I know that, when I’m sending the daily thoughts during this time
of the Counting of the Omer, I have a tendency to forget to send the usual
weekly ‘housekeeping’ e-mails for those who attend our group’s Shabbat and
other events. This e-mail, then if for
that purpose…the daily thought will follow later!
If you’ve been
involved with our group, you already know that Clara and I are going to leave
Australia at the end of June as our visas are expiring and we have not
succeeded in creating a community with a critical mass to keep us here for a
longer term. We regret that we’re unable
to stay and continue our work here, but life has been good to us here and
elsewhere, and we want you to know that we don’t regret for a moment the time
and energy that we’ve invested in working with you. But go we must, and here’s the schedule of
events for our time remaining.
This weekend (3/4
June) is our last ‘regular’ Shabbat, with the Friday evening service and dinner
at our home, and the Saturday morning service and lunch at Pamela and John’s. Friday we’re cooking lamb. But don’t worry, we’ll have plenty for the
non-meat eaters to enjoy! Just, if you’re
thinking of bringing something, make sure that it has no dairy. And of course, Saturday bring your own lunch
to the Barbera’s – and of course, if will be supplemented by Pam’s goodies!
Next weekend (Friday
10 June – Sunday 12 June), we’ll do thing a little different. We’ll still have the Friday evening service
at our home, followed by dinner. (We’ll be eating dairy – cheese-filled pasta –
that night.) But that Saturday (11 June)
there will be no Shabbat morning service.
Instead, we’re inviting all to join us Sunday morning to observe
the first day of the festival of Shavu’ot.
As it’s customary to eat dairy on Shavu’ot, we invite you to bring your
dairy creations, savoury or sweet, with you.
The next two
Shabbatot – 17/18 24/25 – we’ll be meeting for both the Friday evening and Saturday
morning services at the Barbera’s.
Saturday morning, 25 June, is the last Shabbat service we’ll celebrate
with you in person. Details of the
arrangements for food for those two weekends will be forthcoming.
Several people have
enquired about organising some kind of farewell party. We want to forestall such talk. The only fitting farewell for us, will be to
see people continue to come to services and join together as a community. So, the only happiness you can give us to
come to each and every service we’ll share together until our departure. There might be a few private dinners with a
few people in our final days, but as far as group gatherings are concerned – we
already have them.
I have been working
the technology side, and G-d willing we will be able to offer a Shabbat morning
service even after our departure, thanks to Skype. In a way, this provides the advantage that
our friends who don’t live conveniently on the Gold Coast will be able to plug
in remotely and thereby attend worship more often than now. If this describes you, please don’t forget to
talk to me about this before we go. But
if you’re on the Gold Coast, and able to get to the Barbera’s we would prefer
that you join the services there, as they’ll continue after my departure.
Thanks for the part you have played in our community and will continue to play as we adjust to new realities...
Rabbi Don
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