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2020-09-23
Around Rosh Hashanah, CCare established a buddy program during Melbourne's lockdown: "Shana Tova! Are you looking for a way to make a positive impact from the comfort and safety of your own home?
This Jewish New Year, pledge to spend 30 minutes each week chatting to a new friend!
After an incredibly successful pilot, The C Care Buddy Initiative is ready for official launch! We can’t wait to welcome our next group of Buddies into the program.
*So, how does it work?*
We’ll match each volunteer with a C Care recipient (or more, if you’d like) and take you through a short training session where we'll provide tips and guidance to make you feel comfortable going into your first call. Then, we’ll send both you and your buddy a ‘Buddy Welcome Box’ complete with tea and treats, and you’ll be ready for your weekly shmooze!"
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2020
Festival of Jewish Art and Music (FOJAM) produced a 'Best of 5780' list: "Without getting too heavy and nostalgic for the year that has passed, 5780 has been uh pretty challenging. But hey, Jews never expect anything to be easy. We want meaning and enrichment more than anything else right? That's why we love our arts!
This last six months has really felt like we have a community of people surrounding us and we are feeling good going into 5781.
We have created a Best of 5780 (Hebrew calendar year) for you to consume over the high holidays and hopefully you come back rejuvenated and inspired."
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2020
Festival of Jewish Art and Music (FOJAM)'s theme for 2020 was 'Homeward Bound' and they issued a number of newsletters across the year, collating them on their website.
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2020
The Festival of Jewish Art and Music (FOJAM) normally puts on live events, but during the Covid lockdown they have organised a series of livestreamed events for the community. Attended by hundreds of people, some of these events - or excerpts from the events - have been shared afterwards on youtube.
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2020-11-03
This email was sent to me to set up an appointment to do a career virtual fair. This email shows who's is going to be at the career fair and who you can set up an appointment to meet with them. It also shows all the set ups you need such as making sure you have proper internet connection, using the right internet function such as Chrome or FireFox and making sure you set up appointments. This goes to show what the new way of trying to get a job during a pandemic is like. To get interviews, you need zoom and you are not able to meet face to face with the employers. It affects the students by not being able to meet face to face with the interviewer.
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2020-03-17
J-Wire published an article about the launch of "The Victorian Jewish Community COVID-19 Taskforce"
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2020-08-28
Given synagogues were closed during lockdown, rabbis had to find new ways to communicate to their congregations. St Kilda Hebrew Congregation's rabbis would each week post a short video on facebook of a sermon. Often they would record these sermons outside, out the front of St KIlda Shule
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2020-09-27
Due to the halachic restrictions on using technology during Yom Kippur, and that lockdown prevented synagogues from having congregations attend services, St Kilda Hebrew Congregation's Rabbi Yaacov Glasman pre-recorded and shared online a Yom Kippur sermon
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2020-09-27
Due to the need to follow halachah, St Kilda Hebrew Congregation pre-recorded a pre-Kol Nidre service for their congregants, which they shared on Facebook.
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2020-09-28
At the end of Yom Kippur, the rabbi at St Kilda Hebrew Congregation blew the shofar, and it was livestreamed on Facebook
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2020-07-23
HIST30060: This photo is remarkable because of the tranquility it boasts, in contrast to the usual palooza of tourist buses and clicking cameras. Taken a few days before the second hard lockdown in Victoria, this photo is a tribute to how different this year really was. As my friend and are marveled at the rock formations for 30 minutes, we did not see a single other person. The car park built for hundreds was empty, visitors center closed indefinitely and the sound of our footsteps echoing as we passed under the multi-million dollar underground walkway. This year has been a major challenge for everyone, however has granted (or forced) a new perspective on life which perhaps makes every experience more impressive.
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2020-09-24
St Kilda Shule shared their weekly calendar for the week of Yom Kippur on Facebook, writing: "St Kilda Shule is #stayingintouch bringing you the services, song, prayer and sermons of the Shule to your homes. This week’s calendar includes our YomTov activity. #stkildashule #highholidays "
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2020-11-02
2 Ive heard people talk and stress the importance of social distancing, but when it comes down to it we tend to forget or disregard it. I know it is and still is important to go out and protest or get out of the house for our sanity but I feel like people continuing to disregard the “ 6 feet apart rule “ as we can clearly see in this photo. Social distancing no matter where , whether thats out there protesting, voting , shopping or getting dinner , you are should be followed to keep its effectiveness. I want the future to know that we didn’t do or try our best to help reduce or end corona whether it was because of our government not taking this seriously or because individuals continued to go out and further spread corona.
