I am writing this month’s letter, having just returned from the annual Act of Remembrance in Norwich.
As we all know, events this year to commemorate those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and for our future have been scaled right back. On behalf of the community, I laid a wreath at the War Memorial outside Norwich City Hall and then attended the brief Remembrance Sunday service at Norwich Cathedral. Attendance was by invitation only, and having to register my arrival and then to scan the COVID App QR code were experiences I hope I never have to repeat.
The service though was held in glorious sunshine which was a powerful antidote to the conditions of lockdown 2.0. It was much shorter and less ceremonial than usual, and we were directed to make our way home as soon as the service ended. Nevertheless, it lost none of its poignancy and sombreness.
We were delighted to welcome Rabbi Anna to the October council meeting. In case you are unaware, we meet monthly, generally on the Thursday immediately
before our service weekend. If there are items that you would like brought for consideration, please get in touch with me or any other member of council. Our next
meeting is on Thursday 12 November.
Finally, I think it is generally advisable for the Chair to avoid publishing controversial or contentious opinions in the monthly newsletter. However, the news from the USA yesterday that Joe Biden had been confirmed as the President-Elect brought me a huge sense of relief. He certainly has an enormous task on his hands if he is to start healing the divisions in US society that have been exposed and exploited over the past four years.
Many of you will recall, that back in the summer of 2017, your council led a visioning exercise to determine NLJC’s future areas for development. Together, we also generated a set of values that we, as a Progressive Jewish Community, wished to be guided by. You may be familiar with our ‘Values’ word cloud – reproduced below. Now, if Joe Biden needs any ideas on where to start…
Peter Whear