Items

• 
  2020-10-25

  Trapped at the Border: Asylum seekers protest Matamoros camp conditions

  On October 25, 2020, over fifty of 1000+ people in the Matamoros Border Camp gathered along the barbed-wire fence to protest their living conditions. The Migrant Protection Protocols (M.P.P.), a Trump Executive Order, requires many Spanish-speaking asylum seekers to stay in Northern Mexico until granted a court date. In March 2020, the administration sealed U.S. borders and closed immigration courts as part of the COVID-19 emergency response. Many asylum seekers trapped in the camps may never get a full hearing. Although protests could provoke retaliation from Mexican and U.S. immigration officials, these families demonstrated because they felt desperate. As in much of the southern border, cartels plague the Brownsville-Matamoros region. Many South and Central American migrants have experienced kidnapping, theft, extortion, and rape on their journeys through Mexico. In the camps, bounded by a fifteen-foot fence and heavily armed security forces, they face daily threats from poisonous snakes, hurricanes, flooding, and unsanitary conditions. Because the Mexican government does not give camp occupants sufficient resources, nonprofit organizations like Catholic Charities and Team Brownsville provide food, water, and medical care. On the day of the protest, two U.S. citizens from a Methodist ministry stood with demonstrators inside the camp. The asylum seeker who organized this demonstration sent her two daughters (ages 9 and 11) across the Rio Grande, accompanied only by a cartel-affiliated coyote (guide), to turn themselves into Customs and Border Protection (CBP). While she misses her daughters every day, she believes that separation is safer for them than remaining in Mexico or returning to Honduras. She trusts that God will protect everyone in the Matamoros camp because their cause is just. After the protest, I held her hand through the gate’s wire diamonds and promised to pray. Some protesters held signs with Bible verses like Matthew 25:35-40, while others called for the protection of LGBTQ+ migrants and an end to MPP. Many protesters addressed the U.S. presidential election. Voten inteligentemente, one sign reads – vote intelligently. Joe Biden promised that, if elected, he would repeal M.P.P. within the first hundred days of his presidency. Asylum seekers realize that without a leadership change, they have very little chance of entering the U.S. I witnessed this reality while I stood in an hour-long customs line, waiting to cross the International Bridge back into Brownsville. The line held a mix of Mexican and U.S. citizens, including a family carrying spider-shaped piñatas and orange-frosted cupcakes for a Halloween party. A group of two adults and three children passed me in line. I watched them approach CBP officers, a journalist following close behind. Five minutes later, a security officer was escorting the family back to Matamoros. The journalist noticed me watching and stopped to explain: “They asked for asylum, but CBP said no. They have to wait in Mexico.” “No somos malas personas. Solo queremos vivir.” The mother repeated this phrase like a mantra as she passed us, holding her six-year-old daughter’s hand. We are not bad people. We just want to live. *This is a photograph that I took on my cell phone outside the Matamoros, Mexico border camp on Sunday, October 25, 2020. Faces are blurred to protect their privacy.
• 
  2020-11-02

  South End Resilience

  My name is Chandler Munson and I am a first-year student at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Since I am apart of the NUin program, I am currently living in the Westin Hotel in Copley Square and am taking History of Boston as a culture class. Something that I've learned over the course of this semester is how to be resilient. The city of Boston has had to overcome so much with the current state of the Pandemic, yet people are still living their lives and bettering themselves. For my history class, I had to research the impact of Irish Immigration in Boston today, so I went with my group members to the South End. The South End was mostly inhabited by the Irish, so we went around finding historical sites and researching ways that the city has changed. One of the buildings that stood out to me was the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The Cathedral is a place of worship and was especially important to the Irish Catholics when they first came to Boston. When I saw the Cathedral in person, I was taken aback. It is truly a beautiful building with perfect landscaping and many religious statues. At the beginning of the pandemic, the Cathedral had to shut its doors and hold online services. This upset many who think of religious places as their safe places and where they can truly be themselves. After many months of following the social distancing and mask guidelines, the Cathedral is finally open to the public. Of course, there is limited capacity due to COVID-19, but the community feels whole again. Visiting the South End really drove home the idea that America can overcome any challenge that it faces and that we will be back and better than ever soon.
• 
  2020-06-11

  Chaplain Reassures Long-Term Care Workers in Minnesota

  I found this image attached to an AARP article titled “How to Track COVID-19 Nursing Home Cases and Deaths in Your State.” The chaplain is holding a sign that reads, “You are not alone. You are loved.” The chaplain is expressing his faith through an act of service and love: supporting the frontline workers. It is a generous gesture, and one that I am sure resonates with the senior citizens at the care facility as well as their caretakers.
• 
  2020-10-25

  Dussehra- The Triumph of Good Over Evil

  Watch the video of effigy of Ravana, and other demons being burnt on the occasion of Dussehra, an Indian festival. Hindus over the world celebrate Lord Rama's victory over the demon Ravana, and the triumph of good over evil. With over 7.86 million COVID cases and 119,000 deaths, people in Sharstri Park, New Delhi can be seen celebrating Dussehra with high spirits. To know more about the festival: https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/india/dussehra
• 
  2020-10-09

  Elizabeth Sconyers Oral History 2020/10/09

  This oral history was conducted for the HST580 Archive course through Arizona State University. The interviewee discusses her life and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The oral history explores the COVID-19 virus and its relation to themes such as, lived experiences, family life, employment, the economy, government, and community.
• 
  2020-10-22

