Greetings!
It’s been over a year since we’ve gathered in-person as a congregation at Beth Emet. We’ve shifted all of our worship, learning, and communal activities to remote channels, and developed a love/hate relationship with Zoom. We have demonstrated resilience and the strength of our community, and I believe Beth Emet will emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever.
We are now preparing to gradually return in person, and there will be a Town Hall Meeting on Monday, May 10 at 7:00 pm to discuss plans and address your questions.
In consultation with experts and our Board of Trustees, we have developed a thoughtful plan. We have designed this in steps so we can “walk before we run'' and adapt as needed to ensure the safety and well-being of all those involved. We are also developing a plan that includes greater use of technology so that those who remain home can continue to be engaged. We need to stay flexible as conditions change, and our goal is to communicate every step of the way as we move forward.
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Phase 1 focuses on the Sanctuary to re-start in-person worship this summer and expand the capacity for lifecycle events in the Sanctuary, allowing up to 50 people. We will also gain experience with new technology that will enable remote participants to view the services in the Sanctuary. Once we are ready, we will communicate how you might sign up to attend Kabbalat Shabbat on a Friday night later.
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Phase 2 will focus on the Weiner Room and is slated to begin this summer. We will be implementing technology and protocol to allow up to 20 people in the Weiner Room, and up to 10 people in the TJM Courtyard.
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Phase 3 will focus on in-person Beit Sefer in September, and we are working through the classroom capacity and options needed.
- The final phase of reopening, which would include adult education, meetings, and social events, should enable us to be in-person more broadly sometime in the first half of 2022, if things proceed without disruption.
And, a few important notes:
- For the foreseeable future, we will enforce strict health protocols, including masks, social distancing, ventilation, contact tracing, and no communal singing or eating. In order to enforce safe capacity limits, we will be requiring reservations.
- We intend to offer remote viewing of in-person worship, life cycle events, adult education, and many other programs, where it makes sense.
- In consultation with experts, we are determining whether we will require vaccinations for certain events.
- Phase 1 and 2 will provide important experience as we begin to plan for the High Holy Days, which are likely to be a combination of in-person and remote services. We will share more details as soon as they are available.
Mark your calendar for a Town Hall on Monday May 10 at 7:00 pm on Zoom to discuss our reopening plans in more detail and to provide other important updates. Watch BE Connected and EmetMail for the link. If you are unable to join us, we’ll record it for future viewing.
We sincerely appreciate the amazing expertise and commitment of the Continuity Planning Team and the Covid Task Force, which include facilities experts, medical and infectious disease specialists, lawyers, technology gurus, and insightful congregants, in partnership with the Klei Kodesh. We also want to acknowledge the amazing tenacity and creativity of our staff, who have been on the front line working to keep Beth Emet as vibrant and active as ever. We are truly blessed.
L'shalom,
Karen Isaacson
President, Beth Emet Board of Trustees
