Rosh Hashanah Morning Service (September 7, 2021)

is [Music] [Music] is [Music] there is [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] is [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] me [Music] foreign [Music] me [Music] is [Music] me [Music] [Applause] me [Music] oh [Music] me [Music] [Applause] uh [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Music] all right so what are our other choices my name is dan jones president of our congregation on behalf of our clergy board of directors and staff of congregation beth israel i'd like to welcome you today before our services begin i'd like to share some information with you in case you are a newcomer to our community as you came on campus today you were required to wear a mask entrance onto our beloved campus is conditional on all entrants aged 2 and over wearing a mask masks are required both inside and outside for the vaccinated and non-vaccinated you will notice that our choirs and musicians will also be wearing masks when they are on the bema you will notice that our clergy and some service leaders are not wearing masks but that is the only exception to our rule please know that our clergy and service leaders have all had and will continue to get tested just prior to each holiday we have created multiple spaces on campus for you to observe the high holy days please find the one that most fits your comfort level in regards to social distancing we ask that you please follow the instructions of our staff and volunteers regarding our social distancing guidelines we respectfully require that if you are unwilling or unable to wear a mask while on our campus that you participate in our high holy day observances through our extensive virtual offerings in the unlikely case of an emergency please note the exits at the rear of the sanctuary in each corner these are in addition to the three entry doors at the front the social hall has emergency exits at each corner of the room upon exiting for whatever emergency please move a safe distance away from the building and follow any staff member instructions you may be given thank you for your attention thank you for your cooperation and thank you for your understanding the shannatovah may this be a good and sweet year for all of us [Music] hey [Music] me [Music] hey [Music] foreign [Music] hmm [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] direction check [Music] is is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is oh [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Applause] [Music] good morning it's beyond wonderful to have you here with us in our sanctuary and social hall on the courtyard in the chapel at home in san diego and at home literally around the world we begin 5782 with high hopes with prayers with hard work for the future and we pray responsibly on page one hundred and twenty one you have taught us guard yourselves well take good care of your lives your word calls to us do no harm to yourself do not weaken or exhaust yourself in gratitude for the gift of our bodies we pray for a year of renewed health and replenished strength may caring for our bodies become our daily practice may we be attentive to our needs for proper food sleep and exercise let no injury come to others through our acts or failure to act but let our mitzvah be this to build a just society in which care is a birthright and the blessing of health the responsibility of all baruch we join together on page 122 prayer for our souls hello hi mishama [Music] [Music] he [Music] oh [Music] hello oh [Music] is [Music] on page 124 we pray responsibly gratefully acknowledging god is a source of our blessings and our daily miracles [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] hello [Music] we joined together in psalm of praise psalm 150 on page one hundred thirty five [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] with us [Music] oh [Music] we rise and call each other to worship the fire who page 142. [Music] r [Music] oh [Music] please join me on the bottom of page 142. source of blessings our eternal god your power fills the cosmos shaping light creating darkness making peace and fashioning all things infinite light is preserved in life's treasure house light from the darkness and god said it was so we continue on 144 in love you bring light to the earth and its creatures your goodness renews creation each day infinite varied and rich are your works divine artists all of them wrought with wisdom the whole earth is teeming with life awestruck by the universe work of your hands let all life bless you praise you and celebrate the beauty of your lights may you shine a new light on zion and may we soon be privileged to share in we trust in god and so we are going to celebrate god's salvation in the middle of the page bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth lead us upright pride to the land that is ours for you are a god of miracles and wonders from all the peoples of the earth you sought us out and brought us near to your great enduring truth so with love we acknowledge and proclaim that you are one baruch israel [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] please be seated and we invite sippy merringer to lead us in the villa on page 152. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] i [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] on page 164 our prayer for redemption [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] if people fall can they not also rise if they break away can they not return the stork in the sky knows when to migrate the dove and the swallow know the season of return what human instinct knows the time to turn back what cue sparks the conscience of the soul we pray to sense this day anew attuned to the call of sacred living we rise in mind body or spirit as we turn to page 166 for our amidah [Music] [Music] my [Music] on oh lips [Music] [Music] my [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] hello [Music] oh [Music] maybe [Music] me [Music] i i [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] live [Music] i [Music] my life [Music] i [Music] my [Music] is [Music] please be seated rabbi ed feinstein writes about unitana tokef he says i sat in shul for years reading these words before i realized the answer the answer to each of the questions who will live and who will die who will reach the age who will reap the reach the ripeness of age and so on the answer to each of these questions is me who will live and who will die i will who at their end and who not at their end me like every human being when i die it will be the right time and it will also be too soon fire water earthquake plague in my lifetime i've been scorched