“A bright future is possible, but only if we get to work building it.”

What are your fears and/or concerns right now?

Michael: I’m nervous about the unknown hardships and dangers in the weeks, months, and years ahead. I worry about how the economic downturn will impact our communal institutions – like my synagogue – and the damage it will do to the fabric of the community.

Adira: While my kids continue to impress me with their resilience and ability to find joy in our daily lives, I fear the long term impact that this will have on all of them. At the moment, I see no end in sight.

What have you learned from living this new normal?

Michael: I’ve learned anew the infinite and immeasurable ways in which we’re all connected. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Our welfare depends on everyone’s liberation. Fear can keep us vigilant, but also make us paranoid, paralyzed and selfish. I’ve learned to reframe fear as love. If I’m loving, my concern shifts, not only to caring for myself, but for others. I’ve learned how essential hope is, despite that I sometimes have to forcibly pull myself out of anxiety and despair. 

Adira: I’ve learned that I’m far more resilient than I thought I could be. I remember thinking in March, “if I have to do this for more than two weeks, I don’t know what I’m going to do”. Here we are almost five months in. I don’t take that accomplishment lightly.

What are your thoughts on how the pandemic has brought to the forefront issues of racial and social inequality?

Michael:  It was clear from the beginning that the burden of this moment is being disproportionately born by those already the most vulnerable with the fewest resources. Our leaders didn’t adequately prepare for this crisis and have thoroughly failed in guiding us through it. 

Adira: I think we’re at a critical moment in history where we can make significant change to reflect a more just and equal society. I am hopeful that change will come in November.

Do you think anything positive will come from all of this?

Michael: I hope that we will summon our righteous indignation in the service of building a new world, a thoroughly inclusive and perfectly just world, upon the ruins of the one that crumbled in this catastrophe. A bright future is possible, but only if we get to work building it.

READ THE STORIES

Click on any of the images below to learn more about what's on the minds of fellow Richmonders. From the pandemic to protests, our community has traveled through months of uncertainty, introspection and reflection. Sharing stories gives us an opportunity to learn, connect and grow with one another in the hopes of cultivating a more compassionate, open-minded and empathetic city to live in.