LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

I must thank the JCCMP for your weekly food distribution. I cannot express how much it is helping our family. The food provided is nutritious, practical, and very delicious. My kids literally wait for me to come home from the drop off location every Sunday and Tuesday to see what they will eat for lunch. At first, I was ashamed to go, but your staff and volunteers made the process so seamless and efficient and assured me that all are welcome to the food.  G-d bless the work you do.  

C. Y. 

Dear Editor,

Rabbi Gewirtz brought up an interesting topic in his column “After the Cheesecake”: Does the chag make the food, or does the food make the chag? This is something my family has debated for a long time. My opinion is that we focus much too much on the food (kiddush) and not enough on the spirituality of the day. Too often, all I hear in shul are the people asking what will be served at the kiddush. There should be more conversation about divrei Torah and less about the menu. Yes, food enhances the holiday, but let’s not forget what the focus should be here. 

Yehoshua L.

Dear Editor,

Now that we are being allowed back into shul slowly, I hope mispallilim will have newfound appreciation for the makom kodesh, with deeper concentration in their davening and no talking. I took Rabbi Gil Student’s advice in “Sanctity in the Synagogue” and used this time in quarantine to brush up on hilchos tefillah.  It was a great article. Thank you! 

Yidel Rosenthal

Dear Editor,

Your COVID-19 Community Resource was especially useful. It is very touching to see how organizations and the community are going out of their way to help those affected by this pandemic.

L.B.

Dear Editor,

Ita Yankovich’s article about medical myths was insightful. May I add to that list another myth that has been circulating: antibody testing.  So many people are going to their doctors to get tested, and when they are told they have the antibodies, they assume that they cannot transmit it to others or cannot contract it again. This can be dangerous since some of those people believe it is safe for them to stop wearing gloves and masks and even social distance.   Even the WHO cautioned people that the medical community needs more time to study this virus and those who recovered.  There is currently no evidence that antibodies will make people immune or offer any protection. Of course, after recovering from COVID, individuals will have some level of immunity for some amount of time, but we do not know how much and for how long.  Even if you have the antibodies, please continue to follow the CDC measures so you don’t contaminate others. We simply do not know enough about this infection to make such claims. 

Neil L.