and drowned shaken and burdened wandering and at rest tranquil and troubled that has been my life's journey of course i prefer to deflect this truth i would much prefer to let the prayers talk about something else someone else perhaps the fellow in the next row it has taken a lifetime to reveal that defense as a lie the prayer is not about someone else it's about me it is a frightful frightfully succinct summary of my existence so now i read it again but in the first person and it makes me shiver i will live and i will die at the right time and before my time i will wander but i might yet find rest i will be troubled but i may achieve tranquility this is the central truth of the high holy days this is what makes them yamim no rain days of awe we are vulnerable page 178. [Music] my [Music] oh [Music] hey [Music] oh [Music] foreign [Music] foreign oh [Music] oh yes together at the top of page 180. but through return to the right path through prayer and righteous giving we can transcend the harshness of the decree we turn to kid hashem the kadusa page 184 invite you to rise as you're able [Music] foreign is [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] me [Music] um [Music] oh [Music] i do [Music] please be seated we walk in a fog dazed finally understanding how oblivious we have been to what is really important so we refocus our lives and something odd happens the colors are brighter and the laughter is poignant and slowing down does not seem like a waste of time and our words have meaning we take a moment for silent prayer and reflection not wasting time giving our words meaning in the days the temple in jerusalem stood the kohanim the spiritual descendants of aaron would bless the entire community by offering the priestly blessing for the past several years we've had the privilege of our of having our cantor emeritus shelley merrill of blessed memory honor us with our birkat kohanim his presence along with our connection with kohanim throughout the generations they are all surely with us at this moment the words remain the meaning remains and our sincerity remains as we bless you with this beer cut shalom a blessing of peace kindness and grace [Music] may god bless you and protect you [Music] may you receive the light of god's radiance and grace [Music] sure [Music] god's presence ever be with you granting you health goodness much blessing and much peace amen amen page 216 our prayer for peace seems shalom [Music] [Music] seem shallow [Music] r [Music] over [Music] shalom [Music] me shallower [Music] shalom [Music] [Music] is [Music] lord [Music] shalom [Music] that was a little better very nice i am filled with gratitude and awe in this my second high holy days with you but it truly feels like the first because here you are you were behind the screen last year many of you still are but there are many of you here present and we can feel your energy in 19 years of high holiday sermon writing i've addressed a wide variety of topics from our internal spiritual journeys relationships and forgiveness to judaism's call to walk our talk in pursuing justice in our world i've spoken about faith and prayer racism and loving your neighbor not to mention all things israel i've spoken about the issues of our day that run the gamut of this messy and promising and profound journey we call life yet in 19 years as a jewish leader i have never penned an entire high holy day sermon on the topic of anti-semitism recently i realized that my personal experience with anti-semitism growing up was almost non-existent i never experienced name-calling or incurred a physical incident while my parents were first-generation americans their narrative was replete with american jewish success and integration anti-anti-semitism happened but it happened somewhere else after all i grew up in a multi-cultural socio-economic melting pot section of new york city with a sizable jewish community i never felt vulnerable as a jew in my youth i never observed institutionalized anti-semitism in america either universities banks corporations hospitals even country clubs were open to jews jews were at the highest level of politics from local municipalities and halls of congress to the supreme court and the executive branch we were accepted and thriving even sociologist robert putnam in his book american grace noted that in surveys focused on american attitudes towards people of other faiths jews are the most admired group in america putnam especially points to the fact that close personal relationships mitigate prejudices based on theoretical stereotypes additionally early in life my parents exposed me to individuals who are living without the privileges i was growing up with coupled with the powerful messages i would receive from my orthodox maternal grandparents it was clear our sacred obligation was to use our privilege to help people who are less fortunate upon reflection it became clear that the amalgamation of personal life experiences led to this harmonic gap until now an insidious pandemic of anti-semitism is present all around us today and coupled with its mutating variants it requires prominent attention from the bema this morning i am inviting us to awaken from our complacency and lean into our vulnerability to better understand this current narrative of anti-semitism and seek a new means of both measuring and responding to it in this new year of 5782 over the past few years we have experienced a rash of what i like to call negative dayenu it would have been enough moments dayenu it would have been enough to turn on our tvs and social media sources and see alt-right tiki torching wielding marchers chanting jews will not replace us in charlottesville a slogan referenced to the popular white supremacist belief that the white race is in danger of extinction by a rising tide of white non-whites who are controlled and manipulated by jews dayenu it would have been enough to be heartsick and mourn the loss of life at synagogues in squirrel hill and poway painful tragedies that led synagogues across the united states including our own to enhance safety and security protocols dayenu it would have been enough to learn of toppled gravestones and anti-semitic graffiti on synagogues to navigate online harassment and physical attacks on jews in la and new york city dayenu it would have been enough that our state our state has mandated an ethnic studies model curriculum that erases the american jewish culture experience and fails to discuss anti-semitism thereby institutionalizing the teaching of anti-semitic stereotypes in our public schools dayenu it would have been all more than enough yet in this moment it continues we are facing calls to globalize the intifada