Dear Fellow Congregants,
I am writing to brief you on the Re-imagining Committee’s progress on reopening. Our committee has been meeting at least every couple of weeks for several months. We have watched and reviewed the outdoor gatherings held thus far: namely outdoor services and transition team events. After each event, we learned more about best practices for gathering during these unusual times.
We are excited to announce that we are encouraging temple groups to schedule outdoor gatherings as weather allows, and we are also enabling groups of twenty or less to meet in the Sanctuary and/or Levenson Social Hall.
This decision has come to fruition after many meetings and much research on the part of the Re-imagining Committee along with Board level discussion. After the Re-imagining Committee finished drafting our reopening documents, we shared them with the board and incorporated their many suggestions.
At the bottom of this letter are links to several plan documents including our Plan for Reconvening in Person, Frequently Asked Questions, Statement of Responsibilities and Event Planning Form. I encourage you read through all of these documents.
Most importantly, we have tied our opening status to a series of metrics for New Hampshire from the website: www.COVIDactnow.org. I encourage you to visit this website to familiarize yourself with the data. We will be checking this website regularly.
Our plan is a work in progress. We will be revisiting it regularly (at least monthly), and updating it as experience and science inform us to do so.
It has been painful to have our building shuttered for so many months. It has been challenging to find a way forward that balances risk with our longing for community. I hope you agree that our plan is both careful and comprehensive.
I look forward to being able to gather safely and responsibly in and out of the building, and I can’t wait to see you in person or on Zoom sometime soon.
L’shalom,
Amy Hyett
Plan for Reconvening in Person
Event Reservation & Planning form
Covid Act Now website with NH metrics
Temple Israel Stands with Israel.