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COVID-19

Life Your Spirits

We all may need a pick me up around now. With all that is going on in the world today we have an answer ... sing and dance!  Turn up your speakers and sing!  Click Below.

TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERS AND SING! 

COVID-19 - How  B'nai Moshe is Here for You

Dear B'nai Moshe Family,

As we continue to understand the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our community we are working to be attentive to the health and safety of ourselves, our families, our community, and our country. With that in mind the B’nai Moshe leadership team, along with the entire Michigan Board of Rabbis click here to read MBOR letter and their synagogues/temples, and the Jewish Federation have decided that EFFECTIVE   IMMEDIATELY ALL RELIGIOUS SERVICES, MEETINGS, AND PROGRAMS ARE BEING CANCELED OR PUT ON HOLD UNTIL AT LEAST APRIL 15.

During this time the synagogue office will remain open during regular business hours.

As new information is released, The B’nai Moshe Medical Advisory Task Force will continue to meet and advise us so we can update you on our plans for our community as often as we need to in order to best serve all of us.

Most important is to let you know that we are here for you. If you are scared, lonely or just need someone to talk to as we go through this time period, Rabbi Kantor is available to speak with you in person or over the phone. If you need help because you are stuck at home let us know. Our caring community team will do our best to make sure that you are taken care of.

In the meantime, allow me to share with you the following thought from one of my teachers, Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky:

“Every hand that we don’t shake must become a phone call that we place. Every embrace that we avoid must become a verbal expression of warmth and concern. Ever inch and every foot that we physically place between ourselves and another, must become a thought as to how we might be of help to that other, should the need arise.”

We ask that you use best practices to keep yourself safe from this pandemic. Keep your eyes and ear tuned to upcoming information from us in the days and weeks to come.

With our Warmest Hope for Safety and Good Health -

Rabbi Shalom Kantor

Dr. Mark S. Roth, President

Steven Fine, Executive Director

Virtual Minyan During  COVID-19 Pandemic -   Alone Together

From Rabbi Kantor and Leadership Team:

Dear Friends,

I have been thinking a great deal about how we maintain community while keeping everyone safe as we all adjust to our new reality of living with COVID-19. There are two specific Jewish values that we take into account at moments like these.

The first is Pikuach Nefesh, the value of saving a life. We need to take all of this seriously, not just for our own health, but for the health of others. We appreciate your understanding and diligence in following these guidelines and precautions for the greater good of our community.

A second value is Al Tifrosh Min HaTzibur, don't separate yourself from the community. As I have said many times, Jews don’t pray alone – we pray, mourn, and celebrate with community. And yet, here we all are, asking you to isolate yourself physically and not gather as a community at all. So how do we balance these two competing concepts?

In order to help our community continue to maintain a minyan for prayer and the recitation of Kaddish, we will be blazing a new path for our community as we institute virtual minyanim.

We are in an extraordinary time, what we refer to as a “sha’at ha’dachak.” In the past, Jewish Law has made provisions and compromises during trying times, practices that applied only during those times.

To that end, I have made the Halachic decision to hold an evening minyan Sunday through Friday evenings at 6:00 PM over Zoom video conferencing.

This allows for two way audio and video (video is optional if you want) that will allow the participants to hear and see each other. In this way, we can continue to come together as community and allow those that are saying Kaddish to honor their commitment, provided we have 10 participants online at the time of our services. 

You can access our daily minyan by video conference or phone.

To access by video click on the following link:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/438683527

This will then ask you to download the Zoom Program to your computer or tablet. Once you do this you will be able to use this program to access our minyan and all other online events and meetings.

You will then need the following Meeting ID: 438 683 527 for our daily minyanim

To access by phone: Dial: 1-646-558-8656

And then you will need to enter the Meeting ID: 438 683 527 for our daily minyanim

I am comfortable saying that we will only hold virtual minyan during this extraordinary time under the current COVID-19 pandemic. When, God willing, the threat passes and we can return to a sense of normalcy, we will no longer utilize this method of gathering for minyan.

I realize that not everyone is feels comfortable with the technology involved. A few congregants have volunteered to assist anyone that needs help in setting up Zoom over the phone. I am grateful to each of them for their assistance and their dedication to Congregation B’nai Moshe. If you need assistance, please let me know and I will have one of them contact you as soon as possible.

Please feel free to contact me on my cell phone: 1-607-427-1486 or email: rabskantor@bnaimoshe.org with questions, concerns or just to say “hi”.

May God bring healing to all those afflicted, wisdom and skill to those working to defeat this virus and strength and perseverance to all.

Shalom, brachah u’bri’ut.  Peace, blessing and health to all

- Rabbi Shalom Kantor and the B'nai Moshe Leadership Team

Tue, April 7 2020 13 Nisan 5780