  Epoch Times found in Mailbox

  The front page literally only covers China and Covid-19 conspiracies. The Falun Gong own and run the Neo-Conservative paper. This and the Shen Yun dance trope appears to be apart of the continuous push to reach non-chinese North Americans.
• 
  0020-10-22

  Saved By A Crippling Providence

  My wife stopped walking on February 18th, 2020. On February 17, 2020, We had dinner at a friend's house in Paramus NJ. All was well. We had a great time of fellowship and drove the 1.3 hrs to drive home. The next morning when my wife got up to go to work, she had difficulty walking. It was MUCH more than difficulty, she could NOT walk at all. She screamed out in pain as she tried her best to 'still go into work'. To no avail, when I heard her cry in pain, I whisked her to the hospital. She was diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis. This was the first of two major hospital visits. Her MD MADE her stay home. February 27th....things started shutting down and by March we all know the history of what happened and is still upon us in this NOW PANDEMIC. Whether it was Providence of God or Life, My wife and I were homebound and 'quarantining' before the rules went into effect. It is now October and we are still in the 'woods' with this pandemic but my wife is doing better. This image I took in May of this year 2020. She was just starting to get back to walking. 3 months of pain and misery to be saved from the Plague of this Century. Saved by a Crippling Providence!
• 
  2020-04-08

  Jewish Melbourne: The Plague Year Hypertext Haggadah

  An interactive hypertext haggadah I wrote for my family’s Zoom seder in 2020. I used Twine, a popular open-source, interactive fiction tool, to write a choose-your-own-adventure haggadah. It was the first zoom-based seder I had ever attended, and I didn't know how long my family would tolerate technological difficulties and the often awkward, fragmented conversation that some Zoom conversations/events can descend into. (Let alone the near-impossibility of group singing via zoom). Apart from this, it’s fairly common in my family, as in many others, that parts of the seder are skipped over, or their inclusion is contested, and I thought that trying to conduct a seder via zoom would only make people more eager to get it over with and reach Shulchan Orech, i.e. the getting drunk/ shittalking part and then call it a night. Writing/Compiling a hypertext haggadah was my attempt to facilitate a more fluid seder, in which parts could easily be skipped over on the night, among other reasons. In practice in turned out to be a bit of a shemozzle, which is partly due to some technological illiteracy among the mishpachah, and also partly because my hypertext haggadah is a rabbit warren (over 5,000 words spread over over hundreds of individual pages joined by hyperlinks), and so moments of anarchy would often ensue when people strayed from the communal path (which I enjoyed tbh, but were clearly frustrating to my uncle, whose ideal seder is basically the Two-Minute Haggadah: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2013/03/the-two-minute-haggadah.html)
• 
  2020-10-16

  P.E.I. Buddhist monks, nuns create bubble within the bubble amid COVID-19

  Buddhist monks and nuns are creating bubbles within their community in Prince Edward Island. "Anyone who leaves the bubble will be quarantined for 30 days" according to Venerable Kelvin Lin. PEI has been one of the best provinces in Canada keeping their Covid-19 rates down. Creating social bubbles has been a popular method of prevention in Canada aswell.
• 
  2020-04-09

  Food Storage Sourdough Bread

  The pandemic caught me unprepared in many ways. I did not expect to run out of flour or yeast. I regularly bake rolls, muffins, cookies, and other treats several times a week. Just a day before New York shut down, I was at my local wholesale club stocking up on freezer items and canned goods, but could not find yeast or flour. The flour and yeast shortage was real and lasted for months in New York. Sourdough bread recipes started to circulate and I realized it was time to break out our food storage. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have approximately a year's worth of dry canned whole wheat in my basement. My husband started the sourdough starter. As a the scientist in our family, I figured he would be up to the challenge of experimenting with a starter. After two weeks of tending his starter, he pulled out the wheat grinder. The grinder loudly screamed through the house as a fine flour sifted through the blades. A warm, homey smell settled in the kitchen. Then, he set about making the bread--a twenty-four hour affair. The tang of the starter smelled promising. The last hour of baking we smelled the rich smell of the bread baking in the hot oven. When he pulled it out, we could hardly wait to taste it. The jagged dark crust had the hallmarks of an artisanal loaf of bread. It smelled so good, earthy and hearty. After it cooled, he sliced the bread, cracking through the rough crust into the perfectly textured inside. The flavor was perfectly tangy, with a gorgeous whole wheat texture. Before the pandemic, my husband worked long hours at his lab and would never have had the time to make a loaf of bread that required so many steps and 24 hours. And before, we never had the need to make a starter or to use our food storage wheat.
• 
  2020-09-28

  Yom Kippur in the year of the plague

  Community is important to all, especially in these difficult times. For significant events and religious observances, we need to be inventive to stay connected. The Reform Jewish movement in Melbourne, has been broadcasting its services throughout the Victorian lockdowns, and this was especially so for the High Holidays, when thousands tuned into live streamed services.
• 
  2020-10-04

  Saudi Arabia Reopens Religious Travels

  Saudi Arabia opens up religious travels after having suspended them for over 6 months. Visitiors are now allowed to go on pilgrimige and holy visits.
• 
  2020-06-06

