Rabbi Jean Binkovitz

From Rabbi Ethan Tucker: "These are times when our senses of how to hold all our commitments may not perfectly align with one another. This is true on an intellectual level, in terms of how we reason out, argue and think about our politics. It is perhaps more profoundly true on a visceral level, where we do not all share the same family trees, the same live connections to events, the same people in distress. We cannot remake those differences overnight, nor create an intuitive cohesion of experience where it doesn't already exist. The best we can do is to be honest with one another, to be transparent about what to expect, and to open up channels of communication for engaging when it feels we just can't hold everything all together."

https://www.hadar.org/learn/classes-events/minhah-taanit-tzibbur-day-communal-fasting

Minhah for Ta'anit Tzibbur: A Day of Communal Fasting We have a traditional practice for moments like this one: ta'anit tzibbur–a fast that draws in the entire community to unite for deliverance for those in crisis. We stand in horror as Hamas has taken over 100 Israelis and other citizens hostage, among them infants, toddlers, entire families, the e...

Hamas does not represent Palestinians well. They never had a majority and did not permit subsequent elections. They are terrorists.

Praying for peace and deliverance from evil.

https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/234926

The Torah of Reproductive Justice (Annotated Source Sheet) | Sefaria A listing of some of the key sources that inform a Jewish understanding of abortion.

If you are assisting someone fleeing Ukraine via Poland (or perhaps elsewhere if the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland can refer you), you may find the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland hotline numbers helpful:

Hotline in case of threat to life, road accident or death of a citizen of Ukraine:

+48 698 608 837 (24 hours a day)

Consulate General of Ukraine in Krakow:

+48 124 296 066

Consulate General of Ukraine in Lublin:

+48 815 318 889

Consulate General of Ukraine in Wroclaw:

+48 786 203 025

Consulate of Ukraine in Gdansk:

+48 583 460 690

Preparing for remote HHD services again? Here are some great tips, including outdoor small gatherings: https://forward.com/life/453493/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-virtual-high-holiday-services/

Gathering resources for the upcoming High Holy Days: 1. Some guides to the services will be coming. 2. Songs of praise for a time of struggle: http://tobendlight.com/2021/03/hallel-in-a-minor-key/ 3. Here is a Yom Kippur story of Jonah retelling that children might like (you can't hide from love): https://www.bimbam.com/jonah/

Learn the Book of Jonah: The Torah Animated | BimBam What is the Book of Jonah all about? Watch this animated music video to learn the story of Jonah featuring Josh Nelson. Perfect for Yom Kippur or year-round.

While not all Jewish people feel connected to Israel, many of us do, and for us this has been an especially tragic week as we worry about the fates of our Palestinian and Israeli brethren and wonder if the Jewish state can survive in a physical as well as a spiritual sense. Can our values re-construct a nation, or are these worlds incompatible? Can we enact our values to live in peace? Can we afford each human the dignity they deserve, and if not, where is the beauty in our religion?

Opinion | Israelis and Palestinians can’t go on like this. Weep for us. Weep for this place in the season of wildflowers when it should be beautiful, weep for the dead and the living, weep for God who can’t get us to stop, weep for humanity.

Planning for Shavuot? Try a seder:

Scribe | You already know how to celebrate Shavuot at home: Make a Seder We already have a moment on the Jewish calendar dedicated to all-night study, and its structure is far more effective: the Pesach Seder.

If you are studying Pirkei Avot now, you might enjoy this series of lectures: https://tikvahfund.org/pirkei-avot-the-misunderstood-masterpiece/?utm_source=tikvah_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_04092021&_ke=eyJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIkxGZHJmdyIsICJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJqYmlua292aXR6QGdtYWlsLmNvbSJ9

COVID-19 vaccine: It’s our turn to roll up our sleeves and get vaccinated!

It’s hard to imagine a time when we didn’t know COVID-19 existed. Now when people say “virus,” we know what they mean. The impact of COVID-19 on our lives, our activities, and our freedom has affected us all. The responsibility is ours, as a community, to help stop this virus. Now we have a new, safe, and effective tool to help us do that—COVID-19 vaccines.

It takes everyone.

We all need to step up to beat COVID-19. We ask you to join us in protecting yourself, your family and friends, and our community by getting vaccinated.

As a rabbi, I urge you to protect lives by getting this vaccine.

Getting vaccinated adds an important layer of protection for you, your family, and loved ones. Here are some things you should know about the COVID-19 vaccine:

All COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States are very effective at preventing the disease.
The most common side effects are pain in the arm where you got the shot, feeling tired, headache, body aches, chills, and fever.
Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools we have available—wearing masks, staying at least 6 feet apart from people who don’t live with you, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, washing your hands frequently, and getting vaccinated.
We want everyone in our community to be safe and get back to hugging our families and friends and shaking hands with our neighbors.

We all play a part in this effort, and you are key. Please sign up to get connected for your MN COVID-19 vaccination: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/connector/

If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit CDC’s FAQs web page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html.

Vaccine Connector / COVID-19 Updates and Information - State of Minnesota Sign up to be notified when a vaccine is available for you.