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2020-09-30
ABC's Religion and Ethics program created a video series 'Lockdown Stories', inviting people to submit their videos and stories. On 30 September they shared on Facebook 'Tyla's Story': a film made by Tyla about being locked down at home with her family, conducting Pesach via zoom, having family shabbat dinners on zoom and then reuniting with her siblings for shabbat once the lockdown lifted.
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2020-07-22
These images are screenshots of emails from St. Mary’s University detailing how the university will adapt for the Fall 2020 semester, updating students on the ongoing changes to in-person classes, tracking the number of COVID-19 cases throughout the summer and into the fall, and showing how St. Mary’s slowly begins to open up and allow in-person gatherings.
In the beginning of the semester, St. Mary’s University was very cautious in thinking of how and when to resume in-person classes and welcome students back to campus. The first couple of weeks were strictly virtual, and this virtual learning was even extended in response to a mild spike in cases across San Antonio. Classes resumed in person one week after the Labor Day weekend, and St. Mary’s didn’t experience a significant outbreak in those initial weeks. Towards the end of September, the number of COVID-19 cases began to mildly grow. As of right now, the University has had 25 COVID-19 cases since March 2020.
In October, keeping up with Halloween and other events to come, St. Mary’s began allowing small in-person events. These events were usually outside, with the exception of some indoors. All events have a maximum number of students allowed to participate, and some even require temperature checks and confirmation of negative tests. I, at first, thought it was concerning that as the number of COVID-19 cases in the St. Mary’s University community grew, campus began and continued to organize and advertise on-campus gatherings. I was afraid that St. Mary’s was giving in to the celebratory attitude across the city for “Spooky Season” and fall weather, but neglecting the health of students. However, I think St. Mary’s has been doing the best job they can to provide the “college experience” within the safety parameters set by the CDC. Our mild number of cases may be considered an accomplishment when compared to larger outbreaks at a number of universities such as Baylor, Angelo State, Sam Houston State, Texas Tech, and Wayland Baptist (to name a few). The New York Times breaks down campus outbreaks for most campuses in each state linked in this post.
The number of COVID cases began slowly rising towards the end of September, which is also when campus organizations began hosting in-person events. Despite happening simultaneously, there has not been a major spike following these events (so far). In speaking with resident students, the attitude shared on campus seems to be one of caution, which starts at the top. St. Mary’s is not just implementing social distancing and capacity limits in classes and events, the university is maintaining these standards within all campus facilities and student are complying.
Reflecting on these emails and thinking about Texas universities all together, I consider myself fortunate. I’m thinking that because San Antonio has a harder history with COVID-19 in the city, our universities are more diligent than those situated in towns or cities that are not. It can feel like campuses are a completely different town within a city or town, but I think St. Mary’s sees themselves as part of the larger San Antonio community.
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2020-09-21
This photo is from the three days that my friends and I spent in Derry, New Hampshire at the end of September. Because all of us were home for either the year or for the semester, we all realized that being at home was getting a bit restless, so, the four of us decided to pay a visit to my friend Michaela's house up in Derry and visit. There was a weird sense of deja vu for me since I was born there and there were places that I could still remember going to with my family. This photo was taken in the sunroom, a place where two of us often did homework, while the sun was rising on our second day. Right after this, we went back to sleep until our classes stop and Abbie, despite having the idea, did not make it out of bed for this.
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2020-11-02
ELECTION PREVIEW
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2020-08-02
These rules have really altered the way the newsroom operates. It is significant because it shows how the operations of the office have had to change so that we all stay safe. Although we- the editors, pretty much all have our own computers we still share the space and desks. Typically we bounce from each other desks to help with one another speeds and ideas, but these practices have had to change. These changes have made it hard to have press weekend, but we still find ways to abide by these rules and put the paper together as a team. Other clubs and groups on campus must also preform all their activities via Zoom, and cannot share a creative space. These rules epitomize the standards we all have to function under and still manage to get our goals completed.
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2020-05-08
This is a post to Instagram of a story The Rattler’s lifestyle section did covering student life during the pandemic. The images highlight the story and are a scan of the physical paper. This story was published towards the beginning of the pandemic in May 2020, just as classes were moving online and student life became unrecognizable. In the story Angel Valarde, senior psychology and Spanish major; Joel Reyna, freshman psychology major; and Scott Short, senior finance major all detail their daily lives after they are no long able to go to classes. This showcases how different students lives became, and although they were less busy with running to classes it didn’t make their lives any easier.
