In Other News...

Hear a message from Rabbi Greene

“Out of an abundance of caution” is the phrase we’re seeing everywhere, and inspired both by caution, a desire to slow the spread of illness, and our commitment to protecting the vulnerable, the leaders of Har HaShem have decided to close our building at the start of Shabbat on Friday, March 13. The building will remain closed until we believe it is safe and appropriate to reopen.

Our community is more than our building. We will be available for one another online, by phone or email, through videoconferencing and in ways that will be both familiar and new. 

What we are planning now:

• Shabbat services, both Friday and Saturday, will be livestreamed, led by Rabbi Greene and Holli Berman.

• Torah study will happen online. Click this link to enter the virtual meeting room on Saturday morning.

• Saturday morning, March 14, we will celebrate the bar mitzvah of Noah Ferraris. Share your greeting with Noah and his family if you cannot attend in person.

• There is no religious school this Sunday, March 15.
  The weekly email sent earlier this afternoon has been superseded.

• Rabbi Greene will lead an online community havdallah at 7:30pm on Saturday evening. Click the link to join. 

• Complete this online form to offer assistance to others or request assistance for yourself. We hope to minimize the inevitable feelings of isolation that come with social distancing.

Solutions we are developing:

• Expanding our capacity for online meetings and working with committee chairs, program leaders and others to move programs online, reschedule or cancel them. We will make decisions case by case, in consultation, and advise you of decisions as they are made.

• Imagining new ways of connecting for support, learning, prayer, and advocacy. We live in the 21st century. This is an opportunity to use new tools to do old things in innovative ways.

Our staff will be working remotely. We have access to our databases and files and phone messages. There will be some things we can’t do from a distance, but many things we can do. Andrew Frank-Martin and Kevin Hornbaker, our facilities staff, will be cleaning and sanitizing the building. You can reach us by email or leave us a voicemail message, and we’ll return your calls.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We are responding to an evolving situation and figuring out the best way to do things. We will prioritize the support of our community, the health of members who become ill,and  lifecycles of members. For now, we’re are focused on the immediate future.

We pray for a speedy resolution, for the healing of those who are ill and continuing health of those who are not, for the wisdom and discretion in ourselves and our leaders to make the right decisions for all of us.

With hope and blessing,