Dear Congregants and Friends,

As the summer flies by, I hope you are getting some rest & relaxation and enjoying all that the Berkshires offer this time of year. I have been blessed to have been able to finally see my daughter, son-in-law, and grandsons who live in Hong Kong. I hope many of you have also experienced sweet reunions with family and friends.

Though the pace of synagogue life is lighter in the summer, we are actively planning for the start of the new school year, which opens on Monday, September 12, and for the High Holidays in late September. The Board will be meeting shortly to review the latest COVID protocols and we will send a separate message about that. We will continue to offer hybrid services and hope to be able to increase our in-person capacity safely. For safety and security purposes, we will continue to require you to RSVP for services in advance.

Ziva Larson, serving as our cantorial assistant for the High Holidays, will be co-leading High Holiday services with Rabbi Rachel. And I am thrilled that our newly formed choir, which is practicing weekly, will be enriching our services with their beautiful melodies.

Please join Rabbi Rachel and me on Sunday, August 14 on the lawn at Tanglewood for a special pre-concert CBI picnic from 12:30pm to 2:30pm, prior to the concert featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma. (More information is in our monthly newsletter; please contact Tanglewood directly to purchase lawn tickets for this concert.) This is a wonderful opportunity to gather informally and enjoy a lovely afternoon of music and fellowship. Bring your own picnic and a dessert to share, if you are so inclined. Please contact me at [email protected] to let me know you are interested so that I can email you where to meet up.

If you stop by the synagogue, you’ll notice that it is being spruced up — the exterior of the building is being cleaned and painted and the sheds and gazebo are being repaired. Thanks to Joe Apkin for coordinating this work, which we hope to have completed well before the holidays.

Have a wonderful month!

Warmly,

— Natalie Matus