Rabbi Melman’s Minutes

RABBI MELMAN’S MINUTES Rabbi Melman I look back over the last year and wonder at times how we made it. The truth is, I don’t spend all that much time dwelling on what wasn’t and instead, focus my energies on what was! Those times when I do wonder how we made it to this point quickly fade when I realize what we have been able to accomplish as a community, as a family. The classes taught, the programming offered, the online and in-person gatherings, and the beginning of the return to greater normalcy with people in the Kamensky Sanctuary. Anyone that was in shul on Shabbat HaGadol and over Pesach will tell you how great it felt to be back – to be home. For me, it was incredibly emotional and moving, for at our core as a synagogue, we are a house of worship. Yes, people come for all sorts of reasons and I love that, but we must keep in mind that being together at sacred times in sacred spaces is at the heart of what we do and who we are. What is truly amazing is that even though we weren’t in person, and many still are not, we connected with each other through our online platforms via Live Stream, Zoom during the weekdays, and Facebook Live for our Havdalah at Home. We know connecting online is not quite the same – thank God we have had the technology to stay connected and see each other. Please know that we understand that not everyone is comfortable coming back in person at this point. We hope that anxiety will ease as we continue to move forward and ultimately beyond the pandemic. We will continue to abide by the State of Illinois protocols, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the CDC, and our COVID-19 Medical Task Force. I must take this time to thank the members of the Task Force – Dr. David Hakimian, Dr. Ari Jaffe, Dr. Alan Shapiro, and Dr. Lee Shulman, all who are also members of Congregation Beth Shalom. Their help and guidance has been invaluable. Ultimately, we want to have more people back in person – as many as our limitations on numbers will allow. We want more Jews in the pews! We want everyone to have that feeling of “being home”, as many have already felt. Summer will bring more opportunities for in-person outdoor events and services and we want to encourage everyone to attend as their comfort level allows. As we look ahead, we have already begun to plan for the High Holidays. Once again, things will be different. The most important detail is that we will be able to be back in-person in some way. While things may still change, we are planning on having services at both the main sanctuary at CBS as well as Wood Oaks. We hope to have two shifts for many of the services to allow for continued safety precautions while at the same time being able to accommodate all those who wish to attend in-person to be able to do so. We will maintain our online live streaming presence with updated cameras and a new sound system. This will offer those at home an even better viewing quality and will also allow us to run multiple services online at the same time. We promise more details shortly. Whether online or in-person, we will continue to connect and reconnect and maintain the excellence that we have all come to expect from Congregation Beth Shalom. I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable summer and hope that you will be back at CBS in-person soon.