Blog

Dear CBE Family,

We are living in challenging times as our world faces the unprecedented threat of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Everyday life is being disrupted as our communities’ work to slow the spread of the disease and care for those suffering from it. In keeping with our core Jewish and human values at Congregation Beth Evergreen, we are reminded that our holy obligation (mitzvah) is to promote the health and well-being of our members, guests, and the wider community. This includes adapting to changing circumstances.

As a congregational community, we are called to creatively find ways to stay connected, and to continue learning, worshiping and caring for one another. We will be doing these things in different ways than usual, but fear not, we will continue together. Due to the risk of infection in crowds, we are canceling some in-person events and modifying others over the next few weeks. These actions are not taken lightly and are made with humility. Our plan integrates advice on how to protect one another from unwanted contagions and stay safe but includes options for sustaining and building communal connections and to nourishing ourselves spiritually and emotionally in a time of crisis. We work and pray for the best possible outcomes and will continually monitor the situation, re-evaluate our plans regularly, and make prudent adjustments.

In general, we are canceling all non-essential gatherings and events until further notice. We will attempt to livestream regularly scheduled Shabbat services and weekly classes from CBE, encouraging potential attendees to do so virtually rather than in person. For those participants who desire to attend in person, we will take necessary precautions to limit the risk of spreading potential illness by limiting physical contact, washing, etc.

Here’s a glimpse at the specific plans for upcoming events:

Saturday March 14th

• 9 AM Family Shabbat service will take place at CBE and be live streamed with links on the CBE website and Facebook page. The Gan class /Book Study is cancelled.
• 10 AM Shabbat / Jolie Pinsonnault’s Bat Mitzvah service will be held as scheduled at 10am with precautions and live video stream (if possible).
• 2 PM Choir and band rehearsal for the James Taylor music service will take place at CBE as scheduled.

Wednesday March 18th

• Mahjong & Yoga are cancelled
• Adult Brit Mitzvah will held as a ZOOM meeting, NOT in person
• Religious School is cancelled through the end of March

Thursday March 19th

• 1 PM Mid-day Mussar will be held via ZOOM video conference (not in person)
• 5:30 PM strategic planning retreat scheduled will be postponed to April 16th
• 6:30 PM board meeting will be held via ZOOM video conference only
• 6:30 PM Adult Hebrew will not be held in person, plans to be determined

Friday March 20th

• 7:30 PM Mostly Music James Taylor Shabbat will be live streamed. No oneg.

Wednesday March 25th

• Mahjong & Yoga are cancelled

Thursday March 26th

• mid-day Mussar cancelled

Saturday March 28th

• Bagel Table cancelled

We will provide further updates by March 27th and will continually be monitoring the situation. Please note there is a possibility that we may have to cancel dinner and services on April 3rd, as well as our Community Passover Seder on April 9th.

Gemilut hasadim/caring community – At such a time it is more important than ever to stay connected and reach out to one another for support -- as providers and recipients! Our strength is still powered by our connections and collective wisdom. We will be setting up a buddy system for members to maintain connection by checking in regularly with one another. You will hear more about this soon. Meanwhile, please know that we (Rabbi Jamie, Eve Mills, Dan Herman and our Board of Directors) are here for you. Please reach out by phone, text or email if we can be of support to you. The CBE staff will be working remotely until March 27th. The best way to reach them is by email.

During times of increased anxiety like this, the value and importance of community and spiritual practice become especially evident. We rise and stand together. Please reach out to us with any questions, suggestions, or concerns of any kind and know you are not alone.

Let us make the most of this opportunity to raise our awareness of our fundamental interconnectedness with one another and the global village, and in the face of the heightened risks of illness, choose humility, compassion, connection, and joy even as we take all necessary precautions for the sake of safety and life.

For life and restful, peaceful Shabbat,

The CBE Staff and Leadership