Beth Israel5780 קיץ / 2020 SUMMERQuarterly3 Messages from Rabbi Jason Nevarez & President Kimberly Carnot4 Mazal Tov to our Confirmation Students35 Beth Israel Teens- Our Future is BrightYasher koach to the teens serving our community6 Jewish @ HomeHow some of our members are surviving and thriving with stay-at-home orders11 What's Happening at Beth Israel1714 Congregant SpotlightMeet Marcia and Shana Hazan15 Meet Your Board Members & Community Volunteers16 Welcome New Members17 Mazal Tov to Our Graduating Class & Honoring OurVolunteer of the Year and Women of Valor18 Mazal Tov! B’nai Mitzvah, Baby Namings and Weddings1919 Many Thanks to Our Ner Tamid Circle and Dor L'Dor Society Members20 Thank You for Your Contributions!62 SUMMER 2020 / 5780
RABBI’S MESSAGEBy Senior Rabbi Jason NevarezAs I write this, Nicole, Ethan, Sophie, and I have been readyingourselves for a journey….traversing our beautiful country [albeit inthe midst of global pandemic and a country battling real-time andhistorical currents of systemic racism], ending with our arrival inour new homes of San Diego and Beth Israel. So much to prepareand process - we purge and donate and sell. We save and pack. Westock up. We get angry and sad about the pains of the world whilepreparing to say goodbye and hello.At the time of this communication, we’ve been on lockdown fornearly 90 days, and we are itching to physically embrace friendsand loved ones before setting out on our new adventures, andeagerly anticipate gaining new insights about our newcommunity and ourselves, as well as all the wonderful things thathappen on a journey.Our Torah offers us wonderful lessons about journeys. At the end ofthe book of Leviticus, the Israelites received their packing list, andthe book that comes next, Numbers, in Hebrew, Bamidbar,animates the most defining journey of our lives – a journey intothe wilderness.Standing at the foot of Mt. Sinai, ready to head out on the journey,the Israelites are given an endless packing list, some of whichdoesn’t seem necessary or even relevant in the moment. Thatmoment in our Torah is filled with expansive instruction of what todo and what not to do. How to be holy, how to act in the face ofuncertainty, how to treat others who are sick or most vulnerable.When we get to the Book of Numbers, we’re tasked with followingone of two paths, based upon the instructions received. We can goone way and follow God’s laws and live a life of blessing, or we cango the other, ignore God’s instruction and live a painful, broken life.We’re told to rest the land and our bodies, go out of our way to befair and good and just, even when it feels untimely.These teachings prepare us for the journey: what will be needed tosurvive and thrive in the next chapter – those essentials needed tomake the right choices when we come upon scenarios that, whilepacking, we can’t even imagine we would have ever needed.In some ways, this is where we are now in our country. States arebeginning to open, but we have a long journey of unknowns ahead.Since March, we have all lived the loss of stability and predictability,and have been pained by the loss of so many lives. Our dailyrhythms have been upended, and social distancing has become amode of daily practice. Additionally, our country has been layeredwith profound pain and trauma, as rage and grief pour into thestreets and cities around our country.Continued on page 5...PHYSICALLYDISTANCED,SPIRITUALLYmotivatedPRESIDENT’S MESSAGEBy Kimberly CarnotThis IS WHYBeth IsraelAs I draft this message, it is the last day of school for my kids. Camps have beencancelled and summer plans scrapped. Our friends are feverishly sharinginformation on which camps are still planning to have in person options, so we canshift reservations and try to stay ahead of constantly changing information. Thereare many unknowns and that lack of certainty causes us stress. But, I am remindedof the lyrics to a Green Day song:Another turning point, a fork stuck in the roadTime grabs by the wrist, directs you where to goSo make the best of this test, and don’t ask whyIt’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time.It’s something unpredictable, but in the end is rightI hope you had the time of your lifeAnd there you have it. We spent much of the past few months existing under theauspices of stay at home orders and behavioral guidance. Many in our communityexperienced fear, confusion, illness, and sadly death as our family and friend circleswere touched by COVID-19. But, as a caring community, Beth Israel did not merelyexist, we chose to thrive.We adapted and strengthened our connections. Our hearts expanded to embraceeach other through words of encouragement and virtual check ins. Our teacherscalled our students, our students spent time before and after classes catching upwith each other – we heard their laughter echo through our homes. Our virtualservices gained sophistication as we learned how to make technology meet ourneeds – we chatted before and after (and maybe a little bit during) worship. ThroughZoom we were invited into each other’s homes. We learned that some of us have thesame wire fence on our decks, similar paint colors and furniture. We got to seetreasured candle sticks and symbols of our commitments to Judaism. We felt ourconnectedness and saw opportunities to learn more about each other. We laughed,we studied, we prayed – together and for each other – we counted the Omer, we roseto welcome the Shabbat bride, we learned new rituals and new tunes, and weshowed up.I’ve been on the Board of Beth Israel for 7 years now. We are always focused on howto get more people to show up – tweaking programs and plans, establishing metricsof success, and looking for opportunities to improve.My question to each of you: in these times, have you been showing up more at BethIsrael than you did in the past? I’ll let you in on a little secret – you have. Attendancenumbers across the board are up – services, Torah study, classes and discussiongroups, programs, and social events. A cynic might attribute this to limitations onthe activities we can do right now. But, that is neither factual nor accurate. We canalways find ways to pass time – we can binge watch Netflix, taste test our bottles ofwine, bake, bike ride, garden, sleep … In these times, we are choosing Beth Israel andthis, this is the reason we speak of the need for Beth Israel to be here now and into thefuture. This choice, this feeling, this connection, this realization of wanting to be partof something much larger than us as individuals – this is why Beth Israel. This is whywe are members. This is why we give to our hearts content. This is why we lookoptimistically at the months ahead as we welcome Rabbi Jason Nevarez and hisfamily and plan for a time when we can fully re-open and welcome you back to ourcampus. Thank you for being with us on this unpredictable but amazing journey.SUMMER 2020 / 5780 3
Change language