Like nearly every Saturday, we spent the day “at” Shir Hadash. But today was unlike every other Saturday, because this evening was the tribute to our Rabbi, Melanie Aron. She’s retiring at the end of the year, though we are fortunate that she’s staying in the area and will become our Rabbi Emerita.

If there hadn’t been a pandemic, the event would have been in person at the synagogue and there might have been issues with the Fire Marshal (and there are plans to have an in-person event when conditions allow), but as it was, we all gathered around our screens and celebrated that way. And because we were online, distance was not a barrier – members who had moved away were able to attend. And the acoustics were great (especially for the pre-recorded musical numbers – our former custodian knocked it out of the park with “L’chi Lach”)!

There were interviews, non-stop tributes in the chat, music, and even a surprise sign event – Diane made our sign and we held it up on cue.

Next week, there will be “Drive By Goodbyes” to Rabbi Aron – it’ll be good to see her in person, but tonight was special.

Lunch today was another experiment, Delicata, Radicchio, and Black Rice Salad from last Sunday’s Mercury News. We couldn’t find Delicata squash, though, so we substituted Kabocha, which meant we had to do more work because it doesn’t have edible skin. And the black rice we chose took nearly an hour to cook (something I didn’t realize until we were actually making the food!). But the final product was tasty, and we were able to eat it outside on a beautiful late fall day.

This evening was the beginning of the official goodbye for Shir Hadash’s Senior Rabbi, Melanie Aron. She’s been with the congregation for 30 years, and she’s made an enormous impact on the community, the congregation, and us. Fortunately, she will be staying here and will become our Rabbi Emerita on January 1st, so we won’t be losing her completely!

Shabbat Shalom!