All Are Welcome in a Hurricane

Like most of the residents of the east coast, except for the hardiest warning-ignorers, I am watching the Weather Channel and preparing for life without electricity. It's fascinating what becomes important - charging up my electronic devices, stocking up on water and non-perishable food, and getting my laundry done. (Special thanks to one of my Facebook friends who suggested freezing batches of coffee.)

The breathless meteorologists predict that Hurricane Sandy will be an unprecedented event, affecting millions of people. This is where kehilla - community - becomes real.

Last year, after Hurricane Irene, Temple Sholom in Greenwich, CT, put the concept of kehilla and the stability of their synagogue building together to help the entire community. In his Torah teaching from September 2, 2011, Rabbi Mitch Hurvitz describes what they did:

As a professional staff, as soon as we saw that our community would be in the path of the hurricane, we took action and mobilized.  We came up with a careful process; did a Costco run; brought large quantities of kosher food and drink to the shul; set up the lounge with tables, chairs, and snacks; made sure our WiFi was in working order; took an inventory of our board games and kids activities; and prepared our spiritual home to be an effective physical refuge for all those in need. Like everyone else, we had no idea whether or not we would have power; we didn’t know if we would even be able to open our doors. But we did know this much: in taking part in this process, we weren’t accepting powerlessness. We knew we would be ready to serve our community in the best way we could, whenever the time came.

And the time, fortunately, arrived. After the storm, when we received the “all-clear” from the Town of Greenwich, we put the word out:  "Our doors are open – all are welcome.” These three simple words made the key difference between the perception of insularity, and the spirit of community.

What are kehillot doing about this storm? I see that Rabbi Aaron Gaber of Congregation Beth Judah in Ventnor is posting evacuation sites on Facebook. Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, VA, not only has helpful emergency information on its website, but they also have an online form to notify them if someone needs help with evacuation. In Baltimore, the local news reported what churches and synagogues are doing to help people with early voting.

Preparations for emergencies and disasters need to be done well before the Weather Channel tracks a storm bearing down on us. I hope that all of our kehillot have used the resources from United Synagogue and other organizations long before this weekend to ensure safety and security. Emergencies like the hurricane coming towards us are a chance to live out the full concept of kehilla as sacred community when we actively find ways to reach out and be responsible for one another.

Share with me what your kehilla is doing. I'll post it here and on the United Synagogue Facebook and Twitter feeds. Your ideas might help someone else take action.

Stay safe, chevre.