Written by: Amy Hyett
20210404
Dear fellow congregants:
It is hard to believe that it’s been a year since we shut our doors. While we had a brief respite over the summer with outdoor services and small group gatherings, high COVID numbers in the later fall and winter drove us back online almost exclusively. I am quite proud of our varied online offerings, and offer my thanks to all those in our community who have worked so hard to keep us connected.
We anticipate with excitement that our New Hampshire numbers will return to early March’s downward trend as more residents are vaccinated. The Re-imagining Committee has been meeting throughout the pandemic to revisit our plans and policies. This month, we have updated our Plan to Reconvene in Person with current CDC and State of NH guidance and are preparing for the resumption of indoor events.
We continue to tie our building reopening to metrics on the CovidActNow website. New Hampshire is currently in Red status. At Orange, outdoor events are encouraged with our safety protocols in place. When we hit Yellow status, we plan to open the building at a reduced capacity for hybrid events and weekly services (Tuesday minyan, Friday night and Saturday morning). The updated version of our reopening plan is on the temple website under Guidance Documents.
One notable change is that attendance at services held in the large sanctuary space will be counted in household units. For example, we will start by admitting up to twenty household units per service. The Social Hall will be available for groups of ten individuals or less. When we have a firm start date for in-person services, we will send more information about how to sign up. Of course, offering services and other events in a hybrid manner means that congregants may continue to participate via Zoom as well as in person. Also, whether vaccinated or not, we expect all attendees to observe current virus prevention safety measures (mask wearing, keeping physical distance, hand-washing, maintaining attendance records, etc.) to protect the medically vulnerable.
We are so hopeful that very soon, we will be able to congregate in a safe manner in our sanctuary once again. Thank you for your support and patience as we have navigated this time.
L’shalom,
Amy Hyett
Temple Israel Stands with Israel.