  Graduation Through the Virus

  In June of 2020, I graduated high school amidst a global pandemic. I attended St. Anthony High School, a private catholic high school in Long Beach, California. As a small school, myself and about 150 other senior students spent the months following quarantine procedures praying that we would get some sort of graduation to award and celebrate our hard work . After negotiating with the Arch Diocese of Los Angeles and adhering to the safety laws implemented by the governor, St. Anthony was able to provide a Baccalaureate Mass for their 2020 graduates in celebration of their four years of success, growth, and education. As one of those graduates, I was filled with immense gratitude to have been able to join with my friends and immediate family as I closed a chapter of my life, and stepped on to the next. St. Anthony High School was one of few high schools in the county to have been able to congregate in any way to celebrate the 2020 graduating seniors. Many schools had to divert to “drive by” graduations or even online ceremonies from home. With the amount of high school seniors we had, St. Anthony was able to host 4-5 different Baccalaureate Masses for the purposes of social distancing. This way, all seniors got the opportunity to wear their cap and gowns, dress from tassel to high heel, and experience what a graduation ceremony in the Catholic Church would be like. For this one day, the ability to come together and see many of my friends that I hadn’t seen for months brought so many emotions. There was much question prior to the mass as to whether we students would actually be able to get through with it. The safety of ourselves and the family’s of one another we’re of utmost importance, while our right to be acknowledged for our academic successes the past 4 years felt necessary. We 2020 graduating seniors of St. Anthony High School were so fortunate to be able to experience a graduation ceremony in the manner we were allowed.
• 
  0000-04-24

  Finding Inspiration in Community While Apart

  At the beginning of March 2020, everything was going wonderfully for me personally, but also within my dance community. I grew up training intensely in several different styles of dance. But after three years of focusing my training specifically on Hip Hop, I had grown tremendously, developed stronger confidence in myself and a trust in my body, was engaging more actively in the overall Arizona Hip Hop community, and was on track to become President of my team for the upcoming school year. I had also organized a trip out of town with my team and a showcase to be held at the end of the year at a beautiful venue. However, as COVID-19 struck, all off those plans for the team, as well as all our weekly classes, practices and rehearsals were cancelled. Suddenly my most effective social, physical, and mental outlets were no longer available. I was going through my own significant struggles because of the pandemic, but I also became worried about what these changes would mean for the relationships and dance lives of everyone on my team. However, as true athletes and artists do, we found a way to reinvigorate ourselves and be there for each other. We decided to meet over zoom at least once a week to check in, talk about our experiences, and most importantly, find a way to dance together, remotely. . I was given the unique opportunity to listen and understand how collective times of crisis had affected my friends of various faiths and identities. The zoom call pictured is one where several of us met virtually to learn choreography from one of our teammates. This choreography would later be filmed in our individual locations and cut together to create a cohesive video. Throughout the pandemic, I have heard countless stories of creative people who lost their drive and inspiration in stress and defeat. However, I have also read and lived the stories of adjustment and perseverance. Being part of a community, whether it be rooted in art, academia, or religion, drives individuals to contribute. The dance community specifically has been devastated through lack of space to gather, learn, and perform. But it has also learned to utilize technology and been reminded of what we had taken for granted.
• 
  2020-10-08

  Isolation & Madness

  The last time I traveled before the Pandemic shut down the world was November of 2019. I spent 11 days, quite literally wandering around Italy. I went with no plan - other than to visit the Vatican. I spent time in cafes and walking around the city. I made random conversation with locals and tourists alike. I allowed myself to listen to other's experiences to see if it was a venture I would like to experience. It was such an exciting experience. I actually made friends with a photographer who was travelling to Sicily for a nature shoot. She allowed me to tag along. We took a bus and once we got there we explored the small village. We had fresh fudge and freshly ground coffee. While she was at her photo shoot, I walked along the water and explored the remainder of the village which would easily have fit within 3 city blocks in New York City. As I describe that adventure, it has nothing to do with the pandemic and it's completely unlike what we are experiencing now. I was free to wander; something about being out in the open with no general plan is exciting and calming all at the same time. As I reflect on that time, I remember what happened right after. As people got sick, businesses shut down, people were restricted to their homes, I could think of nothing else except for this view from Doge's Palace. Casanova was the most infamous prisoner, especially since he was the only one known to escape. Just imagine what it must have been like. Making this walk over this bridge and this little sliver of light is the last you saw of the outside world. After that walk, it was just stone and candle light. I took this picture on my cell phone and as the course continued this term, I kept thinking about this picture. In a place like Italy, where religion is part of the culture, they were hit so hard by the pandemic. What must it be like there to be restricted to your home and all you can do is look out your window? The idea of only being able to see a small piece of reality while the world around you changes in extreme ways, not knowing what comes next or when it was going to happen. Imagine what went through prisoners minds in the early 1600s as this small image is the last thing they say. Do you think they found solace in a deity or faith? Those who were confined to their homes and were getting sick, what must have gone through their minds? The reason I wanted to submit this picture is because this pandemic really showed us, we are all human. By nature there are things we cannot escape and things that we come to appreciate. When we become restricted and slow down, we begin to appreciate what's around us no matter how big or small. The pandemic restricted me from travelling abroad and I lost a number of friends and family members but I had no restriction on my view of the world. I could still experience nature and explore and appreciate. The pandemic was a humbling experience. This picture is a visual representation of that experience. There's so much out there but only when we cannot explore at our leisure, do we stop to notice and take it in. It's only through isolation that we miss the world around us. Is it the isolation that caused madness or fear? Only being able to see such a small part of such a big world, it could drive anyone mad.
• 
  2020-10-09

  covid, religion & public life reflection assignment

  I wrote almost four times the required wordcount as a general reflection on this time period in my life & what it's been like balancing work problems and academics and bad mental health this year and these past couple months for this round of classes. I had some tension I needed to get off my chest, apparently, but I survived this first half of the fall. It is draining to be faced with at least a handful of people every day who radiate contempt for your safety or the dozens who behave carelessly, repeatedly, carelessly or the few who make obstacles of themselves to prove a point. It is draining to not be alone all year and yet pretend, by and large, that all is mostly well, all year
• 2020-10-08

