(soft music) - Kids are loving Hanukkah.

- Yeah.

You get them any good gifts?

- I mean, they seem to like 'em.

(both laugh) (door bell chimes) - Happy Hanukkah.

- [woman at door] Happy Hanukkah!

- Good to see you!

- [Woman] Are you ready for candles and latkes?

- Ready.

- Yes.

Very ready.

- [woman] And a campfire?

- And a campfire.

- How about hot chocolate?

- [woman] I can do that too.

- We haven't been able to see each other that much since this started, but it's, it's the last day of Hanukkah and we get to be here together.

And it's pretty strange that this is where we're at right now.

You know, that this has been quite a crazy year.

(gentle music) (gentle music) - Let's see if I can make this look 'Kingly.'

Okay, I am good to go.

(♪ "You'll Be Back" from Hamilton) ♪ ♪ We said the pandemic is ending by Yontif, ♪ ♪ you'll be back at Shul.

♪ ♪ We lied.

It seems it's not ending.

♪ ♪ And we're all just looking like fools.

♪ ♪ Don't be sad.

♪ ♪ Remember we made ♪ ♪ an arrangement when you went away.

♪ ♪ Now don't make me mad.

♪ ♪ Remember, despite our estrangement, there's a plan.

♪ ♪ You'll be back.

♪ ♪ You will see you'll remember you belong by me.

♪ ♪ You'll be back.

♪ ♪ Time will tell you'll remember ♪ ♪ that we served you well.

♪ ♪ Oceans rise, budgies fall.

♪ ♪ We have seen each other through it all.

♪ ♪ And when push comes to shove ♪ ♪ I will send a dozen bagels ♪ ♪ over to remind you of my love!

♪ ♪ Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da ♪ ♪ Da da dat dat da ya da ♪ ♪ (holds last note) ♪ ♪ You'll be back.

♪ - I remember it clearly.

It was March 13th.

One day we were working from our offices.

We were planning for a summer that was not too far away.

We were still closing out a campaign.

All of our organizations were doing what they normally do.

Overnight, that all changed.

- In the past two weeks, the number of cases of COVID 19 outside China has increased 13 fold.

We have therefore made the assessment that COVID 19 can be characterized as a pandemic.

- We sat around thinking like, okay, you know, this will be a couple months.

We'll shelter in place, we'll flatten the curve and we'll all, come summertime or the fall, we'll be back to life as usual.

- In terms of when we first learned about COVID 19, SARS-CoV-2, was really in mid to late January, when we knew that there was a problem in China.

Soon thereafter, it became a problem in the U.S.

Initially, no one, including our CDC, thought it was likely to be a serious problem in the U.S., but we were proven wrong.

- It was a super contagious virus.

And when you saw these gigantic hospital complexes being being built and Wuhan, that was probably the first time I thought to myself this is going to spread and it's likely to spread in communities in the United States and all over the world.

- There are now at least 100 cases of coronavirus in 14 states around the U.S. - Much of our daily lives have been put on hold this morning.

All Americans now trying to navigate what we're kind of calling a "new normal."

- It was around that time when we were all trying to figure out, you know, Passover Seder.

It was the first real moment of, you know, Jews are so used to being together and creating a community for themselves.

And just the thought of us being isolated gives you every reason in the world to just say, you know what?

Passover's just not in the books this year.

(peaceful music) - It's a big week ahead.

It's the week of Pesach and let's get into the spirit.

(sings Pesach song) (kids join singing) - We wanna wish our Jewish viewers a Happy Passover.

The celebration of religious freedom begins at sundown and is followed by a traditional dinner known as Seder.

But this year's Passover may be different from others.

- Social distancing is forcing millions of Americans to find new ways to connect.

- Passover was the first, yeah.

- We often ask at this moment every year, Why is this night different from all other nights?

And I think this year we can add, Why is this Passover different from all other Passovers?

- People were making tables, at home, but getting on Zoom calls with loved ones from around the country.

- We taught people, how can you do Passover so that you're actually connecting with your family.

And people learned to do it.

They set beautiful tables and their, their relatives you know, on the west coast set a beautiful table, and they learned to connect and we figured out how to use the technology.

And we we've done that with every step.

- [Zoom user] Alright, well, good afternoon, everyone.

I'm delighted to welcome all of you to the first ever Atlanta Unity Seder.

Uh, sorry, the first ever Atlanta Virtual Unity Seder, and it's gonna be different than years past.

- One of the things that was incredible about the virtual Atlanta Unity Seder is that people showed up and it, it was in April, right?

It was probably a month into the pandemic, and it was one of the first virtual events.

It was one of the first unifying events in our community.

It was one of the first ways that we were able to, you know, come together as a diverse community.

