Monthly Newsletter

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May, 2020       
2605 Traffic Way, Atascadero, CA
805-466-0329                                                         
congregationcot@gmail.com ​​​​​

FROM THE RABBI

In 1953, in his book “The Spirit of Jewish Prayer,” Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote: “Our services are conducted with pomp and precision. The rendition of the liturgy is smooth. Everything is present: decorum, voice, ceremony. But one thing is missing: Life. One knows in advance what will ensue. There will be no surprise, no adventure of the soul; there will be no sudden burst of devotion. Nothing is going to happen to the soul. Nothing unpredictable must happen to the person who prays. He will attain no insight into the words he reads; he will attain no new perspective for the life he lives. Our motto is monotony. The fire has gone out of our worship. It is cold, stiff, dead and inorganic Judaism.” 
 
I am glad to have a different experience of Jewish prayer in 2020, especially in the time of COVID19. While the first couple of weeks of sheltering-at-home brought this rabbi a certain level of anxiety when it came to planning and executing Shabbat services online,  our virtual services have given me the opportunity to create innovative ways to reach out in prayer.   We maintain the container of sacred time and tradition but we adapt to our situation to meet the needs of our community.   The liturgy and the voice (and the tech) are not always smooth but these worship experiences are far from cold, stiff or inorgnie. You’ve shared that the depth of experience connecting with each other from the safety of your homes is surprising and has been a soulful adventure.   Many conversations have been sparked that otherwise would not have been. Many feel freer to prayerfully express themselves without the decorum and the ceremony. 
    
The goal of any Jewish worship experience is to draw nearer to God. Nearness, karuv, has many meanings. For our ancestors, a sacrifice or offering was a ‘korban,’ a way people drew near to God. Social interactions are a physical way to draw near, but we read in the Talmud, that “Hillel’s patience brought us closer together (ker-va-nu) beneath the wings of the Divine Presence (Shabbat 31a).”   Hillel’s patience.  Our tradition teaches that one’s intention and behavior can draw us together, a particularly poignant lesson in this time of physical separation.
 
If you haven’t joined the livestreamed Shabbat experience, I invite you to try it and see what happens for you.  As phased reopening of our county and state begins in the weeks and months to come, we will continue to adapt and create and innovate so that we stay connected and draw closer to each other beneath the wings of the Divine Presence.  As always, please feel free to reach out to me if you need support.

Rabbi Janice 

Please note Rabbi Janice has a new e-mail address: 
 rabbijanice@ohrtzafon.net

May Calendar 

Please watch the weekly bulletin for information on events as the current situation is constantly changing.  

Friday, May 1, 2020
​​​​​​​

5:30 PM: Virtual Tot Shabbat
A link will be provided by the Ritual Committee for families to join.  If you do not receive a link and you would like to join, contact Rabbi Janice.



6:30 PM  Zoom Family Service

Our Torah school students will be joining Rabbi Janice as co-leaders for our monthly family service. Everyone is invited to join (see link information below)

  This Zoom service will be instead of our weekly YouTube live stream.
That format will resume on May 8. 

Family Service Zoom Link
Time: May 1, 2020 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81376886348?pwd=bm5HcGkzcVhFZ28yYnJsODZvbGFBZz09

Meeting ID: 813 7688 6348
Password: 191782

Special instructions:   Everyone will be muted for this call except for our student co-leaders.  For security reasons, the meeting will be 'locked' at 6:40 pm so please tune in promptly at 6:30 pm.  Parents, please consider using the 'rename' feature so that only first names are shown on the screen.  Contact Rabbi Janice if you need assistance.    

President's Message

Annual General Meeting Update 
The Congregation Ohr Tzafon annual general meeting is planned for Wed May 28th.
The meeting format will be adjusted due to existing restrictions in place at that time.
Members will receive further detailed notice soon. 

Security Fundraising Appeal Update 
Thank you immensely to the many, many people who contributed $13,125 to our security fund. 
Your generosity made our security appeal a success this year, and we’re all very grateful. 
Our actual fiscal year security costs are $14.355 to date with a temporary synagogue closure. 
If you missed the earlier appeal, and would still like to contribute online or mail both applauded. 

​Thank you,
Melany and Larry Spielman
​​​​​​​Co-Presidents

Submitted Shelter at Home Quotes & Moments

Thank you to Sharon George, Leslie Moss, Larry Spielman, Melany Spielman, and Samantha Mogull for your submissions!