  Left alone with religion

  Everyone has gone through wildly different circumstances in the past 6 months, but due to the single same virus. I never thought a virus would be able to shut down the world as we know it within weeks; and in my young life I have taken a valuable lesson from all this: anything can happen at anytime, and to cherish the time you have. With this I don't mean anything in particular, I relate this to people, enjoying going places freely without fear, enjoying being with your family etc... Anything! Different things can happen in an instant, and learning to adapt to them is simply part of life. The time I had alone allowed me to ponder several issues in my life, such as religion; which is why I chose the Religion 101 class this semester. I could not have asked for a non-biased view and will carry lots of the knowledge I learnt into my life. Although I am personally agnostic as of now, I learned through watching others in the pandemic how religion can serve as something very important in providing faith and hope for many, whereas I thought before taking the course religion was a fraud and causes negative outcomes such as war. I have become more understanding on how it can positively benefit entire communities and change individuals lives, and while I continue to be agnostic I completely respect peoples faith's; as it is their personal relationship with their god. At the beginning of the pandemic, I had no idea I would come out on the other side with this perspective, and maybe one day this curiosity will lead me towards a more religious lifestyle, as I feel it gives life a purpose. Without a purpose, a need to do good and inflict positivity in the world, what is life truly for? These are just some of my thoughts at this time thank you Professor Shoemaker!
• 
  2020-10-08

  Is this our future?

  I look at this photo of my granddaughter wearing a mask and cannot help but think this might be her future. When I was her age, we did not have to worry about such horrible things like a deadly virus taking lives locally and globally. But if this is to be her future, then it will be second nature to her, because she will have grown up with it. I still find it hard to believe that my granddaughter at three years old, and my three grandsons have fallen in line with the protocol of changes this pandemic has brought to our doorstep and what they now have to endure. Sure, they may have some complaints about missing their friends. Who wouldn’t? But in today’s world, we have the luxury to still communicate through technology. I am not saying it replaces social interactions, but it does keep us connected to our friends and family, which is so crucial in all aspects of our lives. They did have a choice to attend school physically or virtually; they chose to take classes online. By staying inside and only going out when necessary, they are protecting themselves and others. The rest of the world needs to understand how serious Covid-19 is, and I know so many do. But some still do not believe it is real or that serious. Some of those people I know personally, and it drives me insane! But do you blame them when every day you see in the media many high-profile political leaders stand in front of the camera before the masses and make fun of other high profile politicians for following the CDC Covid-19 protocol so as not to spread the virus? What examples are they setting? There is no respect shown for those who have lost family and friends or those infected with Covid-19. Why are we told not to worry the virus is not that bad when thousands have and still are leaving this world because of being infected with the virus. So, it is no wonder this type of influence has caused such unrest between officials trying to control the virus and those fighting against them. Here in NC, the populous are fighting our governor on closing the doors of different establishments, such as retail stores, restaurants, salons, non-essential establishments, churches, etc., when the pandemic is at its highest. If the virus has leveled and not spiking, he will go into one of the softer phases, more lenient to the establishments and all in lockdown. What is surprising and so disappointing is in so many church leaders' attitudes—how they have handled the pandemic from the very beginning. You can expect a lot of rebellion from some of the retail industry, restaurants, clubs, and so on. But when you witness on the news a church with its community, not following the Covid-19 protocol, passionately holding a rally against the governor’s mandates, you wonder what the logic really is behind their actions. Apparently, it is not about spreading the virus. It is disturbing, like a scene from a bad movie; it is so unbelievable. It confuses me because we learned in church to love and care for one another. Still, these churches' leaders chose to sue the governor, instead of protecting the parishioners and others from a worldwide pandemic, leading by setting a good example. The virus hit the state hard. The governor mandated the closing of all church doors. He did not have a sinister plan to take people's rights away. The governor is desperately trying to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and asking the cooperation from NC. Once all settled and under control, the doors will open to the churches as well to life itself. The churches' leaders are not thinking of their people's wellbeing or the rest of the world when a virus of this proportion is spreading worse than the flu. The leaders of the churches that are suing are causing unrest between their congregation and the governor. They should be following the guidelines set by the governor and the CDC by using new and inventive ideas to service and protect their communities from getting through these difficult times. Some religious communities are coming together and putting their brains to work, coming up with creative ways to continue to carry on their religious traditions. Documentaries have shown religious organizations across the globe, organizing ways to continue their spiritual practice and rituals. Friends have shared their experiences of what their churches are providing for them to keep the connection of faith alive. These stories are refreshing and give me hope, but it does not make up for the injustice because a federal judge overruled the governor's mandate and opened the doors. So, are we mixing religion with the government? I am so proud of my grandchildren for understanding and being more compliant with this horrific pandemic than the adults we see on social media. If one has true faith, one can worship anywhere because my understanding is the god these parishioners believe in would accept praise and worship from anywhere - not exclusively a church. The question is, who really has the power and who has always driven that power?
• 
  2020-04-12

