organizations to which we belong.
As a member of Temple Emanuel, please know that we are here for you. If there is something you need, please reach out to me or to the Rabbi and we will try to get you the help you need. Thanks to all of you who have volunteered your time and kindness. We don’t know when this pandemic will end or how things will change, but I do know that having the support of a community makes a huge difference in how we get through difficult times. We are lucky to have such a strong Temple community, and I thank all of you
for being a part of TE. I wish all of our members and staff good health and peace as we make our way in this uncertain time.

A Shofar Column in the time of a pandemic

Shabbat on ‘zoom’

As a popular meme reminds us, 2020 is a leap year – there are 29 days in February and 300 days in March… As I think back over the last few weeks, I cannot quite believe what we have all been through, what we learned to do, to live with (and more importantly, live without). Some of us have been blessed to be able to switch to work remotely, while others began to deal with almost instant loss of work and income. Some had to find ways of coping with loneliness of isolation, while others are struggling with pressure of parenting young children and online learning, while trying to work from home. All of us are feeling incredible stress of these unprecedented (at least in most of our lifetimes) days. And then there are essential workers, first responders, medical professionals – people who MUST go out there, to make sure we can still function, eat, treat the sick, bring babies into this world. And then, of course, there are those of us who have caught the dreaded virus and had to cope, first hand, with its assault on our bodies and our spirits. And then, of course, some of us have lost our loved ones during this time – and even though they did not necessarily succumb to the virus, we couldn’t even come together as families and as a community, to say goodbye, to hold and support each other at this time of loss…

Human beings are incredibly resilient creatures. We learn to cope, we adjust our expectations, and we look for ways to help others. We have switched all our school programs online overnight, with the help of our incredible teachers and madrichim. We have switched Shabbat services online too – and in the process watched TE members in their 90s conquer zoom and YouTube! We held a Passover Seder online – perhaps the best attended TE congregational seder in my 11 years here. It wasn’t perfect, and I hope we don’t have to do THAT again – but it happened, and we recited the ancient words while smiling at each other across the time and space, marveling at wonders of modern technology that allowed us to be together despite everything. We will hold our Annual Meeting online too, and we will continue to look for ways to keep our TE community Jewishly engaged, supportive and strong – online, in person, over the phone or zoom – or across the street.

If you are feeling anxious – please let me know, I am here to talk. If you need help with groceries or any other tasks – please let me know, we have volunteers ready to help. If you are feeling lonely – pick up the TE directory and call someone to check up on them. If you hear that someone is ill, or in need of help or support – please drop me a line. This is a difficult period, but we don’t have to remember it only for the pain that it brings – let’s also make an effort to remember the joy that we can bring into each other’s lives, especially now.

Sending you all a COVID-appropriate virtual hug from a distance,

Rabbi Farbman

Temple Emanuel School Expansion

Our TE religious school is growing! Come any Sunday morning to the Asefah where students and parents gather, sing and study together. The kids are excited to be there, the parents are engaged, and Jewish learning is a truly joyous experience.

Though our new school building is only 5 years old, we need additional classrooms to accommodate our growing enrollment. This year, all 4 classrooms and the library were occupied, and every nook and cranny of the building is being used as additional classroom space.

Dave Pokras, an architect and a member of TE, designed a plan to add 2 classrooms behind the long wall of the social hall, accessed by a door near the kitchen end of the swing space. Construction has just begun and our hope is to have it completed before the next school year begins.

Fundraising is off to a great start – we need to raise $250,000, and 75% of the total has already been pledged by several very generous members! This leaves a balance of about $60,000 to get to our goal.

Our school is our synagogue’s vanguard. The wonderful children who come to school each week are our future, and the future of the Jewish people. This project is not only a school project – it is our commitment to the future of Temple Emanuel, and the future of our people.

We hope you will be generous, and feel the excitement that Rabbi Farbman, our Religious School director Olga Markus, our teachers and leadership bring to this effort. Our TE school is now well known throughout the community – and we are assuring its continued growth and success.
Thank You!!!

I would like to support the TE campaign for expanding our school!

A brief video from ground breaking ceremony on May 3rd

POSTPONED: Siyum – a sacred celebration of ending a sacred task

I often talk about the importance of transitions in Judaism: the threshold marked with a mezuza, the start of Shabbat marked with candles and kiddush, the end of Shabbat marked with Havdalah ceremony and so on. The new beginnings are to be celebrated with much joy and excitement, but so are the endings! In fact it’s the endings that often deserve that much more joy. A siyum is the completion of any unit of Torah study, or book of the Mishnah or Talmud. A siyum is usually followed by a celebratory meal – the joy of reaching a certain moment surely deserves a party!