the violent resistance against israel in a sophisticated and a concerted effort to conflate a love of israel and racism from jew and non-jew alike leading to a new fundamentally different form of anti-semitism this new variant represents a different set of characteristics from prior expressions of jew hate rabbi shai hell the colleague and head of yeshiva new york city teaches the following he says faced with the situation that makes us stare at the depth and extent of our vulnerability in the face most of us want to flee here then is judaism's message you want to serve god run towards the people and the places you most want to run away from in other words if you want to reap the joy of an engaged and connected jewish life you also have the mandate to acutely sharpen your awareness of this very real and present threat to fully comprehend where we are today we must first understand what we mean when we say anti-semitism the term was first popularized by a jew hater named wilhelm maher in 19th century germany and he sought to racialize the hatred of jews beyond its religious roots sociologist helen fine defined it as a persistent laden structure of hostile beliefs towards jews as a collectivity in the introduction of her new book newest book anti-semitism here and now author and historian deborah lipstadt also just recently selected to be the us envoy to combat anti-semitism was surprised by her own difficulty in writing the book and she noted the following as horrific as the holocaust was it is firmly in the past when i write about it i am writing about what was though i remain horrified by what happened it's history contemporary anti-semitism is not it is about the present it is what many people are doing are saying and facing now lipstick thoughtfully examines the state of anti-semitism right now noting that the uptick in the amount of attacks is important for pragmatic purposes but those numbers alone should not drive our concern only she explains further what should alarm us is that human beings continue to believe in a conspiracy that demonizes jews and sees them as evil it is a world view a conspiracy theory she continues it is obvious that if jews are being targeted with hateful rhetoric and prejudice other minorities should not feel immune this is not likely to end with these groups either anti-semitism flourishes in a society that is intolerant of others be they immigrants or racial or religious minorities the existence of jew hatred within a society is an indication that something about the entire society is amiss no healthy society harbors extensive anti-semitism or any other form of hatred lipstick goes on and suggests that there are four categories of the anti-semites the extremist the dinner party the clueless and the enabler anti-semites the extremist the extremist holds ideologies that include a fundamental belief that america is meant exclusively for white christians a major difference between today's extremists and those of world war ii is the change in their packaging they've decided to project a normal image clean cut well dressed no swastikas and nazi regalia they hope to go mainstream and to normalize their beliefs in a way never before achieved the dinner party anti-semite lipstick describes this anti-semite as polite and someone who's got jewish business associates was horrified by charlottesville and has donated to the local holocaust museum but when the town council is considering a zoning variants to allow for the construction of another synagogue in the neighborhood we might be familiar with that in san diego this fellow is the head of the opposition let's think for a minute about what this will do to the character of our neighborhood he'll say and he'll mention that he's hired a new associate and casually mentioned that she's a jew but assured those listening to him that she's not a typical jew the clueless anti-semites the clueless anti-semite doesn't seem to know that their words are hateful or discriminatory you might recall reading of a jeffersonville indiana city council member in response to a fire department employee requesting a new truck and she said to him did you mention that you called about that truck and actually what i called jude them down when confronted she noticed that it was not meant to be insensitive anti-semitic or offensive hence the clueless anti-semite the anti-semitic enabler this one falls into two categories first the one who hates jews for utilitarian like political purposes and the second those whose ideology has nothing to do with jews specifically but we're jews apart both categories enable anti-semitism to make its way into the mainstream and both are prevalent on both the left and the right sides of the aisle here in america from the right we find pervasive comments suggestions and retweets of active white nationalists and supremacists including many old stereotypes about jews and money and world domination the enabler also has the inability to condemn blatant anti-semitic attacks and comments as painful as these familiar enablers are recent violence and unrest in the middle east has emboldened a newer type of enabler an automatic sympathizer who for whomever appears to be the underdog or the oppressed for them anyone assumed to be white wealthy or associated with a group that seems to be privileged cannot by definition be a victim in the u.s we see this type of anti-semitism painfully articulated in the rhetoric of figures like ilan omar and rashida talib whose accusations against israel's treatment of palestinians seems to encompass all jews and level toxic dual loyalty charges against americans who support the u s israel relationship further supporting calls for israel's disappearance altogether many in this arena seem to have a problem with one country on earth and its supporters which just happens to be the only jewish majority nation with a jewish population of nearly seven million people as my friend and ceo of the american jewish committee david harris brilliantly states he says no other nation awakens the far less misguided passion in the way that israel does only democratic israel is constantly in its crosshairs they celebrate self-determination for the palestinians but would deny jews the right to live and defend themselves in their own ancestral homeland is this obsessive relentless attempt to challenge the jewish people's national aspirations not a dangerous form of anti-semitism harris noting emphatically of course it is additionally meaningful arguments for intersectionality among social justice circles often appear to exclude jews as either victims or fellow justice warriors and some of you have even come to me with these concerns these enablers