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2020-08-21
The rise of COVID-19 cases and restrictions have been linked to a rise in both smuggling arrests and overdose cases. In July 2020 alone, the overdose deaths in Pima County nearly outnumber the entire number for 2019. Members of addiction centers talk about what caused the spike and ways to help, and a candidate for county attorney talks about justice reform that will help with addiction recovery.
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2020-09-30
This article details 8 things that universities can do to help students have access to the necessary materials so that they could succeed in their educational goals. Many of the professors interviewed stated that there were a myriad of problems students had to deal with in order to learn online. These problems included: relocation due to the pandemic, a lack of internet at home, a lack of access to things such as printers and other items, a lack of childcare, systemic racism within academia and many others.
Flexibility and empathy are the keys to navigating a COVID19 world, and recognizing your own privilege is an important step in being able to help others get access to what they need. Graduate school is hard enough already, it's important to work together to get through this.
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2020
This meme is a visual representation of the feelings of many online students this school year. Professors have been doing their best in a situation that was handled so improperly by those in charge. However, many students feel resentment for their universities due to a lack of accommodation in such a tumultuous time. Zoom learning was offered as an alternative to in person learning but no one could say that the two are equal in comparison.
The fact that many universities are charging the same amount for both types of learning is not lost on students and adds to the frustration that online learners face during COVID19. Many wonder where their money is going and if the universities actually care about their students and staff. It's important to remember that all of us in grad school are struggling with the same things, being flexible and empathetic is so important, now more than ever.
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2020-04
This meme, posted on the popular social media platform Reddit, represented and still represents the feelings of many Americans as they attempted to survive the pandemic with a one time payment of $1,200. For many college students there was no money at all, it is common for parents to still claim their adult children as dependents for tax purposes and because of that their children were not eligible for the stimulus check.
Thousands of students, including myself, had to make it through without even the small one-time payment provided by the government. With the pandemic still going strong there is talk of another stimulus but if the same problems with tax status occur again then it won't mean anything to many struggling students.
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2020-08-28
Information from MASA and ZFA, in ZFA's weekly newsletter, about a "virtual info Gap Year Fair showcasing all the Israel Gap Year options available in 2021." These sessions were planned for 13 and 14 September.
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2020-09-17
These emails were sent to members of Kehilat Nitzan who registered to attend High Holyday services through the synagogue, providing information about how to stream the services: where to find the livestream and how to ensure a kosher livestream.
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2020-09
Temple Beth Israel's September newsletter, addressing the High Holy Days, online activities, and ways that the community is making meaning and staying together during Covid-19
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2020-09
Email newsletter from Sassoon Yehuda Separdi Synagogue, telling congregants about plans for Rosh Hashanah and other online events within the synagogue
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2020-11-01
This word comes from a motivated woman, a photographer, and a traveller.
Introspective: characterized by examination of one's own thoughts and feelings
Most people, in times of trouble, look outward for support--or blame. But when everyone is kept more than an arm’s length away, the only person close enough to seek answers from is yourself. So when Covid-19 shut the world down, it brought the focus to a more internal source. During this time of uneasiness, the only comfort we could find had to be within ourselves. This means we became self-aware, and some started self-growth. Without others to rely on, we had to strengthen ourselves to be the shoulder we cry on. This means we reevaluated our values and if changes needed to be made, we started on those. It’s not like we didn’t have extra time to kill. With this new perspective, a forced perspective, much change occurred in almost everyone, good or bad, intentional or unintentional. But no matter where it came from, all of this change came from covid. Because when we are isolated, it’s important to acknowledge whether we like our company or not.
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2020-11-01
This word comes from a woman who lost her job and found a new one.
Enlightening: give greater knowledge and understanding about a subject or situation
Now, this may initially seem backwards, but maybe it is on track. While many bad things came out of having Covid-19 around, not all things were bad. Having the whole world stop forced people to stop as well. Things slowed down, if only for a small moment of time. But in that slowing, when the outside world seemed to go quiet, the inside world had time to be heard. This pause, for some, became a time of self-reflection, a time of learning more about the one you see in the mirror, or learning more about a range of other things. In any sense, it became a time where knowledge was expanded. We better understand what matters to us and what things are worth our time. We forgot about pleasantries and moved into making connections beyond a smile, because those can’t be seen. While some may argue that putting distance created emotional differences, others have found that in this time of being apart, some things came together with more understanding of yourself and the world around you. So while the times of this virus have been undeniably dark, there may have been some light as well.
