Shabbat Shalom! The first week of the New Year was certainly one filled with emotion. It started with the 9th anniversary of 9/11 last weekend and continued through the week as the devastation and loss of the Fourmile Canyon Fire became clearer.

We are inspired to hear the stories of our community coming together in this time of need. Most of the Jewish organizations in Boulder have already been involved in supporting both fire responders and those displaced and affected by the fire. Members of the Jewish community have helped with offers of meals and homes, gift baskets of food, collections of donated clothing and gift cards, as well as with financial donations. If you would like to make a contribution, please consider donating to the Boulder Jewish Community Foundation’s Fire Relief Fund, which has received a matching contribution. Thank you all for your generosity.

In other fire news, the Boulder Jewish News website was “offline” for several hours last night due to an electrical fire in Utah. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and appreciate hearing from subscribers who were kind enough to check with us about the problem.

Sukkah-building is happening around town this coming week. Be sure to take a moment to reflect on our connection with the earth and appreciate the fragility of living flammable shelters. Please send BJN your Sukkah photos and we’ll include as many as possible. Not building your own? Many synagogues and a growing number of community members build sukkahs and would be happy to have you visit. Contact us and we’ll connect you.

As we enter Shabbat and Yom Kippur may we all be blessed with peace (including the Israelis and Palestinians with successful talks) and sealed for a good year. May you have an easy fast. Gmar chatimah tovah!