  The Last Supper over Zoom

  Meme of Jesus on a Zoom call with the disciples at the Last Supper.
• 2020

  Mourning During COVID

  Being a pastor in the time of COVID-19 has been a difficult task, and nothing has been more difficult than leading people through the process of mourning the loss of loved ones. In my church, multiple people have lost husbands, fathers, and friends. Towards the beginning fo the pandemic our church lost one of it’s most recognized members to complications due to surgery. However, because of the coronavirus the standard practice of end-of-life ministry, helping the family with mourning, and leading them through rituals which help the family receive closure with their loss was unavailable. I, as the person’s pastor, was unable to be with him in his last days, and neither was his wife. Any final prayers, family meetings, religious discussions surrounding the topic of death which are standard with pastoral ministry were impossible because of the virus. The funeral was small, less than a dozen people. Many of their friends and family were left without any normal medium to mourn and lament the loss of their friend, husband, father, and brother. This left many people in spiritual limbo, and drastically changed the way people were able to mourn. Religious funerals, grief care, and even simple things like having people cook meals for them are invaluable to help with the process of mourning loss and accepting death, not just for the immediate family but for all around. A family friend can, perhaps, mourn by bringing the family flowers or food directly. But, under COVID there is too much of a risk. They now have to mourn alone. The same goes for family. Though they had a small graveside burial, they didn’t receive the social benefit of being surrounded by all who loved and were affected by their husband and father, the edification of seeing the sum, value, and product of their life expressed through tears, laughter, and people united to mourn and celebrate life. The ceremonies themselves, offering a wealth of support during a time of mourning, is enough of a loss, but there is more. After the rituals end, the family is still left without a core member of their life and need further help to manage their grief. Normally, in religion, a pastor can offer a level of grief counseling. But for those technologically behind, who can’t FaceTime or use Zoom, receiving this care becomes both difficult and brings up several ethical issues. How does a pastor, like me, meet with an elderly woman to walk them through grief? How can this be done without risking infection? Is it better to leave them alone to mourn without their religious community and authority? All of these problems have brought light to the importance of religious responses to major life events. Beyond the topics of faith, belief, dogma, and the supernatural, religion offers a wealth of benefits to people’s basic life needs, be it sociologically, psychologically, or existentially. It helps them put words to the indescribable pain they feel. It gives them a channel to express the loss in their heart. It gives communal space to lament, cry out, laugh, and find meaning through suffering and pain. Religion gets people through the darkness that is inherent to existence. COVID, however, has changed how this is done, and actively harmed people’s ability to mourn in a proper, healthy way. There is now one less way to manage traumatic, scarring life events, and find healing and recovery that comes with the penetrating pain in death. Hopefully, we will find healing from COVID, but not just the virus itself, but all that has been lost because of it. Hopefully, we can find healing from the loss of mourning, the loss of celebration, of community, of sacred expression. The sickness from the virus is only one thing of many which can bring devastation. To fight the virus is only part of the process of restoration. We also need to recover everything else in our lives the virus ripped away.
• 2020-03-15

  Weathering the Storm

  This pandemic has been something out of the ordinary for everyone across the world. Unless of course you have already lived through a different pandemic like this one. This pandemic has resulted in many negative effects. Being locked inside everyday, businesses closing, people dying, and everything having to turn completely remote. Everything is just different now. People have to social distance, wear a mask etc. The negatives people can take from this time can be astronomical. It is time to look at this as a positive. At least for me, yes there have been many negatives through this pandemic but I have also used this as an opportunity to better myself physically, mentally, and spiritually. I have worked out and focused more on school in many ways. I have not been perfect but during this pandemic, I have thought about what I wanted to do and what I want to achieve in my life. I want to put my faith in God and my family first. I also wanted to put my health first in every aspect. Everything else to me would come next with my hard work ethic and my drive to be successful. I am in a good place right now during this pandemic and I know there are many people out there that are not. I want to be able to help people out and be there for the people that I care about. I feel like I have done that for the most part during this time. It is time to focus on what matters most and that is taking care of myself and the people I love and care about the most while honoring God along the way. This REL 101 class helped me adopt a new perspective to how other people see this subject and how it can play a factor in their lives. Personally, my faith is the most important thing I have and I will cherish that forever. Without my faith in my God, I am nothing and nothing I have been blessed with could be possible.
• 
  2020-10-07

  COVID-19 impact on my life

  How my life has been impacted by COVID
• 
  2020-03-31

  Holy Week Covid-19 Style

  The Covid-19 Pandemic has changed life but has also taught me some valuable lessons that I will carry into the future.
• 
  2020-07

  Finding Myself Through Walking

  During this pandemic, I begin to fall into depression and anxiety which I never faced before. I didn’t want to go to the hospital to see my provider to be put on pills for depression and anxiety because I was nervous due to the virus. I slowly begin to pray asking God to help me overcome this battle. I started to do different types of self-care, but nothing would help. I decided to go walking one morning and I knew right away this would help me. Every morning, I get out of bed to go walk the minimum of 3 miles, the maximum would be 6 miles. I enjoyed watching the sun rise and seen the difference it made while being up. I also enjoyed the different weather changes from being summer to beginning to get cold. It has helped me see another day, by making great healthy choices in my food intake. I enjoy the nature and the environment I am walking in. I love hearing the birds chirp, the quietness at times, the cars go by. When I listen to music and sing it helps me release my depression. As I begin to walk, I begin to pray to God and giving him thanks for another day, another day to see his creation and continuously praying. It's important to me because my health reflects my life. This not only helped me with my better living path in staying healthy but involving my son to my walk. Taking him along with me during the walks. I enjoy his presence as well as implementing games, so he doesn’t get bored during our walk. The thing that also helped me out is a great friend who also runs every morning. She gives me encouragement to have a better healthier lifestyle. In order to have life, we need to take care of our inner self. It has helped me physically, mentally and spiritually.
• 
  2020-10-06

