DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
I hope each of you and your families are well and coping with our new normal of social distancing and remote learning and working. It certainly takes a bit of getting used to.
Because of COVID19, we missed our Purim Alumni Newsletter as we were getting used to, and trying to settle into, our new lives. Look for one for June graduations. Keep us in the loop and let us know all the good that is taking place despite this unprecedented way of living. In addition to sharing the good, we want to share those sadder times as well. Remember, we are family and want to be there for each other. Stay in touch, please.
As we usher in the Festival of Freedom and come to grips with lonely seders and/or remote visits to seders, I found the words of Rabbi Arnold Samlan, a Broward March Alumnus, my boss and Chief Jewish Education Officer of the Jewish Federation of Broward County, perfect for this message.
"We are about to enter an unusual Passover. This year, our synagogues will not gather publicly and the Seder through which we tell the story of the Exodus will be attended only by those who live under one roof and, for some, via telecommunications. This, because we proudly stand together, taking actions that our public health officials recommend - celebrating the holiday at home rather than with extended family and friends or in synagogue - as a step towards ending this tragic epidemic, and in support of the value of “a person shall
live
by them” (Leviticus 18:5).
But we will tell the story the has inspired the world in standing for freedom from oppression, nonetheless. And we will continue to use the occasion to affirm our belief in a better future.
We are not alone even in our lockdowns. Pesach reminds us that we live in the past, present and future. It is the story and its lessons that unite us. And whether we sit alone or whether we are in a packed auditorium (in the future), we are together spiritually and communally.
So, know that wherever and however we might be telling the Passover story, we are connected across the miles and across the years. Taking words from the beginning and end of the Seder, “Now we are free people…Next Year in Jerusalem”.
Chag Sameach v'kasher - A happy, HEALTHY, and kosher Passover to all.
Stay healthy.
Rochelle
