Standing Watch, Standing Together
One of the most concrete and visible manifestations of the Genesis partnership happens every year during the Jewish High Holy Days when volunteers from St. Clare’s Church join those from TBE to help direct parking during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services and also provide an added layer of security.
Every year, TBE congregants are always deeply grateful for the generous support shown by friends from the church.
This year, the Genesis Journal solicited personal reflections from church volunteers. Here we publish the reflections submitted by lay leaders Ann Putallaz and Kathy Daly.
Reflections on Being a Safety & Security Volunteer for the High Holidays
by Ann Putallaz
A number of us have been volunteering for multiple shifts for multiple years now, so we know the drill. Find a parking spot, go to the table near the TBE office, grab an orange vest and a name tag, sign out a walkie talkie, and pick up a volunteer parking permit if you were lucky enough to snag a volunteer parking spot. Then head to the main parking lot to check in with Larry Biederman and his son Drew. After a briefing with them, take up your station in either the Main or Eastover lot. In the Main lot, the job is mostly to greet folks as they arrive and direct them to registration. In the Eastover lot, in addition to greeting people, the main responsibility is to keep track of the number and location of available parking spots. After the service starts and the greeting and parking duties wind down, it’s time to patrol the perimeter of the building and grounds with other volunteers. All pretty simple once you’ve done it a few times.
But explaining the duties is very different from explaining how the volunteer experience feels. When I’m asked about that, I always think back to my first shift in the first year that Rev. Anne organized St. Clarians to help out on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. That first shift was for a Rosh Hashanah evening service, and on that night, I was the lone volunteer in the Eastover parking lot. It was a beautiful autumn evening, with a gentle breeze and a slowly setting sun.
As I looked toward the Sanctuary, I felt joy as I thought of all the handshakes and hugs I had shared that evening with TBE members I’d come to know through the Genesis Board, committees, and social events. But along with that happiness, there was an aching sadness – sadness at knowing that guards and a police presence were necessary parts of planning for these holy days.
And I thought about all the TBE members who thanked me as they arrived for the service. In that moment, I realized that they shouldn’t be thanking me – I should be thanking them.
I was grateful for the chance to stand, in a small and quiet way, with the Jewish congregation who shares our sacred space – to let them know that, in this world of divisions, we were standing with them.
This year, on one of my walks around the building during a volunteer shift, I passed the Cross and Star of David standing side by side outside the building. Their juxtaposition is more than a lovely design element. It is a sign of the sacred space we’ve built together – a space that allows no prejudice, o bias, no hatred. Only love and respect are allowed to exist within its walls. Volunteering during the High Holy Days reminds me that Genesis isn’t simply a building we share; it’s a commitment we share. And I’m grateful to be part of it.
Honoring our Partnership
by Kathy Daly
It was an early hour to rise on Saturday morning, but necessary in order to get to our shared building by the start of the 7:30 shift for Rosh Hashanah. Thanks to Shannon, the directions had been sent: what to do, where to find the necessary equipment like vests, 2-way radios, parking passes, volunteer IDs, and the like. What was asked of us, too: please help people who are parking, direct them to the social hall, keep an eye out for anyone who might not seem to belong there.
Out of respect for the occasion, I practiced saying “Shanah tova” a few times, just as David Gitterman taught me a few high holidays ago.
Soon it was time for the first service, and the cars began to pour in, filling the parking lot entirely until we had to send people around the block.
And out of those cars came families; all manner of families, some including grandparents as well. And the dress, under other circumstances, might have been called “Sunday go-to meeting” outfits. Some little boys in sport coats with ties; little girls in fancy dresses, and every evidence that attendees had taken extra effort before showing up. The turnaround from the early service to the next one was remarkably fast and without much drama. People left. Others arrived. Many who found lucky spots on the street near the entrance mentioned holy intervention. Who could argue?
As a longtime St Clarian, and also having worked side-by-side with TBE friends at the food pantry for many years, there were many friends and acquaintances I saw between 7:30 and 11 am on Saturday.
I could not help but feel an affectionate responsibility to do my part to help assure that the services for my friends —and all who attended-went smoothly. Quietly. Peacefully. Without drama.
It is, after all, what friends do.
Shanah tova.
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