  A Muted Rosh Hashanah

  Every year, I attend the High Holy Day services at Temple Agudas Achim with my mother. The services are long, emotionally exhausting, and beautiful; this is when the shofar (a ram’s horn) is blown. This year would have been slightly different because the Rosh Hashanah began on Shabbat, but the High Holidays were also impacted by Covid-19. Instead of meeting in person with the entire congregation - hundreds of people, most of whom I don’t see throughout the year - the services were held via Zoom. Because many of my congregation avoid technology on holy days, there were less than 50 people participating in this year’s services. Rather than 3 hours long, services this year lasted about an hour. When the shofar was blown, it was heard through a computer screen, which failed to capture the awe-inducing power of the horn. As someone with ADHD, the High Holidays are usually tough for me. I struggle to focus during the long services, becoming fidgety after an hour. In the past, my mother and I have celebrated the holidays privately, attending a retreat, or simply spending the day together at home. When we celebrate this way, I can draw on my tablet - drawing has always been a source of comfort and focus for me. In the temple, multi-tasking is frowned upon, as it is seen as disrespectful and sacrilegious. Yet recognizing the holidays this way is unfulfilling for my mother - she misses the community of our temple and yearns for the sound of the shofar. Because of Covid-19, we both got a little of our preferred way to worship. Watching the live stream and participating via Zoom allowed my mother to re-connect with temple members whom she had missed. Yes, the meeting was lacking in many ways, but it was better than not attending at all. I was able to stay off-screen, listening to the service while drawing. It was during the service that I drew the image I titled “A Muted Rosh Hashanah”, which depicts a young girl attempting to blow a shofar through a protective mask. With this drawing, I hoped to convey the beauty and passion of the shofar, as well as the pain and longing that the pandemic and social distancing has caused.
• 2020-10-06

  My Life During COVID-19

  In early March of two-thousand twenty, my husband and I had just begun a journey of going back to mass on a weekly basis. When the governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, mandated that all gatherings of more than five people had to be shut down, that included our local church, gyms, local restaurants, and more. This mandate closed local parks, schools, and many businesses for the remainder of the Spring season. Easter mass was also cancelled which personally impacted my family as it is a tradition to gather at our local church with extended family for the holiday. My husband and I were both considered essential employees at our places of employment during this time. We had to carry a letter to prove our being essential while we drove to and from work. Working in the front office of a physical therapy clinic, the patients arriving before treatment and exiting afterwards began to feel unsafe due to the fear we all felt leaving our homes. This fear also resonated with my two co-workers because one was a Type I diabetic and the other was six months pregnant. Throughout the month of April, I began working from home in order to decrease my hours so that my coworker with diabetes was able to keep his hours. My other coworker who was pregnant took a leave of absence for two full months before returning during phase two. Since the state began phase two and released restrictions, churches and gyms reopened with capacity limits to provide social distancing from one another. My sister, who works for a private preschool, was uncertain if classes would reopen in the fall. She was making daily Zoom calls with her small preschool students from March until summer break began in June. As the state slowly begins to open up, our lives have changed with the use of masks and hand sanitizer. The distancing that has been placed over society has increased concerns about leaving home. The world is holding onto hope for a sense of normalcy that will soon arise from the clutter of dirty masks and used gloves.
• 
  2020-09-06

  Karmic Retribution

  On September 6, 2020, I drove down to Boulder, Colorado to spend the day with a close friend of mine. Wildfires had been raging across the state of Colorado for a few weeks and this day, the reality of the natural disasters was especially apparent. The entire Front Range was shrouded in grey fog of smoke. A bright red sun loomed overhead as ash gently pirouetted down from the sky. The air was thick with the stench of burning forests. And it was hot. It was like something out of a movie. Apocalyptic. Ominous. Foretelling some impending doom. My friend and I started our day with a walk down by the Boulder Creek. It was unusually crowded that day and a majority of the park-goers were not wearing facial coverings. Masks were (and still are) mandatory in busy public places and my friend and I were definitely shocked to see a lack of responsibility among what we thought was a community of informed progressives. We chose to wear our masks, not necessarily because of COVID etiquette, but more so because we were worried about breathing in all the smoke and ash in the air. You could smell the smoke. You could see the smoke. And it was clear to us that we also ran the risk of breathing it in. We never checked the air quality index to verify if the air quality was indeed poor, but we didn’t have to. We both had itchy eyes and scratchy throats and that was evidence enough to wear our masks if we were going to be outside. We made our way around the area, trying to find a place to sit and relax. We passed through a tunnel that ran underneath the road. Spray painted on its walls, in red paint, was “Chief Niwot’s Curse” and “Stolen Landz.” My friend and I both took pictures of the graffiti because it “spoke” to us in a way that art or a well-timed coincidence often does. Our country was birthed in blood and forged in violence. This got us thinking about how the United States might quite literally be “cursed,” so long as Americans collectively refuse to acknowledge that fact that we stole the land from Native Americans. My friend and I found a picnic table and immediately pulled out a Tarot deck to do a reading. Whether or not divination is an accurate reflection of reality, does not matter. The subjective interpretation of a story, (and the symbols therein,) is subjectively real. It’s also fun. And sometimes, it’s scarily accurate. My friend and I brainstormed a theme for our reading and concluded on “the story of 2020.” We shuffled the deck a few times. And then drew. The first two cards we drew at random were Temperance and the Tower, both of which are Major Arcana cards. We interpret the Major Arcana cards as the narrative archetypes, or overarching themes, for our reading. So, in this reading, the overarching themes for 2020 were Temperance and the Tower. According to Golden Art Nouveau Tarot’s explanation, the Temperance card displays “An angel performing a mystical rite to restore spiritual harmony, pouring water from one cup to another.” The Tower card depicts, “A blast from the heavens” that “destroys a tower that seemed unconquerable, its magnificent crown-like dome tumbling to the ground. Two people fall helplessly from the heights. The tower was built with such a forbidding design that it imprisoned them in their own creation, with no easy exit.” Golden Art Nouveau Tarot continues, “Seek liberation on your own, or the universe may give it to you in unexpected ways.” My friend and I saw these cards and immediately locked eyes, sharing a mutual astonishment. Amidst the tumult of 2020 – a global pandemic that changed the way humans socially-interact and go about their daily lives, an urgent call for civil rights, widespread systemic frustration, climate change fueling natural disasters, ideological warfare fueled by misinformation and social media addiction – the themes of destruction and spiritual renewal seemed to bear an eerie resemblance to everything going on in the world. We then drew the King of Cups. The King of Cups “is a steady presence in a turbulent sea.” He is kind, peaceful, keeps his emotions in check, and offers comforting strength in times of trouble. As a king, he is who the people look to for guidance. My friend and I interpreted this as the need to practice detached compassion in order to navigate the waters of 2020. With an upcoming election, the United States is more divided than ever. That division could easily lead people to “drown” in their emotions and “wash away” their civility. The rest of the cards we drew were wands, representing the element of fire. Spiritually, fire is connected with creative energy, action, willpower and ambition. As our home literally “burned” before our eyes, my friend and I thought about the desire for change that seemed to be “fueling” transformation. After our Tarot reading, my friend and I drove up into the mountains. We noticed some Tibetan prayer flags flapping in the wind and pulled over to take a closer look. At a higher elevation, it was even easier to see the smoke settling down below in Boulder Canyon, enveloping the land in this impenetrable haze. We were on top of the world and had a “clear” view of everything. *Photographs taken in Boulder, Colorado boulder, colorado, wildfire, global warming, climate change, destruction, stolen land, chief niwots curse, karma, karmic retribution, cause and effect, tarot, spirituality, intuition, perception, logic, past, present, future
• 
  2020-09-28