regardless of personal political leanings are often cloaked in the language of progress endemic in the structures that are meant to hold up the liberal order and most recently hijacked by this newfound ideology the enabler language appears to be almost everywhere echoing back falsehoods on social media and widely consumed through the academic cultural and intellectual communities the very institutions that we used to rely on to tell us the truth about the world so what do we do where do we go how do we respond to the rise in vandalism and violence against jews to the mainstream acceptance of more and more anti-semitic statements and beliefs to the varying types of anti-semites we might encounter in our daily lives in this moment in this moment when the shofar awakens us from complacency and our days of oz ask of us we must do a khashbon hanefish a soulful accounting and i must add a painful reckoning with this current reality responding to this evolving narrative can be incredibly difficult as it may it may require us to sacrifice relationally or reputationally it may call upon us to sacrifice status to not feel welcome in certain social or political environments we may have even been responsible for birthing or we may feel the absence of individuals or groups we supported in the past those that in our time of need aren't giving us the same response our inventory check may reveal that with the pandemic still holding on and other global realities taking up our emotional space leaning into the pandemic of anti-semitism is just too much to bear or to pay attention to at this time yet in this moment we must not only hold it we must account and respond and i dare say not despair the wisdom of our ancient and timeless teachings can serve as our anchor and rabbi bernstein brought it to us last evening mili the text is often credited to the great rabbi hillel which translates if i am not for myself who will be for me and if i am only for myself what am i and if not now when when we say if i am only for myself who will be for me we must ask ourselves am i the jew they may come for next am i the jew they may come for next and if not now when we must not wait for another time another tragedy or someone else to do the sacred work it is up to us as part of this year's inventory it's important to also identify the gaps within we must consider the realities of those whose experience of judaism and israel is built on a shaky foundation of let's say less than inspiring religious education for a few hours a week a single trip to israel and perhaps annual high holy day services although i appreciate you coming and being part for those who experience whose experience of judaism is mainly out of a sense of obligation then imagine the same individual going on to instagram or tick tock or walking into a college campus a college campus activities fair to encounter droves of anti-semitic and anti-zionist propaganda imagine our fellow jew encountering this barrage without a strong foundation is ill-equipped to navigate the nuances of this blatant anti-semitism describe disguised as the new socialist activism in order for us to cultivate jews who can resist this inauthentic ideology we need to be laser focused on cultivating strong jewish identity within with a greater emphasis on education and on dialogue we need to expand the tents in our jewish communities by meeting people where they are inspired by their raw questions and embracing their apathy as opportunity we need to reinforce jewish identity as compelling and as necessary a judaism that means more than any other part of one's identity a judaism that doesn't feel like an obligation or a burden but one that feels like the honor and the privilege of our lives i have seen firsthand those who are rocked by these experiences yet willing to stand up and sacrifice are those jews who have a deep sense of self rooted in what it means to be identified as a jew knowledgeable about their history and see themselves as an unbroken link in the chain of our tradition journalist barry weiss who we had the privilege of learning with in june and whose book how to fight anti-semitism has much to teach us in this moment and she underscores that we cannot address anti-semitism with logic or rationality as much as we may try she even goes so far as to suggest that protests and marches against anti-semitism have a fundamental flaw they are reactive and defensive she quotes from an essay written by a man named zev magen who said a man calls you a pig do you walk around with a sign explaining that in fact you are not a pig do you hand out leaflets expostulating and detail the manifold differences between you and a pig we must reclaim our jewish pride which i will talk about on col nidre and we must reflect on why we want to fight back and what we are fighting for as we all know there has not been a single moment in jewish history in which there weren't anti-semites determined to eradicate judaism in the jews even so jewish life survived and thrived because our ancestors knew who they were and why they were they were lit up not by the fires from without but the fires from within anti-semitism can never never define us the universal moral hygiene we promote especially in our reformed jewish movement compels us to support many non-jewish individuals institutions and communities in need indeed torah teaches us not to stand idly by while our neighbor bleeds we need to apply that same lens to ourselves we need to lift up the beautiful pieces of our jewish history via the breathtaking power wisdom and redemptive hope inherent in a tradition which which illuminates the depth of our prayers and the righteousness of our deeds if i am not for myself who will be for me and if i am only for myself what am i and if not now when we must not remain complacent this moment makes clear that we cannot believe that our country is different than it from anywhere else that our exceptionalism will somehow save us we must get involved and yes that may mean getting our hands dirty and it may be uncomfortable at times it is our life and it is our children's lives for over two millennia we have prayed for a time of redemptive peace when all people will stand together and recognize our common humanity as a jewish community we have always remained hopeful that one day there will no longer be a reason to fear being openly and courageously jewish and yes we have a long way to go in 2012 nobel laureate and holocaust survivor elie wiesel reminded wagner college students of the following and he said despair is never a solution remember that hatred is never an option ultimately it is always up to us to define our humanity my humanity is not defined