- They say that like technology has advanced by 10 years because of the coronavirus and the fact that people are using video telecommunication way more frequently than before the pandemic.

And there's a lot of parallels between that and the birth of the telephone industry during the Spanish flu pandemic.

We see a, a huge rise in that technology, because people could still communicate and have that interaction, that human interaction that you're lacking during isolation, during quarantine.

- All of us are at home now, hopefully, following instructions.

Alone, or I should say separate, but not alone, because we're all together.

And with the amazing advances of modern technology we're actually all together.

- There's an intimacy that is developed that we never expected with this move to computers.

Computers have been the least intimate in our, in the past.

And now they're a place where we all get to join together in our own sacred holy spaces to create one large community online.

- We join together, now the Mincha service with the Ashrei page 120.

- None of us learned how to do this in rabbinical school.

We did not learn how to be a rabbi for TV or how to adapt rituals when people couldn't be together.

Shabbat Shalom everybody, how wonderful and beautiful it is that we can be together on this beautiful Shabbat Eve.

- Different congregations found ways to Zoom Shabbat.

And yet the Orthodox community goes into an additional isolation, being cut off from community and everybody.

They are at home alone, praying alone.

And that's where those rabbis said this will be the last moment.

People can see others in the community and if they can't come be with us on Saturday, we're gonna bring Shabbat to them.

(clicking sound) - We come around on eruv Shabbat, just a few hours before Shabbat begins.

People who are not going to be using technology in our community, they're not only going into a physical isolation, they're going into a digital isolation.

And when they go into that digital isolation, at least they know that even though they're more cut off now, they had this big burst of connection right before Shabbat began.

And I believe, cause I know it does it for me, but then again, I get to ride around for three hours and see it all happen.

But even just those few moments, I know it makes all the world of difference.

- Shabbat Shalom!

- Gut Shabbos!

- Chadosh Tov!

Gut Shabbos!

- Gut Shabbos, Gut Shabbos.

- Gut Shabbos!

(indistinct) - So we're following the Rabbis.

We're on the, like the parade of rabbis, the caravan.

We're following them as they bring joy and welcome Shabbat to the people who belong to their congregation who are unable to be with their Rabbis on Shabbat.

- It is said that "the Jews don't keep the Sabbath, the Sabbath keeps the Jews."

So the Rabbi coming out here and doing what he's doing is helping to keep us united, like we are, you know, I mean here we are all dancing out in the street.

So it's a wonderful thing, yeah.

- If we can't be together, bring the celebrating in.

We appreciate our Rabbis coming to us, that's for sure.

- Of course it helps.

You want see the people you're close to, you know, it's like, instead of Zoom, this is, you know, - [Woman] it's a little bit better.

- Yeah.

It's live!

- [Woman] Thank you so much.

Good Shabbos.

- Gut Shabbos.

- Good Shabbos.

- The Jewish community has become more creative than I've ever seen.

Every denomination, every group are thinking of ways of connecting that have never been done before.

- We could not stop for a pandemic.

Life does not stop for a pandemic.

And that means funerals.

That means brises.

- [Woman] Yeah.

That means weddings, bar mitzvahs.

We saw it all.

- We are here to celebrate Haley's bat mitzvah.

(Hayley reciting Hebrew prayer) - (crowd) Mazel tov!

- Rituals are crucial to maintaining our Jewish identity and who we are, really as a Jewish people.

And, that, I think is really impressive when you go back and look at those milestone events.

- Rituals for the Jewish people have been essentially the same since Biblical times.

We use each of these rituals in our life to mark major milestones.

Whether it's from the very beginning, when you're dealing with a Brit Milah or, for a girl, you know, a baby naming at the first Torah reading after her birth.

And everything in life is enriched with Jewish tradition.

- These traditions were instituted for the purpose of preserving certain dimensions of our relationship with God and ensuring that Jewish life is personalized and real and integrated - To family and to friends who have gathered from near and from far, both here in our sanctuary at the Temple, and so many who are joining us today via Zoom.

We feel it is as if you are here with us to remember a truly beautiful and precious soul.

I would say that life cycle events, in general, have been, in many ways, the most emotionally challenging.

(gentle music) - When this started, I think beginning towards the end of March and through maybe the first week in April, we were handling roughly three COVID a week, on average.

And then thankfully it's slowed down and it was once every two weeks, give or take.

And then, very sadly, we've had one a day.

- Funerals have been very difficult because family members can't be there.

So, you know, when the funeral's COVID-related, there's almost nobody there.

You know, in one case, it was just me and a camera and nobody else.

- I think it makes it much more difficult for the family.

And I know there are individuals who have passed away from COVID where family members couldn't even visit them while they're in maybe a hospital or facility, which is really tough.

