A Time for Community Gathering

Dear Chevre (friends), 

I am so relieved and grateful for the news that all hostages at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX have been released and are now safe. We pray for their emotional healing as well as that of their families and community – and our own healing too.

Just yesterday, we chanted the Song of the Sea – the song our ancestors sang after reaching safety on the other side of the Sea of Reeds. A song of praise, a song of relief, a song of pain, a song of vengeance – a song of human survival. 

Getting to the other side of the sea doesn’t mean that everything is okay. We carry with us the imprint of our pain. Even as the situation has been resolved in Texas, we know this continues to be a scary and tender moment. And it is okay to not feel okay – even amongst the feelings of immense relief. 

What is most important is that you know you aren’t alone as we walk through these next days together. Rooting ourselves in community can be powerful and healing in times of fear and pain.

If you find yourself wanting to be in community today, we welcome you to join us at 6:00pm for a time of gathering before our Tu B’Shevat seder. This will be an unstructured space for us to be together, and to lean into whatever rises within us – to sit in quiet, to share, to sing. Come as you are. We welcome you, even if you choose not to stay for the whole program. You can click here to connect.

באהבה ונחמה / With love and comfort

Rabbi Michael