by myself to myself it is by myself to someone else to you if i am human in my relations if i say that neither god nor i are strangers in creation then i cannot go wrong nor can you the thing not to forget is hope remember that hope is not a gift given from god to us hope is a gift an offering that only we human beings can give to one another so in this new year 5782 let us do the footwork in helping to eradicate this menacing virus to completely committed to securing a world for our children that guarantees them safety to just simply be and do jewish one filled with hope and peace they deserve that may this be god's will amen while holding a communal emphasis it still invites us to stand as individuals in front of god focused on the idea that each of us echoing this idea of betselam elohim us created in the image of god yet this past year has been a stirring reminder that it is our sacred duty to ensure our society recognizes the dignity the rights and the infinite work of every person this year has presented us with a dark reality we have a long way to go as we seek to rebuild the covenant that ties us all together we are left with essential questions about how to elevate dignity across difference transcending age and stage color and creed we need to ask ourselves how might i better hear the cry of the other how might i better lift up the infinite value of those who look and act differently than i do this year aveeno malcana reminds us of our covenantal responsibility to elevate the dignity and divine value of every member of society we turn to page 223 and i invite you to please rise [Music] me [Music] [Music] [Music] new [Music] foreign [Music] oh ah [Music] oh [Music] um [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] i [Music] um [Music] m [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] i'd say [Applause] [Music] my [Music] yay [Music] we remain standing as we turn in our mokserim to page 227 as we prepare for our seder kriya torah our tourist service [Music] m [Music] i [Music] oh [Music] okay [Music] move [Music] in a few moments we will present for the torah reading which we call the akedah or the binding of isaac in which abraham follows god's command with the offering of his son isaac as an ultimate sacrifice to prove his loyalty to god and to ensure the countless generations that are to follow yet often lost in this narrative is the family drama that precedes the fulfillment of the promise the text turns ominous as sarah demands that hagar sarah's handmaid who bore ishmael and ishmael be banished we see abraham's joy vanish as he sends his concubine and their son into the wilderness on this journey of banishment we learn of a well that appeared yet the text says not that a well suddenly appeared but hagar's eyes were opened so that she could now see it some would say that miracle is spiritual rather than physical or even supernatural the well has always been there but hagar paralyzed by fear and despair and her own sense of powerlessness was blinded to the possibility of salvation in calling out to god she finds the strength to discover what she needs to do only then does hagar see the well hagar's example can serve as a com as a sense of comfort and an inspiration when the pain and difficulty of our own lives seems too overwhelming when taking the next steps on a journey seem impossible we are reminded that there are always unseen possibilities as we call out in prayer during these days of all we too can orient our vision see new possibilities in our lives and adjust our attitudes and actions this past 18 months has taught us new ways to pivot and reimagine reframe and so the idea of the ikeda the idea of struggles certainly in this moment we can hold in our hearts as we have the honor of hearing our torah reading this morning i'd like to invite marianne schur to call our aliyot today it is my honor to announce the torah readers and those chanting eliyot this morning for the first aaliyah our torah rita will be janine feldman and chanting the blessing before and after will be sandy feldman [Music] [Music] [Music] elohim [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] will be becca myers chanting the blessing before will be lisa foster alan berson and marcia hazen and chanting the blessing after will be ellen potter and ron evans page 240 verse four [Music] [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] for the third aaliyah a torah reader will be russ gold and chanting the blessing before will be rachel and ryan goldenhar and the blessing after samantha farish yamdu we're on verse 7 page 240. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] i mean for the fourth leah our torah reader will be michael breslauer and chanting the blessing before will be elisa shuchter and stan fader and the blessing after jason berkovic and naomi solomon yumi [Music] [Music] amen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] with the torah in our presence we offer mishabera prayer for healing page 245 [Music] oh [Music] the source of spring oh bless the ones before us [Music] to make our lives a blessing and let us [Music] oh [Music] the [Music] and let us [Music] for the fifth and final aaliyah a torah reader will be shayna north chanting the blessing before will be susan and richard ulevitch and the blessing after nanette and walter adelson rodriguez we are on page 241 verse 13. um [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] m [Music] i mean we prepare for the lifting of the torah and we invite charlie mann jackie mann and david bark is [Music] i [Music] is [Music] so i now call to the bema corey briggs who will chant the blessing before the torah chanting the hafthora will be rene landi o'malley the blessing after the hafthora will be chanted by sikhi cachitori before we get into the blessings in the readings portion that we read on rosh hashanah tells the story of khanna she and her husband elkanah have been trying unsuccessfully to have a child every year no matter their efforts elkanah and hana were unable to conceive chana decides that it's time to try a new approach she goes to the temple and prays that god see her suffering and remember her just like we pray that god remembers us as we pray remember us for for life ellie the high priest notices that she was praying with her full heart but only her lips moved no voice could be heard ellie must have assumed that god wouldn't hear her because she was still on mute that groan is appropriate that look is also appropriate we know that often our prayers are offered together as a community with full sometimes singing voices as well but as we learn from chana prayers offered sincerely from the heart even without an audible