Right?

So there's that.

And then dealing with the fact that they've had the loss and then now dealing with well, who can attend the funeral and it has to be only a few.

And then there's almost no Shiva, at least in person.

- There was one sad situation, one member of our Shul where the husband was over at Berman Commons every day, just taking care of his wife and she contracted COVID and passed away.

And it was so weird 'cause we're doing this funeral with you know, a dozen family members, Eddie Dressler has the smartphone up there on a tripod so it could be broadcast on Facebook Live.

And, you know, as the husband is filling in the earth of the grave, I mean he's crying and you know, normally what would I do?

I'd go over and hug him.

I'd give him a hug, give him some support.

And, because of the pandemic, stay away, you have to stay away.

That is really the horrible thing.

- I've officiated a couple of funerals, one in particular, of an elderly couple who both passed away from COVID within seconds of one another and had a joint funeral which was heartbreaking and, and... difficult and, also so many people were able to be a part of the celebration of their lives that wouldn't have been able to be there, otherwise, because of Zoom.

- There's people who have lost loved ones, either because of COVID or for other reasons.

And again, going back to that adaptability we had Zoom funerals, Zoom shivas, even signups for people to do minyan on people's driveways for shiva, ya know and that is really the support, I thought, of people coming, being able to include people from outside of the local community that brings people together, too.

(somber piano music) (upbeat music) ♪ Mask maker, mask maker, make me a mask, ♪ ♪ any design, please sew it fast.

♪ ♪ Mask maker, mask maker, ♪ ♪ it's the new look, ♪ ♪ If only that's all... ♪ - In the beginning, there was a lot of mixed messages about masks.

I think when it became clear that you could still spread this virus even if you didn't have any symptoms, masks became a must.

(sewing machine pedal clicks) (sewing machine whirring) (gentle music) - My favorite thing about making masks is giving them to people and seeing people like walk around the neighborhood with my mask on, with the mask that I made, on, and keeping people safe.

I'm Isabella and I am 12 years old, from Johns Creek, Georgia.

I just wanted to make a mask for myself because I didn't have one.

And so that just kind of turned into selling masks, 'cause I had so much fabric from that kit.

- So once Isabella started making masks, she came up with this idea of having a popup, and putting out her masks for the neighborhood.

People would just come by and buy five or six masks.

She got a lot of repeat customers.

It, really, it's become the modern day lemonade stand, right?

You can't sell food right now.

You can sell masks or things that are needed in the area.

- [Isabella] We have these masks-- what type of mask are you looking for?

- [young customer] I actually kind of like this one.

- You do?

It has butterflies on the back.

So how you wear it is you wear one side a day and then you wear the other side a day and then you wash it.

So you don't have to wash it every single day.

I have learned a little bit about myself.

I've learned that I really like to be outside, and that I actually really enjoy doing mitzvahs, and it's just made me be more, like, selfless.

- [Isabella] Thank you for doing business.

(girls giggle) - In Jewish tradition, pikuach nefesh, "saving a life," is the highest value.

So this idea about, you know, wearing a mask and following the safety protocols, it's not a question, it's an obligation.

- We're teaching her values that they're gonna carry with them throughout their life, which is, you know part of who being Jewish is.

She was going to make masks to continue to donate them, but also she decided that she wanted to start selling them.

She came up with how much she wanted to donate and where she wanted to donate.

And that was, I mean, that was her.

She picked, the JFCS Kosher Food Pantry and then North Fulton community charities, 'cause she wanted a Jewish organization and a local organization.

And so that's what she's been doing with it.

- I'm very proud of myself for being in the Jewish community and really just helping, and donating to the food banks.

It makes me really happy.

(soft music) (soft music) - The Jewish community was hit hard.

It was hit really hard and people were losing jobs, people couldn't afford rent, mortgages, food on the table.

This pandemic hit everybody in ways that we didn't expect, and we really had to step up and find ways to help each other out.

- As Federation did, which we've always done, we said, to our critical organizations in this community, you focus on what you do-- take care of our elderly, provide mental health services, provide food security.

And we said, we'll take care of the fundraising.

We'll communicate the need to our donors.

We'll raise the money and we'll meet this need.

Well, that's exactly what we did.

And we're continuing to do that now.

- Federation launched that big campaign, ya know, within a few days, I think it was, of COVID and they were raising millions of dollars they weren't planning to raise necessarily, to support the community.

- We were lucky enough to be the recipient of some funds from the Federation.

They allocated some money for us to assist the Jewish community for their needs during COVID.

- The Jewish community supported me because they have helped us out with no-interest loans being stretched out, which was very helpful, and also taking care of other utility bills.

