Dear Friends:
This coming Shabbat morning, October 16, Miriam Sternberg, daughter of Seth and Deborah and younger sister of Gabriel, will be called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah.
It’s come to my attention that many of you are under the impression that the service Shabbat morning will be on Zoom only (and this was erroneously printed at least once in our Weekly Announcements).
In fact the service will be hybrid, similar to what we have had on the High Holidays and most Shabbatot for the last few months. Many of Miriam’s relatives and friends will be attending and participating on Zoom because at the time invitations were sent out, and it was necessary for out-of-town guests to make travel plans, it was not clear that we would be able to be in the synagogue. But the Sternberg family and some of their guests will be at shul and you are invited to be so as well -- signup is available above as usual.
However, the service will not be on our regular Zoom link. We have created a special Zoom link for this coming Shabbat morning which is published in the emails we have been sending our community.
Please make a note of this link if you are planning to attend that morning on Zoom. We will publish this link again in this week’s various emails but please make a note of it now.
This will be our first “hybrid” Bat Mitzvah. While we have been having hybrid services for several months, including High Holiday services which went well, a Bat Mitzvah presents some unique challenges. Some of Miriam’s friends and relatives who have parts in the service will be present in the synagogue, others remote on Zoom. While we faced a similar situation on the High Holidays, we were dealing with Kehilat Shalom congregants who were familiar with Zoom and with the way we have been doing things. Involving guests introduces a whole new level of complication.
So kol ha-kavod, well done, to Miriam and her family and friends. We look forward to celebrating with all of you this Shabbat morning.
As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org or 301-977-0768 rather than through the synagogue office. Although I am working primarily from home, I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian
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