RABBI’S MESSAGE

Dear Friends,

As I type these words, thousands of lives have been destroyed by an earthquake in Syria and Turkey (by the time you read this, thousands more will have been found and countless lives will be devastated). I read the news updates hourly. The photos show an apocalyptic scene of chaos and suffering.

And then, I make a sandwich and continue with my day.

The constant reminders of suffering in our daily lives - mass shootings, natural disasters, and violence in our communities - are brought close to us through media coverage and social media posts. Despite increased awareness of these tragedies, our ability to act against them does not keep pace. This oversaturation with images of suffering leads to what social psychologists call compassion fatigue (a decline in our ability to empathize) and apathy, as individuals may feel their actions are ineffective. In an essay about this, Ruth Messinger and Aaron Dorfman suggest combating this through responsible consumption, thoughtful tzedakah, using political power responsibly, and shifting our postures from pity to action and solidarity. These aims are commendable, of course.

As your clergy team, we are mindful of compassion fatigue when communicating with you after tragic events. When we do send an email, our goal is to acknowledge events that are likely on your minds, anchor our statements in Jewish values, and provide pastoral support to those seeking it. However, it’s difficult to determine a strategy for when to acknowledge these moments through formal emails. We grapple with many questions, such as: why address this tragedy and not another; should moral criteria be used; and does geography play a role? This is especially complicated when considering events in Israel or instances of antisemitism.

We don’t have a clear-cut solution to these dilemmas in formulating a communication strategy. Despite the lack of a systematic approach, we think that reaching out to acknowledge significant events is still valuable, even if it prompts questions about why we did not send an email about another event.

We don’t want these emails to contribute to your compassion fatigue. Despite our sincerity, such emails may come across as performative and routine, and if sent too frequently, they may lose impact. Deciding when to send these emails requires careful consideration given the frequency of such events. While we work to find a balanced approach, know that we are always available to provide support. The aftermath of tragedy can be unsettling, and we stand by you regardless of whether we send an email.

We are always interested in hearing your thoughts about this. Feel free to share them with us by emailing clergy@ bethelnr.org

Shabbat is a time for rest, reflection, and spending time with loved ones. It’s a special time for us to come together as a community and celebrate our faith and traditions. At our synagogue, we offer a variety of Shabbat services and activities for all ages. Whether you prefer a traditional service, a more relaxed and casual atmosphere, or something in between, we have something for everyone. In addition to our regular services, we also host special Shabbat events throughout the year. These events bring our community together for a night of food, music, and celebration. One of the best things about Shabbat at our synagogue is the sense of community and belonging that it fosters. It’s a time for us to come together as a family and support one another, both spiritually and emotionally. Whether you’re a lifelong member or a newcomer to our community, we welcome you to join us for Shabbat. We hope that you’ll find a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and that you’ll leave feeling refreshed and recharged. So come, celebrate Shabbat with us and experience the joy and renewal that this special time of the week can bring. We can’t wait to see you there!

Although these words are all true, they are not mine. They were generated when I typed the words “synagogue newsletter article” into “ChatGpt.” ChatGpt is a free artificial intelligence “chatbot” that, in what seems like a matter of only weeks, has fully entered the public consciousness. The introduction of this tool, and others like it, has raised all sorts of ethical questions, since, as the technology improves, which it surely will, we will no longer know whether a student’s term paper, a journalist’s account of current affairs, a work of art such as a poem or, dare I say, a shul President’s bulletin article, is the real thing or the product of a computer’s software.

While I am sure there will be some redeeming features that these programs bring to the world (even social media has some ), for now I consider them a shortcut, a way to avoid the real, hard work that makes anything worthwhile. At Beth El, we don’t take shortcuts, and nothing happens without a great deal of thought by our clergy and professional staff. Every aspect of every program, every religious service, every musical concert, and every other offering that serves the spiritual and emotional needs of our congregation is the product of a great deal of intentionality. Our clergy meet together regularly, as does our staff, to make sure that each moment of our calendar is part of a coherent whole that, over the course of any given year, reflects the rhythm of the seasonal Jewish cycle, and that reflects the needs of our community members. And our rabbis, working together as a team, are each assigned specific roles, whether it be in designing programming, forming educational curricula, or managing chesed projects, that further ensure that all aspects of synagogue life are designed to help us achieve our collective goals. It is said that no word in the Torah is superfluous, that each is there for a specific purpose in telling the story of our people and in framing the values that lead us to purpose-driven lives. Likewise, at Beth El we strive to make sure that everything we do is the result of informed choices that collectively ensure that we are meeting our mission.

Our congregants also play a critical role in this. While our clergy and professional staff are among the hardest working and creative people I know, what we receive from them is supercharged by the degree to which we as synagogue members make suggestions, give feedback, volunteer, and participate in programs and services. In other words, a synagogue is not the equivalent of a chatbot: we shouldn’t just expect to sit back and watch Beth El be a great synagogue, we should all put in the work that helps make it great. Only then can we truly feel a sense that we as a community have created something together. So please, come to programs, come to Shabbat services, come to minyan even once a month (it makes a difference!), or seek out ways to volunteer your time. In a world that every day seems to become more and more automated and inauthentic, let’s together continue to build something that is the product of genuine passion and human effort.

By the time you receive this edition of the Bulletin, Spring, and with it Passover, will be nearly upon us. I leave you with the wish that you have a Chag Kasher v’Sameach, and that your Seders are meaningful and joyous.

Robert Patchen

DO YOU HAVE A SIMCHA COMING UP?

Are you celebrating a birthday or other milestone? Do you just love spending time with your community after Shabbat services? Sponsoring a kiddush on Shabbat is a wonderful way to share your special day with your Beth El community. To learn more about the details of sponsoring a kiddush and to help you make a choice that is right for you and your family please reach out to Stephanie Lederman at slederman@ bethelnr.org or (914) 235-2700 x246.