They make sure we don't go hungry.

They just look after us, which is wonderful.

- This was the first time in my life where I've actually seen it, ya know, firsthand, about just how much you can rely upon your fellow Jew, in a situation of need.

- On March 13th, when we all shut down, that moment, we became a different agency.

Every single service area upended.

So, for example, our food pantry, which had been this very small food pantry, that was mostly serving our individual clients, has now, gosh, I don't know, fivefold.

Last year we gave out 17,000 pounds of food.

This year, we're gonna give out 250,000 pounds of food.

The need came outta nowhere.

- When I see families, and the people that are willing to help each other, it is quite beautiful.

It's also wonderful to see how much resilience we, as staff people and as an organization, have to adjust, sometimes by the seat of our pants.

But, ya know, just be flexible enough to figure out what the need is and address it.

- I've always felt that Atlanta has a special Jewish community.

We work well together.

We know each other, the professional leaders stay in touch with each other just because it's important.

And we recognize that importance.

What COVID helped to do, was sort of strengthen those bonds, to be able to say how can we help each other?

You saw that through the Federation's COVID campaign, you saw that through the way programs evolve.

- One of the things I'm most proud of is how quickly our JCC adapted to a new virtual reality.

And, when it became clear, late February, early March, that we were gonna have to close our facility, the staff was challenged to come up with ways to engage the tens of thousands of people that we always do, except in a significantly different way.

And whether that's through book festival or whether that's through summer camp or truthfully, whether it's through preschool, with the teacher, still engaging with their kids online, the JCC really rose to the challenge and continued to impact tens of thousands of people, even in the middle of a pandemic.

- The reason that I've made Atlanta home, and the reason that I do this work, is because we care about each other, because we have an incredible network of people who are willing to do anything, to help anyone in this family that we, as a community can help.

- The Holocaust survivors are a group of people we serve that I've been the most concerned about because I understand how triggering this pandemic has been.

Here they are being told that they must stay in their homes, they can't go out, they can't see their families, they can't be connected to people and it's very upsetting.

And so we have an amazing staff, those who serve the Holocaust community, and they figured out ways to be able to break through that sense of pain, fear, and anguish and reach out and touch those people.

And one of those ways was to do these popup concerts.

- We're having a 'popup concert.'

Unfortunately, due to COVID, we have not been able to gather together, for six months now.

So if we can't gather together as a community, then let's bring the music to our survivors and the music will always go on and the show will always go on.

♪ I see trees of green, ♪ ♪ Red roses too ♪ ♪ I see the moon ♪ ♪ For me and you ♪ ♪ And I think to myself ♪ - They have musicians go to the driveways where those people live ♪ What a wonderful world ♪ and they play music and it just brings them out.

They come out onto their patios, onto their front stoop, and you can just see their faces light up with joy.

- It's soothing, it's uplifting.

It energizes the spirit.

It brings back moments of nostalgia, moments of great joy, and it just expresses how a person feels.

And it's a very wonderful healing tool.

- I think that this current situation, despite all the hardship, has provided also a beautiful opportunity to see that... value of of 'Arvut Ha'dadit,' the responsibility for one another.

- That's Jewish resiliency, right?

That's being able to adapt, being able to create, being able to come together as a community because we are a peoplehood that's based on community.

- I am so happy that you're doing what you're doing.

And next time, you hopefully will be able to come into my house and bring some sunshine from the outside in, and have that egg salad (laughs) maybe more.

So consider it an open invitation.

♪ What a wonderful world ♪ ♪ Oh yeah ♪ - It's interesting, the fact that we're sitting around a fire right now, and ya know, it makes me think about all the things that didn't get to take place.

- The coronavirus pandemic has forced many camps around the country to cancel their summer 2020 season.

- Alarming new CDC report about a massive camp outbreak in Georgia is raising concerns.

- And 82% of overnight camps are closed.

- I think about the summers I spent at camp Barney and, you know, I think of a being a kid and being at the lake and all the activities and campouts and everything.

And we actually went up to camp and to think, in the middle of June, when the place should be filled with kids laughing and playing, it was empty.

It was completely empty and it was weird.

(birds chirping) - Today's June 27th.

For the last 58 years, on this typical day, June 27th, Camp Barney has been filled with a community of campers and staff having this amazing, culturally Jewish, experiential time of their life.

It's all anyone's known over these 58 years, including that first year, when people would call themselves charter members of Camp Barney, because they were the very first people to be a part of this amazing place, every single summer.

- When we pulled kids outta school in March, when we went into pause mode in this country, there were about 5,000 people who had been infected, and fewer than 100 who had died.

Over the summer, obviously the numbers were much larger, so you had these two competing forces.

It was summer.

People could be outside.

