
Dear Ones,
The Religious Services Committee brought forward concerns from congregants regarding security at Shabbat services. In response, Emanu-El’s Board passed a motion to hire a commissionaire to help at the door during services. This will start very soon and will continue on a trial basis for six months. The only metric we have on hand to know if this trial is a success is for more folk to attend Saturday mornings.
We will do our utmost to ensure that entry to services will be welcoming and that interactions with marginal street folk remain compassionate. Please know that there are no imminent threats; this is simply a precaution. Door security, like entry through the Social Hall, serves as a deterrent.
We will have a volunteer at the door for the first few weeks to help make introductions. Please introduce yourself when you arrive and help us all to maintain the welcoming environment that we all expect.
We are a come-as-you-are kind of congregation where everyone who comes in peace is welcomed and embraced. In order to make this entry point a place of welcome, we will need a few volunteers to serve as greeters and to acclimatize our new commissionaire. If you are interested in helping out please reach out to Susan Holtz: sholtz@congregationemanuel.ca
L’shalom,
Rabbi Harry