Shalom B'nai Amoona Chaverot and Chaverim!
As indicated in yesterday’s communique, our Shul building will be closing down from March 19th – April 19th to help protect our BA Family from contracting or spreading the COVID-19 virus. It goes without saying that this difficult but necessary decision brings with it several consequential changes.
During this period:
1) Our regular 7:00 am & 6:15 pm Minyanim will not be meeting in our building. In their place, our Klei Kodesh will be facilitating daily online Davenning.
2) Our regular 6:00 pm Friday Shabbat services will take place ONLY via livestreaming.
3) Our regular in-person Shabbat morning services are temporarily suspended. In their stead, the Klei Kodesh, in rotation, will facilitate Davenning and Study opportunities, which will be broadcast on our livestream.
CLICK HERE for the livestream and links to Siddurim.4) BA B’nai/B'not Mitzvah services, Baby Namings, Ufrufs, Guest Speakers, and other special Shabbatot, scheduled between now and April 20th, will be rescheduled.
5) Religious School classes will not be meeting in person. An email about the MKLC programs will be sent to all BA families. In addition, we will be sharing ideas and activities through the new
Facebook page BA Sharing Spot.
6) Our LRECC teachers are creating videos from our classroom and specialist teachers to be uploaded via Facebook, using Zoom to do virtual class activities with their students, and Face Timing students and/or parents as needed. Anyone is welcome to join our
LRECC Facebook page. This page is where you can connect to other parents and view uploads, etc. If you are not a current LRECC family, but would like your child included in our virtual classes, please email Anita Kraus,
anita@bnaiamoona.com, with your contact information.
7) Our Lehrhaus Adult Education Program will move to a fully virtual platform.
CLICK HERE for our updated schedule. Please note that there will also be some additional opportunities to prepare our hearts and minds for Pesach. Join us!
8) The Congregational 2nd Night Pesach Seder is now sadly cancelled. However, BA is delighted to provide an innovative program called Seder in a Box, which will help families secure a delicious Kosher for Passover Meal prepared by Chef Jon of B’nai Appetite along with a special inclusive BA Haggadah. Details will be available in the coming days!
9) At the request of the local nursing homes and hospitals, our Klei Kodesh and volunteers will not be making in-person visits. We are happy to make telephone calls or reach our members via virtual technology. Please let us know if there are members we need to call.
10) Funeral services will not be held in our facility. We encourage families to hold smaller graveside services and host larger memorial services at a later date.
10) Our Klei Kodesh will be making all pre-funeral preparations and facilitating all Shivah Minyanim via telephone or virtual technology only.
11) All in-person meetings, gatherings, counseling session, classes, and programs, will be conducted via telephone or video conferencing.
12) Most of our Administrative Staff will be working remotely and monitoring their emails and voicemails. Please feel free to reach out to them and they will respond as quickly as possible.
Friends - When I was a child, our family Rabbi, Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi Z'L, sensing the premature onset of my teenage angst, gave me a gift of a silver ring upon which were engraved the words" Gam Zeh Yaavor - This too shall pass!"
As best we can discern, this phrase originated amongst the Persian spiritual practitioners knowns as Sufis. The sentiment is one that I suggest we might adopt as we find ourselves mired in this current crisis. Despite our justified nervousness and anxiety, we know that our current situation will not last forever. This too will pass!
For me, the greatest comfort of all comes from knowing that we, the members of B'nai Amoona, always demonstrate endless love and support from one another. We have been, are, and will always be present to one another. We will make our way through this challenging coronavirus crucible, and once we emerge, despite being a bit scathed by the experience, we will joyously and triumphantly declare: "Gam Zeh Avar - This too has passed! This too has passed!" May that day, with God’s help, come speedily…
With endless love,
Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose,
Rabbi Bernard Lipnick (Z’L) Senior Rabbinic Chair
