Dear Members and Friends,
We want to update you on our current plans regarding activities at Torat Emet for the immediate future in light of the Covid-19 virus outbreak in Franklin County.
Last night our board of directors met online with our medical advisory committee and Joel Marcovitch the head of Jewish Columbus in order to make some very difficult but critical decisions for our synagogue community.
The consensus was that the best and only truly effective way to flatten the curve on the virus is to shutdown group activities of all kinds.
In light of this we are cancelling the Main Event Dinner and Concert scheduled for March 26. The Main Event committee will deliberate on how to go forward either with a “No Banquet” fundraiser and ad book to be followed by a community concert when appropriate – or other options. The two scholar-in-residence programs scheduled for March have likewise been cancelled.
The most difficult decision had to do with daily and Shabbat minyanim. The group spent a lot of time weighing the physical and spiritual considerations.
The more aggressive suggestion was to cancel all services until this crisis has passed. (This is what has taken place in Bergen County NJ where the hospitals do not have the capacity to handle a rapid outbreak.)
A more modulated approach, and the one that we agreed to put into effect today, is to continue minyan services under strict guidelines and to cancel them if there is an intensification of the outbreak.
The guidelines are as follows:
- Everyone must wash their hands with soap according to CDC protocols upon entering the building.
- Daily minyan has been relocated to the main sanctuary to allow for more social distancing of six feet or more. Makom kavuah (“my regular seat” rule) is suspended.
- Shabbat services will be scaled back as much as possible. We expect an attendance of 100 or less.
- Shabbat youth groups will not be meeting and you should keep young children at home.
- There will be no Kiddush, Seudat Shlishit, or other food service out of our kitchens.
- We discourage casual socializing during and after services and advise members to go home as soon as services end.
- One should have Seudat Shlisheet at home before mincha.
- Shabbat afternoon mincha will start a little later.
- The afternoon shiur will take place between mincha and maariv.
In addition:
- Anyone with new respiratory or GI symptoms must not come to shul and should not leave home.
- All members and guests who are considered at risk according to the CDC guidelines should not to attend any services at the synagogue. These include older adults and those with compromised immune systems; people who have serious chronic medical conditions such as – heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease. Please consult page 10 (the last page) of the CDC Covid-19 Health Guide here, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community-mitigation-strategy.pdf for more details.
We also remind everyone to:
- Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- Avoid contact with your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily.
Jorge and the custodial staff have begun a full scale cleaning and disinfecting of the kitchens and will be cleaning and disinfecting the bathrooms, washing areas and other high use surfaces on a daily basis. We are also looking to create systems for avoiding direct contact with sink faucets and other high risk surfaces.
Additional Resources:
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We pray for those who are sick, for everyone’s safety, and for a swift end to this plague.
Rabbi Howard Zack
Dr. Michael Blumenfeld, President
