|
My dear Kesher family,
The last few weeks have been some of the hardest and longest of our lives. Many of you reading this don't live in Washington, DC, but every single one of you are a part of the Kesher Israel family and have been impacted by what happened.
Whether we live in DC, the Maryland suburbs, New York, California, or Israel, we are bound together because we identify as one: Kesherites. We grieve together; we hurt together; and we will heal together. Most importantly, we will endure, grow stronger, and celebrate again, together.
First, thank you to everyone who contacted us to express their support and their sympathy. We have heard from local communities, rabbis and lay leaders, former Kesherites, and new friends who have never visited us but felt deeply for us. We have been embraced by countless people and by communities around the world, and for that we are deeply thankful.
Since the news broke last week, our focus has been to care for and support our community, to coordinate with law enforcement, to reach out to those in need, and to prepare the shul for the coming weeks and months. The world continues to spin and we at Kesher have been trying to not let the rush of the 24-hour news cycle derail us from our primary focus. There will come a time, very soon, for introspection and reflection on what happened. On Sunday, the Kesher Israel Board of Directors will meet to start the discussion on the best next steps for us to take. Of course, we are committed to working to ensure that this does not happen again.
Given the whirlwind of events since last Tuesday, I wanted to share with you what Kesher has been doing over the last 10 days:
- Last Tuesday afternoon, the Kesher Israel Board met in emergency session and suspended Rabbi Barry Freundel without pay.
- We successfully lobbied the RCA to issue a statement affirming the halakhic validity of all conversions conducted by Rabbi Freundel.
- We invited Chief of Police Cathy Lanier, Assistant US Attorney Sharon Marcus-Kurn, Chief of the Victim Witness Unit Jelahn Stewart, the Jewish Social Services Agency (JSSA), and the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (JCADA) to address the community this past Monday night.
- We were joined by RCA President Rabbi Lenny Matanky, Past President Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, and Executive Director Rabbi Mark Dratch at a roundtable discussion for the convert community on Thursday night.
- We are working with Yeshiva University to plan the immediate, short, and medium term needs for rabbinic coverage (more to be announced soon).
- We are working with volunteers to fill in educational gaps in our weekly class schedule (more to be announced soon).
- We continue to talk and engage one-on-one with community members who have reached out for support.
- We are coordinating with JSSA/JCADA to develop support groups for the community. Please fill out a short survey here to let us know what you need.
- Throughout all of this, we continue to still work on the day-to-day affairs of running the shul, including fixing the heat (more to be announced soon).
In addition, under its own able leadership, the National Capital Mikvah has focused on the following:
- Security of the Mikvah: the lock code on the door to the mikvah has been changed and the Mikvah will be strictly limiting the number of individuals who are given access to the new code. The MPD conducted a search for evidence at the mikvah and found no recording devices.
- The Mikvah Board is in the process of identifying a private security company to conduct a second sweep of the mikvah and shul bathrooms.
- Halakhic coverage: in addition to obtaining halakhic coverage mentioned above, the Mikvah Board determined that, after seeking guidance from rabbinic authorities, the mikvah would remain open for use.
- Community support programs: The National Capital Mikvah invites all women who are part of the NCM community to gather for the first support session, Tuesday, October 28, from 7:30-9:30pm in the ballroom of the Chastleton (1701 16 Stret, NW). This session will be a safe space for women to share their thoughts and feelings and will be facilitated by JSSA and JCADA. There will also be information on additional resources available for the community. This event is closed to the press.
I have no doubt that the weeks and months ahead of us will be challenging. But I am confident in the strength and vitality of the Kesher community, that we are all up to the challenge, and that we will rise up to face these challenges head on.
Shabbat shalom,
|