voice are just as powerful and are heard by god just the same you can find the blessing on page 247 the haftarah on 250. [Music] [Music] [Music] i [Music] [Music] us [Music] vancouver [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] me [Music] the shame [Music] [Music] [Music] h.258 baruch [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] it is also my honor to call to the bema cassidy eli and norah robbins susan and rabbi jonathan stein to open the ark please rise [Music] uh is [Music] [Music] please be seated if you are in high school you are automatically a member of our high school youth group beth israel temple youth which we call biddy and uh they are going to be having a study session a tour study session um at this time so if you could please uh head on out to the courtyard in the chapel we've got a special program for you just for our bitty students don't all go at once shana my name is dan jones and i humbly serve as the president of our congregation it's my pleasure to introduce marcia lubick who serves on the your board of directors she's joining me on the bema this morning thank you to our choir for creating such beauty in our worship this morning thank you to our instrumentalists andy mayer buddy voight kate chason and jeff myers and to our soloists heidi gandtwerk and danny meyers and our conductor tasha koontz thank you to marianne shure for announcing our honors in aliot this morning we also especially thank iris and matthew strauss as sponsors of our high holy day music and dr lisa braun glazer and jeff glaser for generously underwriting the purchase of our high holy day prayer books this wouldn't be a congregation beth israel high holy days without a parking update we do have parking available in the gateway parking structure as i'm sure a lot of you learned today and this is really more important for the future looking into yom kippur when you enter into the gateway parking structure please use the entrance through beth israel's main parking lot off of golden haven and then park on the lowest two levels of the garage if you try to commit off of town center you'll see a lot of signage warning you that if you come in that way as a congregant you will be towed it's very serious so please don't do that you'll need to pull a parking ticket and validate it prior to leaving and parking validation machines are available at as you exit services for those with disabled parking placards there is limited parking in beth israel's main parking lot off of golden haven drive now as some of you may have experienced we had some technical challenges with the exit gates last night and some of our members may have like our great leaders in the past risen up to free us from the bondage of being trapped in the parking structure please don't do that again as this morning we'll have attendance at both of the exits at the top of the parking structure to provide exit assistance as needed and then also new this year we may need this on yom kippur we have overflow parking available at utc mall but mall parking rates will apply our rosh hashanah celebrations continue at 4 pm today we'll be having tat rosh hashanah in the price family courtyard and please consider joining us at 6 p.m today for tash leak at la jolla shores tomorrow morning second day rosh hashanah services that's right there's more begin at 9 00 am and rabbi navares will also be leading a hike tomorrow at 11 a.m please check your ticket packets on our website for all service times and information and for questions throughout the day please stop by our solutions table in the courtyard and now the moment you've all been waiting for or at the very least my mother has been waiting for the president of the board of directors high holy day remarks i know the anticipation of this moment has probably been keeping you up at nights or wait maybe that's just me it's been keeping up at night here we are high holy days 2021 5782 or as it's known in the hundreds of internal communications that have gone back and forth in preparation for this day hhd 2021 the preparations for today began almost a year ago in fact they began the day after yom kippur this is a massive undertaking as i think about the effort that goes into our high holy day planning i think about the recently ended summer olympics i'm not a big sports fan but i do love the olympics there's something about the world coming together in the spirit of friendship cooperation and friendly competition that's always resonated with me like the planners and athletes of the olympics our clergy and staff train and prepare for years to be ready for this moment and like the organizers of this year's olympics the organizers of our high holy day worship have been faced with a constantly evolving landscape and just like us here at beth israel they began to plan the next olympics the day after the last olympics ended like us the only thing that stayed consistent in their planning is the end result in their case to make sure the olympics actually happen in our case to create the most inclusive and meaningful high holy day experience that we can as the weeks and months leading up to the start of the olympics went by the organizers were faced with the reality that neither they nor the world were ready to return to pre-pandemic methods and operations i can only imagine their disappointment we all crave again to live in those before times our clergy our staff and you our membership have gone through that same disappointment but the world continues to turn even in the days leading up to the start of the olympics massive changes were made as in-person audiences were banned from any of the proceedings as i work alongside our staff and clergy in the days leading up to our high holy days and we make fundamental changes to our plans daily we feel their struggle their challenge and yes their disappointment but the world continues to turn the goal is the end result to hold our worship together in the way we need it to be at this moment in time as in life there is no one-size-fits-all solution to how we can successfully conduct high holy day worship your clergy your staff and your board have done the very best we can to bring us to this moment we're now here in this moment the magical time of the year for us as jews where we try to pause to reflect and to aspire for all the good things in the coming year we try to be present in this time amidst so many things that rightfully concern us consume us and distract us in no particular order the delta variant anti-vaxxers holocaust trivialization anti-transgender legislation the threat and in some areas the reality of voter disenfranchisement the taliban takeover and the trampling of women's right