Dear JCOGS friends,
Over the past couple of years, you may have heard me mention that I like being alone and prefer space from other people. Well, be careful what you wish for…
To be honest, I felt myself sinking low last week. My family is fortunate, with everyone currently healthy, good internet access, and sufficient toilet paper. Yet, the need for human connection is strong, even for those of us who value personal space. Knowing I cannot be with my community hit me hard, and I was struggling when I watched my children become isolated from their friends.
Despondence hit me all of a sudden, as I worried about my family, our economy, our JCOGS members, and our larger society. I wasn’t getting a whole lot of sleep.
And then, on Wednesday, my daughter attended a virtual Olam Chesed program. She logged on, Hebrew worksheets in hand, to find her classmates and teachers ready to learn, just as they do every Wednesday. There they were, our community, right where we had left them.
Our community was there again on Friday. I logged in at 5:30 to share a glass of wine and found dozen JCOGS members already there. One by one, more faces popped up. Faces from Hardwick, Morrisville, and Montpelier. Faces from Waterbury and Tampa and Waitsfield. By the time Rabbi David started the service, there were almost 50 people joining together. Parents with children, candles burning on their counters. A dog wandering past during the cello solo. And at least one person crying. (That last one may have been me.)
You may be feeling alone and isolated. You should be getting a call from a member of our chesed caring committee, if you haven’t already. If you’re in need of additional support, please email our office right away. In addition, Rabbi David and Beth have created daily online programs to bring us together virtually when we must be apart physically. At the bottom of this email, you will find links to each one, and they are also on our website and Facebook. Choose a program, log on, and find your community right where you left us.
While we have kept up our outreach through this crisis, one thing we have suspended is our March Appeal. We understand that folks are prioritizing donations to immediate physical needs, and we do not want to divert those much-needed efforts. When the crisis has passed, we’ll be working to make up that fundraising gap so that we can continue to operate our usual JCOGS programs.
I’ll be emailing more over the next few weeks. I’d love to hear from you, too. My email is emily.rosenbaum@jcogs.org. Please shoot me an email to let me know you’re OK. I’m right where you left me.
All my best,
Emily
