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Chaplain's Corner

Wired to be Hopeful

BY RABBI BARRY COHEN
Are we seeing a light at the But we have the
end of the Covid tunnel? May-
Published biweekly by be … perhaps … possibly? But ability to respond
Jewish Federation of we’ve been here before. I re- positively. Our
Greater Portland member those incredible weeks
9900 SW Greenburg Road, in the early summer of 2021 ancestors have
when mask mandates ended.
Suite 220 I felt liberated as I shopped at
Rabbi Barry Cohen is the
Tigard, OR 97223 Safeway, mask-free, able to prepared us. Jewish community chaplain of
503-245-6219 walk any direction I wished, the Greater Portland area.
JewishPortland.org no longer bound to follow the Think of Jacob, who had lived chaplain@jewishportland.org
facebook.com/JewishPDX directional arrows. his entire life protected and
Then the Delta variant struck. coddled. To fulfill his poten-
of hard work, he made enough
instagram.com/ Masks, social distancing and tial, he finally developed the money to bring his family to
jewishfederationpdx/ directional arrows returned. We courage to leave home. (OK, a new home. If not for his in-
suffered another setback when fine, he had actually manipu- herent hope and optimism (and
Editor Omicron followed Delta; I add- lated his brother, deceived his hard work), I would not exist.
Deborah Moon ed to my budget regular N95 father and was fleeing for his We continue to struggle with
editor@jewishportland.org mask orders. life. But at least he had enough Covid. We could fall into the
503-892-7404 (message) We recently learned that the confidence to journey into the trap and believe that not much
indoor mask mandate in Or- unknown, unprotected.) At the will change … that the proposed
Circulation egon will end on March 31. beginning of his journey, Jacob end of the mask mandate is a mi-
To receive the Jewish Do we have permission to feel encountered God by way of a rage. Instead, let’s remember our
Review in your email inbox, hope and optimism? Or will we ladder linking earth to heaven; legacy of hope. Let’s remember
email your name and email feel like Charlie Brown when years later, he matured into an the past generations of people
address to Lucy pulls away the football at independent, confident young who embraced the idea that our
editor@jewishportland.org the last second and rather than man, married, with children world can be better and that we
completing a successful kick, and wealth. can help unlock society’s poten-
OPINIONS printed in the he falls on his tush? Think of Moses. Though he tial for the good.
Jewish Review do not After all, I have already read grew up in Pharaoh’s court, he The root of this challenge is
necessarily reflect those of the next variation of an even stood up for the Hebrew slaves a mere virus, but it manifests
more contagious version of because he knew on a gut level itself in the form of illness,
of the Jewish Review Omicron … the meaning of justice. While death, isolation, alienation, po-
Committee, the Jewish Despite how challenging the he attempted to recreate his life larization, bigotry, hatred, fear
Federation of Greater past two years have been, I still in the wilderness, he responded and scapegoating.
Portland, its governing have guarded optimism about to God’s call to return to Egypt, But we have the ability to re-
board or the staffs of either the coming months. Of note, confront Pharaoh and demand spond positively. Our ancestors
the newspaper or the being hopeful is hardwired into for the slaves to be freed. Mo- have prepared us. We can look
Federation. the Jewish people. Part of our ses embraced the vision that to Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Mo-
identity is to hold fast to the change was possible, that the ses, Shifra and Puah, among so
Next issues vision that the future will be mixed multitude could be freed many other biblical giants. We
better than the past. We carry and that they could journey to a can look to our parents, grand-
forward a legacy of adventurers Land of Promise. parents and great-grandparents.
Issue date Deadline and pioneers who felt hopeful And think of Shifra and Puah, We can remain steadfastly
about the future. the Hebrew midwives who hopeful, optimistic and confi-
Think of Avram and Sarai stood up to Pharaoh and dis-
dent that we can weather every
March 16 March 10 (Abraham and Sarah). Rather obeyed his order to murder the variant of Covid and all of its
than live the remainder of their male newborns. They rejected collateral damage.
March 30 March 24 lives comfortably in Haran, they the status quo of Egyptian ab- By seeking inspiration from
chose to depart from the path solute power, put their lives on our past, we can transform
April 13 April 7 chosen for them and reject the the line and refused to allow ourselves into models for fu-
dominant religious world view more innocents to die. ture generations. We have the
April 27 April 14 and moral code. They heard Lech On a personal level, I think of opportunity to become mod-
(early) l’cha, you need to go to a new my grandfather, Max, a man I ern day Abrahams and Sarahs.
place, a Land of Promise; you never met. But I heard stories of Let’s enthusiastically embrace
Submit news, photos need to make a covenant with an how he left Poland alone when the vision that tomorrow will
and obituaries to unseen, abstract God who prom- he was only 16 to travel to his be better than today, not only
ises that you and your descen-
Land of Promise, America. In for our sake, but for the sake of
editor@jewishportland.org dants will become blessings. a new country, through hours generations yet to be born.
14 Jewish Review March 2, 2022