That was good.

That would make it less likely for the virus to spread.

On the other hand, it was still clear that the virus was spreading, more and more people were becoming infected, and gatherings of people in large sort of camps or things like that were likely going to be a source of real risk to the kids, to the counselors, to everybody involved.

- The decision to close Camp Barney this summer was honestly one of the toughest decisions we had to make throughout this entire process.

Barney has impacted so many people in such a profound way, myself included, having spent 12 years there.

Both of my kids are there, but you have to juggle, what's the right thing to do for the community?

And in the end, ultimately, we held off as long as we possibly could, but the stars did not align, and it was just not the right thing to do.

And so ultimately, that led to the decision not to run Camp Barney this summer.

- Not having campers, not having fees, not having revenue to support our operation is as difficult for Camp Barney as it is for every other business and has resulted, sadly, in layoffs, furloughs, in figuring out how to do what we do in a very, very different way.

I know it's the right decision for Camp Barney.

I know in my heart, despite the disappointment that I feel, that hundreds and thousands of people actually feel everywhere, I'm certain it was what was best.

- Now those are sleep away camps.

There's also day camps that were looked at differently, that had to do things totally different this year too.

- [Camper] Come on.

(children chatter) - Once we realized that MJCCCA Day Camp was not going to be able to launch as we typically do every summer with 800 kids and tons of different camp offerings, we knew we had to pivot because our community had such a need.

We have working families.

Kids need to get outside.

They need to socialize, so we pivoted to Summer Days at the J and it has been seven weeks of fun and adventures.

And the kids have been having an incredible time, and I feel like we have literally given the community exactly what they were looking for.

- Honestly, one of the most important things to us was helping the community get back to their somewhat regular life, whether that meant going back to work or being able to work from home and having some break and having their kids have that social outlet.

It's really critical that we're able to provide that right now.

- That first day of camp, it literally brings tears to my eyes, I mean, the kids are dancing.

The staff is dancing, we're singing.

Everybody stayed in their groups, but they were able to make really incredible friendships, and it was just such a special time.

And I'll remember that first day for the rest of my life and I think that these kids will too.

- You know, we also saw innovation within the city camps.

They basically revamped their entire program with CDC guidelines and professionals and experts coming in.

And just to see kids outside and having a good time in the middle of a pandemic was, you know, it shouldn't be a weird thing to see, but it was weird.

- All right, guys, it is a hot one today, so please let's make sure we are drinking lots and lots of water and visiting our misting tents today.

Thank you guys.

- I have a really bad immune system, a compromised immune system, and so my doctor called me in February and told me never to leave my house again.

That if I was to show up at the hospital, there was nothing they could do, so that was like, (Eileen gasps) so scary.

So I was at home for a couple weeks before the chaos started and I had time to really research and think, and think, "We can't have in-person camp, cause it's too dangerous."

So we closed down in-person camp, and then I did more research and realized, "No, not only can we do camp, we must do camp, 'cause the community really needs us."

And the community needed a safe space for their children to start the reentry process of what their new reality is gonna look like.

And because we have always been a place that has taken care of families and children first, I was confident and felt like we could do that.

We decided we could only do it well at one location, and so therefore we picked the Weber School because it has so much square footage internally and externally, and so we really feel like we could keep everybody safe.

And then we messaged to our families that like, "We've always been there for you.

You can trust us and we're on this journey with you, but it's really critical to allow your child to leave their house, so that they can resume a normal childhood."

- What it showed was a sense of normalcy, that giving kids the sense of being able to forget for a second, that they were living through a pandemic, and just those few hours of getting to be a kid, that was something that this community worked really hard to provide.

Something that was so gripping to watch was the protest back in May.

The Black Lives Matter movement was something that brought everybody to attention.

- [News Broadcaster] Demonstrations over the death of George Floyd spread across six continents over the weekend.

Chants of Black Lives Matter echoed from thousands of protestors in cities around the world.

- [News Broadcaster 2] Crowds of protesters in downtown Atlanta continue to grow.

(crowd chatter) - As you can see here behind me, a very tense situation.

National Guard troops are here.

Tear gas has just been deployed.

I can feel it.

You know, all of us here can.

- I am taking the very unusual and extreme step of instituting a curfew in our city this evening.

(somber music) - It was a challenging summer, right?

Given the racial tensions and the racial issues that we as a community have to face square on and to be doing that in the middle of a pandemic, indeed, it was a very difficult and challenging time.

- I think there was a number of reasons why the Jewish community was so active in the social justice protest of the summertime.

I think in part we had been cooped up.

The notion of being out in public, you know, weather's nice.

It's an important issue.

You know, I think that's number one.