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2020-11-01
This word comes from someone who lost their graduation, a new adult.
Consuming: completely filling one's mind and attention; absorbing
A pandemic. We are in a pandemic. How could you think of anything else? When a bustling world came to a jolting stop, almost everyone was forced to reevaluate their priorities and what they place focus on. In the settling of this, most find one thing constantly at the front of their minds, Covid-19. With businesses closed, schools online, and people dying, it is hard to ignore the impact this virus has had. Although it has been much talked about and maybe even tried, returning to “normal” has proven to be a possibly impossible endeavor. It almost feels as if we are drowning in covid and all of its implications. If you feel this way, you are not alone. It can be a daunting task attempting to find the light in this tunnel, but we will and one day it will all be okay again, even if it is not “normal”.
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2020-11-01
This word comes from a college student, a peer leader, and a girl who got those taken away this year.
Over-exaggerated: to exaggerate (something) to an excessive degree, specifically a threat, danger, risk or its effect, impact, or importance
Capturing this opinion of many, over-exaggerated, is meant to label something that misconstrues the truth by making it seem greater in importance than it actually is. Many people consider not the virus, but the media coverage of it, to be doing just that. It has become difficult to see what is true and what is lies. The line between accuracy and entertainment have become intertwined. In the race to reveal numbers and give advice on safety, rash decisions may have been made in what is put out to the public as news. This news informs a major population, and if it is misrepresenting the truth, that could be a very big issue. Now it is important to understand that there are good and true news sources. There are also sources that do the best with what they are given, which may not be pure truth. In this ever-intensifying war of words, citizens seeking to be informed must often sift through loads of over-exaggerated content to uncover the full truth. The situation of Covid-19 is no different.
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2020-11-01
Perspective: a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view We can really only see from our eyes, literally. But figuratively, we have unlimited perspectives from which to view the world. The idea of this is what inspired this series. I know how the coronavirus pandemic looks to me, how it affects me, how I feel about it. What I do not know, is how those things look, affect, and feel to others. So, I asked others. Anyone and everyone in my life; family, friends, leaders, peers, strangers. I wanted to know what one word those people would use to describe their experience with Covid-19. This series will be the words they chose and a bit of perspective behind those. So while you may still not be leaving your house, this will take you to the life of another. One word at a time.
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2020-10-04
This Rosh Hashanah e-newsletter provides updates on the synagogue and what they have been doing to prepare themselves and the community for an online Rosh Hashanah. It also provides details of other events that have occurred within the synagogue community.
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2020-06-14
The news article references Mexico's crumbling tourist economy due tot he COVID pandemic. As a close neighbor of Baja California, Mexico living in San Diego I was able to see the changes first hand by visiting Mexico throughout the summer. As travel was limited all around the world, having family members living in Mexico allowed me to first hand experience how the pandemic had affected a region who's economy is dependent on tourism dollars. I witness wineries, restaurants, and hotels desperate for business but who had installed very modern safeguards similar to what the United States was doing to combat the pandemic. Masks and social distancing were enforced at all locations around the Valle de Guadalupe, near Ensenada. In some cases, added steps such as mandatory shoe and hand washing was installed prior to be allowed onto the premises. Overall it was a nice weekend and my family was able to forget the pandemic that surrounded us if for a brief while.
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2020-10
Kehilat Nitzan held an online 'special Succot singalong', and emailed their members inviting along
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2020-06-26
I had numerous plans to fly this summer. As a business traveler, I had saved my frequent flyer miles and was planning on changing jobs before the season began. I was then going to cash in the miles throughout July and August in order to take many trips across the country while I was in between jobs. Sort of a planned two month sabbatical. Unfortunately because of the pandemic all my plans were cancelled and I was left to figure out how to spend my off time. Taking road trips from southern California was my only alternative.
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2020-10-08
Kehilat Kolenu moved their services online. This screenshot of their website on 8 October 2020 provides a sense of what they were doing during Melbourne's lockdown.
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2020-09-25
In this newsletter from Chabad Kingston & Moorabbin shul, they discuss the upcoming holiday of Yom Kippur and provide details of virtual events which will bring the community together in the lead-up.
