Note: These remarks were offered by Rabbi Offner at the Annual Meeting on May 19th:
Dear Friends,
“The year in review.” My goodness. In my 37 years in the rabbinate, I have never gasped at that phrase as I do this year, the year of the greatest pandemic to ever hit us. This has, beyond doubt, been the most difficult year of my career – and yes, for those of you who were there for my Jewish Journey – more difficult than any challenge I have ever faced before.
And yet. “Af al pi chen.” We Jews are so good at staring down horrors that we have a phrase for it. “Af al pi chen” we say: NEVERTHELESS.
NEVERTHELESS, Temple Beth Tikvah has just walked through one of the greatest years in our history. We have broken ground on a new building. We have raised millions of dollars to assure that there will be a tomorrow as well as a yesterday for Jewish life on the Shoreline. We have welcomed a new Cantor, hired entirely on Zoom back in the day when we all thought that ‘zoom’ was a word we used to describe what airplanes do as they fly overhead. And that Cantor, God bless her, has flourished and taught and guided, beyond our greatest expectations.
And Kim Romine. There are no words. Stalwart, faithful, devoted tirelessly and effectively to all things TBT.
And oh yes, also one year ago: Sarah Mervine said ‘yes’ to the call to be president of TBT. She did so before “Covid” was a word in our vocabulary. Sarah Mervine, unbeknownst to her, inherited a building project, a capital campaign, a cantor transition and oh why not throw in a rabbi transition, and a COVID lockdown. Sarah: you have been my partner in all things in every way. You have selflessly, tirelessly, courageously, led our synagogue during this year of all years. YOU are amazing. And it has surely been one of the greatest gifts for me, to top off my rabbinate with getting to work side by side with you. Thank you.
In the midst of all the pandemic challenges, there have been blessings. Serious blessings that I hope we will take with us into the future. One: we have discovered the out-of-doors. KOL AMI has brought hiking into our Jewish lives. Services have been taken outside. Classes meet outside. Bar & Bat Mitzvahs are under tents. The Israelites in the desert first gathered under tents to seek God’s presence and now we know why. I haven’t met a Bar or Bat Mitzvah family all year long that hasn’t been grateful for the forced simplicity of their events. It has given them permission to focus on the truly important part of becoming B’nei Mitzvah.
This has also been a year of far more intentional connectedness. Through Helping Hands, first envisioned and established by Steve Eppler-Epstein, and the 2-Way L’Dor VaDor program that has been brilliantly steered by Donna Fedus, we have learned that “kol yisrael aravin zeh-ba-zeh,’ “all Israel is connected one to the other.” Just two more thoughts and then I will stop.
One: we have accepted technology into our events. What was once unseemly is now holy. Burying our loved ones and being able to live-stream from the cemetery, or getting married under the chupah and having grandparents who can’t travel able to attend, and my favorite example: I actually did a Brit Shalom, a baby-naming, where the parents and their baby were in Australia, one set of grandparents were in Montreal, the other grandparents were in Tel Aviv, and the proud aunt was here in Connecticut. These are nothing short of miracles and they not only helped us during a pandemic, they changed us and the way we practice Judaism, for the better.
And finally: we have witnessed a return to what has always been the central sanctuary of Jewish life: the home. I have watched each of you take charge of your Jewish lives. And that is a good thing. Rabbis are not meant to be in charge. We Jews do not believe in intermediaries. Rather, we believe in “Torah, Avodah and Gemilut Chasadim.” We believe in growing and stretching ourselves and doing acts of kindness. God bless you all, this has been a year of growing in Torah and envigorating our worship and doing countless acts of love & kindness. TBT can surely look to the future, as we open a new building and welcome a new rabbi, with gusto and enthusiasm.
Rabbi Stacy Offner