Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As we approach the end of 5781 with a pandemic still upon us, families are still considering how the holidays should be observed -- should families gather, how do we keep children and the unvaccinated safe, should time spent in the Synagogues be curtailed, and are they safe enough to attend at all? Rabbis and Community leaders wonder, if after a year and a half of Covid-19, have congregants gotten out of the habit of attending Synagogue regularly and will they ever return as before? What will the role of the Synagogue be years from now? These are very difficult questions.
Some of us in the Brotherhood have been considering these questions long before Covid-19 arrived. We've felt a responsibility to explore how the Brotherhood could assist our Synagogues in building a sense of Sephardic Community, never to replace or fill in for failing Synagogues, but to supplement their efforts and to do the things that we are better suited to do, precisely because our Community has no physical boundaries. It's remarkable to me to hear from members who say that they have never felt connected to a Synagogue or any Sephardic Community before, but now feel connected to the Brotherhood, and often speak very stirringly about how they feel they have found in the Brotherhood the Community they have yearned for and have been missing.
These comments, letters and e-mails force us to consider "what's next" and how can we do more to strengthen this sense of Community that we all seek? Analyses have concluded that it is very difficult for cultural organizations to succeed long term by just focussing on customs and social events. There needs to be a strong educational component. Indeed, many requests and inquiries come from our members, particularly our younger members, asking whether the Brotherhood could provide more rigorous educational opportunities, be they online classes, lectures or seminars, specifically from a Sephardic perspective. We’ve started the process, however, I believe we can do more. We have educators and scholars in our Communities who want to teach. We have members who want to learn. We have the ability to reach our people anywhere in the world, something no individual Synagogue or community can do. I believe education should be the next major initiative the Brotherhood undertakes.
Some will say that we should leave such ambitions to others who are "better suited" than we are, as was said about every new initiative the Brotherhood has taken in the past few years. What these people overlook is that we are the only ones responsible for the future of our Community and if we don't do the work to expand and deepen it, no one will do it for us. What I am proposing requires the support and encouragement of our members. It requires members to get involved. Together, we can continue to build the Community that we want and the one that those who follow us deserve. Please share your thoughts with me.
Tizku Leshanim Rabbot! May you and your families have a Happy and most of all Healthy New Year!
Joseph J. Toledo
President
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