Number two, and I think more importantly, look, we have always as a Jewish community, felt that anytime another community is threatened, the Jewish community will ultimately be threatened.

And especially in Atlanta.

Because of the relationship between our Black and Jewish communities, we feel a special affinity for the challenges that the Black community faces.

So in that moment, it felt like our responsibility to support the Black community.

- Our tenant is justice, justice, you shall pursue.

We knew that to be silent would make us complicit.

We just felt it was our duty as Jews of color to stand in solidarity with other communities, to stand in solidarity with African Americans, and go out there and protest, use our feet for our voice.

- As a member of the clergy in Atlanta, I had an obligation to be involved in civil rights.

Standing on the shoulders of giants like the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, having a pulpit in this community comes with a certain obligation.

So certainly in Atlanta, what I can state is the outpouring of support was grand.

Any time that I managed to make it to one of the protests, I knew that there were plenty of other Jews who were participating as well.

- We saw this community come out and support the Black community, you know.

Our organizations are thinking differently.

Our Jews of color are a part of the conversations a lot more.

- There has always been a connection and support with the African American community and the Jewish community in Atlanta.

And over the summer, we saw it again.

And it's always there, but we had an opportunity to see it.

And I think so much of it from a historical context, understanding oppression, understanding the generational impacts of oppression, and systemic racism, and all of the things that are part of the Jewish and African American history.

- And when there are times of crisis, that's when you get that social unrest.

And it was the same case during the Civil Rights Movement, when you had all these injustices happening to the Black community and the Jewish community has a long history of supporting the Black community, starting with Jewish businesses, particularly in Atlanta, some of the earliest Jewish businesses integrated their workforce.

And we're talking about even before the Civil Rights Movement in 1930s, 1940s, Prior Tire, Lovable Brassiere Company, the first integrated dental practice was owned by the Goldstein Family.

They actually opened the first integrated hotels in Atlanta too long before the Civil Rights Movement, treated Black patients from all over the South, all over the region, including Dr. King's children as well.

- When Martin Luther King won the Nobel Prize, one of the first people to step up to co-chair dinner was Rabbi Rothschild.

- Rabbi Jacob Rothschild here in Atlanta, lead the charge in terms of the Jewish community's response to the Civil Rights Movement.

- The city helps to foster this notion of the city too busy to hate, right?

And we embrace it.

And whether it's through the National Center For Civil And Human Rights, or it's through the King Center, or it's through the work of the Black Jewish Coalition or the work of our Jewish community, we've always felt a special responsibility to being involved in advocacy issues in Atlanta, but also those that impact the greater United States.

It's why we're so proud of our Georgians.

It's why it's so important to us that John Lewis, you know, be recognized for his advocacy and for his leadership.

- For almost 25 years ago, I participated in a march here for jobs and freedom, hundreds and thousand members of the Jewish community marched with us then.

I think it's fitting for me to be here with you today.

- In a year when we lost a true hero of ours, in John Lewis, a voice that was there for so many decades, in many ways, we just picked up the ball and kept it rolling.

And that felt good to watch, see, and see that our community was a part of that.

- Shana Tova, this past year has taught us that there are times when the world is not just sick with us, but we are sick with the world.

- As this pandemic wore on and months and months continue, we figured out Passover, Shabbat, Havdalahs, Lag B'Omer, but the idea of not being in a sanctuary, in shul, in a temple for High Holidays, that is like missing the Super Bowl in many ways for Jews.

And that is something that I think people were just like, "Okay, okay, as long as we're back by then."

But we weren't.

(somber music) - How unbelievably unusual this is to be conducting High Holidays like this.

- But here we are experiencing the most unusual High Holidays in modern history.

- Right now, it's just you, wherever you are and me inside this box.

- These months of coronavirus have been for many of us, a retreat into the womb of home, of shelter, of isolation.

- And what I hear is emotional exhaustion.

And a deep sense of despair.

- Fear assails us, we tremble and we shake at the problems that are facing us.

- And in response to the questions, when will it end?

We have no answers.

- This darkness, this concealment is where new possibilities might be born.

- The pandemic has taken away our ability to sit side by side, but it has not removed our ability to connect soul to soul.

- So let's take a deep breath.

(somber music) - Breathe.

- Let go, the last fragments of the year 5780, maybe say, good riddance.

- So may this new year, 5781, help us to find our way back to each other and back to God.

- May the new year bring new life, new energy, new blessing for all of us, for all of mankind.

- This 5781, we remember when all else vanished, our Judaism and our community endured.

- May this year with all of its blessings begin.

- Amen.

- We sat and watched High Holiday services on our back deck, outside, you know, listening to the sermons, listening and standing and sitting and praying in our home, which we had never done before.

