New Year’s Weekly Edition: January 1st, 2021

Shabbat shalom and happy 2021! We finally made it out of the disaster that was 2020. Have a great new year’s weekend, and here’s to a healthy, safe and happy 2021!

Boulder County (along with all Metro Denver counties) moved to Level Red on Friday November 20th; this is the most restrictive level before we get to a full blown Stay at Home order. Please be sure to follow all the recommendations/ requirements of Boulder County Public Health to combat COVID-19, including wearing masks in public and avoiding gatherings outside your family group.

You can find all of our local community virtual services at the “Jewish Community Virtual Offerings” link below under “Events”. There is also a link to the list of online programs being offered by the Boulder JCC.

Meanwhile, here are sources that will have the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 in Boulder and Colorado:

• Boulder JCC for the Jewish community
• Congregation Har HaShem for the Jewish community
• City of Boulder
• Boulder County
• Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
• Centers for Disease Control

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay warm.

Columns

• When Senator Toomey Strikes, We Could Strike Out (12/31/2020) - Toomey’s stature exemplifies much of what is wrong with the U.S. Senate, a legislative body that is often exploited to undermine vital programs that the majority of Americans need. The minority of Americans very frequently control the Senate, even when a majority of senators combine to represent the majority of citizens. Continue Reading
• The Jewish-Catholic Loyalty Tests (12/24/2020) - Two religious leaders, Jew and Catholic, each succeeded in breaching the wall separating church and state within two days of one another. Continue Reading
• Don’t Stand by This Holiday Season (12/24/2020) - We’re living (and dying) in a “quadfecta” of 1) A raging, unprecedented pandemic, 2) Economic inequality and hardship at the highest levels in memory, 3) Racial injustice permeating almost every aspect of American life and 4) Climate change eating away at our planet, and the lives it sustains. Continue Reading

Jewish Life

• Baruch Dayan HaEmet – Syd Franklin z”l (12/30/2020) - Syd Franklin (Yitzhak ben Reuven Avraham), father of Ronald Franklin, passed away on Sunday afternoon December 27, 2020 in the UK. Continue Reading
• Baruch Dayan HaEmet – Melvin Margolis z”l (12/27/2020) - Melvin Burton Margolis, father of Dr. Michael Margolis, passed away in the early hours of Shabbat, December 26, 2020. Continue Reading
• This Shabbat at Nevei Kodesh – Dec 26 (12/24/2020) - Nevei Kodesh, a warm and welcoming Jewish Renewal Community invites you to join us virtually for prayer, study and connection! Continue Reading
• Baruch Dayan HaEmet – David Shucker z”l (12/24/2020) - David Shucker, brother of Mark (Carol) Shucker, passed away at the beginning of the week in Berkeley, California at 67 years old. Continue Reading

Arts and Culture

• New Music Series: Broadway Backstage to Operatic Happy Hours (12/31/2020) - We are bringing the love of the theater to you! This series brings intimate musical performances to the comfort of your own home. Continue Reading
• Christmas 1944 – Noel! Noel! – The Christmas Eve Bombing of Malmedy, Belgium (12/31/2020) - The story behind the letter sent home on Christmas by Lenny Miller in "We Are Going To Be Lucky: A World War II Love Story in Letters." Continue Reading
• Sensational Seville: Travel Virtually to Spain! (12/30/2020) - Do you miss traveling the world? This program is going to virtually inspire the love of travel again. Continue Reading
• New Series: Jewish Composers of the American Musical (12/27/2020) - The Colorado Hebrew Chorale and its Women’s Choir, Kol Nashim are proud to feature Miryam Raizen who will present a fascinating new series: “From Tin Pan Alley Cats to the Great White Way – Jewish Composers of the American Musical.” The series will begin on Sunday, January 3 at 7:30 pm on Zoom and will… Continue Reading
• Virtual Jewish Film Festivals: January is San Luis Obispo (12/27/2020) - The 2021 San Luis Obispo Jewish Film Festival is going virtual this year. Diversity and Harmony is the theme with a selection of short, narrative, and documentary films that showcase varied expressions of the Jewish experience from around the world. Continue Reading
• Christmas 1594 – Shakespeare’s Plea for Tolerance In a Time of Plague and Civil Discord (12/24/2020) - But What Kind of Mystery Play is This? It is about the separation and reuniting of a family, yes, maybe the holy family you might grant, where the women play as in Jesus’ story a major part, but what are we to make of the separation and reuniting of two identical twins? Continue Reading
• Dreaming of Home (12/24/2020) - "There is something peculiar about this book: the fact is the cover gives it away right from the start." Continue Reading

Events

• Tips for a Healthy New Year (12/30/2020) - Meet professor Penny Friedberg and take a holistic approach to nutrition using a variety of food recommendations to help start the new year with increased energy, stamina, and wellness. Continue Reading