Important Community Update about this Shabbat 03-14-2020
Shalom Chaverim/Dear Friends,
We continue to monitor the advice from experts – the State of Maryland, the CDC and others — about our responsibilities during this challenging time. We are trying to carefully balance our commitment to everyone’s health and well-being, with our needs and desires for social interaction and community. As we approach Shabbat, Adat Shalom leadership wants to best serve our members, and be a responsible organization when it comes to doing our part to protect the more vulnerable in our larger community. As part of doing our share in the regional and nation-wide effort and consistent with what many other communities and work places are doing, we ask that you not attend Shabbat services in person. We’ll do our best to reach out in other ways, and encourage you to live stream our service.
- Tomorrow morning, Rabbis Fred and Rachel, and a few who have already been in close proximity to one another this week, including Idan and Rena, will gather here at Adat Shalom for a brief, creative and spiritually sustaining service.
- Included in this small group will be Samson Grinspun, along with his parents Caryn Gottlieb and Richie Grinspun, as we celebrate Samson becoming a bar mitzvah (two-weeks ahead of schedule!).
- Should you wish to participate in the Shabbat service and bar mitzvah celebration, we warmly invite, indeed encourage you, to join us via our live stream. We have moved the access to our livestream to the homepage of the Adat Shalom website, www.adatshalom.net, and eliminated the need for a user name and password. We join many of our fellow synagogues and other faith-communities in removing the firewall to enable easy access.
- We are working diligently to make improvements to the quality of both the video and the audio of the service, and we appreciate your patience. Should you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
- Please continue your efforts to follow the guidelines from the CDC and other experts not only for your own sake, but for our families, friends, and others. We recognize how challenging this time can be, especially for those who are in the more vulnerable population groups. If there is any way your Adat Shalom community can help support you, please don’t hesitate to be in touch. We will be reaching out to you in the coming days and weeks.
Please join us in wishing Samson, Caryn and Richie a hearty mazal tov. And please stay safe, and connected even if remotely, this Shabbat and going forward.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb and Rabbi Hazzan Rachel Hersh
Shelley Sadowsky and Hal Segall, Co-Presidents
Rena Milchberg, Interim Director
