32 | MARCH 26 • 2020 

Jews in the D

“Let’
s use it judiciously and meaningfully on 
the pursuits we generally don’
t have enough 
time for, like conversations and interactions 
with family, extra Torah learning and mean-
ingful private tefillah (prayer).
”
At Temple Kol Ami, a website includes 
both a way to offer and request help, includ-
ing grocery and prescription pick-up, some-
one to talk to, tech help to access congrega-
tional services and programs, and a weekly 
time to virtually meet with synagogue Rabbi 
Brent Gutmann.
Federation offers a listing of contact infor-
mation for agencies providing assistance, 
like JHELP (jhelpdetroit.org) and Jewish 
Family Service (jfsdetroit.org).
The Shul’
s Phone Pals provides numbers 
for those who want a connection and a way 
to check on one another.

A NEW WAY TO PRAY
“It is important to think of all the little 
everyday acts of goodness, thoughtfulness 
and kindness we can do. They are like 

prayers,
” wrote Rabbi Aaron Bergman in 
an email to Adat Shalom congregants. His 
offers of assistance include contacting the 
synagogue “if you need help with anything, 
even if you would like us to say a prayer 
with you.
”
Many synagogues, depending on their 
specific religious guidelines, offer live-
streamed or pre-recorded services and some 
permit the counting of individuals in a min-
yan (a quorum of 10 individuals or more) 
when not located in the same physical space.
The mourner’
s Kaddish — and on 
Shabbat, the repetition of the Amidah (silent 
prayer), Torah reading and blessings con-
nected to it — are to be said in the presence 
of a minyan.
The Shul offers a link (bit.ly/3ddsiBY) to 
arrange for a volunteer to say Kaddish for 
those unable to be part of a minyan.
Even if our gatherings are virtual, through 
social media, group chats and videoconfer-
encing, Jewish life remains communal and 
the connections we have through schools, 

synagogues and programming continue.
“Though we are not all together face to 
face, we are still connected in making the 
world better,
” Bergman said. “Everything we 
do counts toward bringing spiritual well-
being into the world and maintaining us as 
a community.
”
For Fox-Wagner, community is the key.
“Even though we weren’
t all in the same 
space when we watched my son’
s Shabbat 
program on the computer, I knew his class-
mates were watching the same thing at the 
same time,
” she said. “This is a scary time, 
but knowing we were all together, singing 
Shabbat songs was a special time for me. It 
was a time to smile.
” 

TAMARACK CAMPS

Tamarack Camps online Havdalah

Excellent Pay

Flexible Hours

Paid Training


Apply Online Today!

2020 Census Jobs Available!

Form D-467
September 2018

2020census.gov/jobs

1-855-JOB-2020
(1-855-562-2020)
Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339 TTY / ASCII
www.gsa.gov/fedrelay

business with and within the federal government.
The U.S. Census Bureau is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

continued from page 30

000_DJN031220_JD living jewishly.indd 32
000_DJN031220_JD living jewishly.indd 32
3/23/20 10:42 AM
3/23/20 10:42 AM