​​​​​​​
There is hard truth to be told: before spring becomes beautiful, it is plug ugly, nothing but mud and muck....But in that muddy mess, the conditions for rebirth are being created.
-Parker Palmer

When peace comes, When the tunnels are gone and the walls come down, When we sing together as brothers and sisters, We will remember these days of sorrow and grief, Of rockets and terror, Of longing and despair, As a memorial to those who were lost, As a remembrance of our mourning, As a monument to our yearning, On the road to wholeness, On the road to wisdom, On the road to our days of rejoicing. When Peace Comes
- Alden Solovoy

"I keep having people say, 'Gee, it's like we're living in a Stephen King story,' " he says. "And my only response to that is, 'I'm sorry.' "
-Steven King 

Suddenly a person wakes up in the morning and feels they are a people. They start walking and they greet everyone they meet with "Shalom" Song of the Morning
-Amir Gilboa

“I did not care what it was all about. All I wanted to know was how to live in it. Maybe if you found out how to live in it you learned from that what is was all about.” - Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

The Preciousness of Every Moment The heartbreaking (growing) death toll of the virus reminds us of our mortality. As King David said, “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” Just as the shadow quickly fades, so do our lives. We are reminded to cherish our moments and to infuse them with meaning and purpose.

The Sanctity of Life Throughout history, our synagogue doors have been kept open against forces of antisemitism and through many challenges. Now, those doors are closed to save lives. The Torah instructs, “You shall keep My statutes and My ordinances, which a person shall do and live by them.” Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya interprets this mandate to mean, “In all circumstances, one must take care not to die as a result of fulfilling the mitzvot.” The sanctity of life is paramount.

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.
-Untitled by Kitty O'Meara (2020)

“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will be in our troubled world.” 
- Etty Hillesum

People often say that motivation does not last.  Well neither does bathing- that's why we recommend it daily.
Zig Ziglar

Don't worry about the world coming to an end today; it's already tomorrow in Australia.
-Charles Shulz

Optimist: someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it's more like a cha-cha.
-Robert Brault


Sources for Positivity:
https://gratefulness.org
https://www.inspiremore.com/morning-smile/
http://www.dailygood.org

Support COT!

Mitzvah Opportunities

SLO Foodbank - Warehouse Volunteers
Volunteers are involved with a variety of projects at the Food Bank, such as assembling fresh produce bags or non-perishable food bags, sorting food from the  grocery rescue program and food drive donations, and helping with preparing orders for our numerous agency partners.


Volunteers must be 16 years of age or older and they ask that people stay home at this time if: 
-  You are 65 years of age or older 
- You are showing any signs of illness or you have an underlying medical condition 
- You have recently travelled internationally 

Kvelling Corner

Yahrzeits

05/01     Minnie Colman
              Mother of Frances Mayer
05/03     Pat Elliott
              Husband of Robyn Elliott
05/04     Arthur Day
              Father of Susan Aroner
05/05     Harry Finkel
              Uncle of Linda Prior
05/06     Judy Siegel
              Aunt of Benjamin Alexander
05/08     Max Moss
              Grandfather of Rick Moss
              Ken Burgess
              Step-Father of Jeff Zucker
05/09     Zalman Scherer
              Father of Michelle Scherer Robles
              and Dawn Scherer Daner
05/10     Tillie Finkel
              Mother of Linda Prior
05/11     Joseph Tzvi Fried
              Father of Tali Freed
              Roza Adler
              Aunt of Frieda Russell
05/13     Joseph L. Aroner
              Father of Michael Aroner
              Clifford Randall Rubin
              Brother of Nancy Osran

Donations

Amy & Erik Hormann
In honor of Stephen Lewis

Anonymous
To offset Community Seder expenses

Arlene McDonald
In memory of Arlene's father

Carol Fine
To offset Community Seder expenses

Michael Santos
In memory of Myasser Ayesh, mother of Sam Ayesh

Delia Horwitz
In honor of Rabbi Janice

Fred & Frieda Russell
To offset Community Seder expenses
In honor of Rabbi Janice for virtual services
In memory of Dorothy Russell

Jackie & George Ramsdell
In honor of Rabbi Janice

Jeff & Jackie Zucker
In honor of Rabbi Janice, Daniel Becker, and Tanner Fry

Jerome & Rita Becker
In honor of Melany & Larry Spielman
In memory of Suzanne DaSilva

Joy & Howie Becker
In memory of Julie Stock Colton

Judith Bernstein
In memory of Miriam Greene

Judith Propp
In honor of Rabbi Janice for virtual Shabbat and Passover Seder services

Larry Schiffer
In honor of Shepard Zafran

Michael & Susan Aroner
In memory of Ron Steiner
In memory of Annabelle Spitza
In honor of Daniel Becker and Tanner Fry and the Seder Kit Team
In memory of Melody Aroner Katz

Michelle & Dave Robles
In honor of Rabbi Janice
In honor of Dawn Daner

Ms. Toby Scherer
In honor of Rabbi Janice for wonderful virtual services

Naomi & David Blakely
In honor of Rabbi Janice with gratitude for her endless spiritual leadership

Priscilla Lewis
In memory of Stephen Lewis

Rich & Jan Carsel
To offset Community Seder Expenses

Tali Freed & Ken Doerr
In Honor of Rabbi Janice

Birthdays

Anniversaries

05/17     Tali Freed & Ken Doerr

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