On June 11 at 7:00 pm, we invite you to a particularly special Shabbat service. At risk of breaking the Jewish rule against mixing special occasions or mixing joyful and painful moments, we will be honoring Rabbi Wainer’s service to NVHC at our first Friday night in the sanctuary since March 6, 2020.

Rabbi Jessie Wainer came to NVHC in the summer of 2016 as our first Rabbi in the role of Director of Congregational Learning. She has been a beloved teacher and pastor, an inspired leader, and a treasured colleague. We are so proud of her accomplishment in becoming an Associate Rabbi at Congregation Etz Chayim near her family in Chicago, and we are so sad to see her depart. So June 11 will be a time to express the combination of sadness and joy at this next phase of her career.

Simultaneously, the opportunity to be one community, in our sanctuary, together in song and prayer has been a North Star for so many of us through this pandemic. To return is a moment of joy, and at the same time things will not be the same as they were before the Pandemic.

• Attendance at the in-person service will be limited to 125 people
• Registration is required to attend in person
• A waiver is included and required as part of the registration process.
• Chairs will be spaced out throughout the sanctuary and social hall.
• HEPA filters and improved HVAC settings will increase air circulation.
• Masks will be required for those who are in person
• We will broadcast the service on Zoom and YouTube
• HEPA filters and improved HVAC settings will increase air circulation.

So June 11 will be a time to celebrate and to remember that this pandemic is still not over.

These mixtures of emotion are a natural part of life during transition. Community is a key way we make sense of a rapidly changing world. Please join your NVHC community on June 11 at 7:00 pm as we mark this key moment in time.