  Choice to be be pro choice

  Different career positions in the public sector and direct interaction with women facing the tough decision of abortion
• 
  2020-03-24

  An Unforgettable journey story

  It's my personal experience related to the pandemic. This experience prepared me to overcome greater challenges which I may still have to face in the future.
• 
  2020-09-27

  The effects of pandemic on my life.

  The pandemic ruined all my plans for this year and I could not get to enjoy the amazing senior events that I was looking forward to. I learned that things don't always go as planned but we still need to be courageous.
• 
  2020

  On The Verge Of Crying

  Trying to Stay Positive During The Pandemic
• 2020-03-15

  A very COVID year.

  My nightmare began in March when the government announced that most businesses would be closed due to the pandemic. The day before, I went to a party and I enjoyed myself. Little did I know that things would begin to change drastically. I heard very few things about COVID-19 before the lockdown, all I knew was that it was a respiratory illness and that the first case was found in China. I never thought that it would’ve made its way to America so quickly. As time went on, the days got even more scary. Schools, malls, stores and even supermarkets were closed. Reality hit when I saw how the cases were spiking in NYC. My job was temporarily closed so I was at home whilst doing my remote learning studies for nearly 3 months. I was so overwhelmed and exhausted mentally. Even though I did not leave my house, my mother and sister did everyday because they were essential workers. Every morning they left, I would panic, I was scared that they would catch the virus in the hospital and bring it home to me. My thoughts began to consume me, especially being home alone all day and watching the news. Hundreds of people were dying and the hospitals were full. Nurses and doctors were also dying. I remember watching the news and hearing about how many bodies there were. The morgues were full and they had to use freezer trucks to temporarily store the bodies. Watching the news every day made me anxious and sick to my stomach. Every night I would pray that the cases would decrease so that we could return to normal life. This pandemic is simply the most mind-racking experience of my life. I learned to appreciate life. Even though we are technically still in a pandemic, the cases are dropping and businesses are slowly opening. I just hope that we can soon resume life without masks and worry.
• 
  2020-08-10

  Reflection

  It's a flip side and it is important because it highlights one of my main transitions
• 
  -0019-09

  Sacrifice

  In this time of Covid when much is being sacrificed it seemed apposite to reflect on the idea of sacrifice, particularly as it is central to Genesis 22 read on Rosh Hashonah.
• 
  2020-04-09

  Jewish Melbourne: 'Police raid ultra-Orthodox prayer group above store in Ripponlea'

  report in The Age, by Paul Sakkal: "Police raided an ultra-Orthodox Jewish prayer group in Melbourne’s inner-east on Thursday morning where a group of at least 10 men were praying in contravention of social-distancing rules. Just after 11am, about 10 police vehicles swooped on an apartment above an IGA store in Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea."
• 
  2020-08-06

  Jewish Melbourne: ‘Caring for my mother in a Melbourne Jewish Care Covid cluster’

  This is an article written by Abe Schwarz and published in +61J Media in which Abe writes about the experience of his mother being in "Monte", the Jewish Care home in St Kilda rd, and their experience of the lockdowns during Covid times.
• 
  2020-04-03

  Jewish Melbourne: Australian Jewish community management of COVID-19 pandemic – National Bulletin #3

