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This is my latest magnum opus to my synagogue, redacting identifying information.
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To Trustees (and possibly other constituencies):
First, best wishes for a happy New Year and a hopefully better secular 2022. I am writing this letter not to resign or distance myself for the Board of Trustees of the Men’s Club. I am writing because I feel that the decision of the Temple to effectively go into “lockdown” a second time will seriously injure our membership, and threaten our viability as an institution.
On December 16, 2021 the Temple announced that services were going remote “at least until January 7” and that “gatherings” at the Temple were being kept “to a minimum.” At first I read this as a short-term reaction to the Omecron “variant.” Several things have become clear since this email; 1) most of the Covid victims, at least of the latest variant, are not sick. One of my close friends and his family are a case in point. He is 63, his sister 67 and their mother 97. The mother has no symptoms at all; he and his sister had sniffles and a temperature that peaked at 100°. All three are fine now. This seems to be the case generally; and 2) from the Men’s Club website and other Temple mailings, all future synagogue events are remote.
The remote events make them effectively lifeless. The sudden lockdown was a cruel trick on Rabbi (redacted), who flew from Israel for the privilege of addressing the Temple on Shabbat over Zoom from his hotel room. The Jews of the Pacific Coast event, scheduled for January 13, has been transformed into a Zoom webinar. This affords little or no opportunity for interaction.
When the original traumatic assault by what was called “novel Coronavirus” back in March 2020 happened, there immediate serious illnesses and death. That was an emergency and there was no opportunity for discussion. This time, the members should have been treated like adults, with discussion and opportunity for input. Instead, we are not treated as adults. Even before this latest lockdown, the “in-person” events banned food. Many other synagogues allowed food and unmasking for vaccinated guests while eating. Onegs have not resumed. The Sifrya remains closed. The true membership numbers are not available. The ironically name “reopening” committee, is, out of “an abundance of caution” destroying what remains of a great religious institution.
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No responses here, even after multiple reads, or at my shul. Should I pay $4100 for a web-streaming serve? Or is the $2500 I paid already enough?
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