From the Desk of the President

I am excited that we all reached a key turning point for COVID-19 this last month. After nearly two years of state-mandated masking, wearing a mask returned to being the decision of each individual as of March 12, 2022. As of March 13, we at Temple Beth El removed the requirement of having to be fully vaccinated to join any gathering within the building.

We have also removed the requirement of having to wear a mask so long as the CDC ranks Pierce County’s Community Level as Low. It is the choice of everyone who joins us whether or not they wear a mask either for their own health or the health of others also joining us. Thankfully, our local COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been dropping dramatically since February, allowing us to enter this new phase.

We are personally switching from battling the pandemic with emergency measures to learning to live with it in our lives with the advice of our personal doctors and pharmacists.

As a community, we are also learning to adjust to the changing dynamics of dealing with an endemic. This is not to say that we will not have another surge and have to make adjustments, but with the new protocols, we will be able to adjust each week as needed. If you have not read the current COVID-19 protocols, please visit https://www.tbetacoma.org/tbe-during-covid.

At this point, I would love to return to a pre-COVID-19 normal, but that can’t happen either. We have all changed individually, our society has changed, and Temple Beth El has changed too. There is no going back—only moving forward.

The primary focus of each and every one of us will be to include everyone and bring community members together to take on the challenges and changes facing Temple Beth El, for a brighter future for everyone. Not only are we dealing with the challenges of a post-COVID-19 normal, we will also continue on our transition journey. We will be saying goodbye to both Rabbi Tiwy and Andy Mauer in the coming months, and we will be saying hello to a new rabbi.

While there is some uncertainty around the unknowns that come with change, there is also a lot of excitement around what type of community we will create during this period of time.

Looking Forward—Dates to Remember

• Tuesday, April 26—Special Congregational Meeting
  Vote to negotiate a second contract with Cantor Fine. Information will be sent out via mailing and email.
• Tuesday, May 17—Annual Congregational Meeting
  I am hoping that we will be able to return to the social hall and gather for this meeting.
  Information will be mailed and emailed. Specifics of the votes including by-law amendments as well as board members will be included in communications as well as in the May bulletin.
• First week of June—Rabbi Tiwy’s last week.
• July (exact date to be determined)—Rabbi Keren Gorban begins (if congregation votes in approval of moving forward with contract negotiations).
• October—Retirement of Andy Mauer.