- Get scene one, take two, lots of time.

- We made the difficult decision to hold our services virtually, thereby keeping the community all together as one.

Our prime considerations were wanting to be able to provide everyone equal access to the liturgy and the experience of the Holy Days.

We didn't want to divide our congregation into some who are in-person and some who are virtual.

We also wanted to make sure that we could keep our community safe and that we could provide the opportunities for those to connect with their tradition with each other and with God.

- I couldn't imagine after 50 years as a rabbi, I couldn't imagine what the holidays would be like, but I have to tell you the experience, because I took part in some of the services, was unbelievable.

And when I saw the numbers of people that actually were tuned in, in the thousands, I thought to myself, "This isn't so bad.

Maybe we can learn a lot from this and adjust a new way of communicating."

- I think the Jewish community was extremely insightful in recognizing that in order to flatten the curve and slow the progression of this infection that having virtual services was critical.

- Thanks to the creativity of our team, our High Holidays didn't just stop with the main services and our family service.

We were even able to turn Temple Sinai into an in-person experience where people were able to stay in their cars and drive through the Temple Sinai parking lot, interacting with five different stations.

One station where they would be handed a bag of some goodies, another station where with dissolving paper, they could write their sins on a piece of paper and toss that paper into a kiddie pool filled with water, thereby fulfilling the ritual of Tashlich.

As well, we had Rabbi Ron standing there in the center playing guitar and music as cars were driving by.

There were over 100 cars that came through, but each of those individuals were able to interact with us and wish us a happy New Year, a good year ahead.

We were able to see each other and be seen by each other.

And that was pretty important.

- [Jacob] Is this the strangest Rosh Hashanah you've ever experienced?

- I mean, there's never been a Rosh Hashanah like it before.

- [Jacob] Yeah.

- I mean, of course it's the strangest, but it's like been really beautiful in a lot of ways and really hard in a lot of ways.

- My role during that, by the way, was that I was tasked with sounding the shofar.

I was the last station.

Then they come here for this.

(shofar sounds) So as cars would pull up, I'd stand further back with a shofar in hand would chat with people for a moment.

And depending on the car, some of them, the people in the car would shout out the calls.

Sometimes they would just wanna talk and I would just sound the shofar.

But either way, it was so nice to be able to enable our congregants, to fulfill the mitzvah of hearing shofar in person, and also to be able to look in those cars and give a virtual hug and a big wave.

- You know, the creativity I think of all of the synagogues, the ideas, the generation, the learning of how to create a holy space that would typically be in the sanctuary in your home was something totally new for us.

(gentle music) - Put 'em in the pews was the brain child of one of our congregants who thought, "Oh, you know, how at all the sports games there's faces galore, at the Braves games.

We could do that for High Holidays."

We could actually get our congregants to submit their faces and their pictures and line the pews.

So that I, as the rabbi, didn't have to just look out at a sea of blank, empty chairs during services.

There was a moment on Erev Rosh Hashanah where I looked over and just to see these faces smiling back at me, really encouraging, really loving, and sincere.

I actually felt something beautiful and profound and a connections.

- Jews have become very good at having to reinvent themselves when they have to.

So, yes, I think this pandemic has shown the genius of Jewish resilience.

You know, we figure out a way to make it.

We're going to have to do it different.

You know, Judaism continued to survive even after the Temple was destroyed, we created the synagogue.

We survived because of creativity, because of resilience.

And I think this pandemic has shown that part of ourselves once again.

Do I want this to be the new normal?

Absolutely not.

You know, you look at all these empty pews here, and this is not what we're supposed to be.

We're supposed to be davening together, hearing each other's voices.

We will be back one day.

- And we probably filmed three or four different synagogues for their High Holidays.

And I just got to say, after editing all those videos, you know, I probably sat through 30 or 40 different Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah services, so I'm pretty much exempt, I hope, for the next 30 or 40 years.

- [Adam] Yeah, you're good.

You never have to go back to services again.

- No, I hope not.

But we also saw with like the Orthodox community, 'cause obviously they couldn't do the Zoom or do the streaming, that they did signups and they did basically social distance services at a very minimum capacity than what they're used to and for that community, you know, it seemed to have worked very well.

- The core of Jewish life, the core of our relationship with God is defined on these holy days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur.

And whether we had just a minyan or 1,000 people, it's critical that we preserve that core bond, that core connection, in a traditional sense, in a way that takes place in the holy environment of a synagogue, of a sanctuary, reading the Torah, physically hearing the shofar and so on.

That's the core of, I think, the soul of why it wasn't a question that we were gonna hold services as long as it was safe.

You know, the traditional saying of our rabbis.

(Rabbi speaks Hebrew) That all Jews are guarantors, were responsible for each other.

