PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Maureen Sullivan
President
PAST: Didn’t we have a grand time celebrating Purim!?! Thanks to Diane Pearl and her creative buddies, we turned out some amazingly beautiful masks, leaving the floor covered in sparkles, feathers and paint. We glued, colored and flowered our masks till they were stunning. And that was only the prep for the following day’s events.
On the actual first day of Purim…we partied hard. The afternoon was seriously enhanced by the bottomless margarita bar prepared by Marty Greenberg using his secret recipe. David Rosett read the Megillah, punctuated by the improvisational skills of our members and guests. Hilariously narrated by Patti Glasner and Lisa Hutner, various Queen Esthers, Hamans and dancing girls, coifed in multicolored wigs and crazy costumes entertained us with their skills and good humor. Many thanks to all the people who jumped in to help with every aspect of the day. Special thanks go to Ellen Siegel and Laura Gale who stayed to the bitter end to help clean up and close down the shul.
As if that was not enough, the following Shabbat, a couple from Montreal, Menachem and Nachama Rotstein led a fascinating discussion on Modern Hebrew Literature. We hope to use what we learned for the beginnings of a new synagogue books club. Keep reading El Shofar for news of this group.
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PRESENT: Yes, we are formally in a “pandemic”. All synagogue events have been cancelled. Some seder food is currently available at SuperLake. There are now several Hagaddahs online. Rabbi Charles Airian’s first on-line class especially designed for us starts Thursday at noon. If you have yet to sign up, send me a note and I will get back to you with the code to find him on Zoom. You do not need the app and it is all pretty simple.
FUTURE: Getting bored yet staying socially isolated? Some suggestions from my “Keeping sane” list:
Exercise with YouTube classes by Jane Fonda (done when she was only 75years old) …go to YouTube Jane Fonda Senior. Also try YouTube HasFit where you will find a broad selection of classes. Designed for beginners to serious exercise nuts they will keep you occupied and healthy.
Lisa Hutner will soon have ready a list of some of the lesser known but great films and series from Netflix and Prime. There are also 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Home
https://www.playbill.com/article/15-broadway-plays-and-musicals-you-can-watch-on-stage-from-home?fbclid=IwAR2dcS4gvwcBlqmyupAZdOE0lNHblBqSlMjUEtfIXUJIPUm8JjHtsRfuiVQ
You can find lots of other videos of operas and plays and even rock concerts if you just get on your search engine. Any other suggestions greatly appreciated
So, speaking for the whole Board of Directors, may you stay healthy and keep each other in our hearts.