  In the lead-up to Pesach, this update provides a summary of "the current status of Jewish community life in each State and Territory". It begins: "Jewish community organisations and leaders across Australia continue their efforts to manage the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Jewish institutions, families, individuals and, most especially, the elderly and vulnerable. We recognise with deep appreciation the continuing work being done by the Jewish community roof bodies in each State, the Crisis Management Teams of the Community Security Groups, shules, the Day Schools, the aged care sector, the welfare sector and volunteers, and commend them for the high sense of responsibility they have demonstrated. With the approach of Pesach, when families typically gather to celebrate the Seder, many individuals and families will be feeling the effects of physical isolation from relatives and friends. Perhaps in the future we will look back upon these times and appreciate all the more the joy of being able to celebrate Pesach with family and friends, and have all the more compassion for those who have nowhere to go on Seder night, and are all alone."
• 
  2020-04-29

  Jewish Melbourne: 'YG Melbourne Resumes Full Seder Virtually Amidst Coronavirus'

  This news update begins: "The Communists in Russia were not able to shut down Tomchei Temimim, and COVID-19 won’t shut it down either. The challenge today is different, but the mission remains the same, in what is surely Tomchei Temimim’s final frontier before Moshiach’s arrival. The Rebbe Rashab, the Frierdiker Rebbe, the Rebbe, and all the Temimim of old are looking to us, the final generation of Temimim, to carry the baton over the finish line. To that end, YG Melbourne resumed full Seder today via online platforms Zoom and Google Classroom, with the aim of supporting each Bochur in keeping a regular full day of Seder. Instead of reducing Torah study, YG’s full-service virtual Zal resumed Seder two days ahead of schedule. Seder was also opened up to all Bochurim enrolled in overseas Yeshivos who are stranded in Australia due to COVID-19 travel restrictions."
• 
  2020-04

  Jewish Melbourne: Chabad Kingston resources for Pesach

  L'Chaim Chabad Kingston assembled a website of resources for Pesach 2020, providing information for congregants: "As Jewish people around the world prepare for Passover under the pale of coronavirus, we are faced with a host of new challenges and questions. How are we to prepare with minimal ingredients and limited access to communal resources? How to celebrate the Seder alone? How will we celebrate the Festival of Freedom with our movement restricted? Find answers to all this and more ..."
• 
  2020-03-16

  Jewish Melbourne: 'Melbourne’s Jewish Community’s Takes Aggressive COVID-19 Precautions'

  Article by Yosi Wolf published in Hamodia, looking at the way that Jewish organisations, businesses, and shuls responded in the early days of Melbourne's lockdown
• 
  2020-03-31

  Jewish Melbourne: ' Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV) Pesach Guidelines regarding Covid-19 Situation compiled in consultation with the Melbourne Beth Din'

  This provides the Rabbinical Council of Victoria Guidelines for Covid-19 and Pesach, under a number of sections: Inviting guests for Yom Tov; Use of ZOOM for Pesach Seder; Yahrzeit Commemoration; Reaching out to the Vulnerable; Tzedaka – Charity
• 
  2020-07

  Jewish Melbourne - my Facebook profile picture for the lockdown

  I wanted to convery my feeling when the Victorian government told us we are going back to lockdown again. I made this from my youngest daughter's toys, including a mock mini toilet paper distributed as a promotion by supermarket chain Coles.
• 
  2020-03-27

  Jewish Melbourne: 'COVID-90 special KA guidelines for Pesach 5780 – 2020'

  Guidelines provided by Rabbinic Administrator of The Kashrut Authority, Rabbi Moshe D. Gutnick
• 
  2020-03-23

  Jewish Melbourne: 'COVID-19: ABC’s Dr Norman Swan with a special message for the Australian Jewish community'

  Produced by Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), this is a video of ABC's Dr Norman Swan with "a special message for the Australian Jewish community about social distancing – particularly with regard to Pesach."
• 
  2020-04-02

  Jewish Melbourne: 'Spirits high in Melbourne for Passover under self isolation'

  newspaper article in the Herald Sun by Brianna Travers, that explains how Jews in Melbourne would be celebrating Pesach under lockdown
• 
  2020-04-09

  Jewish Melbourne: 'Australia's Jewish community is adapting Passover traditions in the time of coronavirus'

  Article published on SBS News by Nadine Silva, with photos and a video, explaining the ways that different parts of the Jewish community adapted their Pesach to fit within Covid-safe guidelines
• 
  2020-04-11

  Jewish Melbourne: Pesach raid: police swoop on illegal minyan

  Newspaper article which appeared in the Australian Jewish News discussing the response to a group of "ultra-Orthodox individuals" who held a minyan on the first day of Pesach, despite social distancing laws which were meant to prevent such gatherings
• 
  2020-09-19

  Jewish Melbourne: 'Everyone wants to hear the shofar': ringing in Jewish new year in locked-down Melbourne

  article published in Guardian Australia, written by Elias Visontay, documenting Rosh Hashanah in Melbourne under lockdown
• 
  2020-04-03

  Jewish Melbourne: 'Zooming in on Pesach'

  Newspaper article by Rebecca Davis and Sophie Deutsch, published in the Australian Jewish News, explaining that "Religious organisations are reminding the community that they must not allow visitors into their homes for seders this Pesach, noting “these measures are about saving lives”."
• 
  2020-08-22

  Facebook obituary

  My husband's aunt died from COVID. She had complications with a previous lung condition, and went to the hospital, but ultimately didn't survive. His uncle held a virtual mass to commemorte her life, held by the Santa Ana church. His uncle is absolutely gutted, and tested postivie for COVID as well. Luckily, he survived, but it pains him to survive without his beloved by his side. Peru, loss, grief, mass, death, virtual, obituary