This year for those that couldn't be at synagogue because of age or health factors or their choosing, we who were in synagogue carried that responsibility to accomplish what the High Holidays accomplished for the rest of the Jewish people.

- And it's incredible to think that of the 35 plus synagogues that we had in Atlanta across the denominational spectrum, if you needed or wanted to attend a service over the holidays, there was an opportunity for you.

I mean, our community really stands out in that sense by providing a myriad of ways, not just for the actual services, but the experience of the holidays.

And I think that's something that we have to remember and are fortunate to be able to remember, that we found ways to be inclusive, that our congregations found ways to be inclusive of what our community needs are.

(gentle music) - One of the primary messages of Hanukkah is the power of light over darkness.

We have been living this message for the past nine months, as we have been been innovating and finding creative ways to bring light to a sometimes dark and challenging world.

Tonight's Hanukah celebration is just one example of this.

Who would've thought that Hanukah could be celebrated with a drive-in Hanukah theater.

- This started when we talked before Passover, you know.

And Passover in many ways is a story of a journey.

And that really started this journey.

And here we are at Hanukkah, which in many ways symbolizes, you know, hope.

- The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization use for the Moderna vaccine last night.

(cameras click) (Benjamin Netanyahu speaks Hebrew) - The vaccine was announced a couple of days ago.

So, you know, that's a little bit of light and especially during Hanukkah.

You know, I don't know if that's symbolic or not, but it's pretty nice that, you know, on, I think it was the fourth or fifth day of Hanukkah, they announced that the FDA had approved the vaccines and they're being delivered now.

So, you know, there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

- I think the vaccine is a really wondrous achievement.

I mean, people have referred to it as the moonshot of medicine and some scientists have sort of bristled at that thinking that's overstating it.

But if you think about it, I mean to have two vaccines for this disease in under a year is a pretty remarkable thing.

I mean, it's taken 40 years and we still don't have the vaccine for HIV Aids, just to give some context here.

And I think that the vaccines will have a tremendous impact ultimately on really bringing down the trajectory of this disease.

- Well, I hope this pandemic is behind us and it stops.

I'm very hopeful that the creativity within the community is not gonna stop and we're gonna continue to see the community stand up for each other and be there for each other.

And at the end of the day, we're all in this together.

And I think, you know, we've seen that more than anything within the Jewish community.

- If there's a theme song of the Jewish people for this, I think it's "Hine Ma Tov."

(Rabbi sings in Hebrew) How wonderful it is just for Jewish people to be together in each other's presence.

- We build community for times like this.

Like, if we didn't have a community now, imagine how like even more isolating this would feel.

- Some of the things that we're learning, that we're taking away from this experience is to value what's really important.

We just take for granted that we have these blessings and being able to spend this much time with family and spending this much time with the children and realizing the relationships that are truly important.

- It allows for all of us to take a step back and appreciate what we have, appreciate our families, appreciate our larger communities, and reexamine our priorities.

- The Jewish people have the history of resiliency.

It is a part of our culture, of our history, of how we founded the state of Israel.

So like, we're resilient people.

And we also are people who want to support others in a time of need.

- People are collaborating differently.

People are sharing ideas.

So yes, there are bright spots in this and it just shows the resilience, the creativity, and the commitment of this incredible Atlanta Jewish community that we share.

- Atlanta is a resilient city, right.

You know, everybody said, "Atlanta, a city too busy to hate."

But what we found was really a city too busy to wait.

- The city too busy to hate is an important moniker and brand for the city, just as the seal for the city is that of a Phoenix, right?

The mythical bird that rises from the ashes.

So if you take those two concepts together, right, the Phoenix and the term, the city too busy to hate, what it shows is that we are resilient, right.

We can move beyond the tragedies that we have faced.

We can embrace our future and not have the past dictate who we are going forward.

- I think we're gonna look back at this time and be very proud of how we stood together as a community, as individuals, we were there for each other.

We really brought change into our lives, into the world around us.

We actually made the world a better place.

- We feel that there are doors that are opened at every turn, even in the darkest moments.

There's a door that is opened and it's our strength, our courage, and what God has given us that allows us to walk through it.

We just have to have our eyes open.

♪ - I'm just trying to like wrap it up.

- [Jacob] Take it again, yeah.

(indistinct) ♪ There's a plan ♪ ♪ You'll be blah ♪ Okay.

- [Jacob] Great.

Wonderful.

- I forget the words, yeah, the chorus.

- [Jacob] I love it.

Okay, happy Hanukah.

- [Gabby] You ready for Latkes and candles?

- [Jacob] I guess I kind of looked at the camera.

- One, two, three.

- [Child] Happy Hanukah.