Dear Chevra –
We moved temporarily to Ann Arbor for six months in 2008—and we showed up at the Hav (as this group was then known) pretty much right away. Our children, Harry and Leila, were 8 and we didn’t want a gap in their Jewish education, so getting them enrolled in the Beit Sefer was a priority for us.
Very quickly, the Hav became not just a source of Jewish acclimation/education for our kids but a crucial community for all of us. We didn’t move to Ann Arbor for permanent till 2011, but AARC meant it felt like coming home.
A decade on, we’re moving away, temporarily, to DC. Sam has started a new job in the Biden/Harris administration, and Margo is luckily able to work remotely for the UM Law School. The current pandemic has little by way of silver lining, but for us, it does have one: because AARC’s activities are still all virtual, we’re able to remain active members of the community from afar. Virtual services are obviously different from in-person gatherings—but we have already found them to be a really meaningful way to stay connected to our haverim at AARC, and we are thrilled we can continue to do so.
So we just wanted to tell everyone that we’ll be away but not gone, and we hope to see you and to stay in touch.
Le’shalom u’be’ahavah
Margo Schlanger and Sam Bagenstos