to choose finding the spiritual and mental space to create and protect this moment in time for yourself is both critical to us both physically and spiritually this moment in time is important this moment in time is meaningful and this moment in time is critical to the growth and evolution of the beth israel community i'm a detailed person when people say don't sweat the small stuff it's all small stuff i don't see that as an assurance that i should lighten up i see it as a reminder not to miss anything in college i studied cinema and photography we spent a lot of time studying the idea of the visual frame what goes in the frame what's seen in the frame how does the frame of you benefit or tell the story as president of our congregation i must constantly remind myself to zoom out of my current frame to see the larger picture to gain perspective on the larger landscape and perhaps to try and get some idea of what's coming just outside of our current frame of reference as a matter of survival both individually and as a community we have all had to focus on the moment our current reality our current frame as individuals and as a synagogue we have focused on how we literally stay alive in this moment and that will continue in our world of constant change i have five certainties at this moment number one i'm jewish and i will continue to be jewish number two i love and will always be there for my family number three i know that today is in fact rosh hashanah number four my parents are both proud and continue to be surprised that their somewhat secular son is the president of a synagogue and number five i am certain that we will all continue to be uncertain about what will be happening next in our community our city and our world but we cannot let our current uncertainties allow us to lose sight of the importance magnitude and inevitability of the future the survival and continued operation of beth israel through the pandemic have demonstrated what a strong agile and innovative community we are it is also demonstrated that you our membership have an ever-growing set of needs expectations and aspirations for beth israel as the center of reformed judaism in southern california that growth requires study that growth requires change that growth requires evolution and that growth requires financial commitment two years ago we made the shift from a required dues model to pay to your heart's content suggested dues model we have a disconnect between our our aspirations to inspire lead and grow and the way we financially support our synagogue our legacy is rich but as we've been shown time and time again during the last 19 months our future is unknown and can be uncertain to be frank giving to our hearts content is not enough it will not allow us to grow and evolve our beautiful campus is just over 20 years old she is magnificent she is inspiring she is our second home and she also needs a great deal of work to her deferred maintenance we need to give and contribute as we can for the future of beth israel in the next few months you'll be hearing about the process of formulating our new strategic vision once created the strategic vision will hopefully guide us through the coming decades of growth and prosperity here at beth israel we live in the present but now is the time for us to begin to focus on the future as our plans come to fruition there will be opportunities when that time comes if you're able please consider making a meaningful contribution but it all begins with membership to our current membership i thank you for being in community with me and with all of us if you're not a member of our synagogue i want to thank you for worshiping with us today and if possible we'd like to encourage you to become a member i can't conclude my comments this morning without once again thanking our clergy and staff in the before times they were already considered best in class for the amazing commission commitment to excellence that they bring to our beth israel community as with all of us all of us none of them could have been prepared for the events of the last 19 months while navigating their own personal and familial concerns they continue to lead educate and innovate and to put it simply get the job done the links that they've gone through at times are unseen and underappreciated in these days of contemplation and reflection please take a moment to thank god for their dedication and devotion to keeping beth israel our spiritual center vibrant functional and most importantly alive now if you were wondering where the end of the remarks were here they come so if you're trying to get back to your seats before we blow the shofar because seriously that's what you're here for not to listen to me now is the time to hustle back to your seat on behalf of your board of directors and my fellow officers the talented and incredible staff of beth israel my family stacy and alex the chanatovatika tevu i hope it is a healthy and sweet new year for you and your family may it be a year of health a year of happiness and a year of hope and peace thank you sure who will chant the shofar calls and david estrin who will be sounding the shofar this morning once again this year like last year we are presented with a bit of a challenge how can we fulfill the mitzvah of hearing the sound of the shofar when some of us are physically present and some of us are present through the miracles of modern technology the mishna teaches if someone hears the sound of a shofar from inside a pit or a cellar or even hears the sound of the shofar as they pass by a synagogue or if their house is near a synagogue if they hear the sound with intention they have fulfilled the mitzvah just like the candles we light on shabbat the emphasis on this mitzvah is on having the light and hearing the sound in a moment we will all rise and i invite you those here on our campus and at home to stand in mind body or spirit and set your attention set your intention to the sound of the shofar please rise for our blessings [Music] [Music] [Music] tequila [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] me [Music] page 268. [Music] chevron [Music] every [Music] to ruin [Music] hmm [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] new each sound of the shofar has a different meaning taqiyya one whole note shivarim teruah three broken notes nine staccato notes to kia one whole note our return to the right path has the power to make us whole again to kia once we were whole shevareem teruah in the wear and tear of living we became broken and shattered our teshuva has the power to make us whole again shofar wrote calls can be found on page 280 chevron [Music] chevron [Music] true oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we please be seated as we begin to conclude our service this morning we are delighted to bring up to us this morning to the vemma for a few moments of welcome and to share our prayer for israel which you can find on page 274 the council for diploma uh public diplomacy from the council general of israel's office to the pacific southwest jonathan bar-el and he's a career diplomat assumed the position of council for public policy in august of 2019. before that position mr barrel served as israel's in israel's embassy in santiago chile as deputy chief of mission and council baral served in the idf for six years attaining the rank of captain in air force intelligence and he's married to libaz and together they have three children we are delighted to have you with us this evening council and please join us in bhima thank you shalom everyone rabbi novarez president dan jones thank you i also want to recognize heidi guntwerk our good friend thank you for your partnership and friendship i also want to send my condolences to the community uh in all for the tragic passing of michael dressers and i'm very thrilled to be here with you today first to pray with you in person in the lovely city of san diego that i love i'm looking for occasions to come down here so please invite me in in this uh special day osha is a time of reflection remembrance and renewal and as we reflect we remember how this last year has been difficult and trying but also hopeful and inspiring because as we all know with struggle comes resilience we have tragically seen the unimaginable cost of kavid in lives and livelihood we also have seen the resiliency of the human spirit in community uh and as we look for innovation to bring us back to normalcy tremendous ingenuity in vaccination in peer development in general epidemiological developments are coming from israel and israel is playing a significant role in this fight for the last year when i think about israel in the last year what comes to mind is growth through struggle and let's be honest we have a slight adventure adventures in israel because we have been practicing growth through struggle for the last 73 years if it was an olympic sport as mentioned before they would have played the atika and no year is boring in israel but last year was i would even say historic with a few historic events i would just want to mention that for the first time in history of israel we have our party that is willing to play a part in the political game and to join the to join the government this is historic it will affect our country and our region for many years to come and more important than that we are now in these days commemorating one year since the signing of the abraham accords peace and normalization accords with four arab states this is a game changer in the middle east it will affect our life forever and this is a truly warm piece dozens of agreements have already been signed um the trade has went up dramatically there's a um investment fund in israel for 10 billion dollars in the next 10 years from the uae there are 43 flights commercial flights every week from israel to uae and back more than 200 israel 200 000 israelis have already uh went to visit the uae fulfill what we call this is how we see a warm peace if you'll ask any israel what is a war and peace how do we see peace he will tell you one thing to eat humus in damascus that's what we are looking for so we cannot eat it in damascus yet hopefully we will be able to do that soon but we can now and a lot of us are eating hummus in abu dhabi and dubai tragically we also have seen jewish communities around around the globe suffering unimaginable anti-semitic attacks many here in our region these acts of hatred are usually accompanied by hate for israel anti-zionism anti-semitism jew hatred israel hatred are all branches of the same roots of intolerance and hatred of jews they should both be fought and opposed equally i would like to thank you for your support of the state of israel the consulate and i are here for you and i look forward to for this year to even deepen our relationship with this wonderful community it will help israel it will strengthen the relationship between the us and israel and no less important it will provide me with more reasons to come and visit you so i hope israel will touch each and every one of you in the next year and i pray that this year will bring you prosperity health and peace to you and your loved ones to the united states and to the state of israel thank you and i will invite you if you could share the return to page 200 let's ask everyone to please rise avinu you who are i above all nation states and peoples rock of israel the one who has saved us and preserved us in life bless the state of israel first flowering of our redemption be her loving shield a shelter of lasting peace guide her leaders and advisors by your light of truth instruct them with your good cons strengthen the hands of those who build and protect our holy land deliver them from danger crown their efforts with success grant peace to the land lasting joy to all of our people and together we say amen fight you return to page 286 in your prayer books we remain standing as we join together for the elena [Music] uh [Music] so [Music] glory [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] we turn to page 292 in a time when we reflect on those individuals who are no longer physically with us those who continue to live on in our hearts and in our memories time especially when we think of those we're surrounded with near and dear even though some of us physically separated the memories of those who passed on still may remain so deep in our thoughts and so we prepared to say the ancient words of khadija tom the mourner's kaddish to note also some of the adages m as we say invite you to put your maksarim down perhaps the people you came in with today place your hands around their shoulders have an opportunity to be in presence with one another and we conclude this this afternoon we hope you'll join us either we have children or grandchildren for our tot service four o'clock and tash lee near i think post 32 right i think somewhere around there get there early for parking no parking structures there that you can take advantage of so just come early bring dinner join us have a wonderful time it's actually six o'clock this evening we conclude this afternoon hayong [Music] me [Music] is um [Music] [Applause] ah [Music] ah [Music] oh [Music] i [Music] [Applause] [Music] may 5782 be one of peace resilience of health of love and joy shanna [Music] you

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Published: Tue Sep 07 2021