A Special Thank You from Mark Packer, Ritual Committee Chair

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High Holiday services posed especially demanding challenges this year. The pandemic required us to master digital media within a very short period, and for the first time in thirteen years the Rabbi was without cantorial support.
 
For these reasons, we are deeply indebted to those congregants who joined us in the sanctuary and made such helpful contributions to our services, from Rosh Hashanah Eve all the way through N’ilah.
 
Our thanks to Mauro Wilk for his technical expertise, and to Avi Liebowitz for his professional talents as the producer of our digital services.
 
Thanks as well to Carrie Liebowitz and Sandy Gordin for lighting the evening candles as our holidays were beginning.
 
Aliyot this year went to Jennifer and Bob Britanisky, Lorie Ederr, Gary Smiley, Mauro Wilk, and Dan Falcon.
 
Our ark openers were Carrie Liebowitz, Jennifer Britanisky, Lynn Strait and Gary Poliakoff.
 
A gracious nod goes to Hank Steinberg, who stoically held the Torah on Rosh Hashanah morning even as the ark doors were summarily shut behind him.Our Hagba Galilah were Bob and Jennifer Britanisky, Ira Greenfield, and Sandy Gordin.
 
Readers included Les Mitchell and Lorie Ederr. Special thanks to Lynn Strait and Nancy Rosenberg for going well beyond the call of duty in the sheer number of passages they read, as well as their availability throughout all six services.
 
Beautiful musical contributions were made by Courtney LeBauer, Brian Steinberg, Lorie Ederr, as well as Carl and Raeleigh McCarn.
 
The shofars were sounded by Bob Britanisky and Rex Russell.
 
And thank you to Alane, Olivia, and Sophia Russell for their contributions to the Havdallah service as Yom Kippur was drawing to a close.
 
I want to thank as well the members of the Ritual Committee for contacting the congregants who participated in our services this year: Susan Abelkop, David Blumenfeld, Bob Britanisky. and Elaine Hyman.
 
As always, our multitasker-in-chief, Sandy Gordin, was available throughout the holidays wherever and whenever she was needed.
 
And alas, words cannot express our gratitude and appreciation for the extraordinary work that Rabbi Liebowitz did to provide spiritually meaningful and engaging services this year in the face of so many difficult challenges.
 
During Yom Kippur, the Rabbi noted that every year, as the Passover Seder is ending, we all say: “Next Year in Jerusalem!” He then added that, as 5781 commences, may we all say: “Next Year in the Sanctuary!”
 
Ein Groyse Dank and Amen!