President

A Newsletter for Temple Emunah members 9 Piper Road, Lexington, MA 02421-8199 www.TempleEmunah.org Main Office: 781-861-0300 Fax: 781-861-7141

Senior Rabbi David G. Lerner 781-861-0300, ext. 22 dlerner@templeemunah.org Assisstant Rabbi Leora Kling Perkins 781-861-0300, ext. 31 lklingperkins@templeemunah.org Rabbi Emeritus Bernard Eisenman President Mark Bobrow 781-861-1920 president@templeemunah.org Executive Director Raveetal Celine 781-861-0300, ext. 21 rceline@templeemunah.org Director of Me’ir Sherer 781-861-0303, ext. 24 Congregational Learning msherer@templeemunah.org Director, Billy Dalwin Shelley Rossman 781-861-0708, ext. 27 Pre-School srossman@templeemunah.org Accounting Manager Alisa Billings 781-861-0300, ext. 23 abillings@templeemunah.org Chief of Cong. Advancement Hannah Arwe 781-861-0300, ext. 30 & Manager of Pastoral Admin. harwe@templeemunah.org Communication Manager & Efrat Assulin 781-861-0300, ext. 28 Programming Coordinator eassulin@templeemunah.org Synagogue Educator/Young Tova Weinronk 781-861-0300, ext. 34 Family Engagement Coord. tweinronk@templeemunah.org Synagogue Educator Andrew Doxer 781-861-0300, ext. 32 adoxer@templeemunah.org Accounting Assistant Mary Melnick 781-861-0300, ext. 26 mmelnick@templeemunah.org Office Administrator Marilyn Pappo 781-861-0300, ext. 20 office@templeemunah.org Office Administrator Ellen Weene 781-861-0300, ext. 29 elweene@templeemunah.org Bulletin Editor Linda Silverstein lindags@comcast.net

Landscape Committee

As spring approaches, the Landscape Committee is emerging from its own winter/COVID dormancy. We plan to continue our rehabilitation of the Woodland Garden (the large island), including screening of the new solar panel transformers. We also want to remind everyone that the rear courtyard will be a lovely gathering place for small events when the weather warms up – and even larger ones when we don’t have to stay distanced.

If you would like to help or donate to the Committee, we welcome your support. Contact Art Kreiger (akreiger01@gmail. com) or Joelle Gunther (joellegunther@gmail.com). Art Kreiger and Joelle Gunther We have been consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic for one year. One year ago we locked down in the hopes the pandemic would abate. It did, and then it did not. Nationwide, we flattened the curve from April until July, but then new infection rates per day went up about two-fold from what they were in the spring. Rates started rising again in the fall, and after the new year, reached over eight times the rates we had in the spring. In Massachusetts, rates reached about three times what they were in the spring. New infection rates have now declined dramatically, and if we can achieve a high level vaccinating the population, we could have in person indoor events in the summer.

Through all this, our community adapted and embraced new ways of praying together, learning together, socializing together, celebrating and mourning together. We opened our virtual minyan doors and welcomed others who needed support from our community. If you have not joined our virtual minyanim, please try. Attending minyan is more than supporting those who need to say Kaddish. It is a way to connect with our community and is a respite from our daily work.

Our adaptive response to the pandemic is an example of how exceptional our community is. The foundation of our stature starts with our professional staff – Rabbi Lerner, Rabbi Kling Perkins, Raveetal Celine, and Me’ir Sherer. This group is creative, tireless, and extraordinarily dedicated to the Temple Emunah community. We are indebted to them for making our virtual and in person experiences as meaningful as possible.

One year ago, many of us hastily created a virtual Pesah . seder. Reusing materials from previous years, I came up with a simplified and shorter version that would keep participants engaged for an anticipated shorter than usual attention span. This year, amid a plague, having experienced loss of freedoms, suffering, and constant uncertainty, has added a plethora of subjects and materials to enrich our study and discussions for many years to come. In a sense, the seder should be leavened by our collective experiences this past year. I hope we teach and learn from it because we need to be better prepared.

Let’s maintain our vigilance, wear masks, stay safely distant, and get vaccinated as soon as possible. L’Shalom,

Mark Bobrow president@templeemunah.org

Yom HaZikaron Ceremony

Tuesday, April 13 at 7:30 pm

We will honor the Day of Remembrance for Israeli Fallen Soldiers & Victims of Terror with evening services, songs, poems, and personal stories. You are welcome to wear a white top, as is the custom in Israel.