As most of you know, this year we have engaged in a very special project: restoring the Temple Emanuel Holocaust Memorial Torah Scroll. This has been a humbling experience, as we researched the history of the town of Horazdovici and its Jewish community, raised funds necessary for the restoration and the upkeep of our Torah scrolls, and helped dozens and dozens of TE families experience the joy of assisting the scribe in restoring the damaged letters in the scroll, one by one. This has been a remarkable project, and I am delighted to report that we are nearing the end! With the scroll restoration nearly complete, the scribe will return to Temple Emanuel on March 22, allowing 40 plus additional families to take a personal part in restoration all throughout the day.

The most important moment will come at the end of the day at 6:00pm, as we celebrate the Siyum – a completion of the restoration process. The scribe will write the final letters and affix the final stitches, we will sing and dance with the Torah, carrying it not only around our sanctuary, as we do during the Torah service, but also outside and around our building (weather permitting, of course), before we joyously place the Torah into the Ark where it will now reside once again. There will be music from our band, and lots of joy to go around, and food, and a chance to say l’chayim to the completion of this sacred task.

There will be more information coming your way in the Shofar blast over the next few weeks, but in the meantime please make sure you mark your calendars for the evening of March 22 – just write ‘siyum’ and get ready to celebrate one of the most special things we ever get to do as a community.

The URJ Biennial: Exhausting and Exhilarating

Five thousand Jews talking, singing and praying together in a convention center in Chicago. More Jewish music than you can imagine. The Second City Chicago improvisational comedy theater group, which kept us rolling in our seats. The Union of Reform Judaism Biennial conference was all this and more.

I have just returned from 5 days in Chicago, along with 8 other TE members. At the Biennial I learned more about governance and leadership, met with other Temple presidents and heard their struggles and triumphs, and gained insights into how to become a more audaciously hospitable congregation. I learned about the impact we can have by voting in the World Zionist Congress elections, which will influence policy and funding for Jewish institutions in Israel and around the world. I learned about the wonderful social justice work of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC), and of the exciting work by IRAC, the Israel Religious Action Center, working for equality for all Israelis, including marginalized groups like Ethiopian Jews, Mizrachi Jews and Arab citizens. I also learned that the Jewish community needs to change with the times to include the next generation, many of whom don’t see congregational membership in the same way past generations have.

For those of us at TE who enjoy being a musical congregation, the music at the Biennial is itself a reason to attend. One could spend the entire 5 days just listening to music! The Jewish Rock Radio stage (check it out on Facebook) features different musicians every half hour. Many of the musicians who have performed at TE were onstage, and we spent time listening to who we might invite next. Every service has music, every plenary session has music and every night there was a variety of performances to choose between, from rock and roll, to singing blindfolded on the floor, to bluegrass.

The experience of Shabbat at the Biennial touched me deeply. Imagine praying along with 5,000 other Jews in a service whose prayers are carefully chosen to be meaningful and inspirational. The music was deeply spiritual and joyfully engaging, and was played by professional musicians. Torahs from surrounding synagogues were carried throughout the hall while we danced in the aisles.

The Biennial is a time to feel the strength of our community. A time to meet Jews from all over North America – baby boomers, millennials, teens and young adults from NFTY (the Reform Jewish Youth Movement), and a few babies along with their parents. The URJ is working to increase inclusivity of groups that have been marginalized in society and welcomed the LGBTQ community, Jews of color and people with disabilities. The Biennial was a wonderful time for those of us from Temple Emanuel to connect. The Rabbi, Melissa Perkal, Janet Adams, Doug and Karen Fenichel, Vlad Katsovich, Laurel Shader, and Anna Zonderman all joined me in Chicago. We shared meals, sessions, worship, concerts, travel and grew closer. Thanks to Janet Adams, our Hadracha program that trains our teens to be madrichim and teachers, was featured in a poster session of innovations within the reform community.

The Biennial confirmed for me what a special congregation we have, and how much we are already doing to be warm and welcoming, and to educate the next generation. Those of us who went to Chicago returned to TE energized and eager to put into action what we learned. We look forward to an even larger TE delegation at Biennial 2021 in Washington DC.