Our commitment to our readers
| Friend — My family attended a tefillah service via video on Sunday morning. I thought it would feel awkward for us to be reciting Aleinu alone in our living room; instead, I was so grateful to see a collection of congregants' faces in little squares on the screen, I found myself moved to tears.
Suddenly, it seems, we're inhabiting our new normal. We're frightened and crave comfort; we get that comfort from our fellow humans; yet we must stay separated from each other for our own safety.
Add to that our Jewish faith and tradition, which many have observed requires a crowd (a minyan) and it gets even more confounding. What do we do when we can't gather? What do we do to stay informed, to understand, to just feel a little better in the face of this baffling crisis?
These are the questions that are obsessing us at The Forward. Here's where we're at: We want to give each of you a connection to the many Jewish communities we inhabit and report on. We want to bring you our insight and expertise. We want to collect your questions and concerns and host the most compelling discussions to address them. And we want to be where you are — on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and anywhere else you might be gathering.
Here are my top three recommendations to you on how to connect right now:
1. Read and share our journalism
Here are some of the stories that I have found most moving: Jodi Rudoren's editorial on our Jewish response to the current crisis. From California to New Jersey, our Shabbat experience was unlike it's ever been before. The heartbreak of the NCAA tournament cancellation for Yeshiva University's miracle team. A "Quarantine Diary" from a couple in Tel Aviv who have been in their apartment for nine days, now. Sharon Kleinbaum's op-ed on how community, ritual and joy can get us through the coronavirus outbreak. 2. Share your stories with us
And we want to share your stories of this unusual Shabbat and the surrounding days. Please fill out this brief form, and we'll be publishing a selection of responses.
3. Sign up and join us this week
We'll bring you dynamic, critical conversations straight to where you are — hopefully, safe at home. Please use the links below to register and join us via Zoom:
Being Jewish in the Time of Coronavirus (first in a series)
Tuesday, March 17, 3 p.m. ET
Jodi will moderate a conversation with our journalists and communal leaders, including Andrés Spokoiny, President and CEO of Jewish Funders Network and Ian Kandel, Vice President of Global Movement Strategy, about how we are navigating the unprecedented challenges of this pandemic.
Register here.
Israeli Politics in a Pandemic
Wednesday, March 18, 12 p.m. ET
Jodi will interview Yohanan Plesner, President of the Israel Democracy Institute, about the latest development in Israel's fraught politics after three rounds of elections that ended in a virtual tie — and how coronavirus is changing coalition negotiations.
Register here.
A Fraught Conversation
Date and time TBD
Jodi will moderate a panel that will explore the ways in which racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred play out in the political landscape. Panelists include Julie Fernandes, Associate Director at Rockefeller Family Funs and former advocacy director at the Open Society Foundations and Dan Shapiro, former US Ambassador to Israel.
Stay tuned for registration information.
Can't make these times? They will be recorded and available on our website.
The Forward is striving to serve you and our community during this historic period. While staying safe, our reporters have been non-stop working to inform and inspire you. We're in this together.
Wishing you safe and healthy days ahead,
Rachel Fishman Feddersen
CEO & Publisher
The Forward |
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