Greater Boston Interfaith Organization Post-Election Gathering - 11/5
Join us for "Tea with the Team"
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An Election Day message by Rabbi Marcia Plumb
‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven…. A time to speak,’ (Eccl. 3:1-8) Now is the time to make our voices heard. Now is the time to vote. ‘a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to keep, and a time to cast away’ Whether you choose to keep in place the government that was planted four years ago, or ‘cast it away’, the time to shape the future of our society is now.
‘a time to weep and a time to laugh’ However we vote, we probably won’t know by the end of today whether to mourn or celebrate. Democracy can be a slow process. Let us be patient with it, and allow it to do its work of ensuring every person’s voice is heard.
‘a time to stay silent.’ Take time today to find some quiet. Rest your body, mind and soul. Go outside, see the beauty of the sun through the trees, and breathe deeply of the crisp fall air.
‘a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.’ Today, with our votes, and with our speech and our actions, we hope that we will unite this country in love and compassion. Today, let us commit that our speech, our conversations, be filled with love and care, to counteract the anxiety and conflict around us. Just as each vote counts, each interaction among us counts too. The way we behave shapes our society as much as our votes. Today, may we partner with God to bring peace to our country. May God spread a sukkah of peace over America, today and every day.
Please see the end of this email for post-election Jewish and interfaith events.
Shabbat Services "From Our Home to Yours"
Friday, November 06 6:00 PM Please join Zachary Mayer for a virtual "From Our Home to Yours" Kabbalat Shabbat Services
Saturday, November 07 9:30 AM Please join Rabbi Lev Friedman with Rose Spitzer (LIVE!) reading Torah for a virtual "From Our Home to Yours" Shabbat Morning Services
Election Night Torah study Tuesday, Nov. 3, 8:00 -11:00 PM Final results will almost certainly not be available on Tuesday evening, November 3, and it may take days or weeks for the outcome of the election to be known. Instead of gluing yourself to the TV on election night, come study Torah and join in community and conversation with others about Judaism and justice, with music, insights, and more, with a Tikkun Leil Election study session held by T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, a national rabbinic organization that supports justice work. Please click here to register.
GBIO Interfaith Gathering Thursday, Nov. 5, 7:00 PM Join in a gathering of Boston-area houses of worship with our partners in the GBIO (Greater Boston Interfaith Organization) on Thursday, November 5, from 7:00-8:00pm, on Zoom. This gathering will include reflections from diverse faith traditions on the truths we all hold: democracy is sacred and every one of us is a child of God who deserves a society that upholds justice and dignity. Register here for the GBIO Zoom gathering.
Turn to your rabbi for support. Rabbi Plumb is available for personal conversations and pastoral support during this time of uncertainty and anxiety. Please do not hesitate to call or email for a private conversation. She welcomes the opportunity to talk with you.
We have been in touch with the Brookline Police, who have informed us that they are not anticipating any unrest today or in the next few days, but they are prepared if needed. Rabbi Plumb, along with clergy across the country, has been trained in de-escalation if needed.
Kristalnacht: A teaching with Rabbi Dr. Michael Shire
Tuesday, November 10, 7:30 - 8:30 PM
"At this hour, all of the House of Israel stands before its God": Rabbi Leo Baeck's sermon to German Jews, Kol Nidre 1935.
As the 1000 year history of German Jews came to an end on Krystalnacht (Nov 9-10 1938), the leader of all German Jews, Rabbi Leo Baeck, already warned the community of this probability in a pastoral letter sent to all synagogues in Germany to be read out on Kol Nidre, 1935. The Gestapo forbade it to be read and yet many synagogues did so and Rabbi Baeck was subsequently arrested...
What did it say and why was it so provocative and yet prophetic at the same time?
