Dear Congregants,

As we watch the expected surge in local COVID numbers post-holiday travel, we have decided, out of an abundance of caution and to keep our community safe, to temporarily make all activities at the temple remote.

This means that all services and programming will be remote for the time being. Office staff will work remotely when they return on January 3, 2022. Religious school and Kehillah High families will receive additional communication from Tali Mugg about plans for those programs.

As we face another surge, we would like to take this opportunity to remind our community that COVID vaccines are recommended for ages 5 and up. Boosters are recommended for those over age 16 whose second dose was given more than 6 months ago (2 months for Johnson and Johnson). New CDC guidelines recommend those who are eligible for a booster obtain one in order to remain “fully vaccinated”.

Taking care of our own health and that of our community is a Jewish value we all hold, and as such it is our hope that all our congregants who are eligible and able become fully vaccinated and get their boosters. In addition, we encourage you to be tested if you are ill or know you have been exposed to someone who has the virus.

Below are some resources for finding vaccines and testing in our community.

https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/

https://www.mywpl.org/?q=article/vaccine-clinics

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test

We will continue to monitor local data and trends to determine how long our programming will remain remote. We anticipate that updated communication will be sent on January 10, 2022.  In the meantime, we will keep you apprised of any changes.

Thank you,
TES COVID Task Force

Chair: Meg Hoey, ​​​​​​​Dean of Health and Natural Sciences, Fitchburg State University

Jerry Gurwitz, MD

Nancy Berley, MD

Germán Chiriboga, MPH, Program Director Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School; City of Worcester Health Equity Task Force

Liza Spitalnic Carrigan, RN MSN

Jonah Cuker, TES Treasurer

Patti Gould, Chair, TES Lifelong Learning Committee

Paula Selvitella, TES President

Rabbi Valerie Cohen

“Music is a universal language and needs not be translated. With it, soul speaks to soul.” (Berthold Auerbach)

We are so excited to update you on TES’s Music Leader Search Committee. We have an enthusiastic and diverse group of congregants who are representative of our community’s demographics. We’ve already had our first meeting, and our search committee members are dedicated to finding the “right match” to create meaningful musical experiences through worship, programming, education, and personal interactions for Temple Emanuel Sinai.

Clearly, we are looking for someone who is engaging and compassionate; someone who is musically talented with a background in Jewish music; and someone with Jewish knowledge who can serve as a role model based on Jewish values.

Everyone can agree with those qualifications. Where we differ is musical style. Yes, music is a universal language; yet some styles of music speak to one person more than to another and vice versa. We have been blessed to experience multiple styles of music already this year, in addition to the many musicians that you may have engaged with throughout your own Jewish journeys. We will continue to worship with cantors, soloists and songleaders who bring their own interpretation of Jewish music and liturgy in the upcoming months. We hope that you will attend services in person or online, and be in touch with any of the members of the search committee (listed below) to share with them the style of music that most speaks to you.

We realize that we won’t be able to find someone who encompasses all of the musical styles that our congregation enjoys – this is the blessing and challenge of being such a diverse congregation! You should feel reassured that the search committee is committed to hiring someone who meets our high standards, whether songleader, cantorial soloist, or cantor. (Their title or label isn’t as important as the individual.)

We learned a lot from last year’s search, and with your input, we feel confident that this year we will have great success in our search.

 

Sincerely,

Mark Birnbaum, Chair of Music Leader Search Committee

Paula Selvitella, President

Rabbi Valerie Cohen

 

Music Leader Search Committee

Mark Birnbaum, chair

David Bunker

Helene Freed

Harriett Katz

Jaylene Kaufman

Lee Radlo

Zelda Schwartz

Allan Shriber

Karen Kagan, Worship Cmte Liaison

Paula Selvitella, ex-officio

Rabbi Valerie Cohen, ex-officio