High Holydays Message from our President

Dear Member,

It may still be June, but I am looking ahead to how our Jacksons Row family are going to share the sacred moments of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I am currently anticipating that our Synagogue will remain closed for the High Holydays with services conducted online. That’s because our priority is for people to stay safe. As Rabbi Robyn told BBC TV earlier this month, there’s a principle in Judaism called the Pikuach Nefesh (פיקוח נפש) that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule.

So, as things stand right now, I don’t think it will be possible to hold physical gatherings of members in a way that is compatible with social distancing or deters vulnerable members from putting attendance ahead of their own wellbeing.

But it’s not going to be simply a question of transferring everything online. I think we will need to be quite creative in what we offer and I’m very keen to seek your help in ensuring that we are responsive in meeting everyone’s needs and using this as an opportunity. That is why I’m seeking volunteers representing every demographic so that our online contact is both as meaningful as possible and available to every one of us.

Please do help us either with the planning or the implementing. It won’t be a big commitment of your time, but it will ensure that what we do represents us all.

If you can help in any way, do let me know before the end of the month. I am contactable via the office on 0161 834 0415 or email.

Please take care and I look forward to hearing from you,

Regards, Danny Savage BEM

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