Rabbi Brian’s Diary – 

Here’s what I did in a 2-day period, February 22-24, 2021

  • Drove 3 hours from St Paul to La Crosse in heavy snow and dark, after dropping off my son.
  • 7 AM Cardiology – Heart Ultrasound (clean bill of health!)
  • Made an omelet with veggies
  • Phone call – Member with problems at work
  • Phone call – Member wants to meet for coffee, set up Zoom instead
  • Zoom – Couple considering moving to La Crosse from Milwaukee
  • Dropoff – Gave Jail chaplain book on Jewish practices for inmate who is studying Judaism
  • Call from hospital chaplain re: dying Jewish woman with no family
  • Worked on Powerpoint for Mom’s Yahrzeit service; conducted service at night
  • Bought Purim supplies at various stores – sorted all into bags for each family to pick up
  • Text messages and Zooms with both my daughters and fiancée
  • Zoom – Got help from member Ann Brice re: website design
  • Phone – someone hospitalized with mental health issues
  • Purim YouTube clips for use on Thursday
  • Sent family and friends a joke
  • Phone call from woman with 2 young children with Jewish heritage, interested in conversion
  • Wrote an article for our weekly newsletter.
  • Practiced chanting from the Megillah on Purim.
  • Called Iowa and Chicago re: Pesach food orders for the congregation.
  • Put the non-High Holy Day torah covers and curtains back in place, helped by member David Neuman
  • Applied for membership in the International Federation of Rabbis, got two references
  • Prepared the weekly CSOA newsletter and Sunday School news
  • Wrote two bios for Mensch-of-the-Year awards in St. Paul
  • Followed up on billing with my medical clinic
  • Watched a documentary on Debbie Friedman’s impact on Jewish music and prayer, narrated by Mandy Patinkin.  Who knew that both and he I studied under Debbie?
  • Watched a memoir by the producer of the Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof
  • Attended the funeral of a dear friend by Zoom in St. Paul
  • Moderated a Zoom movie discussion of The Meyerowitz Stories
  • Went for a 1-hour bike ride each day, thanks to rising temps
  • Prepared my Dvar Torah for Shabbat

Whew!

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