HONORING TRADITIONS ENGAGING FAMILIES SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES Volume 93, No. 3 • September 2020 • Elul/Tishrei 5780/5781 We have all felt so much loss over these Salute to Song and Spirit From Rabbi last six months—and we know yet more Marc Berkson will be lost in the months to come. Yet Presents still we approach Rosh Hashana with Six13 Live Online The year was 5390—or hope and with strength and with a 1630 CE—part of the resilient love. We begin the last month Sunday, September 13 500 year period in of the Jewish year, Elul, whose letters at 7:00 pm Europe when the pan- themselves reflect the first letters of the demic of the plague Hebrew words from Song of Songs—ani Celebrating Cantor Barash’s 18 years at claimed up to 60% of l’dodi v’dodi li (I am my beloved’s and CEEBJ, the 2020 Salute to Song and Spirit its population. In the years of 1629- my beloved is mine)—with a process of presents Six13, an award-winning Jewish 1631, 45,000 people in Venice alone per- coming closer to each other and closer a cappella group, Sunday, September 13, ished. It is true that some towns which to God. And as we reach Rosh Hashana, at 7 pm, live and online. Get your tick- instituted what we would call strong we celebrate the birthday of the world ets today. Tickets will give you a sign-on public health measures were spared and the birth of humanity. As I have link just for you—everyone has a front such deaths. But that was not true of written many times, most recently using row seat this year! Ticket prices are $36 Verona and Padua, smaller cities some 60 the lyrics of Joni Mitchell, we are not for individuals, $54 for a family watching miles to the west of Venice which both captives on a carousel of time, fated to together, and $18 for students. Invite lost over half their populations during go round and round and round. We can your friends anywhere on the planet to those years. And we have the eyewit- change ourselves and change our world join us! ness testimony of one Abraham by coming closer to each other and to Catalano, a Jewish physician in Padua, the One to Whom we belong, to God. We’re especially pleased to present who wrote a treatise under the title of As we repair, we renew. We will be Cantor Barash singing together with Olam Hafuk or, in English, The World reborn into the book of life come Six13 during this concert. This is the cap- Turned Upside Down. These words of Ne’ilah. stone final event in CEEBJ’s Year of the his make for powerfully sad reading: Cantor, chaired by Andrea and Rich …we also saw that those coming to pray So we will celebrate in the midst of the Konz. in the synagogue were few. And as the viruses surrounding us — and the viruses days progressed and the pestilence of COVID-19 and racial and economic Six13 is a groundbreaking, six-man a worsened and the number of stricken injustice. Our celebration may not be in cappella vocal band that brings an grew, they did not reach a minyan, to the the normal order and with the normal unprecedented style and energy to point that we stopped praying in the customs. We will have an erev Rosh Jewish music, with nothing but the synagogue for many days, and the “Small Hashana drive-thru at the synagogue, a power of the human voice. The group Temple” was desolate, without any visi- greeting line before the service, with our has eight award-winning albums and is tors. And at times they would gather, ba’al tikiah, our shofar blower, on the an international phenomenon online, with much exertion, in the synagogue of roof. Some services will be completely where their videos have been viewed the Ashkenazim, and they would pray different, others will feel like old friends. over 15 million times. Juxtaposing the without keeping the normal order and Some will “work;” others will not. But traditional and the contemporary, Six13 tradition (b’li seder uv’li minhag). the real work still begins within each of is anchored by a strong Jewish identity us. What has not changed is the work of fueled by soulful harmonies and intri- It is amazing then, that 390 years later, in heshbon ha-nefesh, of an accounting of cate arrangements, driven by a mission the United States of America, Dr. our souls, of who we are and who God to connect Jews around the world with Catalano’s words ring just as true; we and we wish us to be and what we will their heritage through music. have stopped prayer in the synagogue do and be to make that happen. and, as the Yamim Nora’im approach, Event tickets are on sale now. For more we will pray b’li seder, without keeping Jesse, Abby, Michal and Jonny and Ezra information, see CEEBJ.org/Salute or call the normal order, and b’li minhag, with- and Isaac join me in wishing all of you a CEEBJ at (414) 228-7545. out keeping the normal customs. It is shana tova u’metuka, a good and sweet now, for us, a world turned upside and healthy year. down. From Our From Our High Holy Days 5781 President Cantor As summer ends and the crisp, cool days of fall begin, we prepare for our Shalom, A Note Jewish New Year, and the rituals that sur- congregants and from the Cantor round this sacred occasion. All our sens- friends. es are engaged—the taste of apples and The Shofar Project honey, the sight of the Torah scrolls in their white mantles, the weight of the As we approach the Shalom, High Holy Days togeth- machzor in our hands, the haunting cry of the shofar. er, some of us are wondering, given the We are very excited at CEEBJ to current state of affairs, how will we pre- announce The Shofar Project! serve the special meaning this portion of Even with these connections to past our calendar has afforded us for so Yamim HaNoraim, we know that this many years? Yet certainly this will not be year will be different. Yet even as we the first time Jews have experienced the keep ourselves and our community Days of Awe in dark times. Haven’t we safer by remaining physically separate, persevered through greater upheavals? we will still connect with our tradition, And don’t we possess the same inner our clergy, and each other. Our entire strength, the same faith, that lit the way staff is working tirelessly to adapt the of our ancestors? Yes. We do. High Holy Days to our pandemic envi- As we will be having High Holy Day ronment, aided by many lay leaders and services online this year, we are kicking At CEEBJ, we possess some other, very volunteers, especially our High Holy off The Shofar Project and request your Days task force, chaired by Rich Konz. special resources that will help ‘light our participation in submitting a video of way.’ Our clergy, professional and sup- yourself blowing shofar. Within these pages you will find a port staff, and volunteers are working schedule and information on our servic- diligently and creatively to ensure that Please watch this instructional video to es, adapted and reimagined to meet our our High Holy Day worship and ritual see how you can participate: spiritual needs while we work to pre- experiences hit the mark. And this same https://youtu.be/IOj8MzlRUKc. serve our physical health. You will find group is taking a fresh look at the rest of offerings for congregants of all ages, our calendar and key programming. This For the High Holy Days, we will be com- with a mix of both traditional offerings process of reimagining congregational piling the videos that we receive, and and creative new ways to celebrate life has been exhilarating. I am very making a very special video incorporat- these sacred days. The High Holy Days proud of and impressed by the work ing all the shofar blowing submissions. kit you receive at our Drive-Through that is underway! event before Rosh Hashanah will help Also, during the Hebrew month of Elul, you to make your home a mikdash We will all miss the comfort and familiar- we will be “sounding the shofar” each m’at, a small sanctuary. ity of High Holy Day services in our day incorporating your videos. sanctuary. But as we’ve come to realize, We truly want our High Holy Days offer- our congregational community is about If you would like to participate in this ings to be accessible to all our congre- people rather than bricks and mortar. project, please email me at gants, whatever your level of technolog- Open your minds and your hearts, and [email protected] or call me at (414) ical sophistication. Please see informa- we will experience the Days of Awe 331-9336, and I will send you an email tion on the bottom of page 3 which together once again, in a new and with all the details. explains our available tech support. meaningful way. Looking forward to receiving your Our services are created to be available Special thanks to all the volunteer mem- Shofar videos! to all our congregants, no matter their bers of the committees and task forces location and circumstances, and to our that continue to be so committed to the Also, I hope that many of you will be friends and family, wherever they may enrichment and well being of us all.