TELL May-June 2020

{CEO UPDATE}
It was a letter we received during
the COVID isolation, that
prompted me to write about
the new opportunities that have
evolved, and how much we
Suzanna Helia
are here, and can do for all our
community. The letter said:
“I want to express my deep
appreciation to you all - Clergy,
Board, Staff and Community - for
doing such an amazing job keeping
us connected, inspired, stimulated,
informed, joyful and devoted during
this Covid-19 Pandemic. You
have demonstrated the breadth
of your love and compassion, the
strength of our community and our
capacity to reach out in times of
need…. May you know that your
efforts are noticed and valued.”
A while back I wrote about a story
from the book, The Black Swan by
Nassim Taleb. “Black Swan” is an
event or occurrence that is so remote
that it is completely unforeseen.
“Consider a Thanksgiving turkey
that is fed every day,” Taleb writes.
“Every single feeding will firm up
the bird’s belief that it is the general
rule of life to be fed every day by
friendly members of the human
race. On the afternoon of the
Wednesday before Thanksgiving,
something unexpected will happen
to the turkey. It will incur a revision
of this belief.” COVID 19 did
just that for the whole world.
So what does the new world order
look like? What is the new modus
operandi? As I reflect on this with
some wise ‘members of the human
race’ around me, I am assured that
we will go back to ‘the way we were’.
Others believe Covid-19 will change
us forever. There is no certainty
about when the coronavirus crisis
will slow down/end, or how we
will be impacted. But this crisis has
also afforded us the opportunity to
innovate, learn and grow. We can
then be assured that, once this is
over, we will have done our best
and tried to embrace the good.
The opportunity for Emanuel
to connect with our community
during this pandemic goes beyond
our imagination. As a kehillah
{INSIDE THIS EDITION}
TRANSFORMATIVE
LEARNING
7
IN THE NAME OF GOD
Rabbi Jeffrey B. Kamins
14
FROM TINY GNAT TO COVID 19
Rabbi Dr Orna Triguboff
INSPIRING PRAYER
6
DISCOVERING RITUAL
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio
24
THE SEARCH FOR
HAMETZ CONTINUES
Cantor George Mordecai
16
THE CAPTURE OF U-505
Reverend Sam Zwarenstein
Cover
The Counting of the Omer
artist D'vorah Horn