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2020-04-03
HIST30060: I came across this cartoon on the Instagram story of Melbourne writer Zoe Foster-Blake when it felt like we were in our 5-thousanth day of April. Like historians summarize months, years and decades of time into short essays and books, movies condense long periods of time into montages. However, this past year I have really felt every minute of what would normally condensed.
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2020-08-28
Email newsletter from Chabad Kingston & Moorabbin Shul, which discusses upcoming preparations for Rosh Hashanah and how to prepare under lockdown. Also lists upcoming online events
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2020-05-06
HIST30060: I read this quote during the first Victorian lockdown, and I completely resonated with it. The isolation of lockdown had somehow made the biggest event of my life, and possibly the century, feel repetitive, mundane and even boring. It was strange to me that I could accurately describe a crisis atmosphere as dreary, in a way I would never before have been able to understand.
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2020-09-04
Newsletter from Chabad Kingston & Moorabbin Shul to their community, providing details of synagogue events, during this time of lockdown. It includes information about connecting over the High Holy Days
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2020-11-02
HIST30060: The introduction of QR codes into our daily lives has been just one adjustment into our new COVID normal lives. Previous fears of data security has been exchanged for the chance to socialize and eat out. As the pandemic continued, our priorities changed, and our normal changed, however our need to connect and socialize did not.
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2020-10-24
HIST30060: The Richmond Tigers mean so much to my family, and this year, being able to turn on the TV and continue to watch the footy gave our week some sort of structure. What this object says about the pandemic is a testament to continuity: what continues and what stops during a pandemic is crucial to understanding what is important to our society.
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2020-06
Letter from the president of Caulfield Shule to the congregation, sent just after Shavuot, discussing the possibilities of opening up and people being able to attend services, but the need for caution in case there is a second wave of infections
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2020-07-10
St Kilda Hebrew Congregation provides an email update to their congregation, sharing a message from the Rabbi about lockdown, as well as information about observing yahrzeit and saying kaddish while locked down.
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2020-07-31
St Kilda Hebrew Congregation provided an email newsletter update, discussing Tisha B'Av, as well as other arrangements and events during Covid.
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2020-06-09
I wanted to include these news articles about an event that happened in my community. 287 workers at JBS meatpacking plant tested positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of Summer 2020.
I am ~somewhat~ familiar with this meatpacking plant. When I attended Mountain Crest High School in Hyrum, I ran cross country and one of our running routes required us to pass this building. I usually did not like this route because the smell combined with running often made me nauseous. I believe it was bought or acquired since my running days by JBS because we used to refer to this place as “Miller’s”.
Fast forward about nine years later when these news articles were published. This was the first huge outbreak in Cache Valley. It took some time before COVID-19 hit Northern Utah. Yeah, I think we had a few cases here and there. But it always felt “manageable” to me before this event. But with this outbreak, I began feeling unsafe in my corner of the world.
I was especially upset at the injustice of this situation because most of the workers at JBS were Hispanic/Latinx. It felt like no measures, like paid leave or free testing services, were being taken to protect these workers. According to a Bear River Health Department report for June 1, 2020, Hispanic/Latinx accounted for more than 40% of COVID cases. Yet, only about 10% of the population here is Hispanic/Latinx. I strongly feel that this is because of JBS.
I feel frustrated living here in Utah during the pandemic. So many people do not care about the situation we are in. Meanwhile, there are people who make sacrifices by working on the “front lines”. For the Hispanic/Latinx community in Cache Valley, it doesn’t feel like a voluntary sacrifice. But rather, another example of unfair systemic racism. Meanwhile, it seems so trivial and unjust that my community still insisted on having a county fair and little league baseball this year. I understand the economic consequences and reasons why people are hesitant to take precautions in certain situations. It is complicated and we don’t really have a great safety net for people in America. That being said, I hate seeing the flippant attitudes while people are literally dying.
This weekend, we reached a record spike in COVID cases in Utah. And Election Day is this week. I feel so anxious all the time. And I am trying to reach for some peace wherever I can find it. I really hope that soon we will start taking this pandemic seriously.
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2020-10-02
St Kilda Hebrew Congregation, in their newsletter of 2 October, provided congregants with a general update as well as information about arrangements for Sukkot
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2020-09-11
In their email newsletter on 11 September, St Kilda Hebrew Congregation provided an updated on upcoming yom tov arrangements
