CHAVERIM 

We recently formed Chaverim ("friends"), a group of trained volunteers to be there for all members of our community who need support. Chaverim volunteers work on a strictly confidential basis under the guidance of Rabbi Neil and Brenda, our Congregational Support Officer. We visit members at home and in hospital, or have conversations on the 'phone.

If you, or anyone you know, may need support at home or in hospital, then please do not hesitate to contact Chaverim through Brenda and we will do our best to help. Please note that because of the Data Protection Act we can no longer ask hospitals for information on Jewish patients, and so we rely totally on information from the community. Because of this, please ensure that if you or a relative have been taken ill, that you let us know as soon as possible.

We also like to say prayers on behalf of those who have been taken ill, so when you contact the office please mention if the person would like prayers said on their behalf, and we will put them on the Refuah Shelema ("complete recovery") list for that week.

THE CHONI CIRCLE

The tale of Choni “the Circle-Drawer”[1] is a very moving one. You may well know the part of the story in which he sees a man planting a carob tree and challenges the man why he’s doing such a thing since he’ll never live long enough to enjoy the fruit. The man replies “I found [ready grown] carob trees in the world; as my ancestors planted these for me so I too plant these for my children.”[2] It’s a lovely text with a very important message.

But that’s not actually the end of the story. Choni falls asleep and a cave grows over him to protect him while he sleeps. When he wakes up he sees a man gathering fruit from the fully-grown carob tree, and discovers that he is the grandson of the man who planted the tree. He realises that he has slept for 70 years! So he goes to the Beit Midrash[3] and hears Torah that he himself taught being quoted. The students do not recognise him, and do not believe that he is in fact Choni. Distraught, alone, he cries to God “Give me companionship or give me death,” and it is the second part of this prayer that is answered.

Choni’s loneliness is real and something that many of us can relate to at some point in our lives. His cry is heart-rending, true and profoundly important for us. If we look at Choni’s prayer, there is only one response that God could give, simply because it is not in God’s hands to bring companionship into Choni’s life. But it is in our hands. God gives us the responsibility to create friendships, to support each other, and to share time together. In essence, God gives us the responsibility to create a caring community. The responsibility is ours to create time for friendships and for support.

With this in mind, Chaverim, our support group, has created The Choni Circle. The Choni Circle is for you if you need support, if you’re lonely, or if you have lost someone dear to you. It is a safe place to come once a month to share your difficult burden, to pray a little, and to make new friends. Please look at the calendar later in this issue for the date of the first Choni Circle.

We hope that the Choni Circle will become an important addition to our monthly calendar, and hope that God remains with you as a source of strength and comfort today and every day.

Link to Brenda - our Congregational Support Officer