January 2023

Dear Chevre,

Welcome to the secular New Year! As I am writing this, I'm reflecting on a warm conversation I just had with a long-time Leyv Ha-Ir~Heart of the City member who currently lives in an assisted living home. We had a very sweet connection, chatting together, and then we had this dialogue:

She: I've lived so long.

Me: Yes, you've certainly lived a length of days, a long life.

She: I'm 85.

Me: You are well into your nineties!

In family and in community we carry each other's memories. I first knew this person in her 60s and later I was her Rabbi for decades. I knew her in her prime and saw her contribute her wisdom in many settings and become a beloved teacher in the city. I also knew her losses and challenges as she lived the ups and downs of the human journey. And in that conversation, I gave her back her own history, in a tiny way, because I know her age even as her memory fades in and out.

As we enter this New Year together, may we make memories together and may we also be the keeper of each other's memories of what we have shared and who we each are. And may our special community be a blessing for the people in it and for the world. 

Love and Blessing,

Rabbi Julie