Rabbi, I thank you for your blessings on this Installation Shabbat. It is also a blessing for us to be guardians of this historic congregation.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the families who attended our Annual Meeting and KI-Kindness Celebration and approved our new slate of officers. I am particularly grateful for your show of confidence as my officers and boards, WKI – Women of KI, MRJ – Men of Reform Judaism and KIFTY Student Board help lead KI through this moment in history. No one leads alone.
There is no playbook for being a leader in this time of global crisis, and we are certainly in the midst of stressful unprecedented times, even frightening times. Not at all what I expected for my first year as president! With all of the time we now have on our hands we need to make sure these are also times of personal reflection, learning, insight, wisdom and courage. We need to be positive, think beyond our physical walls and put this time to good use – and I believe we are doing just that.
Our Congregation survived the Civil War, World Wars I and II as well as the influenza Pandemic of 1918, and I know as a community we have the resilience to survive Covid-19.
I cannot tell you right now when it will be safe to return in person to our building. I can report that I have organized a Reopening Task force and our goal is to create a reopening policy that will include guidelines for our office and maintenance staff, our preschool, J ’Quest, meetings, Shabbat Services and the High Holy Days. We are reading through the regulations recommended by the State of PA, the CDC and the URJ, to make sure we are in compliance with the most up to date safety measures that are needed before we can once again say “Shabbat Shalom” in person.
Our KI building may be closed but our hearts and our spirit are open for “business.”
P.S.
I would still like to hear from you. If you want to share KI Acts of Kindness, or Mazel Tov’s in this time of the Pandemic, send me an email.
Sincerely,
Janice